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Research Projects
Sustainability research at SJSU focuses on ecological integrity, economic prosperity, and social and intergenerational equity.
Research projects address a sustainability challenge (such as climate change or poverty) and further our understanding of the interconnectedness of societal, economic, and environmental issues.
Sustainability research promotes culturally appropriate solutions that concurrently support economic prosperity, social well-being, and ecological vitality.
Research Projects
Related to Sustainability
Sustainability research is currently being conducted by over 557 SJSU faculty members.
In addition, ongoing sustainability research is conducted at two SJSU-affiliated programs:
- Mineta Transportation Institute is a national University Transportation Center and a Center of Excellence specializing in policy studies related to surface transportation. MTI offers accredited graduate education programs through its affiliation with San Jose State University's College of Business.
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) administers the Masters of Science program for a consortium of seven California State University campuses in northern and central California. An outfitted Marine Operations department, strong research diving program and state of the art equipment allow for cutting-edge research in a wide variety of disciplines including: marine ecology, the biology of marine plants, invertebrates, fishes, turtles, birds and mammals, oceanography, and marine geology, chemistry, and biogeochemistry.


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Alan Hudson used to stroll through Chelsea matches like soccer royalty. Now, his body ravaged after being effectively left for dead when he was hit by a car in 1997, he struggles to walk down the road.
On Monday, the former England midfielder marked the 15th anniversary of the accident which left him in a coma for two months with a series of life-threatening injuries.
Hudson oozed class when he was in the Chelsea squad that won the 1970 FA Cup and the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup. Forty years on, his life is a battle to cope with the legacy of the accident he was involved in as a pedestrian on a London street.
"Every day now is a chore," he said in an interview. "I look at my crutches, standing there by the wall, and I realize that day in December 1997 has put a completely new complexion on my life. Whereas most people are ill maybe once or twice a year, it's every day for me. Getting out of bed is hard, I don't wear socks any more because I can't put them on my feet and I struggle to stand up in the shower."
Listening to the 61-year-old Hudson, it is difficult to comprehend this is the same midfield general who galloped over the mud-covered soccer pitches of his era like a thoroughbred racehorse.
The former Chelsea, Arsenal, Stoke City and Seattle Sounders playmaker won only two caps for England, a woefully inadequate return for someone who was once compared to a 1966 World Cup-winning hero.
After debutant Hudson stole the show in a 2-0 victory over world champions West Germany at Wembley in 1975, visiting coach Helmut Schoen said: "At last, England have found a replacement for Bobby Charlton."
Guenther Netzer, West Germany's great midfield playmaker, added: "Where have England been hiding this player? He was world class."
Those days are just a memory for Hudson, but he believes the high level of fitness he achieved during his career was the reason he cheated death in 1997.
"The doctors said I had died once or twice, then they said I would never walk again, but I told them I would," said Hudson, who has been in the operating theater more than 70 times since the accident. "People don't really understand what I've been through. This is a new life of being disabled, and I have had to come to terms with that and live with it. I'm not dramatizing things, but my playing and training saved my life. I trained every day right up to the day the car hit me. I had a three-hour session — two hours on the bike and about 2,000 sit-ups that very morning — and I think that sort of daily regime helped in my recovery."
Hudson is a wordsmith these days. He is the author of five books and is proud of the fact they are all his own work, achieved without the aid of a ghostwriter.
His new ebook From the Playing Fields to the Killing Fields is available from Amazon.com and it is a straight-talking account of his life.
"I had another big operation on my foot three-and-a-half months ago because I had a bad case of 'foot drop' stemming from the coma," Hudson said. "The doctors put two pins in and said: 'Hopefully, that will pull the foot up.' I had good balance when I was a player, but I struggle now to go up and down the stairs. I also struggle going down the road. If I'm walking with a friend, I have to get them to hold on to my arm so that I don't fall over, but I just have to move on. I've got so many things I want to do — I'm living in Stoke at the moment and I want to go down to London to see my young granddaughter, and I want to do well with my books too."

subset: commoncrawl


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Product Description
Product Documents
No documents available for this product.
Product Details & Specifications
|40 Feet
|Pipe Diameter
|5/8 Inch
FlowMaxx 5/8 in Pre Insulated Line Set with mounting clips – 40 ft.
The FlowMaxx system has been specifically designed to make solar thermal installations easier than ever! This Innovative design has brought us a single flexible line set which includes top performing insulation, a solar flow loop, a solar return loop, and a sensor line all included in one, easy-to-install product.
By integrating the Solar Flow Loop, Solar Return Loop, and Sensor line all into the same line this product is designed to make solar thermal installations as easy and efficient as possible. All line sets require our FlowMaxx quick connects for connecting to additional piping, tanks, or collectors.
- 5/8″ dia. 40 ft. length
- highly flexible corrugated stainless steel pipe
- Insulation : high temperature rubber insulation 13mm
- Integrated thermistor wire for temperature sensors
- wrapped in UV resistant plastic
- Includes mounting clamps
- Can be cut with a standard pipe cutter
Need Assistance?
If you have questions, need help, or simply feel uncomfortable placing your order online, feel free to contact the product representative at 1-800-786-0329.


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[Source_Name: Short_Name='R/V NBP']
Distributions and diversities of viruses and bacteria in the Larsen A in the Anatarctic Weddell SeaEntry ID: KPDC_DDVBLA_AWS_2012_1
Abstract: The collapse of the Larsen A Ice Shelve at the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula occurred in 1995. However, no information is available on the spatial distributions of abundances and compositions of viruses and bacteria in the Larsen A area. During the NBP cruise from March 11 to April 19 in 2012, we collected seawater samples for microbial ecology at 7 stations in the study area. For the first time, we will provide the data on the distributions and compositions for marine microbes in the Lasen A area.
Purpose: To investigate distributions and diversities of viruses and bacteria in Larsen A in the Weddell Sea
Geographic Coverage
Spatial coordinates
Data Set Citation
Version: Not provided
Temporal Coverage
Start Date: 2012-03-11Stop Date: 2012-04-19
Location Keywords
Science Keywords
Ancillary Keywords
Data Center
Role: METADATA AUTHOR
Phone: 82-032-260-6333
Fax: 82-032-260-6301
Email: cyhwang at kopri.re.kr
Contact Address:
Songdo Techno Park, 7-50, Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu
City: Incheon
Postal Code: 406-840
Country: Korea
Extended Metadata Properties
(Click to view more)
Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 2012-11-05
Last DIF Revision Date: 2018-08-13


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Monday, April 30, 2012 12:23pm ET by Newsdesk
Justin Bieber plots Selena Gomez duet
Justin Bieber has revealed that he would like to collaborate one day with his girlfriend Selena Gomez.
The Canadian popstar told ITV's Daybreak that he would most definitely be up for working with the "super talented" singer and actress.
Speaking about his belle, Bieber said:
"She's super talented and I definitely wouldn't mind working with her."
When asked if Gomez would be bossy, Bieber added: "No, I think she does her thing and I do my thing, and that's it basically."
As previously reported, Bieber said in the same interview that he feels he is a good boyfriend, giving tips on how to treat girls right.
So what's the secret to Bieber's boyfriend success? Be "sweet to girls" and do "random things" for them, he said.
Listen to Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' below:
Latest 10 Justin Bieber News Stories


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Visit a PDL Vision Studio showroom for the full home electrical solution experience.
Product stock may vary at each display location, please check before visiting.
Choose the type of PDL experience that suits your needs - whether you're planning a major renovation or building your dream home, we've got the answer to your home electrical questions.
See, touch and experience our full range of solutions at our Vision Studio Showrooms, including home automation. Dedicated staff on hand to provide guidance and ideas.
Bookings by appointment.
Here you will find PDL by Schneider Electric product displays that are located in our partners' showrooms.
Some locations will be open on the weekend, please check before visiting.
Here you will be able to see PDL by Schneider Electric products on display in the home, wired up and operational.
Trade >
Contact Us
You can also call our Customer Service line on 0800 652 999


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|Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Arts and Sciences
|Seminar in U. S. Foreign Relations.
|Three semester hours.
|This seminar will concentrate on major questions concerning the origins of modern U. S. diplomatic practices and the course of foreign relations including U. S. imperialism; the rise to world power; participation in the world wars; and the Cold War. The seminar will combine discussions of shared readings and individual student research projects. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in history.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
Academic Undergraduate Regulations -
Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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Plankton Light Reactor (phytoplankton reactor)
Phytoplankton (Micro-algae) cultivation unit. The plankton light reactor is a simple system for producing plankton in a natural food chain. Within the plankton light reactor, micro-algae are produced with light, fertilizer and CO2. The micro-algae can be fed directly to many filter-feeding invertebrates, and especially to zooplankton. The growth rate of the micro-algae in the plankton light reactor is enormous. If the supply of light, CO2 and nutrients is continuous, the biomass of the algae may increase four-fold within 24 hours. Both fresh- and saltwater species of phytoplankton can be cultivated. Contents: plankton light reactor approx. volume 0.65 gal or 2.46 liters, wall bracket, connections for air pump, lighting unit with fluorescent lamp (18 W), special reflector and fixing clamps.
Dimensions: approx. 3.2 in. diameter, length approx. 32in., 1/4 hose connections


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As recipient of the UW System Regents Teaching Excellence Award for academic departments and programs, the Department of Biology has a strong commitment to teaching and learning and the use of effective teaching strategies to enhance student learning. We strive to significantly impact students' intellectual development.
The Department offers a Bachelor of Science in Biology with six tracks, or concentrations: General Biology, Biology Education, Biomedical Science, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Aquatic Science and Environmental Science. There are presently over 1100 Biology majors who receive personalized instruction from a dedicated and enthusiastic group of over 40 faculty and academic staff. We also mentor 40-60 graduate students in a strong program leading to a Master of Science in Biology with several specializations.
Opportunities for personal growth extend beyond the classroom. Biology students conduct research alongside diverse and talented faculty, collaborate with state and federal agencies on environmental projects, and can pursue graduate school and careers in high-demand fields such as health care. The department has been successful in obtaining external funding to support research with students, including more than 50 different external grants and contracts totaling $7.5 million in the last five years. Undergraduate and graduate research opportunities abound in a variety of areas including cell and molecular biology, bioinformatics, genetics, developmental biology, biomedical research, organismal biology, parasitology, mycology, plant biology, aquatic and environmental sciences and toxicology. Students are involved in research projects both in course labs and independent undergraduate and graduate research projects. Over 300 undergraduate research students have conducted Biology research over the past five years that have led to more than 100 regional and national presentations.
We invite you to explore the links to the left and to browse through the many pages of the Departmental Web Site to learn more about our programs and excellent staff. For more information, please feel free to contact the chair of the Department, Dr. Michael Abler, at email@example.com (Phone: 608.785.6962).


