text:
We had ordered a 12 cu-yard load of loam to be delivered to our home. I thought I'd let you know that we were very impressed. Your driver arrived early this morning, and managed to back into a very tight area and drop the load. I didn't get his name, but thought you should know he did a great job.
Our neighbour is a building contractor, and he, too, was impressed with the service and price — so you might be getting further orders from him in the future.
Thank you!
Mike Levey
I was impressed with the price of the 70/30 garden soil and it is great quality. The online order process lets you give lots of direction for the delivery.
Lyle Johnson
The product is excellent quality. I had ordered 10 yards of material in total, aged compost, kings garden mix, and their premium black mulch. My client couldn't be happier with her new garden beds.
Robin Buriak
I want to be VERY plain and straightforward here: the truck load of 70-30 mix was delivered on time and placed perfectly yesterday morning.
The product exceeded my already high expectations, upon further examination. The mixing was thorough and the uniformity of texture was quite superb.
Being a 'dirtguy', it was … well … "exciting" to me to finally be able to significantly upgrade the topsoil of my yard in Canyon Meadows.
When my neighbour, with whom I was splitting the load, came out he was was also equally impressed!
We spent a significant part of the day barrowing the mix into our respective yards.
I have no doubt whatsoever that the topsoil will assist in the growth of our garden and decorative flower beds! Both my neighbour and I commented as to why we had not brought in such a good topsoil mix years before!
Peter Ojamaa
Just want to pass on a kudos to your company for a good product at a competitive price accurate prompt delivery and friendly staff.
Will definitely recommend you to all of our Chestermere friends.
Kenton Sommerfeld
So there was plenty of great quality soil. Thanks for the service and product, I will be sure to suggest Soil Kings if anyone asks.
Just took a moment to let you know about our experience with Soil Kings:
Ordered 2 yards of Rainbow 40 mm on a Thursday afternoon. Asked for possible Friday a.m. delivery.
Order arrived Friday morning at 7:30 a.m.
Soil Kings Staff Excellent.
Soil Kings Product Excellent.
Soil Kings Pricing Excellent.
Will strongly recommend Soil Kings for landscaping materials and great customer service.
Jeff Hantos
Thank you very much for your efficient delivery of the garden mix. We are very pleased with the product and your service!
With thanks,
Karen & Mike
Waldorf School Students planted six paper birch trees in honour of their completion of grade six and they planted three tamarack trees in honour of our School's 25th year anniversary as a symbol of "head, heart, and hands." This is a kind of motto or guideline for the way we teach in our school. The planting of trees also tied in with a part of their grade six curriculum, the study of trees.
–Dinah Clark, Administrator of Calgary Waldorf School
I ordered some soil for the Calgary Waldorf school, which was effeciently delivered and thoughtfully placed and has been spread around a new forest of native trees planted by grade six at the school.
Our school has made a commitment to plant only native area plants and students are often out in the grounds for various curriculum subjects such as botany (grade 5) and trees (grade 6) and we have all-school participation in looking after our grounds.
Good soil is key to this up here in Cougar Ridge.
–Monique Dietrich, chair of the School Grounds Committee, Calgary Waldorf School
Calgary Waldorf School
Our thanks to Audrey Smith for providing photos of her garden which used Soil Kings garden mixes!
Finally we have the sign installed in our neighbor garden. Thanks for the help with the great soil – incredible growth!
Audrey Smith
It was perfect, sod is down and being watered. In fact we could have used even more so that we had some for the front yard. Will call you if we get to that!
Thanks for being so prompt.
Susan Auch
I'd like to say how excellent the soil delivery was; the soil contained
absolutely no rocks, and judging from other screened loam this was by far the best
quality and a great price. I will definitely be recommending your company.
Dave Gardener & Jen Hietala
Just wanted to let you know that your KINGS premium garden mix helped me grow these beautiful flowers this year (photos below). I will be buying again next year! Thanks.
Marlene Potter
We are very pleased with the product, even to the placement in the driveway. We will recommend your company to our friends and neighbours. Thank you.
Gerry Cramm
The driver delivered the soil perfectly, and it's great quality. I'm sure I will be talking to you again this summer about another load.
Doug Demetrick
Thanks for the great dirt. It is really amazing dirt. There was a worm in every shovel full. The dirt didn't break down to sand when we watered it and hasn't compacted when we worked it. The price, the delivery, the service, and most important – the dirt, were all excellent.
Thanks for the great product. We are very pleased.
Kathleen Higgins
Thank you Murray, the rocks are working great – started the backyard project already. You guys have been great to deal with in service and deliver very good products.
My adjacent neighbor liked the loam and were also interested in the rocks once they got a look at it.
Gabe Chan
Excellent soil and service, thanks a million!
Gerhard Barnard
Thanks for the wonderful service. We'll definitely recommend you guys!
Jana Matthews
Yes..thank you for the receipt…all was good..delivery right smack on..time and placement great..and loved the soil mix..it is wonderful…we will be back again for more !!!
David White
Thanks, Murray…the gentleman who delivered the soil was great…he delivered my order early in the morning, took great care to dump it where I wanted it, and was very polite and friendly. (I took a vacation day today so I was able to meet him when he came to my place).
My experience with Soil Kings has been excellent…I will not only use you again when I need soil, but I will not hesitate to recommend you to others.
Jeff Bzowey
We just wanted to let you know what a pleasure it was to deal with Soil Kings!
Murray was extremely helpful & knowledgeable when it came to figuring out what we needed & even when there was a question with the order amount he dealt with it immediately & in such a friendly professional manner.
Thanks so much for great service! We will definitely spread the word about the efficient professional service your company provided.
Pam & Rob
I just wanted to say thanks again for just the best service, even last minute Jonny on the spot, and quality material. Thank you.
Todd Johnson
We received a load of soil Saturday morning. Just wanted to say I was impressed with your prompt service and quality product. The driver was also friendly and efficient. Thank you for the great service!!
Thanks so much for the cedar mulch. It's great!
When I called on a Monday at 8am, I didn't expect that I would have mulch by 1pm that day and that I would be able to have most of it placed by the end of the day. Though I was at home, I didn't hear the truck deliver 5 cubic yards of mulch. It was as though it was delivered by ninjas!
Thanks for your service,
Nathan Hawryluk
Nathan Hawryluk
Just wanted to say thank you for the greatest service and top quality loam you delivered to me last Friday. Special thanks to John who called me from the truck to make sure the load was dumped in the right place and the surrounding trees were not damaged. Great service, great price – Thank you!
Neville Chamberlain
First, you guys are amazing. Your customer service is top notch and the ordering process was quick and easy.
Matthew Quintana-Kohut
Your delivery driver was friendly, very courteous and prompt. The soil I received is wonderful (topsoil and garden mix) and I am looking forward to a great gardening season thanks to Soil Kings!!!!
I will be recommending you to my friends and anyone else who is looking for quality product at the best price. Thank you and well done!
Dianna Cherlet
All went great with the delivery last week and we are impressed with the soil!
Just wanted to say thank you again and we will be a returning customer as we are able as we wish to keep improving our facility.
Alan Heikoop on behalf of CRAMS
Thank you so much for your assistance yesterday. We really appreciated your helpfulness, availability, and flexibility in supplying loam for our community rink berm. We had a narrow window to work with before the rain came, and we were able to complete the project in large part due to Soil Kings' great service. It was much appreciated!
Dan, Director of Springbank Hill Community Association
Thank you very much!
Your customer service is top notch. I order material one day and it is ready and delivered next day. You really have your business organized. I am always impressed by your business. Thank you again, will definitely do business again soon.
Jamie N, Garden Gnomes Landscapes YYC
It's a pleasant surprise dealing with a company that actually cares. The gravel is in and my wife is happy. Thank the crew your company has managed to pull together. Great job all the way around.
Shawn Creamer
Just wanted to pass my compliments for great service and good production. I order 5 yds of the black mulch for next day delivery, the driver was here first thing in the morning. Appreciated the order confirmation calls as well. I will be using your service in the near future for my 20mm washed round rock order.
Lee Cameron
We ordered 1 yard of round washed 20mm from you, delivered on Saturday morning. When looking at it, the load seemed like not a full yard, so I called Steve and told him that it looked small. Steve is always so kind on the phone and he was able to give us a discount on a second yard that we picked up from your shop. This small discount may not break you guys, but it sure makes a big difference in the customer service department. I already enjoy working with Soil Kings, your prices are the best, delivery is always early or right on time, and the product is always clean and good quality. Thank you for going the extra "yard" for a loyal customer, I will definitely be back in the future for my small and large projects.
Jamie & Mark, Garden Gnomes YYC
I just wanted to say a big thank you for the soil I received on Friday. The soil looks great! Also, your driver Redai has unbelievable precision as I put down an eight by eight foot tarp, just so he had something to go by, but he managed to dump two yards of soil within that space. Passed on the Soil Kings name to a few neighbours. Excellent work, keep up the great customer service!


