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As is often the case, a nasty game of politics is confusing the public regarding the health insurance reform debate. Consequently, many are choosing to become disenfranchised with the goings on in the nation's capital and simply writing it off to politics as usual.
While it's understandable to be turned off by all the perplexing shenanigans that take place in Congress, this is one situation we should all continue to follow because it will more than likely impact everyone at some point on some level.
Although there seems to be something new making headlines with the health insurance legislation every day, the big news within the last week is the withdrawal of the public option from the debate. We find this to be good news.
We do not believe having a government-run health insurance company was going to be the panacea some forecast. It was merely a desperate attempt to increase competition, which is badly needed, but expanding the size of government and extending its reach into the private sector is never a good thing in our opinion.
The major problems with the status quo of the health insurance industry are it's too expensive and overly selective, both a direct result of lack of enough competition. Some thought the public option would address these issues, but the severe limitations in store for the public company would have made that impossible.
Currently, the rules of capitalism do not seem to apply to the health insurance industry. The costs increase every year without fail, and there does not appear to be an end in sight. As the costs increase, less and less people are being able to be insured because companies are becoming increasingly selective with whom they want to sign on.
We have never agreed with the statement that every American is entitled to health insurance. We find any kind of entitlement puzzling. Nobody is guaranteed anything in life. Free health insurance, which is anything but that to the taxpaying public, is not something all citizens deserve.
What should happen is all Americans should be able to shop for their own health insurance if their employer does not offer it. Businesses should be able to offer insurance to their employees and not have to sustain huge increases every year to keep their employees covered. Operating costs should not be cramped because the cost to insure dozens of employees and their families is jumping on average of 10 to 15 percent a year.
Something has to change with health insurance. The status quo is unacceptable. That's why we feel the debate legislators are having is healthy. Reform is necessary and it's coming at the right time.
The hope has to be that a compromise is in the works for all sides to come to an agreement with the end result being more Americans can obtain health insurance on their own and more businesses can continue to offer, fund and expand the coverage they currently provide their employees.
The public option was not going to do a lot to make that happen. It had become a distracting lightning rod for many, and it was not going to make that much of a difference in the long run. It's a good thing it's dead because it allows for attention to be paid to the most pressing issues – affordability and limitations. Enhanced competition to keep costs within reason is needed to address these issues, and how to ensure that occurs should be at the heart of the reform debate.


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The human body is 18 percent carbon, which means that if you subject it to high enough pressures at high enough temperatures and hold it there for a long enough time, it will form diamonds. You can try this yourself, in a laboratory. All it takes is, say, a pound of human ash, more than 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and 60,000 times the standard atmospheric pressure of Earth at sea level. Extract carbon, bake, compress. Check back in a few weeks. Not a DIYer? No problem. Just FedEx your burial urn to one of the many Internet-facing memorial-diamond companies that have sprung up in the last few years. For between $2,500 and $25,000, outfits like Chicago's LifeGem and Switzerland's Algordanza will take the cremated remains of your loved ones and return them, presto chango, in the form of wearable jewelry.
Diamonds created from human ashes often carry a blue tint. This is because of the boron contained in bone. "I don't know why," the CEO of Algordanza has said, "but if the diamond is blue, and the deceased also had blue eyes, I hear almost every time that the diamond had the same color as the eyes of the deceased." Gems can also be synthesized from dead pets and, since the mid-2000s, from hair. Several memorial-diamond firms report revenue in the millions of dollars. In 2007, a diamond made from a lock of Beethoven's hair sold on eBay for $202,700.
The World Cup tends to gather every thread of weirdness on the planet; as the largest human spectacle in existence, it rolls through every four years trailed by a vast peripheral freak show of psychic octopuses, celebrity witch doctors, and horse-placenta fetishists (otherwise known as soccer players). So it's no real surprise that the tournament's 2014 edition is now officially the World Cup of diamonds made out of people. In late May, a Brazil-based memorial-diamond company called Brilho Infinito began selling a series of 1,283 diamonds made from the hair of Pelé, the most celebrated footballer in Brazil's football-obsessed history, and widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time. The 1,283 gemstones are one for every goal that's claimed on Pelé's (dubious) official record. The gemstones are selling for about $7,500 each. The proceeds will be donated to a pediatric complex in Brazil.
To be transformed into synthetic diamonds: Could you have scripted a more fitting apotheosis for Pelé? Since his retirement in 1977, the 73-year-old legend has occupied the uneasy territory between living god and soulless corporate shill. Celebrated to the point of numbness for his genius on the pitch, he's been mocked as a sort of ambulatory MasterCard scanner off it, a kept superstar willing to slap his name on anything for a bag of cash and a pat on the cheek. Creation myths often include a moment when the god dissolves and becomes the universe, like the Chinese deity Pangu, whose beard became the stars; it seems right that when the same thing happened to Pelé, he sparkled forth into a marketing gimmick for a company that specializes in forging sentimental finger bling from your departed Labradoodle.
Pelé is, of course, a key face at this Brazilian World Cup, its solemn cornpone patriarch. He's stirred anger in Brazil, during the tense and sometimes violent season leading up to the event, for criticizing protests against Brazil's runaway economic inequality — if it's all the same to you guys, he'd very much prefer that the marches not threaten the smooth tinkling of the FIFA cash register, thanks.1 It's the same old story: brilliant soccer player in his day, now totally out of touch. They're making diamonds out of his hair and he can't quite see that crushing poverty might be more important than sports. (He denies, in fact, that political corruption and soccer have any bearing on each other, which, OK, but don't sail over the edge of the flat Earth on the way to confront your denial.) It's more than just another case of an athlete who won't risk an endorsement by speaking out against politics. It's a blindness.
Pelé first took the global stage as a slender 17-year-old in the 1958 World Cup, in which he featured as a golazo-scoring wonder child, not yet a god but clearly touched by one. He's been a living symbol of Brazilian soccer ever since; even now, in his current state of jeweled bedazzlement, there are these odd little links. For instance, the headlines. "Pressure 'huge' on Brazil World Cup team." "World Cup 2014 heat is now on Brazil to perform." Crushing pressure, searing heat: You half expect the Brazil squad to turn into diamonds themselves, before Group A even kicks off.
The last time the country hosted the tournament, in 1950, the heavily favored national team imploded in the final against Uruguay, losing 2-1. Days of planned celebrations went crashing to a halt, unthrown confetti trickling out between numbed fingers. Now, favored once again, Phil Scolari's team is expected to redeem this historic disaster. The Seleção haven't lost a competitive home game in more than 39 years. They have arguably the most talented team in the tournament, with a squad led by the slippery and startling 22-year-old forward Neymar and anchored by a powerful defense. They're young, but at their best they're lethal. In the Confederations Cup final last June, they rolled an era-defining Spain team 3-0, borrowing counterattacking, gegenpressing tactics from Bayern Munich to shatter the flow of Spain's Barcelona-ish tiki-taka. Outside Brazil, they're the trendy pick to win the tournament. Inside, anything less than a win on the last day in Rio might as well be a hunk of ash.
When Brazil started winning World Cups, beginning in the late 1950s, the country's rise seemed like the spontaneous flowering of a true national tradition. The dizzying, dance-like style of Brazil's soccer seemed like such a natural expression of Brazilian culture, almost an art form. Samba rhythms. Yellow shirts. Little kids dribbling barefoot through the favelas. The imagery seems clichéd now, but still: In its original form, it's still powerful. Like its most famous player, Brazil arrived as a kind of sunburst of folk-football. It was like nothing else the world had ever seen.
Like Pelé, though, Brazil spent the next several decades devolving into a capitalist simulacrum of itself. Start poking around in the corruption charges surrounding the Brazilian Football Confederation and you enter a world that is byzantine and maddening and hilarious, a world populated by some of the highest-profile figures in soccer. In the 1970s, (Brazilian) FIFA president João Havelange, who served from 1974 until 1998, both pioneered the current system of corporate sports sponsorship and refined world soccer's commitment to collusion and bribery. He used to send the Brazil team around to play friendlies in countries whose support he wanted to buy, like a gift basket that could do bicycle kicks. By 2001, when the Brazilian Football Confederation was the target of a congressional investigation — Ronaldo was called in to testify; the questioners wanted to know why the Seleção hadn't been able to mark Zinedine Zidane in the '98 World Cup — Nike had essentially bought the right to schedule the team's matches. Joga bonito was welded to a permanent TM superscript. That blue is the color of my dead grandmother's eyes.
My point here is that it's not so easy to separate Brazil's soccer narrative from political corruption and abuse of power — not as easy as Pelé thinks, not easy at all. The 2014 World Cup team and the street protests are two electrons orbiting within the same unstable atom. Politicians are afraid that if Brazil loses early in the tournament, the protests will spill out of control. I mean, think about that. During this World Cup cycle, it has often seemed as though soccer was a social problem with some collateral happiness attached; the kind of super-corporate emphasis on Brazil winning the tournament at all costs only underscores how easily sport becomes a pawn for money and power when it doesn't vigorously defend itself. As the great striker and reformist politician Romário once said, "Pelé when silent is a poet."
Lately I've found myself thinking about Garrincha, Brazil's other greatest soccer player, whose life was a kind of dark mirror image of Pelé's. Do you know about him? Maybe you saw the 30 for 30 documentary, The Myth of Garrincha, that aired about the same time as Brilho Infinito announced its line of Pelé hair-jewels. Just an amazing player. So was Pelé, of course, but because Garrincha has been semi-forgotten outside Brazil there's something more poignant about his legacy. Brazil never lost a match when he and Pelé played together, and he won two World Cups, and he was the unquestioned star of the 1962 tournament in Chile, but his on-paper accomplishments don't really explain why some people love him in a way that's unique among soccer players.
Pelé was the numbers superstar, the player who scored more goals and won more trophies than anybody else. Pelé was a winner. Garrincha was a loser who just happened to have this astounding gift. He was born with deformed legs; doctors didn't know whether he'd ever walk properly. He became probably the greatest dribbler in soccer history. They used to call him Anjo das Pernas Tortas, the angel with crooked legs. His personal life was a wreck; he drank like he was bent on suicide, wrapped cars around stationary objects, fathered more than a dozen children. But he played with such joy. They called him that, too: the joy of the people. He would beat his defender on the wing, then dribble the ball back for the fun of beating him again. "People almost died laughing," Eduardo Galeano wrote.
It's an easy trope, contrasting Pelé and Garrincha, but for a good reason. While Pelé and the Brazilian Football Confederation were corporatizing themselves throughout the 1970s, Garrincha was drinking himself to death in Rio. Pelé has literally been turned into diamonds; Garrincha died in an alcoholic coma nine months before his 50th birthday. He is Brazilian soccer's lost might-have-been, the emblem of an approach to the game that couldn't survive Havelange and FIFA and politics and the need to win and win at all costs. I don't know whether soccer has any power to redeem the damage that it abets and causes. If it does, then I don't think it's through whatever happens when your team wins the World Cup; I think it's through the kind of gratuitous joy that Garrincha used to inspire. Not the sense that you are witnessing something triumphant, but the sense that you are sharing something delightful. The sense, however long it lasts, that you are united in something good.
The changing rooms at the Maracanã, Brazil's national stadium, are named after Garrincha and Pelé. To me, the single most hopeful thing about Brazilian soccer is that Pelé's is the visitors changing room. There's still something in the tradition that wants to be close to Garrincha. Still something that wants to make you die laughing from sheer mischievous delight.
There is no possibility that this World Cup will cast itself in Garrincha's image more than Pelé's. But if his spirit could just touch it a little. If the next month could just remind us that FIFA's agenda is not all that soccer can be. Wouldn't that be a more magical transformation than anything wrought upon Pelé? A lab can turn your hair into diamonds, but real wonder goes deeper. Those are pearls that were his eyes.
Illustration by Zoran Lucic.