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Hi, and welcome to Myrtle Beach's Headquarters for Dance Lessons and Classes! At RJR Ballroom Dance School, we offer the following:
Robert Rodgers, the owner of RJR Ballroom Company, has been dancing and teaching for over 10 years, and is one of the leading dance experts in the Grand Strand Area!
Robert is a Certified Pro/Am instructor as well as a competitor for Open professional smooth category, and is an expert in the dances he teaches.
In addition to teaching Dance Classes and Lessons for the Myrtle Beach area, we also are heavily involved in the Grand Strand Dance Scene! Click Here for more info about Myrtle Beach Dance Events!
Also, for an up-to-the-minute look at all things related to Dance in the Myrtle Beach area, go to our Dance Myrtle Beach Blog!
Want to see some examples of RJR Ballroom at work? Click Here to see our Picture and Video Gallery!
You can see some pictures and video of our dance classes and lessons, plus some shots of us "out and about" at various Myrtle Beach dance related events.
Want to get in touch with us before going to one of our classes, or set up a private lesson? Click Here to Contact Us! We have an Interactive Map to Lets Dance Studio where we teach, as well as a Form you can fill out to request more info.


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Postcards from the World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia
From April 5th to 11th, in Medellin, the World Urban Forum (WUF) brought together a diverse group of urban thinkers and doers to discuss the world's most urgent urban challenges. With participants meeting under the theme of "Urban Equity in Development – Cities for Life," the overall atmosphere was one of cautious optimism. On the one hand, participants were highly aware of the vast challenges facing cities and their inhabitants. Cities remain home to shocking levels of inequality and highly pernicious forms of social and economic exclusion. In that respect, hosting the Forum in Medellin helped drive the point home—as UN-Habitat Executive Director Jon Clos observed before the event, "We want a realistic world urban forum, we want a forum in a real city that has real issues." On the other, attendees were buoyed by the conviction that today's rapid urbanization represents an unprecedented demographic and economic opportunity. Medellin itself has made astounding progress in recent years, focusing on improving transport and mobility, inclusive governance, and education.
The path to shared prosperity inevitably runs through cities. An ever-increasing body of evidence shows that cities are engines of growth, helping reduce poverty and allowing vast amounts of people to live more productive and sustainable lives. Cities offer opportunities of better jobs, higher incomes, access to education and health and better services- People come to cities for the hope they offer them.
To help focus the conversation and solicit innovative ideas, we used our presentation booth to ask the Forum's 25,000 participants a simple yet challenging question: "What Will It Take to End Poverty in Cities?" The answers from Medellin reflected issues facing cities worldwide. Here's a sampling of the responses from one day of the exhibit, in order of popularity:
In keeping with the Forum's theme, inequality received the largest number of responses. Said one participant: "I think that the governments must work to stop the inequalitites and the distribution of wealth in our societies and to develop policies of inclusion." Another: "We must grow a social conscience! How can we sleep peacefully at night knowing that there are people who are suffering in our city." And, finally: "To end poverty, we have to move from the 'I' to the 'We' and to understand that in a city we must fight for everyone."
Education was mentioned next most frequently, often with reference to the overall problem of inequality. Indeed, the link between education and social inequality is profound—as Nelson Mandela said, "It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that a son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine." Participants weighed in quite strongly: "Invest in education!", "Guarantee the right to a quality education for the population and so improve their opportunities to hold a job", "Give free education to those who don't have access to it."
Jobs were another commonly mentioned theme. With increasing numbers of people migrating to cities in search of work, cities are scrambling to fulfill this promise. Luckily, cities, by their very nature, have a comparative advantage in the area. As I said in a previous post: "Cities remove the physical spaces between people and firms, and connections are easier. Urban areas in the developing world therefore have an edge in manufacturing and business services, and people living there have greater opportunities to prosper." But density alone isn't enough— harnessing this potential requires a mix of good policy and smart leadership. A number of participants weighed in on the issue of jobs, commenting on everything from capitalizing on the potential of the "green" economy to create jobs to providing skills training for entrepreneurs.
Sustainability and access to services were also a major concern. As cities grow, city dwellers are often competing for scarcer resources and services. Poorer areas often have little or no access to water and electricity, while richer areas enjoy much better provision of services. Some views from participants: "Reduce the number of cars, plant more trees…", "Invest in technology in poor areas where they don't have water and consider giving them solar panels so that they can work without having to leave their homes", "Finance city infrastructure projects."
Participants also singled out the need to fight corruption and promote accountability. City governments are under pressure from their burgeoning populations to act in a transparent and accountable manner and to manage budgets properly. Some views from some of the participants who weighed in on this topic: "We need to combat corruption in developing countries." "Develop concrete policies to combat corruption." "Don't allow the corrupt to capture public budgets."
There you have it—inequality, education, jobs, sustainability and access to services, and corruption and accountability. Taken together, it's a daunting agenda. But it is also an inspiring challenge. As we look toward the future, there is a great deal we can do to help —city staff and officials, civil society members, policy makers and citizens themselves—build their capacity in these vital areas and create truly inclusive cities with opportunities and access for all- where prosperity reaches the broad swath of the population.
Follow PublicSphereWB on Twitter!
Warmest congratulations Abha
Warmest congratulations Abha for virtually connecting us with the GlobalUrban Forum.
Inequality, corruption and unemployment are major tributaries to poverty now rampant worldwide.
Investing in education, health, innovation and the rule of law are essential for closing the divide between the haves and have nots, diminish global poverty and continuing conflicts and create a sustainable and more just future for our humankind.


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For All Military Wives
This is one of the most difficult times of my life,
having my husband so far,
I won't see him for a year,
I don't hear from him much,
I worry about him every minute of the day.
I pray that God will keep him safe
and bring him back home to me and our unborn child.
I want to say to all other military wives that,
we must remain positive,
When you write to your husbands,
keep their spirits up,
even though you're crying and finding it so tough,
put on a brave front,
wipe away your tears,
you're not alone,
Pray that he'll be home safe soon,
Ask God to give you the strength,
Remember our men need us right now,
They need us to be strong,
They need us to believe that the best outcome is within their reach
Take care of yourselves even though it can be so difficult.
As I sit and write my husband letters, I cry and wish he was here at home safe with me.
We must accept our situation. We must go on and have great faith.
I'm only one of so many wives out there who are doing anything and everything to stay positive,
I now hope to find support from other wives.
Take care of yourselves -- our husbands don't want us to be sad. Always send positive loving thoughts their way.
Submitted by Angela Alvarado


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So who here remembers a toy named Furby? If you are like me as soon as you hear the name you automatically think of the little plastic creature that was half owl/half hamster. He was not just any toy though, he was an electric robot that had moving eyes, beak, and sometimes ears. Furby came out in 1998, and when the toy first came out during the holidays, Furby became one of biggest must have toys for the time period. The whole object of the toy is to slowly learn to speak English which is not his native language. All Furbies come speaking their native language, Furbish. They are taught over a period of time. In the first three years with the release of the Furby franchise, they sold over one million dollars. By the time 1999 rolled around the selling mark was just at fourteen million. A new line of the Furby toy was released September of 2012. This tutorial is on "how to draw Furby", step by step. This little guy is going to be a special treat to recreate, because I know from first hand experience, there is no good lessons on drawing Furby. Hopefully you enjoy this tutorial so you can finally make your own Furby. Peace people!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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New York, May 4, 2011--Chinese authorities should clarify the whereabouts of two Chinese journalists who reported on detained artist and social commentator Ai Weiwei, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.Family and colleagues have been unable to reach Caijing magazine journalist Zhang Jialong since the evening of April 28, according to Radio France Internationale. He was believed to have gone for a "talk" with Beijing police, but no notice of formal detention has been issued, RFI reported. Interrogations are informally referred to as "chatting" or "drinking tea" with police or security officials. The Global Post website posted a link to an online missing notice issued by Zhang's family. Zhang, a 23-year-old intern, had reported on a contaminated milk activist, Zhao Lianhai, and on Ai, the notice said. Zhang had also actively discussed recent detentions on his Twitter account, according to RFI.
Freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker Wen Tao has been missing and believed detained since April 3, when he was taken away by officials in plainclothes shortly after Ai. Wen, a former Global Times journalist and also an active Twitter user, had been documenting Ai's work; his whereabouts and legal status are unknown, according to international news reports.
"The disappearance of two journalists who were reporting on Ai Weiwei and other Chinese activists is deeply concerning," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. "We fear they are the latest victims of the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to stifle the flow of independent information."
Chinese authorities have detained a series of journalists and online commentators since anonymous calls for anti-government demonstrations appeared on Chinese-language websites in February, inspired by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. Some of those detained, such as online writer Ran Yunfei, now face criminal prosecution. Many others, like Zhang Jialong and Wen Tao, have simply disappeared. Internet censorship has tightened since the crackdown, which has also extended to professional Chinese journalists, ethnic minority websites, and the foreign press, according to CPJ research.


