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NEH and CPB Form Partnership to Develop Educational Enhancements for Digital Television
Federal agency and non-profit corporation announce seven grants totaling $350,000 for high-tech projects
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today jointly announced seven $50,000 grants to documentary film producers who will develop high-tech educational enhancements for their films. The collaboration between the federal agency and the non-profit corporation is a pioneering effort to use the latest technology to develop television projects that will provide viewers with a deeper and richer experience of program content.
"Together, NEH and CPB are creating programs that allow viewers to explore program content in new ways," said NEH Chairman William R. Ferris. "As public television stations convert to digital broadcasting by 2003, more and more programs will come with engaging new options for interactive learning. The projects we are funding today will develop some of these options and explore their potential for opening doors to learning for millions of Americans of all ages in homes and classrooms across the nation."
"Technology, in and of itself, isn't the point here," said CPB President Robert T. Coonrod. "The point is that in the hands of these talented producers, digital technology is a powerful tool which will let them make their programs both more compelling and more educational. When it comes to humanities programming," he added, "CPB and NEH have long been headed in the same direction. This partnership lets us go there together, and to go further than we could separately."
All seven of the documentaries will receive funding pending successful execution of the respective grant agreements. The programs are currently in production and are expected to air on public television during the next year or so.
The high-tech educational enhancement grants supplement the NEH and CPB production investments referenced in the following:
The NEH-CPB funded Digital Enhancement Projects:
- Crucible of the Millennium (New York Foundation for the Arts, New York City. Production funding: NEH--$1,000,000; CPB--$200,000) looks at the world's major civilizations in the 15th century, their influence on each other and their legacies into the 21st century.
The digital component will include exploration of an Aztec pyramid; museum tours of Indian, Chinese, Portuguese and Italian collections; interviews with historians; a website; and a world music compact disc.
- Morning Sun (Long Bow Group, Inc., Brookline, Mass. Production funding: NEH--$850,000) explores the historical circumstances that gave rise to China's Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976, its events and leaders, and its legacy.
The digital component will include a collection of visual materials such as excerpts from feature films, documentaries, musical and theatrical performances, photos, artwork, and posters, along with text, music and interviews. Viewers will be able to pause the film at anytime and go directly to these materials.
- Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of the American Century (KCET-TV, Los Angeles, Calif. Production funding: NEH--$800,000) examines the personal, social and cultural currents, ranging from the Reconstruction era to the aftermath of World War I and America's emergence as a world superpower, that influenced Wilson's actions and positions.
The digital component will enable users to put themselves in the place of government leaders facing critical choices and to trace the consequences of historical events on their own lives today.
- Partners of the Heart (Spark Media, Inc., Washington, D.C. Production funding: NEH--$550,000, CPB--$182,000) presents the extraordinary story of how Vivien Thomas, an African American lab technician, and Alfred Blalock, a white physician, formed an intellectual partnership to pioneer the development of heart surgery, despite institutional racism in the South during the mid-20th century.
The digital component will involve creating an interactive website and links to archival documents and film clips. An annotation tool will also allow users to post notes that participating scholars can respond to.
- This Far By Faith: Stories from the African American Religious Experience (Civil Rights Projects, Inc., Boston, Mass. Production funding: NEH-- $250,000, CPB/PBS-- $750,000) covers the history of African American religion from 1776 to the present.
The digital component will provide access to basic contextual information (e.g. timelines, graphs, and maps), and to expanded narrative sequences on issues such as West African religions, women and faith, religious architecture, and the arts and religion.
- Bills to Bytes: The Money Revolution (Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland, Ore.) recounts and explores the contemporary history of money, examining the creation of new forms of money like credit cards and frequent flyer accounts, and other recent revolutionary changes in the perceptions and use of money.
The digital component, hosted, like the rest of the program, by technology expert and PBS personality Robert Cringely, will encourage viewer-directed exploration of the historic benchmarks and cultural effects of money's transformation and they key role in this transformation of information technology.
- The Two Towns of Jasper (Two Tone Productions, New York, N.Y. Production funding: CPB--$300,000) explores the reactions of the black and white people of Jasper, Texas, to the dragging death of James Byrd, Jr.
The digital component will allow viewers to hear more about how the people of Jasper view the incident and race relations in their community, and to probe more deeply into the themes raised in the program.
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, new technologies, museum exhibitions, and programs in libraries and other community places.
CPB, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is a leader in public broadcasting's transition to digital and new media educational programming and services for the American people. The Corporation is public broadcasting's largest single source of funds for public television and radio program development and production. CPB also funds more than 1,000 public radio and television stations across the country.


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Welcome to Kars For Kids Fun Site!
We all have busy lives and schedules, and we all work hard. That's why Kars for Kids put up this fun website. We know that in order to be productive, it's important to have some time to ourselves. So relax and humor the kid inside of you as you explore the fun side of Kars for Kids! Enjoy reading about Mikey the Kars 4 Kids mascot and his pet dog Scraps. Have fun playing some fun challenging games. Find out how you can help this great charity while having fun too!
Through "Cars for Kids Fun Site" you can help the children in a big way! By donating your vehicle to Kars4Kids.org 501 (c)(3) charity, the proceeds of your generous donation will help fund numerous programs for children. In addition, when you donate your car to Kars 4 Kids you are helping the local economy. Your donation provides work for towing companies, advertisement companies, repair shops, and many more!
Kars 4 Kids will gladly assist in the paper work, including your tax deductible receipt and the prompt pick up of your vehicle! You also will receive a Vacation Voucher for a 2 night and 3 day hotel stay. So, if you're thinking about donating your vehicle or toys, contact Kars 4 Kids and ask any questions you may have.
Your donation is tax-deductible. We arrange towing, provide customer support and more. We accept cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, boats, real estate, and other items.
When you donate to Kars4Kids, you not only get rid of your old car, but you also have an easy and wonderful opportunity to make a difference: Your donation helps finance many local programs for needy kids and their families.
We are now accepting applications for those interested in joining the Kars4Kids Agent program.

subset: commoncrawl


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The second wave of the H1N1 is spreading across the nation. Projections say that the H1N1 virus could cause 30-40% absenteeism among the workforce. This may make it necessary for co-workers or management to assume unfamiliar or less familiar tasks. Designating replacements and providing cross training can help prevent disruptions in workflow. And this cross training should also cover environmental, health and safety (EHS) training. Preparing replacement employees to cover new tasks without understanding EHS compliance is asking for trouble.
Of course, the first line of defense is training all employees on pandemic preparedness. Overall, the training should include general knowledge as well as prevention and response measures and your organization's specific plans and protocols. Show employees the simple steps they can take to protect themselves, and if they do become sick, how to prevent spreading the virus to their co-workers. Sending workers home when they are ill will reduce the spread of the virus but increase the need for cross training.
The next step is to determine which operations are most vulnerable to increased absenteeism. For these operations, designate which workers will be cross trained as replacements and make sure they get trained on the specific job skills they will need. And again, don't forget EHS training.
For example, employees who work with or around oil and oil handling equipment need to be properly trained on correct equipment operation and procedures. They also require SPCC training. So if you identify replacement workers for oil-handling employees, they will also need to be trained on SPCC.
Most employees who work outdoors, either always or occasionally require training on stormwater BMPs. If you name replacements for outdoors workers who have only worked indoors, they will require stormwater training also.
Shifting and training one worker to cover another worker's tasks is not so difficult to do, but assuring that regulatory requirements are met adds another level to the cross-training process. Implement an EHS cross-training plan in advance so that you can keep your operations and facility running efficiently and safely.
To visit the Excal Visual Web site, click here.
About the Author
Mike King is a partner of Excal Visual LLP.


