text:
ATLANTA — UPS will be hiring 55,000 U.S. seasonal workers to help with an increase in volume over the holiday season.
The world's biggest package delivery company said Friday that it foresees peak season daily volume rising 8 percent this year.
Its peak day for holiday pickups will be Dec. 16, with anticipated pick-ups of more than 34 million packages around the world that day. A day later will be the peak delivery day, at more than 29 million packages.
United Parcel Service Inc. expects that Cyber Monday on Dec. 2 will see a 10 percent increase in pickup volume, surpassing 32 million packages.
The company said that there are 26 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, six fewer than last year and the most compressed holiday shopping season since 2002.
A pickup in deliveries helped UPS more than double its profit from a year ago, when Big Brown took a hit from pension-restructuring costs.
The company delivered more than 1 billion packages in the quarter, an increase of 4.6 percent, led by gains in international-export and U.S. ground shipments.
UPS said it continued to see international customers shifting to cheaper shipping options.
United Parcel Service Co. said Friday that net income in the third quarter soared to $1.10 billion, or $1.16 per share. That was a penny better than analysts expected and an increase over the $469 million, or 48 cents per share, that UPS earned a year ago.
Revenue rose 3.4 percent to $13.52 billion, which was below analysts' forecast of $13.59 billion, according to FactSet.
Expenses declined 4.8 percent. Spending on compensation and benefits fell 8.1 percent from a year ago, when UPS took a charge of $896 million to restructure New England pension obligations.
The company said it was standing by its forecast of full-year earnings between $4.65 and $4.85 per share. Analysts expect $4.74 per share.
Delivery companies expect a pickup in business during the fourth quarter as they handle holiday gift shipments. This week, FedEx Corp. predicted volumes on peak December days will rise by double-digit percentages over last year.
UPS chief financial officer Kurt Kuehn said, "Although some major retailers have expressed caution about holiday spending, they still expect robust online sales." He said this year's late Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 28, will create delivery challenges by compressing the peak season.
Shares of UPS rose $1.81, or 1.9 percent, to $96.30 in premarket trading about an hour before the market opening. Through Thursday, the stock was up 28 percent for the year.


text:
Anti-abortion advocate is suing city of Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - A man who uses his car to spread an anti-abortion message is suing the city of Ann Arbor and its police chief over what he says is the violation of his free-speech rights.
Paul Dobrowolski displays signs with phrases such as "Abortion hurts women" in the window of a vehicle he parks outside a Planned Parenthood facility.
The federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday.
The suit says Dobrowolski was ticketed twice last year for violating a portion of the city code that prohibits parking a vehicle on a street for the purpose of displaying advertising.
One of Dobrowolski's signs gives the name, phone number and address of a facility that provides free ultrasounds.
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje says he doesn't comment on pending litigation, but "the city enforces the law."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
visitant :: identificació
|Servei de Biblioteques
|Sobre el DDD
|Català English Español
|Pàgina inicial > Contribucions a jornades i congressos > Pòsters > Juvenile perception of advertising : from audiovisual processing to advertising response
|In order to turn children into consumers, the audiovisual medium drives their attention by resorting to any number of techniques using colour, sound, images, simple rhymes and brief messages, as well as quick cuts, which are conducive to automatic processing. The aim of this study is to study what elements boys and girls perceive in the advertising of products, and if there are any differences in the elements perceived by each gender. The study was carried out on 22 boys and 16 girls aged 10 to 11 years old. Four audiovisual (TV) commercials for products targeted at a young audience, broadcast in time bands devoted to children's television programmes, were chosen: 1) a commercial for a toy commonly consumed by boys, 2) a commercial for a toy commonly consumed by girls, and 3) and 4) commercials for sports shoes used by both boys and girls. After the commercial was shown, the subjects were asked to answer a questionnaire on the elements perceived. The results show the visual and auditory elements children perceived in each commercial, as well as the differences in audiovisual processing between boys and girls. Thus, while boys visually perceived the product itself (the tangible), girls perceived the action (the intangible), and while boys auditorily perceived the voice off, girls more commonly perceived the sounds of music.
|Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
|Pòster de congrés ; altres ; Versió publicada
|Perception advertising ; Advertising children
|Publicat a:
|Congreso Ibérico de Percepción. Madrid, 2on : 2007
1 p, 49.8 KB