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Suunto UK has partnered up with the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, England. The historic ITU race takes place this June and to celebrate, we recently ran a contest to find a lucky competitor to share his training tips and the experience of taking part. The winner is Dan Blackburn, a 36-year-old digital marketing director, who once weighed 17 stone (108kg).
Proud Yorkshireman Dan Blackburn transitioning.
Tell us about yourself
I'm a perfectly regular 36-year-old age-group triathlon competitor, with a busy job in digital marketing, two amazing but exhausting little boys, one long-suffering and incredibly supportive wife, but without an ounce of natural sporting talent in my body.
So how did you become this athlete that you are today?
The fat, beer-swilling teenage me would have found this turn of events ridiculous! Growing up, sport wasn't really my thing. I enjoyed mountain biking and Rugby League but my natural ability was below average. So I gravitated towards the things that came more naturally – wine, women and song! It was after university – where I probably hit 17 stone (108kg) – that I first decided to sort myself out. I returned to cycling, took up martial arts and even started running.
Click for 7 off-season tips for triathletes
© Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds
What then?
Throughout my 20s I did several 10k runs, graduating from a 56-minute plodder to 45-minute runner. I ticked off a couple of half marathons and some awesome mountain bike rides too. And I even ended up with a black belt in Ju Jitsu! All things the teenage me didn't think were possible. Every time I set myself a physical challenge, I got there. Maybe not in first place, but that didn't matter one jot. I bloody did it.
Why the move to triathlon?
I'd always fancied having a go but was convinced it was beyond me - not least because I'd last swum properly in primary school. I couldn't put two lengths of front crawl together. But fatherhood was the making of me. I consciously decided I was going to be a role model for my boys – to show them that effort, sacrifice and a positive, can-do attitude makes pretty much anything possible.
What's special about the Leeds triathlon?
How often do you get the chance to race with the world's best triathletes on the streets you train on every day? Local boys Ali and Jonny Brownlee live just up the road and they're leading the charge. I'm a proud Yorkshireman and Yorkshire [a county in northern England known locally as God's Own Country] knows how to put on a proper show. Welcoming the Tour de France in 2014 was an utter joy and I'm sure we'll welcome the World Triathlon Series with equal enthusiasm.
Press play to check out the triathlon
How's the training?
So this year I'm pushing my training further than ever. I'm signed up with my local Triathlon Club, I have a proper training plan courtesy of coach Simon Ward [whose training plans are also available to TrainingPeaks users. I've been following as best I can since November, and I've quit drinking completely (OMG!) until after I cross that finish line. And of course, I'll be using my new Suunto Ambit3 Sport which will help me stay on track.
What's your goal?
I doubt I'll ever stand on a podium or win an age-group world champs place, but I'm loving it. I'm feeling super-positive and seriously relishing the next few months. I'm looking forward to sharing my journey. I'm in as good shape as I've ever been and there's plenty of training still to come. Bring it on.
Main Image: © Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds


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I love my G-Sharp, you can use it in conjunction with other floating effects. Throwing of the "workings" of whichever "system" you are using. That's the most I'm saying without giving it away!
EXCELLENT! - You'll love it!
Richee Dee
G-SHARP - Anti-Gravity Sharpie
Date Added: 08/10/2014 by Richard (Richee Dee) H


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Rough draft of new FEMA flood maps stirs up Orange Co. officials, residents
It's been more than 20 years since FEMA released official National Flood Insurance and floodway maps for Orange County, and for the last several years planned revisions have been promised. This past week on March 1, FEMA advanced that agenda by releasing rough drafts of preliminary maps, which are scheduled to be ready for public viewing within the next couple of months.
FEMA Region 6 representative Larry Voice said even when the maps become available, around May according to Voice, the plans would still be in the preliminary stage while a 90-day appeal and comment period is in effect. The preliminary maps, when ready, will be posted to the Web site www.riskmap6.com, he added.
Officials from Orange County and every city within the county were at the March 1 meeting, anxiously awaiting a peek at what the future of flood insurance would hold for their respective communities.
"We haven't seen these in such a long time," Orange planning director Jimmie Lewis said. "From what we can tell, it looks about the same as the one we have from the '80s but we won't know for sure until we can get these maps next to the old ones to compare."
Voice said Lewis might be waiting a while to make that comparison since the only copies of these long-awaited maps were those belonging to the FEMA rep – and he would be taking those copies with him when the meeting was over.
Bridge City Mayor Kirk Roccaforte wasn't as tentatively pleased as his city neighbor from Orange Lewis. According to Roccaforte, the new mapping plans "are the worst possible" they could've been.
"There's almost nothing in the city that isn't declared a flood risk, according to this draft," he said. "This is a huge change from the old maps, and it will cost us a lot of money in insurance.
"What I'm looking at is basically a snapshot of the storm surge from (Hurricane) Ike, I bet you. It can't get much worse than this."
Voice said Bridge City was most affected by the mapping change, citing changes in the Coastal Flooding zone, which now encroaches a great deal into the small city. Other changes that are expected to affect Bridge City developers and homeowners will be rises in base flood elevations, although prior construction will be exempt.
Vidor resident David Duncan, who was highlighted in The Examiner article "High and dry homeowner in floodway" (March 1-7), echoed Roccaforte when he carefully inspected the flood maps showing his home and neighborhood. He was concerned the home he invested his savings in, located in Vidor's Wexford Park, was built in a floodway without proper permitting, potentially causing excess flooding in the low-lying neighborhoods near his address. While he had some small hope that his newly acquired $200,000 home wouldn't be smack in the middle of a floodway where construction was forbidden, all those hopes were dashed when FEMA added a line marking his street as in the line of fire.
"They can't deny it anymore; it shows it in black and white," Duncan said of the developer who sold him the home on Ashford Drive. Also in that area is another handful of homes and a city of Vidor water treatment plant. "I can't imagine no one knew they were developing right in the floodway. Now, they say it's no big deal. But it was a big deal when I wanted to add a shop to my home," Duncan added. "If I can't build there, even though they gave me a permit to build, why should they be able to? This whole subdivision doesn't belong here, but the only one who's paying the price for their mess-up is the ones left holding the bills for the properties."
Voice said he couldn't be sure how the county could bring the area where Duncan lives into compliance with FEMA's regulations for National Flood Insurance. Should the county not be able to satisfy FEMA's compliance demands in relation to Duncan's Wexford Park home and the area surrounding his home, the entire county could be removed from the program. Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, Voice said, is strictly voluntary. However, the state of Texas has mandated all counties be members of the program.
Jennifer Johnson can be reached at (409) 832-1400, ext. 231, or by e-mail at jennifer [at] theexaminer [dot] com.


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Pistachio Hamentaschen Makes 4 dozen
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4-5 drops green food coloring
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup shelled pistachio nuts, ground fine
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting parchment and dough
one 11-ounce can pistachio nut paste
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, oil, and orange juice, and mix well. Add green coloring to achieve desired shade of green. Add the baking powder, ground nuts and flour and mix until the dough comes together. You can chill the dough at least one hour or overnight or bake right away.
Divide the dough in half. Take another two pieces of parchment and sprinkle flour on one, place one dough half on top, and then sprinkle more flour on top of the dough. Place the second piece of parchment on top of the dough and roll on top of the parchment until the dough is about ¼ -inch thick. Every few rolls, peel back the top parchment and sprinkle more flour on the dough.
Use a glass or round cookie cutter about 2 to 3 inches in diameter to cut the dough into circles. Place a teaspoon of the pistachio paste in the center and then fold in 3 sides to form a triangle, leaving a small opening in the center. Pinch the 3 sides very tightly. Place on the prepared cookie sheets. Repeat with the rest of the dough and re-roll and cut any dough scraps you have.
Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. The baking time often depends of the type of cookie sheet used: cookies on darker sheets bake faster. Just watch the cookies until they look done—you do not want them to be brown on top because then they will be too hard. Slide the parchment onto racks to cool the cookies.
Whole Wheat Passover Granola
makes 6-7 cups
3 cups whole wheat matzoh farfel
1 cup dried coconut flakes
1 cup pecan halves, chopped into ½ inch pieces
½ cup cashews, chopped into ½ inch pieces
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped apricots (about 10 halves)
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper goes ½ inch up the sides. In a large bowl, mix together the farfel, coconut, chopped pecans and cashews, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
Place the honey, oil and brown sugar into a glass measuring cup or microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds, until the honey and sugar can be dissolved. Stir well. Pour over the farfel mixture and toss to coat. Spread on the prepared baking pan and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the farfel and nuts are browned. Let cool on the pan for 30 minutes. Mix in the fruit. Store in a freezer bag or airtight container.
Chocolate Almond Cake with Chocolate Glaze
Makes one 10-inch cake, 12 to 16 servings
1 cup whole almonds
Parve margarine for greasing pans
10 ounces parve semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup ground walnuts
3 large eggs plus 2 whites
3/4 cup sugar
7 ounces parve semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or broken into 1-inch pieces
1 cup parve whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the almonds on a parchment-lined jelly roll pan and toast for 15 minutes, or until the almonds are browned and fragrant.
Take a 10-inch springform pan and detach the bottom. Trace the bottom onto a piece of parchment and cut out. Cover the top of the pan bottom with aluminum foil and then wrap the excess foil under the bottom. Attach the pan sides to the bottom, lock in place, and then unwrap the foil and wrap up around the sides of the pan. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan. Press the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. Grease the top of the parchment circle.
Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the toasted almonds, ground walnuts, whole eggs, egg whites, and sugar and process until the mixture becomes a smooth batter. Make sure there are no large chocolate chunks in the batter.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until set. Let cool for 20 minutes.
To make the glaze: Melt the chocolate either on the stovetop or in the microwave. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the cream and vanilla just to a boil. Pour the cream into the melted chocolate. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed or vigorously by hand with a whisk for 2 minutes to thicken the glaze.
Release the sides of the pan. Use a wide knife or long metal spatula to separate the parchment circle from the foil and slide the cake and parchment onto a serving platter. Place small pieces of waxed paper under and around the bottom of the cake to catch any extra glaze. Pour the glaze over the cake and use a silicone spatula to smooth the top and cover all over the sides. Store in the refrigerator until serving. Remove the waxed paper pieces and serve.
Chocolate Souffles makes 6
1 tablespoon butter or margarine for greasing
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
5 large eggs, separated, whites at room temperature for at least 2 hours
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
If baking immediately, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub the butter or margarine around the sides and bottoms of 6 small ramekins. Add the tablespoon sugar to one, turn to coat and then tap out excess into the next ramekin. Repeat until all coated, using more sugar if needed. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate.
In a medium bowl, place the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of the 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix vigorously with a hand whisk. Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave: heat for one minute and mix well, another 45 seconds and mix well and then 30 seconds and mix well, each time stirring the unmelted pieces into the melted parts. Add the chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and whisk.
Beat the egg whites on high speed until thick. Turn the mixer speed to low, add the remaining sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, and when all added, turn the speed up to high for 30 seconds or until whites are shiny and stiff. Mix into the chocolate mixture in four parts, mixing a little slower each time until all the whites are mixed in. Divide among the ramekins. If baking later, cover with plastic and refrigerate until baking. Bake for 18 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.