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Many people think that technical writing is boring. Well, it's not – provide you follow these tips as shared by Northamptonshire, England based technical writer Christine Nairne of Tesserae Communications…over to Christine:
Let's start at the beginning. What does 'technical' mean?
According to definitions anything involving a specific subject, activity or skill that has laws or rules – from knitting to nuclear physics – is technical.
Of course, if you learned knitting – or nuclear physics – at your grandmother's knee, then it will be straightforward to you. But, what about the rest of us?
We all know more about at least one subject than most people, so we all write technically from time to time.
Here are my top five tips to help make your technical writing more interesting and engaging.
Technical writing tip one – be focused
You know your subject really well, but you won't be able to explain everything in one go. It's worth taking time to think about why you are writing (your intention) before you start.
Stay focused on that simple objective and organising your writing will become much easier. Your readers will also find it easier to follow the points you make.
The time-honoured mantra for presentations works well for technical writing too:
Tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them and tell them what you told them.
I'm not suggesting that you say the same thing three times – that really wouldn't be very interesting. To make this approach work for you, consider two things.
First think about structure – explain your intention and how you will achieve it for your readers.
Secondly, be clear – be specific about each point and why it is relevant.
So you can say:
"I am going to explain why x is important. To do this, I'm going to tell you about a, b and c."
This is the 'tell them what you are going to tell them' part.
Then do exactly that – tell them. Talk about a, b and c – clearly flagging up each point.
Finally say "In summary…" and round it all up neatly and briefly by telling them what you told them.
So, in summary, tip one is all about intention, structure and clarity.
Technical writing tip two – simple sells
Having created an interesting and elegant structure, it is important to make your points clearly and simply.
I know that the heartfelt argument of the entrenched technical enthusiast is "they will know what that means, I don't need to explain it". You do.
Even if you are writing for a relatively well-informed audience, your readers will find your information much easier to digest if you use simple words and phrases to explain technical ideas. Better still, use metaphors and similes to get people thinking.
For example, you might know that at DBA is a database administrator, but you could say that they 'hold the keys to the information castle', just to make it more interesting.
You can even take the database administrator example a step further. Imagine you are looking for someone in your team to volunteer to be trained for the DBA role.
You could invite interest by saying:
The database administrator role involves the use of specialised software and may include capacity planning, installation, configuration, database design, migration, performance monitoring, security, troubleshooting, as well as backup and data recovery. (Thank you Wikipedia)
Or you could say:
As database administrator you will hold the keys to our information castle; you will need to know how big and secure it is and what's in each room. You will be in charge of renovations and day-today maintenance and moving things safely from one room to another. You will also be responsible security if there's an emergency.
The second version is almost twice as long, but which one would you read and remember?
Technical writing tip three – tell a story
To make points clearly and memorably you need to catch you reader's attention in the first sentence and keep their interest to the end. If you don't, they might only skim through your carefully crafted prose or, worse still, not bother to read any of it.
Everyone enjoys a story with a beginning, middle and end. This is true for technical subjects too.
Let people know how and when you became interested in your subject and why. Your passion will come through.
Explain to them how you found out more and what excited you about it.
Tell them what you do now and what difference it makes.
This is sometimes called the 'Princess and Dragon' approach; the princess is trapped in the castle by a dragon (the beginning), the knight finds a clever way to free the princess (the middle) and a grateful king gives the knight his daughter's hand in marriage (the end).
My favourite example of technical story telling is the case study.
By telling a story about a specific example, you can pack a lot of useful information into a very brief piece of writing. The beginning is the challenge that you needed to tackle, the middle is about the solution you found and the end is about who has benefited and how.
Technical writing tip four – be yourself
In most cases you will be writing about a technical subject because of your expert knowledge. People will want to know what you have to say.
Your writing doesn't – and shouldn't – be like a product manual or a research paper.
Add some of your personality, use your own 'turns of phrase' and personal experiences to illustrate complicated material.
Ideally your readers should feel that they know a little more about you, as well as your subject.
Most importantly, if you have enjoyed writing something, other people are much more likely to enjoy reading it.
Technical writing tip five – edit, edit and edit again
I mean this literally. More than any other style of writing, the use of the 'red pen' is essential for technical writing.
Write your first draft, re-read and amend it as many times as you need to feel happy with it. Then leave it overnight.
When you come back to your draft the next day read it carefully for sense and errors.
Then exercise your 'editorial muscles' to cut out everything you possibly can.
When you start to challenge whether every sentence delivers a specific, clear and relevant point, it's amazing how much can be taken out.
In the interests of clarity and brevity, this editorial workout is unquestionably a good thing.
Put the second draft to one side and think of something completely unrelated for a while – make tea, take the dog for a walk – and then re-read it for the final time.
Check every sentence for meaning and every punctuation mark.
You will be surprised how many small amendments you will make.
Before you press 'send' or post your article, ask yourself if you are really happy with the finished piece.
If you're answer isn't an unequivocal 'yes!' go back to the first draft stage – I promise you will be pleased that you did.
Christine Nairne has many years' experience of writing technical and other material in both private and public sectors.
Read more about her on her website here.
And if you need help with further aspects of business and other types of writing, don't forget that it's just one click away…
Questions? Drop Suze a note on email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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dennis mckinnon
Sponsored By
Dennis McKinnon: 'Embarrassed' By BearsFormer Bears wide out Dennis McKinnon joined The Matt Abbatacola Show to share some of this thoughts on the organization he spent seven seasons with -- and won a Super Bowl with in 1985.
Receivers Not Helping Cutler Jay Cutler threw four interceptions on Sunday. However, not all of those interceptions can be placed solely on the quarterback. Former Bears receiver Dennis McKinnon joined the Boers and Bernstein Show to talk about what receivers must do to help their QB.
Bernstein: Cutler Audibly Distressed


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Fresh off of the Frankfurt introduction of the new BMW i3 exterior refresh and new i3 Sport for 2018, BMWBLOG is now reporting that they have confirmation that 2018 will also bring a new, larger battery option to the i3, albeit later in the year.
In mid-2016, BMW introduced the current 33.6 kWh battery which was an upgrade from the 21.6 kWh battery previously available. That bumped the i3 BEV's 81 mile range to 114 miles per charge. The new battery, which is being introduced sometime later in 2018, is rumored to have a total capacity of 43.2 kWh and offer an EPA range rating of 150 – 155 miles per charge.
Customers that opt for the range extended version of the 43.2 kWh i3 will have about 230 miles of total driving range without the need to stop to recharge or refuel. The increase in all electric range will place the i3 in a virtual tie with the new Nissan LEAF for the second longest EV range behind the Chevy Bolt, in the "everybody but Tesla" class of electric vehicles. That is of course, until Nissan launches the 60 kWh LEAF, which isn't expected to be available until the 2019 model year LEAF is out. Audi and Jaguar are also expected to introduce their respective long-range EVs sometime in 2018, and they will also leapfrog the i3 and LEAF in range.
|An i3 battery pack being assembled at BMW's Leipzig plant.
One thing I'd like to see BMW do when they introduce the new battery is stop referring to the battery by the amount of Amp hours each cell holds. It's a completely useless metric, and one that only causes further confusion among potential buyers. No other carmaker uses the Amp hour (Ah) metric to identify their battery packs. It would almost be as if they started to distinguish their internal combustion engines by their bore & stroke instead of the traditionally-used displacement in liters. It just makes no sense.
Every electric car manufacturer today refers to the battery by the amount of energy it can hold in kilowatt hour (kWh), but for some reason, when BMW introduced the new, larger battery for the 2017 i3, they decided to use the Ah metric and called it the 94 Ah battery instead of the 33.6 kWh pack.
Critics claimed it was intentionally done, to confuse buyers and make the battery sound larger (94 is a bigger number than 33.6), and seem like it was comparable to Tesla's battery offerings (75, 85, 90 & 100 kWh). Personally, I don't agree with that assumption, I think it was just a case of BMW product planners wanting to distinguish the new battery as being better, and it was the first time they ever offered a new battery option, so they used the name that their supplier Samsung, uses.
In any event, I'm happy to hear that BMW will be rolling out the second battery upgrade in two years. The i3 will then have used three different batteries in the first five years of availability, proving that BMW is continuously willing to improve the i3 as better battery technology becomes available.
My advice to BMW product planners: Drop the Ah designation, please. It's only confusing your customers, your client advisors and in some cases even journalists writing about the i3. Simply do what every other EV maker does and call it by the total size of the battery pack, in kilowatt hour. In this case, the new i3 will be the 43 kWh i3. It's easy, most buyers understand it, and client advisors won't have to spend an hour explaining energy density, voltage, cells, and modules to every potential customer that asks how the battery compares to the batteries of the other EVs on the market.


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For the year of 2017, I have challenged myself to a Year of Adventure! For me, that means enjoying life's big moments as well as the small. This summer, I've been spending some time rereading favorite books.
Rereading the Harry Potter series was one of my goals for the summer. It's probably my third or fourth time completely through the series, and I love it every time! To me, reading the Harry Potter series is like comfort food for my soul!
Do you enjoy rereading favorite books?
Rereading Favorite Books
So, are you a fan of rereading favorite books? I know a lot of people don't really enjoy it. My husband doesn't reread books. Once he's read it, he's done with it. The only book I've seen him reread is the Bible. Otherwise, one and done for him! I asked friends whether they like rereading favorite books or not, and several said they didn't like rereading books because there were too many new ones to read. I get it!
Me, on the other hand, I love rereading books. Maybe it's because I have such a lousy memory, but I can enjoy a book just as much or maybe even more the second time through. What I love about rereading a book or series is that each time, I see and learn something new. Minor details that I might have missed the first time through a book come to life the second time through. A friend of mine described rereading this way, "Re-reading great books is like re-listening to great symphonies. I have re-read Harry Potter 4 times(from Drew down) as well as Little House series and other classics. I get some different each time because my experiences have changed." Yep, I love that!
And, you know, I can certainly understand why one might not want to waste time rereading books. Because, there are so many good books out there, who wants to waste time reading a book you've already been through! I get it! And, rereading favorite books is a big part of the reason my reading list doesn't go down very quickly!!
Rereading Harry Potter
It seems like each time I reread a favorite book, I gain some new nugget out of them that I hadn't noticed the previous time.
This time while rereading Harry Potter, I came into the books after having seen Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. So, there were a couple of things I noticed this time through, because of the movie, that I hadn't really noticed before.
For example, in the Fantastic Beasts movie, one of the characters was an Obscurial. When watching the movie, I had thought this was something new from Rowling. But, in re-reading the Harry Potter series, I realized we had already been introduced to one. Albus Dumbledore's young sister, Ariana. While it doesn't label her as an Obscurial in the book series, you can certainly tell based on what we learned in the Fantastic Beast movie.
Another fun example in the seventh book, Xeno Lovegood had a Erumpent horn in his house. Of course, he called it something different, but Hermione Granger knew what it was. In the movie, we meet an Erumpent. You might remember the funny dance that Newt Scamander did with the beast. If you didn't see it, you're in for a treat ~
Books Friends Like to Reread
So, when I put it out on Facebook, I got a great response about whether or not people like to reread. A few folks said they didn't like to reread particularly, but most of those who responded gave us a great list of books that they like to reread.
So, here's the Top 5 books mentioned, and the complete list is here.
- The Bible
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
- Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
So again, do you like to reread favorite books? If so, what books would you add to our list? Let me know and I'll gladly add them 🙂
This post does contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information on this!
Other Articles You Might Enjoy
5 Life Lessons I Learned from the Magic of Harry Potter
5 Books Your Teen Boy will Absolutely Want to Read
Juniper ~ The Amazing Story of the Micro-Preemie Who Lived!


