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Regulatory change the Aussie securitisation market can actually look forward to
February 2014 | LEGAL & REGULATORY | BANKING & FINANCE
Financier Worldwide Magazine
On 11 November 2013 the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) released long-anticipated details of the proposed changes to its rules relating to securitisation during a speech by Charles Litrell, Executive General Manager (Policy), at the industry's annual conference in Sydney. The rewrite of the rules had been flagged a year earlier by Litrell at the prior year's event. The tone of the recent speech, and mood generally at the conference, was decidedly positive. This calendar year, the domestic industry has set a post-financial crisis record for RMBS issuance and it is clear from APRA's statements that the regulator is looking to encourage a large and liquid Australian securitisation market, particularly for high-grade product. At the same time, APRA will seek to balance this strategy by discouraging practices associated with what it terms "unacceptable risks" at a systemic and individual entity level.
Interestingly, if one compares Litrell's speeches at consecutive conferences, not much has actually changed in terms of the regulator's proposals; some of the detail and thinking has been refined and some additional topics were covered. The industry, which has traditionally relied on standalone issuance structures, had been eagerly awaiting APRA's views on master trusts. These are hoped to provide better access to offshore investors by facilitating bullet and controlled amortisation securities (and bringing down swap costs) and encourage diversification in asset classes. APRA's response to the topic was generally supportive, in fact Litrell suggested that there was nothing stopping master trusts being established under the current rules. The changes flagged that would assist master trust issuance include the removal of the current rule preventing an originator from holding more than 20 percent of the securities in the securitisation (where capital relief is not being sought) and APRA's proposal to allow date-based clean-up calls. Interestingly, APRA will require that the seller's share must rank at least equally to the most senior instruments in the structure meaning that non-asset triggers, which accelerate repayment of investor's funding of a typical RMBS master trust structure, will not be a feature of Australian master trusts.
The other focus of industry lobby over the last year was a formal distinction between funding only and capital relief transactions. Currently, deposit-taking institutions are required to comply with all of the requirements of APS 120 whether or not they are seeking capital relief. APRA has accepted the distinction and will rewrite the rules to facilitate easier execution for funding only trades and establish clear principles that will apply where capital relief is sought. This is welcomed by the industry. In line with comments initially made last year, APRA will mandate the structures appropriate for both funding only and capital trades. For the former, APRA will require that the entirety of the credit risk be represented by a single B class instrument which will be retained by the originator. For capital relief transactions, multiple classes of subordinated notes will be permitted but a floor on the maximum available capital relief will be imposed (20 percent).
It had been widely anticipated that, following a cap on covered bond issuance, APRA would seek to place a cap on securitisation by deposit-takers or a broader cap on secured funding generally. Although APRA considered the issue, APRA expects the industry to comply with the general principal of diversification of funding sources and, accordingly, no cap is proposed. Since the financial crisis most deposit-taking institutions have been working towards increasing their deposit-base and, to the extent not previously tapped, accessing unsecured wholesale funding sources. The low credit-growth environment has also relieved pressure on funding models.
There were a number of other aspects of the proposed new rules covered only very briefly in APRA's announcements where further detail will be required. APRA made it clear it did not like the capital arbitrage that had been occurring by Australian major banks providing access to their balance sheet through securitisation warehouse arrangements to smaller deposit-taking institutions. Interestingly, rather than switching-off capital relief for those transactions (which would be a more logical approach), APRA proposes that warehouses not refinanced in the term market within a year will be treated as a whole loan sale from the funder's perspective. This could provide opportunity for offshore regulated warehouse providers to whom this treatment would not apply. On this investor side, APRA also flagged that it will follow any proposals that come out of the Basel Committee, which is expected to issue additional standards in 2014, following a December 2012 consultative document which received significant comment from the industry globally.
For once, it seems, the Australian securitisation industry is looking forward to details of the regulation, and for implementation sooner rather than later. Unfortunately there is not a clear timetable on when a discussion paper with more detail will be available, although it is expected early in the new year with implementation likely for 2015.
Sonia Goumenis and Andrew Jinks are partners at Clayton Utz. Ms Goumenis can be contacted on +61 2 9353 4378 or by email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Mr Jinks can be contacted on +61 2 9353 5818 or by email: email@example.com.
© Financier Worldwide
Sonia Goumenis and Andrew Jinks
Clayton Utz


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Still Messin' with Texas.
Come and ride along with me as I follow the Steinbeck route from Travels with Charley around the U.S. and "rediscover this monster land."
The Route: After leaving Amarillo, Steinbeck passed through Sweetwater, Balinger, Austin and, after bypassing Houston, Beaumont. As is often the case when angling North to South across a state, he followed country roads, as did I. Although too numerous to mention, those roads were a fine way to see the Lone Star State. Max and I spent the night in Beaumont, near exit 851 and not yet too Louisiana.
The Landscape:. Just as soon as you feel you have Texas pegged, it changes. In general, the state is more lush and tree-covered, such as with pin oaks, than expected. In terms of landscape there are many faces to Texas, but the people only present one—exceptionally friendly and helpful. Somewhere in Central Texas I felt like I passed from the Western U.S. into the South.
Profile: I made my miles to Beaumont, Texas by 7:30 p.m. and after taking care of Max, walked to Joe's Crab Shack with three things on my mind; seafood, beer and baseball. All that was forgotten when I met a very charming barkeep named Krista. I knew she was local and I was back in the South when I heard her say, "do what?" as a way of saying "say that again, please." Krista explained that Beaumont was just a "huge small town of 250,000." She is 23 and has been tending bar for 5 years. Four little Texan boys sat near the other end of the bar in their baseball uniforms and watched the game while bantering with Krista (I overheard one remark about the Joe's Crab Shack slogan stretched across her chest —"Bite Me." The boys swilled something out of a dark bottle—root beer perhaps. When I suggested that the characters at the other end of the bar might have had too much to drink. Krista said they had been cut off after one beer. "Texas law, she said, if you can't see over the bar you only get one beer." Krista's boyfriend recently moved to Florida and she says it is hard to maintain a relationship from 5 states away. Krista likes the Yankee pitcher because he used to play for the Astros. She likes football too. Krista has all the well-know qualities of a southern belle. She is blonde, cute, and smiley-warm as a southern summer night. She also possesses the best kept secret of many southern belles, she is very smart. Of Mice and Men was her favorite book in high school. She really got the relationship, the dream, the tragedy. She wrote several papers about it. When I told her it was one of Steinbeck's most banned books, she remembered parents of schoolmates who complained about the language. I heard her commiserate with an angry co-worker in an "I'm Feeling Crabby," t-shirt who had been jerked around by customers and then left a 2-buck tip. Pretty tough, Krista said, when you're only paid $2.16 an hour plus tips. Krista reminded me that Texans "bleed orange" for the Longhorns and presented me with a gift, an orange Joe's Crab Shack shirt. Today, I'll drive to New Orleans, bleeding orange, thanks to Krista.
So as not to overly gush about Texas, I should report that, near Abilene, I experienced the worst RV park of the trip. I expect interstate traffic sounds in RV parks, and trains near highways are pretty much commonplace in this country, but the manager of this park in Tye, Texas failed to mention we were right under an ear-splitting flight path for a nearby airport.
The Dog: Max is doing great. I hate to think how his health will deteriorate after he returns home and Dimmie puts him back on organic dog food. Eggs and Arby's beef seem to suit him (as long as I don't forget his fish oil, baby aspirin and glucosamine).
Sweet Notes: Krista, you were the sweetest of the sweet in the sweet state of Texas. Thanks for the t-shirt and thanks for riding along.
Thank you for riding along. Let's talk again soon, shall we?
Greg Zeigler
Travels with Steinbeck: In Search of America Fifty Years Later
Copyright © 2009
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
* Jeanne says:
Hey GZ,| Posted 9 years, 10 months ago
You're right, MUCH better title for this post.
Thanks for inviting me to ride the dusty trail through Texas.
What a great time.
Give Max a big ol' smooch from his auntie.
* Jeanne says:
P.S. too bad about them Phillies…| Posted 9 years, 10 months ago
* will rhem says:
Hi Greg,
Please let me know if and when you are coming to Maine. We'd love to have you visit and hear about your travels. I must admit that I am very envious of your voyage.
I made a pilgrimage to the Steinbeck Center this summer and had lunch at Steinbeck's home too.| Posted 9 years, 10 months ago

subset: commoncrawl


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The Meaning of TINKU
In ancient and current times, TINKU represents a prehispanic Andean ritual in which people from certain regions of South America (particularly in Bolivia) meet in a fierce celebration. These often times bloody meetings are generally organized in religious or sacred grounds. The persons are fighting for their ayllu or community. Winning the battle means gaining prestige; acquiring favors from the losing party; and overall rights to land.
TINKU is a word with several meanings. Its variants Tinkuñacama means " to fall or to enter into combat"; while Tinkuy signifies "the coming together of two different groups". TINKU is also a musical rhythms traditional to Bolivia that represents a marching movement. It is this type of music that was utilized when the two parties meet in combat. Currently, there are many "Tinku rituals" throughout South America held at different times of the year. However, due to local law enforcement, the ancient form of the Tinku battle is dying.
So, why "TINKU" for a band name? TINKU was chosen by its Founder & Director, Francisco Astudillo, because of its literary content: a coming together of two different segments of society. With this in mind, TINKU's goal is to project traditions, customs and rhythms of various Latin American countries by incorporating native instruments to introduce Latin, Folk and World music to people in the United States and beyond. Hence, since 1995, TINKU delights audiences with 100% live music from over 12 countries while highlighting over 19 musical rhythms.