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AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
U2 star Bono has stunned the New York theater world by revealing he agrees with most reviewers who have slammed his much-maligned musical "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark."
In his first TV interview since director Julie Taymor quit the production after it was temporarily pulled from the stage amid an outcry for plot changes and upgrades in cast safety, the rocker, who penned the show's musical numbers with bandmate The Edge, Bono told "Nightline," "It might have been a little hard for some other people around here to take that, but we don't disagree with the New York Times. That's the sort of stuff we were saying backstage."
The Times reported "Spider-Man" "may rank among the worst musicals ever made."
And Bono said the criticism and the problems surrounding the production prompted Taymor, who created the show, to quit.
He added, "Julie would not accept this. She got very close to it, so close, perhaps, that she couldn't see it. And we were going out and coming back and we could see very clearly what we thought were the problems and she didn't think they were as big a problem as we did.
"Julie is an incredible artist, really a very gifted girl. I think it's… a shame she's not with us to see it to its conclusion, because a lot of what's magic about it is hers."
But the U2 stars haven't given up on the show – they insist "Spider-Man" is now a much better project, and it's safer for cast and crew.
Producers have brought in Phil McKinley to direct the musical, and he has overhauled the plot, added new U2 songs and revamped the show's safety measures after a handful of cast members were left injured following falls and mishaps.
McKinley told "Nightline," "Some people call me Spidey Doc."
And Bono, for one, is very impressed with what McKinley has achieved.
He added, "The last version of 'Turn Off the Dark' had a lot of magic and mysterious stuff. It was beautiful actually, in so many ways. It just… didn't cohere. This time you have a really clear storyline. You have characters that you're getting to know. The music is in a system where it's legible and there's lots of really obvious stuff that has been fixed."


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Michigan | RV and Camping Travel Tips
Road Trip | Shipwreck Coast, Michigan
- Article Information
- Category: Hit the Road and Camp America!
Drive Michigan's Shipwreck Coast
Michigan offers some truly amazing opportunities to explore the shorelines of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Throughout the state there are sandy beaches and much more. One wonderful way to explore and enjoy the scenery of the shoreline is to drive along the Shipwreck Coast.


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Beach Reads, Contemporary fiction, Publication Day, Reviews, Summer reads
Tag: Hannah McKinnon
1 Post
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comics, nonfiction, everything in between
I Lang hae thought, my youthfu' friend, A something to have sent you, Tho' it should serve nae ither end Than just a kind memento: But how the subject-theme may gang, Let time and chance determine; Perhaps it may turn out a sang: Perhaps turn out a sermon. - Robert Burns
Indian Book Blogger | Poet | Short Story Writer
Freaky Tales from Far and Wide
Book reviews and recommendations from a self confessed book geek
The Amygdalab is an indie brand whose mission is to create unique fun intellectual products for book-lovers, history buffs, and science nerds.
Books any time any day.
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Anything and Everything Books
Books ~ What else is there?
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Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4


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Brother is getting worked up – so is cheeseheadtv. Just like when I was younger when Steve would verbally spar with my parents, I find myself unable to resist the urge of mediating here to make sure all parties are ok.
I don't have as critical an assessment of yesterday's game as Steve. I think the Packers played well. However, in the interest of research, I have gone and found evidence in 2 of Wilde's articles for both sides of this debate. For cheeseheadtv's argument, Mike Wahle, former Packer said after the game: "They're a better team than they ever were when I was here, we never had a defense like that when I was here. That's the difference." He wouldn't say that if the defense played as badly as Steve says they played. On the other hand, Charles Woodson said "But we got a little relaxed late in the game and let a team make some big plays. We can't allow that to happen". He would not have said this if it weren't true and if there weren't obvious examples of let downs.
Again, overall, I think the Packers did put out a good effort and when the game still mattered, they made some stand-up defensive plays and had the offense running smoothly. While I agree with Steve that Carolina put out a weak, Steve Smithless team with limited talent, they are still coached by a very good coach (though his decision to punt in the 4th quarter at the 50 yard line was a horrible one) and they were 4-1 on the road playing through other injuries prior to their Lambeau visit.
That said, I'm definitely excited for some of these upcoming games against some bonafide opponents. While these games will be a challenge, for the first time in 9 years, I am feeling more and more confident that somehow, someone will step forward and have a huge day to help us win.