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See also: nervé
Recorded since circa 1374, from Medieval Latin nervus ("nerve"), from Latin nervus ("sinew"). Doublet of neuron and sinew.
- (General American) IPA(key): /nɝv/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /nɜːv/
- (NYC) IPA(key): /nɜɪv/
- (Scotland) IPA(key): /nɛɾv/
Audio (US) (file)
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)v
nerve (plural nerves)
- A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
- The nerves can be seen through the skin.
- (nonstandard, colloquial) A neuron.
- (botany) A vein in a leaf; a grain in wood
- Some plants have ornamental value because of their contrasting nerves.
- Courage, boldness.
- He hasn't the nerve to tell her he likes her. What a wimp!
- 2013, Daniel Taylor, Jack Wilshere scores twice to ease Arsenal to victory over Marseille (in The Guardian, 26 November 2013)[2]
- A trip to the whistling, fire-cracking Stadio San Paolo is always a test of nerve but Wenger's men have already outplayed the Italians once.
- Patience. (Can we add an example for this sense?) (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- Stamina, endurance, fortitude.
- 1671, John Milton, "Samson Agonistes, […]", in Paradise Regain'd. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: Printed by J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398, lines 639–640, pages 42–43:
- He led me on to mightiest deeds, / Above the nerve of mortal arm.
- Audacity, gall.
- He had the nerve to enter my house uninvited.
- 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:
- "Oh?" she said. "So you have decided to revise my guest list for me? You have the nerve, the – the –" I saw she needed helping out. "Audacity," I said, throwing her the line. "The audacity to dictate to me who I shall have in my house." It should have been "whom", but I let it go. "You have the –" "Crust." "– the immortal rind," she amended, and I had to admit it was stronger, "to tell me whom" – she got it right that time – "I may entertain at Brinkley Court and who" – wrong again – "I may not."
- (polymer technology) The elastic resistance of raw rubber or other polymers to permanent deformation during processing.
- A nervy tank lining will be difficult to lay around tight bends or in corners because it tends to spring back.[1]
- 1959, Newell A Perry, Eric O Ridgway, US patent US2870103 A[3]
- The nerviness (ability to recover quickly from strain or stretching) ... generally requires it to be broken down or masticated on the mill before the other compounding ingredients are added. In the break-down operation, heat is inherently generated by the sheer action of the milling or mixing equipment on the polymer. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the desired low temperatures during the milling or mixing... An object of this invention is to reduce the inherent nerve of ... polymers ... during break-down.
- (in the plural) Agitation caused by fear, stress or other negative emotion.
- Ellie had a bad case of nerves before the big test.
- (obsolete) Sinew, tendon.
- 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2
- Come on; obey: / Thy nerves are in their infancy again, / And have no vigour in them.
- 1725, Alexander Pope. Pope's Homer: Odyssey Book X [4]
- Whilst thus their fury rages at the bay,
My sword our cables cut, I call'd to weigh,
And charg'd my men, as they from fate would fly,
Each nerve to strain, each bending oar to ply.
- Whilst thus their fury rages at the bay,
- 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2
- (audacity, gall): brashness, brazenness, balls
- See also Thesaurus:nerve
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from the noun "nerve"
Related terms[edit]
bundle of neurons
(colloquial) neuron
(botany) vein; grain in wood
agitation caused by a negative emotion
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
nerve (third-person singular simple present nerves, present participle nerving, simple past and past participle nerved)
- (transitive) To give courage.
- May their example nerve us to face the enemy.
- (transitive) To give strength.
- The liquor nerved up several of the men after their icy march.
Usage notes[edit]
- Sometimes used with "up".
- (give strength): See also Thesaurus:strengthen
encourage — see encourage
strengthen — see strengthen
nerve f (plural nerven, diminutive nerfje n)
- Obsolete form of nerf.
- first-person singular present indicative of nerver
- third-person singular present indicative of nerver
- first-person singular present subjunctive of nerver
- third-person singular present subjunctive of nerver
- second-person singular imperative of nerver
- First-person singular present of nerven.
- First-person singular subjunctive I of nerven.
- Third-person singular subjunctive I of nerven.
- Imperative singular of nerven.
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
From Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron), and Latin nervus
nerve m (definite singular nerven, indefinite plural nerver, definite plural nervene)
Derived terms[edit]
"nerve" in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
From Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron), and Latin nervus
nerve m (definite singular nerven, indefinite plural nervar, definite plural nervane)
Derived terms[edit]
- "nerve" in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English doublets
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Body parts
- English terms with usage examples
- English nonstandard terms
- English colloquialisms
- en:Botany
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch obsolete forms
- French non-lemma forms
- French verb forms
- German non-lemma forms
- German verb forms
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin noun forms
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Latin
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
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- nb:Body parts
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- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- nn:Body parts


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Bert and Joni: King and Queen of Acoustic Guitar
Aspects from the Past
The Astrology of a Corporate Scandal
The Second House
Trading Places: Planetary Mutual Exchange
Clouds of War: Neptune, the U.S., and Iraq
Planetary Currents Section
Planet Tracks:
Footprints of Mars
The USA and Neptune
The Traveling Astrologer: Retrograde Mercury through 2004
Earth Medicine: Pluto in the Third Decan of Sagittarius
Chart Interpretation: Transiting Quincunxes
Astro-Newsmaker: Johnny Cash
Astro-Coach: Your Questions Answered
Forecast Section
Where's That Moon?
Dec/Jan Forecast Calendar
Astro*Carto*Graphy Maps
New and Full Moon Reports
• Gemini Full Moon
• Capricorn New Moon
• Cancer Full Moon
•Aquarius New Moon
Heliocentric Data & Dec/Jan Declination Graph
Jyotish Currents: Vedic Astrology Forecast
TMA Departments
Artist's Showcase
Astrology News
Astro-Website Reviews
Cartoon by Paul F. Newman
Poem: Mandala
Book Reviews
TMA Professional Directory
TMA Advertiser's Index and Classified Ads
Humor: Tips for the Harried Holiday Shopper
|© 2007 The Mountain Astrologer. All rights reserved.


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Robin's book:
Clara Bess
Mary here. I'm so happy to welcome Robin. Robin shares her life struggles that have become a foundation to her writing. God has led her on an incredible journey that is sure to minister to others who struggle. I asked Robin to tell us how God led her on her writing journey. Here is what she said:
Robin has lived in the Upstate of South Carolina since 1988. She lived in Colorado for sixteen years, where she attended high school, got married, had babies, got divorced and went to college. Her "babies" are now grown, two have babies of their own. She currently lives with five cats.
Robin loves to connect with readers. You can find her at her:
Sorry US only
here is how:
AND sign up to receive my newsletter -in the right column
(subscribers to Mary Vee's newsletter will receive a special gift)
AND/OR sign up to receive posts by email if you aren't already


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When asked to do a shoot for these two talented musicians, this scene is the first thing that came to mind. We set up my Road King in the driveway and with a leaf blower, added some effect. The results hopefully captured the crazy fun nature of Dave Richardson and Jan Schmidt.
Also . . . this:
"When you live in the shadow of insanity, the appearance of another mind that thinks and talks as yours does is something close to a blessed event."
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values


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I love jumpsuits for summer time. They are so sophisticated and elegant but also super casual and easy to wear, plus it will make your legs look really long. The other day I was wearing this super nice jumpsuit from Lavish that besides from being super comfortable it also has this amazing cleavage cut that makes it look really elegant and extravagant.
Can't wait to wear it again at a special event Fashion Gala on July 23rd at Chaboo Pool where 8 big Romanian designers will launch their new collections. If you want to see more details about the event check the Romanian version of this post by clicking on the Romanian flag in the menu bar.
I was wearing:
Lavish jumpsuit
Guess heels
Lulu's clutch


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Facts about this album:
* Welsh rap troupe GLC consist of 2Hats, Maggot, Billy Webb, Eggsy, Mystikal, Mike Balls, Adam Hussain and
Dwain Xain Zedon.
* 'Asbo 4 Life' is their fourth studio album.
Album review:
Three long years after they were dropped, you'd have thought GLC would've got the hint. Admit it lads, you're not funny. And if the prospect of a new Chain album wasn't depressing enough, this is where they get 'serious'. Instead of songs about the dark side of doing rubbish reality TV shows, we get the likes of 'Unemployed And Overdrawn'. On the subject of titles, note the 'timely' reference to Asbos. What year is this? Here's looking forward to GLC's 2015 album, 'The Credit Crunch Bunch'. Not. Gordon Freame
Gordon Freame
More on this artist:
Goldie Lookin Chain NME Artist Page
Goldie Lookin Chain website


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High Park is trendy and fun and I am quite happy there, but try to imagine one of the local lefty MPs coming up with a gem like this:
Mr. Joe Comartin, MP (Windsor–Tecumseh, NDP): Mr. Speaker, yesterday 60 Canadian border guards were forced to walk off four Canadian border crossings because an armed and dangerous criminal was approaching the border.
Mr. Derek Lee, MP (Scarborough-Rouge River, Lib.): That's because they are a bunch of wimps.
Derek Lee deserves a lashing for such inanity, but it is exactly the sort of ill-reasoned devil-may-care bravado one will find at many levels of Scarborough politics. We may not have had the brightest bulbs in The Hood, but they were, pound-for-pound, the most entertaining bunch of underachievers I had ever seen. I think it will be a while before I hear anything so infuriating and thigh-slappingly funny out of latte- and dog-spa-stricken High Park.
Hat tips to Stephen Taylor, Torontoist, and OptimusCrime.


