text:
|Mobile Site
|eMail Author
|Caption Comp
|Monthly Poll
|Sudden Death
|Colour Key
|Cookie Usage
Enterprise Ramblings
|Lost in Space
|About a family who are lost and trying to get home.
|Space 1999
|About a group of astronauts (Lunanauts?) lost and trying to get home.
|Blake's Seven
|About a group of renegades, and how their noble fight for freedom eventually turns them into little more than terrorists.
|Babylon 5
|About a space station which co-ordinates an interstellar alliance in a war against an ancient evil.
|About aliens attempting to invade Earth.
|Space : Above and Beyond
|About a group of soldiers fighting a war.
|Doctor Who
|About an alien and his companions, usually wandering around lost, helping out the people they meet.
|X Files
|Aliens are visiting us (actually attacking us), and our own government is co-operating in it. Oh, and all kinds of other stuff is going on as well.
|Dark Skies
|Aliens are visiting us (actually attacking us), and our own government is not co-operating in it. Most of the history of the last few decades is a lie.
|Civilisation has collapsed, all is chaos, let's pick up the pieces. Oh, and by the way a few trillion Magog are coming to eat everybody.
|Yellow text = Canon source
|Green text = Backstage source
|Cyan text = Novel
|White text = DITL speculation
|Copyright Graham Kennedy
|Page views : 31,641
|Last updated : 1 Jan 1970


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February 1, 2007
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLEBURY — An Illinois-based manufacturer of brooms, brushes and mops won the right on Tuesday to purchase the former Specialty Filaments plant out of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Burlington, in a deal that could see more than half of the plant's former employees return to work by this Monday, Feb. 5.
The Thomas Monahan Co. (TMC) of Arcola, Ill., submitted the lone, successful bid of $3.125 million for the 3046 Case St. property in Middlebury, which includes the Specialty Filaments plant and 60 acres.
Specialty Filaments, which had been one of the world's largest makers of filaments for brooms and brushes, had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Jan. 11. The closing left 175 people out of work.
By ANDY KIRKALDY
VERGENNES — A lively five-week campaign is shaping up in Vergennes, where a challenger has emerged for Mayor April Jin's job and a five-way race for three city council seats includes only one incumbent, Randall Ouellette.
Jin, an alderman who ran unchallenged for mayor two years ago, will face Michael Daniels, a 59-year-old Vergennes native who served on the city council from 2001 until 2004 before stepping down.
Daniels, a 38-year veteran of the city fire department and a district manager for the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services, said he has been considering returning to city politics for the past two years. When Alderman Michael Sullivan, who was planning to run for mayor, died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve, Daniels decided to challenge Jin.
By LEIGH ARSENAULT
VERMONT — After graduating from college most individuals are thrilled with the seemingly limitless opportunities open to them as they ponder their life options.
Some young Vermonters have found, however, that this ideal only applies to the work world outside their home state.
"The type of employment opportunities in Vermont are limited," said Harley Brakeley. "Realistically, all the good jobs, once people get them, they hold on to them."
He should know. The 22-year-old Middlebury native graduated from Colorado College last spring and currently is working at a local job that isn't as fulfilling as he might have hoped for but does at least allow him to live in his home state.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
EstterKaly video. All videos (14)EstterKaly webcam
EstterKaly webcam
No matter what mood you are in, my room will always be a place to get relaxed and pleased. I am a passionate woman and that is what I want you to feel with me: the passion. I will be interested into know you better,to discover you and to give you what mak


text:
A new poll shows Rick Perry's stock is low in a key early primary state, as as his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination continue to attack the Texas governor ahead of tonight's debate.
A new Suffolk University/7 News poll of New Hampshire Republicans shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the clear frontrunner with 41 percent of the vote. Texas Rep. Ron Paul tallied 14 percent, and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman garnered 10 percent. Perry backers accounted for 8 percent.
Those numbers represent big gains for Paul and Huntsman, both of whom climbed six percentage points since the same poll was conducted in June. Perry also gained six percentage points from that poll, but he had not officially entered the race at that time.
Since Perry opened his campaign last month, Romney, Huntsman, and Paul have all attacked Perry on job creation, taxation, and Social Security.
Perry has fired back, particularly against Romney by criticizing his rival's healthcare legislation in Massachusetts as a copy of President Obama's health care policy.
The candidates have another chance to square off tonight in Orlando, Fla., in a debate hosted by Fox News and the Florida GOP.
A Quinnipiac University Poll shows Perry as the top pick among Republicans in Florida — the Sunshine State, although the poll suggests Romney would fare better against Obama in that battleground.


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Will Windows Be Used For Solar Power?
October 1, 2005
FEATURE ARTICLE | Energy Efficiency, Methods & Techniques
When it comes to today's fenestration products, homeowners expect windows and doors to keep their homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There may come a day in the future, however, when homeowners can actually put their fenestration products to work. Window systems incorporating solar panels, for example, can support a home's energy needs by producing power rather than being a source of energy loss.
"The nice thing about solar voltaic technology is that it's very adaptable," says Mark Burger of Spire Solar Chicago. "Those who think about solar electricity can only think about utilitarian panels you have to put on a roof or a pole. Because of the development of the architectural photovoltaic market, the possibilities are much more varied and exciting."
Although solar windows have not yet made their way into the residential market on a widespread scale, certain specialty projects are paving the way toward greater architect and homeowner awareness of photovoltaic possibilities. Spire Solar Chicago, a subsidiary of Bedford, MA-based Spire Corp., recently produced custom Building Integrated Photovoltaic panels for windows, to be installed at a new visitors' center in Alaska's Denali National Park. The goal for the project is to have the solar windows produce 50 percent of the building's electricity. "The Parks Service wanted people to understand that solar power can work anywhere. This technology works in Alaska, not just California or Hawaii," Burger says.
Finding the right balance
Spire's BIVP panels are laminates designed to fit into Pozzi window systems manufactured by Jeld-Wen Inc. based in Klamath Falls, OR. Although Spire had done solar projects for curtain walls, awnings and canopies, the visitors' center was its first attempt at a vertically integrated window project. "With the windows, we were able to fit the basic look of the visitors' center's lodge appearance," Burger says. "The whole design team wanted people to see that the building was getting a lot of its electricity from solar power, but it needed to be the right balance of looks and function."
The building is open to park visitors during the summer months, when Alaska has peak sunlight. To maximize kilowatt hours, the solar panels are aimed due south at an angle that is roughly less than latitude. Yet, photovoltaic windows can also adapt to individual building designs. "If [the BIVP panel] is vertical in a window, you'll collect less energy, but you'll [still] have a photovoltaic surface that's part of the building design. That's very important for design and aesthetic purposes," Burger says.
Neil Petrie of Davis Constructors and Engineers Inc., Anchorage, AK, was the project manager for the Denali Park lodge and says solar panels were a good option for this particular project as the design team worked toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. Still, cost considerations and obstructed views through the windows were challenges that had to be weighed. "I don't see the combination [of windows and solar panels] being a LEED[-driven] product due to cost and architectural considerations. I would prefer a window with a view to look at if I'm going to install one. Solar [technology] can be integrated into a building much more economically and efficiently if it is built from a standard panel that is positioned for maximum benefit from the sun."
Expanding the products' reach
Spire's BIVP panels are not a first-generation technology. In fact, solar technologies have been used in the space program since the 1950s, on land since the 1960s and in commercial buildings since the 1970s, Burger reports. The next steps for solar panels have less to do with research and development and more to do with collaboration building and marketing. "This is pretty much a mature technology. It's something that architects can present to clients that's not risky. It's a safe and reliable thing to do."
Educating architects about the potential of solar technology in residential settings may expand the products' reach, especially as national energy initiatives move closer to requiring zero-energy homes, Burger notes. "It used to be if someone wanted solar on their house, they had to overcome a lot of barriers, the least of which was finding an architect or builder willing to do something like that. When you have an architect on board, you remove a huge barrier."
Burger points out that as people get more comfortable with the technology, the economic scale of photovoltaics will increase, causing the price to go down. Currently, depending on what type of solar technology is used and how much coverage it has on the window system, he estimates an additional cost of $30-60 per square foot. "With proper design and careful budgeting, you can do a zero-energy home that costs just a few percent higher than a comparable home. Especially with higher-end homes, photovoltaics will be a key factor in that."
Mass-produced solar windows?
The jury seems to be out as to whether or not this technology will gain widespread consumer acceptance. Burger asserts that the window industry may latch onto solar technology because it's one more thing that can differentiate their windows from the competition. "This is just one more architectural feature. In terms of being electronically connected, you already have window systems that are connected for electronic shading or tinting. This is just another variation. It's not such a leap."
Plus, the residential tax credit for energy-saving measures that goes into effect January 1 may encourage homeowners to look at the long-term savings solar power offers, he points out. "It's minor, but a $2,000 credit is still a $2,000 credit."
Still, others believe solar technology will remain in commercial buildings due to their much larger glass surface areas. "At this particular point, there's not a lot of glazing on the residential side to make it worthwhile," says Tom Djokovich, CEO of XsunX, the Aliso Viejo, CA-based developer of photovoltaic Power Glass. "On the average home, the roof is really the most ideal location for solar. In commercial applications, it's the reverse. The roof is smaller compared to the glazing surfaces."
XsunX's involvement in photovoltaic technology has been primarily limited to the commercial arena. The company has developed semi-transparent solar cells for use on transparent substrates such as glass.
Djokovich says there may be an evolving market for solar-powered glass in the residential arena, especially as consumer awareness of energy supply issues grows, but he doesn't think the $2,000 tax credit will go far in terms of being an incentive. "I think LEED helps, but I think the biggest amount of attention is coming from the fact that there's an electrical infrastructure shortage," he says. "It's really a collaborative awareness that's starting to develop—at the government level, the energy supply level and then trickling down to the consumer level. People are realizing that the cost of expanding the infrastructure is enormous."
Incorporating solar panels into skylights makes sense, Djokovich notes, but he thinks that most consumers will simply find it too costly to use in some or all of their windows and doors. "On the residential side, it's a real tough nut to crack. It has to be backed by government or utility incentives. That's the bottom line."