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Franchisees Accuse Dunkin' Donuts Of 'Systematic Racial Discrimination'
All Reggie and Amy Pretto wanted was the opportunity to run their own Dunkin' Donuts franchise and be in business for themselves. Instead, the African-American couple claims in a new lawsuit, they were purposely "steered" to less desirable, economically challenged locations, hundreds of miles from their suburban New York City home -- because of their race.
In a complaint filed Monday in New Jersey state court, the Prettos accuse corporate parent Dunkin' Brands of lying and deceiving them into believing that there were no franchise opportunities in New York state or New Jersey, near their Westchester County home, and were instead "steered" to less favorable areas in Maryland, which ultimately failed, the New York Post reports.
And the move cost them dearly, the couple says. The failed Maryland stores cost the Prettos $750,000, and their home, which they sold in 2004 to finance the franchise purchase.
In the lawsuit, the Prettos allege that as they were being persuaded to invest in the Maryland stores, Dunkin' gave white investors the opportunity of multi-unit franchise agreements in the more lucrative New York/New Jersey region.
Reggie Pretto, a Dunkin' employee before he became a franchisee, told the Post that he walked into the business with eyes wide open but was still stunned by the company's actions.
"They can be very brutal," he told the tabloid.
More:Top 10 Soft Skills For Job Hunters
The suit also charges that Dunkin' has history of discriminating against minority franchisees, noting that Dunkin' has no units in New York, Connecticut or Rhode Island owned by African-Americans, despite the company having a significant presence there. The complaint also alleges that Dunkin' gives white franchise developers prime locations for doughnut shops, while minorities are left with "economically disadvantaged or marginal areas."
Of the nearly 7,000 stores that Dunkin' has nationwide, just 50 shops are owned by African-Americans -- and those establishments are primarily situated in poorer areas. The suit charges Dunkin' Donuts with "systematic racial discrimination," particularly against Indian women of color and African Americans.
Through a spokeswoman, Dunkin' Donuts declined an opportunity to respond, saying, "We are unable to comment due to pending litigation."
Another former franchisee, Priti Shetty, is also listed as plaintiff in the lawsuit. As AOL Jobs reported in May, Shetty alleges that Dunkin' Brands is biased against "Asian-Indian American women of color."
Shetty, who owned two Dunkin' Donuts stores in New Jersey, alleges that a Dunkin' Brands manager, Wayne Miller, forced her to keep her stores open 24 hours a day, despite concerns that Shetty had about safety and profitability, and denied her the ability to open a third store.
More:Top 10 Jobs Of The 21st Century
Further, she claims, Miller told her that she wasn't "servile enough" as an Indian woman and regularly made derogatory remarks, telling Shetty, for example: "This business is not for [you]."
The Prettos and Shetty aren't the first Dunkin' franchisees to allege that the Canton, Mass.-based company discriminates against franchisees of color.
In 2007, Mahendra and Nita Patel, husband-and-wife operators of four Orange County, N.Y., Dunkin' outlets, countersued the chain after the company alleged that the couple violated franchise agreements, and labor and tax laws.
The Patels, first-generation Americans of Indian descent, alleged in their suit that the company unfairly terminates minority franchisees or forces them to sell their stores at less-than-fair market value to white, multi-unit operators.
Dunkin' has a lengthy history of legal wrangling with its owner-operators. BusinessWeek reported in 2009 that Dunkin' was involved in about 350 lawsuits with its franchisees, noting that the company has been accused of aggressively targeting shop owners in an effort to terminate franchise agreements and, in the process, collect hefty fees and penalties for alleged contract violations.
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Anyway, mission accomplished. I managed to share the cookies with some friends over the weekend.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Butter Cookies
Anyway, mission accomplished. I managed to share the cookies with some friends over the weekend.
27 comments:
- The Food Hunter said...
Will be making these soon. They look yummy!
- October 4, 2010 at 12:08 PM
- wendyywy @ Table for 2..... or more said...
Butter cookies were my first cookies. I made them when I was 14.
It was a recipe given by my neighbour. I made them so often, my friends began to complain. Then I stopped making them for a long long time.
- October 4, 2010 at 12:10 PM
- Priya said...
Cute and prefect looking cookies..
- October 4, 2010 at 3:36 PM
- Joanne said...
I've always wanted to make cookies like this! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
- October 4, 2010 at 6:51 PM
- MaryMoh said...
I can never resist a good butter cookies. I love the buttery smell. Yours looks very pretty and delicious. Would love to try sometime. Thanks very much for sharing.
- October 4, 2010 at 7:11 PM
- Little Inbox said...
The Food Hunter, ok, I hope you'll like it.
wendy, 14 years old? wow! At that age, I still rely on my mom to prepare bento for me, hehehe...
Priya, thanks.
Joanne, no problem, I hope you'll like it.
MaryMoh, feel free to give it a try!
- October 4, 2010 at 8:33 PM
- ICook4Fun said...
Love love butter cookies. Like Wendy butter cookies were my first cookies too. I overbeat it and it turn out so soft and I kept on adding flour to it and in the end they were as hard as a rock. And my poor dad ate it without any complaint ha ha..
- October 4, 2010 at 8:59 PM
- Pam said...
They sound great! I'm always looking for a good butter cookie recipe, especially for the holidays coming up. Thanks for the recipe!
- October 4, 2010 at 9:41 PM
- Anncoo said...
I also love butter cookies. Will not wait until Christmas ;DD
- October 5, 2010 at 12:16 AM
- pigpigscorner said...
Butter cookies anytime!
- October 5, 2010 at 4:07 AM
- Little Inbox said...
ICook4Fun, haha, at least you remember the first experience forever, and you learned from it too. :)
Pam, no problem, feel free to give it a try!
Anncoo, this can be made anytime. I made this after my working hour, on last Friday night.
pigpigscorner, yes. Luckily I just kept some for myself, otherwise, I tend to over-eat, hahaha...
- October 5, 2010 at 8:08 AM
I would like to exchange links with your site eatingpleasure.blogspot.com
Is this possible?
- October 5, 2010 at 9:56 AM
- noobcook said...
Your butter cookies look awesome! you're getting better and better at baking :)
- October 5, 2010 at 12:52 PM
- tigerfish said...
This is like a classic. But whenever I open up a round tin of Danish butter cookies, I usually pick those cookies with raisins first, then leave the butter cookies for the last. I wonder why...hee hee
- October 6, 2010 at 8:45 AM
- New Kid on the Blog said...
oh i wish to hv it!!!! :(
- October 6, 2010 at 1:19 PM
- Cherine said...
Your butter cookies look pretty and yummy!
- October 6, 2010 at 5:12 PM
- choi yen said...
very nice looking indeed~
- October 6, 2010 at 10:37 PM
- Stella said...
Ooh, these look so rich and delicious! The shape is so pretty too...
- October 6, 2010 at 11:55 PM
- Little Inbox said...
noobcook, oh thank you! I had a hard time baking this batch, but I pick up the skill while doing this.
tigerfish, I tend to choose the certain type of cookie too. :)
New Kid, too bad, no more left, hehe...
- October 7, 2010 at 2:15 PM
- Little Inbox said...
Cherine, thanks.
Choi Yen, thank you!
Stella, thanks to you!
- October 7, 2010 at 2:16 PM
- Pei-Lin@Dodol and Mochi said...
Hey, I had similar problems as you did when I first started piping ... You should really invest in VERY good pastry bags and couplers and piping tips! Seriously, piping is a therapeutic thing to do ... like making bread!
Your cookies look really good! Keep it up! You can both cook and bake really well!
- October 7, 2010 at 10:48 PM
- BigFATcook said...
Hey! Aren't these called SABLES???
They're so good ans soft.. just melt in my mouth. Yummy :)))
Greets from Big Fat Cook
- October 8, 2010 at 3:58 AM
- Food For Tots said...
Well done, my dear. Another success story from you. Keep it up! Your cookies look fantastic! Sure a great hit if you make some for CNY! ;)
- October 8, 2010 at 9:46 AM
- Little Inbox said...
Pei-Lin, I will continue to search for better tools. :)
BigFATcook,my cookies doesn't have the sandy texture, so it's not sables.
LK,thank you for your support. :)
- October 10, 2010 at 6:13 PM
- Yummy Koh said...
I like butter cookies too. Yours looks look cute with the swirls. That reminds me Christmas is round the round ... time to plan for Christmas baking ...
- October 15, 2010 at 3:42 PM
This look amazing! :D But can i know how many cookies can you bake from this recipe? Thanks :)
- February 6, 2011 at 3:01 PM
helo. im interested to make butter cookies by this recipe. can i use press cookie if dont hav piping bag? Thanks !
- September 16, 2011 at 12:18 PM


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Howie Kleinberg is no stranger to being in the limelight after a stint on Bravo TV's "Top Chef." This time, he's toning things down in his North Miami 'hood with Bulldog Barbeque, a modern yet comfortable restaurant located off of Biscayne Boulevard that also happens to be in contention for the Golden Local Best BBQ honors. We headed over to dig in and seek out the flavor of Kleinberg's newest venture, which left us saying "More cornbread, please!"
I'm sure all the items on your menu are like your children, but which one are you most proud of?
For appetizers, it's gotta be either the Cornmeal Crusted Oysters, the White Chili, or the Smokehouse Wings. For the barbeque section, either the Beef Brisket or the Baby Back Ribs, and for sides, it's the burnt-end beans. I really didn't want to put beans on the menu at first because I personally don't like beans; I had to find a way to make them something enjoyable, which I did by adding things like brown sugar and some meat (brisket).
How would you describe Miami and its dining scene?
I think there's a lot of room for growth. There are some great restaurants and great chefs in the area, but I think there needs to be more varied concepts. It seems like there's no happy medium; the places you see here are usually very high-end or low-end, which is why I found a need for a well-done casual eating spot, specifically BBQ-style.
What is it that draws you to barbeque food?
I appreciate the simplicity of it. I've spent a lot of years in high-end kitchens, but the simple things are what bring you back. I like using few ingredients, the simplicity of the plating, and the casual, comfortable atmosphere. I wanted my restaurant to be a place where people can just walk in with shorts and a t-shirt and feel comfortable.
Some key ingredients every home kitchen should have?
-Kosher Salt
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Unsalted Butter
The five utensils every home kitchen should have?
-A sharp knife
-Stainless steel sauce pots
-A large cutting board
-Lots of refrigeration
-Lots of counter space
Which Chefs do you look up to?
Eric Ripert, Gray Kunz, and Thomas Keller.
Your favorite dish growing up?
I loved hot dogs. My father passed away when I was younger, and his family founded American Kosher.
Your fondest food-related memory?
Dining at Le Bernardin in Manhattan, where Chef Eric Ripert works.
What's the biggest thing you took from being on "Top Chef"?
I've learned not to take food and the industry so seriously. In this business, people work really hard and there's no need for so much stuffiness. I learned, from my own experiences, that a lot of high-end chefs cook for themselves and not for the people. I think the show made me a confident cook. I try to be humble -- you kind of have to in this industry.
Do you regret not serving that dish in the "Quickfire Challenge"?
Nope, not for a second. If you're not happy with what you've got, then why put it out there?


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Michigan's Beilein 'born' to be head coach, never an assistant
ATLANTA — John Beilein's path to his first Final Four has been long, winding and rather unexpected. He is a rare coach who's never been an assistant and didn't get his first Division I job until 17 years into the business. He's had pit stops at the high school, community college, Division II and Division I levels.
Two months ago, he turned 60 years old. He's a grandfather who grew up one of nine siblings in their slice of basketball-crazed Western New York.
IN-DEPTH BREAKDOWN:Syracuse vs. Michigan
FINAL FOUR:TV schedule, analysis
He's seen a lot and done a lot, but never this. Saturday, he'll lead a team onto the court against Syracuse for a chance to play for a national championship.
"When he says he wouldn't recommend anybody doing it the way he did it, I totally believe him," says Patrick Beilein, his son and first-year coach at Division II West Virginia Wesleyan. "It's a challenge."
But the fact it was tough was never going to stop Beilein. This was all he'd wanted to do. Mike Ennis, a childhood friend from Lockport, N.Y., says Beilein was "born to coach."
Another childhood friend who now does radio for the Buffalo Bills, John Murphy, recalls a car ride with his older brother and some of Murphy's brother's friends, including Beilein, back when they were teenagers at DeSales High School.
"He said, 'All I want to do when I grow up is coach basketball and marry a really beautiful girl, like a flight attendant,' " Murphy says, laughing.
He laughs because Beilein became a successful college basketball coach. And he laughs because Beilein's wife of 33 years, Kathleen, was indeed a flight attendant. (She worked for United Airlines, Patrick says.)
Basketball has always been in Beilein's blood, flowing from uncles and cousins and generations of Nilands. The name – his mother's maiden name – carries quite a bit of weight in Western New York. His uncles, Tommy and Joe, were stars at Canisius before enlisting to fight in World War II. Other relatives played and coached all over the area, too. A coach and longtime athletics director at LeMoyne, Tommy Niland Jr. hired his nephew as his head basketball coach in 1983.
In 1987, Beilein applied for a job at the place that had made the Nilands famous: Canisius.
The night before his interview, he stayed with Murphy, who lived in Buffalo. Murphy tried to keep his friend calm, downplaying the job and trying to remain relaxed. It didn't work; Beilein didn't get the job.
"I felt guilty because I thought I did something wrong," Murphy says. "I thought maybe I gave him the wrong cereal."
BRACKET BRIEFING:25 key players in Final Four
Canisius hired Marty Marbach, one of Rollie Massimino's assistants at Villanova two years removed from the Wildcats' national title.
"The mantra at the time was, our Division I type of schools should hire a first-rate assistant coach from Division I," then-Canisius athletics director Dr. Daniel Starr says. So he did.
But after five seasons in which Marbach's teams went 49-94, Canisius needed a new coach. Again, Starr met with Beilein, and this time, he wanted someone with head coaching experience. Beilein had nine years at LeMoyne, one at Nazareth, four at Erie Community College and three at Newfane High School, where he also taught history.
This time, there was no bad-luck cereal. Beilein got his first Division I job, and Starr got a letter in the mail from Beilein's aunt, Frances Niland, a nun who went by Sister Marie Thomas. She'd also happened to be Starr's sixth grade teacher and was "a character," by his estimation.
"It came in the mail, this note that said, 'Danny, you finally did something right in hiring my nephew.' I hope it was a little bit tongue and cheek," Starr said, laughing.
Next came five years at Canisius, including an NCAA tournament appearance for the first time in 39 years. Five years at Richmond, where his Spiders pulled off a No. 14-3 seed upset in the NCAA tournament. Five years at West Virginia, where he reached the Elite Eight. Now, Michigan and the Final Four.
All along the way, a group of childhood friends has made trips to see Beilein's games. It was easier, certainly, when he coached in the Buffalo area. The bus trips – filled with friends, wives and sons, sometimes as many as 42 – were longer to Richmond, West Virginia and Michigan, but his friends made them. Ennis insists Beilein's teams are 13-1 when his buddies are there (with the only loss coming to Syracuse in Feb. 2003). They've been along for the ride the whole time.
"We knew, the small group of us that still stays in touch, we knew the direction he was going in," Ennis says. "We always hoped he'd reach this point."
Everywhere he's been, Beilein has had success. And at every single stop, he's been the guy calling the shots. A coach who's only ever been a head coach is a rarity in college basketball these days.
"In many ways, it made it more difficult to become a better coach sometimes because I couldn't shortcut," Beilein says. "I couldn't sit next to a great coach and (he'd) say, 'You should never try that in a game.' I would try it in a game. We would get our butts kicked. I would learn by sleeping on the couch that night because I didn't sleep all night that night.
"You learn that it takes a step back, but it takes a step forward because the next time you get that opportunity, you're not going to make that same mistake again. It goes up and down, up and down."
His son Patrick can't even fathom what it would be like to be on his own at this stage in his career. He says he talked to his father at least three times a week during his first season as a head coach, and that all comes after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant to his father at Michigan.
"I'm lucky. He had nobody, and I have him," Patrick says. "(And) for me as a head coaching looking at it – not his son – you see a coach like him start from that and get to where he is now, and the way he can be so successful with his style of play. I really get excited that I can do this. I can win. I can get to where he is."
Contributing: Erik Brady