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The following are updates on local baseball players at the minor league level.
Christian Bergman (St. Francis High, 2006) starting pitcher, Modesto Nuts: Bergman, a former All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, continues to excel for the Nuts over the last month and the wins keep piling up. The right-hander, who was scheduled to start Wednesday against the San Jose Giants, proved he could bounce back after standing out during his prior appearance Friday.
Bergman allowed one run on five hits in six innings in Modesto's 5-1 road win against the Stockton Ports. Bergman (4-2) lowered his earned-run average to 3.09 and won for the fourth time in his last five starts, dating back to April 19. Bergman encountered a rough outing in his previous start May 5 against the host Bakersfield Blaze in which he allowed five runs (all earned) and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings in a 7-6 defeat.
Entering Wednesday, Bergman has struck out 30 in 43 2/3 innings for the Nuts in seven appearances. He's allowed 16 runs (15 earned) and 36 hits and has limited opponents to a .229 batting average.
The Nuts, a Class A advanced affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, are in third place in the California League's North Division at 20-19.
Fernando Valenzuela, Jr. (St. Francis High, 2000) Leones de Yucatan designated hitter/first baseman: The former Glendale Community College standout is in the middle of his best stretch despite Yucatan struggling. Through Tuesday, he's hit safely in five straight games and seven of eight for Yucatan, which competes in the Mexican League's North Division.
Valenzuela, who garnered his first-ever selection as a Mexican League Mid-Season All-Star last season, guided Yucatan to a victory when he hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Yucatan a 4-3 win against Petroleros de Minatitlan on May 10. He notched a pair of doubles against Minatitlan.
Valenzuela finished with two hits and then recorded two hits each in Yucatan's next two contests. In his last 10 games, Valenzuela has recorded 10 hits.
Through Tuesday, Valenzuela is batting .280 (49 for 175) with three home runs and 21 runs batted in. He's recorded 16 doubles and scored 14 runs for Yucatan, which is 16-34 and in last place.
Doug Slaten (Glendale Community College, 1999) starting/relief pitcher, Indianapolis Indians: The left-hander has flourished throughout the season. Slaten, who previously pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals before signing a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh in January, has recorded seven saves in 16 appearances for the Indians, who are the triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Slaten pitched a scoreless ninth inning to preserve Indianapolis' 1-0 victory against the Norfolk Tides on Monday.
Slaten (1-0) has allowed one run in 18 2/3 innings for Indianapolis. He's struck out 12 and sports a 0.48 earned-run average.
The Indians are 22-16 and in first place in the International League's West Division.


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Find the perfect hotel in Flesherton using our hotel guide provided below. Find cheap and discounted hotel/motel rates in or nearby Flesherton, ON for your business or personal leisure travel. We show the best Flesherton Ontario hotel/motel rooms. Review the Flesherton hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Flesherton hotels.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have added a new engagement to their busy diary, as they balance parenthood and royal life.
Prince William and Kate will meet London Poppy Appeal staff and volunteers at Kensington Palace on November 7.
The new parents will spend time with the guests as they visit the palace after taking a tour of London on a 1960's Routemaster bus.
The royal couple will also join the Royal Family on Remembrance Sunday for the annual ceremony held at the Cenotaph on November 10.
Last year, Kate looked on as William joined senior royals to lay a wreath to remember those who had lost their life in war.
The Duchess, who stood with the Duchess of Cornwall, the Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne's husband Sir Timothy Lawrence, wore a black Diane von Furstenberg coat for the ceremony, which she complimented with a stunning red poppy.
Prince William and Kate are expected to increase their royal workload over the next year, as they step up to support The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Earlier this year, William announced after seven years he would be leaving his military role to give more time to his royal duties.
The couple are expected to travel to Australia and New Zealand next year, taking Prince George along for the trip.
Prince George made his second appearance in public last week as he was christened in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace.
Proud parents William and Kate were joined by close family and friends at the 30-minute service, which was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Photo credit: Government of Alberta via photopin cc & rich.tee via photopin cc


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Booshy needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 167 designs submitted by 67 freelance designers.
I am looking for a logo for me and my friends to use for shirts and on a forum board. We all love big horse power sand cars and racing at the sand drags.
Bow Down Racing "Just bow down and watch the show"
Looking for a cool logo for our group that loves to race at the san drags..
Would like to logo to have a backgroud of sand like its thrown from a paddle tire like this picture. http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision…126457.jpg or this one. http://www.southwestdrags.com/races…jsd_22.jpg starting on the left of the logo background the sand is more defined and as it gets farther to the right its higher and less defined. Logo font and colors are up to you but they should go with the sand color background.
Maybe come up with a unique way to say Bow Down Racing.
Can we fit the saying "Just bow down and watch the show" into the logo??
- UPDATE!! If you are going to use a Sandcar in your logo. I am not asking for one.. As we all race diffrent styles but you can look here and see what the newer styles are... http://danbarnesphotography.smugmug…vU#P-1-15I AM REALLY LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE THE TIME AND DRAW A GOOD ROOSTER TAIL OF SAND AND PUT THIS IN THE BACK GROUND WITH THE WORDING IN FRONT OF IT!!!
- Item 1...
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Game of Thrones iPhone Wallpaper with 1080x1920 Resolution
Game of Thrones iPhone Wallpaper is the best HD iPhone wallpaper image in 2019. This wallpaper was upload at March 19, 2019 upload by Jennifer H. King in Game of Thrones Wallpapers.
Game of Thrones iPhone Wallpaper is the perfect high-resolution iPhone wallpaper and file resolution this wallpaper is 1080x1920 with file Size 312.20 KB. You can use Game of Thrones iPhone Wallpaper for your iPhone 5, 6, 7, 8, X, XS, XR backgrounds, Mobile Screensaver, or iPad Lock Screen and another Smartphones device for free. To get file this wallpaper HD and obtain the Game of Thrones iPhone Wallpaper images by click the download button to get multiple high-resversions.
- Wallpaper Name : Game of Thrones iPhone Wallpaper
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- Date Added on March 19, 2019 (206 Views)
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UC Irvine junior pitcher Andrew Thurman and senior catcher Ronnie Shaeffer were voted to the All-Big West Conference preseason first team and second team, respectively by College Sports Madness.
Thurman, a first-team all-conference choice in 2012, posted an 8-3 record and a 2.66 earned-run average as a sophomore, including a no-hitter. He struck out 69 in 98 innings and held opposing teams to a .195 batting average in 15 starts.
Shaeffer, who sat out last season with a broken finger, was a first-team All-Big West performer in 2011, when he won the American Baseball Coaches Assn. Golden Glove. He limited opposing base-stealers to a 43% success rate, tops in the nation and was also named the Most Valuable Player at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional.
UC Irvine hosts its annual alumni game Jan. 26 and kicks off the season with a three-game nonconference series against Baylor, Feb. 15-17 at Anteater Ballpark.
— From staff reports
Two-dozen 'Eaters honored
The Big West Conference has recognized 24 UC Irvine student-athletes with academic all-conference honors for fall sports.
Women's cross country has eight honorees, including Emma Archuleta, Chloe Fata, Mary Follo, Kaycee Holcomb, Nicole Mendoza, Maddy Post, Gabbi White and Courtney Wilson.
Marissa Alvarez, Shannon Fleming, Taylor Smith, Aly Squires, Sarah Wilder and Kristin Winkler represent women's volleyball, while Sam Hyams and Calvin Tan are men's cross country honorees.
Men's and women's soccer each had four representatives. They are: Mitchell Alvarez, Bryan Breslin, Victor Calderon and Jake Marcon, as well as Devon Delarosa, Jenna Pellegrino, Mar Rodriguez and Jackie Samis.
Honorees must maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average, attained sophomore standing academically and competed in at least half of their team's contests.
A total of 133 student-athletes from 10 member schools were recognized.
— From staff reports


text: Hi all, I think I've got more problems with mpich on our 16 nodes cluster. I'm trying to install mpich 1.2.1 (latest rev) from source. I can compile it with no apparent problem, but when I try to make and run the tests under examples/test with "make testing" I get several errors, particularly I get one recurrent error : [mpdcon]: failed to close fd 17 I have compiled mpich with : ./configure --with-arch=LINUX --with-device=ch_p4mpd --with-mpe -opt=-g make using gcc, f77 and pgf90 (I didn't want to try pgf77 until I was sure I didn't have any other problem). By the way, cpi under examples/basic works without any flaw with : mpd & startdaemons 4 mpirun -np 4 cpi Therefore I don't think it's a big issue in p4mpd. Oh, the nodes are all diskless, mounting root via nfs from the server. Maybe it's a problem of nfs... Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you all in advance, Franz Marini --------------------------------------------------------- Franz Marini Sys Admin and Software Analyst, Dept. of Physics, University of Milan, Italy. "There's nothing wrong in M$oft that Linux can't cure..." email : marini at pcmenelao.mi.infn.it ---------------------------------------------------------


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Q: We've recently started to use snapshot isolation as a way to avoid blocking problems during our daily updates. This is working well but we've found that one table with a clustered index is becoming fragmented. The updates are only affecting fixed-width columns, so why is there fragmentation happening?
A: This is a tactic that we've used with a client to allow data loading into a database while concurrent queries are running. By enabling snapshot isolation just before the data loading commences, and switching it off again after the data loading finishes, the locks held by the data load do not block the concurrent queries.
The most well-known side-effect of snapshot isolation is the extra load placed on tempdb. Snapshot isolation works by creating a chain of one or more prior versions of the record being changed. Each version of the record has an associated timestamp indicating the time at which that version was created, plus a pointer to the location of the previous version of the record in the version store, which is located in tempdb.
In a nutshell, whenever a record is changed, the previous version is copied into the version store. When a concurrent query needs to read a record, the storage engine traverses the record's version chain to find the one that existed at the time the query started. This write and read activity accounts for the extra load on tempdb.
The little-known side-effect of snapshot isolation is the possibility of index fragmentation where you wouldn't expect it – as you've explained you're seeing.
Whenever a record is updated and a version is created, the new record must have a 14-byte tag appended to it. The tag holds the versioning timestamp plus the pointer to the previous version of the record.
When this operation occurs, the record obviously becomes 14 bytes longer, even if the only updated columns in the record are fixed-width (such as an integer or float column). For records stored in an index, if the page where the record is stored does not have enough free space to accommodate the extra 14 bytes, space must be created – just as if a variable-length column was being updated to be longer.
The free space is created by performing a page split operation – which moves a number of records to a newly-allocated page. This creates fragmentation because the newly allocated page is almost never physically contiguous to the original page. Apart from creating fragmentation, page splits are very costly as all parts of the operation must be fully logged (see my blog post How expensive are page splits in terms of transaction log?).
You can alleviate the likelihood of page splits and fragmentation by using a non-zero fillfactor (the default is to have each page 100% filled) to provision free space during index maintenance to allow for the extra 14-bytes for each versioned record during your update activity.


