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Sunday, September 24, 2006
Rhubarb Tart with Semolina Cream
Rhubarb is a member of the Rheum family, a native perennial plant of Asia. Rich in Vitamin C, fibre and calcium it was originally cultivated in China over 2000 years ago for its medicinal usage (it was used as a laxative and digestive). It was introduced to Europe by Marco Polo and its use as a food dates only to the 17th Century, a side-effect of the increased availablity of sugar.
The one negative aspect of Rhubarb comes in the form of it's leaves - they are considered poisonous due to the presence of oxalic acid.
These rather photogenic stalks of rhubarb are another of my farmers' market finds - they are Di's Rhubarb grown up north in the state at Tabilk. I was particularly draw by their delicate stalks and I knew that they would be perfect for a tart that I've been wanting to make for a while now. The hurdle had always been finding rhubarb that was thin enough and these were just the right size.
The tart in question is from Australian Gourmet Traveller and when you see it, you might understand why I just had to make it.
Rhubarb Tart with Semolina Cream
250 grams plain flour
50 grams icing sugar
125 grams butter, cubed
1 egg, lightly beaten
Semolina Cream:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
55 grams caster sugar
45 grams semolina
3 egg yolks
Rhubarb stems
55 grams caster sugar
Make the pastry:
Place the flour, icing sugar and butter into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles bread-crumbs. Add the beaten egg and pulse until the mixture comes together.
Turn out onto a board and just knead it to make a ball before patting it out into a rectangle shape. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for at least an hour or until it's firm enough to roll.
Roll the dough out on baking paper (this just makes it easier to move) until it's large enough to line a 13cm x 35cm tart tin. Cover this with baking paper and weights and chill for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F - bake for 15 minutes, then remove paper & weights and cook for another 15 minutes or until the pastry case is dry and golden. Let this cool before using.
Make the Semolina Cream:
Place the milk, cinnamon stick, sugar and semolina into a saucepan over a low heat and stir while the mixture starts to thicken and boil, then stir constantly for another 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes very thick.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg-yolks, one at a time until well combined. Place the filling into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap - make sure the plastic wrap actually rests against the cream as you don't want a skin to form. Let this cool to room temperature.
Assemble the tart:
Pour the semolina cream evenly into the tart, smoothing out the top. Lay the rhubarb evenly over the cream then sprinkle over with half of the sugar.
Cover this loosely with foil and place in a preheated 180°C oven - cook for 20 minutes before removing foil. Continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the cream is set and the rhubarb is tender.
Sprinkle over with the remaining sugar and using a blow-torch, caramelise the sugar (you could do this under a grill).
Serve this warm or at room temperature.
Tastewise - it's a winner from the pastry up. The pastry is wonderfully buttery, crisp and crunchy, like shortbread. The semolina cream is extremely smooth with a good density - easily able to carry the softened rhubarb.
This was one tart that was worth the wait - though I hope it won't be too long before I make it again.
Don't forget that next week marks one year of Weekend Herb Blogging and in celebration, Kalyn is calling on all bloggers to nominate their favourite herb - so put your thinking hats on and get those nominations in by next weekend - to misquote Iron Chef "Which Herb will reign supreme?"
9 comments
Really gorgeous. The color of the rhubard is beautiful. I remember having this growing out back when I was a kid, but I never knew that the leaves were not edible.ReplyDelete
Thanks for mentioning the quest to see what the most favored herb will be. I have my prediction, but I might be completely wrong.
wow, look how pretty! those pictures are gorgeous and i bet the tart was de!li!ci!ous! i got to try this one when i get my handy on rhubarb stems at my local markt next week!ReplyDelete
The tart looks delicious...Will give it a try soon...Thank you for sharing... :-)ReplyDelete
What an innovative look for a pie! And I like that semolina cream (basically I love anything with semolina), which should be going well many other pies, thanks for this lovely recipe! For rhubarb...just not my taste though.
Thanks Kalyn - before I ever tasted rhubarb the only thing i knew about it was that the leaves were poisonous and i wondered why people bothered to eat the stems when they would get sick eating the leaves.ReplyDelete
Thanks Tschoerda - it was very delicious and seconds were needed! I'll keep an eye out for your tart.
Thanks Chandrika - do let me know if you try it!
Thanks Gattina - it took me a little while to get to like rhubarb but something like a rhubarb and apple crumble might get you to like rhubarb. You could really use whatever fruit you like on top of this tart - the semolina cream has such a beautiful texture I could easily see it peaches or cherries.
I'm so amazed at this rhubarb tart. First of all, your pastry looks immaculate - gorgeous colour and great constitution. The "filling", too, is scrumptious - what a gorgeous presentation. Do not be surprised if I copy you soon, but I am sure to not end up with the same outstanding results as I am far less competent in the kitchen...I will, however, let you know how it turns out.
Thanks Shaun - I look forward to seeing your tart - hope you enjoy it!ReplyDelete
haalo, your tart looks better than the one in the Gourmet Traveller book!!!ReplyDelete
Thanks Anna - I don't know if I'd say that but I tried! The photo in the book certainly works.ReplyDelete


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Last evening I participated in a Twitter tasting of Bordeaux wines. One of the producers in the tasting had acted in a short film and a link to it was tweeted out. I bookmarked the link and returned to it today for a look mostly out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised with what I found.
Unlike nearly every movie where wine plays a central role this 17 minute short film did not treat wine as a prop or the obsessive vice of the protagonist. In short montages invoked by wines from a single estate over a lifetime a dying old man and his daughter share one last blind tasting. A thoughtful and simple story is told not unlike the grace and harmony of the best wines of the region.
It is well worth your time to have a look and if you don't understand French there are English subtitles.
You might need to click back to the site to view the video.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bear Stearns may be biting the dust… but SERIOUS BU$INESS always pays dividends.
Dance party, this Thursday!
March 27th, 2008
285 Bedford Ave, just below Grand St.
F R E E all night
10pm – ??
Bennett4Senate – Mike McGill – Alex Biederman – Jamie Dubs
Try before you buy:
More MP3s from the last show: fffff.at/audio
Even more! fffff.at/serious-business
Gaucho hats + fly dance rekids = Serious Bu$iness.
The expressions published in this site are all in the public domain. You may enjoy, use, modify, snipe about and republish all F.A.T. media and technologies as you see fit.


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They are high quality prints on a beautiful matte finish canvas. It is ready to hang although it is also very nice mounted on a wooden trestle (included in the purchase)
It comes in beautiful packaging with cellophane wrapping and a label to dedicate the gift to whoever you want!
Size: 10 x 10 cm
If you prefer a custom size contact us.
We love these pictures. They are simple and practical, and it likes everyone.
Decorate the walls with original designs and positive messages that try to make the world a better place.
They are also ideal as a gift from birth, birthday and wedding gifts.
Our paintings are ready to hang, but if you do not want to make a hole in the wall can glue them with Blu-Tack or place without any preferred corner.
Our pictures and films are produced in Spain, in our design studio in sunny Majorca. They are exclusive artwork Ants & love brand.
All rights reserved and may not be reproduced.


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Event box
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Storytime with Beth In-Person
Join Beth for an interactive storytime packed with learning, music, movement, and of course a story! For children ages 0 - 5.
- Date:
- Monday, April 10, 2023 Show more dates
- Time:
- 10:30am - 11:00am
- Time Zone:
- Central Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Early Learning Center (ELC)
- Categories:
- ELC Library Program