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Time for another Mortal Kombat tutorial. This time, it's Sonya Blade. Man, I always want to type Sonja with a J. Anyway, this is a slightly cartoony take on the character, but I hope you guys enjoy it. After this, I may try doing more simplified versions of the MK characters.
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For those of you who are unfamiliar with the infamous Darwin Awards, let me start by giving you a quick summary of this tongue-in-cheek honor. Loosely based on Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, these awards are given to people who "do a service to humanity by removing themselves from the gene pool." Looking at this installation made me think we might have a future winner on our hands.
John L. of Loveland, Ohio, recently sent me this photo. He received it from an unknown source over the Internet. Serving as an electrician for nearly 60 years, he felt compelled to "share the laughter," so to speak. John facetiously comments that the receptacle in the shower is not nearly as much of a problem as the toilet paper holder. From a practical standpoint, I fully agree!
All kidding aside, it should be noted that the NEC clearly prohibits such an installation in 408.6(C). This section of the Code, titled "Bathtub Shower Space," states that "Receptacles shall not be installed within or directly over a bathtub or shower stall."
It's amazing what some people do, isn't it? When this rule was first instituted, I thought to myself, "Is this rule really necessary?" I mean, seriously, who is going to actually install a receptacle in a shower stall? Are they planning on plugging a radio into it so they can listen to music while showering? Or maybe they plan on plugging a line-voltage electric shaver in? Are you kidding me? Shows you what I know. As crazy as it seems, apparently there are people out there who are willing to do this.
In some instances, it seems the Code is trying to make the document not only "foolproof," but "damn foolproof," which is nearly impossible. This type of effort not only makes the Code more cumbersome to deal with, but it also increases the details we must all abide by. But inasmuch as people are actually installing receptacles in shower spaces, it seems that this Code rule is justified and needed — at least in this specific case. The only way an electrical inspector can prevent this type of installation from being allowed to stand is by having such a rule in place.
Although the NEC is to be applied and enforced as written, sometimes compliance with the "letter of the law" is next to impossible. Where a job does not appear to meet the literal wording of a Code rule, one should determine whether or not the installation has satisfied the "spirit of the law." If there was no practical way to fully meet the literal wording of the NEC — but the safety issue at the heart of the rule has been satisfied — then such an installation generally should be accepted.
In the coming editions of "Illustrated Catastrophes," a focus will be placed not only on the Code's literal wording, but also on the hazard the rule is meant to address. By developing a clear understanding for the "letter" and "spirit" of the law, one will be better able to evaluate specific installations, especially those that do not seem to be directly addressed in the Code or so-called "gray areas." This form of analysis will provide a sound basis for safe and effective design and installation.


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Marx proposed that 'the tendency to create the world market is directly given in the concept of capital itself,' and Harvey glosses the idea: 'The necessary geographical expansion of capitalism is … to be interpreted as capital in search for surplus value. The penetration of capitalist relations into all sectors of the economy, the mobilisation of various "latent" sources of labour power (women and children, for example), have a similar basis.' Hence both the involution and the imperialism of capital, commodifying the most intimate of formerly uncommodified practices (education, food preparation, courtship) as well as sweeping formerly non-capitalist regions (China and Eastern Europe) into the global market.The expansion is always to accommodate the surplus value that is unaccounted for on the demand side -- nothing of value there to exchange for it in order to realize the profit. So capital absorbs new spaces and makes further claims on time, on future production (through credit).
I'm interested in social media as a manifestation of the subsumption process, the means by which "intimate uncommodified practices" become susceptible to commodification, circulation, valorization, etc. The quest for new profit opportunities, essentially -- enclosing commons.
Also interested in how acceleration serves capital's "overproduction" crises. The acceleration of exchange appears to absorb more production, and allow for valorization to exponentially expand, while at the same time suspending more money capital in the process. The danger for capitalism is always the money and commodities will cease circulating, as capital is critically a process, is always in motion in order to be at all. Static capital is not capital at all within capitalism; it is a pile of worthless shit.
Kunkel discusses three aspects of the Marxist "falling rate of profit" thesis.
1. full employment gives labor too much bargaining power (disproved by flexible capital in globalized system)
2. organic composition of capital shifts: "given increased technological and organisational efficiency, for using relatively less labour than capital in production. Since profitability reflects the 'rate of exploitation' – or the ratio of the surplus value produced by the worker to the wages he receives – using less labour relative to capital diminishes profitability, unless capital goods become cheaper or exploitation is ramped up. This problem too can be solved, at least in principle: the capital/ labour ratio can simply be rejigged by deploying more labour relative to capital." I think this problem also gets solved with "fictitious labor" -- immaterial labor invested in symbol/semantic production; and then through labor collected by capital through online networks without requiring the payment of wages. Need to think about this more, but the appeal of digitality for capital is that it allows for near infinite exploitation of labor per unit of hard constant capital. The network effect inverts the organic composition problem. (Would love someone's help/advice on what to read on that topic.) Social networks allow technology to increase the amount of labor that goes into a commodity, because the "commodity" is reshaped as a bottomless pool of information, an ever-refreshing occasion for data collection; the data becomes the product, the digital medium the occasion and means for data circulation. The circulation process becomes the source of utility, of use value, of pleasure. Am I on to anything with this?
3. underconsumption -- a restatement of the missing Surplus Value issue. Not enough paid out in wages to allow for the full realization of profit in exchange. The mother of all contradictions, as Kunkel would have it. Could be solved by ever expanding luxury consumption, but marginal utility of money declines as personal wealth increases, also positional goods and potlatch destruction attract more of the wealth, taking it out socially necessary investment circuit. Another way of saying that overaccumulation has occurred -- capital cannot be invested profitably; it can only be devalued -- but whose? "In social terms, this will take the form of a contest between creditors and debtors over who is to suffer more devaluation."
Not sure why this crisis is not solved by "quantitative easing" up until the point of inflation. This would allow for accelerated exchange in order to valorize capital. That gets you the Freidmanite idea of matching the money supply growth to the overall rate of growth.
Not so sure about this either:
The relationship between credit and commodities is in this way translated into spatial terms as an uneasy rapport between one kind of capital, highly mobile or liquid, and another kind – 'fixed capital embedded in the land' – defined by its inertness. Here, in the latent conflict between migratory finance capital and helplessly stationary complexes of fixed capital, including not only factories and office buildings but roads, houses, schools and so on, Harvey has found a contradiction of capitalism overlooked by Marx and his heirs.New capitalism is all about flexibility, mobile capital finding sites of profit. "'The disjunction of the quest for hypermobility and an increasingly sclerotic built environment (think of the huge amount of fixed capital embedded in Tokyo or New York City) becomes ever more dramatic.'"
This analysis depends on the extent to which fetish about land -- that its value always goes up -- is widespread. Misrecognizing housing as an investment rather than a commodity good. It depends how seriously we consider land to be better form of collateral than other assets. "Harvey's bold and ingenious solution is to propose that, under capitalism, ground rent – or the proportion of property value attributable to mere location, rather than to anything built or cultivated on the land – becomes a 'pure financial asset'" -- I kind of suspect that is pure assertion, a speculative postulate necessary for the subsequent analysis. The "spatio-temporal fix" theory sounds a lot like Austrian-ish "recalculation" -- investment in future production that turns out to be unwanted. Think the dematerialization of capital rescues it from its contradictions, not spatio-temporal fixes. The material detritus of the circulation process ceases to be capital when it ends up devalued in the hands of the end consumer -- what isn't written off as "consumption" of that material is just deadweight loss for the consumer. That is to say, this sounds about right: "Devaluation, being 'always on a particular route or at a particular place', might serially scourge the earth even as capital in general, loyal to no country, remained free to pursue its own advantage."
This seems like the key paragraph to me -- "crude" as it may be:
But it is the broader and more systematic Marxist perspective that ultimately and properly contains Keynesianism within it, and a crude Marxist catechism may be in order. Where does an excess of savings come from? From unpaid labour – for example, that of Chinese or German workers. And why would such funds inflate asset bubbles rather than create useful investment? Because capital pursues not 'high social returns', but high private returns. And why should these have proved difficult to achieve, except by financial shell-games? Keynesians complain of an insufficiency of aggregate demand, restraining investment. The Marxist will simply add that this bespeaks inadequate wages, in the index of a class struggle going the way of owners rather than workers.That is something clear to rally people with. Profit is being extracted from the social system by capitalists, who choose to sit on it or compete with one another in status games or use it in high-finance gambling games that don't yield productive activity but rather lead to zero-sum redistribution.
The other game, in theory, is to have banks give credit to the poor so that they can consume the surplus, as long as they creditors don't get wise to the flimsy quality of the credit -- suppressed wages are replaced by credit until banks refuse to lend, don't think they can squeeze it out of the debtors. This is the classic Ponzi scheme/bubble scenario, which inevitably happens when investment becomes speculation -- think Minsky and Fisher might be as apt as Marx and Harvey on this subject.