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A resolution approving fiscal year 2001-2002 Central Business Improvement District Budget.
Whereas, Tennessee Code Annotated, § 7-84-501 et seq. ("Central Business Improvement District Act of 1990") authorizes municipalities to create a Central Business Improvement District and to specially assess properties within the District to finance enhanced services and improvements; and
Whereas, Ordinance No. 098-1037 authorized the creation of a Central Business Improvement District and a CBID management corporation ("District Management Corporation") with the necessary powers and authority to carry out the purposes and intent of the Central Business Improvement District Act of 1990, which Ordinance is codified as Title 2, Chapter 174 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws; and
Whereas, Tennessee Code Annotated, § 7-84-519(e) requires a management corporation to submit an annual budget for review and approval by the governing body;
Whereas, pursuant to Tennessee State law Section 2.174.070 requires the District Management Corporation to submit a proposed budget to the Metropolitan Council for approval; and
Whereas, pursuant to Ordinance 098-1270, the Metropolitan Council provided that future annual budgets submitted by the District Management Corporation may be approved by Resolution by twenty-one affirmative votes of the Metropolitan Council; and
Whereas, it is in the interest of the citizens of Nashville and Davidson County that the Metropolitan Council approve the budget proposed for Fiscal Year 2001-2002 by the District Management Corporation.
Now, therefore, be it enacted by the Metropolitan Council of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County:
Section 1. That the Budget
for Fiscal Year 2001-2002, submitted by the District Management Corporation
for the Central Business Improvement District, which budget is attached hereto
as Exhibit A and, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby approved; provided
that, the District Management Corporation shall not expend revenues in excess
of the amount of special assessments actually collected.
Section 2. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its passage, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.
Sponsored By: Ludye Wallace, Jim Shulman
|Referred to:
|Budget & Finance Committee
|December 18, 2001
|December 18, 2001
|December 19, 2001


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Cod. BS423302W16
Women's rigid mini-tote bag from the RENA range of accessories by Carpisa, made from hammered-effect material with shiny side panels. The bag is comfortable and easy to carry thanks to the matching handles and the detachable shoulder belt, and the rear zip pocket adds an extra touch of utility. Available in four colours, perfect for any style.
UE: within 5 working days from receiving the order.
Extra UE: within 8 working days from receiving the order.
Click here for details on shipping times.
Products purchased on the www.carpisa.com online store are normally delivered within 3 working days from the order date in Italy (except islands and remote locations), and within 6 working days in the EU.
Deliveries may incur slight delays during holiday periods; couriers do not deliver on 25/12, 26/12, 01/01 or on weekends.
An extra working day, compared to the above terms, is required for orders paid for by credit card to allow for standard administration procedures. For orders paid for by bank transfer, delivery times will be calculated upon receiving payment confirmation.
If you are not satisfied with your purchase , you have 14 days from the order reception date to return purchased products.
Are you sure you would like to remove this item from the shopping cart?


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WASHINGTON - It was among the day's most probing questions about health care, with ramifications for tens of millions of Americans and the presidential campaign.
But it did not come from a Supreme Court justice. It came from Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show,'' and it was directed to his guest, Mitt Romney.
What might happen, Leno asked Tuesday, if the Supreme Court rules President Obama's health care overhaul is unconstitutional? How will people - including children - with preexisting medical problems cope?
The lack of a clear answer to that question, and many others raised by the prospect that the law could be overturned, may force candidates to rewrite their political scripts. If the high court in June rules the law invalid, Republicans will no longer have the luxury of addressing Obama's health care plan with a simple "I am against it'' and move on to the next issue.
Already, that possibility is giving rise to "what if'' questions being posed everywhere from the couches of late-night comedians to the hallowed halls of Congress.
For Romney, the GOP presidential front-runner whose health care law in Massachusetts contains elements at the heart of the Supreme Court case, the election was supposed to be almost exclusively about Obama's handling of the economy. On the trail, he dismisses the health care law as destructive.
"I don't think Romney would want the Supreme Court to uphold ObamaCare, but in a weird way his campaign is charted out and planned out to attack ObamaCare,'' said Scott McLean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University. "Neither party is fully comfortable with the outcome of striking down ObamaCare. Because at least if the court upholds it, there's a script. There's a strategy, a game plan that they have.
"If it's struck down, it becomes much more complicated and much more unpredictable how this debate will go.''
While campaigning, Romney often criticizes Obama's plan, but he less frequently brings up his own prescriptions for fixing the vexing problems facing health care. If the law is ruled unconstitutional, political observers say, it would be more incumbent on Romney to explain his own ideas.
"People with preexisting conditions - as long as they've been insured before, they're going to continue to have insurance,'' Romney said in response to Leno's question on NBC's "Tonight Show.''
But, Leno asked, what if they have not been insured?
"Well, if they're 45 years old, and they show up and say, 'I want insurance because I've got a heart disease,' it's like, 'Hey guys, we can't play the game like that,' '' Romney said. "You've got to get insurance when you're well, and if you get ill, then you're going to be covered.''
For voters who did not have the means to get insurance before an illness, that prospect is not likely to win votes.
As a whole, Obama's law is unpopular with the American public. But many components of the law are very popular - one that bars health insurers from denying coverage to those with preexisting conditions is favored by 85 percent of respondents in a New York Times/CBS News poll.
Yet, the Obama administration contends this provision may have to be stripped from the law if the individual mandate is disallowed. No insurers would agree to the provision, without a mandate to bring in healthier participants.
Romney has said he would use legislative and executive means to repeal Obama's law - if the courts do not do so beforehand - and replace it with a new version. One component of Romney's new law would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage because of a previously unknown condition. But he would allow this only for those who have been continuously insured for a fixed period of time.
The uncertainties over health care could breathe new life into Rick Santorum's presidential campaign. The former Pennsylvania senator in recent weeks has increased his criticism of Romney, saying the issue should illustrate to voters the perils of nominating someone whose signature health care legislation in Massachusetts provided a blueprint for the federal law.
"Obamacare and Romneycare crush jobs and are an affront to our freedoms,'' Santorum said in Sparta, Wis. "Republicans need a nominee with the credibility to take on President Obama on an issue so important to the voters, and I am that person.''
Santorum may be able to capitalize on the issue in the short run, but he still faces an uphill battle against Romney, and the Supreme Court ruling will not come until June, when it could be too late to give him an advantage in the Republican nominating contest.
The risks of the high court challenge are significant for Obama, who expended vast political capital to pass a health care law that had no Republican support and was controversial from the start. If his signature law is overturned, it would be a deep political setback.
As the economy improves, there also is the potential for this ironic scenario: Obama eagerly focusing on the economy, the issue that several months ago seemed to be his biggest weakness, while Romney uses health care - once seen as his Achilles heel - to criticize the Democratic incumbent for being so inept that he pushed through a law that is unconstitutional.
At the White House, officials said they have no contingency plans for how to handle a setback if the Supreme Court strikes down all or portions of the law. Instead, spokesman Josh Earnest said, the administration is focused on implementing provisions of the law.
On Capitol Hill, any court decision that changes the Affordable Care Act would force legislators to contemplate on how, and whether, to salvage the law.
"There's discussion, quietly, among some people about what-ifs,'' Senator John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, said Wednesday at a Capitol Hill press conference. "But there is no overall, you know, plan in place because I think people have confidence the court will do the right thing.''
The heightened activity around health care gives Democrats another chance to argue the law's upsides. On Wednesday, they were already touting popular provisions like allowing children to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26, or barring insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions.
Those benefit losses, they argued, could acutely hurt families.
"You wind up with a whole bunch of Americans who are going to be told, 'Sorry, you don't have insurance anymore, even though you have terminal cancer,' '' Kerry said on CNN. "Kids who are currently covered till the age of 26 will no longer be covered. Seniors, tens of thousands of seniors, will suddenly find they're no longer getting prescription drugs that they get today.
"I mean, there would be a whole upheaval that I think people are only just now beginning to focus on.''Matt Viser can be reached at email@example.com.