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Happy 2018! And holy deep freeze! Our clients are keeping warm and cozy though in their new space - there is nothing cold about this kitchen before and after. We were tasked with bringing this 60's, outdated kitchen up to 2018 (and maybe even into the next mid-century) while preserving the bits of glamour that sets this house apart. Gorgeous brass hardware, original light fixtures, floor to ceiling picture windows, mid-century class abounds here - and we were happy to be a part of the rehab!
Everything had to go - except for the cool, original indoor grill - and we did think twice before ditching that rooster. (JK!) Not many tears were shed when the floral drop ceiling came down either.
A chef's kitchen from the past, this space had to be re-imagined for two cooks, way more storage, new appliances, proper lighting, and a comfy sitting, eating, and reading-the-paper-kind-of nook. PLUS look good of course. We maximized natural light and opened a tight space by rejecting traditional upper cabinets, and designed an island and buffet for beauty as well as functional storage. The cold fluorescent ceiling lighting was replaced with layers of warm LED light: pendants, sconces, and recessed fixtures, so there is never a dull corner.
While looking for classic, yet modern ways to open this tight area, a cut-up mud room gave way to floor to ceiling pantry cabs (well crafted by our local cabinet guy, Henry of Cabinet Specialties LLC) and a happy space for laundry. Even I would iron in here now!
Just a few more details that we love about this kitchen and laundry room:
- the warm brass accents in the lighting and hardware,
- the beauty of flat front cabinets in white oak,
- the stonework aptly crafted by our favorite local supplier in CT, G&F Granite,
- the two-toned kitchen using Farrow + Ball light blue and natural wood cabinets,
- the ceiling beams we added for visual interest and to camouflage the recessed lighting,
- the contrast of the soapstone counter top against the glossy subway tile in the laundry.
Did we mention that we loved working on this project? We're so fortunate to have kind and trusting clients that allow us to work in their home. Thank you P & T! We miss working with you!
The master bathroom is just as warm and lovely - and literally around the corner, so stay tuned! Enjoy more pics here.
See you soon. --d+e


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The following material was written by Barry R Bainton,founding member of the Society. —DD\N
In recent years a growing concern among anthropologists and their students has been the changing employment market. If an anthropologist obtains employment outside of the "traditional" academic setting, he or she often finds it difficult or impossible to maintain professional identity as an anthropologist. In November 1974, a group of non-academically employed anthropologists in Tucson, Arizona, began a series of meetings to discuss this problem. Out of these meetings the Society of Professional Anthropologists (SPA) was formed.
The Professional Anthropologist
The use of the term "professional" has stirred and continues to stir debate within the group. Other names for describing the group have been offered, eg, "applied," "nontraditional," "practicing," etc. Yet none so completely encornpasses the concept that the group seeks to express as does "professional." What is a professional anthropologist? At first glance, the answer is obvious: one who is employed as an anthropologist is a professional anthropologist. Very few persons trained as anthropologists, however, are employed specifically as "anthropologists." To restrict the professional identity to those whose job title or description specifies "anthropologist" or "anthropology," is too strict a definition for it excludes all those who have developed new and possibly unforeseen "uses" for the art and science of anthropology and the anthropological perspective. A broader, and for the group useful, definition is an individual who is formally trained in anthropology, is employed or seeking employment in a professional capacity, and identifies anthropology as his or her primary source of professional focus. By "primary source of professional focus," I mean the basic intellectual and ethical foundation of his or her approach to his/her professional activity. That is, the individual brings to his/her employment an anthropological perspective or ethic. Thus, the Tucson group includes in its membership the traditional university level teaching anthropologist and the less traditional anthropologically trained businessman.
Why a Separate Group?
Another issue the Tucson group has considered is "why a separate group, why membership in AAA, the Society for Applied Anthropology, or other special interest groups?" In the discussion it quickly became evident that there exists a very large gap between the needs of the professional anthropologist and the current services available from the national organizations. Among these needs are: timely information about job openings in the range of fields professional anthropologists have exploited or seek to exploit; information about local developments within the professional activity area in which the anthropologist finds himself; a forum where anthropologists employed in similar and/or complementary areas can get together and discuss issues of local concern from an anthropological perspective; creation of a local pool of consultants by fellowship in a common interest group; role models for those who wish to practice their anthropology in a non-academic setting; and contact between the teaching and practicing anthropologist to help each understand and benefit from the perspective of the other.
On another level, then is a need for a local group representing a wide interest base to monitor local legislation and lobby for anthropological interests. Current federal funding patterns, ie, formula grants, revenue sharing and planning and review requirements, make it crucial that anthropologists on the local level be able to influence state and local agencies in the development and implementation of local legislation designed to take advantage of federal legislation. The critical point in the system is frequently the person in the local or state agency who writes the rules and regulations that ultimately put flesh on the bare skeleton of legislation. Therefore, those who initially met and who continue to meet in Tucson feel that the formation of a locally based professional association of anthropologists is desirable for their purposes. Membership in the SPA does not require membership in any other anthropological association, nor does it exclude it. One's professional interest may require membership in a wide range of special interests groups. In fact, the SPA encourages its members to be active in other groups. The information derived and shared with the membership of SPA can only help to meet the needs of group members.
The Purpose
The Society recently adopted the following purpose statement: "The purpose of the Society of Professional Anthropologists is to promote anthropology as a profession. The Society seeks to develop the art and science of anthropology and to promote its use for the betterment of the community. To further these goals, the Society and its members seek self development through active support of formal and informal means of communication between members and to promote the public's awareness of the values of anthropology and the anthropological perspective."
The History of the SPA
The Society developed out of two general local movements in Tucson. One movement evolved among local program evaluators. Recent federal social legislation has included the requirement of program evaluation as a program component.
In Tucson, program evaluators have been hired by the city government, local school district, health and research planning agencies, behavioral health programs and by private consulting firms, among others. In some cases, one-man evaluation programs operate in social or health service agencies. As these evaluators developed contacts with colleagues in other agencies and programs, a number of anthropologists discovered one another. From these discoveries they began meeting to discuss common problems in evaluation and to rekindle their anthropological interests.
At the same time, archeologists at the Arizona State Museum, located at the University of Arizona, have for several years been doing salvage and contract archeology throughout Arizona. In the last year, a new program was introduced at the University. The program, Cultural Resource Management, was stimulated by the federal legislation requiring a historical and archeological impact statement to be filed as part of the environmental impact statement for major construction projects. As a result a number of archeologists trained as cultural resource managers have been matriculated and have met to discuss common problems.
In November 1974, a meeting was called by the author and Margaret Knight to discuss the major events of the AAA annual meeting in Mexico City, which Knight had attended. Members of the evaluation and archeological groups, as well as persons who were known to share an interest in professional applied anthropology, were invited. Out of that meeting was born the Society of Professional Anthropologists.
The SPA
The Society has a mailing list of 125 persons, and an active membership of approximately 105 drawn from the Tucson and southern Arizona community Functionally the membership is drawn from the following activities areas: Services, 20; Teaching and Training, 19; Administration, 20; Research, 16; Students, 25.
Broken down by discipline, the membership shows the following distribution: Education, 32; Government, 7; Health Related Fields, 11; Social Services, 8; Business, 12; Archeology, 6; Housewives, 3; Students, 25.
The Society is governed by a Steering Committee composed of 18 persons. The Steering Committee meets regularly to plan group activities. A workshop on Consultancy, as well as discussion groups on Program Evaluation and Environmental Impact Statements, have been held. A newsletter has been created and published. A jobs network has been created to advise members of local employment opportunities. Plans are currently being made to monitor local and state governments for developments of concern to anthropologists and to prepare the group to help lobby for and against legislation that directly affects anthropologists and anthropological interests. One final point should be made concerning the Society of Professional Anthropologists. That is, it is a local, grassroots organization. Its activities and structure are designed to meet the needs of the professionally employed anthropologists in Tucson. Others in other locales may find their needs are different. We would encourage others who wish to, to form their own groups to serve their local needs. We would welcome word from any such group in the country.
If anthropology is to be successful in marketing its perspective, skills and students in the non-academic market, it will require those of us who profess to be professionals and anthropologists to demonstrate the utility of that perspective and those skills to the public and to potential employers. We may do this individually, but we can also do it collectively. In Tucson, Arizona, we have chosen to do it both ways.
ANTHROPOLOGY Newsletter October 1975
Vol. 16 No. 8 pp. 4 - 6
Anthropology is the study of humans as individuals and members of society. "Anthropology is the most humanistic of the sciences and the scientific of the humanities."
Monday, February 6, 2012
A Little History of Applied Anthropology on the Local Level 1974
The Following is an article I wrote for the Anthropology Newsletter (Vol 16 No. 8 October 1974) about a local self help group formed in Tucson Arizona. The group which called itself the Society for Professional Anthropology (SOPA/aka SPA)was the precursor of the Local Practitioner Organizations and NAPA. It was formed for the purpose of bring unemployed and other "anthropologists" together and to recognize the diversity that exists within the local community of trained anthropologists.
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Thoughtful (and Thankful) Thursday
Thoughtful Thursday [thawt-ful thurz-day] - 1) characterized by manifesting careful thought on the day of Thursday; 2) weekly blathering by Cooking College Chick; 3) a completely random non sequitur from your day. Right now I am relaxing in sunny San Diego, enjoying the company of my dad and grandparents. And let me tell you, I am so dog-gone thankful to be here. (Yes, I said dog-gone, I have to keep it PG here).
When I say "here", I don't just mean being in San Diego. I mean here in that broad, abstract, hoity-toity literary form of the word.
When I think back, over the past year, I don't even feel like the same person. I've traveled to Israel, completed an amazing internship, met new friends, and made tons of food. I've experienced some of my greatest personal challenges and struggles, but at the same time wonderful achievements.
All in all, I'm thankful for so much this year.
I'm thankful for my family - for the smartest man I will ever know (my daddy), my hot momma, and my super-cool, hip grandparents. I'm thankful for their constant support, generosity, and love.
I'm thankful for all of my extended family (and so, so thankful that they were mostly spared from the wrath of Sandy).
I'm thankful for all of my "sisters" and "moms" and "aunts" and "uncles": those that are not related to me, but whom I consider my family nonetheless. P.S. Not all of my fabulous family is pictured.
I'm thankful for my beautiful, wonderful, fantastic, giving friends.
I'm thankful that they surprise me with scones and chocolate or random (and usually incredibly inappropriate) text messages.
I'm thankful that they will run with me even though I'm slow or feel like I need to stop.
I'm thankful that they bring me my favorite soup when I am sick to make me feel better.
I'm thankful that they call me at 3AM just because they need to talk to someone.
I'm thankful that they get coffee with me and listen to me rant, or cry, or laugh, or all three simultaneously.
I'm thankful that they will continue to share an apartment with me even though I often forget to press the "cancel" button on the microwave, so it perpetually reads 7 seconds.
I'm thankful that they let me embarrass them. All. The. Time. Or maybe that they let me embarrass myself...
And most of all, I'm thankful that they are always faithfully there for me.
To name a few more things, I'm thankful for my puppy, the White Stallion, running, my education, my health, Downton Abbey, Cookie Butter, classical music, nail polish, my bike, volunteering, knee-high socks, sunny days, puffy clouds, fresh baked cookies, my strength and resilience, picture messaging, my Toms, my apartment, autumn and spring, airplanes that take me to my family, pretty flowers, tiny surprises, real hugs, fresh cut grass, lazy Saturday mornings, Ethiopian food, driving through the country in East Tennessee, yoga, swimming in the lake, hiking, and so, so many more things that I won't bore you with.
And of course, I am thankful for YOU. I am very, very thankful that you visit my site and read about my life and the food that I make. I'm thankful that you leave comments and share my little place on the internet with your friends and family. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a day full of thanks and love. And if you aren't here in the U.S. celebrating Thanksgiving, I still wish you a beautiful day with the people that make you smile.
How has your Thursday been? What are you thankful for?
Looking for more Cooking College Chick? Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest! You can also subscribe on the upper right hand bar to receive email updates! Happy Cooking!!!