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|Version 20 (modified by 9 years ago) (diff),
Google's Summer of Code 2010
Django is once again applying to be a sponsoring organization for the 2010 Google Summer of Code. (Read Google's page for more information on how the program works.)
Django's SoC program is being run by Jannis Leidel (jannis /at/ leidel /dot/ info).
If you're interested in mentoring -- supervising a student in work on Django-related activities -- add your name and email here:
- Jannis Leidel (jannis /at/ leidel /dot/ info)
- Russell Keith-Magee (russell@…)
- Ville Säävuori (ville@syneus dot fi)
- Greg Wilson (gvwilson@…)
- Your Name (Your Email)
Student applications open March 29 and end on April 9.
If you'd like to get started on your proposal early, we'll be looking for a few things.
- You'll need to have a concrete task in mind (some ideas are below) along with a solid idea of what will constitute "success" (you tell us).
- If your proposal is a single large feature, you'll need to present a detailed design specification. This proposal should be posted to django-developers, where it can be refined until it is accepted by the developer community.
- We'll want to know a bit about you -- links to previous work are great, if any. If you're proposing something ambitious, you'll need to convince us that you're up to the task.
- You'll also need to provide us with a schedule, including a detailed work breakdown and major milestones so your mentor can know if and when to nag you :)
Note that none of the ideas below are good enough to be submissions in their own right (so don't copy and paste)! We'll want to know not just what you want to do but how you plan to pull it off.
Don't feel limited to the ideas below -- if you've got a cool project you want to work on, we'll probably be able to find you a mentor. We plan on approving as many projects as we possibly can.
Note: we're looking for projects that add value to Django itself - not application/CMS projects that use Django.
You should also note that as far as proposals go, we don't make a distinction between a GSoC project and any other proposal for a new feature. When you contribute code, you will be expected to adhere to the same contribution guidelines as any other code contributor. This means you will be expected to provide extensive tests and documentation for any feature you add, you will be expected to participate in discussion on django-developers when your topic of interest is raised. If you're not already familiar with Django's contribution guidelines, now would be a good time to read them.
The django-gsoc Google Group has been setup to facilitate communication between students and mentors in the GSoC efforts. This list should only be used for GSoC administrative matters. Any discussions on the specifics of a given proposal should be directed to django-developers.
Here are some suggestions for projects students may want to propose (lazyweb: please add to this list!). This isn't by any means the be-all and end-all of ideas; please feel free to submit proposals for things not on this list. However, if you're going to propose something that isn't on this list, you might want to check on django-developers to see if there is any interest before you start drafting a full proposal.
When developing your proposal, try to scope ideas/proposals to the 4-month timeline -- simply proposing to fix a ticket or two will probably result in your proposal being rejected in favor of a more ambitious one. The GSoC does not cover activities other than coding, so certain ideas ("Write a more detailed tutorial" or "Create demonstration screencasts" or "Add a pony?") are not suitable for inclusion here.
On the other side, though, be sure to be concrete in your proposal. We'll want to know what your goals are, and how you plan to accomplish them.
In no particular order:
Template compilation
- Complexity: High
A common criticism of Django's template language is that it is too slow. One reason for this is that the rendering process is handled at a very high level, interpreting a tree of tree nodes that have been generated by parsing the template source file.
Other Python-based template languages gain significant speedups by compiling templates directly to Python bytecode. A Django template compiler would allow for similar templating speedups.
Issues to consider:
- How does Django's template variable scoping rules map to a compilation scheme?
- Django Template tags are able to modify the context as the template is rendered. How does this affect the compilation process?
- How should we handle the upgrade path when compiled templates are added to trunk?
See also:
- One proposal to implement template compilation
- The [source:django/trunk/django/template django.template code module]
- Other template languages, like Jinja2 and Cheetah
Enhanced auth.user
- Complexity: High
One of the most common class of questions on django-users surrounds issues of customizing Django's User model. For example:
- How can I use an email address as a username?
- I want to use Twitter/OAuth/Facebook to login - why can't I leave the username field empty?
- How can I make the username field N characters longer/shorter?
- How can I allow [insert random character] in usernames?
- How can I have a single "name" field instead of "first_name"/"last_name"?
At present, there is no easy answer to these questions. Use of Django User model is not mandatory, but it is a dependency for a lot of Django applications. It is possible to do some of these customizations using some tricks or by manually modifying the contrib.auth source code, but these are not good solutions for novice users.
Ticket #3011 describes one approach that has been rejected - the idea of a 'pluggable' User model.
Note: This isn't a problem with an existing worked solution. A successful proposal on this project will require extensive discussion on django-developers.
Issues to consider:
- How can we represent the generic idea of a User without reducing the user table to little more than an identifying primary key?
- How can we differentiate the ideas of identity, permission and authentication?
- How can we manage the dependencies that exist in contrib.admin (and other parts of Django core and Django.contrib) that rely on the internals of auth.User as currently implemented?
- How can we roll out a new/modified User model without requiring almost every Django application on the planet to undergo a complex database modification?
See also:
- #3011, and any discussion on django-developers that references it.
- Discussions on django-users when users have asked the "how do I" questions
- The [source:django/trunk/django/template django.contrib.auth code module]
- Complexity: Minor
Django has gone through three recent cycles of rapid change, culminating in the release of versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2. These releases have all been feature heavy, which is good for ticking off checkboxes on feature lists, but it does mean that some internal housekeeping and code cleanup tasks have been avoided in order to deliver new features. These housekeeping issues would be well suited to a Summer of Code student wishing to gain a deep understanding of the internal workings of the Django framework.
Issues to consider:
- Django's Model._meta class is officially internal API, but in practice, many parts of _meta are in such common use that they couldn't be changed without causing major problems to Django users. The contents of _meta should be surveyed, cleaned up where necessary, documented and tested as part of formal API.
- While the public API for foreign keys and m2m relations in Django is quite elegant, the implementation is anything but. This implementation should be cleaned up.
- There are several internal components (such as the datastructures library) that are heavily used, but have not been extensively profiled to ensure that they are efficient. Profile the Django test suite to find the areas of code that are performance bottlenecks, and optimize them.
See also:
- Trac, bugs by component. Any component with lots of bugs is potentially a candidate for inclusion in this project.
- [source:django/trunk/django/db/models/options.py The Model._meta class definition]
- [source:django/trunk/django/db/models/fields/related.py The related fields implementation]
Improved error reporting
- Complexity: Medium
The error messages raised by Django can sometimes be confusing or misleading. This is sometimes due to Django wrapping and re-raising errors when it shouldn't. Sometimes it's due to Django not displaying error information effectively. Sometimes it's simply a matter of not catching the right errors.
This should be fixed. Error messages are just as important to the development process as good documentation. This project would address the error reporting issues in Django to ensure that the errors reported by a Django project are as good as they can be.
Issues to consider:
- Import errors discovered during application loading during can be masked under certain circumstances.
- Errors in template tags and filters rarely produce helpful error messages.
- Errors in ModelForm and ModelAdmin can raise errors that don't indicate the real problem
See also:
- The Better Error Messages proposal page
- Ticket #3349
Improve annotation and aggregation
- Complexity: Medium
The 2009 Summer of Code added the annotate() and aggregate() calls to Django's query arsenal. While these tools work well for simple arithmetic aggregates, they don't work well for date and string based queries. There are also use cases where you may want to annotate data onto a model that *isn't* an aggregate (for example, annotating the sum of two other aggregates).
This project would continue where the 2009 GSoC aggregation project left off. This would be an excellent project for anyone wishing to gain an intimate understanding of Django's Query infrastructure.
Issues to consider:
- String concatenation and manipulation (e.g., annotate a model with the uppercase version of the first 5 characters of someone's name)
- Grouping of results by date (e.g., show me a count of articles, grouped by day)
- Allowing non-null defaults in aggregation (e.g., when a model has no related objects, use 0 not NULL)
- Aggregates involving generic relations
See also:
- Trac's list of ORM aggregation tickets
- The [source:django/trunk/django/db/query.py Django's QuerySet implementation]
Customizable serialization
- Complexity: Minor
Django's current serializer implementation imposes some restrictions that limit the usefulness of the serializers outside of fixture loading. The basic serialization format, for example, can't be changed.
The aim of this project would be to deliver a fully customizable serialization framework. Ideally, this would be a class-based structure that allows users to define their own serialization format (including different output structure, including non-model fields, etc). The end goal is that you should be able to output any object (or list of objects), in any format, to any depth, with any additional information that might be relevant in a serialization context.
In short, anywhere we have made an arbitrary design decision with Django's existing serializers, that decision should be customizable as an end user.
When developing your proposal, the proof of concept is that you should be able to define Django's existing serialization formats using your new serialization format.
Issues to consider:
- Serializing nested structures (of arbitrary depth)
- Serializing subsets of model attributes
- Serializing non-database attributes/properties
- Serialized output that doesn't match the current default output format (i.e., a model in JSON doesn't have to be {"pk": XX, "model": "myapp.foo", "fields": {...}} )
- Serialized output format that can change on a per-model basis
- Serialized output format that can change based on where in the output tree the object is located (e.g., output the full User object if it's included from within model X, but only output the username if its included from within model Y)
- In an XML context, control over the tags, namespaces, attributes and nesting structures in the final XML
- In a JSON/YAML context, control over the use of lists, dictionaries etc, as well as the choice of key names for dictionaries.
See also:
- Open serialization tickets
- The [source:django/trunk/django/core/serialization Django's current serializer implementation]
- The many past unsuccessful GSoC proposals regarding serialization improvements.
App loading
- Complexity: Minor
Refactoring of the app loading mechanism (ref. #3591)
Issues to consider:
See also:
IPv6 support
- Complexity: Minor
Django doesn't currently provide support for IPv6. This project would update Django to provide support for IPv6 wherever Django currently uses IPv4 addresses.
Issues to consider:
- Can IPv6 support be added to model fields without adding a new field type?
- Is there anywhere in the WSGI/FCGI interface where IPv6 issues exist, but are currently unreported
- Can IPv6 support be added to configuration files (e.g., to specify memcache interfaces) in a transparent fashion?
See also:
Testing updates
- Complexity: Minor
Django's test suite originally consisted almost entirely of doctests; these doctests were used as a supplement to the written documentation. Over time, this supplemental role has been dropped. The doctests have also gotten larger; in some cases (such as the queries regressiontest) they are now extremely unwieldly. New tests that are added to Django tend to be UnitTests when possible, but the existing legacy of doctests is hard to break in some cases.
There is also an artificial distinction between modeltests and regressiontests. In the past, this distiction was used to identify tests that served a documentation purpose; this role has long since disappeared, but the struture persists, leading to confusion over the 'right place' to test certain features represented in both directories.
These two tasks indicate a need to refactor Django's test suite. The aim of this project would be to update Django's test framework; migrating as doctests to UnitTests, and merging the modeltests and regressiontests directories.
Issues to consider:
- How to maintain the integrity of Django's test suite? Django has spent a lot of effort building a strong regression test suite; how do we ensure that by refactoring the test suite, we don't lose the integrity of that regression set?
- Is there any part of this process that can be automated? If so, How?
- Will migrating from doctests to unittests cause any performance problems? Are there any ways to limit these performance problems?
See also:
- [source:django/trunk/tests Django's test suite]
- [source:django/trunk/tests Django's testing utilities]
- Documentation on Django's testing utilities