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yehiel carter
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 3:29 pm
Post subject: Recipes How to Learn and Share
Does cooking or baking put you off? Does the idea itself sound revolting? Is it because you have no idea how to cook or bake, or you can make the coffee and are not in a frame of mind to venture any further? If your inability to cook is keeping you away from the refreshing idea of cooking or baking, it should not. There are always some simple recipes available that any simpleton could learn. Try them today.
No great chef was ever been born, they are always made. Thankfully, culinary skills are learnt and never inborn. So if a chef at The Hilton could make it, so can you, isnt it? Chefs have come to be great chefs with hard work, starting out by learning how to cook by reading and following instructions from a written recipe. The very process of making a simple dish by following a simple time tested recipe could be an immensely enjoyable experience and who knows; you may begin to enjoying cooking and discover your culinary skills.
Everyone reads magazines, you must have certainly come across a mouth watering dish in one of those magazines along with the recipe, but always thought that it was too complicated for you to follow and try to cook. You must have also thought that creating something like the dish in the photograph would be an impossible task considering your lack of culinary skills. Breaking the myth, magazine recipes are very simple to cook; ingredients are commonly available and not expensive at all.
Cookbooks, yes, are expensive. But when you are beginning to train, you dont need to invest in them. Free recipes are available at a lot of places, from your grandmas cupboard to various websites on the internet. You could graduate to cookbooks when you become a connoisseur of culinary skills and tastes. Even at this advanced stage, free recipes would still be available, albeit a little more complicated and requiring more of your time and resources. The internet could be a very good resource for various recipes classified on the basis of countries and cuisines.
There are more ways of learning to cook great dishes for one you could watch the cook shows on the television which also showcase the procedure and minute details with tips. You could note down the recipes and try them out at your own leisure. For the more interested, there are bound to be a few cookery classes conducted in your area. You could attend them at your chosen times and dig out your culinary skills. For the more professionally interested, there are many well known schools around the world.
Learning to cook, not only makes you self sufficient but it would contribute immensely to improving your familys eating habits. It would also promote the junior members of your family to learn alongside and promote self reliance. Sharing recipes and the results of it with your friends and neighbors can be wonderful and improves camaraderie.
Can you imagine calling some friends over for dinner and serving them spicy chicken curry and Indian pancakes instead of the regular hamburgers, hotdogs or a pizza. Would they be impressed ! Ask yourself and kick start yourself.
For more on recipes and food, please visit-
Author: yehiel carter
Copyrights: un-addict
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Market Basket board votes to distribute $250 million to owners
The board of Market Basket, split by a bitter family feud among the supermarket chain's owners, has voted to distribute $250 million to the company's nine shareholders, according to a person briefed on the board's action.
The Market Basket board has been divided between one faction supporting chief executive Arthur T. Demoulas and another group of family members who want to replace the company's leader, accusing him of financial mismanagement and other misdeeds.
The group opposing Arthur T. Demoulas has complained that Market Basket held too much cash and pushed the company to take on debt to pay out more to family members. Arthur T. Demoulas claimed his critics were trying to gain greater control of Market Basket so they could carry through with such payouts.
On Thursday, the board held the latest in a series of meetings since family critics advanced a proposal to fire Arthur T. Demoulas. Though directors have not voted to dismiss the chief executive, they approved a proposal to hire Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm, according to the person briefed on the meeting.
An attorney and a public relations firm representing members of the Market Basket board did not return calls Friday.
The Thursday board meeting was initially convened at the Harvard Club in Boston. Directors moved to a nearby law firm after a crowd of Market Basket employees gathered outside the club on Commonwealth Avenue. Employees of the company have protested efforts to oust Arthur T. Demoulas and other proposed changes.
The latest Demoulas family feud burst into public view last month when relatives of Arthur T. Demoulas filed legal papers accusing him of mismanagement and engaging in "self-dealing'' transactions in which he directed tens of millions of dollars to real estate businesses owned by his wife and brothers-in-law. Arthur T. Demoulas said the deals in question were fully vetted and cleared by an outside arbiter.
Family members trying to oust Arthur T. Demoulas also accused him of running roughshod over the board, among other allegations.
Those relatives, including his first cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, won a court order to hold a board meeting where they were to consider Arthur T.'s removal as president.
That meeting, held on July 18, featured loud protests from Market Basket employees who gathered outside to show support for Arthur T, and the board did not take up a motion to remove him.
The current board battle is just the latest conflict in a two-decade war over the Massachusetts-based supermarket chain, which last year recorded net income of $217 million on $4 billion in revenue.
In the 1990s, Arthur T.'s father, Telemachus Demoulas, lost a massive fraud lawsuit in which he was found liable for stealing the ownership shares of his brother's family members, including Arthur S. Demoulas. At the time, Arthur T. was found to have engaged in the wrongdoing by improperly transferring company assets to business entities controlled by his side of the family.
Although his side lost the legal fight, Arthur T. has retained control of company operations because one member of Arthur S.'s side of the family voted with him in board elections.
But in early June, that relative, Rafaele Evans, switched sides and supported candidates backed by Arthur S., giving him control of the board.
That set off a quick chain of events — culminating in Arthur S. and others winning the court order to hold a special meeting to consider Arthur T's firing and other management changes. The board's subsequent meetings were so contentious that directors had planned a discussion on civility at this week's gathering.


text: Where are we going Saturday?" is a familiar phrase in Corpulent Towers. "Time for somewhere new", I said reaching for the phone. Both of the places I had in mind were already fully booked and so I headed to Google for some inspiration. Out of my results I picked "The Clytha Arms" on the old Abergavenny to Raglan Road. Previously [&hellip


text: hi ya On Mon, 10 Feb 2003, Dale Harris wrote: > On Mon, Feb 10, 2003 at 03:44:25PM -0800, alvin at Maggie.Linux-Consulting.com elucidated: > > > > more importantly... yes... definitely add a ups to each and every > > node/PC/workstation/servers... > > > > Seems like have a UPS for each and every node would be a waste of space. > Wouldn't it be better to go with a Liebert or large UPS or power > conditioning system? Granted, that is going to cost some bucks. i once used a generic sealed car battery w/ charger... the silly system stayed up for 15hrs ... before dying :-) car battery is cheap ... was a fun experiment.. but you should know how to get rid of the hydrogen .. somehow... ( you dont want the firemarshalls to see a bunch of car batteries ( before or after the fire c ya alvin


text:
Message Board
Maurice Leblanc Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Leblanc has written!
Author Leblanc's Book Reviews
Arse'ne Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes: The Hollow Needle
In this first volume of a planned three-volume set, the reader is introduced to Arse'ne Lupin, the Gentleman Burglar of France. Maurice Leblanc made the fictional character famous in a series of short stories and novels just after the turn of the century approximately 100 years ago. Arse'ne Lupin, in a sense, was France's answer to the exploits of the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Various meetings between the men on opposite sides make up the two short stor...


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Sept. 15, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - A hard-fought match between conference foes MIT and Clark University ended in a 0-0 tie on Saturday afternoon at Steinbrenner Stadium, as each team opened its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference schedule with a well deserved point. The scoreless draw is the first such result for the Engineers since 1996, when they had two in one season against both Gordon College and Babson College.
The tie preserves the Cardinal and Gray's perfect start to the campaign, as its record now stands at 3-0-1 overall and 0-0-1 in the NEWMAC. Clark, which has played to three straight stalemates, is 1-1-3 overall and 0-0-1 in the conference.
Both teams had difficulty creating scoring opportunities throughout the match, as gusting winds and occasional showers made for unfavorable weather conditions. They also contributed to a high foul count, as MIT committed 30 to Clark's 21.
Clark forward Jenner Alpern came closest to scoring in regulation, as the junior's 22nd minute shot was cleared off of the line by an MIT defender after sophomore Andrew Ninnemman had rounded Tech keeper Tom Caldwell. Engineers' forward Chase Lochmiller provided the Cardinal and Gray's best scoring chance with a 25-yard drive midway through the second half that forced a save out of Clark net-minder Peter Wise.
The visitors had a golden opportunity to secure victory 2:35 into the game's first overtime session, but Cougar freshman Kyle Klapp was unlucky to see his driven penalty ricochet off the outside of the right post.
Caldwell finished with four saves to earn his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career. Wise was forced to stop just one shot for his first shutout of the campaign.
MIT will return to the field on Wednesday, Sept. 19, when it will pay a visit to Wentworth Institute of Technology at 7:00 p.m. Clark also returns to action on Sept. 19, when it will host Lasell College in a match that is slated for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff.