subset: commoncrawl


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Who doesn't like a smore?!?! They are just one of those desserts that you simply can't resist. My family always had them at the campground with a freshly browned mallow squeezed between two graham crackers and chocolate. We would even add some peanut butter once in a while. Mmmmmm..... After smashing them together you got the joy of white gooey yumminess all over your sticky fingers. Well, if you aren't at a campground or have access to a toasty warm fire, these treats will please a crowd. They are terrific for a quick dessert, recipe exchange, or family gathering. No one can seem to resist the crunchy, chewy, chocolatey mix!!
(printable recipe)
3 tablespoons margarine
6 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
2. Place cereal into a large bowl; set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt margarine. Introduce marshmallows and corn syrup and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in chocolate chips until melted.
4. Remove from heat and pour over waiting cereal; stir well to coat.
5. Press into prepared pan. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Source: unknown..been in my personal cookbook for many years


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Winter 1Q08 HighlightsIt's time for the Winter 1Q08 quarterly highlights post. These posts have been chosen with a particular focus on significant ideas I'd like to see kept alive for discussion and action, and they're mainly targeted at new readers who want to get caught up with a quick overview of the Houston Strategies landscape. I also like to track what I think of as "reference posts" that sum up a particular topic or argument.
Don't forget we offer an email option for the roughly twice/week posts - see the Google Groups subscription signup box in the right sidebar. An RSS feed link (Atom) (or RSS 2.0) is also available. As always, thanks for your readership.
- Time to go back to BRT, Metro? (rail cost = a new Minute Maid Stadium every 3.5 miles)
- Academic study of land-use regs increasing housing prices
- America's next great world city (+ tourism proposal)
- My intro speech from the land-use regulation forum
- Making transit free
- A simple rule for high-rise development
- ULI verdict on Houston
- Finally, a book that truly understands Houston
- Houstonians for Responsible Growth and finding a compromise "third way" for Houston development between developers, planners, and neighborhoods
Labels: highlights


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Molly M. Cohan is the Supervising Attorney for the Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic at the University of Washington School of Law. She has extensive experience in Criminal law with a particular interest in training, cultural competence, and tribal criminal defense.
Molly worked at The Defender Association in Seattle for nearly 30 years in a variety of staff and supervisory positions. She has practiced in the areas of misdemeanors, felonies, juvenile, BECCA, and dependencies. Molly has also done pro bono work with the Navajo Public Defender and in Chehalis and Suquamish Tribal Courts.
Immediately prior to coming to the Law School, she was the Training Coordinator for the Washington Defender Association.


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Atlantic sturgeon, an ancient fish that once swam in local waters and has since become scarce, has been listed by the federal government as an endangered species, setting in motion a long-term effort to restore the fish to previous levels.
The official classification, announced on Jan. 31, buttresses a coastwide moratorium on catching the fish that has been in effect since 1998. The Endangered Species Act stipulates a prohibition against "take," which includes "harassing, harming, pursuing, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting."
The NOAA action covers five distinct sturgeon populations along the eastern seaboard. Four of the five are endangered, including those found in the Chesapeake Bay, New York Bight, Carolinas and the South Atlantic. The Gulf of Maine population is listed as threatened. Any one of these populations can swim in Vineyard waters, according to Kim Damon-Randall, acting regional administrator for protected resources with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. She is charged with overseeing conservation programs for this and other species.
Atlantic sturgeon are, literally, older than dinosaurs and older than the rivers and harbors where they swim. They used to grow to be as long as 14 feet and live for more than 60 years. Now, most are no more than around four feet in length, although some still have been observed in the 12 to 18-foot range. Atlantic sturgeon are so rare here now that a sighting of a sturgeon spotted and photographed in the Charles River recently made it onto the front page of The Boston Globe.
When the coastwide moratorium was imposed in 1998, the Gazette interviewed a number of local fishermen who recalled seeing them, including Everett Poole, Alfred Vanderhoop and Cooper A. Gilkes.
Mr. Gilkes said this week he remembers being a young man and seeing Atlantic sturgeon breach off Wasque.
The fish once dominated the waters from Labrador to Florida. As anadromous fish, like river herring and salmon, they spend most of their lives in the ocean but in spring they swim into rivers and go upstream to spawn. And therein lies one of the sturgeon's biggest problems.
"Keep in mind that these species are subjected to a number of different threats because of the area they occupy," said Mrs. Damon-Randall. Going into rivers and streams, many of which are dammed, involves contact with human activity.
"Yet, these fish play an important role [in the ecosystem of waterways]. They bring nutrients from the marine into the environment of freshwater. And they also take it away. Were we to lose these species, that would impact the places where they visit," Mrs. Damon-Randall said.
Atlantic sturgeon have been on the Massachusetts endangered species list since prior to 1990. "It has always been on our list [since the list was started]," said Tom French, asst. director of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, for the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. "The state is the first line of defense, when it comes to endangered species. We list them when they are in trouble here. The federal agencies, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, get involved when something is in jeopardy of disappearing in a larger, global, area.
"The Atlantic sturgeon is the condor of the marine environment. It is prehistoric. This is an animal that doesn't breed until it is seven to 16 years of age," Mr. French said.
"This is one more in a litany of anadromous fish, herring, the salmon and sturgeon, and cod, that in colonial times were unlimited in number. But now we are listing them one after another, as in trouble," Mr. French said.
With the designation, the federal government will partner with state and local agencies to take steps to protect the fish. Mrs. Damon-Randall said her office with others will try to find further ways to minimize human impact on the fish. This will include fishing industry involvement to help prevent the accidental catching of the fish, working with the New England Fishery Management Council, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission implemented the moratorium in 1998 for all eastern seaboard state waters. The federal authorities instituted their own moratorium for federal waters in 1999.
"We will be working on a recovery plan, which will involve as many people as possible," she said. That will include the states and all local interests. The federal government has already embarked on educational programs. One is called "Students Collaborating to Undertake Tracking Efforts for Sturgeon, SCUTES, which is also the name for the fish's scales. The program is geared toward high school and elementary school students. More information is also available on the program's Facebook page.
Outreach also involves circulating an information sticker that can be put on fishermen's tackle boxes.
Mrs. Damon-Randall said the fisheries managers will look at a host of tools to help the fish, which will include designating critical habitat, spawning and feeding areas. She said it has been well documented that young Atlantic sturgeon will forage at the entrance to the Taunton River; many years ago the fish spawned farther up the river. Efforts will be made to improve the habitat in all the rivers and estuaries where the fish were known to visit.
"Atlantic sturgeon are now thought to be absent from at least 14 rivers they used historically, with spawning thought to occur in only 20 of 38 known historic spawning rivers," according to a NOAA press release.
"A lot has already been done in the James River," which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay, Mrs. Damon-Randall said. It is also a home for striped bass. Fortunately striped bass are in far better shape than other anadromous fish. "They are looking to further improve the spawning area, and doing a lot more," she said. Matt Ayer, a fisheries biologist with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, advises all fishermen to pay close attention if they catch an Atlantic sturgeon. While it is not illegal to catch an Atlantic sturgeon accidentally, it is illegal to possess or to attempt to take the fish out of the water for any extended amount of time. He said the hook can be removed from the mouth of the fish and released; or if it can't be removed, the line can be cut as a last resort. "Try to get the hook out of the mouth without taking the fish out of the water. They won't bite you. They don't have sharp teeth. They feed on the bottom and vacuum up small benthic invertebrates.
"We want people to report seeing and or catching a fish. You won't get into trouble letting us know you saw one," Mr. Ayer said.
Atlantic salmon used to be prolific in the waters of New England. They used to swim side by side with Atlantic sturgeon. The two fish spawned in the Connecticut River.
Now it is a rare moment when a Vineyard fisherman catches a salmon in these waters. Atlantic salmon seem restricted to the waters of Maine only.
Salmon don't breed in these waters anymore and are rarely seen.
"We don't want what happened to salmon to happen to Atlantic sturgeon," Mrs. Damon-Randall said.