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Laura's test shoot - Portland, Maine
Laura is a super amazing, gorgeous model who is signed with an agency and I recently worked with her on a test shoot (basically shots for both of our portfolios). She was so much fun to work with and we are both really proud of the result... here are some of the favorites for the day. We got SO many ridiculously good shots that I had a horrible time even choosing favorites. My wonderful makeup artist Rebecca was also there for the day and did some incredible work. We will all be shooting again in the future I'm sure. :)
(ps: I know you guys are out there, cause I see lots of you reading from our stats, so please leave comments to say hello or let us know what pics you like!!)


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Silver beaded edge veil
Put the finishing touch on your perfect dress with a silver rolled edge veil embellished with a delicate edge of gleaming beads and rhinestones! Trailing to your fingertips, this 1-tier creation lends subtle, dreamy polish to your look. Wear it to match a glamorous rhinestone headpiece or dazzling earrings!


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Beggars Purse Recipes
Blueberry Chocolate Mousse Recipe
When done properly, there are few things in life more sensual than chocolate. If your true love happens to love chocolate, you might want to consider it as part of a special romantic dinner this Valentine's Day.
This blueberry chocolate mousse would be perfect for someone who is not very confident in the kitchen. It's made of dark chocolate mousse flavored with fresh blueberries, encased in a cup made of blueberry-yogurt pretzels and topped with chocolate-covered blueberries and yogurt or ice cream.
You won't have to spend all day in the kitchen to prepare this dessert, but it will look like you did. Your sweetie will appreciate the gesture!
Full Recipe...
Mandarin Chocolate Mousse Filled Crepe Recipe
Last night was our first formal dinner party since the New Year and I wanted to add a little wow factor to the end of the meal. I prepared a mandarin-flavored dark chocolate mousse and enclosed it in the cutest little crêpe purses.
The decadence didn't stop there, as I garnished the purses with chocolate puffed rice "hung" up high on a spun sugar stick. A little drizzle of coffee-liqueur chocolate sauce finished off the dessert and guaranteed that it would satisfy even the biggest chocoholic's cravings.
I'm starting to plan out what could amaze my Valentine in a few weeks and I know for sure my husband Lulu would be more than delighted that we end our Valentine's Day romantic dinner feeding each other chocolate! Check back for more ideas.
Full Recipe...
Mushroom Crepe Recipe (Crepe Forestiere)
In less than 3 weeks, La Chandeleur is going to be celebrated in France. It originially was a religious event (40 days after Christmas) but nowadays, it's become a more commercial celebration). Crêpes are traditionally served on the holiday, which gives me an excuse to flip some crêpes for my family. I know that making crepes is intimidating for a lot of people, but I have prepared crêpe batter countless times and I promise it's easy to master, and with a little bit of practice you'll have no problem with it.
In general, for La Chandeleur you'll see them served as dessert, either with fruit and cream or simply sweetened with a sprinkle of sugar. Savory versions (ham and cheese is a staple), however, are not uncommon. This recipe is for a "forest"-style crepe, which means it's filled with mushrooms and it's also known as beggar's purse. I added a few roasted chestnuts and garbanzo beans for extra protein.
I hope you're inspired to make some crepes yourself. You'll be a pro in no time!
I'm giving away a copy this week and will announce the winner next Monday, January 14th, 2013. I am so grateful for all the blessings I have in my life. Thank you so much for your love and support. Here's to making 2013 as unforgettable as 2012!
Full Recipe...
Roasted Pumpkin Filled Crepe Recipe (Beggar's Purse)
For my husband Lulu's birthday, the three of us took a few days off to visit Paris. My baby Aria is already having a blast, enjoying every bit of Parisian life so far. We arrived last Friday and have already had time to go to museums and wander through Parisian markets. We noticed that Halloween has become increasingly popular in France, and decorated pumpkins are available everywhere. Of course, pumpkins are just as much fun to eat as they are to draw on, so I picked one up and used it to make dinner.
To prepare this recipe I roasted a pumpkin, gathered the pulp and stuffed it into a crêpe. The filling also contains a little Saint Marcellin cheese and pine nuts. I love cooking with this ripe cheese; when warm, it has a robust mushroom-y, earthy flavor.
Give this recipe a try, and you'll (almost) feel like you're in the City of Lights. I'll take lots of pictures while I'm here and will share them on my Twitter and Facebook pages, so if you haven't already, follow / like Pham Fatale for all the updates!
Full Recipe...
Ratatouille Stuffed Beggar's Purse Recipe
I've made beggar's purses using crêpes as wraps in the past. They look incredibly elegant, but are not difficult at all to make. You could also simply fill the crêpes and fold them in half but I thought tying the purses with parsley stems was a nicer touch for Valentine's Day.
This time, I filled them with ratatouille and Brie cheese. To the traditional ratatouille ingredients, I added sweet potatoes for a little firmer consistency. If you're not serving this to vegetarians as I am, the beggar's purse would make a great companion to steamed fish or a stuffed salmon filet.
Full Recipe...


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This is a reminder to our affiliate presidents and/or board members that you're invited to join our conference call at 11 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 13, to learn more about the Legacy Leadership Challenge.
To participate in the conference, call 866-634-9522 and enter 84217073 for your participant code.
The Legacy Leadership Challenge will offer affiliates the opportunity to receive up to $2,500 in unrestricted grantmaking funds through both board and community participation in the Legacy Society.
If you have any questions, please contact Winter Skelton, Director of Donor Services, (417) 864-6199.


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As a fan of Lite Brite as a child, for me, this is a sure hit. While searching for upcoming events in the city, I stumbled upon the Portland Winter Light Festival, and was intrigued to learn more.
In its inaugural year, the festival will bring together more than a dozen artists who will illuminate their innovative, vibrant and colorful artwork outdoors. Each eye-catching piece will be featured along the east bank of the Willamette River surrounding OMSI.
Bringing existing outdoor spaces to life, large-scale interactive light exhibits will engage and spark imagination. Buildings will transform into massive canvases for innovative animated projection displays. Performers will manipulate light and fire. Together they all create a dazzling spectacle not to be missed this February 3-6.
"I chose each of the artists because they are gifted and create interesting work," says Artistic Director Chris Herring.
"We have 13 artists presenting their installations every night of the festival, with several more performers and additional artists who will join us at different times throughout the festival," says media representative Chad Carter. "The main festival will be outdoors surrounding the OMSI campus. We will also have affiliate events that will be taking place at several locations throughout the city."
The Portland Winter Light Festival invites the community together during a time of year when the city is traditionally quiet. Portlanders are known for enjoying outdoor activities year round and supporting unique arts events, so this seems like the perfect fit for all.
The festival is free and open to all ages. Prepare to be wowed: Portland Winter Light Festival


text: New Supplies Company is an industry leader in fasteners for industrial and construction industries for over 40 years. We offer extremely competitive pricing on fasteners. Also, we offer a high quality service department designed around our customers needs for tool repair. Our experience sales team is ready to assist you with your nail and staple needs.