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Student or Learner
I am updating my performance appraisals.Can you please correct the sentenses and suggest me some good sentences to write.first one is an object i have given my comments at the last.
Review Number: 1
1.90% first time acceptance & sign-off by customers of all technical design documents
2.No show stopper for SIT/UAT on account of technical design gaps
3.Error rate should be less than 20% of the total # of errors for the project
4.TD iteration should not be more then 1time
5.100% schedule adherence on design deliverables
II)Build/Unit Test:
1.Code should confirm to client/Wipro norms, deviation not to exceed 2%of review defects by QC team (internal/customer)
2.Error rate for code should be less than 25% of the total # of errors
3.100% of the code should be reviewed by peer/lead
4.100% of developed code to be unit tested by the developer and results published
5.100% schedule adherence on code, unit test scripts, plan & results
1.100% logging of test defects
2.100% closure on bug & data fixes within the SLA specified for SIT/UAT for the project
IV)Go-Live Support / Warranty Support:
100% closure on bug & data fixes within the SLA specified for the project
my comments for that :
1) I have delivered the TD and Build adhering to plan submitted to client. Submitted the TD's to the clients with out any further iterations.
2)Did the development of project adhering to all the processes including TD, UTP, and Traceability matrix.
3) I follow the coding standards to improve the performance of the code and also to give bug free output. I do self code review before sending it to QA.
4) Proactively worked in Call monitoring, call counter Alternate Supplier, CCGeo Automation, CDR Reconciliation and Nationals Improvements - Monthly CC stats projects. Didnt receive any major bugs on codes developed by me. Didnt receive any QA comment in my own assignments and other developments for bug fixing.
5) Played a role in the feedback sessions with Onsite leads.
6) Completed SMTD's on time.
7) Customers were happy with performance and received client appreciation for Call Counter alternate supplier and CCGeo Automation projects.


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I have been crusading for years to enlist sports in the battle to combat climate change.
Our Sporting Green Alliance takes sustainable technology in water, wind, solar, recycling and resurfacing and asks stadiums, arenas and practice fields at the professional, collegiate and high school level to incorporate it into their venues. The goal is to drop carbon emissions and energy costs and turn these venues into energy providers selling generated energy back to the larger power grid.
Another goal is to transform these locations into educational platforms so that the millions of fans who attend games can see a waterless urinal or solar panel and think about how to integrate these practices into their own homes and business – thus using sports to trigger attitudinal change. Teams can create green "content" – Saturday morning cartoon shows with sports heroes fighting for the environment and comic books similarly themed.
The everyday sports woven into the culture of our coastal communities involve the ocean. We swim, body surf, surf, boat, jet-ski, fish and find a variety of recreations from our proximity to the sea. But all these activities are threatened.
The sad truth is that our oceans and the water that drains into them have become polluted. Although the earth is two thirds ocean, mankind has treated it like a garbage dump and source of drainage for a variety of toxic materials. A variety of enlightened activists from the Surfrider Foundation to Save Our Oceans have done excellent work to reverse this trend, but the challenge is overwhelming.
One local citizen has found a unique way to make a major impact on the problem of polluted oceans, waterways and the species that live in them – the world renowned artist and humanitarian Wyland.
I have bought Wyland's art over the years and it is a source of pleasure. His art and murals have sold millions all around the world. 19 years ago he decided to tackle the water issue by training and exposing younger generations to the problem, and teaching them creative ways to deal with it. The Wyland Foundation has dedicated to promoting, protecting and preserving the world's ocean, waterways and marine life. It encourages environmental awareness through educational program, public arts projects, and community events. These activities have been brought to over a million kids in all 50 states and around the world. They have been held from the lawn of the White House to the United Nations headquarters.
Wyland designed a Clean Water Mobile Center with a theater and interactive investigation stations which travels the country and allows kids a hands-on experience. It created an Earth Month Hero Program, which gave cash awards to 30 teachers in Los Angeles and Orange County who designed creative environmental educational efforts. It sponsored a Mayor's Challenge which had cities compete to see which municipality could save the most water, reduce the most carbon emissions and save the most trash from landfills.
If music and love are universal languages, so is art. Wyland has been called the "Michelangelo of Marine Life" for his stunning creations. They are a natural draw for children. As he says, "If we want to protect the environment today, you can talk to the adults, but if we want to protect it for the future, we must get the kids involved."
The 19th annual Wyland Foundation Celebration is being held Nov. 12, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point.
There will be art, exhibits, Wyland and fun galore. Three-time world boxing champion Sugar Shane Mosley is expected to appear.
Though I am hardly worthy, Wyland is presenting your author with the Ambassador to the World Award. If you want to have a joyful and educational Sunday in the sun and support the oceans and children's environmental education, contact the Wyland Foundation quickly because there are only a few invitations left.
We don't want to be the first generation in the history of this country to hand down a degraded quality of life to our children.
LEIGH STEINBERG is a renowned sports agent, author, advocate, speaker and humanitarian. His column appears weekly. Follow Leigh on Twitter @steinbergsports or blog.steinbergsports.com.


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How Much Does NEA Spend on Politics? I have been asked this question, in some form, at least once a week for the past 13 years. I'm afraid my answer invariably fails to satisfy. I respond:
What do you mean by "NEA" and what do you mean by "politics?"
Therein lies the main difficulty with placing an indisputable figure on the cash amount. One man's "politics" is another man's "member communication." Some think "political spending" is limited to donations to candidates. Others think it's every dollar not directly related to bargaining contracts for local teachers.
I'll do my best to work you through it - from the broadest interpretation to the narrowest and from national to local - with examples from the current election cycle. Fair warning, though: The results are nuanced and overlapping.
The first thing we have to do is to divide NEA into its three components - national, state and local. Though money is extracted from members' paychecks in one lump sum, its division and destination depend on federal and state laws. NEA's national headquarters expects to bring in $358 million in 2010-11.
Because unions cannot charge non-members for political spending, each year NEA must compute what portion of its spending is related to collective bargaining and services, and what portion is not. This percentage varies year-to-year, but by NEA's own computation the non-chargeable portion is around 40 percent. So the broadest interpretation of NEA's "political" spending would be $143 million annually.
State affiliates must perform a similar computation. Their non-chargeable percentage varies from state to state, but here in California it has traditionally been about 30 percent. The California Teachers Association's budget is around $201 million, so its "political" spending would be about $60 million. If you were to perform similar calculations on all of NEA's state affiliates, your grand total would run about $275 million.
NEA has more than 10,000 local affiliates, but relatively few spend money on politics. The ones that do tend to be large, like those in Los Angeles and San Diego. I couldn't even estimate what a grand total would be, but I feel confident that all political spending, at all levels, under the broadest interpretation, would amount to something under $450 million annually.
But how that money is categorized is a different story entirely, because the lion's share of it never ends up in the war chests of either political candidates or campaigns. Most of it is used to deliver a political message to members, and is therefore not subject to any campaign finance restrictions. So the question of whether a particular expense is political depends not only on the substance of the message, but to whom it is being disseminated. If NEA sends a mailer to a member calling for the election of Candidate X, or the passage of Measure Y, it is probably not a campaign expenditure. But if NEA sends the same mailer to me, it is.
What NEA spends to influence politicians and the public is reported in political finance public records. What it spends to influence its own members shows up only in its comprehensive financial reporting, gathered by the IRS and the Department of Labor. So when NEA says it plans to spend $40 million on the 2010 election, it isn't entirely clear whether the union includes member communication in that total. Unfortunately, even when we disregard members the political spending picture can still be very cloudy.
First, there are lobbying expenditures. In the 2009-10 election cycle, NEA has so far spent about $4.4 million on lobbying. Naturally, NEA lobbies Congress and the executive branch. State affiliates lobby governors and state legislatures and report those expenditures individually. You can check each state's top lobbyists and see where each NEA affiliate ranks, and then total it up. Let me know what you end up with.
Next are PAC contributions. These cause the most confusion because the union is fond of telling objecting members, "We don't spend dues money on political candidates." This is true. It is against the law to do so. But this is the narrowest interpretation of political spending - direct contributions to candidates. NEA must collect voluntary contributions for its PAC, and only from members. Most of the fundraising comes during annual events and assemblies, such as the NEA convention each July. It might surprise you to know that NEA's $1.2 million in PAC spending in the 2010 cycle doesn't rank in the top 20 Democratic PAC contributors (AFT is sixth).
So we move on to those political expenditures for which you can use dues money: independent expenditures, issue campaigns and ballot initiatives. According to the Federal Election Commission, NEA had more than $3.4 million in independent expenditures for the period from Sept. 1 to Oct. 14. But that's far from all. As EIA readers well know, NEA collects $10 annually from each member for its Ballot Measures/Legislative Crises Fund. Money that isn't disbursed carries over to the following year, often leaving NEA with $20 million to spend on national or state campaigns.
The union no longer issues a memo detailing those expenditures, but EIA has reported on the $3 million granted to Oklahoma and $500,000 to Washington. EIA has also learned that NEA will end up contributing almost $4.3 million to California's ballot initiative campaigns. All these national contributions are in addition to whatever the state affiliate raises and spends on its own. It can get tricky keeping track of these, since an NEA donation could go directly to an initiative campaign, or it could go to the state affiliate, which then gives it to the initiative campaign. There is both a danger of missing a significant donation, or double-counting a single one.
The National Institute on Money in State Politics does yeoman work trying to keep it all straight, but it is limited by the relative transparency of each state's laws. Nonetheless, it reports $28.8 million in political spending from NEA and its state affiliates during the 2009-10 election cycle (so far). Almost $12.8 million of that is being spent in California. And as we zoom in on California, we can see just how complex this all can get.
Let's begin with the eight initiatives set for the November ballot. The state's Fair Political Practices Commission reported on the large contributors in each campaign. The California Teachers Association contributed more than $100,000 to five of them (for what each measure would do, check this page):
- $304,240 to No on 22
- $200,000 to No on 23
- $6,449,894 to Yes on 24
- $1,204,240 to Yes on 25
- $254,240 to No on 26
But CTA's political spending extends far beyond these initiatives. The union has a candidate PAC, an issues PAC, and two independent expenditure committees. Let's take them in turn.
The candidate PAC is especially tricky, because CTA, like NEA, has to collect voluntary contributions for it. Except the definition of voluntary is slightly different in California from what it is at the federal level. When one becomes a CTA member, one must check a box refusing to donate to the PAC. Leave it blank, and you'll be contributing $26.30 a year to the PAC for as long as you remain a member.
This year, the CTA candidate PAC sent relatively small amounts to candidates and Democratic Party committees, but directed $1.5 million to one independent expenditure committee and $5 million to the other. The first committee sent all of its funding to the state superintendent of public instruction campaign of Tom Torlakson. The second committee has so far spent $1.5 million on Torlakson, $1 million on Jerry Brown for governor, and $250,000 to the Alliance for a Better California, a coalition of public employee unions that has given the bulk of its money to Jerry Brown and the Yes on 24 and 25 campaigns.
This brings us, at last, to the issues PAC, which in addition to the ballot initiative spending noted above, also gave $2 million to the California Democratic Party.
As you can see, there isn't a sound bite reply to the headline question, "How Much Does NEA Spend on Politics?" But you wouldn't be far wrong if you simply answered, "As much as it wants to."