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Story highlights
Newer ways to get a fix include hookahs, snus, dissolvable products, e-cigs
A way to quit nicotine or a gateway to begin? Scientists are unsure
Overall tobacco use among youths remains relatively constant
The percentage of middle-school and high-school students using so-called emerging tobacco products is increasing even as their rate of tobacco use in general is remaining relatively constant, federal scientists reported Thursday.
Last year, 6.7% of middle-school students and 23.3% of high-school students said in a survey reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they had used a tobacco product at least once in the previous 30 days.
Last year's overall rate of tobacco use differs little from what it was in 2011, when 7.5% of middle school students and 24.3% of high school students said they had used a tobacco product.
One in seven (14.0%) said last year that they smoked cigarettes, down from 15.8% in 2011.
But the surveys found a bigger change when they asked about hookahs, snus, dissolvable tobacco and e-cigarettes.
E-cigarette use nearly doubled between 2011 and 2012 for middle-school students, from 0.6% to 1.1%, and the use of hookahs by Latinos rose from 1.7% to 3.0%.
Among high-school students, e-cigarette use rose from 1.5% to 2.8%; the use of dissolvable tobacco doubled from 0.4% to 0.8%; and cigar use rose among non-Latino blacks from 11.7% to 16.7%.
Many of the cigars are almost indistinguishable from cigarettes in size, shape and filter. But because they are not cigarettes, they are exempt from Food and Drug Administration restrictions on flavoring in cigarettes, said Brian King, senior scientific adviser in the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, which published the study in the agency's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report."
For the moment, menthol is excluded from the flavoring ban imposed by the FDA, whose scientific advisory committee is evaluating the evidence on menthol and is expected to publish a report on it this month.
The increase in the use of the newer entrants may have several explanations. Dissolvable products can be strips or orbs containing nicotine that dissolve on the tongue. No odor, no burn holes in sweaters, no stigma of being a smoker.
And, because they tend be taxed at a much lower rate than cigarettes or cigars, they're usually much cheaper, King said.
"The primary takeaway is these types of products deserve the same kinds of sales and marketing restrictions as traditional products, like cigarettes and cigars," said King.
King cited increased marketing efforts, the availability and visibility of the products as well as the perception that they may be safer alternatives to the traditional means of getting a nicotine fix – cigarettes and cigars.
E-cigarette makers advertise on television, something traditional cigarette makers have been banned from doing since 1971.
Are they safer? "In terms of e-cigarettes, there's not a lot of information on the long-term health impact," King said. Though there is anecdotal evidence that some people use them to quit smoking cigarettes or cigars, that can be problematic, because there is also evidence that nicotine – however it may be absorbed – may adversely affect brain development among youths, he said.
"Our general message is that any of these products are not appropriate for use," he said. "None of these emerging products are safe alternatives to traditional cigarette use, and efforts should be made to get kids to stop so we don't have a next generation of tobacco-addicted adults."
He noted that 90% of smokers started as teenagers.
King said he was hoping to include questions on future surveys that would shed light on whether e-cigarettes are helpful in quitting smoking or are a gateway into tobacco use.
A survey published in September found that one in five middle-school students who said they had never used conventional cigarettes reported having used e-cigarettes. "That's concerning," King said.
In a statement, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said that while it was troubling that the rate of cigarette use remains stagnant, "it is even more disconcerting that teenagers are increasingly turning to other products that are produced and sold without any federal oversight."
The network called on the FDA "to immediately assert its regulatory authority over all tobacco products."
A spokesman for Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco and John Middleton, said the company was not trying to get kids to use tobacco products.
"Our goal is we market to current adult tobacco consumers and support programs to help ensure that kids don't use tobacco products – whether it's a conventional cigarette, an electronic cigarette or smokeless tobacco," said David Sylvia in a telephone interview.


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Declawing Cats- What are the facts?
I can't think of any one topic that is more controversial in the feline world than declawing. The arguments that fly back and forth remind me of the debate surrounding abortion. Two sides with extremely strong opinions that seem completely unwilling to look for a middle ground.
On the one hand (or should we say "paw"), we have the anti-declaw zealots. They say declawing is uniformly cruel, citing pain, disfigurement, altered behavior, and the possibility of surgical complications up to and including the possibility of death.
Other cat owners consider declawing to be something of a feline rite of passage, with the declaw occurring at the same time as the spay/neuter, regardless of the cat's behavior. Risk the upholstery on the new loveseat? Never!
Veterinarians certainly fall into these two camps as well. Some will perform declaws whenever an owner requests while others refuse all such surgeries on ethical grounds and chastise owners for even bringing up the topic. But most vets — and owners, I suspect — fall somewhere in the middle, but avoid speaking up lest the wrath of the two opposing camps come crashing down upon their heads. Let's call these folks the muzzled majority.
Can't we all agree that declaws are justified under certain, limited circumstances? Consider a cat that is quickly becoming an unwelcome member of a loving family because he or she has destroyed virtually every chair in the home. Is it better that this cat be confined to the basement or relegated to the outdoors? Should we send it to a shelter where its chances for adoption are slim at best? Or what about the situation where a cat is injuring an elderly owner's fragile skin with its claws? Do you want to be the one to break the bond between these two old friends?
I'll admit it. I've performed declaws, but only after heartfelt discussions with the owners:
- Why are you considering a declaw?
- Are you aware of and willing to deal with the potential down sides of the surgery (e.g., pain, infection, damage to the legs from bandages or tourniquets)?
- Have you tried other options, like behavioral modification, weekly nail trims or rubber nail caps?
- Can you guarantee that your cat will remain indoor-only after the surgery?
- Will you allow (and pay for) post operative hospitalization so your cat can receive the best pain management possible and then follow up with continued pain relief at home for as long as necessary? With post-management pain management and hospitalization, the procedure can quickly become an expensive procedure.
Properly done, a declaw does not have to be any more painful, disfiguring, or risky than a spay or neuter. It is a valid option when it offers potential benefits to the pet in question … just don't get me started on the insanity of cropping a dog's ears!
Dr. Jennifer Coates
Image: Pavel Shlykov / Shutterstock
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You know the drill, if you want great looking jeans—slightly faded, worn and whiskered—then you've got to do the time. And that means wearing a single pair of raw denim everyday for a year (or two) to achieve the right amount of wear and personalization. But what if you could get that individualized fit and feel in a quarter of the time? Levi's has pioneered such a concept with their new Imprint jeans. First launched in Japan, naturally, the jeans have just touched down here in their popular 514 straight leg fit. Wear the jeans for 60 days and they'll look like you've worn them for six months. While the hardcore denim heads might scoff at the technology, they'll never know. Because your jeans will have that perfectly placed wallet outline, just like theirs. $79.50, at Levi's
What should I pack for my first business trip?
- Matt, OH
With nearly every airline imposing a baggage fee nowadays, if you can get away with flying with just a carry-on, do it.
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Library Search
The NRFC Library is a collection of materials to build a knowledge base around fathers, fatherhood, and operating a Responsible Fatherhood program. It also houses all resources created by the NRFC, including fact sheets, PSAs, and past webinars.
Use the search options provided below to find resources that you are interested in.
The child support program plays an important role to help fathers gain access to resources they need to move their families toward self-sufficiency. In this session, state child support staff discussed how they can partner with fatherhood programs to better equip fathers to meet their child…


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- Kuvaus
- Lisätiedot
- Brand
- Tyhjä lava-aski
- Materiaali teräs, väri musta jauhemaalaus
- Rei'itykset XLR-runkoliittimille (16 kpl)
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|1 kg (kilogramma)
Adam Hall hardware
Adam Hall is a key international player in the pro audio, light and event industry, not to mention the specialist musical stockist industry. Many sector insiders know Adam Hall as the leading manufacturer of flight case fittings and components for the production of safe, flexible transport containers for events technology and industrial use. While this still remains a core competency, it is only one of many. Adam Hall develops and produces professional, innovative audio and LED lighting solutions for stages, studios, radio, fixed installation and even live sound - and all with growing success: it is today regarded as one of the world's top 25 manufacturers in the field of professional events technology.


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Friday, September 5, 2008
Where the Action Is
And I'd totally forgotten of the existence of Warlocks & Warriors until I'd seen this ad. Talk about a blast from the past.
6 comments:
How funny... As an aside, I don't remember ever seeing that particular TSR logo before. I remember the wizard quite clearly, but this one looks like some kind of a uh...kobold? wielding a halberd.ReplyDelete
Dungeon! was a fun board game. I think I still have mine someplace.ReplyDelete
I'd also like to get a copy of The Awful Green Things From Outer Space. I managed to get a DVD copy of The Green Slime.
The TSR logo is shows a lizard man wielding a halberd and is a reproduction of a Greg Bell illustration from the inside cover of Supplement I. It was used by TSR from July 1975 until December 1978, when it was replaced by the wizard logo you might remember.ReplyDelete
Dungeon! was an amazing game and my introduction to the hobby, actually. My father -- had been the Holmes edition of D&D as a gift at Christmas 1978 and he never even opened it. The box sat in the hall closet until the following Christmas, when one of my childhood friends received Dungeon! and we had such fun playing it that I cracked open the copy of Holmes I had and started to play soon thereafter.ReplyDelete
She looks just like Jackie from that 70's ShowReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 6, 2008 at 4:15 AM
My readers didn't even notice W&W/Holmes etc. "Wow, she really holds something in hand" and so on. Band of pulp sexists, bloody homebrew Conans - all I can say. ;)ReplyDelete