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These large 8 gram tea bags contain specialty Oolong perfect for cold brew. Specially processed to brew in cold water, just add a bag to quart of water and let steep for an hour. Feel free to keep the tea bag in longer than an hour and get even more flavor.
Country of Origin:
Cold Brew Classic Green is premium iced green tea with all of the flavor and health benefits of hot brewed green tea. Its pyramid shaped tea bag with pure tea leaves specially processed to infuse in cool water. The 5 gram tea bags contain carefully steamed and fired Sencha leaves which have been blended with a hint of Matcha. The result is a tea with a cool green color and subtle sweetness.
drink green tea? According to Japanese tea researchers
there are many reasons. Reduces the incidence of cancer - Their studies
to the high levels of catechins in tea. One study by Y.Nakamura
concluded that
green tea and catechin markedly inhibited the development of cancer.
This study
utilized data from a survey of inhabitants of
Green Tea Suppresses Aging - It has been shown in other studies that high the concentrations of powerful antioxidant Vitamin E and C in the bodies of animals the longer they lived. Prof. Okuba (Chem.Pharm.Bull.31 1983) demonstrated that catechin in green tea is a far stronger antioxidant than vitamin E, leading to a hypothesis that green tea contains a powerful antioxidant that is believed to help control aging.
Brewing Instructions:
Simply place one 5 gram tea bag in 20 oz bottle of water, shake or stir gently and let infuse for an hour or less.
What is great about these tea bags?
Convenient on the go style. Do not need to boil water, just put the bag in the water bottle and enjoy all through the day. Good idea to have a stock of these tea bags in your car and put in the water whenever you need it.
It is very pleasant, tasty, refreshing, delicious tea. The water becomes beautiful light emerald color.
They also have enough flavor to be infused up to 5 times so just keep refilling your bottle and one teabag will last you all day.


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Tour de France Prologue
Photos from the Tour de France 2012 Prologue in Liege. Feel free to download for personal or blog use, please just credit me and link back to this gallery. To keep up to date with what I'm up to like me on Facebook ChrisDaviesPhoto or follow me on twitter @cmjdavies. Make contact for ANY commercial use. Click on any of the images to view in full screen or grab a coffee, sit back and hit slideshow on the top right.Read More


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The Great Boer War
The Great Boer War
Arthur Conan Doyle made his reputation as a novelist, but far stranger than fiction is the creator of Sherlock Holmes' tale of the Boer War in South Africa. The then 40-year-old novelist wanted to see the war first hand as a soldier, but the Victorian army balked at having a popular author wielding a pen in its ranks. The army did accept him as a doctor and Doyle was knighted in 1902 for his work with a field hospital in Bloemfontein.
Doyle's vivid account of the battles is in part thanks to the eye-witness accounts he got from his patients. Doyle has thoroughly mastered the details of the campaign, and presents them in a form that can be easily understood. Furthermore, his descriptions of the various engagements are masterpieces of graphic writing.


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Geomatics Engineer and world expert in the research and development of satellite navigation tools using GPS
"Whenever you are working in a fast-growing and technologically challenging area, there is a lot of room for discovery and innovation. This is what pioneering is all about!"
Twenty years ago, the Global Positioning System (GPS), a means of tracking position on earth using signals received by satellite, was in its infancy and consisted of six satellites built and owned by the US military. Its use was limited to only that period of time when four satellites were within view of any particular location. Today there is a network of 27 satellites which ensure that any location on earth can be pinpointed by GPS, and weekend hikers and sailors can buy off-the-shelf hand-held models for a few hundred dollars. Uses of GPS now include everything from wildlife tracking collars to a replacement for gyroscopes to measure pitch on board ships, to guidance systems for the family car.
In 1982, with a fresh BSc in Geomatics Engineering, Cannon came to work for Nortech Surveys, a seismic surveying and geomatics company in Calgary which was developing new GPS methodology and software. Intrigued, she returned to the U of Calgary to study Geomatics, the science of the production and management of spatial information. Winner of the 1988 Institute of Navigation (ION) student paper competition, Cannon researched techniques of precise positioning in airplanes using semi-kinematic differential GPS. She soon became a recognized leader in the area. After her PhD, she joined U of Calgary as an assistant professor, quickly gaining full professor status.
Cannon's current research activities include:
Image by: Freelance Illustrations and Graphics
As well as conducting research and publishing her findings, Dr. Cannon has served on many professional boards and has made over 200 presentations on GPS to school, community, professional and government groups. As NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the Prairie Region, she actively mentors girls and women, promoting science and engineering as potential careers. Her many awards include the NSERC Steacie Award, one of Canada's premier science and engineering prizes. In 2001, she received the Johannes Kepler Award for sustained and significant contributions to satellite-based navigation from the U.S. Institute of Navigation, of which Dr Cannon is past president.
Sources: NSERC News Release March 5, 2002; Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science and Technology; U of Calgary; Institute of Navigation; Wired Woman profile by Kathy Sinclair (Jan 2002); Dr Cannon's website. Photo: National Academy of Engineering
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Written by TJ,
It seems there are many conversations about tenkara these days about line length. I guess when you have simple form of fly fishing where just a rod, line, and fly are needed, it may seem that there is not much more to talk about. In reality though, there are many other things to be worked on, practiced, discussed, and that would be casting techniques.
Something I am seeing in myself, and I am sure others are also doing, is that we try to graduate to long lines too fast instead of focusing on something I feel is more important: that you try to master as many different casting techniques using shorter lines before you try to go to long lines.
Don't get me wrong, I think it is important to at least try and become basically comfortable with longer lines so if a time arises and you need to cast a bit further than normal, that you are not a complete klutz with the longer line. But I feel, for myself at least, that I should not focus too much attention on casting longer lines. But, that instead I focus on mastering my casting with shorter lines and being able to present many different casting techniques to both precisley present the fly to water from any angle needed and to get to where the fish are biting.
Maybe it is a man thing or an American thing that we always think bigger is better.But in my mind, especially with tenkara, we need to stay away from overpowering things or over-reaching things when better tenkara techniques are available for us to use.
I am not sure one can put a known "best" length of what a tenkara line can be, but my guess is that matching line length to rod length plus 3' to 5' tippet is a good standard to go by. Afterall, a 13' rod with 13' main line plus 4' tippet means you can cast comfortably up to around 25' away; that sweet spot where many of us small river folks have plenty of fish at hand.
Right now if you were to ask me to do a backhand cast where the fly lands first about 15' away, I could do it. If asked to do 20' away, I would say that I can probably do it. But TJ, can you do a backhand cast at 25' away landing the fly properly? Probably not. Of course if you give me 10 tries to do it, I probably could. But… trout don't count like we humans do and only know the number 1. You see, after that 1st kersplat of your fly line slapping the water near them sends all the trout scurrying away, and that means no trout for me today.
Ask yourself the same thing…. can you at 25' away, your 1st cast, land a fly properly doing a backcast. Heck, even at 25' away some of us may have issues just doing a normal overhand cast.
Remember, we have many casts to be used when tenkara fly fishing, and I now ask myself, how many of these different casts can I do easily without having to try it 10 or so times before I get it somewhat OK?
Some examples of casts are of course the standard overhand cast, backhand casts, bow-n-arrow or slingshot casts, and sidearm casts to name a few. There are numerous casts that if I was a betting man, we could take most tenkara fisherman, and I would bet most of us can't do them properly or at all.
Why is that I wonder? It can be this way for many reasons but I bet one of them is we all learn to do the basic overhand cast and then once we feel comfortable performing that cast, we feel the next logical action to take is make the line longer and try to do the same cast for a line twice the length of the rod. Add insult to injury, this may be happening within days of someone casting a tenkara rod for the very first time and not years later when it probably makes more sense. This is where I personally feel it is a big mistake.
My train of thought on this is once we are feeling rock solid on one cast shooting a line that is the length of rod + 4' tippet, is to now add another cast to our arsenal. Start working on perfecting a backhand cast for example all the while continuing to practice the overhand cast so that stays in muscle memory. Give this some time folks as Rome was not built in one day. Give it some years or at least a fly fishing season before you go too crazy on super long lines.
By doing this, I would say one could learn most casts needed for tenkara over a 2 to 3 year period and still have plenty to work on. But… before going drastically up in size on line length, I feel it would be better to work on more casting techniques and become a master, if you will, on handling shorter lines. Then when you have mastered those, add 3' more length to your main line and do it all over again until all casts become mastered using the new 3' longer line.
I recently asked a question on Tenkara no Oni's website about casting longer lines and they were so gracious in answering. Team Oni's answer solidified my mind on how I will personally will deal with my casting from this day forward. They stated "When Masami started Tenkara 35 years ago, he stuck with his 12 foot long line for 3 years, until he felt like he had mastered it completely, then he extended the line only by 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) a year or so. With today's rods and lines, you could probably push that a little further, but no more than 15 feet for ones working to master the casting."
I am not sure how other tenkara masters approach their casting practices but for me, this makes most sense. I don't need to be the longest caster but I want to become a very good caster and will work on doing better each day at casting rod length lines and slowly add 2 to 3 feet every so many years until one day I can also cast at will 30' of line.
Although 12-12-12 is old news as I type this, I did do something on this date that had somethking to do with 12-12-12. On this date I decided to stick with a 12' tenkara rod using a 12' line for a period of 12 months before I try to add more length to my line.
Onwards to 2013!
TJ Ferreira
Director of Customer Service
Tenkara USA
Facebook Comments
9 Responses to To long line or not to long line? That is the question.
I agree with this excellent post .
"Ask yourself the same thing…. can you at 25' away, your 1st cast, land a fly properly doing a backcast.
I assume you mean "backhand" or "crossbody" cast?
Thank you for this insight. My family and I will use this in our enjoyment of Tenkara fishing here in Utah.
I think we should remember that tenkara is a small stream tool. Really long casts would rarely be necessary. Tenkara can, of course, be adapted to larger streams by either stalking closer to the trout or lengthening the line, but how many line lengths do you want to carry? Does this diminish the "simplicity principle" of tenkara? I have found that fishing a longer line in shallower water inevitably interferes with the fly's drift, because I can't keep the entire fluorocarbon tenkara line off the water, it sinks, gets hung up on vegetation or rocks. For now the lenght-of-rod-plus-tippet rule seems to work best. (I must admit, though, the photos of casting a 30′ line is really sexy.)
good post TJ ..for me I just dont get the need for a long line unless your fishing REALLY big rivers or flat water. for me a lot of the fun and challenge of Tenkara is getting close to the fish without spooking them. plus I think long lines limit the kinds of casts you can make. I fish witha line that is 2 or 3 feet longer than my rod plus tippet, which I guess by some could be considered a "long" line. but when i refer to a long line I mean those that like to fish with a line up to twice as long as their rod.
on the subject of learning to cast a long line. (should someone want to) I think this is a situation where a western fly fishing background is beneficial. whenever you add length to your line you adjust the timing of your cast it becomes slower and all movements must become more pronounced and when your casting a western rod you are constantly adjusting that stroke and timing as you adjust the length of line your working with. I think anyone wanting to cast a longer line in tenkara would be well served by spending some time with a western fly rod. the weight of the line gives you a better "feel" for the cast, so then when you convert back to the almost weightless Tenkara line you will have a better idea of the feel your looking for.
hopefully that might help somebody wanting to cast a longer line cheers
Thanks all. Was fun to do my first official blog here.
I should have noted in my original blog post about the importance of learning to cast while on knees or other angles that we may experience while fishing.
Not only do I feel I should practice casting the different casting strokes, but to learn to cast well while on my knees trying to be sneaky, or maybe crouched behind a rock where maybe I am not on knees but off at an angle where my body is hidden from fish seeing me, and in any other awkward stance we may be placed in while getting our sneak-on.
I think practice casting while in various body stances is a good thing too. 😎
Remember, with the line a long as the rod plus tippet, you can rollcast and reach cast, as well as sidearm, etc. Tenkara really is versatile.
Matt makes a good point about how to learn to cast a long line by using a western rod.
On another note, my thought is that long line Tenkara is only for special situations. Namely, trying to impress your friends, fishing in big rivers, fishing for super spooky fish, and fishing in lakes(which I believe is best done with a western rod ).