text: Which greek god are you? (3) Pretty obvious what this is about XD. Find out whether you are the mighty Zeus or the evil Hades. Xenomorph published on January 06, 2013105 responses 21 4.8★ / 5 Questions in vertical order Are you male or female, and do you find yourself alone a lot? Female, no Male, no Female, yes Male, yes If someone had a new bag that you really wanted, would you try and take it off them? They are soooo showing off!Of course I would! I deserve that bag.(Female answer) Meh. Its just a bag.(Female answer) I will somehow get that bag, even if it means I have to trick them into giving me it!(Male answer) I do like that bag, but I'd rather get my own.(Male answer) How many people do you fancy?(BE TRUTHFUL) Definately only one!(Female answer) At the moment, one.(Male answer) LOTS!!!!(Female answer) Quite a lot...(Male answer) Would you trick your best friend(s)? NOOOO(Male and female answer) Maybe, it depend on what I get out of it.(Male and female) YES!Their idiots anyway!(Male and female) Do you like just watching people or talking to them?(The rest of the answers are male and female) Watching...If they want to talk to me, they have something wrong with them... TALKING! I could talk for days to them! A massive, deadly snake is coming at you. What would you do? RUUUUNNN! Stand and fight it head on. Stay calm and use tactics. Would you rather swim or fly? FLY! SWIM! NEITHER! If someone killed your first child, would you seek revenge? YES No, im glad they did. No, i'm to scared... Where would you be most at home? In the clouds, flying like a bird. Away from the sun, preferably underground. On an island, enjoying the sun. In the sea. And finally, do you find this scary? YES!! No, its kinda cute.


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Anna univ Nov Dec 2014 Hall Ticket Issue Date
All Engineering Students from various Anna university affiliated colleges is aware of Theory Examination that is going to start By 5th November 2014 For Higher Semester ( 3rd Semester , 5th Sem, 7th Sem ) and mid Of Dec 2014 (1st Semester ) For Remaining Semesters , Anna University issue authenticated Hall Ticket for every student who writing their Semester Exams
Students will be allowed to write exams only if they have the hall tickets, Students has to keep hall tickets safe till their exams end.
Sample Hall Ticket
Hall Tickets for Semester exams will be issued only through affiliated colleges to students, Students Need to collect the same from department/office from the respective colleges, as the Theory exams is going to start from 5th November 2014, Anna University will issue the hall ticket to students very soon
So Far There is No Announcement Regarding The Issue Of Exam Hall Tickets , Information On Issue Of Anna Univ Nov/Dec 2014 Exam Hall Ticket Announcement Is Expected By Today Or Tomorrow .
UPDATE @ 1:00 pm
UPDATE @ 1:00 pm
By Today (03.11.2014 ) Evening Anna University Affiliated Colleges Will Receive Students Hall Tickets , Students are requested to Kindly Confirm This With Your College Officials And Collect the Hall Tickets from Tomorrow
For more Updates Visit : http://au-zone.blogspot.in/2014/10/au-updates.html