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I hadn't been at Watkins Glen for more than a few minutes before a nice women told me to park the RV I'd been driving on the side of some random road and get in her car. Then someone handed me a racing suit and I got in a Daytona Prototype. This is going to be an awesome weekend.
Oh man, no full disclosure because the whole thing is going to be a disclosure of how strange and wondrous our lives are. Lemme try:
- We met a PR person for GoRVing.com — which encourages RVing if you couldn't figure that out — at the New York Auto Show and she showed us a 30-foot Fleetwood Storm.
- We were told it was available to borrow.
- We borrowed it and brought it to Watkins Glen because this quiet, pastoral piece of Western New York turns into motorsports heaven over the weekend with a number of races capped off by the big Sahlens 6-Hour TUDOR USCC race.
So yeah, Ballaban and I picked up the Storm in New Jersey and drove this vehicle, which is bigger than some apartments I've looked at and definitely has more televisions, and then made off for Watkins Glen. A few small notes:
- I've never driven an RV before.
- I've never been to Watkins Glen before.
- Therefore, I've never been to Watkins Glen in an RV before.
So off we went, the wind at our back and sometimes at our sides when 18-wheelers went by causing me to yank the wheel to try and guide the vehicle back onto the road. Ballaban got to see his first Sheetz and I got to have a Whopper.
The plan was to get here by 7:00 so we could get credentials and get into a two-seat Daytona Prototype Michael Shank Racing brought with them but, thanks to some traffic, we got here at 7:25 pm today.
Thus, with no passes, we ended up following Watkins Glen's kind PR person, Betsy, past the gate and near the entrance to the track, ditched the RV, and ran (literally ran) to get a racing suit on, a helmet over my head, and climb into the car driven by Action Express' Brian Frisselle.
The Glen is a lovely track and it's a wonderful kind of mind-fuck to get out of an RV you've been driving for five hours, slowly, and then hop into a race car before you can get your bearings set and then get tossed around for a couple of laps. All I want to do is get back out there and do it again, especially as the sun began to set.
Say what you will about the way the DPs look on the outside, they don't feel slow on the inside, and I didn't get the impression that Frisselle was holding back much (sadly for Ballaban the car had a suspension issue during his laps and came in early).
Buzzing from the hot laps we pulled our RV into our slot and rested for a few moments before realizing that, honestly, we had no idea what to do next. No bother, RV people are great and very helpful and I walked up to the first group of people I could find and asked them: "Do you know how to use an RV?"
After a few laughs, Joe showed us how to connect the power without blowing up the electrical system, level the truck, move the slide-outs, hook up the water, and get the systems going. Thus Jalopnik Mobile Unit 1 (JALOP-1) is good to go with some help from our neighbors. Come back tomorrow as some great people stop by to chat:
- 2:45 p.m.: Jordan Taylor
- 3:30 p.m.: Ryan Dalziel
- 4 p.m.: Ed Brown (driver/CEO of Patron)
- 4:30 p.m.: Patrick Long
Yes, that's right, one of them runs Patron. We might be properly gone by the time Patrick Long gets here.
If you're at Watkins Glen this weekend drop us a line or a comment and we'll do some sort of meet up. If you're not, just hang out with us in the comments all weekend as Patrick, Ballaban, Andrew and myself take it all in.
Photo: Jim Cooke


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Last time you thought about Jeff Shaw - the answer to yesterday's puzzle - was when? I couldn't remember either.
The first step is to solve the Eric Gagne sliding unscramble puzzle in the 35 moves, as follows:
But looking at the result, the letters still make no sense. And what's the deal with the poem?
That's the second step. Taking the cue from the poem's line "Track his footsteps to the light," you must keep a record of the letters traversed in solving the unscramble puzzle:
Then, from the poem's final line and using google and/or wikipedia to research the sequence of the alphabet, take "one last step to the right" by advancing each letter one (with 'Z' wrapping around to 'A'), and get:
The great Eric Karros' Dodger career spanned from 1991 to 2002. The Dodger closers' saves during that period stack up as follows:
Like a double-overtime NBA game, Jeff Shaw edges out Todd Worrell, 129-127.
Congratulations to UBragg, drewdez, Mr Customer, Jason, and Golem.
Updated rankings to be posted soon. Next puzzle Monday, Aug 9, 7am!


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Dear members if the Folklore Ensemble "Talija", On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the 51st Lefkas International Folklore Festival allow me to express our enthusiasm for the excellent appearances of your group on the stage of the festival.
It is always a great satisfaction for the organizers of the festival to be able to have such authentic groups in the festival.
Your group presented excellent performances and amazed the audience with your choreographies and costumes. The music and songs of the live orchestra with its traditional musical instruments took us all to an imaginary journey in your beautiful country.
Furthermore during the week of the festival you were in perfect collaboration with the organizers and with the other participants of the festival.
Once again allow me to thank you from the bottom of our heart and send you our warmest greetings.
- The President
- Costas Aravanis
- Mayor of Lefkas


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Initial GASB Statement Proposed in Extensive Effort to Review Current Disclosure Requirements
Norwalk, CT, June 30, 2000—The Governmental Accounting Standards Board today issued a proposed Statement that would establish, modify, and rescind certain current requirements to disclose information in the notes to state and local government financial statements. The Exposure Draft, Certain Financial Statement Note Disclosures, is the first proposal to result from the GASB's far-reaching endeavor to review all existing note disclosure requirements to ensure they continue to be useful and relevant to the needs of financial statement users.
The GASB's current five-year strategic plan, adopted in 1997, called for the regular review of existing accounting standards as soon as sufficient time had passed to allow a thorough determination of their effectiveness. The first phase of the GASB's disclosure review, which culminated in this proposed Statement, concentrated on requirements effective by 1994.
"A principal result of this project was the affirmation that the majority of note disclosures continue to provide information that is vital to financial statement users," said GASB Project Manager Roberta Reese. "Our constituent research, however, did reveal several areas that needed to be improved."
The Exposure Draft would rescind the current requirement to report the method a government uses for encumbrances, and would also eliminate the recommendation to report certain budgetary information. Prominent among new note disclosures proposed are requirements to provide more complete information about amounts due to and from a government's funds at the end of the fiscal period and about financial transfers among those funds during the year. Another proposal would lead to more detailed information about future debt service and lease payments.
"The current disclosures of interfund activity and long-term obligation requirements are limited," explained GASB Project Manager Randal Finden. "These proposals should provide the information users need to understand these important financial issues."
The Exposure Draft also proposes note disclosures regarding: actions taken to remedy significant violations of finance-related legal or contractual provisions; short-term debt activity; better explanations of the activities accounted for in financial statement columns; and details about significant individual accounts that are aggregated within larger balances in the financial statements.
In addition to the Exposure Draft, a plain-language supplement is available to enable a greater share of the public to participate knowledgeably in the standards-setting activities of this project. The supplement—the first produced by the GASB—presents the proposed Statement using less technical language and focuses on the impact the Statement would have on the information users will find in financial statements.
"The GASB is hopeful that the plain-language supplement will enable more users of governmental financial information to comment on the note disclosure proposals," said GASB Project Manager Dean Mead. "Users are in the best position to help the GASB understand whether or not these proposals will fulfill their information needs."
The ninety-day comment period on the Exposure Draft ends September 29, 2000. The GASB invites written comment on its proposals. The public may provide additional feedback by speaking at one of three public hearings and a special forum scheduled for the fall—September 19 in Tempe, AZ, October 10 in New York City (including the forum), and November 15 in St. Petersburg, FL.
During the comment period, single copies of the Exposure Draft and plain-language supplement are available free of charge from the GASB Order Department (800-748-0659).
The GASB is the independent private sector organization, formed in 1984, that establishes and improves financial accounting and reporting standards for state and local governments. Its seven members are drawn from the Board's diverse constituency, including preparers and auditors of state and local government financial statements, users of those statements, and members of the academic community. More information about the GASB can be found at this website.