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Author Notes: Wha'choo lookin' at? Ah, the things we do for food52. The Dirt Water Dog is the epitome of New York City street food. It's been sitting there simmering in its bath of grayish water for days maybe on someone's cart on 6th Avenue. This is not your Papaya dog, which has a satisfying snap to it. And unlike the Chicago hot dog it's permissable (even desirable) to lay on the ketchup and bright yellow mustard. The only food that might be as typical of eating on the street in New York is pizza by the slice with its odd orange color, not to mention plenty of oregano and red pepper flake. But then you get into your falafels... Everything perfumed by the aroma of taxi and bus exhaust. Of course, we could venture in the direction of the Coney Island dog, which is unspeakable except as an object of horror. —pierino
Serves: 4
all beef hot dogs, in natural casing (Hebrew National if available)
hot dog buns
ketchup or chili sauce
yellow ball park style mustard
- Place the dogs in a shallow pan of simmering water. Go away for an hour or so, but check back from time to time to make sure the skins haven't burst. Don't think about using skinless dogs for this or they will likely decompose.
- If you want to be somewhat civilized warm up the buns.
- Lay on the condiments.
- How hard was that?
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Fair Food
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Street Food
More Great Recipes:
Sandwich|American|Beef|5 Ingredients or Fewer|Fourth of July|Summer


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Oh, my sweet little honey girl ...
There is just too much to write about ... so I'll do a quickie "catch up" post so that I'm not as overwhelmed with posting next time.
As I sit here snuggling my little peanut, I can't believe how much she's grown! At her 8 week appointment she weighed 11 pounds, 11 ounces. Now at 11 weeks, she's a tank. The little honey went from 10th percentile for weight at birth to 70th. She's a wonderful cuddler and is becoming a wonderful sleeper as well, giving mommy a 7 hour stretch at night. Evenings can be rough, but ... she's improving and we'll just leave it at that.
Hazel spent her first weekend at my family's cabin in Balsam Lake. We have years and years of memories here (it's been in my family for generations), so I was quite excited to show her the ropes. We went for lots of walks & watched daddy fish & went to the flea market. What a fun, relaxing weekend!
We spent the past weekend in Hartford for my cousin's bridal shower. It was so great to see her and the rest of the family and spend some quality time with them. It's a long trip (4 hours!), and Hazel was a champ. Hazel met a lot of new people - here she is with her great papa Neil
That Sunday was Ceej's first Father's day. We brought him breakfast in bed (never mind that it was Triscuits with mozzarella balls) and spent time with gram before making the trek back home. We stopped in the Dells for lunch and a little shopping at the fabulous Tanger Outlets... ahh good bargain-finding memories... and after we got home went for dinner with Ceej's family. Hazel made her daddy a stepping stone with her little footprint in it for our dirt garden. This will be our tradition, I've decided (except hopefully we'll have flowers next year).
We took the little lady to Phoenix Park for our favorite summer event: Sounds Like Summer concert series. She loved the live music and fun atmosphere. She laid on this blanket in the grass for 2 hours. Awake & happy - 2 good things.
Hazel has a new boyfriend! Landon Robert is finally here. I can't believe how big/slightly obese Hazel looks next to him. Just 11 weeks ago she was a full pound smaller than this handsome little guy. I told her not to worry - she won't always be the larger one.
We've also begun house browsing! We are going to walk through 5 tonight ... oh boy! I say browsing because we aren't desperate, but we are ready if/when we find something perfect for us.
In other news, I start my second 3 month long fieldwork at a hospital July 11th. I am so sad to be leaving my baby. Although I have been blessed to be spending her first 14 weeks with her, it feels too soon. 1 year would be sufficient, I reckon. Or maybe 5. Okay, 18. I am only now starting to feel the sweet in the bittersweet and feeling some excitement in getting back on the track of becoming an occupational therapist (just a week ago I would start crying at the thought of not spending every day with her ... yes, I am one of those moms.). I never thought that after working so hard & so long for my education in a field that I adore I would feel so fulfilled staying home with my baby. I never looked down on anyone who chose to stay home, I just didn't think I would wish I could be one of them. I will press on and be a working mom, but it breaks my heart. I am so thankful to have my mother-in-law able to take care of Hazel every day, because I know she will always be with someone who adores her.
That's my life lately. Very happy. Very fulfilling. Very wonderful.
Overview Interview
1 year ago


text:
Trout Fishing in America makes family music, and we love to share with kids! Here are some special treats for you.
Neat Things Trout Fishing Has Done:
Thanks to all of you who sent us your HAIR PARTY photos. We are still collecting them and will add them to Trout's ofFISHal Face Book page in the photos section. Send to email@example.com. Trout fans Rock!
Coloring pages featuring the art of Beans Barton. These are pdf files. Click on the name of the one you want to color, print it out, and enjoy!
[nggallery id=1]
Trout Fishing in America's lyrics are on mp3lyrics.org.
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Gene Weaver Website and ToolsGeneWeaver combines cross-species data and gene entity integration, scalable hierarchical analysis of user data with a community-built and curated data archive of gene sets and gene networks, and tools for data driven comparison of user-defined biological, behavioral and disease concepts. Gene Weaver allows users to integrate gene sets across species, tissue and experimental platform. It differs from conventional gene set over-representation analysis tools in that it allows users to evaluate intersections among all combinations of a collection of gene sets, including, but not limited to annotations to controlled vocabularies. There are numerous applications of this approach. Sets can be stored, shared and compared privately, among user defined groups of investigators, and across all users.
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xbay wrote:Congratulations to Pawno and Aussie for winning this year's Playoff Pick 'Em. Aussie did not receive any points this week, but Pawno did after he was the closest to guess the sum of the entire score(48) with a total of 51. Those 3 points made the difference as he tied with Aussie for a grand total of 20 points.
And if pride means anything to me or TMC, we were the only ones who chose the Saints.
Im a winner!!
SUCK MY D!CK (whoever, dont mind if you capt or BIGS)