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House Plans With Inlaw Suite
It is one factor to make use of an additional bed room for visitors, however typically you want extra secluded lodging for in-laws, grownup kids, or different long-term company. All the plans on this assortment comprise bedrooms with non-public baths (as well as, in fact, to the main bedroom). For added privateness, many of those additional bedrooms are separate from different bedrooms within the ground plan — within the basement, throughout a breezeway, above an hooked up storage, or as a part of a 3rd flooring loft.
Some even have separate kitchenettes and residing rooms to provide the texture of a separate condo, lending a better sense of independence. Spend a couple of minutes searching, and you will find quite a lot of different facilities, together with personal entrances and walk-in closets.
Read Also:
Because the inhabitants ages, extra households will grow to be caretakers for aged mother and father or family. These home plans with in-law suites provide the wanted area (typically on the primary ground, splendid for an individual with restricted mobility). In fact, in-law suites can be utilized by consumers in many alternative conditions, from house owners who merely need snug visitor lodging to these with nannies or live-in caretakers.
The suites themselves vary from a easy bed room and toilet to extra elaborate residences appropriate for semi-independent dwelling (older kids, maybe returned from faculty and on the lookout for a job, will particularly respect the latter sort). A few of these suites are even indifferent for the house for better privateness. Both method, a home plan with an in-law suite affords excellent versatility for the longer term.
Mansion home floor plans blueprints 6 mattress room 2 story. Design dwelling with many rooms, whereas going to assemble a house, the very first thing was as soon as to have ideas. The mattress room was a most crucial section within the design of a dream dwelling. The bed room was as soon as a comfortable privateness and area to leisure. there are many mattress room design which may be utilized tailored to your property plans. 6 mattress room single story properties – straightforward duplex home designSearch outcomes – home plans ontario, personalized residence design Search outcomes – home plans ontario, personalized house design. Get your plans to suit your wants corresponding to six mattress room house plans with inlaw suite within the following.
Thanks for visiting blog. If you like our article about House Plans With Inlaw Suite, maybe you like also our article about House Plans, And stay to visit us everyday to get more information about Cottage house plans.


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Below are my picks of the most notable new shows, returning or premiering on UK screens over the next 7 days...
MONDAY 2ndHugh's War on Waste (BBC1, 9pm) New two-part documentary where Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall investigates why people waste as much as one third of their food. (1/2)
Trollied (Sky1, 9pm) Series 5 of the supermarket-set sitcom. Starring Jason Watkins, Sarah Parish, Stephen Tompkinson, Aisling Bea, Carl Rice & Beverly Rudd. (1/8)
Is this Rape? Sex on Trial (BBC3, 9pm) Factual special where ordinary teenagers read about a sexual encounter and have to decide if they believe it depicted consensual sex or not. Presented by Will Best.
★ After Hours (Sky1, 9.30pm) New sitcom about an internet radio show broadcast from a canal boat. Starring James Tarpey, Ardal O'Hanlon, John Thomson, Jaime Winstone & Rob Kendrick. (1/6)
TUESDAY 3rdThe Secret Life of 4 Year Olds (Channel 4, 8pm) New documentary follow-up to the Secret Life series, here focusing on four-year-old children. (1/6)
★ The Great Pottery Throw Down (BBC2, 9pm) New reality gameshow where ten pottery enthusiasts compete to be crowned Top Potter. Hosted by Sara Cox. Judges are Kate Malone & Keith Brymer Jones. (1/6)
Britain's Biggest Sexists (BBC3, 9pm) Documentary shaming the country's most sexist people, using viral videos and street stunts. Hosted by Leah Green.
WEDNESDAY 4thThe MOBO Awards (ITV2, 8pm) Annual music awards ceremony. Featuring Rita Ora, Krept & Konan, Ella Eyre, Lethal Bizzle, Naughty Boy, Lianne La Havas, etc. Hosted by Sarah-Jane Crawford.
Dominic Sandbrook: Let Us Entertain You (BBC2, 9pm) New documentary series exploring post-war British culture. (1/4)
Joanna Lumley: Elvis & Me (ITV, 9pm) The actress goes on a personal journey to learn more about the legendary Elvis Presley.
Tyrant (Fox, 9pm) Season 2 of the U.S drama about a half-American family who are also the ruling dynasty of a Middle-Eastern country. (1/12)
Grand Designs: House of the Year (Channel 4, 9pm) New series where four homes compete for the Riba Hose of the Year Award 2015. (1/4)
★ The Psychic Life (Channel 4, 10pm) Documentary following psychic mediums across the north of England, to determine if they're genuine or charlatans.
THURSDAY 5thNothing. Fire up the Kindle!
FRIDAY 6thGino's Italian Escape (ITV, 8pm) Series 3 of the culinary show where Gino D'Acampo journeys around Sardinia and Siciliy. (1/6)
★ Gordonstoun: A Different Class (Sky1, 8pm) New documentary series about the lives of students at the public school of Moray. (1/6)
SATURDAY 7thThe Restoration Man (Channel 4, 7pm) New series where George Clarke meets a man who is renovating an 18th-century folly in Ormskirk, near Liverpool. (1/9)
Grand Designs (Channel 4, 8pm) Series 14 of the architecture build show. Presented by Kevin McCloud. (1/10)
★ Prison Night (Channel 4, 9pm) Real-life prisoners assess the depictions of prison life in various television shows and movies.
Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance 2015 (BBC1, 9pm) Coverage of the annual event from the Royal Albert Hall.
SUNDAY 8thNothing. Continue with that e-book you started reading on Thursday!
For a look at what the rest of the year's going to bring,
why not read and bookmark my TV Calendar?


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Freighter accident in Keelung still under investigation
Taipei-An accident involving a Germany-registered cargo ship in Keelung Harbor Monday is still being investigated by the Marine Port Bureau (MPB) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, sources close to the probe said Tuesday.
The freighter, the Hansa Meersburg, hit and damaged a berth crane valued at NT$200 million (US$6.78 million) as it was sailing into the harbor.
After being hit by the ship, cargo that was being handled by the crane was shattered on the ground.
In addition to the damage sustained by the crane, a pier was also damaged, suffering a hole three meters wide and two meters deep.
Meanwhile, a 62-yer-old worker, Chen Lin-tsang (???), who was handling cargo, suffered minor injury when the ship hit the crane.
The sources said the MPB will continue the investigation to find out the exact cause of the accident and who should be held responsible.
The sources said the Hansa Meersburg had a total of 22 crew members, including captain Moeschter Jens Uwe. The captain told investigators that he had never had an accident before, the sources added.
The damaged berth crane belongs to Taiwan-based United Logistics International, which has five other identical cranes in service, company chairman Wang Ching-hsin (???) told CNA.
Wang said the company needs some time to assess the value of the damaged cargo, and will seek compensation from the owner of the German ship, as well as recompense for the damaged crane.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel


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assent(redirected from assentiveness)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms.
Related to assentiveness: assertiveness training
assentAgreement by a minor or other person not competent, such as a child or cognitively impaired person, to give legally valid informed consent to participate in research.
The concept of assent is based on the assumption that while a child has sufficient capacity to understand a procedure and agree with parental decisions, he or she does not have the autonomy to request and consent to a procedure on his or her own.


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from pillsbury bake-off winner, Edgar Rudberg 2008
I made the pie crust from scratch using recipe for two crusts.
- Yield
- 24 appetizers
- 1/2 C lightly packed chopped fresh dill weed
- 1/3 C olive oil
- 1/4 chopped walnuts
- 1/4 C lime juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- 2/3 C shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 pound salmon fillet, thawed if frozen and patted dry
- 1 box (15 oz.) refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
- Pesto: In food processor bowl with metal blade or in blender, place chopped dill, oil, walnuts, line juice, garlic, mustard, 1/2 C of cheese, and salt and pepper. Cover, process, stopping once to scrape side of bowl, until smooth. If salmon has skin or bones, remove them; rinse fillet and pat dry with paper towel. Cut salmon into 24 (1 inch) cubes. (Easier if slightly frozen.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll 1 pie crust into 12 inch round. Cut into 4 rows by 3 rows to make 12 rectangles. Repeat with remaining crust. Spoon 1 tsp. pesto onto center of each rectangle; top with 1 salmon cube. Bring up corners over filling to form a purse; pinching edges, but leaving small openings to vent steam. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm drizzled with remaining pesto and sprinkled with remaining cheese.
Related Video
Nutritional Info
- Calories153
- Carbohydrates10 g(3%)
- Fat11 g(16%)
- Protein5 g(10%)
- Saturated Fat3 g(16%)
- Sodium140 mg(6%)
- Polyunsaturated Fat1 g
- Fiber0 g(2%)
- Monounsaturated Fat5 g
- Cholesterol11 mg(4%)