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Though Microsoft has discussed the Longhorn client extensively, it has said very little to date about Longhorn Server, the Windows Server version that will arrive in early 2007. Longhorn Server will extend the technologies found in Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Windows Server 2003 Release 2 ("R2"), the latter of which is due in October 2005. And like its predecessors, it will offer an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary server platform that builds on past technologies while providing new functionality. Specifically, Longhorn Server won't be completely re-architected or be rewritten in managed .NET code. However, it's likely that Microsoft will dramatically change the Windows Server kernel in this release, breaking compatibility where necessary in order to deliver dramatic new features or new levels of security. Here's what I know about Longhorn Server so far.
High-level view
Today, Windows Server 2003 with SP1 represents the most secure and reliable operating system that Microsoft has ever created. Certain tools, like the Manage Your Server front-end, the Security Configuration Wizard (SCW), and the various administration tools in Windows Server 2003 Small Business Edition, hint at the ways in which the software giant seeks to make server computing both more powerful and easier to use and manage. With Longhorn Server, we can expect more of the same: Microsoft will attempt to make this release the highest quality version of Windows Server ever shipped, with versions of the product that are custom-tailored to specific businesses, including small and medium businesses (so expect a Windows Server Medium Business Edition), high performance computing, and storage, among others.
And, as with the Longhorn client (what I think of simply as "Longhorn"), Microsoft wants to make Longhorn Server its (server) platform for the next decade. So the company is willing to make critical breaks with the past where needed--particularly with compatibility--if that ensures that Longhorn Server is as safe, reliable, and useful as possible. This is a marked change in philosophy at Microsoft. In the past, compatibility trumped most other concerns. Today, security and reliability are more important than compatibility.
Unlike the Longhorn client, however, Longhorn Server will not include the Aero user interface, which is superfluous on a server product. The core Longhorn pillars--Avalon, Indigo, and WinFX--will of course be present, however.
Specific features
Many people have been wondering what features Microsoft will include in Longhorn Server. Some features have already been revealed. For example, Longhorn Server will include the "Bear Claw" implementation of Terminal Services, which frees users from dealing with remote sessions and instead lets them access individual remote applications as if they were running directly on the local system. This feature is called application publishing. Longhorn Server will also include full-feature network quarantine functionality that prevents notebooks and other remote computers from connecting to an enterprise's internal network until they meet the requirements of that organization's security policies. If they don't, the remote machines are quarantined in a safe portion of the network and provided with the software updates they need. Only then, will those machines be allowed to access other internal resources.
Longhorn Server will also include Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, a major new version of Microsoft's Web server. IIS 7 will be componentized for security and include much more graphical administration tools. Longhorn will also ship with Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0, offering more sophisticated collaboration features.
Many Longhorn Server features will be first implemented in the Longhorn client (see my Road to Longhorn showcase for details). For example, Longhorn Server will include Longhorn's hot-patching feature, which lets all non-kernel updates occur without the need for a system reboot. This feature will cut down server reboots by up to 70 percent, according to Microsoft. And like Longhorn, Longhorn Server will include support for Limited User Accounts (LUAs), preventing administrators from inadvertently harming a system, as each potentially dangerous operation will require an in-place logon.
And Longhorn Server, like Longhorn, will be fully componentized, making it easier for administrators to roll out servers that only include the functionality they need. These servers will be more secure as a result: A core server OS component, called Server Foundation ("MinWin"), will provide minimal server OS functionality and will be used as the basic building block for job-specific server implementations and even other Longhorn Server editions. Server Foundation can be extended with a number of server roles--mostly networking services like DHCP, DNS, and Active Directory) that add functionality to the base component. Longhorn will also include the image-based setup and deployment tools that will first ship with Longhorn.
It's unclear whether Longhorn will include WinFS, though Microsoft internal documentation notes that the release will include a new "transactional file system and Registry."
Some Longhorn features will be evolutionary improvements over features we see today in Windows Server 2003 with SP1. One typical example: A new roles-based management tool will combine the functionality of Manage Your Server and the Security Configuration Wizard into a single front-end for configuring both the functionality and security of your servers. And because Longhorn Server is an evolutionary release, it will support Windows Server 2003 drivers.
Longhorn will also include next-generation versions of the Feature Packs Microsoft shipped for Windows Server 2003, including a new rendition of Windows Rights Management Services (Windows RMS).
Timing and delivery
Longhorn Server will ship approximately 6 to 9 months after Longhorn, or in early 2007. This target date is in keeping with Microsoft's two year server release cycle: Windows Server 2003 shipped first in 2003, followed by Windows Server R2 in 2005. And yes, Microsoft has already committed to an R2 release of Longhorn Server, which is due in 2009. The next major Windows Server release after Longhorn Server, dubbed Blackcomb, is thus due in 2011.
Longhorn Server is very much a work in progress, and no doubt we'll learn a lot more about this product over time. My guess is that Microsoft will begin publicly revealing more Longhorn Server product features in either April (at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, or WinHEC, trade show) or in September, at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2005. However it does so, I'll update this document to reflect any new information when it becomes available.


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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- From illness to injuries, the Colorado Avalanche just can't stay healthy early in this lockout-shortened season.
These days, there appears to be a revolving door into the training room.
Take Wednesday for instance: On the day Matt Hunwick returned to the ice from a torso injury, his partner on defense, Erik Johnson, was missing -- out indefinitely after he suffered a head injury in a game against Phoenix earlier in the week.
That's simply the way the season has gone for the struggling Avalanche, who have dropped three straight heading into a game at Minnesota on Thursday night.
Coach Joe Sacco can't explain the rash of injuries and forward John Mitchell says he's not seen anything like it.
The Avs already are missing captain Gabriel Landeskog (head) and defenseman Ryan Wilson (ankle), along with forward Steve Downie, who's out for the season with a torn ACL.
"This is unbelievable," said Mitchell, who was at home for a 3-2 overtime loss to the Coyotes on Monday because of the flu. "Hopefully, these aren't significant injuries and we can get over them relatively quickly -- get this injury bug and whatever else it is out of the way."
The loss of Johnson particularly stings since he was so dependable in front of young goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Johnson was injured on a hit against the Coyotes.
At least Johnson's replacement was simple enough to find: Sacco will plug Hunwick into his place against the Wild. Hunwick just recently returned to the ice and is quickly getting back up to speed.
"Feel good," he said after a more than hour-long practice Wednesday before the team flew to Minnesota.
As for how his team moves forward without Johnson, Sacco simply shrugged.
"Just like we've done with the previous guys," he said. "There's not much else to say. The situation is what it is."
In addition to the return of Hunwick, the Avs also will have Mitchell on the ice. He said he's fully over a case of the flu that was so bad, he needed IV fluids.
"It came on so quick," said Mitchell, who's second on the team in goals with four. "I didn't sleep at all. It was tough. I never want to miss a game. But at that point, I would've been completely useless as a hockey player."
Although Matt Duchene skipped practice on Wednesday for what the team described as a "maintenance day," Sacco said the talented forward will be in the lineup. He's been one of the team's most productive players this season, scoring three goals and dishing out seven assists.
Colorado was banking on this type of season from Duchene, especially after an injury-marred campaign last year.
"It was a situation where (Duchene) left last season with a bad taste in his mouth," said Sacco, who announced that Jean-Sebastien Giguere would start in goal against the Wild. "He didn't like the way things ended up and he vowed over the offseason to be better, to make more of a commitment. He's done that.
"He's pushing the pace. He's got to push the pace. He's got to be that type of player and he's been able to do that. We're counting on him and leaning on him big time right now."
Given all the injuries, Colorado certainly could use the offensive flair of Ryan O'Reilly, who is holding out due to a contract dispute. He led the team in points last season.
With O'Reilly's status in limbo, the Avs are attempting to tune out all the rumors, even ones focusing on him being dealt.
Easier said than done, though.
"We hope that we can sign Ryan and get him back in the lineup," Hunwick said. "He's a homegrown guy. ... I'm sure the organization would love to have him. He loves playing here. Hopefully, things will work out. I guess that's the business aspect of sports. It's not the easiest.
"You try not to think about it for the most part."
The same goes for all those ailments, too.
"You try to manage it as best as you can," Hunwick said. "You just try to do the best you can."


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Sonic Electronix is dedicated to keeping their customers safe. In a world of car audio fanatics and loud music, protecting our ears is often an overlooked idea. However, ear protection is among the most important things that we can do for our bodies. In the Infographic below, Sonic Electronix aims to teach their valued customers about dangerous sound levels.
How is Sound Measured?
Sound is measured with decibels, also written as "dB". The decibel scale ranges from 0 dB to 300 dB. Zero represents absolute silence, whereas three hundred represents the loudest sound in the world. Special tools are used to measure the decibel rating of sound, such as the Scosche SPL1000 SPL Meter. There are also a number of other meters and phone applications that will measure the dB rating.
The Loudest Sounds in the World
The longer a person's ears are exposed to loud sounds, the more hearing loss will occur. In fact, hearing loss can begin at prolonged exposure above 85 dB. Just about any sound over that dB rating will attribute to hearing loss. This is a reason why it is important to know what these levels sound like and how to properly protect your ears when exposed to loud sounds. Some of the loudest sounds in the world include gunfire (155 dB), NHRA Dragsters (160 dB), a 1-ton TNT bomb (210 dB), and a 5.0 Earthquake (235 dB). The loudest sound ever recorded was the Tunguska Meteor at 315 dB.
Signs of Hearing Loss
There are many signs that humans show when their hearing begins to deteriorate. These signs included ear pain, ear itching, muffled hearing, pus leaking from the ear, tinnitus, as well as having a difficult time hearing what people say.
Don't become a victim of hearing loss. Wear the proper ear protection when you know that you will be exposed to loud sounds.