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My Name Is Mina (Skellig) (Paperback)
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Award-winning author David Almond reintroduces readers to the perceptive, sensitive Mina before the events of Skellig in this lyrical and fantastical work. My Name is Mina is not only a pleasure to read, it is an intimate and enlightening look at a character whose open mind and heart have much to teach us about life, love, and the mysteries that surround us.
Mina loves the night. While everyone else is in a deep slumber, she gazes out the window, witness to the moon's silvery light. In the stillness, she can even hear her own heart beating. This is when Mina feels that anything is possible and her imagination is set free.
A blank notebook lies on the table. It has been there for what seems like forever. Mina has proclaimed in the past that she will use it as a journal, and one night, at last, she begins to do just that. As she writes, Mina makes discoveries both trivial and profound about herself and her world, her thoughts and her dreams.
About the Author
DAVID ALMOND grew up in a large family in northeastern England and says, "The place and the people have given me many of my stories." His first novel for children, Skellig, was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book and appeared on many best book of the year lists. His second novel, Kit's Wilderness, won the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.
Praise For…
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, August 15, 2011:
"Almond gives readers a vivid picture of the joyfully free-form workings of Mina's mind and her mixed emotions about being an isolated child. Her gradual emergence from the protective shell of home is beautifully portrayed as she gingerly ventures out into the world. Not as dark, but just as passionate as Almond's previous works, this novel will inspire children to let their imaginations soar."
Starred Review, Booklist, September 15, 2011:
Almond is rather brave to have written a prequel to Skellig (1998), a book that was the essence of originality. So many things could have gone wrong. But he is too shrewd—and fine—a writer to let that happen. This is the story of Mina, the girl next door who, in Skellig, helped Michael cope with the man he found in his garage eating dead flies and growing wings. Who was Mina before Michael arrived? Form as well as language bring Mina alive. Her journal introduces us to this authoritative, imaginative, irascible child, and her entries appear in her childlike penmanship; the print is big and bold when she finds a word she loves ("METEMPSYCHOSIS!"), and she uses concrete poetry as she plays with language and thoughts. And what thoughts! Mina is homeschooled, because, well, because she's Mina, and she needs expanses of time to think about myths and mathematics. She dreams of her dead father and wonders, wonders, wonders about birds. It is the birds that will lead readers into Skellig—that, and glimpses of Michael and his family moving next door. This book stands very much alone, but the sense of wonder that pervades the smallest details of everyday life remains familiar.
— Ilene Cooper
The New York Times Book Review, October 16, 2011:
"Mina is a perceptive, fiercely curious, and defiant but sensitive girl who will surely prove a heroine for many."
"Almond's singular gifts--the hypnotic quality of the prose, the ethereal connection between the mundane and the magical, and the character study of a fiercely intelligent, fiercely independent young girl--triumph over it all."--The Horn Book Magazine


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Welcome to the "Obst Best and Favorites (OBAF): DAILY CURRENT Popular Images by Bob Obst" by Bob Obst! Unless noted otherwise on a specific image-photo, Robert Arthur Obst (Bob Obst) captured all of the high resolution images within this gallery. IF used for non-commercial purposes, you may share these copyrighted images with others without restriction. But, to obtain and/or use an image for commercial purposes or otherwise with NO copyright mark and NO author-photographer's credit (copyright purchased), please purchase it on this site. Questions-feedback-suggestions, contact Bob Obst at firstname.lastname@example.com, mobile 608-658-6116. Enjoy the "Obst Best and Favorites (OBAF): DAILY CURRENT Popular Images by Bob Obst" and THANK YOU for your interest in my photos !Read More


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TORONTO (AFP) – A Canadian judged refused Friday to order the return of a woman's pet monkey, which won global fame when it was found wandering an Ikea parking lot in a stylish jacket.
Yasmin Nakhuda had gone to court to try to force a sanctuary to return the animal, which she described as being like a child to her.
But Ontario Superior Court Judge Mary Vallee ruled against her.
"The monkey is not a child," Vallee said in a 13-page decision.
"The monkey is a wild animal," she said. "Ms. Nakhuda lost ownership of the monkey when she lost possession."
Darwin the Japanese snow macaque became an instant Internet celebrity last December when Nakhuda took the animal shopping to furniture giant Ikea.
While she was inside the store, Darwin escaped from his crate inside her locked car and was spotted strolling around the furniture store's parking lot, wearing a sheepskin coat.
Vallee's ruling relied in part on a case in 1917 in which a Canadian commercial fox breeder claimed the value of a pelt from a neighbour who had shot one of his foxes after it had escaped from its pen.
In that case, the Ontario Court of Appeal decided that wild animals are owned only while they are possessed.
Lawyers for the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, which took in the monkey after it was seized, successfully argued in this case that the court does not have jurisdiction to determine what is in the best interests of the monkey, but simply who owns it.
During the trial, Nakhuda said she was willing to move out of Toronto, which prohibits owning exotic pets, in order to regain custody of the animal.
Darwin had "bonded" to her, she testified.
In videos posted online, she is seen nurturing the animal, changing its diapers -- "He hated wearing them," according to court documents -- and brushing their teeth together.
But in emails to an animal trainer, she admitted that Darwin -- which she bought from a "shady exotic animal dealer" for Can$5,000 -- would run away when not leashed, and she worried about his biting when his adult teeth would eventually grow in.
In her decision, the judge also said authorities had good reason to detain the monkey to check for "illegally imported monkey diseases."