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How Global Growth And Infrastructure Are Driving Commodities
As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information
The global economy is booming again after years in the doldrums, commodities are back in a big way, and metals prices are for the most part, way up.
In our last article showing how commodities are the place to be in 2018, we looked at five drivers: inflation, the low dollar, economic growth, the relative undervalue of commodities versus other sectors, and tightness of supply. This article expands on the economic growth argument, and explains how commodity prices are being moved by a bevy of infrastructure projects around the world – all demanding "yuge", as Donald Trump would say, amounts of metals.
But we'll also talk about how insecurity of supply has created a climate of uncertainty around commodities, fuelled by increasing trade tensions that could lead to tariffs and quotas, driving up the prices of some imported metals – further exacerbating supply-demand imbalances. The US is finally starting to get that it must reduce its reliance on foreign metal suppliers, which is great for domestic exploration and mining. But first, let's talk about global growth and what it means for commodities.
Three Quarters Of The World Is Growing
A year ago the global economy was stagnant following the recession of 2007-09, an overhang from the debt crisis in Europe, and slowing Chinese growth which had seen double-digit GDP numbers throughout the 2000s. According to the International Monetary Fund, 75% of the world is now enjoying a full recovery. The IMF predicts global growth to hit 3.7% this year, the fastest rate since 2010.
The World Bank says it's the first year since the financial crisis that the global economy will operate at or near capacity. Emerging markets will see the lion's share of growth, 4.5%, while advanced economies including the US, Japan and the EU will grow at 2.2%. China is expected to grow between 6 and 7%. India, Ghana, Ethiopia and the Philippines will grow more than China, and eight of the 10 fastest-growing countries this year are likely to be in Africa, according to consulting firm PwC.
Goldman Sachs was quoted saying that "rising commodity prices will create a virtuous circle, improving the balance sheets of producers and lenders, and expanding credit in emerging markets that will, in turn, reinforce global economic growth."
At the end of 2017 the Bloomberg Commodity Index, which measures returns on 22 raw materials, had the longest rally on record dating back 27 years to 1991.
The index was propelled by major yearly gains in copper, which had its best month in 30 years in December, oil, which moved above $60 a barrel for the first time in over two years, and gold, up for the second year in a row, by 12.5% in 2017. The roll continued into the New Year, with the index hitting a three-year high on Jan. 5 due to what the Financial Times described as the global economy's best period of growth (measured in manufacturing activity) since the 2008 financial crisis.
At this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the tone was vastly different from the past two years when everyone was talking about the bear market for commodities and the oil price crash.
"In panel discussions, interviews, and conversations on the evening cocktail circuit at the Steigenberger Grandhotel Belvedere, it was hard to find a bearish voice," Bloomberg reported.
Key Infrastructure Metals All Rising
Building large, capital-intensive public and private infrastructure projects all requires mined metals, in particular steel for bridges and buildings, aluminum, copper for wiring, and inputs used for making steel: coking coal, iron ore, manganese and vanadium. Nickel is also used in large quantities for stainless steel.
The outlook in 2018 for these commodities is for the most part bullish. A report from the World Bank states that a correction in iron ore prices – due primarily to a supply glut – will be offset by jumps in other base metals including lead, nickel and zinc.
A week ago mining stocks outperformed overall gains in US stock markets following the Feb. 5 correction, with investors piling into mining heavyweights like BHP, Vale, and Anglo American. The optimism was spurred by global demand for raw materials ahead of the annual Chinese New Year holiday. Copper rose above $3.24 a pound, nickel was at 14,100 a tonne, the highest since May 2015, and zinc hit a near-decade high of $3,567 a tonne. Even the iron ore price which many expect to pull back, rose to a five-week best of $78.25 a tonne.
Speaking recently with Robert Friedland of Ivanhoe Mines, US Global Investors CEO Frank Holmes laid out the bullish case for copper, noting the ever-increasing demand for the red metal not only in industry, but electrical vehicles which consume three to four times as much copper as gas-powered cars and trucks.
Friedland pointed to aluminum, cobalt, nickel, platinum and scandium as among the biggest beneficiaries in the shift to EVs and clean energy. Holmes mentioned a few other key trends that are driving commodities higher, including the global purchasing managers index (PMI) being near a seven-year high, construction confidence in the Euro Zone, and construction spending in the US which hit a record $1.257 trillion in November.
As usual a crucial factor is China, the world's largest consumer and producer of metals. On Feb. 8 China's copper concentrate imports increased 25% from the same period last year, continuing the trend from 2017 when copper imports hit a new high due partly due to Beijing banning of scrap metal and other recyclables.
The Chinese have also been importing record amounts of iron ore – 102.8 million tonnes in September 2017. China wants higher-grade ore because it boosts steel-making productivity and reduces emissions.
China's iron ore imports rose in January even as steel mills are idled as part of a government drive against pollution and stockpiles at ports reached new peaks above 150 million tonnes. The country consumes two thirds of the world's iron ore shipments and produces as much steel as the rest of the world combined.
And for all the talk of the coal industry being on its knees, prices of the fossil fuel are up and so are US coal exports. Platts reported that in 2017, US coal exports rose by 60% between 2016 and 2017, to 88 million tonnes. Thermal coal prices in 2017 were the highest in Northern Europe since 2012 - $84.77 a tonnes, while met-coal prices used in steelmaking averaged $173.95/tonne, up 39% from 2016.
New Commodities Super Cycle?
Many investors are wondering whether we've begun a new commodities super cycle.
"Purchasing Managers' Index™ (PMI™) surveys have been developed in many countries to provide purchasing professionals, business decision-makers and economic analysts with an accurate and timely set of data to help better understand industry conditions.
PMI data are based on monthly surveys of carefully selected companies. These provide an advance indication of what is really happening in the private sector economy by tracking variables such as output, new orders, stock levels, employment and prices across the manufacturing, construction, retail and service sectors.
The PMI surveys are based on fact (latest PMI's from Markit Economics), not opinion, and are among the first indicators of economic conditions published each month. The data are collected using identical methods in all countries so that international comparisons may be made." Markit Economics
Here is a link to more global PMI charts from Yardini Research.
"Super cycles are extended periods of historically high global growth, lasting a generation or more, driven by increasing trade, high rates of investment, urbanisation and technological innovation, characterised by the emergence of large, new economies, first seen in high catch-up growth rates across the emerging world"~ Helmut Reisen shiftingwealthblogspot.com
As mentioned, Goldman Sachs, the influential investment bank, thinks that rising commodities prices will expand credit in emerging markets, thus creating more economic growth. Back in 2011 I wrote about how developing economies will boost the commodities supercycle, with the drivers in these countries being population growth, urbanization and the growth of the middle class, all of which spur consumption – of cars, fridges, smart phones, etc. These minerals have to come from somewhere.
In Daily Reckoning Australia, Callum Newman observes that there is some serious money right now sloshing around waiting to find a home. Examples include Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince wanting to spend US$500 billion to build a new city, and Australia's $130 billion Future Fund. Callum presages a new mining boom in Australia by pointing out that between 2010 and 2025 infrastructure spending in Asia will hit US$5.3 trillion, with China's total spend increasing 250% and for the Philippines, 300%. All of this bodes well for Australia, a major exporter of iron ore and coal, used to make steel needed for bridges, roads and airports, plus gold and other minerals.
Maxwell Gold, director of investment strategy and research at ETF Securities, agrees that we are on the cusp of a new commodities super cycle, which he points out usually last 10 to 15 years.
Gold says we are currently at the last phase of the current business cycle (lasting 5 to 7 years) where commodities tend to outperform stocks.
"The Fed and other central banks want to increase interest rates to slow down and control economic growth to prevent the economy from overheating too much. That typically goes hand in hand with a period where there's increased demand for inputs, raw materials and resources ― primarily commodities. It's very typical to see commodity prices increase when we're in a rate-hiking cycle and interest rates are rising."
Infrastructure Engine Revving Up
Most of us have heard of Donald Trump's $1-trillion infrastructure plan to fix American's crumbling cities, touted during his 2016 election campaign. A year into his mandate, that spending has been elevated to $1.7 trillion over the next decade. When or whether it comes to fruition is still fuzzy – the plan being presented to Congress involves $200 billion in federal funds, an amount being disputed by Democrats, and could involve a gas tax to pay for it – what is interesting is what happened to commodities after Trump was elected. A month after the election was decided on November 8, 2016, oil and most base metals received a "Trump bump", as shown in the graph below by MINING.com – proving that the promise of infrastructure spending has a direct impact on commodity prices – albeit in the short-term.
The effect of the US infrastructure plan on metals prices in 2018 is difficult to say, but one thing is for sure: the need is desperate. A 2017 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers gave America's infrastructure a D+ and found that the US is facing $4.6 trillion in infrastructure investment needs over the next 10 years. The report looked at 16 categories including bridges, schools, railways and ports.
"Deteriorating infrastructure is impeding our ability to compete in the thriving global economy, and improvements are necessary to ensure our country is built for the future," according to the ASCE. Consulting firm PwC estimated in a comprehensive infrastructure report that the US is looking at a total funding gap between 2016 and 2025 of $1.4 trillion, with the vast majority of funds needed for surface transportation ($1.1 trillion funding gap).
North of the 49th, Canada also plans to roll out a major infrastructure spend, though far less ambitious than the one planned in the US. The federal government's $5.4 billion infrastructure package in transit and water systems for provinces and cities was recently extended from two to five years. Ottawa and the Yukon Territory are partners in a promise to spend $360 million for road access to mineralized areas in the Yukon, including 650 kilometers of new roads and road upgrades.