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Facebook purchased in the last five months eight of 10 patents it has cited in a counterclaim to a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Yahoo, and several were purchased after Yahoo filed the suit, the Internet portal claimed in a filing on Friday before a federal court.
Yahoo has also alleged that Facebook has infringed two more of its patents in addition to the 10 patents it sued for last month.
[ Stay ahead of the key tech business news with InfoWorld's Today's Headlines: First Look newsletter. | Read Bill Snyder's Tech's Bottom Line blog for what the key business trends mean to you. ]
Facebook denied earlier this month Yahoo's claims that it had infringed the 10 patents, and filed a counterclaim that Yahoo had infringed 10 Facebook patents.
"On information and belief, many, if not all, of these patents were acquired by Facebook for purposes of retaliation against Yahoo! in this case," Yahoo said in the filing on Friday.
Contrary to an agreement that is said to exist between the in-house counsels for the two companies to raise intellectual property issues with each other in the first instance, Facebook did not provide a notice to Yahoo of any alleged infringement, and did not attempt to resolve the alleged infringement of any of its patents by Yahoo before asserting them in litigation, Yahoo said.
The eight patents were acquired by Facebook from patent firms IPG Electronics 503 and Right Point, patent holding company Cheah Intellectual Property Licensing, and the New York University's intellectual property licensing department, Yahoo said in the filing before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco division.
Facebook acquired 750 patents from IBM in March, and more recently agreed to buy a portion of the patents Microsoft is to acquire from AOL in an over $1 billion deal.
The move by Facebook reflects growing interest from technology companies to acquire patent portfolios both to counter and initiate patent litigation. Ailing companies are also looking at patent sales as a way to raise cash. Bankrupt Nortel Networks raised $4.5 billion through the sale of patents and patent applications to a consortium consisting of Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In Motion and Sony. Eastman Kodak has also said that it is considering the sale of its digital imaging patent portfolios as one of its strategic alternatives to come out of bankruptcy protection.
In its reply and counterclaim on Friday to Facebook's reply, Yahoo has denied infringing the 10 patents, and claimed Facebook purchased and asserted patents tainted by inequitable conduct, including allegedly the in10tional failure to name a known inventor, and adding new information to a patent.
Facebook is also said to have asserted its newly acquired patents against aspects of Yahoo's products for which there is little to no publicly available information. "Unless Facebook has unlawfully acquired Yahoo! confidential business information, Facebook could not have developed a good-faith basis for many of the infringement allegations in its counterclaims," Yahoo said.
"We remain perplexed by Yahoo's erratic actions. We disagree with these latest claims and we will continue to defend ourselves vigorously," a Facebook spokesman said via email on Monday.
Yahoo has also alleged that Facebook has infringed two other patents. The first patent called: "System and method to determine the validity of and interaction on a network," bearing U.S. patent No. 7,933,903, was issued by the U.S. patent and Trademark Office to Yahoo in April, 2011, while the other U.S. patent No. 7,698,315, titled "System and method allowing advertisers to manage search listings in a pay for placement search system using grouping," was issued by the USPTO on April 13, 2010.
John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. Follow John on Twitter at @Johnribeiro. John's email address is email@example.com.