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Thérèse Louise de Sureda painting (c1803-4) by Francisco de Goya at National Gallery of Art. Washington, DC.
Photo by Jim Steinhart © 2013, all rights reserved. (Ref: DCMG52)
Click an index below to see this photo among related images:
Francisco de Goya Art
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Hi, all. I wanted to update you on the situation with our cat, Violet. Regular readers of this blog will know that we've been having a very scary veterinary situation, with Violet needing to be rushed to the vet emergency hospital last week with what turned out to be bleeding ulcers. We've been having a "bad news/ good news/ bad news/ good news" rollercoaster sort of week with it, but we have some solid information now, and I wanted to let you all know about it.
The bad news is that the ulcers didn't come from nowhere. Violet has inflammatory bowel disease, and the very early stages of cancer.
The good news is that both the cancer and the IBD are very treatable, and we caught the cancer very, very early -- early enough that she'll probably have a normal lifespan. (She's recovering really well from the surgery, btw, and seems more like herself every day.)
And the treatment isn't even all that invasive: no surgery, no radiation, nothing like that. She will be on chemo for a while, but that's just going to involve giving her medicine at home. We're going to have a few weeks/months of a somewhat intensive cat pilling regimen (and boy, is that going to be fun); but it doesn't seem like it'll be hard for her to tolerate.
There are no guarantees with cancer, of course. There are no guarantees with anything. But given what we've been going through for the past week, this is an incredibly good outcome. Our lives will be a disrupted for a little while, but we are breathing huge sighs of relief, and are preparing to get back to what passes for normal in our lives. Thanks to all of you for your kind words and support, and I'll be blogging at you soon!
Oh -- and Violet sends her love.


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Hanover, Birmingham – April 14, 2015. The new Conti Hybrid tire range sets new standards in regional distribution traffic. This brand new tire design has been specially developed to be suitable for use on both regional roads and motorways and is German premium-tire manufacturer Continental's response to the increasing volume of distribution transport. This tire family is characterized by greatly improved tire life and outstanding fuel efficiency, guaranteeing fleet operators sustainable cost optimization and supporting them in making their fleets as economical as possible. The tires in the Conti Hybrid family are precisely matched to each other and specifically designed for regional transport with use of motorways.
Following the launch of the new steer-axle tire Conti Hybrid HS3 in the second half of 2014, the drive-axle tires Conti Hybrid HD3 and the 22.5" trailer tire Conti Hybrid HT3 now complete this entirely new generation of tires designed to meet the heavy demands of regional and distribution transport.
The Conti Hybrid tire family has been specially developed for combined use on regional roads and motorways and offers up to 20 percent longer service life and six percent better fuel economy.
Conti Hybrid HS3 - maximum service life with reduced fuel consumption
A new tread design with high wear volume, "Plus Volume Pattern", has been developed for the steer-axle tire, Conti Hybrid HS3, offering a 17 percent improvement in service life. In addition, the optimized positioning of the tread material has reduced rolling resistance.
High levels of safety, excellent behavior in wet weather throughout the entire life of the tire and consistently excellent braking properties make the new Conti Hybrid HS3 the perfect universal tire.
The Conti Hybrid HS3 features both the Mud + Snow (M+S) label and the Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake (3PMSF) Symbol.
Conti Hybrid HD3 – optimum grip, mile after mile
The new drive axle tire Conti Hybrid HD3 offers an impressive 20 percent increase in service life over its predecessor. This improvement is mainly down to the new block design, which incorporates integrated sipes in a 3D geometry. These sipes, which extend to almost two thirds of the total tread depth, provide higher block stability and therefore greatly improved wear behavior. In addition, and in their role as biting edges, these sipes ensure especially good traction throughout the entire life of the Conti Hybrid HD3, including when accelerating and braking in the wet.
Newly developed rubber compounds are used in both the tread and in the sidewall of the Conti Hybrid HD3. The new polymer rubber compound used for the tread is specially designed to increase service life and the optimized rubber compound used for the sidewalls improves the fuel efficiency of this drive axle tire.
The Conti Hybrid HD3 features both the Mud + Snow (M+S) label and the Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake (3PMSF) symbol.
Conti Hybrid HT3 – special compound for service life, fuel efficiency and wet grip performance
The Conti Hybrid HT3 rounds off the new tire line. The rubber compounds used in this tire have been specially developed for trailer tires and boast major savings over the tried-and-tested predecessor. One example is the newly developed tread compound, which further increases the service life of the Conti Hybrid HT3 by eight percent. In addition, the new compound improves the grip of the tire, receiving the EU label value "B" for its behavior in the wet. The Conti Hybrid HT3 has also been awarded the EU label value "B" in the category of fuel efficiency. A six percent improvement in fuel consumption was achieved through an optimal combination of rubber compound in the tread and sidewall and optimized tread groove geometry. The trailer tire Conti Hybrid HT3 also features the M+S symbol.
The retreadability of all 3rd generation Conti Hybrid tires has been improved as well. The new "5+1" cord raises the performance of the renowned 4-layer triangular-belt package to a new level. Long-term economy through the ContiLifeCycle concept is further reinforced by the introduction of regrooving indicators on all three tires.


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Small, rounded foods, especially if they are relatively hard or smooth, can be more difficult for young children to eat because they may swallow them whole. Foods like this should generally be chopped up into smaller pieces (1/2-inch or smaller) before being given to children 6 years old or younger.
To help ensure food safety for your kids, keep in mind this list of potentially troublesome foods or forms of some otherwise appropriate foods:
Don't give small children difficult-to-eat foods in whole form. When children get old enough to chew hot dogs, grapes, carrots and other difficult foods, cut them into small, strip-shaped pieces before serving. Also, encourage your child to chew thoroughly.
Children 6 or under should always be supervised while being fed. At this age, children do not have the ability to judge how to eat safely, and may engage in running, jumping and other inappropriate behaviors while eating. Make sure your child is seated at the table, or at least sitting down when eating.
If your child chokes while you are driving, you may not have enough time to act, so it's a good idea to avoid eating in the car altogether.
Every child is unique. One 4-year-old child may be much better than another when it comes to eating some of the foods listed above. So watch your children carefully as they grow, and use your good judgment about what to feed them.
One of the most important food safety tips for kids, should your child choke on a food, is to be ready for quick action. Take a course in basic first aid and rescue techniques that includes information on choking incidents and how to respond to them. Your local American Red Cross chapter offers these types of classes, as do some employers' insurance programs. Also, consult with your pediatrician for other potential choking hazards and tips on preventing it. Check these sites for more information on choking and children:


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BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal dropped out of the 2016 race for president Tuesday, ending a campaign that failed to gain much support among Republicans sifting through a long list of contenders for the GOP nomination.
"I've come to the realization that this is not my time," Jindal said on Fox News Channel as he announced the decision to suspend his campaign.
The 44-year-old governor said he wasn't ready to endorse another candidate, but intended to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee.
Term-limited and out of office in January, Jindal said he will work with a think tank he started a few years ago, called America Next, to devise what he called "a blueprint for making this the American century."
"Going forward, I believe we have to be the party of growth and we can never stop being the party that believes in opportunity. We cannot settle for the left's view of envy and division," Jindal said in a statement.
The nation's first elected Indian-American governor, Jindal focused his entire campaign effort on Iowa, first courting evangelical voters and then trying to broaden his appeal as a candidate with conservative policy plans that others weren't offering.
But he never won much support in Iowa or elsewhere against higher-profile Republican candidates such as Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Jindal's low poll numbers kept him off the main debate stages where he could have drawn more attention, and his fundraising lagged. He was facing a major cash crunch to keep the campaign going, after wrapping up the last fundraising period with $261,000 on hand.
He also was saddled with low approval ratings and criticism about his governing back in Louisiana, which followed him as he campaigned for the White House.
Jindal's advisers blamed finances as well as the debate criteria that locked him out of the prime-time events for the governor's decision to exit the competition.
"He's been thinking about it for a few weeks," said campaign strategist Curt Anderson. "It's not easy. He's a fighter and his instinct is to never give up, but also you have to be realistic in politics."
Tamara Scott, a national GOP committeewoman from Iowa, said the response was strong when Jindal spoke to crowds there. She said the Louisiana governor was damaged by a debate process that used national polling, rather than early state polling, to determine who appeared on the main stages.
"He had solutions, not just talking points," said Scott, who is remaining neutral in the race. "To me this is very sad that we are losing one that really resonated well with Iowans when they got to hear him."
Shane Vander Hart, author of a conservative Iowa blog who recently endorsed Jindal, also expressed disappointment, saying Jindal was getting good reaction in Iowa, though he struggled to gain traction in the polls.
"If you've done any of his events, retail politicking is one of his strengths. People as they got to know him liked him," Vander Hart said.
Jindal is the third Republican contender to exit the race, all governors. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ended their campaigns earlier this year.
Timmy Teepell, Jindal's campaign manager and longtime political adviser, said the governor was heading home to Louisiana to announce his plan for closing a $490 million budget deficit before traveling the state as he wraps up his tenure in office.