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Dear colleagues,
How do you think, which countries have made the greatest progress in the development of nanotechnology in last 10 years?
Dear colleagues,
How do you think, which countries have made the greatest progress in the development of nanotechnology in last 10 years?
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Russian scientists work very good and help us a lot in some common programms in nanotechnology. And I hope in few year we have more professionals in nanotechnology so we'll be able to compete for the title of leader in nanotechology .
Thank you for your reply,Abid. But as you know, it's not enough just to have good professionals, you need results to be proud of your researches. And it's about money,time, science base and all the research tools.
I am 100% agree with Dove. But one thing I must say that after lost of USSR, we lost great schools of theoretical physics. When I compare current and 60's era theoretical physics, I find huge differences. The achievements of USSR researchers in theoretical physics can never be neglected. I generally terms as Dilema of theoretical physics.
Where are you from?
Thank you.
You said: "we lost" and I thought you are from USSR
We means peoples all around the world who are interested in theoretical physics. Although my major interest is in applied physics. But I have very serious concerns over theoretical physics.
I understand. Thank you
According to this articlehttp://www.electroiq.com/articles/stm/2010/08/ranking-the-nations.html the most dominant in nanotechnologies countries are Japan, Germany, South Corea, Taiwan
To tell the truth I thought I would be USA, India and Russia
You know, lately I've read a lot about russian reseachers and their nanotechnologies. It surprised me a lot, because their achievements are really imposing and looks like russian government pay much more attention to these questions then american.


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FORT MEADE, Md., April 10 (UPI) -- The military judge in the WikiLeaks-related court-martial of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning raised the bar for prosecutors Wednesday.
Col. Denise Lind said at a pretrial hearing at Fort Meade, Md., that prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt Manning had "reason to believe" the hundreds of thousands of files he is accused of delivering to the whistle-blower website could be used to compromise U.S. national security or help a foreign power, The New York Times reported.
The newspaper said prosecutors had argued they should be required to prove only that Manning willfully disclosed defense-related files.
Lind also decided a member of the team that took part in the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden, presumed to be a Navy SEAL, can testify at Manning's court-martial, The Washington Post reported.
Manning, who has pleaded guilty to some charges, is to be tried in June for leaking the sensitive materials to WikiLeaks.
Prosecutors contend digital media found at bin Laden's compound in Pakistan show the al-Qaida leader had gotten his hands on some of the WikiLeaks material, evidence Manning's actions compromised national security.
Manning's lawyers have maintained the materials are irrelevant to their client's case.


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Date TBA
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Includes tuition, course materials, parking and most meals.
About the Program
Every business professional needs to understand accounting and finance to thrive and make informed decisions. While finance is a universal language, the world of healthcare finance has slight differences and nuances that many other industries don't encounter.
As part of the Rady Center for Executive Development's health care series, Accounting & Finance for Healthcare Professionals will teach participants the basics of finance and accounting with a specific emphasis on their industry.
Learning Objectives
- Reading and Interpreting balance sheet and income statements
- Synthesizing that information into financial models
- Making decisions based on these models
This interactive course will teach participants:
- Basics of accounting language and terminology
- How to read and interpret an Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and other accounting reports
- Financial reporting
- Decision making based upon accurate reading of financial statements.
- Present and future value
- Budgeting
- Forecasting
- Overhead allocation
This course is appropriate for healthcare executives, professionals, lab managers, nurses or others that need a better understanding of accounting and finance in the healthcare industry.
Course Faculty
David Ravetch has been a UCLA accounting faculty member for over twenty-five years. He has received numerous teaching awards as well as the California Society of Certified Public Accountants' Faculty Merit Award. When Mr. Ravetch first began teaching at UCLA, the school was not yet a major contender for accounting recruitment efforts. Under his direction, UCLA developed course initiatives, expanded offerings and launched an accounting minor, which was the school's first approved minor. He was named as the director of the undergraduate accounting program by the Anderson School, where he served for seven years.
*The Rady School of Management Center for Executive Development (CED) may change, postpone or cancel a class at any time. We do not provide refunds for any fees related to travel, including but not limited to gas, bus fare, train tickets, airline tickets, etc. Certificate requirements may also change. We will provide as much notice as possible should this occur.


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Thomas S. Mullaney of Stanford University will present "Technologies of Anticipation: How Chinese Typists Invented 'Predictive Text' during the Height of Maoism," in Stanford's Seminar on Science, Technology, and Society (STS).
Abstract: When mechanical Chinese typewriters first entered the marketplace in the 1910s, they featured tray beds containing approximately 2450 free-floating metal characters arranged within a rectangular matrix. Characters were arranged according to the Qing dynasty reference, the Kangxi Dictionary, whose "radical-stroke" system had for centuries formed the basis of an immense and highly diverse information infrastructure encompassing dictionaries, indexes, catalogs, name lists, telegraph codes, typewriters, and more. Beginning in the Republican period (1911-1949), linguists and engineers experimented with alternate organization and retrieval systems, witnessing a proliferation of competing taxonomic systems. It was not until the early Communist period (1949-present), however, that a decentralized network of largely anonymous typists broke with tradition and began to develop natural-language systems of categorizing Chinese characters. Rather than following the radical-stroke system, they sought to maximize the proximity – if not adjacency – of those characters that, when paired together, formed the most commonly used two-character compounds (known in Chinese as ci) and political phrases. What these typists conceptualized and created, this paper will argue, was a technology of probabilistically anticipating the instantly immediate future – or, in other words, the conceptual and practical foundations of what is now referred to as "predictive text" or "autocompletion." This paper will examine the epistemological, technological, and sociopolitical foundations of this technology, one that has become central to modern computing, commerce, and governmentality.
When: Monday, May 16, 2011. 12:00 PM (Approximate duration of 1.5 hours)
Where: Stanford University, Encina Hall, 2nd Floor East Conference Room (E207) (Map)
Audience: General Public, Students, Faculty/Staff, Alumni/Friends
Sponsor: Hosted by the Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
Admission: Free and Open to the Public
Permalink: http://events.stanford.edu/events/264/26429


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The Justice Department on Tuesday filed an antitrust suit seeking to block the merger of US Airways and American Airlines, but buried inside the complaint is some internal correspondence by US Airways executives, including Chief Executive Doug Parker, that shed light on some of US Airways' business practices.
Also, the two companies said in a joint statement that they will "mount a vigorous and strong defense to the U.S. Department of Justice effort to block" the merger.
"We believe that the DOJ is wrong in its assessment of our merger. Integrating the complementary networks of American and US Airways to benefit passengers is the motivation for bringing these airlines together. Blocking this pro-competitive merger will deny customers access to a broader airline network that gives them more choices," the statement said.
The U.S. government, however, sees it another way.
The lawsuit it filed was partly based on internal communications between executives at US Airways on their own analysis of the proposed merger. The following exchanges were contained in the Justice Department's complaint:
On offering in-flight wireless Internet:
In a 2011 email exchange, one senior executive groused about the need to install in-flight wireless Internet.
He wrote: "[N]ext it will be more legroom. Then industry standard labor contracts. Then better wines. Then the ability to book on Facebook. Penultimately, television commercials..."
US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker wrote back: "Easy now. Consolidation will help stop much of the stupid stuff but inflight internet is not one of them."
On a rival's aggressive maneuvers to compete:
In 2010, a competing, unnamed airline extended a "triple miles" promotion, which set off a chain of emails within US Airways, according to the complaint. The lawsuit also said that the airline was expanding service.
According to the complaint, Parker sent an email to other senior executives about how to counter that rival airline's maneuvers:
They "are hurting [the rival airline's] profitability – and unfortunately everyone else's," he wrote.
Those executives exchanged several emails debating how to get the attention of the rival airline, including portraying "these guys as idiots to Wall Street and anyone else who'll listen."
Eventually, Parker forwarded the email chain full of messages to the chief executive of the rival airline, the Justice Department said.
On ending US Airways' Advantage Fares program, which offers lower fares on some routes:
One of the major points raised in the Justice Department complaint is that US Airways had competed with American and other carriers on certain routes by offering discounted fares.
Under its Advantage Fares program, it offered cheaper fares but on routes that included at least one stop. Other carriers offered nonstop fares for those routes, but for much higher prices.
According to an October 2012 internal analysis cited in the complaint:
The Advantage Fares "program would have to be eliminated in a merger with American, as American's large non-stop markets would now be susceptible to reactionary pricing from Delta and United," the analysis said.
On whether to raise a second checked bag fee to $100 to match Delta's price:
One executive, in an undated exchanged, mulled whether US Airways could do the same:
"Wow -- $100 is a lot for second bag. I would think there's big passenger gag reflex associated with that, but if we can get it, we should charge it," the complaint said.
On whether to match other airlines' fee increases for checked bags:
According to the complaint, in July 2009 American Airlines raised its checked bag fee to $20. Other airlines had a Web-only discount for $5 off checked bag fees. The decision for US Airways, according to the complaint, came down to either eliminating their Web discount or raise their fee to $25 and offer the $5 discount.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we should stand still on this for now. I recognize that increases the chances of everyone standing still . . . the [dollars] aren't compelling enough for us to stick our necks out first. I do think D[elta] or U[nited] won't let them have an advantage, so it'll get matched – I'm just not sure we should go first. If a couple weeks go by and no one's moved, we can always jump in," Parker said
On Southwest's policy of not charging for a first checked bag:
In late 2011, a senior US Airways executive wrote about Southwest's policies and why US Airways does not follow suit:
"Our employees know full well that the real competition for us is [American], [Delta], and [United]," according to the complaint. "Yes we compete with Southwest and JetBlue, but the product is different and the customer base is also different."
On a failed 2007 bid by US Airways to acquire Delta Airlines:
The Justice Department complaint mentions an exchange between US Airways chief executive and investors following the scuttled deal. If the deal had been successful, it would have reduced capacity and increased revenues.
"It's part of what we tried to impress upon people as we were going through our run at Delta, was that . . . it was good for US Airways [and] good for the entire industry. We're going to take out 4% of the industry capacity as we did that. Everyone's 2008 numbers would look ... a lot better had that transaction happened."
Ackman out at J.C. Penney after spat over CEO, chairman
Edison tells customers they should pay for San Onofre shutdown
O.C. lender CashCall scammed borrowers, N.Y. attorney general says