text:
Americans like to be proactive. Just as we prefer to be on top of things with our retirement savings, we're also on top of our health. After all, we know what the reward could look like, thanks to all those ads from drug makers: A retirement filled with vigorous sunset beach walks with our partner and our dog.
But we rarely stop and think about whether too much proactivity can have its drawbacks. When it comes to health, the answer is yes.
Many baby boomers adopt a more-is-better approach to medical care, and experts say this goes for doctors and patients alike. Armed with Internet research, patients often demand tests that might not be needed, said Alexis Abramson, a New York-based gerontologist.
Doctors are often all too willing to oblige, she added: While they no doubt genuinely want to help patients stay well, they may also be motivated by malpractice fears. Or they may have decided that ordering a test is quicker and easier than sitting down with the patient and discussing the pros and cons of a health situation. What's more, health insurance often reimburses doctors per procedure, so doctors have a financial incentive to proceed.
Big tax bills can devastate your retirement savings. MarketWatch's Robert Powell and Andrea Coombes talk about strategies to employ before and during retirement to lower your taxes.
Check out the new
MarketWatch Retirement
RetireMentors: In-the-trenches advice
Ways to boost Social Security payout
Retire here, not there: California
10 things your 401(k) plan won't tell you
The upshot of all this, of course, is that the country spends way too much on health care. The U.S. will spend an estimated $2.8 trillion on the health care system in 2012, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. And according to an analysis by the Institute of Medicine, more than $200 billion of that will have been spent on procedures and services that aren't medically necessary.
The Affordable Care Act—otherwise known as "Obamacare"—includes provisions to curb the tendency to over-treat, giving financial incentives to doctors to deliver more efficient and cost-effective care, and encouraging the creation of "accountable care organizations" where physicians work together to better coordinate patients' care.
But unnecessary procedures aren't just costly. They can also do real harm to patients, doctors say. Sometimes, the procedure itself can be a physically invasive measure that can go wrong; other times, it exposes a patient to a potentially harmful substance, like radiation. More broadly, a false positive can lead to anxiety and a cascade of unnecessary follow-up tests.
Deciding when to do a procedure can involve as much art as science, said Dr. Sundeep Khosla, an endocrinologist with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. There are few hard and fast rules, and much depends on the risk profile of the patient. Doctors and patients should work together to find the right balance, experts say. "Otherwise, there's no end to the tests we can do, the harm we can cause, and the money we can spend," said Dr. William Oetgen, senior vice president for science and quality at the American College of Cardiology.
We focused on four screening tests that are commonly performed on people over 50. An invaluable starting point for our research was "Choosing Wisely," a campaign launched earlier this year by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, along with Consumer Reports, in which nine medical specialty organizations each identified five tests or procedures whose necessity should be questioned and discussed.
If your doctor recommends that you get one of the tests below, ask some questions to help you weigh the risks and benefits. Experts offered some suggestions, including: "How would the results change my care management?"; "Is there another way we can get this information?"; and perhaps the most versatile question of all: "Can this wait a bit?"
Bone-density scans for low-risk women
As a pitch-woman for a leading anti-osteoporosis drug, actress Sally Field has put a face on that ailment—a still-adorable-at-60-plus-face, no less. But while Field has said that she has that disease, characterized by weakened bones, many women go on the class of drugs known as bisphosphonates without enough cause, doctors say—the result of the overuse of a bone density test called a DEXA scan.
Unless a woman has risk factors for osteoporosis, some doctors say, she shouldn't get a base line bone density test until at least age 65. (Risk factors for osteoporosis include having a family history of fractures and a small bone structure.) Too often, however, women without any risk factors get a test at menopause, which many women undergo in their late 40s or early 50s. Many are then diagnosed with osteopenia, a diagnosis that refers to low bone density. This condition may never develop into osteoporosis, but women with the diagnosis can find themselves undergoing a lifelong regime of costly drugs that carry side effects, from gastrointestinal distress to the rare jawbone problem, the Mayo Clinic's Khosla said.
Medicare pays for a bone density test in women every two years, but not everyone needs such regular screening, experts caution. Women who are found to have osteopenia but don't want to take medication, or whose doctors recommend against it, can talk to their doctors about taking calcium supplements and doing more weight-bearing exercise, experts say.
PSA tests for prostate cancer
For years, a PSA test was a regular part of post-50 health care for most men. These days, it's become controversial. The test detects prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, which can indicate the presence of prostate cancer. A positive result on a PSA test can prompt many doctors to recommend a biopsy. While that's a routine procedure, in prostate patients it can lead to serious complications like urinary incontinence, said Dr. Glen Stream, Board Chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Only about 25 % of men who have a prostate biopsy due to an elevated PSA level actually have prostate cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. And even if the test's detection of cancer is accurate, it could be in the form of a tumor that grows so slowly that it's unlikely to threaten a man's life. Doctors, of course, can't necessarily predict which tumors will be fast-growing, so they may be inclined to treat any tumor aggressively—with approaches including radiation treatment and surgery, along with the risks that go with them.
Currently, Medicare covers annual PSA tests. Some physicians say a PSA test should never be performed, while others say it should be reserved for men with risk factors such as a close family member with the disease.
The only widely accepted alternative to the PSA test is a rectal exam where a physician feels the prostate for abnormalities like lumps. Men with few or no risk factors who are nonetheless concerned about prostate cancer could request a rectal exam only. Then, if a lump is detected, "all the probabilities have changed" and a PSA test becomes more advisable, said Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center.
Imaging tests for back pain
It's hard for many to accept that occasionally, time is the best healer. Take acute back pain, like the kind caused by unaccustomed exertion. Sufferers often undergo X-rays or MRIs that expose them to radiation and incurring significant costs for them or their insurer. "If you get an MRI, do you feel better? No," said Dr. Stream of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "We sometimes confuse a test with treatment." Not only do patients rarely feel better faster after an MRI, but lying in a coffin-like structure can also add to their physical and psychological discomfort.
A spine MRI typically costs around $800, although the price can vary greatly based on where the procedure is performed; according to Healthcare Blue Book, a free online resource, some imaging centers charge three to five times more than others. Imaging tests often make sense if there are signs of nerve damage or other serious conditions. But for a garden-variety back spasm, you're often better off skipping them.
EKG tests for heart disease
The EKG, or electrocardiogram, is the most common cardiac test. The technology has been around for more than 100 years: It involves using a machine that conveys the heart's electrical activity as line tracings on paper or on a screen—think of those machines that flat-line if a person's heart stops. An EKG can be a very helpful diagnostic tool in a patient experiencing chest pain or other cardiac symptoms. But cardiologists say the test is rarely warranted in the routine exam of a healthy person who has no symptoms. Like other tests, EKGs sometimes result in false positives that can have serious consequences.
Here's an example of how things could escalate, according to Consumer Reports's Dr. Santa. Say an EKG reveals an abnormality. The doctor might then order a stress test, which could also show an abnormality. Both could be harmless—yet now, the doctor will likely schedule a follow-up procedure to try to rule out serious conditions. Possible follow-ups include a CT scan or even an angiogram, an invasive procedure where a thin tube is inserted into the groin and threaded to the heart.
Such tests, in turn, could reveal a narrowing of a coronary artery. Many people over age 60 have some narrowing of the arteries that never causes any problems, Santa said. But now this patient—who had no pain at the time of the initial exam, and perhaps has never had any pain—could be scheduled for a procedure to have a stent put in that artery. "This consumer will say, 'My doctor was so thorough, he saved my life,'" Santa said. The reality: The doctor exposed the patient to risk, radiation, invasive procedures, and implanted a stent that he'll wear for life, all for questionable cause.