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1. Chiefs (7-0; No. 2): With the Browns coming in on Sunday, the Chiefs will be in this spot for at least as many weeks as they had wins last season.
2. Seahawks (6-1; No. 3): When Percy Harvin returns, can there be a position higher than No. 1?
3. Colts (5-2; No. 6): So which team will Andrew Luck be playing for when he makes his return to Indy in 14 years?
4. Broncos (6-1; last week No. 1): So when does Von Miller's suspension end?
5. Saints (5-1; No. 5): The biggest question this week is whether Jimmy Graham's bye will extend to two weeks.
6. 49ers (5-2; No. 7): Fewer and fewer teams have it better than them.
7. Packers (4-2; No. 8): There's only one injury that would derail this team's run at another division title.
8. Bengals (5-2; No. 13): Maybe Pacman Jones is now 100 percent convinced that Andy Dalton can lead them to a Super Bowl win.
9. Patriots (5-2; No. 4): It wasn't the first time Bill Belichick misinterpreted the rules, but this one was slightly less costly.
10. Cowboys (4-3; No. 15): No DeMarcus, no DeMarco? No DeProblem! ("No DeFunny.")
11. Chargers (4-3; No. 16): What's more impressive, two straight games with 100-plus yards for Ryan Mathews or two straight games for Ryan Mathews with no injuries?
12. Lions (4-3; No. 9): The seat could soon be getting warm for Jim Schwartz and Martin Mayhew.
13. Jets (4-3; No. 20): For the second straight year, a butt had a role in deciding a home game against the Jets.
14. Ravens (3-4; No. 11): Joe Flacco needs to start earning his next contract.
15. Bears (4-3; No. 10): If Jordan Palmer is the answer, I don't know what the question is.
16. Dolphins (3-3; No. 12): If Bryant McKinnie is the answer, I don't want to know what the question is.
17. Panthers (3-3; No. 23): Cam Newton is the answer, as long as the Panthers get a lead early.
18. Eagles (3-4; No. 14): Matt Barkley is the answer, if the question is "who can throw three interceptions?"
19. Browns (3-4; No. 17): Brandon Weeden is the answer, if the questions is "who won't be playing for the Browns next year, or sooner?"
20. Bills (3-4; No. 24): Mario Williams is playing well enough to afford a lot more six-figure engagement rings that his future former fiancee's don't give back to him.
21. Titans (3-4; No. 19): Being the second best team in the AFC South suddenly isn't the accomplishment it used to be.
22. Raiders (2-4; No. 22): They could go 8-8 and still end up in the basement of their division.
23. Falcons (2-4; No. 26): Maybe Harry Douglas is the one who should be the subject of trade speculation.
24. Steelers (2-4; No. 29): When a 2-4 record is viewed as an encouraging sign, these aren't your father's Steelers.
25. Redskins (2-4; No. 27): Barely beating an injury-ravaged team that was relying on a McCown brother at quarterback doesn't count for much.
26. Cardinals (3-4; No. 21): Bruce Arians has now officially seen the dominance of the 49ers and Seahawks. And he'll get to see it again later this year.
27. Rams (3-4; No. 18): Well, at least their baseball team is good.
28. Texans (2-5; No. 25): When losing by only one point to a team that won only two games last year is a sign of progress, it's been a bad, bad year.
29. Giants (1-6; No. 31): On Monday night, they looked good enough to beat a really bad team, but not good enough to beat anyone else.
30. Vikings (1-5; No. 28): The team apparently took Jared Allen's advice to "embrace the suck" a bit too literally.
31. Buccaneers (0-6; No. 30): Even the '76 Buccaneers think this team is pretty bad.
32. Jaguars (0-7; No. 32): They should build those swanky new scoreboards in the end zones at EverBank Stadium; the Jaguars haven't been using them.


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Medicine, Health Care Children of Unintended Pregnancies May…
Published: August 30, 2017.
Released by University at Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Children from unintended pregnancies tend to experience more depressive symptoms in early adulthood compared to children from intended pregnancies, however there's little evidence of a causal relationship, according the results of a newly published study by a University at Buffalo sociologist.
Jessica Su, an assistant professor in UB's Department of Sociology, says the association between fertility intentions and depressive symptoms is more likely due to the mother's socioeconomic background and the accompanying lack of access to resources and services.
"Although the research doesn't suggest a causal link, that doesn't imply that unintended childbearing is without lasting effects on children," says Su, who specializes in the study of American family life and inequality. "In fact, I think it's an important characteristic of the family environment that contextualizes the child's development. It's an indicator of the importance of social resources over the developing life course."
The findings appear in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Just over one-third of all births in the U.S. are unintended, a particularly high figure compared to other developed countries. As a sociologist, Su says her immediate questions center on the causes and consequences.
"This has driven a lot of my research, especially because people in disadvantaged populations are much more likely to have unintended pregnancies," she says. "So understanding this as a social problem is key in terms of overall social inequality."
Existing research has established that children resulting from unintended pregnancies generally have poorer health and development than children from intended pregnancies. Their mothers are less likely to get timely prenatal care and they may have poor parent-child relationships. Since unintended births predict risk factors in childhood, Su asks how that might inform the child's young adult years. What happens in the long-term? It's a question researchers have rarely, and not recently, raised.
Su says only two studies have looked at how these children fare in adulthood.
"Both of these studies were done roughly 50 years ago and were based on samples of white parents, the population segment least likely to have an unintended pregnancy," she says. "And one of them was conducted in the Czech Republic, so the results are not generalizable to contemporary patterns of fertility in the U.S."
"I'm trying to build on previous research and extend it to a nationally representative population and contemporary sample, but also look specifically at depressive symptoms."
Su's study is conceptually innovative in that it uses intergenerational data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which started reporting in the late 1970s and includes information on the mother's background before she had children, a critical point when it comes to isolating the parent-child relationship.
"Even though the causal link isn't there, being the child of an unintended pregnancy still makes a difference," says Su. "That difference is likely to be more than the result of pregnancy status."
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84A.1 IT was in and about the Martinmas time, When the green leaves were a falling, That Sir John Gra+eme, in the West Country, Fell in love with Barbara Allan. 84A.2 He sent his men down through the town, To the place where she was dwelling: O haste and come to my master dear, Gin ye be Barbara Allan. 84A.3 O hooly, hooly rose she up, To the place where he was lying, And when she drew the curtain by, Young man, I think youre dying. And when she drew the curtain by, Young man, I think youre dying. 84A.4 O its Im sick, and very, very sick, And tis a for Barbara Allan: O the better for me yes never be, Tho your hearts blood were a spilling. 84A.5 O dinna ye mind, young man, said she, When ye was in the tavern a drinking, That ye made the healths gae round and round, And slighted Barbara Allan? 84A.6 He turnd his face unto the wall, And death was with him dealing: Adieu, adieu, my dear friends all, And death was with him dealing: Adieu, adieu, my dear friends all, And be kind to Barbara Allan. 84A.7 And slowly, slowly raise she up, And slowly, slowly left him, And sighing said, she coud not stay, Since death of life had reft him. 84A.8 She had not gane a mile but twa, When she heard the dead-bell ringing, And every jow that the dead-bell geid, It cryd, Woe to Barbara Allan! 84A.9 O mother, mother, make my bed! O make it saft and narrow! Since my love died for me to-day, Ill die for him to-morrow.
84B.1 IN SCARLET TOWN, where I was bound, There was a fair maid dwelling, Whom I had chosen to be my own, And her name it was Barbara Allen. 84B.2 All in the merry month of May, When green leaves they was springing, This young man on his death-bed lay, For the love of Barbara Allen. 84B.3 He sent his man unto her then, To the town where she was dwelling: You must come to my master dear, If your name be Barbara Allen. 84B.4 For death is printed in his face, And sorrows in him dwelling, And you must come to my master dear, If your name be Barbara Allen. 84B.5 your name be Barbara Allen. 84B.5 If death be printed in his face, And sorrows in him dwelling, Then little better shall he be For bonny Barbara Allen. 84B.6 So slowly, slowly she got up, And so slowly she came to him, And all she said when she came there, Young man, I think you are a dying. 84B.7 He turnd his face unto her then: If you be Barbara Allen, My dear, said he, Come pitty me, As on my death-bed I am lying. 84B.8 If on your death-bed you be lying, What is that to Barbara Allen? I cannot keep you from [your] death; So farewell, said Barbara Allen. 84B.9 He turnd his face unto the wall, And death came creeping to him: Then adieu, adieu, and adieu to all, And adieu to Barbara Allen! 84B.10 And as she was walking on a day, She heard the bell a ringing, And it did seem to ring to her Unworthy Barbara Allen. 84B.11 She turnd herself round about, And she spyd the corps a coming: Lay down, lay down the corps of clay, That I may look upon him. 84B.12 And all the while she looked on, So loudly she lay laughing, While all her friends cryd [out] amain, So loudly she lay laughing, While all her friends cryd [out] amain, Unworthy Barbara Allen! 84B.13 When he was dead, and laid in grave, Then death came creeping to she: O mother, mother, make my bed, For his death hath quite undone me. 84B.14 A hard-hearted creature that I was, To slight one that lovd me so dearly; I wish I had been more kinder to him, The time of his life when he was near me. 84B.15 So this maid she then did dye, And desired to be buried by him, And repented her self before she dyd, That ever she did deny him.
84C.1 IT fell about the Lammas time, When the woods grow green and yellow, There came a wooer out of the West A wooing to Barbara Allan. 84C.2 It is not for your bonny face, Nor for your beauty bonny, But it is all for your tocher good Nor for your beauty bonny, But it is all for your tocher good I come so far about ye. 84C.3 ome so far about ye. 84C.3 If it be not for my comely face, Nor for my beauty bonnie, My tocher good yell never get paid Down on the board before ye. 84C.4 O will ye go to the Highland hills, To see my white corn growing? Or will ye go to the river-side, To see my boats a rowing? 84C.5 O hes awa, and awa hes gone, And deaths within him dealing, And it is all for the sake of her, And deaths within him dealing, And it is all for the sake of her, His bonnie Barbara Allan. 84C.6 O he sent his man unto the house, Where that she was a dwelling: O you must come my master to see, If you be Barbara Allan. 84C.7 So slowly aye as she put on, And so stoutly as she gaed till him, And so slowly as she could say, I think, young man, youre lying. 84C.8 O I am lying in my bed, And death within me dwelling; And it is all for the love of thee, My bonny Barbara Allan. 84C.9 She was not ae mile frae the town, Till she heard the dead-bell ringing: Och hone, oh hone, hes dead and gone, For the love of Barbara Allan!