The Quebec government has called for the province to invest about $1.3 billion in infrastructure over the next five years to attract $22 billion in private sector investment. The scaled-down "Plan Nord" aims to access untapped deposits of iron ore, copper, nickel, zinc and other minerals in Quebec's far north. Next door in Ontario, the provincial government is moving forward on an all-season road to the Ring of Fire, allowing roads in to a wealth of minerals in the remote region including chromite, nickel, copper, vanadium, zinc, platinum and gold.
Looking globally, Futurism put together a graphic of the world's largest megaprojects currently under construction. They are:
the International Space Station: $150 billion
Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai: $82 billion
South to North Water Transfer Project, China: $78 billion
California High-Speed Rail: $70 billion
Dubailand: $64 billion
London Crossrail Project: $23 billion
Beijing Daxing International Airport: $13 billion
Jubail II, Saudi Arabia: $11 billion
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge: $10.6 billion
In terms of commodities demand, though, the most impactful country is, without a doubt, China.
"More than 2,000 years ago, China's imperial envoy Zhang Qian helped to establish the Silk Road, a network of trade routes that linked China to Central Asia and the Arab world. The name came from one of China's most important exports - silk. And the road itself influenced the development of the entire region for hundreds of years.
In 2013, China's president, Xi Jinping, proposed establishing a modern equivalent, creating a network of railways, roads, pipelines, and utility grids that would link China and Central Asia, West Asia, and parts of South Asia." McKinsey & Company
China's One Belt, One Road is a $900 billion initiative meant to open channels between China and its neighbors, mostly through infrastructure investments. China long ago put a lock on much of Africa's vast resources. The rationale is to increase trade in order to bolster poorer countries to China's south, and foster new markets that will keep China's economy going strong. According to the World Economic Forum, "Beijing says it will ultimately lend as much as $8 trillion for infrastructure in 68 countries," which represents a third of global GDP.
And there's more. Last April President Xi Jinping announced a grand scheme to transform a backwater called Xiongan, south of Beijing, into a city triple the size of New York. Consulting firm Wood Mackenzie estimates that building the city will use 20 million tonnes of steel, 400,000 tonnes of aluminum, and 250,000 tonnes of copper during the first 10 years of construction.
Are two Belt and Roads better than one? Australia, the US, India and Japan are planning a joint regional infrastructure scheme as an alternative to China's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative.
Supply Insecurity
Completing all of these infrastructure projects will require millions, maybe billions of tonnes of iron ore, coal, steel, copper, vanadium, cement and asphalt. But what is often lost in the discussion about commodities is where these materials will come from and whether the countries requiring them will be able to get their hands on the metals in time and in the quantities needed. I've written before on the metallurgical Achilles heel of the United States, which has allowed the depletion of four critical metals: chromium, cobalt, manganese and platinum. Added to this list should be vanadium, which is becoming increasingly important as an ingredient (vanadium pentoxide) in vanadium flow batteries used in renewable energy storage.
The U.S. is dependent on South Africa, the politically unstable Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and an increasingly unreliable and aggressive China for over half of its supply of what it considers strategic or critical minerals.
"As resource constraints tighten globally, countries that depend heavily on ecological services from other nations may find that their resource supply becomes insecure and unreliable. This has economic implications – in particular for countries that depend upon large amounts of ecological assets to power their key industries or to support their consumption patterns and lifestyles." Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, President of the Global Footprint Network
The United States has no producing manganese or vanadium mines. Stillwater Mining is the only American miner of platinum group metals, and there is just one company in Michigan that produced cobalt in 2017 as a by-product of nickel and copper.
Cobalt is an interesting metal to look at because it demonstrates the stark and growing disparity between supply and demand, reflected in a massive recent price spike. Over the past year cobalt prices have nearly doubled from US$47,500 a tonne to $80,000/tonne.
As a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (cobalt is used in both nickel-cobalt aluminum (NCA)-based battery cells used by Tesla and nickel-manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries employed by other EV manufacturers), cobalt is in high demand by battery makers.
Tesla says it wants to make half a million EVs a year, and has repeatedly stated that it plans to source the cobalt for its Gigafactory exclusively from North America. But the numbers don't add up. According to the US Geological Survey Canada and the US together produce only 4% of the world's cobalt supply – around the amount Tesla would need for just one of its models. In 2017 the US and Canada produced 4,950 tonnes of cobalt against the world total of 110,000 tonnes. How about metal in the ground? North American reserves stand at 273,000 tonnes versus 3.5Mt in the Congo and 1.2Mt in Australia.
But there's another problem with cobalt supply. Around 97% of it is mined as a by-product of copper and nickel, so in order for cobalt mining to be economic, the prices of nickel and copper need to be high enough to make mining the deposits economic. 60% of the world's cobalt reserves and resources are in the DRC, which uses child labour and is highly unstable. One of the largest African copper-cobalt mines is Tenke Fungurume, in the DRC. US copper miner Freeport MacMoran used to hold 56% of the mine, with Lundin Mining and Congolese state-owner miner Gecamines owning the rest, but in 2016 China Molybdenum acquired Freeport's portion for $2.65 billion – the largest ever investment in the country.
So, we now have the largest cobalt mine in the DRC majority-owned by China, in a country that controls 60% of cobalt supply, and we have virtually no domestic supply, with demand and prices for a scarce commodity exploding.
Let's take manganese as another example. While 10 to 20 pounds of manganese per ton of iron is needed to make steel, an equally important application is electrolytic manganese metal. EMM was historically used in the alloying of steel, stainless steel and aluminum but a more recent application of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) – a refined form of manganese- - is for the anodes of lithium-ion batteries used in EVs. This technology is already used in GM's Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The United States is the largest consumer of EMM but guess who produces 97% of the world's EMM? China.
The good news is that the United States has finally woken up to the fact that it needs to secure some of these strategic minerals. As part of the Trump Administration's plan to stoke the domestic economy, the Interior Department last Friday announced it wants to boost domestic production of 35 critical minerals including uranium, cobalt and lithium, to reduce its reliance on foreign suppliers.
"Any shortage of these resources constitutes a strategic vulnerability for the security and prosperity of the United States," said an Interior Department spokesman.
But some companies and countries aren't waiting. Tesla and Volkswagen AG are already hunting for long-term supplies of battery metals, while on Wednesday, Apple said it is considering going directly to miners to source cobalt – a key ingredient in mobile phones as well as EVs. As we have just shown, that means talking to the Chinese and the Congolese.
A week ago Sweden joined the race for cobalt and lithium, saying it will invest 10 million kronor (1.26 million) over the next two years to find battery metals. Sweden's Volvo plans to make all of its new car models electric from 2019.
Metal Wars
It doesn't take much of a leap of logic to see that competition for critical metals and those essential for building infrastructure and society as a whole – like steel and aluminum – is heating up. Of the 35 metals the US has identified as strategic, many are produced by countries the US and Canada would not consider to be friendly. Take China and Russia as the two most obvious examples.
Last week the US Commerce Department recommended imposing tariffs or quotas on foreign producers of steel and aluminum. This was the result of an investigation into whether the imports posed a threat to national security. They do.
"The Secretary of Commerce concludes that the present quantities and circumstance of steel imports are 'weakening our internal economy' and threaten to impair the national security as defined in Section 232," the department said. It recommends a 24% tariff on all steel imports, and 7.7% on aluminum. Or, the US could target 12 countries including China and Brazil which export the most cheap steel to the States. If that were to happen, those countries could face 53% tariffs or higher.
China responded immediately to the Commerce Department threat, suggesting that US exports of sorghum and soybeans could face trade retaliatory trade restrictions. The Trump Administration has already imposed new tariffs on made-in-China solar panels and washing machines. South Korea, a major steel producer and one of the 12, said Tuesday it will consider filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization if the US follows through on steel tariffs.
Tariffs or import quotas are generally imposed to protect domestic industries, by increasing the prices of the higher-taxed goods, making American-made goods more competitive. The higher costs of imported goods however may be passed on to consumers, who would pay more for goods made from imported steel, for example.
For the first time in a decade we are looking at across the board global growth in both developed and developing economies, setting up tremendous demand for commodities – both mined and grown – due to the effects of urbanization, growing middles classes and population growth. Add to this the ambitious plans for infrastructure spending in the US, Canada, China and elsewhere, and the bullish case for mined metals becomes even stronger.
But even as demand for metals, particularly battery metals used in the new electrified economy, continues to skyrocket as witnessed by the shocking increases in the one-year prices of lithium and cobalt, competition is becoming intense. Countries and companies are starting to realize that without a domestic supply, they are wholly dependent on foreign suppliers who set the prices and could easily hold these metals for ransom to extract political or economic capital from the buyers. For example, if Gabon, from which the US imports three-quarters of its manganese, suddenly decided to ban Mn exports, the effect on the US steel industry would be crippling.
All of this points to the need to develop local, North American producers of strategic metals that can act as a counter-point to the trade disadvantage the US and Canada currently find themselves in. The Trump Administration's plan to increase domestic production is laudable and a long time coming. Let's see whether the talk turns into action. I've got commodities and infrastructure spending on my radar screen, and I am on the hunt for investment opportunities that can make North America less dependent on foreign sources of strategic metals.
Are the future suppliers - our junior resource companies whose place in the resource food chain is to explore for, find, and develop to a certain point the world's future mines – of metals and minerals that enable your modern lifestyle on your radar screen? I can guarantee they are on mine.
If they are not on yours, maybe they should be?
Richard (Rick) Mills
Legal Notice / Disclaimer
This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment.