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Loops 13
We introduce a generalized version of the Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT) formulation of quantum gravity, in which the regularized, triangulated path integral histories maintain their causal properties, but do not have a preferred proper-time foliation. An extensive numerical study of the associated nonperturbative path integral in 2+1 dimensions shows that it can nevertheless reproduce the emergence of an extended de Sitter universe on large scales, a key feature of CDT quantum gravity.
Spacetime covariance in canonical quantum gravity is tied to the existence of an anomaly free representation of its constraint algebra. I will argue that establishing the existence of such a representation in the LQG context requires the consideration of higher than unit density weight Hamiltonian constraints.
The struggle between local and global concepts in physics comes to a head in causal set quantum gravity. Local physics -- and general relativity in particular -- must be recovered in a continuum approximation if the theory is to be successful but causal sets are inherently non-local entities.
Spin foam models are models for space time built from discrete chunks of quantized geometry. In the asymptotic regime the classical geometry is regained.
In the last year we have seen rapid developments in our understanding of this geometry at the level of the entire partition function. In particular it was found that the geometries that contribute to the partition function in the asymptotic regime satisfy accidental curvature constraints.
Recently there are a lot of progresses in developing the spinfoam formulation of loop quantum gravity. In this talk I give an overview of the subject. I introduce the formalism and the motivation of the theory, and I discuss the application of spinfoam formulation in black hole and cosmology. I also discuss the inclusion of the quantum matter fields and cosmological constant in the formalism. The inclusion of cosmological constant motivates a Chern-Simons formulation of LQG.
I will present the recently obtained non perturbative 1/N expansion of tensor models. The correlation functions are shown to be analytic in the coupling constant in some domain of the complex plane and to support appropriate scaling bounds at large N. Surprisingly, the non perturbative setting turns out to be a powerful computational tool allowing the explicit evaluation order by order (with bounded rest terms) of the correlations.
I will present the tensorial renormalization group approach to quantum gravity and the tentative scenario it suggests for the emergence of space-time.
The perturbative S-matrix of General Relativity has a rich and fascinating geometric structure that is completely obscured by its traditional description in terms of Feynman diagrams. I'll explain a new way of looking at four dimensional supergravity: as a string theory in twistor space. All tree-level amplitudes in the theory can be described by algebraic curves in Penrose's nonlinear graviton
I will review the reformulation of the loop gravity phase space in terms of spinor networks and twistor networks, and present how these techniques can be used to write spinfoam amplitudes as discretized path integrals and to study the dynamics that they define (recursion, Hamiltonian constraints as differential equations).


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T.I. Performs Live at LOVE Nightclub! Part 2
eVIPList.com reports: "("Real recognize real", hand salute to camera) before his last song of the night. He was joined on stage by Big Tigger for...'Whatcha Know About'! "
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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MS patches Win XP Core Duo battery drain bug
One out of three causes fixed
Microsoft has fixed the battery drain bug that has been affecting a number of computer owners with Intel Core Duo-based notebooks. However, two of the three causes of the drain are not fixed by a patch posted by Microsoft yesterday.
The problem emerged in January. At least some Core Duo machines connected to USB peripherals suffer a persistent loss of battery charge above and beyond what you'd expect. Originally thought to be an issue with Intel's chipset, the bug was later identified as a glitch in Windows XP Service Pack 2's power management code that had, in fact, affected older, pre-Core Duo notebooks running the OS.
In February, Microsoft said it was working on a fix and the patch has now arrived. Well, sort of. The patch fixes faster-than-usual battery drains arising from the CPU's inability to enter Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) processor idle sleep states as a result of the USB 2.0 driver leaving "the asynchronous scheduler component running continuously".
However, the patch doesn't prevent the USB host controller from finding itself unable to shut down when devices are removed from nested USB hubs, or when said controller is hooked up to USB 2.0 devices that make use of its periodic scheduler. Both instances can also cause the exceptional power drain, but neither are fixed by the patch.
And Microsoft also warns: "Various factors can affect the battery life of different portable computers that use different types of batteries. Therefore, you may not notice any improvement in battery life after you apply this update."
You can get the patch here. ®


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McDonald's struggles as sales fall overseas
NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's eked out a higher profit in the fourth quarter by luring diners with its value menu, but the world's biggest hamburger chain also warned that a key sales figure is expected to drop this month.
The downbeat forecast reflects the intensifying competition and changing dining habits McDonald's faces. After years of outperforming its rivals, McDonald's recently hit a snag and took a series of steps to bolster slumping sales, such as touting its Dollar Menu and pushing franchisees to stay open on Christmas.
In November, the company ousted the president of its U.S. business after reporting its first monthly sales drop in nearly a decade.
For the three months ended Dec. 31, McDonald's says it earned $1.4 billion, or $1.38 per share. That compares with $1.38 billion, or $1.33 per share, a year ago.
Revenue rose to $6.95 billion, up from $6.82 billion.
The results topped expectations for profit of $1.33 per share on revenue of $6.9 billion.
Globally, however, sales at restaurants open at least a year rose just 0.1% for the period. In the U.S., the figure rose 0.3%. In Europe, McDonald's biggest market, the figure fell 0.6% as guest counts declined. The figure fell 1.7% in the region encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
That's an important measurement of a restaurant chain's performance.
Over the long term, CEO Don Thompson said the company continues to target total sales growth of 3% to 5%.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Francesco Gerbino
Director of ICT Services and Systems
Q&A: Francesco Gerbino on supporting the public sector
The IT arm of Italy's Ministry of Economy and Finance uses business analytics to simplify processes and anticipate needs
As the IT arm of Italy's Ministry of Economy and Finance, Sogei plays a crucial role in bringing innovation, strategy and unity to the country's public sector. And with SAS® Business Analytics, Sogei provides the technology support the Italian government needs to monitor and assess far-ranging issues like fiscal policy and health expenditures.
Established to manage the taxpayer data archive, Sogei's mandate has grown to include 1,800 employees and a budget of nearly 320 million euros (US$468 million). It is emerging as a center of excellence committed to supporting government action with innovative tax technology solutions.
Timely, accurate and useful information ensures governance over complex environments such as the Tax Information System.
Francesco Gerbino
In an interview with SAS, Francesco Gerbino, Sogei's Director of ICT Services and Systems, talks about the company's mandate, projects and technology innovations as well as its role in the European Union and international community.
Simplification of government processes, tax evasion, fiscal federalism and tax autonomy are all hot issues at the moment. With these things in mind, what is Sogei's mission today?
The Ministry of Economy and Finance has refocused Sogei's mission around a number of key issues. The first is the integration of tax record databases with other central government entities, to provide better service to taxpayers and to help fight tax evasion.
The second area of focus was the integration of information from agencies that oversee local tax concerns, to both enrich the central database and to make processes more efficient for decentralized tax authorities. Integration is even more crucial when you consider that our business is generated from tax agencies (such as revenue, customs and territory), public land, state monopolies (such as tobacco) and public gaming.
How does Sogei's work impact or benefit other European Union community members?
Sogei's export of best practices helps provide countries that are candidates to enter the European Union (EU), or that actively trade with the EU economy, with the know-how and competence to adjust to European legislation or e-government projects aimed at improving administrative efficiency.
Recently, we won a tender to verify the alignment of Balkan tax administrations with European standards. Another initiative is with Tunisia related to e-accessibility. It's a social progress project to make government services accessible to the disabled via the Internet.
What innovation projects is Sogei currently focused on?
We are monitoring pharmaceutical and specialized expenditures related to the use of a health card, and we recently launched a network for doctors to electronically communicate prescription data and INPS (National Social Security Institute) medical certificates to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
A territory management project uses information from the agency for disbursements in agriculture to help reduce illegal building and loss of related tax revenue. It combines data from satellite images with the land registry database to identify "ghost buildings."
As a technology partner of the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies, we are certifying that next generation video lottery game equipment complies with Italian regulations, by electronically verifying the regularity of the games and real-time control of tax revenue.
What role does analytics play in defining government policies and actions?
We originally started using SAS Analytics to analyze and estimate tax revenue. Today, there is a well-established practice in the use of analytical tools, including econometrics, which allow the administration to make informed and accurate decisions regarding tax policy. For example, assessing the impact of taxation on economic sectors helps decision makers refine their development policies, and taxpayer segmentation studies people's behavior to encourage the development of more effective measures for the prevention of tax evasion.
The use of analytics allows us to provide the Department of Finance, and other state agencies, with real-time statistical information that is classified by territory, business, legal nature and income bracket dating back to 1995.
How can technology resources be better managed using analytics?
Given the complexity of the technology infrastructure – ranging from mainframes to the server farm – analytics give us a unified view of how technology resources are consumed. This is advantageous for two reasons: first, we are able to implement a policy related to IT spending and identify critical areas and possible improvements; and second, we can anticipate future development needs and establish appropriate procurement policies. Timely, accurate and useful information ensures governance over complex environments such as the Tax Information System, which is a technological asset for the country.
This story was originally published on ita.sas.com
Simplify government processes by integrating decision-support information
Ability to make informed, accurate decisions and manage IT resources more effectively by anticipating future needs