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Progress for School Choice in New Jersey
Last night, school choice was the topic of discussion at a Delaware Valley High School Board of Education meeting in New Jersey. On the agenda was the possibility of accepting students in the the state's school choice program. If Delaware Valley does accept state-funded choice students, they would be the third high school in the county to do so.
They have until April to apply to be named a school choice district, although they are hoping to decide by December. After an application is filed, the state would determine whether or not to name Delaware Valley a school choice district. The state would then pay the tuition for these students, the number of which, and in which grade levels, would be determined by the school. Upon approval, out-of-district students would be able to apply to attend starting in the 2014-15 school year. In the event that there are more applications than spaces, a lottery would be held.
South Hunterdon Regional High School was the first high school in the county to take choice students. They received approval in May 2011 to accept 18 students in grades 8-11 and they are currently taking applications for students to begin next school year.
No decisions were made last night, but the dialogue is an important step forward for educational reform.


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New Report Finds 23 of 25 States with Highest Rates of Obesity are in the South and Midwest
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, September 21, 2015
Obesity rates at or above 30 percent in 42 states for Blacks, 30 states for Latinos, 13 states for Whites.
Washington, D.C.—United States adult obesity rates remained mostly steady―but high―this past year, increasing in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah and remaining stable in the rest, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Arkansas had the highest adult obesity rate at 35.9 percent, while Colorado had the lowest at 21.3 percent. The 12th annual report found that rates of obesity now exceed 35 percent in three states (Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi), are at or above 30 percent in 22 states and are not below 21 percent in any. In 1980, no state had a rate above 15 percent, and in 1991, no state had a rate above 20. Now, nationally, more than 30 percent of adults, nearly 17 percent of 2 to 19 year olds and more than 8 percent of children ages 2 to 5 are obese.
Obesity puts some 78 million Americans at an increased risk for a range of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Efforts to prevent and reduce obesity over the past decade have made a difference. Stabilizing rates is an accomplishment. However, given the continued high rates, it isn't time to celebrate," said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. "We've learned that if we invest in effective programs, we can see signs of progress. But, we still haven't invested enough to really tip the scales yet.
Other key findings from The State of Obesity include:
- Obesity rates differ by region, age and race/ethnicity:
- Seven of the 10 states with the highest rates are in the South and 23 of the 25 states with the highest rates of obesity are in the South and Midwest.
- Nine of the 10 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South. Diabetes rates increased in eight states—Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
- American Indian/Alaska Natives have the highest adult obesity rate, 54 percent, of any racial or ethnic group.
- Nationally, obesity rates are 38 percent higher among Blacks than Whites; and more than 26 percent higher among Latinos than Whites. (Obesity rates for Blacks: 47.8 percent; Latinos: 42.5 percent; and Whites: 32.6 percent.)
- Adult obesity rates are at or above 40 percent for Blacks in 14 states.
- Adult obesity rates are at or above 30 percent in: 42 states for Blacks; 30 states for Latinos; and 13 states for Whites.
- Obesity rates are 26 percent higher among middle-age adults than among younger adults—rates rise from 30 percent of 20- to 39-year-olds to nearly 40 percent of 40- to 59-year-olds.
- More than 6 percent of adults are severely obese—more than a 125 percent increase in the past two decades. Around 5 percent of children are already severely obese by the ages of 6 to 11.
- Among children and teens (2 to 19 years old), 22.5 percent of Latinos, more than 20 percent of Blacks and 14.1 percent of Whites are obese.
- Prevention among children is key. It is easier and more effective to prevent overweight and obesity in children by helping every child maintain a healthy weight than it is to reverse trends later. The biggest dividends are gained by starting in early childhood, promoting good nutrition and physical activity so children enter kindergarten at a healthy weight.
- Healthy communities can help people lead healthy lives. Small changes that make it easier and more affordable to buy healthy foods and beverages and be physically active can lead to big differences. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The New York Academy of Medicine, and other experts have identified a range of policies and programs (e.g., improving school nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle interventions, health screenings, walking programs) that can help create healthier communities. Lower-income communities often face higher hurdles, and need more targeted efforts.
In order to build a national Culture of Health, we must help all children, no matter who they are or where they live, grow up at a healthy weight," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of RWJF. "We know that when we take comprehensive steps to help families be more active and eat healthier foods, we can see progress. Now we must extend those efforts and that progress to every community in the country.
The State of Obesity also reviews key programs that can help prevent and address obesity by improving nutrition in schools, child care and food assistance; increasing physical activity before, during and after school; expanding healthcare coverage for preventing and treating obesity; making healthy affordable food and safe places to be active more accessible in neighborhoods, such as through Complete Streets and healthy food financing initiatives; increasing healthy food options via public-private partnerships; and creating and sustaining policies that help all children maintain a healthy weight and adults be as healthy as possible, no matter their weight.
This is the 12th annual edition of The State of Obesity report (formerly known as the F as in Fat report series). The full report, with state rankings in all categories and updated interactive maps, charts and graphs, is available at http://stateofobesity.org. Follow the conversation at #StateofObesity.
Based on an analysis of new state-by-state data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, adult obesity rates by state from highest to lowest were:
Note: 1 = Highest rate of adult obesity, 51 = lowest rate of adult obesity.
1. Arkansas (35.9%); 2. West Virginia (35.7%); 3. Mississippi (35.5%); 4. Louisiana (34.9%); 5. Alabama (33.5%); 6. Oklahoma (33.0%); 7. Indiana (32.7%); 8. Ohio (32.6)%; 9. North Dakota (32.2%); 10. South Carolina (32.1%); 11. Texas (31.9%); 12. Kentucky (31.6%); 13. Kansas (31.3%); 14. (tie) Tennessee (31.2%) and Wisconsin (31.2%); 16. Iowa (30.9%); 17. (tie) Delaware (30.7%) and Michigan (30.7%); 19. Georgia (30.5%); 20. (tie) Missouri (30.2%) and Nebraska (30.2%) and Pennsylvania (30.2%); 23. South Dakota (29.8%); 24. (tie) Alaska (29.7%) and North Carolina (29.7%); 26. Maryland (29.6%); 27. Wyoming (29.5%); 28. Illinois (29.3%); 29. (tie) Arizona (28.9%) and Idaho (28.9%); 31. Virginia (28.5%); 32. New Mexico (28.4%); 33. Maine (28.2%); 34. Oregon (27.9%); 35. Nevada (27.7%); 36. Minnesota (27.6%); 37. New Hampshire (27.4%); 38. Washington (27.3%); 39. (tie) New York (27.0%) and Rhode Island (27.0%); 41. New Jersey (26.9%); 42. Montana (26.4%); 43. Connecticut (26.3%); 44. Florida (26.2%); 45. Utah (25.7%); 46. Vermont (24.8%); 47. California (24.7%); 48. Massachusetts (23.3%); 49. Hawaii (22.1%); 50. District of Columbia (21.7%); 51. Colorado (21.3%).
About Trust for America's Health
Trust for America's Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. For more information, visit www.healthyamericans.org.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.
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Return to Witnesses
Gypsies Nuremberg Laws 1935
Gypsies in Auschwitz Part 2
"Gypsies were officially defined as non-Aryan by the Nuremberg laws of 1935, which also first defined Jews; both groups were forbidden to marry Germans. Gypsies were later labeled as asocials by the 1937 Laws against Crime, regardless of whether they had been charged with any unlawful acts.
Two hundred Gypsy men were then selected by quota and incarcerated in Buchenwald concentration camp. By May 1938, SS Reichsfuehrer Himmler established the Central Office for Fighting the Gypsy Menace, which defined the question as `a matter of race,' discriminating pure Gypsies from part Gypsies as Jews were discriminated, and ordering their registration.
In 1939, resettlement of Gypsies was put under Eichmann's jurisdiction along with that of the Jews. Gypsies were forbidden to move freely and were concentrated in encampments with Germany in 1939, later (1941) transformed into fenced ghettos, from which they would be seized for transport by the criminal police (aided by dogs) and dispatched to Auschwitz in February 1943.
During May 1940, about 3,100 were sent to Jewish ghettos in the Government-General: others may have been added to Jewish transports from Berlin, Vienna, and Prague to Nisko, Poland (the sight of an aborted reservation to which Jews were deported). These measures were taken against Gypsies who had no claim to exemption because of having an Aryan spouse or having been regularly employed for five years.
Some evaded the net at first. Despite a 1937 laws excluding gypsies from army service, many served in the armed forces until demobilized by special orders between 1940 and 1942. Gypsy children were also dismissed from schools beginning in March 1941.
Thus, those who were nominally free and not yet concentrated were stripped systematically of the status of citizens and segregated. The legal status of Gypsies and Jews, determined irrevocably by the agreement between Justice Minister Thierack and SS Reichsfuehrer Himmler on 18 September 1942, removing both groups from the jurisdiction of any German court, confirmed their fate.
Thierack wrote,
` I envisage transferring all criminal proceedings concerning [these people] to Himmler. I do this because I realize that the courts can only feebly contribute to the extermination of these people.'
The Citizenship Law of 1943 omitted any mention of Gypsies since they were not expected to exist much longer. Himmler decreed the transport of Gypsies to Auschwitz on 16 December 1942, but he did not authorize their extermination until 1944.
Most died there and in other camps of starvation, diseases, and torture from abuse as live experimental subjects. By the end of the war, 15,000 of the 20,000 Gypsies who had been in Germany in 1939 had died."
Excerpted from "Accounting for Genocide: Victims – and Survivors – of the Holocaust" (New York: Free Press, 1979) Helen Fein
Return to Witnesses