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Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
To explore the association between maternal and paternal age and risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in offspring.
Historical birth cohort study.
Kaiser Permanente (KP) in Northern California.
All singleton children born at KP from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 1999, were included in the study. We identified 593 children who had ASD diagnoses (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, code 299.0 or 299.8) recorded 2 or more times in KP outpatient databases before May 2005. These children were compared with all 132 251 remaining singleton KP births.
Main Exposures
Maternal and paternal age at birth of offspring.
Main Outcome Measures
Relative risks (RRs) estimated from proportional hazards regression models. Risk of ASDs evaluated in relation to maternal and paternal age, adjusted for each other and for the sex, birth date, and birth order of the child, maternal and paternal educational level, and maternal and paternal race/ethnicity.
Risk of ASDs increased significantly with each 10-year increase in maternal age (adjusted RR, 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.62) and paternal age (RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.09-1.51). Adjusted RRs for both maternal and paternal age were elevated for children with autistic disorder (maternal age: RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.87-1.60; paternal age: RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.06-1.69) and children with Asperger disorder or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (maternal age: RR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.09-1.93; paternal age: RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.99-1.55). Associations with parental age were somewhat stronger for girls than for boys, although sex differences were not statistically significant.
Advanced maternal and paternal ages are independently associated with ASD risk.
The cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is unknown; however, results from twin and family studies1 provide evidence for a strong genetic contribution, with multiple loci potentially involved. Investigations of nonheritable factors suggest that environmental influences may also be etiologically important,2 and neuropathologic and biomarker studies provide compelling evidence for a prenatal origin.3,4 The reported prevalence of ASDs has increased significantly during the past few decades.5 In this same period, the mean age at maternity and paternity has also increased.6
Advanced maternal age has been associated with risk of autism in several previous studies but not in all. Methodologic limitations, including lack of statistical control for paternal age, parity, or birth order and other potential confounding factors, have made these findings difficult to interpret. The role of paternal age in autism has been less frequently examined, although advanced paternal age has been associated with other adverse reproductive outcomes, including miscarriage,7,8 fetal death,9 childhood cancers,10,11 autoimmune disorders,12 schizophrenia,13-19 and other neuropsychiatric disorders.20 Associations with these diverse outcomes may be explained by the age-associated increase in de novo mutations in male germ cells.21 In this study, we investigated the association between maternal and paternal age and childhood ASDs using data from a large California birth cohort while controlling for age of the other parent and several other demographic characteristics that are reliably recorded in medical records and birth certificates.
Study participants
The study participants in the present investigation were drawn from the cohort of singleton children born in a Kaiser Permanente (KP) hospital in Northern California between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 1999 (n = 150 414). Kaiser Permanente is an integrated, group-model, nonprofit health plan that serves more than 3 million members in Northern California. The membership is demographically similar to the population of Californians who live in the counties served by KP, except that the very poor and very wealthy are underrepresented.22
To be eligible for inclusion, children were required to have at least 1 month of KP membership after birth and match to a California birth certificate (n = 139 419). Children with ASDs were identified from the computerized outpatient clinical database maintained for all KP members. This database contains all diagnoses recorded at each outpatient visit. Children with at least 2 diagnoses of an ASD (autism: International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 299.0; Asperger disorder or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified [PDD-NOS]: ICD-9-CM code 299.8), of which at least 1 was a definitive diagnosis (not "rule out," "possible," or "probable"), were designated as ASD cases. Children for whom all recorded diagnoses were ICD-9-CM code 299.0 were classified as having an autistic disorder (AD), whereas children for whom all recorded diagnoses were ICD-9-CM code 299.8 were classified as having PDD-NOS or Asperger disorder. Children with both types of diagnoses were classified according to the most recent specialist diagnosis or, lacking specialist diagnoses, according to the most recent nonspecialist diagnosis. A specialist was defined as a child psychiatrist, child neurologist, or developmental and behavioral pediatrician. Diagnostic data were retrieved from the computerized files on April 30, 2005; all study children were between 5 and 10 years of age. All children from the cohort who were not selected as cases based on these criteria were considered controls.
Maternal age, sex of child, and date of birth were extracted from KP data sources, whereas data on paternal age, birth order, and parental race/ethnicity and education were extracted from state birth certificate files. Only children with complete data on all covariates were included in the analyses (n = 132 844).
Maternal and paternal age at birth of the study child were examined as both continuous and categorical variables (<20, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, and ≥40 years). Variation in ASD risk based on parental age differences could be an important etiologic clue. To evaluate whether the amount of difference in the age of the parents influenced ASD risk, we created a 3-level categorical variable that represented the difference in the standardized maternal and paternal ages (>1 SD was defined as a large difference; 0.3 SD to 1 SD, a moderate difference; and <0.3 SD, a small difference).
Covariates included birth order (defined continuously), date of birth of child (from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 1999), sex of child, maternal and paternal educational level at birth of the study child (<high school, high school, college, or graduate school), and maternal and paternal race/ethnicity (white, non-Hispanic; white, Hispanic; African American; Asian; or other).
Since preliminary analyses showed that the mean number of vaccinations in the first 6 months of life and the mean number of well-child care visits in the second year of life were significantly higher for children with older parents and children with ASDs, we were concerned that differential health care–seeking behavior might confound our results. Thus, these variables were also included as covariates in multivariable models.
Statistical analysis
Because many of the children in the birth cohort could not be followed up through the entire age range during which autism was diagnosed, we used statistical methods appropriate for data that is "right censored." Primarily, we used proportional hazards regression to examine the risk of autism in relation to maternal and paternal age, with adjustment for potential confounders, and also to estimate the cumulative incidence of ASD by the age of 10 years.23 The timeline for our analyses was the age (in days) of the child. For each day of age (from the youngest age at diagnosis to the oldest), we compared the children who were diagnosed as having ASDs on that day vs all of the remaining children in the birth cohort who were still in follow-up and without an ASD diagnosis. Summarizing across all such comparisons, the fitted regression model yielded relative risk (RR) estimates for our predictor variables that could best predict who was diagnosed as having autism. The predictor variables included maternal and paternal age, educational attainment, and race ethnicity, as well as the child's sex, birth order, and birth year. A preliminary model examined autism risk in relation to 6 categories of maternal age and 6 categories of paternal age. After the risk of autism was found to increase rather steadily with maternal and paternal age in this preliminary analysis where age was categorized, we proceeded to fit a model that specified maternal and paternal age as continuous variables, scaled by decade of age.
The fit of the model was not significantly improved by including a measure of maternal age squared or paternal age squared or the product of maternal and paternal age. We also examined interactions between our timeline (the age of the child) and parental age, and we examined weighted Schoenfeld residuals to investigate whether autistic children tended to have older parents regardless of the age at which they were diagnosed as having autism. The associations of autism with parental age did not vary significantly by age at diagnosis (supporting the appropriateness of the proportionality assumption underlying our use of the regression model).
Cumulative incidence estimates were obtained using the proportional hazards model to determine what would have been the cumulative incidence by the age of 10 years in each of our subgroups defined by maternal and paternal age, if each subgroup had the same mean levels for the other covariates, as was found in the entire birth cohort.
Of the 132 844 children in the study cohort, 593 met the study criteria for ASDs and were defined as cases; the 132 251 remaining children were defined as controls. Of the 593 ASD cases, 277 (47%) were classified as AD cases and 316 (53%) as PDD-NOS or Asperger disorder cases. Sixty-five percent of all study participants had 1 period of continuous KP enrollment beginning sometime after birth, and 35% had multiple periods (range, 1-12; mean, 1.5). The total number of months of KP membership per participant ranged from 1 to 123 (mean, 67.5 months).
Maternal age ranged from 12 to 53 years (mean, 28.8 ± 5.9 years), and paternal age ranged from 13 to 70 years (mean, 31.5 ± 6.8 years). The correlation between maternal and paternal age was 0.74 (P<.001). Children with ASDs were more likely than controls to be male and to have older, more highly educated, and white, non-Hispanic parents (Table 1).
Maternal and paternal age modeled as categorical variables
Crude and adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for maternal and paternal age defined as categorical variables are given in Table 2. In unadjusted analyses, maternal and paternal age older than 34 years was significantly associated with increased risk of ASDs. After adjusting for the other parent's age and sex of the child, parity, maternal and paternal educational level, and maternal and paternal race/ethnicity, only paternal age older than 34 years remained significantly associated with increased risk. However, after adjustment for the other parent's age and all other covariates, the trend of increasing risk with increasing age was statistically significant for both maternal age (adjusted RR for linear trend across age categories, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01-1.23; P = .04) and paternal age (adjusted RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.07-1.29; P = .001).
Maternal and paternal age modeled as continuous variables
Adjusted RRs and 95% CIs for maternal and paternal age modeled as continuous variables are given in Table 3. Risk of ASDs increased significantly with each 10-year increase in maternal age (adjusted RR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.07-1.62) and paternal age (adjusted RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.09-1.51). The RR estimates were unchanged after adjustment for parental health care–seeking behavior.
Proportional hazards regression models were run separately for the 2 ASD diagnostic strata (Table 3). The adjusted RRs for maternal and paternal age remained elevated for children with AD and for children with PDD-NOS and Asperger disorder. The maternal age effect was stronger for PDD-NOS and Asperger than AD, and the paternal age effect was stronger for AD than PDD-NOS or Asperger disorder, but these differences were not statistically significant and disappeared when children with both an AD and a PDD-NOS or Asperger disorder diagnosis (for whom final ASD severity was imputed, n = 187 [31%]) were excluded from the analysis (data not shown).