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Dear reader or fellow gluten-free lifestyler,
Do you know what I ate two nights ago for the first time in eight years? Something so delicious and delectable that I practically made myself ill because I couldn't resist and I ate THREE of them! I'm talking about homemade gluten-free chocolate-filled Croissants. Yeap. Catch you breath. I said the magic word – CROISSANT and GLUTEN FREE in the same sentence.
Last December, I was emailed a recipe that I just wrote about for Crescent Rolls. I had been wondering for VERY long time how I could make croissants to eat with my morning latte filled with chocolate (or not) or fill with turkey and cheese or whatnot for lunches. Typical croissant recipes require yeast, milk, the gluten of flour to create the flaky layers, and resting/rising time that most gluten free recipes cannot duplicate. However, with super slight modifications from the recipe I posted for crescent rolls, I have been able to make croissants the last few nights that I have been enjoying for breakfast and lunch.
It is a welcome change of pace for my taste buds.
The beauty is that this same technique (the rolling, turning, frozen grated butter) that has made the most tender and flaky pastry can also be used for filo dough. In fact, I have a little part of my mind planning to make some more baklava this weekend – oh babee! I've made baklava before following Rebecca Reilly's recipes (Delish, by the way. This is a cookbook to own if you like to bake and also have to bake gluten-free. However, I was truly missing the flaky and tender pieces of filo dough that you normally have in baklava. I was curious about whether this dough would work for that – but was only convinced after my can-eat-gluten-but-doesn't husband gobbled up a couple mini-croissants and exclaimed "Wow, Katie, you could make the best filo dough and baklava with this stuff." Done. That's *so* next on this baker's agenda.
In the meantime, if you have some time on your hands and plenty of butter on hand, please make some croissants! You won't regret it, I promise. You can fill them with whatever your heart desire. And trust me, you will want more of these buttery, flaky, tender croissants. I wish I could tell you what they are like on Day Three, but the ones I've made have yet to make it past Day Two!
In fact, for the first time ever, I'm rather bummed that my colleagues aren't wondering what I'm eating for lunch because it looks so "normal" to them. It surprised my last night when that thought crossed my mind. Then I realized, they are usually curious about what I'm eating because they haven't often seen quinoa salads or eaten homemade risotto or rice balls with smoked salmon. For once, when I want them to jump up and down with me on the desks at lunch, they are painfully unaware of my triumphant, scrumptious lunch. Meh. It's for the better. They would all just want a bite anyway. LOL
My lunch today includes a croissant filled with turkey/white cheddar and one filled with broccoli/white cheddar cheese. I'm in heaven, don't ya know. In fact, breakfast? Yeap. A croissant dunked into my coffee. Man, I'm bad! I have definitely had my butter intake for the next – oh – month or so, lol. But that's okay. I am enjoying exploring the kitchen again.
This recipe takes time to prepare (more like time to roll out repeatedly and refrigerate), but after reviewing many gluten recipes for croissants over the last several years, the time is actually less involved than for traditional croissants.
I'm not good at rolling them up to look perfect, and have decided to stick with the mass-rolling technique of keeping them straight. Or, in the case of the ones filled with cheesy goodness or chocolate, I actually rolled them up a bit more like an egg roll + crescent to keep the filling within the croissant and not all over the baking pan. You can even seal in the goodness by filling, rolling over one flap over the top of the filling and brushing the edge with some beaten egg and folding up a *bit* (like 1/4″). Once you've done that, you can roll it like a crescent/croissant.
I do hope you try this recipe, please tell me if do! I'd love for us to keep this one on the exploration front – it's worth it! Here are the basic steps I followed. Keep in mind that the croissants will NOT puff up/rise (there's no yeast here) nor will they be as large as the ones you see at the market.
First, prepare batch of the crescent dough with the modifications I used plus a few others. I have retyped the recipe here because I have added a bit more of a few ingredients like cream of tartar, xanthan gum, baking soda, sugar and an additional flour (sweet rice flour).
I have also uploaded pictures of the steps (rolling) for you if they will help as well. Although, let me just say this, photography + massive amounts of sweet rice flour….. well, they just don't always mix. LOL
Here's the overall step-by-step picture. You can find details that explain each image on Flickr too. Just click on the big picture and it will take you to the Flickr page where you can read more.
GF Croissants
Recipe makes 14 small-medium croissants.
1 stick of butter, (8 Tablespoons) slightly softened
1 stick of butter, frozen
1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon GF cottage cheese
1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon GF cream cheese
1 cup GF Flour Mix (rice-based or sorghum-based)
2 Tablespoons of sweet rice flour + 1 ½ cups sweet rice flour for rolling
1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
1 or 2 eggs, beaten (to seal the croissants closed and brush on the croissants before baking)
- Cream together softened butter, cream cheese, and cottage cheese until whipped, creamy and semi-yellow in color (about 3-4 minutes)
- Add GF Flour mix, 2 Tablespoons sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda and sugar. Mix together until the dough comes together – mostly away from the sides and begins to form a ball or lump in the middle of the mixer (about 3-4 minutes).
- Shape into a disk and place into a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate at least two hours, overnight preferred.
- Grate the frozen butter (I used my food processor) and put it into a freezer-safe storage container/bag. Return grated butter to the freezer until you are ready to use. (By the way, it will store indefinitely like this.)
- Work in a cool place or consider refrigerating the dough after Step 9). Place parchment paper, sweet rice, grated frozen butter, and the rolling pin on a large surface that you can easily reach to roll the dough thinly.
- Remove dough from the fridge and divide into fourths. Return 3 of the 4 to the Ziploc bag and place in the refrigerator.
- Reshape this ¼ piece into a disk quickly. (Try to touch the dough as little as possible in order to keep it as cold/cool as possible.)
- Generously dust the top of the parchment paper. Place the dough disk into the center on a generous amount of sweet rice flour. Generous dust the top and side of the dough. Cover with another piece of floured parchment paper. Roll the dough as thinly as possible (about 1/8 of an inch or so). You should be able to see through the dough partially. I was able to roll the dough about 22" long and about 15" wide.
- Turn the dough lengthwise. Generously sprinkle the middle 1/3 of the dough with the grated, still-frozen butter. Fold up the bottom third of the pastry over the top of the middle third. Sprinkle the grated, still-frozen butter over the top of the part you just folded on top. Fold down the top third of the dough to cover the center/butter again.
- Turn the dough and fold in any edges that are thin or not part of the folded center. Generously dust the top, sides, and bottom (lift the dough gently to push flour underneath) of the dough. Repeat the rolling and butter sprinkling (Steps 8 and 9) one more time. You will sprinkle the butter on twice and roll out three times.
- After the second sprinkling of butter and folding, turn the dough again and roll the dough out for it's final time, once again rolling it as thinly as possible. Work quickly at this point as the dough is beginning to warm up again.
- Lift off the top parchment paper and divide the dough in half with a pizza cutter. Leave the dough lying flat along the parchment paper.
- Divide each half into long triangles with the pizza cutter. You will end up with 4 large triangles for each ¼ of the dough. At this point you may fill your croissants with pieces of dark chocolate or turkey/cheese, etc by placing your filling on the wide end of the triangle.
- Roll the croissant up from the wide end carefully (as the layers are thin). Seal the end (to keep it together during baking) by brushing beaten egg onto top ½ inch before finishing the roll. Shape into a crescent moon shape or leave in a roll.
- Brush the completed croissants with beaten egg (this provides them with a golden brown or they will turn a dark brown while baking).
- Lay the complete croissants on parchment paper and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. Repeat steps 7 through 15 with the remaining dough. OR bake the first batch, see what you need to adjust and then bake the others. The dough will keep refrigerated for two days.
- Bake the croissants at 375F for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.