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The housing collapse and subsequent foreclosure crisis has claimed the homes of millions of Americans. But that tragedy may only be matched by the absurdity of some of its tales.
As of February, lenders had foreclosed on 2.7 million homes out of the 42.2 million mortgages borrowers took out between 2004 and 2008, according to a recent report by the Center for Responsible Lending. Though many of the foreclosures have been routine, the sheer volume has resulted in some glaring errors and bizarre evictions.
One Florida couple was threatened with foreclosure for making a payment too early. In Texas, a man faced foreclosure on a home that was destroyed by Hurricane Ike years ago, while in Massachusetts, Bank of America threatened to seize a home if it didn't receive an outstanding mortgage payment worth $0.00.
But there is some indication that these ridiculous stories are indicative of a systematic pattern of wrongdoing on the part of the lenders. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a lawsuit, earlier this week, against five of the biggest mortgage lenders, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citbank and Ally Financial Inc., alleging the lenders used fraudulent paper work to foreclose on "hundreds if not thousands" of Massachusetts homes, BusinessWeek reports.


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Justin Bieber Looking to Set Guinness Record for Mile-High Tattoo
Justin Bieber is looking to set a Guinness World Records record for a tattoo. No, he is not trying to set the record for most tattoos, although he is adding ink with increasing frequency.
Instead, he is hoping to nab the record for getting a tattoo while flying on an airplane back to Canada on Jan. 28, five days after his infamous arrest in Miami.
The ink, which is simply the word "Forgive," was done at 40,000 feet, so Biebs and NYC-based artist Bang Bang think it could be a record for the highest altitude tattoo.
The piece was also done during some pretty awful turbulence, which certainly can't be good for the finished product and end result. Bang x 2 deemed it the "most difficult tattoo I've ever done."
He also told the NY Daily News, "The plane was shaking, so it's like trying to do a tattoo while you're driving over rocks... and so I have to compensate and be so, so accurate. I've gotta admit that my adrenaline was through the roof. I didn't anticipate it would be so difficult. It was extremely bumpy and the pilot would call back to us and say, 'Hey we've got a little bit of turbulence coming up.' We were trying to find the pockets when the plane was smooth."
The Biebs didn't break any laws by getting inked in the air, since it didn't interfere with the crew or passengers and their safety, even though the pilots did give the artist and the recipient the heads up about the turbulence.
Bang Bang said that Da Biebs chose this tattoo, placed on his stomach, due to the power of the word and concept. Bang Bang said The Biebs texted him, explaining, "Forgiveness is powerful, forgive as Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins."
Got it.
You can click the blue button below to see the mile-high tattoo station. The set up looked sanitary so the famous recipient to be forever inked in hygienic, clean fashion.
In other Biebs news, TMZ reports that the singer pays the $8,000-a-month rent on his mom Pattie Mallette's L.A. crib. Most Beliebers didn't even know Pattie was living in L.A., since she kept it quiet. She got into some hot water by doing an upgrade on the home gym without getting permission from her landlord. She also had a mirror installed and didn't pay the bill, causing a nearly $3,500 lien for the landlord, who was miffed. She eventually settled the bill.


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Vatican: Conclave to start Tuesday to elect new pope
ROME — Finally, at least one wait is over.
The conclave to select the next leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will begin Tuesday, Vatican officials said Friday, capping a week of meetings among cardinals that created a stir over leaks and an eventual media blackout.
Now that the date is set for the start of the conclave — Latin for "with key," referring to the voters being locked inside the Sistine Chapel — the 115 cardinals will begin their move this weekend into the Domus Santa Marta, a modest five-story building tucked securely behind Vatican walls that features 106 suites, 22 single rooms and one apartment.
After morning prayers Tuesday, the first balloting could take place that afternoon, says the Rev. Thomas Reese, analyst for the National Catholic Reporter and author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church.
"That first vote is at their discretion, which is about the only optional thing on the agenda," Reese says. "But when they're not voting, there will be lots of talks outside of the Sistine Chapel, in rooms and at dinner. Names will bubble up that will be tested in the conclave."
STORY:Rumors churn as conclave date set for Tuesday
There will be four votes per day. In 2005, it took two days to select Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the next pope. Reese says he doubts this one will last longer than three or four days, noting that the last time a conclave lasted more than four days was in 1831.
"If someone gets 60 quickly but stalls there, they'll have to go back and start renegotiating," Reese says, noting that the winner must have a two-thirds majority. "But they should take their time. This is the most important thing these men will do in their lifetimes. A bishop could miss Holy Week (back home) and survive. But if they make the wrong choice for pope, the church will really be in trouble."
Trouble has swirled around the church and indeed the pre-conclave, as cardinals contended not only with the now-familiar child abuse accusations but also questions about the Vatican Bank's operations. What's more, details of pre-conclave meetings were leaked to an Italian newspaper, leading to a complete media blackout.
Given that, it is likely with some relief that the cardinals decamp behind the imposing brick walls of Vatican City, where efforts will be made to prevent news from getting in or out.
"Reports on security measures are beginning to dominate the news," Sister Mary Ann Walsh, the media director for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote on her blog Friday. "Jamming devices will be installed in the Sistine Chapel to prevent electronic eavesdropping. Staff who serve meals at the Casa Santa Marta, where the cardinals will stay during the Conclave, will be sworn to secrecy. Even who said 'pass the salt' is a secret. In this electronic age, I worry some cardinals may go into iPad and Twitter withdrawal."
That may well be true, but nevertheless "there is much for the cardinals to consider as they head into the conclave, especially their stated desire to be more transparent on the pedophilia issue while not being traitorous to their identity as an organization," says Paolo Rodari of Rome's La Repubblica newspaper.
Rodari, who has covered the Vatican since 2004, says that in 2005, "Ratzinger's name was on everyone's lips going into the conclave," but this time, things don't appear as clear cut. Though he cites Milanese Cardinal Angelo Scola as one potential front-runner, "there's also a temptation to go to the U.S. and consider (Cardinal Timothy) Dolan and (Cardinal Sean) O'Malley."
Traditionally, there is a 15- to 20-day waiting period from the death of a pope to the start of a conclave. But because of Pope Benedict's startling resignation, there was more time for a bulk of the cardinals to arrive in Rome, shrinking two weeks of meetings to one. The time probably proved adequate for the task of sorting though the contenders, says the Rev. Alistair Sear, a retired professor of theology and church historian.
"The five days no doubt gave a chance for the cardinals to get to know each other better, to compare notes," Sear says. "It opens the field up and makes a dark-horse selection more likely. I think it's much harder now to handicap the field than it was in 2005."
As mysterious and elaborate as the Catholic Church's pontifical ritual may be, in the end, the choosing of a pope isn't terribly different from a political campaign, with the noted exception that it is considered unseemly for a cardinal to press his own case for the papacy.
Nearly a quarter of the cardinals "were appointed in the past few years alone, so many are simply not known, and they don't know some of the more established names either," Reese says.
It's possible that the past week has been spent less on vetting candidates and more on simply outlining what qualities the next pope should possess, says the Rev. Thomas Rosica, a Canadian priest and the Vatican's English-language spokesman.
"The time they've all spent together so far has been to create a profile of the next pope," he says. "The next step will be to see who best fits that profile."
The timing of events sits right with Salvatore Bello, 40, a security consultant. "They have proceeded very deliberately, which is smart," he says. "If it were up to me, I'd pick someone young and worldly. Someone who can work 18 hours a day if needed to clean up the problems the church is having."
Although the election of the next pope consumes local media, which handicaps contenders as if they were top soccer teams, it amuses nursing student Maria Teresa Pugliese, 25.
"It's funny that everyone is trying to guess who the next pope will be," she says. "The answer will come in (the cardinals') prayers. They will be led to make the right choice, to find the person who will make the church stronger."