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Donegall Road
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Street sign near Broadway.
|Former name(s)
|Blackstaff Lane
Blackstaff Road
|Maintained by
|Belfast City Council
|Shaftesbury and Beechmount, Belfast
|Postal code
|54°35′19″N 5°57′24″W / 54.5886°N 5.9567°WCoordinates: 54°35′19″N 5°57′24″W / 54.5886°N 5.9567°W
|West end
|Falls Road
|Broadway roundabout:
North → Westlink
Southeast → Boucher Road
South → M1 motorway
Northwest → Broadway
|East end
|Shaftesbury Square
The Donegall Road is a residential area and road traffic thoroughfare that runs from Shaftesbury Square on the "Golden Mile" to the Falls Road in west Belfast. It is bisected by the Westlink – M1 motorway. The largest section of the road, east of the Broadway junction with the Westlink, is predominantly loyalist. The remainder is predominantly republican.
The eastern side the road and the streets leading from it, are predominantly Protestant and include the well-known Sandy Row and The Village areas. The Village, an area centred on the loyalist section of Broadway and vaguely conforming to the upper half of the Protestant section of the road, was said to have been given the name by African-American GIs stationed at a base on Maldon Street during the Second World War, who described their occasional trips to the shops in the area as "going to the village".[1] Previously the area was locally known by a number of names including Broadway, Donegall Road, Blackstaff, Linfield and Windsor but the Village name caught on and is still in common usage.[1] The Greater Village Regeneration Trust extends the definition further to cover the entire Protestant part of the road as well as Sandy Row.[2]
Most of the housing is of the 'two up, two down' (many of them converted) red-bricked terraced variety. The area is mostly working class, but has become a catchment area for student rental accommodation due to its close proximity to Queen's University. Across Broadway in West Belfast the demographics change as the road forms the southern border of the almost exclusively Roman Catholic St. James' area. Located where this section of the road meets the Broadway intersection is the Park Centre, a shopping centre built on the former site of Celtic Park, the home of the now defunct Belfast Celtic.[3] The roundabout at this intersection is also home to Rise, a huge spherical metal sculpture completed in 2011.[4]
The road provides access to the Belfast City Hospital and the City Hospital railway station. Travelling outwards from the city centre also takes one to the Broadway entrance of the Royal Victoria Hospital. The road gets particularly congested at peak times. It is bordered by the Lisburn Road, the "Golden Mile" and Sandy Row.
A number of churches are to be found both on the road itself and the adjacent streets. Broadway Gospel Hall, St. Simon's Church of Ireland, Donegall Road Methodist Church, Donegall Road Gospel Hall, Richview Presbyterian Church,[5] St. Aidan's Church Hall, Church of the Nazarene on Roseland Place[6] and the William Tyndale Memorial Free Presbyterian Church on Donegall Avenue.
The road is named after the Marquess of Donegall, from a prominent family in the Peerage of Ireland which have given their name to a number of locations in Belfast. It was originally known as Blackstaff Lane and subsequently Blackstaff Road before being given its current name.[7] The Blackstaff name refers to the Blackstaff River, a waterway that flows in the area and forms one of a number of minor river networks around Belfast.
The Troubles[edit]
During the Troubles the Donegall Road was the scene of a number of attacks by paramilitaries from both sides. In April 1972 Joseph Gold, a British Army soldier, was killed on the road after stopping a PIRA vehicle at a check point.[9]
On 29 January 1973 Peter Watterson, a 15-year-old Catholic civilian, was shot dead as he stood outside a shop at the corner of the Donegall and Falls Roads whilst two days later the body of another Catholic teenager, Gabriel Savage, was found on a grass verge on the Donegall Road. Both killings are recorded as the work of unspecified loyalists.[10] Henry McDonald and Jim Cusack however say that both killings were the work of a UDA team based in the Village area.[11] Francis Smith was killed by the IRA in retaliation for the killings just a few days later in Rodney Drive. On 13 May of the same year, two more soldiers, Thomas Taylor and John Gaskell, were killed by a PIRA explosive left in an abandoned factory on the nationalist part of the road, whilst on 5 July, Catholic Robert Clarke was killed at his place of work by the UDA.[10] On 29 September 1974 Gerard McWilliams, a Catholic, was found stabbed to death in another UDA attack.[12] The following year on 28 April, the UDA attempted to kill another Catholic working on railway lines close to the Donegall Road, but they mistakenly shot and killed his colleague Samuel Grierson, a Protestant.[13]
During the 1980s, Loyalist paramilitaries from the Donegall Road also killed innocent civilian taxi driver Paddy McAllister in Rodney Drive, while IRA volunteer James 'Skipper' Burns was shot and killed in his house in the same street by the UVF. Previously, in 1979, Sadie Larmour, an innocent, middle-aged woman had met the same fate, when she was shot dead in her home. In 1984, Loyalist paramilitary figure Michael Stone would also murder milkman Paddy Brady, who served the area, leaving a nearby dairy. Roy Butler, an off-duty member of the Ulster Defence Regiment was killed by the PIRA, whilst he shopped at Park Centre on 2 August 1988. In late 1991, the road was the scene of four murders in quick succession. On 10 August Catholic civilian James Carson was shot and killed in his shop on the corner of the Donegall and Falls Roads, in an attack claimed by the "Loyalist Retaliation and Defence Group", actually a code name used by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). On 10 September John Hanna, a 19-year-old member of the UVF, was killed by the PIRA at his home in the Village. The republican group struck again on 13 November, when they entered a house on Lecale Street in the Village and killed William Kingsberry and his stepson Samuel Mehaffey. Kingsberry was a member of the Ulster Defence Association and Mehaffey was with the Red Hand Commando (RHC).[14]
On 7 September 1993 Stephen McKeag, and two other volunteers in C-Company of the UDA West Belfast Brigade, entered a hairdresser's shop on the upper Donegall Road and shot the proprietor Sean Hughes dead. Although brought to trial, McKeag – known as "Top Gun" – was not convicted after eyewitness testimony did not stand up to scrutiny.[15] The following year, the RHC killed 31-year-old Margaret Wright at a social club on Meridi Street, and dumped her body in an empty house in the Village. Wright was taken for a Catholic although in fact she was Protestant.[16] The most recent sectarian murder to occur on the road took place on 21 January 1998 when the UDA shot and killed Catholic Benedict Hughes, outside his place of work on Utility Street near Sandy Row.[17]
In terms of paramilitary organization, the Donegall Road has also seen much activity. In late 1970 John McKeague, who had earlier founded the Shankill Defence Association, attempted to establish a similar "defence association" in the area amongst loyalist residents, but the plan floundered when leaders of the local branch of the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee warned their members and supporters not to associate with McKeague, whilst also spreading the rumour that he was a "fruit".[18] The UDA would soon take root on the Donegall Road however, forming part of the movement's South Belfast Brigade. Variously commanded by John McMichael, Jackie McDonald and Alex Kerr, the South Belfast Brigade covered the largest area of any UDA brigade, including not only south Belfast but all of Lisburn and everywhere in between and, despite its name, active units as far away as South County Down, Cookstown, Lurgan and even County Tyrone and County Fermanagh.[19] The Village area of the Donegall Road was a centre of activity for the UDA, and the unit it shared with the neighbouring Sandy Row was one of the brigade's two most active units, along with that in Lisburn.[20] Alex Kerr would later switch from the UDA to the Loyalist Volunteer Force and his move briefly gained some support in the Village, where graffiti attacking the UDA-linked Ulster Democratic Party appeared. This however proved short-lived, and before long Kerr was forced to flee Belfast for the LVF's Mid-Ulster base of operations.[21]
The UVF have generally played second fiddle to the UDA on the Donegall Road with only Donegall Pass, a thoroughfare connecting the base of the Donegall Road to the Ormeau Road, recognised as a true stronghold.[22] A UVF memorial garden stood on Nubia Street in the area, although in 2008 it was replaced by a children's playground.[23] A series of racially motivated attacks, carried out on the homes of immigrants in the area in January 2004, were blamed on local members of the UVF, with even the local spokesman for the UVF-linked Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) conceding that UVF members had been behind the attacks. He did however add that the UVF leadership had not sanctioned the attacks.[24] Four members who were said to be behind the attacks were subsequently "arrested" by the UVF leadership, who issued claims that two of those held responsible had links to the far right British National Party.[25] The leader of the Donegall Road UVF was subsequently stood down by Supreme Command.[26]
Relations between the UVF and the UDA in the area have not always been cordial, and as late as 2004 a UVF band parade in the Village was cancelled following mediation by the PUP, over fears that the march could lead to clashes between UDA and UVF supporters.[22]
Republican activity in the St. James's area of the Donegall Road is commemorated by a garden of remembrance as pictured. 21-year-old Peter Wilson, one of sixteen people believed or confirmed to have been abducted, killed and buried in unmarked graves by republicans, and known collectively as "the Disappeared", was a native of the St. James's area. Wilson disappeared in July 1973 with his body not recovered until 2 November 2010.[27]
Sport and culture[edit]
Windsor Park, the home of both Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team is accessible from Donegall Avenue, a street that leads off the Donegall Road. As a consequence, both the club and national team are well supported within the road's community and are celebrated by murals in the Village area. The Donegall Road also features in a popular chant that Linfield supporters often sing.[28] A supporters club for Scottish Premier League club Rangers F.C. is located at Barrington Street, adjacent to the Donegall Road.[29] As stated, Belfast Celtic previously made their home on the Donegall Road. However the club left the Irish Football League in 1949, after a series of sectarian incidents at matches, notably at Windsor Park. Their stadium remained as a venue for greyhound racing until it was demolished in the 1980s.[30]
Snooker player Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins also grew up on the road, having been born on Abingdon Drive.[31] He was a regular visitor to the local snooker hall, the Jampot Club, before he went on to win the World Snooker Championship for the first time in 1972.[32] Higgins is commemorated by a piece of public art on the road.[33]
Popular singer Ruby Murray was born in Moltke Street, just off the Donegall Road. Like Higgins, Murray's ties to the area have been commemorated artistically, in this case by a photographic montage on the side of the Road's Credit Union.[34]
The Donegall Road Carnegie library opened on 5 March 1909, one of three Carnegie libraries in Belfast.[35] Sold by the council in the early 1990s, it was restored and converted into offices in 1999.[36]
For representation on Belfast City Council the Donegall Road is split between the Balmoral District Electoral Area, currently represented by Claire Hanna and Bernie Kelly of Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Tom Ekin of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), Ruth Patterson of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Máirtín Ó Muilleoir of Sinn Féin and Bob Stoker of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP),[37] and the Laganbank District Electoral Area, an area currently represented by Kate Mullen and Pat McCarthy of the SDLP, Catherine Curran of the APNI, Deirdre Hargey of Sinn Féin and Christopher Stalford of the DUP.[38] It is part of the Belfast South constituency for the House of Commons, with Alasdair McDonnell of the SDLP serving as MP, as well as the Belfast South constituency of the Northern Ireland Assembly which is represented by Conall McDevitt and Alasdair McDonnell of the SDLP, Anna Lo of the APNI, Michael McGimpsey of the Ulster Unionist Party, Alex Maskey of Sinn Féin and Jimmy Spratt of the DUP.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donegall Road.
- ^ a b Billy Dickson, "American GIs Helped Make Broadway Famous", South Belfast Community Telegraph, 26 January 2012
- ^ Greater Village Regeneration Trust
- ^ Park Centre
- ^ RISE sculpture – Broadway Roundabout
- ^ Richview Presbyterian Church Archived 4 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Church of the Nazarene Lisburn
- ^ Myths, Legends And Facts On Olde Belfast
- ^ Urban regeneration: Village in a city
- ^ Sutton Index of Deaths 1972
- ^ a b Sutton Index of Deaths 1973
- ^ McDonald & Cusack 2004, pp. 53–55
- ^ Sutton Index of Deaths 1974
- ^ Sutton Index of Deaths 1975
- ^ Sutton Index of Deaths 1991
- ^ McDonald & Cusack 2004, p. 2
- ^ Sutton Index of Deaths 1994
- ^ Sutton Index of Deaths 1998
- ^ McDonald & Cusack 2004, p. 15
- ^ McDonald & Cusack 2004, pp. 186–187
- ^ McDonald & Cusack 2004, p. 187
- ^ McDonald & Cusack 2004, pp. 278
- ^ a b Parade Scrapped
- ^ UVF garden now a kids' playground
- ^ Loyalists behind racist attacks
- ^ UVF move in to take on racist members
- ^ UVF leader stood down, say reports Archived 13 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Violence – Details of 'the Disappeared'
- ^ "Walking Down The Donegal Road Football Song". Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Blue Nose Bars". Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ Flynn, Barry (2009). Political Football: The Life and Death of Belfast Celtic. Nonsuch Publishing. ISBN 978-1845889463.
- ^ "Alex Higgins' funeral taking place in Belfast". BBC News Online. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ Baxter, Trevor (26 July 2010). "Obituary: Alex Higgins – Two-times world snooker champion whose style of play and wild ways electrified the sport". www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ Walker, Michael (30 July 2010). "Belfast says goodbye to Alex Higgins, a troubled and ungovernable man who came to define this volatile city..." dailymail.co.uk. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Greater Village Regeneration Trust: About Us". Archived from the original on 10 October 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Catalogue of the Photographic Exhibition of Irish Carnegie Libraries" (PDF). An Chomhairle Leabharlanna (Library Council of Ireland). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Directory of Traditional Building Skills" (PDF) (4th ed.). Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and Environment and Heritage Service. 2004: 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012. Cite journal requires
- ^ District electoral area – Balmoral
- ^ District electoral area – Laganbank
- McDonald, Henry; Cusack, Jim (2004). UDA – Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror. Penguin Ireland. ISBN 978-1844880201.
External links[edit]
- UTV Northern Ireland Troubles Footage: Clips 8, 9 and 10 – Archive video footage of a suspected carbomb in Donegall Road (UTV, 14 April 1972)


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On the northern shore of the IJ-lake a 45 meter high rise will contain the largest Holiday Inn Express hotel of Europe. With its 438 rooms and a great view over the city of Amsterdam, it will be loved by both business travelers and tourists. Small ferry boats bring you in a few minutes to Amsterdam's central station and the city centre. Come enjoy the view and have a drink! Planned opening June 2020.
Motorkade 1-6
NL-1021 JP Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Rooms: 438


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Over the weekend, I was invited to a social gathering and asked to bring a dessert. It is nearly Halloween, the air is a bit cooler, and I was thinking that something that embraced the season would be appropriate (and hopefully, delicious).
In my search for desserts involving pumpkin (I didn't want to just make a pumpkin pie), I found omgchocolatedesserts.com
Vera, who runs the site, is a fantastic storyteller and her story of what she calls Pumpkin Lasagna caught my attention.
After making it and serving it, I've decided to call it Pumpkin Pie Lasagna. I was told at the party that if Fall had a flavor, it would be THIS dessert.
When I took my first bite, I was instantly transported to a kitchen table in a small home late on a Thursday afternoon. My grandmother's house. Thanksgiving day. The first taste of her amazing pumpkin pie.
I made only slight modifications to the recipe, which I'll indicate below. If you're looking for a dessert for a Halloween party or even a new twist for Thanksgiving, this IS it!
Author: OMGChocolateDesserts.com
- 1 cup flour (I used two cups, b/c I made this in a 9×13 pan)
- ½ cup butter-softened (again, I used one cup, making it for a larger size crust)
- ½ cup toasted walnuts (or pecans)-chopped (I used pecans)
- 8 oz. cream cheese- softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup whipped topping
- SG: I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2½ cups milk
- 3 small pkgs. vanilla instant pudding mix
- 15 oz Pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- SG: I also added some allspice (a dash or two) and some nutmeg — I feel this gives it more of that "pumpkin pie" flavor
- 1 cups whipped topping
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts (or pecans)-chopped
- Preheat the oven at 350 F and spray 8×8 inch baking dish. (NOTES : I made Pumpkin Lasagna with these ingredients in 8×8 inch baking dish, but some people have commented that they have a problem to fit it, so I suggest you to avoid this potential problem using a 9×9 inch baking dish)
- Mix flour, butter and ½ cup walnuts, press into a sprayed baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
- Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until it's light and fluffy, add 1 cup whipped topping and spread over cooled crust. Set in the fridge while making pumpkin mixture.
- Mix milk and vanilla instant pudding mix, add pumpkin puree and cinnamon and mix until it's smooth. Spread over top of cheesecake layer.
- Spread remaining 1 cup of whipped topping and sprinkle chopped walnuts and set in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
For more great recipes, go to omgchocolatedesserts.com
For more on living the gentleman's lifestyle, follow @SterlingGent