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Some of the players were different, but there was no absence of political drama at Tuesday night's inaugural meeting of the newly seated Barrow County Board of Commissioners. In the first major action of its four-year term, the board's vote was divided along the lines of new versus old over the county attorney's contract.
In two 4-3 votes split along the line of old commissioners vs. new commissioners, the BOC voted to extend the contract of the county attorney until Sept. 30 and after that, appoint the county attorney on a fiscal year basis rather than calendar year.
For the full story, see the Jan. 9 issue of the Barrow Journal.
BOC: First meeting was old vs. new
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How to Get Free High PR Backlinks
Backlinks are still among the backbones of search engine ranking despite the many changes in Google algorithms and ranking parameters. No matter how much Google and other major search engines emphasize the importance of having good quality contents that provide genuine value to the readers, but without backlinks websites can hardly get to the front of page of Google. If ever some of them made it to the top pages, the high ranking position of the site is short-lived.
Backlinks are like the foundation of the building. It supports the building to make it last long and withstand the raging storms and bad weathers. But if the foundation is weak, the building may still stand but only for awhile. When rain comes, it will easily stumble and fall.
Just like websites and backlinks, some sites may be able to make it to the front page of Google at first, although the chances are small, but if its ranking is not supported by good quality backlinks coming from high PR sites, then it will gradually lose its position after a few days.
That is why whenever you attained a certain page rank you must immediately reinforce it with backlinks to maintain its position. This will also make it hard for your competitors to unseat your site from its present position in major search engines particularly Google.
Things You Should Know About Backlinking
When building backlinks to your site, it is important know some of the basics of backlink building. One of them is to know the main differences between 'do follow' sites and 'no follow' sites.
Main Difference between Do Follow and No Follow Links
As the term implies, 'do follow' sites are those that search engines will follow. If you create a backlink from a high PR 'do follow' website, the 'do follow' link tells Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines to pass on its high page rank influence to the outbound link; that link will be counted by the search engines when calculating the page rank of the site.
In 'no follow' link, on the other hand, when search engines crawl on the site and see the 'no follow' instruction in the hyperlink, that link will not be counted when assessing the site's page rank. Therefore, make sure to build backlinks only from 'do follow' sites, or your backlinking efforts will only put to waste if you create outbound links to your site from 'no follow' sources.
Effective Backlinking Strategies
acklinking Strategy via Forums
One of the many ways of creating good quality backlinks is forum posting. This is quite simple to do. Unlike some methods that require you to create long articles, in this case you are spared from doing the quite tedious and time-consuming task of article writing.
All you have to do is simply ask questions in short paragraph or few sentences with a link to your site in your forum signature. You can either create a new thread with your question, or answer questions of other forum members. The more you participate in different threads, the more links you will create. You can start doing this at high PR forum sites listed here.
List of 25 'Do Follow' Forum Sites with High Page Rank
- http://forums.myspace.com (PR9)
- http://forum.joomla.org (PR8)
- http://forum.meebo.com (PR8)
- http://drupal.org/forum (PR8)
- http://forums.cpanel.net (PR8)
- http://forum.wordreference.com (PR7)
- http://forum.filezilla-project.org/ (PR7)
- http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/ (PR7)
- http://forums.sun.com/index.jspa (PR7)
10. http://forums.gentoo.org/ (PR6)
11. http://forums.b2evolution.net/ (PR6)
12. http://www.dpreview.com/forums/ (PR6)
13.http://forum.piriform.com/ (PR6)
14. http://www.zenphoto.org/support/ (PR6)
15.http://forum.videohelp.com/ (PR5)
16. http://www.honda-tech.com/ (PR5)
17.http://forums.virtualbox.org/ (PR5)
18. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/ (PR5)
19. http://discussion.forum.nokia.com/forum/ (PR5)
20. http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/ (PR5)
21. http://forums.somethingawful.com/ (PR5)
22. http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/ (PR5)
23. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/ (PR5)
24. http://www.neobux.com/forum/ (PR5)
25. http://www.warriorforum.com/ (PR5)
Free Backlinking by Blogging
Another method of backlinking is blogging. There are many free blogging platforms with high PR. Open an account with these sites and start blogging about relevant topics with outbound links to your website.
Every blog post, no matter how short, with outbound links is already a good source of backlink. Thus, the more blog posts you publish, the more backlinks you will also create. Some of the recommended blogs with high page rank are as follows:
- WordPress.com (PR9)
- Blogger.co m (PR9)
- Typepad.com (PR8)
- Weebly.com (PR8)
- Tumblr.com (PR8)
- LiveJournal.com (PR8)
- Jimdo.com (PR7)
- Webs.com (PR7)
- Wikidot.com (PR7)
- Yola.com (PR7)
- Angelfire.com (PR7)
- Tripod.com (PR7)
- Officelive.com (PR7)
- Blog.com (PR6)
- Blogsome.com (PR6)
Free Backlinking by Publishing Articles
Another way to create free high PR backlinks is to create good quality articles and submit them to several top directories and web 2.0 properties with high PR. Unlike forum posting, this requires more time from your end since you will have to create long articles per backlink.
However, the good thing about this method is that you will not only create top-notch quality outbound links pointing to your site but get targeted visitors as well. If your contents are good and they provide value to the readers, your visitors may also purchase in your site and improve its conversion rate.
Just like the rest, you must also ensure to submit your articles in high PR article directories that allow you to create 'do follow' links. You can start your backlinking via article marketing in some of these article sites below.
- squidoo.com (PR7)
- hubpages.com (PR6)
- ezinearticles.com (PR6)
- buzzle.com (PR6)
- suite101.com (PR6)
- gather.com (PR6)
- articledashboard.com (PR5)
- triond.com (PR5)
- isnare.com (PR5)
- ezinemark.com (PR4)
- Ideamarketers.com (PR4)
- Infobarrel.com(PR4)
- sooperarticles.com (PR4)
- amazines.com (PR4)
- pubarticles.com (PR4)
While it is good to know the top 'do follow' article directories with good page rank, it is important to know the 'no follow' popular article sites as well so that you can avoid these sites if you are building backlinks. But if you want to get direct traffic, then go ahead and submit your articles in these well-respected sites listed as follows:
- articlebase.com (PR6)
- helium.com (PR5)
- articlesnatch.com (PR5)
- bukisa.com (PR5)
- articlealley.com (PR4)
There are many ways of creating free high PR backlinks and you can formulate your own unique strategies to get more links for better search engine ranking of your site. Just make sure to create free high PR backlinks at the 'do follow' sites.


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Written by Laurie Halse Anderson
Peel: After busting a summer party, no one at school wants to be friends with Melinda. So she's stuck alone in her mind, and even there has become threatening.
This was a very difficult, but gripping, book to read, as every step of the way you want to be there for Melinda. Melinda's character is remarkably realistic and sympathetic. The book is written as Melissa in a very close first person, and one gets to hear her darkly humorous take on high school. The prose is on the weaker side, many other characters are flat, and at times the symbolism is heavy handed; but given that the narrator was a freshman in high school, this made her more believable and affective.
There is a rather worrying message that the author seems to be conveying in her ending- that one should be hopeful for retribution. The ending itself felt too quick for me, and lost the realistic feel that Anderson had in the rest of the novel.
Nibble: "May is finally here and it has stopped raining. Good thing, too- the mayor of Syracuse was about to put out a call for a guy named Noah."
I would recommend this to everyone.
My Rating: 9 out of 10 growing apple trees
I borrowed a paper copy from the CSPH library; click here to read the extended version.


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How often should carpets be steam cleaned?
Dirty carpets can be unhealthy for the people living in the home, particularly those who have allergies, so it's important to have them cleaned regularly; simply vacuuming once or twice a week isn't enough. Carpet cleaning should be done by a professional carpet cleaning service at least once a year to remove grime and help extend the life of your carpet. Most carpet manufacturers recommend professional steam cleaning, which penetrates deep into the carpet fibers and lifts out both dirt and the pollutants that get tracked inside. Steam cleaning also removes most of the moisture, so carpets dry quickly enough for homeowners to resume using them the same day. Between professional carpet cleanings, your carpet may need an emergency spot cleaning. Pet accidents, food or drink spills, and more can often be effectively cleaned with some water and a drop of white vinegar, although many cleaners will also make house calls for smaller spills and hard-to-clean spots like wine or grease stains.
What is upholstery cleaning?
From your carpets to your drapes to your furniture, all fabrics need to be cleaned. Cleaning upholstery, or the fabric on your furniture, removes the dirt and oils that are transferred to couches and chairs through regular use. Because furniture upholstery can be delicate and colors can fade easily, it's often a good idea to let professional sofa cleaners handle the job. They'll determine the type of fabric — usually cotton, linen, wool, suede or microfiber — and the appropriate method for cleaning it, either steam-cleaning or applying a dry-cleaning solvent. In general, cleaning an entire piece of furniture includes a pretreatment, cleaning, and neutralizing rinse to the body, plus removing and cleaning all cushions and cleaning all crevices.
An upholstery cleaner may clean the entire piece of furniture, on a regular schedule or by request, or do spot treatments to remove pet, food, drink, or oil and grease stains. Furniture can also be deodorized to remove the smell of pets or tobacco smoke. Furniture that's used often, like that in your family room, should be cleaned once a year to keep it fresh and extend its life. Sofa cleaners often also offer repair services to mend tears in fabric or patch holes in leather.
Who cleans area rugs?
Like your carpets, area rugs should ideally be cleaned at least once a year to remove dust and dirt and help them last longer. In general, carpet cleaning professionals also clean area rugs. Some rug cleaners bring their cleaning equipment to your home, while others remove your area rugs and clean them at their facilities. Either way, the rug should be cleaned with the solution most appropriate to its specific fabric and construction. It should also be completely dry before you return it to the floor.
How much does it cost to clean a carpet?
Carpet cleaning costs vary depending on the type of cleaning, such as steam cleaning, and whether there are any stains that require special treatment. The main cost factors are the square footage of the carpet and the material it's made from. The national average carpet cleaning price ranges from $100 to $130 for a typical suburban home, but steam cleaning prices start at an average of $120. In general, professional carpet cleaning ranges from an average of 20 cents to 50 cents per square foot, depending on where you live. Many companies have a minimum fee or room requirement — such as two rooms for an average of $40 each — and will charge more to clean carpeted stairs or a second floor. Finally, the carpet fiber type, density and pile will also affect the cost of cleaning; man-made fibers are stain-resistant and easier to clean, while wool carpeting is sensitive to water and requires more care.
How much does it cost to clean a rug?
Area rugs are typically found in high-traffic areas of the home, like hallways and entryways, so they collect more dirt and stains than simple vacuuming can handle. Similar to carpet cleaning, professionals can come to your home to deep-clean your area rugs. The national average cost for rug cleaning ranges from $80 to $120, but may be higher or lower depending on the rug's size and fiber type. Rug cleaners generally charge by the square foot; for example, a standard 8-foot by 10-foot rug costs an average of $100 to clean. Natural fiber rugs, such as wool or silk, are usually more expensive to have cleaned than synthetic rugs. A carpeting cleaning company may charge on average $1.50 per square foot to clean a synthetic rug, $2 per square foot for a wool rug, and $3 per square foot for a silk rug. Some delicate rugs need to be washed by hand, which increases the price. Carpet cleaning companies often offer additional services, such as removing odors or applying moth deterrent, which can add 20 cents to 25 cents per square foot.