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Cutest Potatoes Ever
Usually, my food isn't very pretty. I spend more time concerned with the taste than the looks. Wish I could do both, but I can't. However, with these little potatoes, anyone can make "cute" and delicious food. To give you an idea of how tiny they are, the potatoes in the photo are in a 3-inch ramekin!
If you've been reading The Flaming Pot Holder lately, you know we like to grow our food when possible. Farmers markets are a great second choice for purchasing local food. However, sometimes you see something at a grocery store you must try. That happened a few weeks ago at the Whole Foods Market in Nashville. We found marble-sized red, white, and purple potatoes.
The company is Tasteful Selections and the Sunrise Medley Nibbles potatoes are from their Simply Amazing Potatoes line of products. They are tiny, but very flavorful and tender. When I emailed the company to ask permission to include them in the blog, I received a nice response from Melissa in their marketing department. I mentioned recently that I wanted to add a few reviews to the blog, so guess this is my first official one! I like the fact that this is still a family owned farm; it makes me feel better shopping at a big box store. If you want to give them a try, you should check out their website and Facebook page for other recipes, coupons, and even a sweepstakes. They also have a store locator so you can find where to buy them in your area.
To keep it vegan, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, margarine or your favorite oil. You just want something to help the salt, pepper, and herbs adhere. From start to finish, I think it only took about 10 minutes, so this really is a fast side dish. Hope you like these delicious and cute potatoes!
Cutest Potatoes Ever (Print recipe)
1 bag Sunrise Medley Nibbles potatoes (or other tiny potatoes)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (margarine, oil of your choice, or butter)
Kosher salt, to taste
Pepper (I used ground black pepper and Aleppo pepper flakes)
Fresh chives and/or herbs, chopped (I used parsley and Greek basil)
Wash the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add one teaspoon of salt, and enough water to cover the potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Test a potato, by piercing with a fork. Depending on the size, they might be done. Otherwise, they might need a few more minutes. Cook until tender. Drain. Add olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Enjoy! These are even delicious the next day cold! You can toss them into a salad.
Coming soon…my husband's recipe for a Kitchen Sink Frittata that uses leftover potatoes as one of the ingredients!
Layered Summer Vegetable Bake
The other morning on the TODAY Show, Martha Stewart had a recipe for a Provençal Vegetable Tian. It sounded and looked delicious. But of course I did not have all the ingredients she used. So, I decided to make my own version with things from our pantry, our garden, and our friend's garden. That seems to be a theme lately – use what you have.
Back in high school, I was on the yearbook committee and one of my least favorite tasks was writing titles and captions. Not much has changed. I still struggle with this, in technical writing and in recipe writing. Not sure what to call my version of Martha's recipe. Strata is not completely accurate since it doesn't contain eggs, bread, or cheese. It reminded me of a baked late summer vegetable layered ratatouille. However, I didn't cook the vegetables separately. It could be called a casserole, but it seems a little too fancy for that (not that there's anything wrong with a casserole). I guess it really is a tian, a layered casserole of French origin. But, I hate to totally copy Martha, thus the lame name: Layered Summer Vegetable Bake. At least it is descriptive. Oh well, whatever you call it, hope you enjoy my version.
My typical disclaimer: This is another recipe where you can customize it to your tastes or use what is fresh and available. If you do not like eggplant, you can use zucchini, zephyr, crookneck, or patty pan squash. If you want to add peppers, go for it! Add more garlic if you'd like. If you do not have fresh herbs, dry herbs can be used. If you are on a sodium-restricted diet, you can omit or decrease the amount of salt. If you want to mix it up, you could even add sweet potatoes. Feel free to use different oil, if you prefer. Basically, you are layering veggies with a bit of salt, pepper, oil, and herbs, squishing it, and baking it. Ok you get it, please make this YOUR dish and have fun!
Layered Summer Vegetable Bake (Print recipe)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, sliced ⅛ inch thick
1 medium onion, sliced ⅛ inch thick half-moons
1 leek or green onion, sliced ⅛ inch thick
4 small potatoes, sliced ⅛ inch thick
1½ teaspoons coarse salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 medium eggplants, sliced ⅛ inch thick (I used skinny green, purple, and a few round orange Turkish eggplants)
4 medium tomatoes, sliced ⅛ inch thick
4 tablespoons capers, whole or smashed/chopped
4 teaspoons fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, and basil), chopped
Garnish: Fresh Herbs
Serves: 4-8 (depends on whether it is a main dish or a side dish)
Wash, dry, and slice your veggies. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil into 13x9x2" baking dish*. Cover the bottom with half the garlic, onions, and leeks. Top with half the potatoes. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Top with half the eggplant. Top with half the tomatoes. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover with half the capers and half the fresh chopped herbs. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Use an oiled spatula to press down the vegetables. Repeat the layers – garlic, onions, leeks, potatoes, salt pepper, eggplant, tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, capers, herbs, 2 tablespoons oil. Use an oiled spatula to press down the vegetables. Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil. Use an oiled spatula to press down the vegetables. Bake until the top is golden and caramelized, about 45 minutes more. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.
*If you have lots of patience, you could make individual serving sizes using either a muffin pan or mini ramekins. As you can probably tell from my photo, my version was very thin. That's because we like crispy bits (there were lots). If you want less crisp and more layers, feel free to use a smaller baking dish.
Eye of the Goat Bean Soup
If you made the eye of goat beans and rice from the last post, there is a good chance you had leftover beans (unless you cooked for a crowd). So what do you do with them? You can freeze them, make bean salad, chili, or refried beans. Or you could make a simple, quick soup. That's what I did! I've recently started back to work at a real job, as a technical writer and editor. After two years of not working, I'm relearning my time management skills. Juggling work, gardening, cooking, food writing, yard work, housework, etc. is challenging. Anything that makes a quick and healthy meal is a good thing in my book.
I served the soup topped with a bit of grated cheese, a few splashes of hot sauce, and some chopped fresh herbs. We had just bought some Cumin Gouda from the Franklin Farmers Market in Nashville and I thought it would be good with the soup. It was! The cheese is from Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese in Austin, Kentucky. If you happen to see them at a market near you, I would highly recommend them (or you can order online). They have some unique flavors: Cranberry Havarti, Coffee Cheddar, Garlic Paprika Monterey Jack, etc. I also served the soup with Beanitos' Black Bean Chips, a new chip we recently discovered. I have several food allergies/food sensitivities and avoid corn, but sometimes I want a corn chip. Well, these are a good substitute – no corn or gluten; but high in protein thanks to the black beans!
Eye of the Goat Bean Soup
Leftover eye of the goat beans (we had half the batch leftover)
Veggie stock or water
Garnishes: grated cheese, sour cream, yogurt, hot pepper sauce, fresh herbs, chopped peppers, sliced green onions, crackers, chips, etc.
Special equipment: immersion blender, food processor, blender, or potato masher
Depending on how soupy you made the beans, you might need to remove some of the liquid and reserve it for later (just in case you need it). Heat the beans over low heat. Mash the beans, either by hand or use an immersion blender, food processor, or a regular blender. If needed, add the extra bean liquid, stock, or water to make a nice soup consistency. Make sure it is heated through and season with salt and pepper as needed. Top with garnishes and serve.
Eye of the Goat Beans
Last week, I was fortunate enough to be Freshly Pressed. It was an unexpected honor and I am thankful for the exposure. I am thrilled about new readers and grateful to my faithful followers who have been with me since the beginning. I appreciate the comments and the feedback and hope you will continue reading. I'm excited about upcoming changes to The Flaming Pot Holder – launching a Facebook page, changing the layout of the blog, categorizing recipes, improving my photos, etc. Ok, enough happy gushing, time for a recipe…
We first tried eye of the goat beans (a.k.a. goat eye beans) last year and loved them. We buy Gourmet Valley's Eye of the Goat Beans. I really like this brand of heirloom beans. They have a nice variety of interesting beans – Scarlet Runner Beans, Christmas Lima Beans, Red Calypso Beans, Green Flageolet Beans, etc. One day, we hope to grow some of these varieties.
Eye of the goat beans are similar in texture to black-eyed peas and pinto beans. They have a rich, firm texture that can hold up to long, slow cooking times. And they do look a lot like goat eyes. I know this personally, because we had two pet pygmy goats when I was growing up (even though we lived on Monte Sano in the city limits of Huntsville). Goats were frowned upon, so Mom told folks they were funny looking dogs with a weird bark :). They had beautiful eyes, similar looking to these beans.
There is a recipe on the package for drunken beans that sounds delicious, but it has beer and mushrooms. I'm avoiding gluten and "fungusy" foods so I decided to create my own version with produce from our garden. I added some fresh diced tomatoes and a little tomato paste. This made a rich broth, but it was also a tad sweet. Something to think about when you are making the beans. This "recipe" is just a guide; please adjust it to your taste. We like spicy food, so I added several hot peppers, feel free to leave them out if you don't want it spicy. I used a crock pot, but a large heavy covered pot or Dutch oven would also work great.
I served the beans with basmati rice, made with a new technique courtesy of Peri's Spice Ladle. She recently posted her Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Perfect Basmati Rice and I had to try it. I was intrigued since I had never used a microwave to cook rice. It worked very well! I added some saffron and it was a perfect accompaniment to the beans. I've been struggling with Thai sticky rice with mango, I wonder if this technique would work in lieu of a rice steamer or cooker?!? Hmm, I'm thinking a future post. Hope you can find these beans (I have bought them at Whole Foods and Earth Fare) and you will give the recipe a try…
Eye of the Goat Beans (Print recipe)
12 ounces eye of the goat beans
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (or oil of your choice)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup carrots, chopped
½ cup bell peppers, chopped (I used two small yellow and green peppers)
½ cup celery, chopped (including some leaves)
5 hot peppers, chopped (or to taste)
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional, will add sweetness)
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper (black, cayenne, or Aleppo)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Garnish: Basmati rice, chopped fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro), and hot pepper (Aleppo or hot pepper flakes)
Pick through the beans to make sure there are no pebbles. Rinse the beans, drain them, and put in a crock pot. Cover with about two inches of water. Soak overnight. Drain. Pick through the beans again (just to make sure there are no bad ones you missed the first time). Cover with fresh water. Cook for 2 hours on medium or high. The temperature depends on how powerful your crock pot is; ours is old so I put it on high.
While the beans are cooking, wash and chop your veggies. Then, in a large frying pan, sauté the vegetables in the olive oil. Cook until the veggies are slightly tender. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and cumin. Add this mixture to the beans in the crock pot. Cover. Cook for about 2-3 more hours, stirring occasionally. Check periodically for doneness. You can turn it to low when the beans are almost tender. Serving suggestion: serve with Basmati rice, fresh herbs, and an extra sprinkle of hot pepper.
Coming soon: what to make with leftover eye of the goat beans…
Harvest Meal
We often have pantry meals – we make something for dinner out of just what we have in the pantry (and maybe add a few things from the refrigerator and/or freezer). These meals can be creative. Sometimes we just don't want to go to the grocery store or farmers market, this is a good alternative. Well this week, I went outside and harvested a basket of veggies from the garden: tomatoes, spaghetti squash, green beans, onions, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, and herbs. I decided to make a "harvest meal," using the ingredients in the basket plus 5 kitchen staples: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
I made a quick marinara sauce to top the spaghetti squash and served it with sautéed green beans, and a chopped salad. It was a tasty meal, made even better because we grew the veggies! We've only been gardening for two years, so it's still a treat when we harvest. I don't really have recipes and exact measurements, just guidelines. Hope you are enjoying the summer bounty! It's time to think about a fall garden.
Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce
Olive oil
Onions, chopped
Celery leaves and stems, chopped
Bell peppers, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper
Fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano)
Balsamic vinegar
Spaghetti squash pasta (see the next recipe)
Parmesan cheese
Heat some olive oil in a pan; add the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Sauté until tender. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are tender. You can mash some of the tomatoes with a fork or potato masher or even use an immersion blender. Depends on the texture you prefer. Stir in a splash of balsamic vinegar and the fresh herbs. Serve over the spaghetti squash with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Spaghetti Squash "Pasta"
1 medium spaghetti squash
You can bake spaghetti squash in the oven at 350º F for 45 minute to an hour, until tender. However, it is August and I prefer not to heat up the house by using the oven for this. The microwave does a fine job.
You can cook spaghetti squash whole, but I prefer to cut them. Wash the outside of the squash. Dry it thoroughly. The rind is tough so it can be a little tricky to cut, so use care when cutting it. Wrap it in a towel, place it on a cutting board and use a large knife to slice it lengthwise from stem to end. Then use a spoon or a sturdy ice cream scoop to scoop out the seeds and the stringy stuff. This is similar to how you clean a butternut squash or a pumpkin.
Place the two halves cut side up in a microwave safe container (I use a Pyrex pie plate). Fill the cavities with water. Pour a little extra water in the bottom of the container. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Rotate the squash halves and pour a little more water over the cut edges – this keeps them from drying out. Microwave another 5 minutes. Let them rest for about 5 more minutes. Then, use a fork to shred the squash so that it looks like strands of spaghetti.
Green Beans
Green beans, washed and snapped (if needed)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano)
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or wok. Stir in the green beans. Sauté until slightly tender (I like them with a little bite). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.
Chopped Salad
Tomatoes, chopped
Cucumbers, chopped
Onions, chopped
Celery leaves, chopped
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
Fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano)
Toss the vegetables in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs. Toss well. Serve.
Spicy Gold Smoothie
My last post featured a way to preserve fresh peaches – in frozen peach cubes. This post includes a fruit smoothie recipe that uses the peach cubes. The name, Spicy Gold Smoothie, is a little silly but it is descriptive. This smoothie has plenty of golden fruits (peaches, Rainier cherries, and pineapple) and a nice spicy kick thanks to generous pinches of cayenne pepper and ginger. Use as much or as little as you like. I like icy heat, so I add plenty of spice. This smoothie is a great way to kickstart your morning! It also makes a nice afternoon snack.
Special thanks to my mother-in-law and father-in-law for the beautiful birthday table linens from Sur La Table. I love this store! We visited one when we were in Seattle. It is probably a good thing we do not have one near us. Thanks to my in-laws, we now have placemats, napkins, and beautiful dish towels! They are almost too pretty to use. But we will :-). I will also use them as photo props and decorative accents in the kitchen. Yes, I just wrote decorative accents. For those who know me, you know how strange that sounds! I am no Martha Stewart. But with these kitchen and table linens, I can pretend!!
Spicy Gold Smoothie
½ cup frozen Rainier cherries (fresh would also work if you have them)
½ cup frozen or fresh pineapple chunks or cubes
¼-½ cup water or juice (tangerine, apple, orange, white cranberry, carrot, pineapple etc.)
6 ounces yogurt or kefir (~½ cup, any kind works – soy, coconut, regular)
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of powdered ginger
pinch of turmeric
Optional add-ins: protein powder, fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves, ice cubes if you use fresh fruit (I like cold smoothies)
Pour contents into blender container. Cover with the lid. Blend until smooth and golden. Sprinkle with more spices if you want. Enjoy!
Servings: 2 snack-sized servings or 1 meal-sized serving.
Peach Cubes
Peaches are plentiful at farmers markets throughout North Alabama. We bought a small basket at the Greene Street Market last week. I enjoy eating them fresh, but there were a bunch in that little basket. So, I thought of ways to put them up and enjoy them this winter. Usually, I slice them and freeze them. Sometimes with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning. I might also add a bit of sugar. Frozen peaches are great for making cobblers, smoothies, peach pies, etc. However, depending on how you freeze them you can end up with a huge block of frozen peaches! Not the easiest to handle; unless you measure the quantity you need for a specific recipe and only freeze that amount in each container (I freeze 5 cups of peaches for cobbler).
I freeze pesto, tomato paste, yogurt, herbs, etc. in ice cube trays so why not pureed peaches!?! This weekend, I made pureed peach cubes! While making them, I vaguely recalled my mom doing this when I was a kid. The peach cubes are kinda boring looking, so I did not take a photo of them. A special thank you to Marilyn Evans for the beautiful photo of peaches available at the Greene Street Market at Nativity. I will take photos when the cubes are transformed in a recipe…maybe a smoothie, daiquiri, popsicle, fruit slush, something.
Peach Cubes
1 pound peaches, pitted and sliced (you can peel them if you want or just spot-peel as needed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Put the peaches and lemon juice into a blender container (or food processor container). Puree until smooth. If you want to leave a few large pieces, that is fine, whatever you prefer! Pour into ice cube trays. Freeze. Remove cubes and store in resealable plastic bags in the freezer.
Coming soon…what you can do with the peach cubes!