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Introducing KegConnection's "True to Style" Recipe kits!
These recipe kits were developed by our veteran in house brewer who set out on a mission to make a line of kits that are the closest to the real thing and follow the BJCP guidelines meticulously. We are now out of the Metal signs for the Altbier recipe
A tribute to the old school, this Altbier is a crowd pleaser to the least! Altbier, meaning "old beer" are dark amber lagers with a rich caramel and biscuit flavored body followed by a dry and crisp finish. They originate from Dusseldorf, Germany and date back to the 1800's, and while still being heavily prevalent in that region Alt's are now very popular all over the world. We encourage you to brew a batch of this very special beer and have glass or two while imagining your're in the Atstadt on a spring day enjoying a truly local German beer!
The True to Style Kits kits will come virtually all inclusive, as they include all the grains and hops needed to brew, 1 Whirlfloc Tablet for clarifying, and a hop bag. Any other items like priming sugar or bottle caps will have to be added to the order separately.
Is this your first Homebrew Beer Recipe Kit? Check out our New to Brewing Guide to see a step by step roadmap to brewing your first batch of beer!
Looking for the Extract version of this kit? Click Here!
Our most popular True to Style Kit is now out of signs, sorry for this inconvenience!
General Info:
- Batch Size: 5 Gallons
- BJCP Guidelines:
- Est. Original Gravity: 1.046-1.054 SG
- Est. Final Gravity: 1.010-1.015 SG
- Est. Alcohol by Volume: 4.5-5.2%
- Bitterness: 25-40 IBUs
- Estimated Color: 13.0-19.0 SRM
- Brewing Instructions
- All grains and hops needed to brew
- x1 Whirlfloc Tablet for clarifying
- x1 Muslin hop bag
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Medicaid has a 5 year look-back for financial qualification, so 5 years after your spendable assets are transferred out of your name you are then covered by Medicaid.Medicaid will pay for about 16 hours of daily in-home care... so if your asset gift beneficiaries (*trustees of the funds you gifted out of your name) will use those funds to pay for the other 8 daily hours, you can spend your last phase in the comfort of your own home on your Medicaid benefits... rather than with nurse Ratchet at the puke & crap nursing home.(*) Provided that those giftee's actually use the funds you gave them for you instead of for themselves. "What do you think, honey? Should we pay for Dad's comfort, even though he is so out-of-it than he doesn't even know his name anymore, or should be buy his-n-hers convertibles?"Personally, this whole LTCi discussion strikes me as similar to discussions about having Alpo or Beneful for dinner. I don't want to go there, I don't want to figure the best way to manage failure.I want to grow my assets large enough so that we can afford a pair of 24/7 nubile candy-stipers for me, and Chippendale aides for her, in the comfort of our own house.I figure with $2M+, we won't ever need to investigate Medicaid homes.
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So me and coats, coats and me, we go a long, long way back. I was always drawn to the classics and that's how I went through the terrible 80's wearing them with massive shoulder pads before finding vintage treasures that fit beautifully everywhere – then the next two decades avoiding shoulder pads altogether with softer shapes and trenches. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Marc Jacobs
Black and Blush
As the temperature continues to drop slowly but surely, my colour palette darkens first with accessories then the clothes. And out comes the delicate blush cashmere by Eric Bompard also here to retain some lightness.
I feel very confident and comfortable in this outfit and variations of. My Kelly is the perfect companion for the whole day! Um, sorry about the bad feet positioning! Continue reading
Spring Pants
A variation on the outfit here, this time for a short casual meeting. Another shrunken accessory – Hermès skinny belt. I actually get a lot of wear out my belts. As well as vintage clothes and bags, I've amassed too many belts strangely enough. I'm not sure why exactly because my waist has never been my best feature. Continue reading
Casual Day Leather
Now I understand how people are so passionate about their leather jackets! Helmut Lang Oxum collarless jacket thrown over the Gap bf jeans and linen mix tunic for running around. Continue reading
Spring: Purple Chèvre
Linking to Patti's Not Dead Yet Style blog for Visible Monday #153
I don't mean to give you a crick in the neck – so sorry – but I'm still trying to find a good spot for photos 🙂 Very pleased to bring out another Trim (so this one isn't lonely). Continue reading
Travel: Chinos and LBD Repeats
We went bowling in the mall with the kids and their friends. Luckily I was able to recycle the chinos that I wore as my travel outfit. I went bowling only once before and this time I won! Continue reading
Just added shots of the last time I wore it on holiday above and below when I had exactly 5 minutes to get ready to grab a quick dinner out. Minimal wrist adornments of purple Hapi bracelet and a silver cuff both by Hermès, Cartier watch and jade bangle. I almost never wear my hair up but sometimes the heat and humidity force me to. I simply gather it up into a messy bun secured with a small claw clasp. Continue reading


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I don't know about you, but after all the shit that went down in April, I could use a little happy action in May. So let's start the month off on a candy-colored electro-punk note, shall we? Meet Räuberhöhle, the happiest band ever to emerge from Berlin. (Sorry, Einstürzende Neubauten.)
Räuberhöhle, which is German for "Robber's Cave," is the brainchild of a tattooed, J-pop-obsessed Kirsten Dunst lookalike called Krawalla Chan. Since 1999, Krawalla has been turning out bleepy, hyper-caffeinated electro-pop over which she sing-shouts like a cross between Kathleen Hanna and an army of rioting Japanese schoolgirls. There are elements of punk, disco, electroclash, chiptune and Japanese synth-pop, none of which would be weird in and of itself, but all of which Krawalla combines in some highly quirky and occasionally brilliant ways. Add to that a live show that often features puppets and a guy in a bear suit (named Bärchin) and you got yourself one unique bundle of ausgezeichnet.
Given Krawalla's candy-raver/My Little Pony cosplay aesthetic and the fact that many of her songs have titles like "Shake Yr Anus" and "My Heart Bleeps Noisy Beeps," you'd be forgiven for assuming that Räuberhöhle is just a feelgood party band. But she's also written an anti-Pope song and has another one titled "The Collective Face Of German Volkszorn" which we're pretty sure is political even though we're not actually sure what it's about. It has lots of spoken-word samples of German people sounding angry, so it must be about something.
Mostly, though, Krawalla writes songs about having fun and feeling good about yourself—especially if you're a girl or, as she charmingly puts it on her website in broken English, "Gays, women, handicapped. These whole fringe groups… I am down with them as long as the personal level is okay." Take this awesome video for the song "I'm not part of the shit," which is all about letting your freak flag fly and not being, well, part of the shit.
But perhaps no video better sums up the fearless wackadoodlery of Räuberhöhle than this clip for "Shake Yr Anus," in which Krawalla and her furry friends torment mall security and (no, really) fart glitter. Many thanks to reader Irrealidad for sharing this with us a few weeks back. It's the best thing to happen to anuses since…no, that's a sentence better left unfinished.
- Räuberhöhle official site
- Räuberhöhle on Facebook
- Räuberhöhle on Bandcamp
- Räuberhöhle on the new (and semi-improved!) MySpace
- Krawalla's Tumblr
- Krawalla's blog
- Räuberhöhle's Deep in the Forest on Amazon.com (featuring "Shake Yr Anus")


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Photo provided by Capital District Community Gardens
One of the largest and most prestigious lineup of chefs in recent memory will be working to raise money fro the Capital District Community Gardens organization later this month.
The tireless chef/entrepreneur Larry Schepici is partnering with Community Gardens for a fundraising dinner scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sepember 23, at Tosca, Schepici's flagship restaurant at 200 Broadway, just off Monument Square in downtown Troy.
The event will feature at least 17 of the area's biggest name chefs creating dishes using ingredients from several dozen local farms and pairing them with beverages.
In addition to Schepici — who also owns the Illium Cafe, the Tosca Etc. market and a catering service — chefs Dale Miller (Dale Miller restaurant), Yono Purnomo (Yono's), Ric Orlando (New World Bistro Bar), Jaime Oritz (Angelo's 677 Prime), Scott Krause (Milano), Mark Graham (Mezza Notte), John Marzilli (Salty's Pub & Bistro), Swen Boehm (EATS Gourmet Marketplace), Michael Cocca (Franklin Plaza), Michael Cunningham and Patrica Dalton (Provence), Danny DeLorenzo (Parenzo's Aperitivo), Beth Duval (Illium Cafe), Un-Hui Filomeno (Avenue A), Paul Dolan (BOCES Culinary Program) and Harry Hatziparaskevas (Athos) are involved.
Tickets are $75 for persons ages 21 to 35, $150 for 36 and up, or $250 per couple. They are available online or by sending a check to Capital District Community Gardens, 40 River Street, Troy, NY 12180.
Go here for the list of farms and other food and beverage providers for the event.
Go to my Upstate Restaurant Examiner column or my New York Drinks Calendar.