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Mayahuel is completely dedicated to Tequila and Mezcal. While I never had the bad memories associated with it like most, I just never developed a taste for it. It was a spirit that did nothing for me. Mayahuel single-handedly changed my entire perception of Tequila. So today we chat with Phil Ward, Co-Owner and Beverage Director, of Mayahuel.
How did you become so interested in cocktails?
I stumbled into a busier barback position at Flatiron Lounge 6 weeks after they opened. Got curious, got obsessed, haven't looked back.
What is your approach when it comes to formulating cocktails and what inspires you?
Its all about balance and templates. Every good cocktail is a blueprint for other good cocktails. What inspires me is a pretty cheesy question no offense. I like inventive and delicious things.
You mentioned that asking about your inspiration was a cheesy question. I find it fascinating though to find out what inspires bartenders to create drinks that reflect them as an individual. So to that affect how would you describe your style as a bartender? How do your drinks reflect you as an individual?
Your assuming drinks reflect an individual. Sorry to be a pain in the a– but I don't know that is always true. Though if I had to say how my drinks reflected me as an individual (if they do) I'd say that they are simple yet complex.
One of my favorite drinks on Mayahuel's older menu is the "On the Bum". What was the inspiration behind that drink?
It was based off the Mai Tai.
No wonder I enjoy it as much as I do, seeing how the Mai Tai is one of my all time favorite drinks. Now how did you come up with the name "On the Bum"?
It was a tribute to Beach Bum Berry
Jamaican rum has a characteristically funky flavor and mezcal tends to have a smoky quality. What led you to combining these two strong flavored spirits in the same drink?
Well I always say when you put two tyrants in a room they will either kill each other or figure out a way to make peace and work together. I also maintain that any two things can go together if you find the right bridge to bring them together.
You mentioned that if you find the right bridge you can bring what could be opposing forces together. In the On the Bum what was the bridge and how did you go about finding it? Was there a particular direction or flavor profile you were seeking?
The orgeat was probably the main bridge in the drink. I just knew that orgeat played nice with both separately which is generally the best clue as to what can bridge the gap between two things.
I noticed that one of the ingredients of the On the Bum is Medley #2. It reminds me of how Don the Beachcomber created things like Dons Spices #2 and Dons Mix. Was this intentional? Did you want to leave something to drinker's imagination?
Yes and yes
So what is the secret mix that makes up Medley #2?
Its a blend of Cane Sugar and Regan's Orange Bitters
Simple yet effective.
Do you have any projects or drinks you are currently working on?
Yes I am helping with all the Fatty Crab/Cue Venues including the one we just opened in Hong Kong. I also will be helping open Ebanos Crossing in Los Angelos in two weeks.
Sounds like you are quite busy with all these projects. How was it different creating drinks for the Hong Kong market? Did you find it a challenge? If so How?
Every place is different. Hong Kong is a "younger" market as in cocktails haven't quite created a market for themselves there to a large degree. There are some places but its not quite taken off completely yet. (won't be long in my opinion) Biggest thing in such markets is to make drinks accessible for newbies.
Thanks again Phil for taking the time out of your packed schedule to chat with us.
On the Bum
1 oz Del Maguey Vida infused with Pineapple
1 oz Smith and Cross
3/4 oz Fresh lime juice
3/4 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Medley # 2
Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into a low ball glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.
304 East 6th St
(212) 253-5888


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It is an extreme understatement to say times have changed in the U.S. over the last 50 years.
Fifty years ago, smoking was the definition of cool. Being skinny wasn't the ideal, but instead what you tried to avoid. Women were to remain in the home watching the children and cleaning. And drinking on the job, or taking cocaine toothache drops, was totally normal.
Here are some vintage ads that show an America in which the morals and values are the complete opposite of how we live today.


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September 5, 1926 - September 27, 2013
Walden, NY
Svea L. Indzonka, age 87, of Walden, NY passed away at Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, New York, on Friday, September 27, 2013. Born Svea Linnea Erikson in Bryn Mawr, PA on September 5, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Walter K. and Fanny (Sjoblom) Erikson. She graduated from Audubon, NJ High School in 1944. She then attended West Chester State College and graduated with a B.S. in Music Education in 1948. She attended graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and State University of New York at New Paltz. She was employed as an elementary school teacher in Waterford NJ, Collingswood NJ and at the Balmville Elementary School in Newburgh NY. On April 28, 1956, she married Dr. Francis W. Indzonka of Newburgh, NY. She retired from teaching to raise her three sons. She was also employed as a sales associate at Kahn Realty and Century 21 of Walden, NY. She was a member of The New York State Federated Women's Club and The Garden Club of Marlborough, NY. She was an accomplished artist and her oil paintings were displayed at many local art shows.
She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Dr. Francis W. Indzonka; and three sons: Dr. Peter F. Indzonka, his wife, Christine and their son, Kevin of Albany, NY; Dr. Mark F. Indzonka, his wife, Laura and their children: Jack, Joseph, Larissa, Benjamin and Linnea of Stroudsburg, PA, Erik F. Indzonka Esq., his wife, Michele and their sons: Douglas and Andrew of New Windsor, NY. She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter K. and Fanny Erikson and a sister, Marion Krevitz.
A Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2nd at The Quigley Bros. Funeral Home, 337 Hudson St., Cornwall-on-Hudson NY 12520. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 3rd at St. Francis Roman Catholic Church in Newburgh. Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery in New Windsor.
Arrangements are by Kevin Quigley of Quigley Bros. Funeral Home; to send condolences or to get directions to the funeral home please go to www.quigleybros.com


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I was very much enjoying the book when it ended abruptly, with an ending that was rather contrived in its convolutedness, which detracted from Trapido's fantastic set-up and cast. Read full review
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By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has no legal right to force a West Virginia poultry grower to obtain water pollution permits for runoff from her Hardy County farm because it is routine stormwater discharge, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey said litter and manure washed by rain into Chesapeake Bay tributaries at Lois Alt's Hardy County farm is agricultural runoff, not a fixed pollution source such as a factory. That means it's exempt from the requirement that it be permitted and regulated under the federal Clean Water Act, he said.
"The term 'agricultural stormwater discharge' was not and has not been defined in the statute" covering permitting, Bailey wrote. "The fact that Congress found it unnecessary to define the term indicates that the term should be given its ordinary meaning."
The EPA initially threatened to fine Alt if she didn't seek a permit for her farm, which it called a "concentrated animal feeding operation." After Alt sued last year, EPA withdrew the fines. In March, it offered to dismiss the case.
But the American Farm Bureau Federation and the West Virginia Farm Bureau joined Alt in keeping the case alive, arguing it had economic implications for farmers nationwide.
Bailey agreed, noting that the EPA had imposed virtually identical requirements on two other West Virginia poultry growers and one in Virginia. The judge also said the agency hadn't changed its underlying position that some chicken farms are concentrated animal feeding operations.
That would mean the EPA can require them to obtain permits they've never previously needed.
The Justice Department, which represented the EPA, said it is reviewing the court's opinion.
Cheers went up in a staff meeting when the West Virginia Farm Bureau got word of the ruling.
"It's an affirmation of what we thought the rule was," said administrator Stephen Butler, "and it shows the EPA was overstepping its bounds."
When Congress passed the Clean Water Act, it acknowledged that stormwater runoff was different from a fixed source of pollution and should not be subject to permitting, Butler said. Farmers, who work long hours to keep their operations going, were less concerned about the cost of the permits, he added, than the record-keeping they'd have to do afterward.
Alt, who sued the EPA in June 2012, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, relayed through her attorney.
The EPA's actions were aimed at cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which encompasses parts of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, and all of the District of Columbia.
The EPA said it has long held the view that it can require a permit for manure and litter discharged from poultry houses through ventilation fans if it threatens waterways.
Siding with the EPA were environmental and consumer groups including Earthjustice, Food & Water Watch, Potomac Riverkeeper, Waterkeeper Alliance and the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. The organizations said in a written statement that they were disappointed in the court's ruling.
"The court's decision, if it stands, could have devastating impacts on the health of our rivers, streams and lakes and our communities. Moving forward, we will be considering all of our legal options," the groups said.
The groups have long argued that neither Alt's farm "nor the other tens of thousands of commercial farms like it across the country" should be exempt from federal water-protection laws.