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UnitedHealthcare Assisted Living plans are Institutional Special Needs Plans (ISNPs) for members who live in a contracted assisted living facility and require an institutional level of care. These plans do not require referrals for specialty care.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans have a defined network of contracted local physicians and hospitals to provide member care. Generally, members must use these care providers to receive benefits for covered services, except in emergencies.
Point of Service (HMO-POS) plans include all the features of HMO plans plus the ability to go outside the contracted network for certain health care services - typically at a higher cost.
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans work with a network of contracted local physicians and hospitals, but also allows members the flexibility to seek covered services from outside of the contracted network, usually at a higher cost.
UnitedHealthcare offers Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs) that combine the hospital and doctor coverage of Medicare Parts A and B with Part D prescription drug coverage, plus additional benefits and services designed to meet the unique needs of identified Medicare consumer populations.
To learn more about the Medicare Advantage plans offered in your area, visit UHC.com/medicare and enter your ZIP code.
To learn more about Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage or to access related forms, review the materials available on the Plan Information and Forms page of UHC.com/medicare.
UnitedHealthcare provides Special Needs Plan (SNP) care providers access to SNP beneficiaries' Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) and Individualized Care Plans (ICPs) in a variety of ways including mailing, faxing, uploading to the portal or placing Individualized Care Plans in the SNP beneficiary's physical and/or electronic chart.
Care providers should be reviewing the SNP beneficiary's Individualized Care Plans and participating with the SNP Interdisciplinary Care Team to coordinate the beneficiary's care. Special Needs Plan care providers can register online at UHCprovider.com to begin accessing and reviewing SNP beneficiary Individualized Care Plans via the Care Conductor tool under Clinical & Pharmacy in the menu > Clinical Tools.


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Looking for pc games in China? Not a problem, they're sold everywhere. Console games and consoles? Not a problem, they're also sold everywhere, despite the fact that video game consoles are banned in China.
The sale of gaming consoles in China falls into the category of the gray market. Despite the connotations of a black marketesque deal where stores are hidden and passwords are needed, that is not the case. Video game shops are in business, selling consoles and console games in super shiny shopping malls and regular old store fronts, and, in Beijing, in dust covered historic buildings. To the Chinese, this is just a regular thing. When you ask a Beijing person where is the gray market, they won't know what you're talking about. But ask them where to buy video games, and they will send definitely know where to send you. The gray market is a only a term used to describe the ambiguous sales of import products and banned products.
You can find legal items that have not been banned on the gray market as well as banned goods. Gundam model kits, cell phones and pc gear released outside of China before a Chinese version is ever out are some of the things that are found in gray markets.
Video game consoles are illegal in China; however, the ban does not include Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. But since the year 2000 video game consoles have been banned in the Chinese mainland.
The reasons behind the ban are obscure at best; one of the major reasons for the console ban was to prevent Chinese youth from wasting their brains, and another was because of the stringent cultural import laws in China, such as only allowing 20 foreign films to be shown on movie screens a year (yes only 20 foreign films a year, including Hollywood productions). Hong Kong and Macau operate as special administrative regions and are pretty much autonomous and thus consoles are sold. In fact, there are even Hong Kong versions of many consoles. Taiwan is pretty much like Hong Kong and Macau but because of the Taiwan "issue" there are more political factors in play, and video game consoles are not banned. Instead, they are a part of the gaming culture in Taiwan.
However, the ban on consoles hasn't stopped Chinese gamers from buying consoles or playing console based games. In fact, the main limiters on console sales in China to the general public are supply and price. It's hard to imagine but the vast majority of China's 1.3billion people are unable to afford a console. According to People's Daily, the mouth piece of the government, the average yearly income across China is about US$5,900 a year. Take into account the number of super rich pulling up the average of the super poor and there might be a clearer number but unfortunately official sources usually account for the SUPER WEALTHY.
The following gallery is a look into the gray market. For the purpose of this report, I visited Beijing's High Technology district in Zhongguancun and the tourist trap that is Guloudajie.
For more information on about the ban, Brian Ashcraft wrote a very informative piece on the ban back in 2010 Why Consoles are Banned In China.
Zhongguancun (or ZGC) is located in the Haidian district of Beijing and is notable for being the home of many tech companies in China such as Microsoft and Sohu. ZGC is also known for its technology market. The first and second floors of these markets sell licensed products, and the stores/booths are usually legitimate.
Here is the building guide to the Elion/Z plaza market located right outside the Zhongguancun exit of subway line 4. The first floor holds various brand stores such as Cannon, Samsung, and the works; the second floor caters to laptops, desktops, and other computing related articles. The third floor and up are made up of DIY stores—stores selling parts for various electronics, not just for computers. The basement floors are where you find your gray market .
A shop that offers custom built PC's.
A glancing look at the DIY floor
Take the escalator down and you will reach the gray market.
A hacking den of sorts hidden right beneath the escalators. They're like the Harry Potters of the gray market.
A look at the desk of a hacker. I don't really know why he is tearing up the PSP but I'm not a professional.
A man watches as a store clerk (not pictured) explains how to operate his newly hacked Nintendo Wii.
A store clerk shows off the games that come with a hacked PS3. Stores are now offering hacked PS3's with 1TB hard drives loaded with games for the equivalent of US$400.
A foreigner checks out gameplay footage in front of a store.
Customers and sales people haggle over prices for systems and games.
The store front for a PC gaming accessories store. Many stores such as this one do not really make money through walk in customers. They are more less a store and a warehouse, where customers can come in if they don't want to wait for shipping. More and more gray market vendors are starting to sell online on Chinese sites such as Taobao.
Magic the Gathering is not banned in China but the gray market is one of the best places to purchase cards.
Eager sales people try to get customers to walk into their shops.
Shifting away from the northwest part of Beijing to the central part of Gulou. Guloudajie has many game stores that blatantly sell video game consoles.
A game store located on Guloudajie.
A hobby store that specializes in selling Japanese and American import toys. The gray market does not only refer to video games.
Another store that openly advertises they sell games.
Cats! Who would've thought that console boxes would make a great jungle for kitties to play with?
Look at all those PS3's and Xbox's!
The sign reads, "We do repairs, as well as dual hacking Xbox 360s—hacks that allow for linking and downloads".
This sign reads, "Perfect iPhone, iPad, iOS 5, and Xbox 360 jailbreak. Will wipe system on the spot". Notice how they also accept Visa.


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- Barbecues originated in pig-pickings, feasts that were common in the Southern United States prior to the Civil War. Whole pigs were cooked and eaten by the crowd.
- Smoking was used as far as 6000 years ago in order to make meats safe to eat and store. The meat was exposed to smoke and low heat in order to prevent bacteria and enzymes from growing.
- In Australia, a barbecue is commonly referred to as a barbie. The famous statement Ill slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you, which appeared in Australian tourism advertisements, is often used to refer to the country.
- What most North Americans partake in today isn't actually barbecuing. Barbecuing is cooking at temperatures around the boiling point of water (180-220*F) for a longer time period, in order to make the meat tender while preserving its natural juices. Today, the method most commonly used is, in fact, broiling: cooking at 475-700*F in much less time.
- According to the Barbecue Industry Association, half of all marshmallows eaten in the U.S. have been toasted over a grill.
- For an easy way to check how much propane you have left, bring your bathroom scale outside and weigh the gas tank.
- The origin of the word barbecue is unclear. Some believe it came from the American-Indian word barbacoa for a wood on which foods were cooked. Others say it came from the French words de barbe queue, meaning whiskers to tail.
- To add a smokey flavor to your gas-grill-cooked foods or foods cooked inside the house, use liquid smoke. A condensation of actual smoke, this product can be easily added to your barbecue marinade or sauce.
10) Kansas City, Missouri, Texas, and Lexington, North Carolina, all claim to be the barbecue capitals of the world. Memphis, meanwhile, stakes a claim to being the pork barbecue capital.
Now you're set to impress!
All of us at Beatrice Insurance Agency thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Happy BBQ'ing!


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84 percent of state farmers return census
MADISON, WI (AP) — State officials say there was a strong response from Wisconsin farmers who provided valuable census information.
Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel says 84 percent of Wisconsin farmers completed and returned their census forms. That's third best in the nation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts the census every five years. It provides data on agricultural land use, production practices, income and expenditures. Agricultural organizations and government officials use the information to make decisions about rural services and farm programs.
State statistician Greg Bussler companies and cooperatives also use census data to determine where to locate facilities to help farmers market their products or access machinery and chemicals necessary to farm.
Census data will begin to be released in February 2014. Individual information collected is kept confidential.