We estimated RRs separately for boys and girls and observed a trend toward a higher ASD risk associated with increasing maternal and paternal age in girls than in boys, although the differences in risk estimates for girls and boys were not statistically significant. The RRs for maternal age were 1.27 (95% CI, 1.01-1.60) for boys and 1.55 (95% CI, 0.93-2.59) for girls. The RRs for paternal age were 1.27 (95% CI, 1.06-1.52) for boys and 1.38 (0.93-2.05) for girls. All RRs were adjusted for the other parent's age, birth order, date of birth, sex of the child, maternal and paternal educational level, and maternal and paternal race/ethnicity.
Differences between maternal and paternal age
The difference in parental age was not significantly associated with ASD risk after adjusting for all covariates (large vs small difference: RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.51-1.35; moderate vs small difference: RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.87-1.47).
Risk associated with covariates
Risk of ASDs was inversely correlated with birth order, positively correlated with date of birth, and significantly elevated for boys and children whose mothers had a college or postgraduate education, independent of parental age and all other covariates (Table 3). These increased risks were more pronounced in children classified as having PDD-NOS or Asperger disorder, especially after children with imputed ASD severity were removed (data not shown). Although no overall differences in ASD risk were associated with maternal race/ethnicity, children whose mothers were black were more likely to be diagnosed as having AD and less likely to be diagnosed as having PDD-NOS or Asperger disorder compared with children whose mothers were white, non-Hispanic (Table 3). These differences were also more pronounced after children with imputed severity were removed from the analyses (data not shown). Risk did not vary by paternal educational level or paternal race/ethnicity, either for the total group or for subgroups defined by diagnostic strata.
Cumulative incidence
The cumulative incidence of ASD by the age of 10 years increased nearly 2-fold from the youngest (<20 years: 1 in 251) to the oldest mothers (≥40 years: 1 in 123) and more than 3-fold from the youngest (<20 years: 1 in 387) to the oldest fathers (≥40 years: 1 in 116), independent of the other parent's age and all other covariates (Table 4).
We found that risk of ASD was independently associated with advanced maternal and paternal age in a contemporary cohort of California-born children. Major strengths of this study include a large population-based sample and prospective collection of autism diagnoses and covariates, thus avoiding biases due to differential reporting and recall by parents of affected and unaffected children. We examined parental age–associated risks using both categorically and continuously defined age variables while statistically adjusting for characteristics of the parents, such as race, educational level, parity, and health care–seeking behavior, which could potentially confound the association.
Although some degree of underascertainment of ASDs may be present in this population, the observed ASD prevalence of 4.5 in 1000 approximates recent figures from multisource surveillance systems and community-based surveys.24,25 Diagnoses were obtained from clinical diagnoses recorded in KP databases, without clinical validation for this study. Previous validation studies conducted by the investigators have demonstrated that approximately 90% of children identified as ASD cases from the KP electronic files meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition26 criteria with full review of diagnostic information from medical records. In a current study within the KP system, children are being evaluated with the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised27 and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule–Generic28 to confirm diagnoses. Of the 92 children evaluated to date who were included as cases in this analysis, 84% met criteria for ASD on both the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule–Generic, and 100% met criteria on at least 1 instrument.
Although the association between autism and maternal age has been evaluated in multiple clinical and epidemiologic samples, some studies have reported a positive association29-36 and others no association.37-43 The association of ASD risk with paternal age has been less frequently investigated.35,36,42,44-48 The 4 large population-based epidemiologic studies that simultaneously adjusted for the ages of both parents in the same model have produced inconsistent results. In an Australian population, Glasson et al45 found that increased maternal age, but not paternal age, was significantly associated with autism risk independent of other perinatal factors. In a Danish population, Lauritsen et al46 found that the risk of autism was associated with increasing paternal but not maternal age, independent of the child's age, child's sex, parental psychiatric history, sibling autism status, parental country of birth, and degree of urbanization. A second Danish study by Larsson et al47 reported no statistically significant association between risk of autism and either maternal or paternal age after adjusting for other perinatal factors and parental psychiatric history. In an Israeli population, Reichenberg et al48 found that increased paternal age, but not maternal age, was associated with autism risk after adjustment for year of birth and socioeconomic status.
Inconsistencies between our results and those of the previous studies may be due to differences in study methods. In our study, although a clear trend of increasing risk with increasing maternal age was observed when age was modeled categorically, the maternal age association achieved statistical significance only when age was modeled continuously. The Australian and Danish studies treated parental age as a categorical variable only. Although the Israeli study examined parental age both categorically and continuously, the small sample size resulted in imprecise risk estimates, and the authors concluded that a small effect in the oldest mothers could not be ruled out. Children across the entire autism spectrum were included in our study, whereas the previously published samples were skewed toward children on the more severe end of the spectrum. In addition, the covariates included in the adjusted analyses differed to some extent across the studies.
In all 4 previous studies, a significant association was observed with both advanced maternal and paternal age in unadjusted analyses. Other studies29,45 that examined maternal age without adjusting for paternal age may have overstated the maternal age effect. In the current investigation, the RRs for both maternal age and paternal age were higher before adjusting for age of the other parent.
In our study, the age effects were somewhat different according to the severity of autism, but differences between diagnostic groups were not statistically significant and should be interpreted with caution until replicated in future studies using more rigorous criteria to determine case type. Our finding that advanced paternal age was more strongly correlated with AD is consistent with the Danish findings of a stronger paternal age effect among the more severely affected children. Of note, in 3 previous schizophrenia studies, the association with advanced paternal age was significant only for persons who met criteria for schizophrenia and not the broader spectrum of schizophrenia disorders,49 related nonaffective psychoses,13 or other psychoses.17 Differences in maternal and paternal age and maternal educational level effects across ASD severity categories, although not significant, raise the possibility that the underlying biological and sociological risk profiles may differ according to ASD severity. Larger samples with better phenotypic characterization are needed to study this phenomenon further.
Our data suggest that increased risk of ASDs associated with advanced maternal and paternal age may be somewhat stronger in girls than in boys. This finding could be a statistical artifact, since the same parental age–related effect could result in a higher multiplicative effect in girls given that the baseline prevalence of ASDs is lower in girls than in boys. Alternatively, our finding may be a possible etiologic clue. Increased paternal age has been documented in the inheritance of MeCP2 mutations in girls with Rett syndrome.50 Of note, the association between advanced paternal age and schizophrenia was stronger in girls than in boys in 1 study,14 but not in 2 others.13,15 The stronger association with paternal age in girls might suggest that a de novo mutation in a gene on the X chromosome may play a role. Many genes expressed in the central nervous system and associated with cognitive impairment are located on the X chromosome.51 Evidence from recent family-based association52 and linkage studies53,54 suggests the presence of autism risk loci on the X chromosome.
The increased risk of ASDs observed with advanced maternal age could be explained by uncontrolled confounding due to increased risk of pregnancy complications in older mothers45,47 or advanced birth order.41,45 Although we did not control for pregnancy complications, we observed independent associations with maternal age and birth order.
Our observation of increased ASD risk in older fathers is consistent with the hypothesis that new point mutations may contribute in part to the cause of autism. In men, spermatogonia constantly divide during the lifespan, accumulating new mutations as men age.55 Evidence suggests that several genetic loci may be involved in the vulnerability to autism1; some may be arising de novo. The biological mechanism underlying our observation of increased ASD risk in older fathers could be de novo mutations introduced in aging fathers. If this is the case, we would expect to see a stronger association with paternal age in sporadic rather than familial cases of autism. Epigenetic effects, such as age-related methylation changes, could be an alternative biological explanation for our findings. Evidence is increasing that epigenetic factors may contribute to ASD risk. For example, several chromosomal regions subject to imprinting (eg, 7q, 15q, and X) have been linked to ASDs.56 Attributes of the parents that lead to older age at childbearing and that are related to autism risk might also explain the association we observed with advancing parental age.57 Psychosocial traits that are related to the autism phenotype, including social deficits, may influence age at childbearing. In some studies, such traits have been shown to be more prevalent in parents of autistic children than in the general population.58 Increased risk with increasing age could also be explained by lack of control for nongenetic exposures that increase with advancing age and that are associated with autism risk. Finally, our findings might be a result of more complete ascertainment of children with ASDs among older parents, who may be more attuned to deviances in the expected developmental trajectory of their young children. Although we found no evidence of confounding by health care–seeking behavior measured in the first few years of life, the stronger associations with older maternal age and higher maternal educational level we observed for children with PDD-NOS or Asperger disorder lend some support to this hypothesis.
These data suggest that advanced maternal and paternal age are independently associated with ASD risk. Age effects were independent of birth year and thus not explained by the increasing age of parents that has been observed in recent years. If the relationship between parental age and ASD is causal, the fraction of autism in this sample attributable to having a mother or father older than 35 years is 4% to 13%. Future investigations focused on the identification of both genetic and environmental factors that correlate with advanced parental age are warranted.
Correspondence: Lisa A. Croen, PhD, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612 (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Accepted for Publication: November 15, 2006.
Author Contributions: Dr Croen had full access to all the data in the study and takes full responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Croen and Grether. Acquisition of data: Croen and Najjar. Analysis and interpretation of data: Croen, Najjar, Fireman, and Grether. Drafting of the manuscript: Croen, Najjar, and Grether. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Croen, Fireman, and Grether. Statistical analysis: Fireman. Obtained funding: Croen. Administrative, technical, and material support: Najjar. Study supervision: Croen.
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Funding/Support: This study was funded in part by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant U10/CCU920392-02 and the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute.
Disclaimer: Findings do not represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Croen LA, Najjar DV, Fireman B, Grether JK. Maternal and Paternal Age and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(4):334–340. doi:10.1001/archpedi.161.4.334
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Artificial Intelligence Resource Center