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Whale watching in Okinawa
Surrounded by vibrant coral reefs, blue waters and white sand beaches, Okinawa is an attractive destination for Japanese in search of diving, surfing and sun.
But January through March brings something extra: humpback whales, which can be seen swimming, jumping and playing in the coastal waters of Japan's southernmost prefecture.
Spending much of the year in frigid Aleutian waters near the coast of Alaska, the whales migrate 5,100 kilometers south toward the Kerama Islands, just 40 kilometers west of Okinawa's capital city, Naha.
The warmth of the Okinawan waters provides ideal breeding grounds for the whales and, luckily for us, a great place to watch the enormous mammals in action.
Close encounters
My whale watching in Okinawa excursion began 7 a.m. at Naha Tomari Port.
Shoving off, as we chopped through the waters, sparse gray clouds cast teasing whale-shaped shadows on the surface.
As our guide covered all things humpback, my attention was elsewhere, as I imagined and wanted a towering mammal to shoot up from a wave and crash down in a majestic splash.
Barely 20 minutes from port, we arrived at a sunny patch of ocean, the captain shifting the engine to a low putt-putt. This area was lively the day before, the guide said, assuring us their spotters were almost always right.
The boat rocked gently as we strained to catch a glimpse of white-mottled black, training our ears to each slap of water.
Suddenly, a telltale "woosh" of exhalation. There, 10 meters away, slipping just above the water line with a spray of mist, was our humpback whale.
We were beside ourselves, jumping and pointing at a monstrously sleek body, then a dorsal fin, followed by an enormous tail slipping effortlessly into the water.
Study and preservation
Whale watching in Okinawa is carefully monitored. The Zamami Whale Watching Association, founded in 1990 on Okinawa's Zamami Island, is committed to ensuring the success of future migrations, and employs an eco-friendly stance when conducting tours.
They've adopted a few conventions in order to allow the whales a carefree and undisturbed swim.
Employing local spotters and boat captains, traveling whales are scouted from the Association's land-based conservatory; boat captains are then radioed coordinates, allowing for a more careful, low-speed approach.
Tour boats generally maintain a 300-meter distance from the whales, though the intelligent creatures themselves often get curious.
During mating season, males become increasingly energetic, aggressively vying for the attention of females. Adult males vocalize "songs," thought to be used during courtship and as territorial displays, performed in low and high tones that last six to 35 minutes.
Breaching -- or jumping -- whales can also be seen during the tours, behavior thought to assert dominance, display courtship and warn of danger.
Getting there
Several companies offer charters from various ports along Okinawa's west coast, from the end of December to the beginning of April.
Boats can also be chartered near Naha Airport, leaving from Miegusuku and Naha Fishing Ports in Naha City.
All tours recommend participants contact them the day prior for travel and weather updates.
Daily tours are three and a half hours long, leaving at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. from Miegusuku Port, Naha City.
Cost from Naha: Adults 3,800 yen (US$40), children (5-11) 2,800 yen (US$30). Children (four and under) 1,000 yen (US$11).
Costs from Chatan: Adults 3,900 yen, children (5-11) 2,900 yen. Children (four and under) 1,000 yen.
Contact: +81 (0)98 869 1510 or visit www.reeffers.com (site in Japanese only)
Cerulean Blue
Daily tours are three hours long, leaving at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Departures are 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. are also available in March. Tours leave from Miegusuku Port, Naha City and Chatan Hamagawa Fishing Port, Chatan Town.
Cost: Adults, 4,800 yen (US$51). Children (11 and under), 2,900 yen (US$31).
Contact: +81 (0)98 3904 3767 or visit www.cerulean-blue.co.jp.
Daily tours are four hours long, leaving at 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from Naha Coastal Fishing Port, Naha City.
Cost: Adults, 3,480 yen. Children, 2,480 yen.
Contact: +81 (0)98 867 5032/5021 or visit www.okinawa-tropico.com (site in Japanese only).
Top Marine
Daily tours are three and a half hours long, leaving at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. from Toya Port, Yomitan Village. If you're planning to stay further north on Okinawa Island, leaving from this port may be more convenient.
Cost: Adults 4,800 yen. Children (6-11) 3,800 yen.
Contact: +81 (0)98 975 8000 or visit Topmarine.jpn.com.
Zamami Whale Watching
For travelers with more time, a trip to Zamami Island is an opportunity to tour one of Okinawa's most beautiful outlying islands while checking out the whales.
Zamami also offers land-based conservatories for whale watching, a great venue for those that may suffer from seasickness.
Ferry Zamami leaves regularly from Tomari Port's South Pier in Naha. Ferry travel from Okinawa Island to Zamami takes 90-120 minutes, tickets costing 2,120 yen (US$23) one way, or 4,030 yen (US$43) round-trip.
A high-speed option is also available via the "Queen Zamami," taking 50-70 minutes. Tickets cost 3,140 yen ($33.50) one way, or 5,970 yen ($64) round-trip.
The Zamami Whale Watching Association offers tours starting at the end of December to the beginning of April. Daily tours are two and a half hours long, leaving at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. from Zamami Port, Zamami.
Cost: Adults, 5,250 yen. Children (6-11), 2,625 yen.
Contact: +81 (0)98 896 4141 or visit www.vill.zamami.okinawa.jp
More on CNN: Okinawa: Which island is for you?
CNN Travel's series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy


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Recap on the Star Tribune Minnesota Poll: Tuesday's "memorial rally" for Senator Wellstone was the buzz yesterday, and the aftershocks are reflected in the Star Tribune today. The coverage is so lame, however, that it is barely worth a look. The news recap lets the senator's campaign manager "take responsibility" for what transpired, without exactly exploring what that might mean. The story is "GOP demands equal time; Wellstone aide apologizes; Ventura upset" In its editorial this morning, "The Speech/Straying from memorial to rally," the Star Tribune instructs those of us who were revolted by the offenses against taste, decorum, and courtesy that the Democrats put on national display Tuesday night in Minneapolis to "try to put it aside." The editorial's focus on the egregious Rick Kahn conveniently ignores the other stemwinders from the senator's son and from Tom Harkin as well as the booing of Republican dignitaries. Rather than to try to "put it aside," we intend to dwell on it.
Which brings us to yesterday's Star Tribune Minnesota Poll on what is now the official Mondale/Coleman race. The poll showed Mondale up 47-39, with an 8-point lead. We wrote yesterday at great length about both the patent and latent defects of the poll. For the details see our posts under yesterday's date. There are two problems with yesterday's poll. Here is a summary of our take on it.
First, unlike most good political polls of which we know, the Minnesota Poll does not attempt to locate a representative sample, assess the "likely voters" among the sample, and break down the preferences of the likely voters. Rather, the Minnesota poll applies formulas to adjust the raw data it obtains from its survey. We think that as a result of these adjustments the reported result of the poll understates Republican strength generally and Coleman's strength specifically. The leading example of this phenomenon is the Minnesota Poll's final (November 5, 2000) pre-election Gore/Bush poll showing Gore with a 10-point lead in Minnesota; in the actual Minnesota popular vote, Gore edged Bush by 2.5 percent. We think much if not all of that margin was produced by the Star Tribune's own erroneous poll.
Second, the Mondale/Coleman Minnesota Poll reported yesterday had an exaggerated sample of Democratic respondents. The Minnesota Poll's last Wellstone/Coleman poll had a sample that was 40 percent Democratic; yesterday's Minnesota Poll had a sample that was 51 percent Democratic. Below we reproduce verbatim the "explanation" provided by the director of the Minnesota Poll, Rob Daves. We also provide the response of Coleman campaign manager Ben Whitney to Daves' "explanation." We think Ben has the better of the exchange, but you can judge for yourself.
Daves' "explanation" reminds me of the late comedian, Professor Irwin Corey. Corey's specialty was speaking in the peculiar gibberish of professorial expertise. However, Professor Corey was intentionally hilarious; Daves is funny only accidentally.
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"Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." Inscription on the Liberty Bell


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This page is for todays template challenge. I love the template, which Jana chose for the challenge . . ., and I love how much fun it was to work with. My mojo has been down to zero since mid-December, and a template was just the ticket to get me moving again.
Journaling: After Sunday School, Church and a pre-Christmas brunch Amelia and Mark are having a game of tag to burn off a little of their young energy!
Assorted Patterned Tapes: December No. 01 (recolored) Katie Pertiet
Adorable Layered Template (featured challenge template) Katie Pertiet
Beach House Memories Mini Kit (bow) Katie Pertiet
Blitzen Kit Katie Pertiet
December Circles Brushes and Stamps Ali Edwards
Doily Edgers No. 02 Katie Pertiet
Frosted Winter Kit Katie Pertiet
Frosted Winter: Paint Katie Pertiet
Littlest Baby Element Pack Katie Pertiet
Pin Its!: Pearls Pattie Knox
Powder Mountain Element Pack (recolored) Katie Pertiet
Shimmer Me Tidbits: Splattered Summer (lightened) Pattie Knox
Stacked Dates 2010-2012 Brushes and Stamps - Ali Edwards
I was inspired (tracermajig) Traces use of the new Frosted Winter Kit and lifted the combination of the pearl pin & striped bow elements from her adorableArt Time