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Baby boomer couples are waking up to the need to maximize their Social Security benefits, by using complex claiming strategies to get the most they are entitled to. Rather than go it alone, many are relying on new online tools and calculators, with names like "Social Security Maximizer." The problem: Some of the most basic tools can produce faulty recommendations.
To check the math, it's a good idea to shell out $20 to $250 for advice from the academics behind such tools as SocialSecuritySolutions.com, SocialSecurityChoices.com, and MaxmizeMySocialSecurity.com – all of which my colleagues at The Wall Street Journal and I have tested and like. Or you can run the results by your financial adviser – assuming he or she has a clue about Social Security. (Not all do.)
But it also pays to know something about Social Security's complex rules yourself-- so you can assess whether the results you get seem reasonable. A warning: They can get complicated, especially for couples.
For single individuals, the "maximization" calculation is pretty straightforward—provided you have insight into how long you might live. Most of us don't have such specific knowledge, of course, but this Social Security Administration life-expectancy calculator can give you a ballpark figure; input your birth date and gender, and it spits out "the average number of additional years" someone of your gender with your birthday can expect to live at your current age, age 62, full retirement age, and age 70.
Armed with that estimate, you can figure out whether you're better off taking a smaller monthly benefit earlier or a bigger monthly amount later on. Benefits rise by 6% to 8% annually—plus a cost of living adjustment—for every year a beneficiary holds off on claiming between the ages of 62 and 70. To estimate your benefits based on when you retire, use this calculator.
For couples (and widows, widowers, and divorced people), the claiming decision can be far more complex, in part due to the availability of spousal and survivors' benefits. For example, each spouse in a couple might have a choice of two benefits—either one based on his or her own earnings record, or a spousal benefit. Ideally, someone who selects the spousal benefit can switch at some future date to his or her own benefit, which will have grown larger thanks to the delay in collecting it—a step that might help maximize a lifetime payout.
Often, the way to maximize benefits is for the higher earner to wait to claim, ideally until age 70, to let his or her benefit grow. But the devil, as they say, is in the details. In order to maintain the ability to switch from a spousal benefit to one's own, each spouse has to follow some rules:
- If you want to claim a spousal benefit, your spouse must file for his benefit first. Before you nudge your 63-year-old husband to claim, consider this: If he is the higher earner, it generally pays for him to delay claiming until age 70. But there is a way for you two to have your cake and eat it too: Your spouse can file for his benefit and then suspend actually collecting it-- using the "file and suspend" rule. Yet another important caveat: In order to suspend his benefit, your spouse must have reached his full retirement age—or the age at which he is entitled to take an unreduced Social Security benefit. That age varies by birth year, but for those born between 1943 and 1954, the full retirement age is 66. As a result, if you want to maximize your collective benefits, your spouse should typically file and then suspend at his full retirement age – and then resume collecting at 70, says Sharon Lacy, wealth planning manager at Bedrock Capital Management, a fee-only wealth management firm in Los Altos, Calif.
- If a wife, for example, wants a spousal benefit, she is entitled to half of her husband's full retirement age benefit. But if she claims that benefit before her full retirement age, it will be reduced –the exact percent of the reduction depends how old she is when she files the claim. On the other hand, spousal benefits do not increase if you wait until after your full retirement age to claim – so there is no incentive for waiting.
- If you are entitled to both a spousal benefit and a benefit based on your own earnings, be careful about claiming a spousal benefit before your full retirement age. Why? If you claim early, the Social Security Administration will "deem" that you have filed for your own benefit. Here's how it works: If at age 62, you qualify under your own work history for a reduced benefit of $600 a month, but your reduced spousal benefit would be $750, you might assume you should file for your spousal benefit now and then switch to your own benefit later, when it has grown to more than $750. But under the "deeming filing" rule, the Social Security Administration will assume you are filing for your own reduced benefit of $600 and add on a $150 spousal benefit, says Marty Allenbaugh, a senior marketer at T. Rowe Price. As a result, you'd "lose the ability to apply for your own benefit at a later time," when it will be bigger, says Allenbaugh.
- Once you reach your full retirement age, the "deeming filing rule" no longer applies. At this point, you can file a "restricted application" for a spousal benefit, leaving your own benefit on hold to grow larger.
Got that? If you want to read more, see this piece from Fidelity Investments.
Also on MarketWatch:
Got retirement figured out? Take our test
Instant gratification can sabotage your retirement
Your parents are much richer than you think
Anne Tergesen covers retirement for The Wall Street Journal. Follow her on Twitter @AnneTergesen .