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Most readers are probably aware that it has been getting more difficult to find decent values in the current environment. When I ran my screens for valuation, I stumbled upon AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ), which are telecom behemoths in the US.
AT&T (T) has increased dividends for 33 years in a row. In the past decade, it has managed to increase dividends by 3.70%/year. Between 1984 and 2016, the company has managed to increase dividends by 4.40%/year. The stock trades at 12.70 times forward earnings and yields 5.30%. The dividend is adequately covered with a dividend payout ratio of 67.60%, based on forward earnings. Check my previous analysis of AT&T for more information about the company.
Verizon (VZ) has increased dividends for 12 years in a row. In the past decade, dividends grew by 3.40%/year. Between 1984 and 2017, the company has managed to increase dividends by 3.30%/year. The stock trades at 11.60 times forward earnings and yields 5.30%. The dividend is adequately covered with a dividend payout ratio of 61.70%, based on forward earnings. Check my analysis of Verizon for more information about the company.
The telecom industry in the US is very competitive. Companies like AT&T (T) compete with the likes of Verizon (VZ), Sprint and T-Mobile. In the past, almost all of the profits have been made by Verizon (VZ) and AT&T, at the expense of smaller competitors. An investment in AT&T and Verizon today would presume that the status quo would remain unchallenged, and that Sprint and T-Mobile would be kept weak forever. The service that telecom companies is essentially a commodity. Telecom companies are not utilities, because there is the possibility for switching the provider. Try moving to Saint Louis, Missouri, and then switching your gas, water or electric utility – you can't. But anywhere in the US, you can switch to another wireless carrier, plus you have other alternatives and very low customer loyalty. There is nothing to stop a customer from switching to another carrier after their contract expires.
It also takes an enormous amount of capital to maintain and continuously upgrade a network that would cover 300 million people in dispersed area such as the US. Long gone are the days when telecom only meant providing voice calls between users in different locations. Now there are technologies such as 3G, 4G, LTE that require constant costly investment to upgrade network. Barriers to entry are steep of course, since it takes tens of billions of dollars to build a network. However, the main competitive advantages available to Verizon and AT&T are those of scale.
There is a risk of technological obsolescence, since new technologies are requiring that telecom companies engage in multi-billion dollars upgrades, merely to keep up with competitors. In addition, there are new technologies which could leverage existing network infrastructure but could be directly competing with telecom companies. For example, 20 – 30 years ago, the price of a long-distance call between New York and San Francisco would have been quite expensive. Today, I can call anyone in the world using Viber or WhatsApp for free, using wi-fi from a device that is connected to the internet.
Currently both AT&T and Verizon have the advantages of scale, which allows them to spread costs of upgrading and maintaining their network over larger pools of customers. This has allowed them to earn hefty profits, and pay the high dividends to shareholders. For example, if you want to advertise your service, it is much easier to outspend your competitor in advertising by spending twice as much as them when you have three to four times as much customers. On a per customer basis however, this advertising is still going to be cheaper.
Another advantage is the fact that in the traditional telecom model, it would be very difficult for someone to set up a new wireless network. This would take tens of billions of dollars to get the network equipment on tens of thousands of cell towers across the US, plus get valuable spectrum rights. Today however, it is quite possible that competing technology platforms might end up destroying some value at the traditional telecom companies. In addition, we do not know if the future doesn't hold another technological breakthrough, which could replace the cellphone the same way the your landline has become obsolete.
For both AT&T and Verizon, the dividend has not had a very good coverage out of earnings. I always require that there be a margin of safety in dividends when I analyze a dividend paying company. There is a higher than average risk that the dividend be cut sometime in the next decade, given the competitive pressures, high payout ratios, constant requirement for new capital to invest, and commoditized type of service. If you add in the competitive pressures to the high payout ratio, one could see why I have not been excited about AT&T and Verizon as dividend growth stocks. The best probable scenario that I could see for AT&T and Verizon income shareholders is that their dividend keeps up with the rate of inflation. Even during the past 25 years, the best that AT&T and Verizon could do was grow dividends by 3% - 4%/year. These companies will not make you rich overnight. However, they could be decent holdings for someone who needs high current income for the next decade, and is fine that this income maintains its purchasing power over time.
An investor in a high yielding company company like AT&T could reinvest their dividends and grow dividends by the 5% dividend yield and the 1-2% organic dividend growth. This means that a holder of AT&T shares worth $30K will receive approximately $1,500 in annual dividend income, which would be then used to purchase 5% more shares. In the next year, the dividend will increase by 2% and the investor will earn the higher dividend on the increased amount of shares. If you rinse and repeat this exercise for 18 - 20 years, it is highly likely that the investor will be earning $6,000 in annual dividend income from this position. This is due to the power of reinvesting high dividends into more shares of a high dividend yielding stock that has some dividend growth. If I stop reinvesting dividends however, I income will only keep up purchasing power to inflation at best. The risk is also that a high dividend yield is due to a high payout ratio. If the business faces strong headwinds, this increases risk that dividend is cut if times get rough. Using history as a guide, major acquisitions with lots of debt have usually sapped a company's ability to maintain dividends. This is what you need to be on the lookout for, when holding AT&T and Verizon. The other side of the coin however is that both companies have historically managed to pull off mergers and acquisitions successfully. Therefore, it is also possible that the next big acquisition works out pretty well, and defies the odds.
The opportunity cost of investing in an AT&T is a company like Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), which yield around 2.50% today, but grow dividends at 6% - 7%/year. Of course the 6% - 7% figure is very conservative and at the low range of my projections for those companies. In 18 years, I will be earning over $3,000 in annual dividend income, if I reinvest those growing dividends. In addition, once I stop reinvesting dividends and live off them, the dividend growth will protect purchasing power of income from inflation. To top it off, the portfolio would also have much higher appreciation potential relative to the AT&T centric portfolio. The drawback is that forecasting dividend growth over an 18 year period is tough, since no one knows what the world will look like in 2035.
In the matter of full disclosure, I do have a tiny position in Verizon, as a result of my investment in Vodafone (VOD) last year, which distributed those shares after selling their Verizon Wireless stake to Verizon. I think that Verizon owning 100% of Verizon Wireless is a good thing for the company, and could end up being accretive for long-term holders. I would probably hold this, since this tiny position is spread out in several tax-deferred accounts. At least I am able to reinvest those distributions automatically. Other than that, I am not planning on adding any money to either AT&T or Verizon, since I believe there are better uses for my capital. I usually invest for the next 30 years, which is why companies that have poor growth prospects are usually at the bottom of my list for purchase.
Full Disclosure: Long VZ and VOD
Relevant Articles:
- Maintaining Moats in times of Technological Changes
- Are these high yield dividends sustainable?
- Highest Yielding Dividend Stocks of S&P 500
- Margin of Safety in Dividends
- Vodafone Group (VOD) Dividend Stock Analysis
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Should I invest in AT&T and Verizon for high dividend income?
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Key exterior design changes include a fairing behind the driver's head; bespoke carbon-fibre components – a new front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser; lowered windshield and restyled front bumper. Project 7's unique interior features a composite single-seat with racing harness, a helmet holder and custom trim. Project 7's name acknowledges Jaguar's winning of Le Mans seven times between 1951-1990 – a record for a British manufacturer – and its blue paintwork is reminiscent of the victorious Jaguar D-types of 1956/1957.
Project 7 is not a static concept, but a fully-functional, high-performance sports car. The F-TYPE's rigid all-aluminium architecture provides the perfect starting point, power coming from Jaguar's 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine in 550PS/680Nm form – an increase of 55PS and 55Nm over the F-TYPE V8 S.
"The overriding dynamic aim when developing F-TYPE was ensuring connected feel; it's a true, driver-focused sports car; agile, immediate, fast and, of course, fun. Having achieved that for the road, Project 7 has given us a unique opportunity to go that little bit further. It's visceral in every sense – its response, its sound and its sheer performance. I'm very much looking forward to driving it at Goodwood."
Mike Cross, Chief Engineer, Vehicle Integrity, Jaguar
In addition to the increase in power – delivered to the rear wheels through Jaguar's eight-speed Quickshift transmission and electronic active differential – Project 7 also features a free-flow exhaust system with a ceramic finish, 10mm lower ride height and a unique spring/damper tune.
"Jaguar's sporting bloodline and innovative ambition are perfectly embodied by Project 7, both through its sensual design, and its shattering performance. Project 7's Goodwood debut will provide a great stage to showcase the creativity of our design and engineering teams."
Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar
Project 7: A story of passion
Under Director of Design, Ian Callum, who constantly challenges his team to push the boundaries of design, Project 7 went from being an experimental sketch by Jaguar designer Cesar Pieri to the track in just four months.
Bringing to bear his love for cars and motorsport, his passion for Jaguar's heritage, and his familiarity with the F-TYPE, Pieri drew a single-seater sports car with a swooping profile, cut-down windscreen and race-inspired livery.
"When I saw this sketch of a low-screen, single-seat F-TYPE, I felt enthused by it and wanted to take it further. As designers, our very purpose is to disrupt – to turn the norm on its head and see if it still works – and here at Jaguar, we love to push the boundaries.
"As a team our challenge was to take this gem of an idea, work within the limitations of production feasibility, and create something worthwhile. So I encouraged Cesar and Alister Whelan, Chief Designer, Jaguar, to take it to the next stage and develop a workable concept, and with the support of key departments across the business, Project 7 was born."
Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar
Following digital modelling, a clay model of Project 7 was produced. With that signed off, and time before Goodwood short, Jaguar's engineering team worked closely with the design team to ensure that the build stayed true to the concept.
For Project 7, the F-TYPE's two key 'heartlines' remain, the most prominent change being the completely new, D-type-inspired, rear fairing section that incorporates a rollover hoop and swoops down from behind the driver's head. The roof system has been completely removed.
Aerodynamic modifications include a carbon-fibre front splitter, side skirts, large rear diffuser and a fixed rear spoiler with a 14-degree angle of attack, giving Project 7 a low, unified, muscular stance. The side louvres and bonnet vents are also carbon-fibre, while the carbon-fibre and aluminium wing mirrors draw inspiration from those on Jaguar's C-X16 sports car concept, from which F-TYPE is derived.
The windshield has been lowered, while a new nose design incorporates revised air intakes and headlights with gloss black surrounds instead of chrome. The car sits on 20-inch Blade forged-alloy wheels with carbon-fibre inserts.
The cockpit of Project 7 is no less impressive than its exterior. The driver sits in a composite bucket seat, lowered by 30mm, and is gripped by a four-point racing harness. The passenger seat is replaced by a unique helmet holder, which carries a custom-designed Project 7 helmet in matching blue paint and graphics, secured by its own harness.
The seat and the insides of the doors are finished in a quilted racing-style diamond pattern. There are carbon-fibre inserts on the console and SportShift lever, the start-stop button is gloss black and the steering wheel is equipped with machined aluminium paddles.
"When you look at this car, it has got an enormous amount of appeal. It's just full of desire – you can see that its sole purpose is to be enjoyed. Project 7 is a very special car – not just because it's a one-off, but because of its purity of purpose. It's pure Jaguar."
Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar
Project 7: Technical Specification*
Engine Capacity (cc): 5000
Cylinders: 8
Valves per cylinder: 4
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Bore/stroke (mm): 92.5/93.0
Bore/stroke (inches): 3.64/3.66
Transmission: Eight-speed 'Quickshift'
0-60mph (sec): 4.1
0-100km/h (sec): 4.2
50-75mph (sec): 2.4
80-120km/h (sec): 2.4
Top speed - electronically limited (mph): 186
Top speed - electronically limited (km/h): 300
Power (PS@rpm): 550@6500
Power (kW@rpm): 405@6500
Torque (lb ft@rpm): 502@2500-5500
Torque (Nm@rpm): 680@2500-5500
Wheels: 20-inch Blade forged-alloy
Tyres: Pirelli P Zero 255/30/20 (front) / 295/30/20 (rear)
Jaguar Press