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|South Orange, NJ
|High School:
|Seton Hall Prep
2008-09: Led team with 79 assists... Finished seventh in the Ivy League in assists (2.9 per game) and ninth in steals (1.2 per game)... Started all 14 Ivy League games... Recipient of the Stan Smith Senior Award at the post-season banquet... Made his first career start against Hartford... Scored 10 points, which matched his career high, and handed out four assists in home victory over Cornell.
2007-08: Returned from a second off-season injury to appear in two games... Made his first appearance since his freshman year at home against Dartmouth... Received a loud ovation from the crowd at Lee Amphitheater, assisted on a Raffi Mantilla three-pointer and scored his only points when Ari Greenberg passed up a breakaway layup to feed him... Recipient of the Josh Hill Award for hard work and dedication at the post season banquet.
2006-07: Missed season due to injury.
2005-06: Appeared in all 29 games off the bench... Tied for fifth on the team in steals with 21 and was sixth in assists with 39... In the victory at home over Harvard, scored 10 points, all from the free throw line. Was 10 for 12 from the line, including making two with eight seconds left that sealed the win... Against Navy, his two steals in the final 15 seconds helped clinch a 73-70 win... In the Bulldogs' win at Rice, matched his career high with four assists.
Before Yale: Helped Seton Hall Prep, one of the top high school programs in the country, to the state championship in his senior year... A second team all-state selection after averaging 5.8 assists and 6.3 points... Named the Essex County Player of the Year.
Personal: Mentors students from Career High School in New Haven as a member of the Yale Black Men's Union... Teammate and close friend of Harvard junior Andrew Pusar at Seton Hall Prep. They first met during the summer of eighth grade when they were randomly selected to be roommates at the Eastern Invitational Camp.


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College graduates and their parents may be under-educated about health insurance issues due partly to misinformation in mainstream media publications. A recent article in... Read more


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Jon Ehrsam was the first person to notice the change about a year ago this month when the well at his house on State Route 120 went dry.
He figured it was time to lower the tip of the well deeper into the aquifer.
About a week and a half later, the people across the road, Jerry and Joan Tejkl, ran out of water.
The neighbors began comparing notes and Joan contacted the Fulton County Health Department. A representative there expressed concern, but the agency's oversight over local water usage had been stripped in 2004 when legislators voted to turn authority over to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The health department now acts only in an advisory role.
Another nearby neighbor, Melody Meek, never lost drinking water because she draws from a deeper aquifer, but she has a backup pump in the shallower water source. She noticed the water level had dropped significantly.
The group began wondering if the change might be related to the Chesterfield Dairy on Fulton County Road 14, less than a mile to the southwest. The dairy had been plagued by water problems from the start and initially resorted to bringing water by truck until productive wells were finally established.
"We didn't want to jump to any conclusion," Joan Tejkl said, "but there were no problems until the dairy started pumping."


text:
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Originally working out of a van located underneath Hungerford Bridge, to rave reviews, the Pitt Cue guys specialise in BBQ as only a red blooded, baseball capped American called Hank would recognise. No incinerated sausages, half cooked chicken or carbonised beef patties, which pass for BBQ in this country. This is the real deal. Think heaps of shredded pulled pork, meltingly tender beef brisket and ridiculously massive portions of sticky, smoky and unctuous ribs.
Regretfully, I never managed to eat at the van, but as soon as I heard they'd up scaled to a restaurant proper, I knew I had to get my ass down there and experience it for myself.
Allegedly seating just 30 but even this number of covers seems a little generous, from what I saw. With that many seated, it would mean eating your meal whilst sitting on a strangers lap with someone's elbow lodged in your eye.
First off, I have to say I know pretty much sod all about proper American BBQ. I know what it consists of. I just haven't eaten it. It pretty much doesn't exist in this country. But over the years, I've listened to accounts from various individuals who have experienced the real deal in the US. Tales that have been invariably highly emotionally charged, misty eyed and awed which have left me with the distinct impression that my life is just a wasted empty husk until I've eaten some of it for myself.
I'd like to report, having now experienced proper BBQ at Pitt Cue, the hype is all true, my husk has been well and truly stuffed full of the meaty goodness and I'm a believer.
Sadly 'E' couldn't accompany me on my 'Road to Damascus' proper BBQ conversion. Her Pescatarianism precludes eating all the good stuff, so she stayed at home to no doubt gnaw on some dry nuts and berries. Instead, I was accompanied by Niamh, a girl who definitely knows her way around a bit of pork and isn't at all squeamish about gnawing on a meaty rib.
I'd heard some disconcerting reports of people queuing for over an hour to get in the door. There's a no reservation policy, and with the temperature plummeting to minus brass monkey, I planned on getting there for 5:45pm, a time I'd been assured by those in the know would almost guarantee a swift entry. Spot on – straight in through the busy upstairs bar, down the stairs to a packed but very bijou space. The smoky, meaty smells emanating from the kitchen had me drooling before I'd even looked at a menu.
Deciding that the already somewhat infamous Pickle Back would kick start the meal nicely, we quickly got stuck in. A shot of Bourbon, quickly followed up with a shot of pickling liquor. The raw alcohol burn instantly quenched with a savoury sweetness. It seems very odd to be knocking back pickling liquor, but it works amazingly well.
A couple of very decent cocktails later, (things are a little hazy on the booze front but I'm pretty sure I drank a Big Mac 'n' Rye and a New York Sour in quick succession), our food began to arrive.
First to arrive, the most amazing Beef Ribs, large and thick, dark and sticky. An absolute joy to eat; soft mouthfuls of meat tearing away with each effortless bite. The accompaniments of pickles, a nice sharp vinegar 'slaw and a chunk of chargrilled bread to mop up with were spot on.
Meanwhile Niamh was demolishing a portion of St Louis pork ribs. We swapped plates half way through so we could try everything. If anything, the pork ribs were better than the beef. Even more sticky, tender and soft. Amazing.
At this point, I better mention the burnt end mash. I'm a total mash potato fiend. Whoever had the idea of covering it with the crispy off-cuts of meat and gravy deserves some kind of medal. Beautiful stuff.
A side order of smoked hot wings with pickled celery was very good, in fact they must have been pretty damn great as I'm not normally a big fan of chicken wings but I stuffed all of these in my gob in no time at all.
Deep fried crispy pickled shitake were another stupendously good side dish, beautiful crisp batter with a tangy moist mushroom inside, a great accompaniment to cut through all that meat.
We decided to share a bowl of rather fantastic sticky toffee pudding with bourbon salted caramel sauce and prune and Armagnac ice-cream, (yep, it was every bit as good as it sounds) and that was us, done.
With mains coming in at around £10 each, sides £3-£4 and cocktails £6, the bill, considering we'd both drunk three cocktails and ordered a fair bit of food came to around a very bargainous £40 each. Looking at the menu, it would be very easy to visit and easily spend less than £20 per person if you didn't start hitting the booze hard. Considering the quality of the food, the prices are ridiculously cheap.
So, there it is. I loved Pitt Cue. There's nowhere else serving food like this in London. Their American style BBQ is everything I'd heard it was and more. What else is there to say? Basically it's frigging awesome. Yes the restaurant is crammed, busy and you may have to queue, but any trials encountered are well worth it to eat food like this as a reward. Go!
Pitt Cue Co
1 Newburgh Street
9 comments:
- Ewan said...
I was there the other week, and yes also had a fantastic ribs and burnt end mash. I suspect the 30 covers includes diners sitting along the narrow bar in the upstairs room...
- 7 February 2012 at 09:22
- Dan said...
Ewan - Ribs and Burnt end mash, frigging awesome. 30 covers, I suspected the same. but when I visited that whole area around the bar seemed to be packed solid with drinkers, I couldn't see it being really used for eating.
- 7 February 2012 at 09:43
- laura@howtocookgoodfood said...
Wow this place is really getting so much press, it is THE place everyone seems to be talking about, especially on Twitter. Just love the sound of it, perfectly cooked meat is an art form and at these prices pretty reasonable......don't know how they do it, hope the rent is cheap!
- 7 February 2012 at 14:38
- arh said...
Dan, I know you're new to BBQ, but pork ribs are generally always better than beef ribs, especially if you're lucky enough to get/splurge on baby backs :)
- 7 February 2012 at 15:12
- Omnivoracity said...
great post as usual Dan. reminded me of a failed drunken attempt to replicate Picklebacks at someone's house in the summer with inferior ingredients - JD & juice from a jar of polish gherkins. I will not be repeating that!
- 7 February 2012 at 16:51
- Dan said...
Laura - I know, the prices are incredibly reasonable, especially the drinks for that part of town. £6 for a cocktail?! you can pay that for a pint.
Arh - I hear you on the pork. Splurge on the baby backs...what a delightful image that conjures up.
Omnivoracity - Thank you very much. Your doomed attempt to replicate picklebacks is as hilarious as it is ill advised. Thanks for sharing!
- 7 February 2012 at 20:06
- Gourmet Chick said...
You had me at burnt end mash - sounds fantastic!
- 9 February 2012 at 07:47
- Food Urchin said...
Things got a little hazy Dan? You do surprise me.
Great review young man, must get down to this popular place proper very soon
- 10 February 2012 at 16:46
- Dan said...
Gourmet Chick - I'm anyones at the merest mention of 'mash'. let alone burnt end mash.
Food Urchin - I'm not entirely sure what you're driving at mate, with your incredibly subtle suggestion of my drinking to excess. No, No, No, that's not me at all. Thank you very much, you should definitely visit and eat 'all the meats'.
- 16 February 2012 at 10:13