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A recent study suggests that the amount of alcohol consumed in England could be much higher than previously thought. When researchers at University College London compared alcohol sales with surveys of what people said they drank, the figures did not add up. A significant shortfall was found. It seems that about half the alcohol sold is unaccounted for in the consumption figures given by drinkers. It now seems that about 75% of people are probably drinking above the recommended daily alcohol limit.
If we put to one side mistakes such as not knowing the actual size of a unit of alcohol, it is apparent that our concern to retain a certain self-image is more important to us than our health. Yes, it would appear we have a greater investment in having our doctors think well of us than we do of our own wellbeing.
A friend confessed to me that she would rather lie about her cigarette consumption than experience her doctor's reaction to the truth. Another justified her denial of alcoholic excess by declaring it to be none of her gynaecologist's business. They are not unusual in giving these lies, but at least they know they are lying. Some of us are so invested in idealising our self-image that we do not want to face up to how much we lie, so we will even deceive ourselves about our alcohol consumption.
This over-investment in self-image at the expense of our own health is a symptom of narcissism. And narcissism has become the norm in our society. The proliferation of material things has become a measure of progress; wealth occupies a higher position than wisdom; and notoriety is more admired than dignity. Our politicians, our institutions, our culture are seeped in narcissism – we have a culture that overvalues image at the expense of truth. Lying to our doctors is but a symptom of this wider picture.
We automatically react to minimise our potential shame, as though shame would annihilate us. But if, instead of just reacting, we thoughtfully and truthfully respond to questions, we would find that shame does not kill us. If we experiment with telling the truth to our doctor, perhaps it would not only be beneficial to our longer-term health but would also be a positive step towards, if not cleaning up our image, in cleaning up ourselves.


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The World Has Enough For Our Needs...But Not Enough For Our Greed.
These are the two finished prints I painted while over at the Fame Festival. Printed in Italy, by Angelino, on Italian paper.
The black ink hides gold drawings printed underneath on 100% cotton paper, 56 x 76 cm, edition of 100, all signed and numbered.
Available now from Studio Cromie.


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Maximize your creativity and your desk space.
The Acer Aspire X desktop will astonish you with excellent performance and rich features in a small factor design. Measuring one third the size of a traditional desktop PC, this Aspire X packs multi-core, high-frequency Intel processor, abundant amount of memory and massive HDD storage to tackle your everyday needs from home computing to multimedia entertainment. This feature-loaded model also comes equipped with USB 3.0 ports and HDMI output, allowing you to make better use of your high speed peripherals and large format flat panel display.
Fits in Well
Easy to place, easy to set up: Whether on a bookcase shelf, in a corner of your desk, or tucked underneath, this compact PC just fits. It's perfect for storing movies and media, as a gaming or learning machine in the kids' room, or as a homework tool for students in cramped dorms.
Full Power
Handle tasks, watch video, play casual games, and keep in touch with friends – all easy with powerful yet power efficient Intel processor and generous amount of memory. Press the power button and command your world. (Monitor not included)
HD Fun
Wonderfully compact – and greatly entertaining – the Aspire X Series is your high-definition multimedia center. You can easily take the multimedia experience to your big screen, thanks to the HDMI port built into every Aspire X Series desktop. (Monitor not included)
Expandable Design
Add extra DDR3 memory for fast response in entertainment, gaming and design applications. Easily transfer media from your digital devices using the front-mounted card reader or speedy rear USB 3.0 port. You can also create great home videos or backup data and files with the DVD Super Multi drive.


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Architectural Agility, or what did DaVinci know that I don't?/
To understand any technical concept you must first understand the context in which it is applied. When I use the word "architecture" most people will immediately picture a building of some type. I can focus that perception by providing context for the word "architecture". For example, by saying "Gothic architecture" I can evoke the image of a European cathedral or through the term "Roman architecture" I can give you images of stone columns and porticos. By providing context for the word architecture I can make the meaning clearer to you.
Agile software architecture. Cue sound of a needle scratching across a record.
This is one of the (perhaps many?) places where additional context does not clarify an issue. In most cases, that term evokes more confusion than clarity. What does that term mean? My guess is that most people in the industry will think I am referring to the architecture techniques and tasks undertaken in the context of an Agile software development project.
My meaning – and you knew I had one, right? – is actually referring to the collection of patterns and practices that enable agile business systems. That is, an architectural process that enables agility. We often hear about the concept of "just enough architecture" in the Agile context, but very few understand what that means and even fewer grasp the idea that in order to support that concept you must have a system to back it up.
In medieval times, the builders of the Gothic cathedrals didn't start their designs from scratch nor did they own have finely detailed plans – the technology didn't exist to support that and the demand of the benefactors they built for would not allow a "cookie cutter" approach. Master builders moved from city to city with their team of experienced craftsmen bringing their proven architecture solely in their heads. Together they tried out new designs and gradually evolved core patterns such as the flying buttress, which became standard components in cathedrals across Europe. On occasion the architectural approach proved wrong and as a result buildings fell down during construction, causing the builders to re-assess the architecture and try again. This might be one of the earliest examples of Agile methods as they combined architecture and built in what clearly was an empirical delivery approach, but also employing a clear reference architecture and patterns that enabled systematic reuse of proven designs. The analogy falls apart when considering the length of their delivery cycle, though.
There are plenty of real – and current - world examples of how an Agile software architectural system becomes a – if not "the" – primary contributor to business agility. Let's take one such example: back in 2003 Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos issued the key architectural principles to his development teams that became the basis of their Agile software architecture system (even though, at the time, they were not aware they were creating this system). The edict:
- All teams will expose their data and processes through service interfaces
- All teams will communicate with each other through these interfaces exclusively
- All service interfaces without exception must be designed from the ground up to be externalizable
- The technology used to achieve these goals is up to the individual teams
- There are no exceptions to these rules
While this all sounds dangerously close to implementation, what this did to Amazon was that it forced their design and development staff to create a pattern and process which became a reference for the business. And through that reference architecture Amazon became the agile business it is today.
Before I go too far down the path of deifying Amazon, it is important to note that others have done the same thing with greater and sometimes less success. eBay, for example, adopted the same strategy as did PayPal. All three independently accomplished the same goal: through the application of an Agile architectural methodology, they provided a pattern for success that can be adopted by other organizations. By exposing their core data and processes through consumable and versionable services, they created a new class of application platform, one which responds quickly to change and is technology agnostic.
Although Amazon et al has clearly evolved in pursuit of solutions to specific business opportunities and challenges, it's also clear they have established a de facto architecture and architecture management system that guides the work of the many product delivery teams and ensures consistency of approach where it's required. The concept of reference architecture became the enabler of growth and agility through natural technological evolution. The services formed the platform that allowed the extraordinary expansion of all three businesses. The end result is real business agility, and it was delivered by smart architecture backed up by clear policies and realized by agile processes.
A reference architecture articulates primary principles that are typically central to an entire enterprise. These principles are focused on establishing a product and solution independent environment in which agility can be delivered and maintained, with the goal of providing stability to the system over time. This architecture exists purely as a set of models and guidelines and the deployed code and systems are the concrete reflections of that architecture.
Enterprises clearly vary considerably in their make up in terms of geographic and organizational, product and process standardization and differentiation, but typically there will be considerable potential for an inventory of shared assets that leverage agile architecture to support business agility. The assets form the next level of the Agile architectural model, and while still conceptual this level takes architecture closer to the platform on which virtual artifacts may one day be deployed. Platform assets in this architectural level may include:
- Static assets that are designed to deliver common behaviors to all parts of the enterprise. For example, these assets might include core services that establish genuinely enterprise wide delivery of functions like credit card validation or inventory checks. Static assets deliver value by standardizing common business services and processes.
- Configurable assets that are designed to provide common behaviors, but because they are configurable they are engineered to be customizable based on client need. For example, these assets might handle localization (such as tax calculation for various parts of the world) or more complex business processes (such as order fulfillment and product sourcing rules based on the point of origin for an order). Configurable services can provide business value by providing reusable components which implement a common core of business processes and in turn may provide a rapid "time to market" strategy. The trap in this type of asset, however, is in determining whether the business need would best be served with this type rather than an alternate method within a static asset.
- Information architecture and services. Establishing a coherent approach to information is commonly a major issue for large enterprises, and this architecture asset is used to define an integrated approach for structured and unstructured (or what is currently being called "big") data, traditional extract-transform-load operations, enterprise reporting, regulatory control and the list goes on in regards to how data in interacted with. Information architecture and services provide business value by allowing the business to safely and effectively interact with their information (while maintaining the integrity of that information), and at the same time allows for avenues to be created which allow that information to be leveraged in new and interesting ways.
Diving into the next level of Agile architecture we begin to arrive at a level where we can start to create virtual or code assets. Many architectural models will combine this level with the next one below it, but I prefer to keep them separate for reasons you will see in a moment. The next level of assets we will call the Family architecture, a domain-based framework that provides much more specialized assets particular to a given set of business units or departments such as Customer Order Management, Supply Chain, Risk Assessment and the like.
Near the bottom of the architectural stack is the Product Line architecture. At its heart it is exactly what the name suggest - it's the architecture for a product offering. The assets at this level have a direct relationship to end customer revenue, and as such usually provide continuity of purpose over multiple releases. Although from a narrow technical perspective the Product and Family architectures might be similar, the way in which a product is managed must mirror the business product life cycle. Family architectures should be designed and engineered for stability, whereas - depending on the business need and customer demand - product line architectures should be designed and delivered with maximum agility and minimum response time.
The final item in the stack is the Solution architecture. As the name implies, it is specific architecture focused on delivering a key component of functionality that stands on the other architectural levels but represents a light and fast implementation of the architecture above it. This level represents the key endpoints of the architectural stack which are subject to rapid change depending on market and business needs. In some organizations, the Product Line level actually bleeds into this level, but from a purity standpoint it probably should not. Of necessity, this level represents the closest delivery point of an asset to what we normally consider "Agile".
So this is what our architectural stack looks like, from the most conceptual to the final implementation, and from the least to the most Agile-centric deliveries:
|Common, Configurable and Information
|Product line
These six architecture levels provide us with a nomenclature for agile architecture that will be central to managing agility into the delivered features. The architecture perspective guides the structure of programs and projects, and the incorporation of architecture and reuse goals into delivery charters for each feature. The stack also provides traceability and governance over realization of core architecture principles.
The question of how Agile Architecture integrates with Agile delivery is likely to prove contentious because by its very nature architecture introduces a direction which seems to contradict basic Agile principles. Yet the lessons to be learned from the Amazon example above are clear. In any large organization customer project demand needs to be managed and aligned with not only the business strategy but also the foundational architecture direction. Senior business management needs to be fully engaged and actively leading the customer community towards feature development under sound architectural direction.
There's no good reason why the Demand and Definition process can't adopt Agile concepts, specifically in the areas of cross functional teams, time boxing tasks and architectural backlogs. The outcome of adopting these concepts is visibility and traceability of key strategies and policies that provide real clarity of purpose for projects, which in turn will increase the probability of success for a project. In a typical large enterprise use of existing (or well understood) organizational concepts, adjusted to use aspects of Agile methods as discussed, will meet with less resistance. Here are some examples of how some traditional architectural groups and projects can be adopted for agility:
- The Architecture Review Board could be replaced with a cross functional team consisting of senior representatives from business, product management, architecture and development, with the charter of providing guidance and oversight to all architecture development.
- The traditional role of an Application Architect can be replaced with a design authority team consisting of domain-specific representatives of business, product management, architecture and development. Their mission is to transform the raw customer demand stream into project charters and manage the portfolio view. This team takes responsibility for aggregating and decomposing customer and strategic demand, and chartering Common, Product Line and Family architecture.
- Investigatory architecture projects – short duration projects that validate assumptions prior to chartering composite architecture/delivery projects – should be initiated as part of a definition phase activity concurrent with outline requirements and knowledge discovery surrounding a feature entering the pipeline. This would require using architectural design patterns as a mechanism to increase consistency of architecture decisions and on success, communicate the patterns and lessons learned at sensible level of detail to delivery teams.
This is a recursive model, and the various elements of this approach should be executed at enterprise and program level as required.
You may ask where "Enterprise Architecture" is in this. The answer is that enterprise architecture is a role and responsibility that must coordinate and govern all levels of architecture. Enterprise Architects are most likely to be assigned to a specific architecture perspective level. The notion of, "one architecture to rule them all" really doesn't exist in an Agile world.
Each enterprise should develop its own architecture management approach, and integrate this into an end to end architecture, delivery and governance process. The term "Agile Architecture" should be used to describe and deliver architecture that facilitates the agile business by compliance with reference, platform and other architectures that facilitate evolution, customization, and plug and play. Faster cycle time and quality outcomes are then a function of both the reusable patterns and parts available for assembly during the Agile delivery process.