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Male masturbation aids are a rapidly growing sector and one name that has become synonymous with this is Tenga. Tenga make a huge range of masturbation sleeves with a range of twists from different internal patterns to suction and variations on tightness and even temperature (cooling gels to create chills and a warming stick you can use to heat the holes for added realism). Literally a whole range of options for even the most fussy cock.
One of the most talked about variations in this range is the disposable Tenga Egg. I've seen all kinds of reviews for the Tenga Egg and it piqued my curiosity, however not possessing my own penis I enlisted the help of my gorgeous assistant (Mr Snatch) to try one out.
Neither of us had any experience of a male masturbation aid so it was a learning curve for both of us but he is fully converted now and would definitely use a Tenga Egg again.
The review was posted on Cara Sutra and you can find the link below
You can buy this and other Tenga products at Simply Pleasure
Affiliate links have been used in this review.


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New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech issued the following statement on the seventh downgrade of NJ's debt under Gov. Chris Christie:
"The governor's visits to Mexico last week and to Camden today show he'll do anything to avoid responsibility for New Jersey's severe fiscal problems. In again downgrading New Jersey's bond rating, Fitch Ratings noted that Christie undercut his own reforms by refusing to make the full pension payment required by the law he signed. It will cost taxpayers more to repay bonds used to build schools and roads. As the state's fiscal steward-in-chief, Christie has failed New Jersey taxpayers."


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September is exciting and extremely busy. School starts and there's so much to do—paperwork, back-to-school nights, school supply buying, after-school activities…the list goes on and on. Weeknights get hectic and getting dinner on the table can take on a frantic quality that was completely absent during the summer months.
Have you tried cooking dinner on a sheet pan? If not, I am going to share with you all the ways that sheet pan cooking will change your life! Sound a little dramatic? I assure you it's not.
First, you make dinner on ONE TRAY! What could be simpler? Also, Flavors intensify with high heat, so your meal will taste amazing. Then, there's the fact that you will have zero pans to wash if you cover your sheet pan with aluminum foil like I do. Sheet pans allow you to keep foods from touching (a big no-no in my house), or getting mushy (another no-no) and require just small amount of oil.
Convinced? Try this recipe for more proof.
Flank Steak Fajitas
Author: Kate Wagner
Serves: 4-6
Let me break this recipe down for you. Make the marinade and add
the steak the night before. Toss it in the fridge in a zipped plastic bag and it will be ready for dinner the next night. You can also prep the veggies the night before and throw them in a zipped bag. Just don't add any marinade to the veggies until you start cooking dinner.
This marinade is sooo good. Think about making a double batch of marinade, throwing in some skinless, boneless chicken breasts and freezing the marinade and chicken. Then you would have another great dinner in your future with no extra work! Happy cooking!
3 chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce, minced
⅓ bunch cilantro, minced (leaves and some stems)
½ cup canola oil
1 cup orange juice
1 lime, zested and juiced
3 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1½- 2 pounds flank steak (Skirt steak would also work well in this recipe and it's less expensive.)
2-4 peppers, thinly sliced
1-2 onions, thinly sliced (I prefer to make this recipe with red, but you can also use yellow.)
Pack of flour tortillas (I like the soft taco size, usually 10 to a pack)
Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, guacamole
Optional accompaniments: refried and/or black beans, rice
I make the marinade in a food processor. If you are using one as well, you don't need to chop the chilis or cilantro, just put them in the processor and pulse until they are minced and have a paste-like consistency. You can also easily make this marinade with
one bowl and a whisk.
Add canola oil, orange juice, lime, garlic, cumin and kosher salt to the processor and pulse to combine.
Set processor aside and turn your attention to the flank steak. Score the flank steak and slice the steak into three pieces against the grain (If the meat is laying in a rectangle in front of you, against the grain would be top to bottom.).
Place all three pieces of steak in a zippered, plastic bag and add marinade, reserving 1 cup for the vegetables and making sure the flank steak is completely covered.
Marinade at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Refrigerate the marinade for the veggies separately. You could marinate the veggies for an hour for additional flavor, but that's completely optional.
Thirty minutes before you are ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 and move top rack to the uppermost level in the oven. Take the steak out of the fridge, so it can start to come to room temperature.
Toss vegetables in the reserved marinade.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place vegetables on the baking sheet and spread evenly, so that each piece is touching the baking tray and not touching each other (This helps them to caramelize and prevents steaming).
Roast for 15 minutes.
Remove tray from the oven, evenly divide the peppers and onions and move them to the end of the tray, clearing a space for the flank steak. (They will be in heaps at this point and that's what you want.)
Increase oven temperature to broil and broil for 5 minutes.
Remove tray from the oven and place vegetables in a bowl and cover with foil. Flip flank steak pieces and return to the oven. Broil for 5 minutes.
Remove tray from the oven and place flank steak pieces on a cutting board fitted inside a rimmed baking sheet. Let steak rest for 10 minutes uncovered.
Thinly slice against the grain and enjoy.
Kate Walker Wagner is a food writer and cooking instructor. Visit her website whatskatecooking.com for healthy and delicious recipes and follow her on Facebook:facebook.com/whatskatewagnercooking for daily dinner inspiration.