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New chefs on the block
They've trained hard and travelled far and they're back in charge on home turf, picking up a couple of Michelin stars along the way. Meet some of the new generation of Irish head chefs
Karl Whelan, head chef at Fade Street Social, Dublin. Photograph: Alan Betson
Niall O'Sullivan, head chef at Isobel's restaurant, Baggot Street, Dublin. Photograph: Alan Betson
Rory Carville, head Chef at Lock's Brasserie. Photograph: Alan Betson
Enda McEvoy, head chef at Aniar restaurant in Galway. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy
Enda McEvoy
Head chef, Aniar, Galway (Michelin one-star)
Imagine this scenario: a compact 27-seat restaurant is crammed with some of Ireland's top chefs, plus a liberal sprinkling of food writers and critics. They've all been at a food event in town, and use the opportunity to eat at one of Ireland's newest Michelin one-stars. And there, in a corner, is an inspector from that very guide, the restaurant bible that can make or break careers. It's a no-win situation - momentum is interrupted as the chefs drop into the busy kitchen, with good intentions, to say hello (and mention the elephant in the corner), and the guide's cover is blown as he's "spotted" by several of the chefs he has previously inspected.
"I knew there might be some chefs eating here, but I didn't realise how many," the Michelin man told Edna McEvoy, head chef at Aniar in Galway, when they met for a chat the day after the inspection. This isn't unusual in the realms of Michelin, feedback is sometimes given and clarifications asked for. But this time, it was different, McEvoy had news for Michelin – he was leaving Aniar, just five months after the accolade was awarded last October.
"I wanted to be upfront about what I was doing and where I was going. I had given five months notice, I had decided to leave before we got the star." McEvoy intends to open a restaurant with rooms, in the greater Galway area, with his wife, Sinead Meacle, and they are currently in negotiations to lease a five-bed property 23 kilometres from the city.
Today, he is doing his final service in the kitchen at Aniar. " I will be a little sad leaving, I expect, because I put a lot of energy into the place, but I am looking forwad to a new challenge. Change is positive for me," he says.
What happens to the star now, is down to Aniar's new head chef, local man Ultan Cooke, who has returned from London, where he was working at John Torode's Smith's of Smithfield, to take over from McEvoy. The pair have been working together for the past month to facilitate a seemless handover. "We're going to continue in the same vein, but slowly we'll move into doing things slightly differently. But the ethos will stay the same, as in what Aniar stands for. The name means from the west, that's about sorcing things from the west and using local suppliers, and that's what we're going to continue to do," Cooke says.
McEvoy, meanwhile, will be bringing the spirit of Aniar, if not the body and bones of the business, to his next venture. "This is all me, I don't really know how to do anything elses," he says of the particular and highly personal stamp he put on Aniar's menu. "This is a work in progress anyway, not to sound too highfalutin about it," he says. McEvoy describes his cooking style as "led by the seasons, product driven and quite light and fresh".
"I try to to just have three or at most four ingredients on a plate and get as much as possible out of them." Lemons are the only ingredient not grown or produced in Ireland that makes it through the kitchen door. "We don't use any spices here at all, we don't even us e pepper. We use things like whey to get acidity from, to give things a high note, and we make different vinegars. I gather things like wild rose petals in summer to infuse them in vinegar to add to sauces later on in the year and we pickle different seed pods, berries, to use in the winter."
The wild and local food concept is similar to the credo at Noma, in Copenhagen, where McEvoy worked for three months at the end of 2010, but he had already been working with wild and foraged ingredients when he was head chef at Sheridan's on the Docks from 2008 to 2010.
Just like at Noma, the three kitchen staff at Aniar come out of their lair to deliver plates and interact with diners. "They're seated by the waiters and given a wine list. Then we bring the snacks, it's to embrace everyone when they come in, let them know they're in capable and friendly hands. I love the idea of that. It completely relaxes people, and you win them over. You're giving them something small to eat and its explained by the person who made it."
There's another advantage McEvoy sees in this hands-on approach. "You get to know what sort of guest it is, what they expect, as well. Most of the time you're stuck in a little box, and you're handed a little bit of paper and you make the thing that's on the paper, and you hand it to someone else and you've no contact with people or where all your work is going."
McEvoy mentions that some customers are suprised by Aniar's modest surroundings and casual air, in relation to its Michelin status. "We did get a certain amount of people coming in here that were quite confused, you know, that would be used to eating in Patrick Guilbaud's or Thornton's, and they'd come in here and see, like, a cafe."
So does he get many difficult customers? "Some people come in here quite angry or quite defensive, they feel they have to take charge of something they have no control over. So I suppose you kinda guage these people and try and relax them a bit and make them happy. If you make them happy, it makes your life a bit easier – and they can enjoy your food a lot better."
It's apparent that that McEvoy's four years spent studying at NUI Maynooth, from where he graduated with a double honours degree in English literature and sociology, have given him useful insight into human behaviour, but it's his other academic interest that he will soon have to call on. "I did maths in first year in college, however I am much more interested in people than numbers and figures. But I will have to get interested in numbers and figures again if I am going to open a business."
Karl Whelan,
Head chef, Fade Street Social
Karl Whelan has cooked for Queen Elizabeth in the grandeur of Dublin Castle, and catered for presidents, sheikhs and assorted royalty in the palatial surroundings of Le Meurice in Paris, but when he opens his own place, it will be a barbecue and blues joint, reflecting his interests in the food of America's deep south, and music.
However, at the moment he's following someone else's dream. "I am helping build a restaurant, a massive restaurant, 1,800sq ft." He's talking about Fade Street Social, Dylan McGrath's latest venture in Dublin city centre and by "build" he means play a role in making it a success.
"We can do up to 300/350 in the Gastro Bar per day and in the restaurant we have done close to 300 on a day." Those are big numbers, and Whelan is keen to emphasise that it's a team effort. "Dylan writes the menus and develops all the food, we are like facilitators for his ideas."
As head chef, Whelan explains his slot in the kitchen hierarchy: "Executive group chef Bernard McGuane is above me, and I am above executive sous chef Troy Watson, but it's very much the three of us together doing it. And then there's 20 other lads working their bollocks off."
Whelan went to catering college after being asked to leave his school, Terenure College. "I never fitted in in school, with the way that they teach. I am dyslexic, like a lot of chefs." He found his niche in the kitchen, and has worked at some of the world's best, travelling to Sydney and then France, before returning to Chapter One in Dublin, where he worked with Ross Lewis, designing and delivering the State banquet for Queen Elizabeth's visit.
He has also worked in several Dublin landmarks, including Cooke's and l'Ecrivain, and set up Tribes in Glasthule. But what he perceived to be reluctance on the part of Dublin diners to try new things, set him on another course. "What people wanted to eat and what I wanted to cook were different and it got under my skin. I wanted see what it was like at the really, really high end."
So he went to France, and worked first at Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, and then at Le Meurice, a Michelin three-star in Paris. Asked if the French kitchen system is as tough as it's reputation, Whelan says "More so, in that you have big brigades and the hierarchy and the arrogance of it all, and how pompous it all is, and that goes hand in hand with amazing produce and really, really talented people."
Although he is cooking in a very different style at Fade Steet Social, Whelan is enjoying the challenge. "We are trying to build something really special. The gastro bar has funky modern small dishes, using really really good ingredients. The restaurant is a little bit more formal and we're trying to go with a more Irish feel there." How does he find working with the famously exacting Dylan McGrath? "He respects what we're doing, he knows what goes into it. of coure he comes in and picks holes in everything, but that's his role, and my role is to take that criticism and improve."
Rory Carville
Head chef, Locks Brasserie, Dublin (Michelin one-star)
When the news broke last September that Locks Brasserie was one of two Irish restaurants to win Michelin stars for the first time, head chef Rory Carville was asleep and unaware of the furore. "It was my first morning off in three weeks, so I turned my phone to silent and had a sleep-in. When I woke up, there were 20 missed calls I thought the place had burned down or something," says the 29-year-old, who is originally from Castleblayney, Co Monaghan.
Carville, who has been at the helm at Locks since September 2010, when he left a job working on a luxury yacht in the Med to return to Ireland, says he was disappointed not to have won a star the previous year. "For the first year, I really tried. They [the Michelin inspectors] were in to me three or four times," he says.
Michelin inspections are done in secrecy, so how did he know? "You get to know a couple of faces. And with the open kitchen here, once a check comes on for one person, I'm always very curious to see who it is." It's not an infallible inspector detection method though. "Apparently last year they came in three times and I had no idea they were in at all," he says.
Having earned the elusive star, and seen bookings grow as a result, Carville is now faced with the pressure of trying to hold on to it. "I never actually thought about it in that way until I got it. Now it's starting to kick in what if something goes wrong this year? It's a very hard standard to maintain."
Carville describes his food as "modern Irish, with a bit of a twist", and there are occasional Japanese influences. He cites Brett Graham of The Ledbury in London as a chef whose work he admires, but says he eats out for pleasure, rather than for research. "I have one night off a week, and the last thing I want is to go home and cook. My wife and I live in Donnybrook, just around the corner from The Butcher's Grill [in Ranelagh], so it's nice to go up there for a steak and a glass of wine."
Carville was a good Leaving Cert student at Our Lady's in Castleblayney - "the only one in my year to get an A1 in biology" he points out - but failed Home Economics. "Everyone would still be setting up their stations and I'd already have my bread in the oven," he says. "But I didn't want to sew cushions and stuff like that, which let me down a bagfull."
Both of Carville's brothers followed their father into the engineering profession, but it wasn't for him, and he headed for catering college in Killybegs, where he met his wife Erin McNulty on his first day. The couple are expecting their first child in June.
Apart from impending fatherhood, what does the future hold for Carville? Is the next move a place of his own? " Locks is only kicking off now, the next few years should be very interesting. I have had a few offers since winning the star, but I am quite content here. Myself and Sebastian [Massi, co-proprietor of both Locks and Pearl Brasserie] have such a good business relationship, I wouldn't do it to him. The next place will be my own, but it's a matter of when and where."
Niall O'Sullivan
Head chef, Isabel's, Dublin
A spell working in Australia is a rite of passage that appears on the CVs of many chefs, but not a lot of them have a young family to uproot and bring along with them. Niall O'Sullivan's children were 10, six and two when he made the move from Dublin, where he had worked at a number of restaurants including Caviston's and Dali, to Melbourne. "I had always wanted to do it and I felt that if I could manage to organise this, with three kids, there's pretty much nothing I can't achieve in my life."
O'Sullivan says the move to Australia "gave a reboot" to his cooking. After 15 months away, he's now back in Dublin, where he is head chef at Isabel's on Baggot Street. "I could have stayed longer in Australia. The visa we got was for four years, and my work was brilliant over there, but my wife Erika didn't settle there, she has a twin sister and is very close to her family. We didn't go with emmigration in mind, we went to have an experience."
Apart from enjoying life on the other side of the world, O'Sullivan says the experience significantly changed the way he cooks. "I definitely have a lighter approach with food than I had and use a lot less cream and butter. At lunchtime we do a couple of different salads and use a lot of different grains. In Melbourne there's a great Middle Eastern vibe with the food, so we do a lot with quinoa and pearl barley and bulghur wheat - they're great vessels for flavour."
Another feature of the menu at Isabels's is the use of less fashionable cuts of meat. "The scary bits," I say. "Treated properly, the tastiest bits," O'Sullivan respond. "We need to teach ourselves how to cook with every element of the animal, not just get a piece of fillet in, rip it open and cut it into portions."
He favours brining as a method of tenderising denser cuts of meat, and has an interest in producing his own charcuterie. The kitchen makes its own butter from Wickow cream and natural yoghurt, and the resulting buttermilk goes in the brown bread, as well as being used in a scallop dish. The kitchen at Isabel's is small, he says, so there are restraints in what he can do. But there is an upside: "There's no room for stuff hanging around, we just want to get it in, prepare it, sell it, next day start again."
Although he's originally from Killiney, and now lives in Greystones, O'Sullivan has strong links to the land and is a keen forager for wild foods. "There is breakdown in the link between putting a seed in the ground, growing a vegetable, taking it out of the ground and eating it. Every you chef should spend a month or two on a farm before they're let near a kitchen. If they're out there picking beetroot out of the ground on an ice cold morning, when it comes to preparing beetroot in the kitchen they'll have a lot more respect for it."
O'Sullivan goes out foraging several times a week. "I can pick pretty much all the wild herbs we need for here - we use around 14 or 15 for garnishes," and has started an initiative called Nádúr Collective with two friends and like-minded chefs, Paul Quinn of the Three Qs in Greystones, and Dave Gallagher who works with Redmond Fine Foods. The trio plan to do wild food pop-ups, lead foraging expeditions, and generally raise awareness of the bountiful wild food available if you know where to look.
Like all of the chefs interviewed for this feature, O'Sullivan sees his career as a lifestyle rather than a job, and is happy with his choice. " Once I started cooking, it felt really natural to me. There was no dipping in and out of it; I've never taken a break from it or considered doing anything else. I wouldn't change it for the world, to be honest."


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