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Presented by: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation
PTO Day brings together experts from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the private bar to discuss current developments. The objective for the conference is to present high quality education and to promote continuing government-private sector dialogue on intellectual property rights. The one-day program has two general morning sessions and five afternoon breakouts.
Gray Plant Mooty's Sheldon Klein will be speaking on trademarks in one of the morning sessions titled "Proposed Changes in Section 8 Timing" from 8:45 a.m. — 10:15 a.m. EST.
Who should attend PTO Day
7:45 a.m. — 5:30 p.m.
Ronald Regan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
Gray Plant Mooty is recognized as one of the leading corporate law firms in Minnesota and one of the top franchise firms in the world. Our roots go back to 1866. Today, we are a full-service firm with nearly 180 attorneys and offices in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minnesota; Washington, D.C.; and Fargo, North Dakota.


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Emergency Tree Services For Home and Business
Fairfield Tree Services is proud to offer its expert service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thunderstorms, heavy rain and wind, snowstorms and extremes in temperature can affect the health of trees on your property. Adverse and extreme weather conditions may cause a tree to fall over, or may cause major breakage of limbs. Past emergencies have included trees that have fallen onto power lines, trees blocking families from getting into and out of their houses, hanging limbs, and trees that have damaged the owner's house or their neighbor's house. In any of these cases, you may need to call for professional, emergency tree services.
Why Hire Fairfield Tree Service for Emergency Services?
- Fairfield has been in business for 13 years, providing residential and commercial clients with experienced emergency tree services.
- We are available to you every day, at any time of the day or night. Just call us.
- We are licensed and insured to work around your home or business. All of our employers are highly trained in order to use the equipment necessary for immediate tree removal on a client's property.
- We understand how to work with insurance companies to properly document damage to your home that's caused by tree branches and small or large parts of trees that fall onto your home or your neighbor's home.
- Trying to remove a tree or parts of a tree without the proper equipment and training is very dangerous. That's why we have emergency services available. Let us come out, survey what needs to be done, and then remove the tree or trees.
Once a situation is deemed a true emergency by a member of our Fairfield Tree Service staff, our experts will be happy to serve you in your time of need. If your emergency occurs during non-business hours, please leave a message with Fairfield Tree Services' hired answering service. Our service will get your message to an appropriate staff member, who will contact you as quickly as possible. Call 1-800-Tree Service!


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Dear President Putin: Homosexuality And Pedophilia Are Not The Same Thing/
In a recent media interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to reassure the world that gay and lesbian visitors should not be afraid of attending this year's Olympics in Sochi. However, he asks that they please "leave the children in peace." He then went on to say that "we have no ban on nontraditional sexual relations. We have a ban on propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia, I want to underline that, on propaganda among minors." Putin's statements appear to conflate homosexuality with pedophila and child molestation, something that anti-gay folks have been doing for years (e.g., remember all of those people who tried to say that the Catholic Church's child sex scandals were a "homosexual problem" that could be solved simply by getting rid of gay priests?). In light of Putin's comments, I thought it would be worth taking a look at what the research actually says when it comes to homosexuality, pedophilia, and child molestation.Read More


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Over the last week, I have been accused several times being illogical, ridiculous, and even idiotic. You see, I am an Independent voter, who is not a supporter of Hillary Clinton and struggling to find a value-based reason to vote for her this Fall. This struggle has not been well received by many of my friends who belong to the Democratic Party. They ask questions like, "Do you not understand what is at stake?" and "Do you really want Trump as our President?"
Let me make this absolutely clear...yes, I know what is at stake. No, I do not want Trump as our President.
It is after making this statement that I am berated, told over and over again that "A vote for a Third Party candidate is a vote for Trump." And that, my friends, is what I believe is truly ridiculous.
In the very tragic reality that Trump has the opportunity to become president, the blame is being cast on those who feel strongly about voting for someone in whom they believe, someone with whom they share values. Insults and degradation are being heaped on those who are willing to stand up and voice their beliefs, fight against a broken political system, and challenge the oppressive status quo. I truly cannot believe the anger and abuse directed at those who are working to change a system that continually fails the people of our country.
If the system allows two corrupt candidates like Trump and Clinton to be our only two "viable" candidates, then a Trump presidency is not on those willing to fight against such a system.
"But the reality is..." - I hear it over and over. Here is the reality.
As of the week of the Democratic National Convention, there is proof that the Democratic Party intentionally sought to sabotage the Sanders campaign.
As of the week of the Democratic National Convention, Trump beats Clinton in the projected poll of the Presidential election. Throughout the campaign season, Sanders beats Trump in all projected polls.
The Two-Party system, especially the Democratic Party, has silenced the voices of the Independent voters through an intentionally corrupt Primary Election process.
Many Sanders supports and Independent voters have repeatedly voiced their lack of support for Clinton. Poll after poll shows that voters do not like Clinton, and that she does not have the support Sanders does. Yet, Clinton is still being shoved down the throats of those in the Democratic Party, and Third Party voters are being told to get on board...or else. Vote your fears, not your values.
If Trump wins this Fall, it will not be because Third Party voters didn't understand the "reality" of the situation. It will not be because the Bernie Sanders supporters stayed true to their beliefs. It will be because the corrupt Two-Party system, in which the Democratic Party holds just as much guilt as the Republican Party, ignored the reality that the choice for change was within their power. Not ignored, actively manipulated the system against the best interest of the people. Instead of embracing change, they fought against it. It will be their pride, and not my passion, that allows Trump to win the Presidency of the United States.
Read my reasons for supporting Sanders and a Third Party vote, and my faith-based reason for opposing Clinton.


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This dime struck in proof is an anomaly. Struck from a die with no drapery, a style that was discontinued in 1840, but having the figure of Liberty as on the with drapery design. It is unclear if it has any relation to the 1840 white metal splasher,
, which had the drapery removed by hand. These could be experimental or simply pieces struck from a rejected die.
Only 2 examples are known as follows:
1) Low 11/06 sale lot 117 (part of a silver proof set), Brand (journal #35899), Armin Brand, consigned to B.G. Johnson in 1935 at $75, Col Green, B.G. Johnson (offered in various invoices 1940 to 1947), Eric Newman-EPNNES, Heritage 11/13, Heritage 5/15 - NGC67, illustrated above
2) Boyd, NN 57th, Kagin 11/73, Heritage 7/93, Heritage 10/01 - NGCAU53
Photo courtesy of Heritage.