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UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (22-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is now one win away from a shot at the promotion's lightweight title.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Monday confirmed with UFC President Dana White that if Aldo is victorious in his August fight with Anthony Pettis (16-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), he will move up to 155 pounds for a shot at the title in that division.
White's revelation is the latest development in a matchup that just 48 hours ago the UFC boss said the Brazilian champ wasn't interested in accepting. However, after a discussion with Aldo's manager, Andre Pederneiras, Aldo is now not only happy to accept the fight but also has an impressive reward waiting on him should he have his hand raised.
The Aldo vs. Pettis bout is expected to headline an as-yet-unannounced Aug. 3 event at a location yet to be determined.
It was Aldo, himself, that first revealed to Brazilian website Tatame.com the reason for accepting the matchup, essentially requesting that if Pettis could change divisions and be considered a No. 1 contender, then he should also receive similar treatment. He also told Brazilian media outlet SporTV.com that "heads will roll" when he steps into the cage against "Showtime."
Should he earn a crack at the lightweight title, Aldo would look to join Randy Couture and B.J. Penn as the only men to own UFC championship belts in two different weightclasses. Whether or not Aldo would have to relinquish his 145-pound belt has yet to be determined, but he has often discussed a desire to move up one division.
Current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (a fellow WEC veteran, along with both Aldo and Pettis) defends his belt against former Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez in the headlining bout of April's UFC on FOX 7 event.
For more on Aldo-Pettis at the UFC's August event, as well as the rest of the UFC's upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Jose Aldo)


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I have pre ordered The Witcher 2 some while ago with my Steam client. So far so good.
The game should be released to public on May 17th 2011 - great.
Now for the questions:
- Can I somehow "schedule" the game installation so that it will install itself when available?
- If can't schedule, I fear there will be huge load on the servers as everyone will try installing at once: what's the best approach to take?


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Just how good is LSU this season?
BATON ROUGE -- How good is LSU? At this point, we don't really know.
According to the polls, the Tigers are Lawrence Welk-ish. They've been everyone, from a "1 and a 2 and a 3."
But we will all find out on Saturday when the No. 3 Tigers (5-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) play No. 11 Florida (4-0, 3-0 SEC) at 2:30 p.m. in Gainesville, Fla., on CBS.
So far, LSU has beaten two bad teams (North Texas and Idaho) badly, played badly in beating two other bad teams (Auburn and Towson), including one barely (Auburn), and beat a good team badly (Washington). Washington fell 41-3 at LSU on Sept. 8. Now it is No. 23 in the nation in one poll after knocking off then-No. 9 Stanford and LSU's only ranked victim.
Funny thing about college football and its beauty parlor rankings. The highlight of LSU's weekend was the outcome of a game Thursday night 2,500 miles away in Seattle. It was not the Tigers' 38-22 win over Towson Saturday night.
So just how good is LSU this season? The Tigers certainly did not resemble a top five team in beating unranked and 1-3 Auburn, 12-10, last week at Auburn. It looked worse against lower division Towson.
"It was the same style of football we played last week," a frustrated and uncharacteristically testy LSU coach Les Miles said after the game.
LSU played down to Auburn and to Towson. That can work in the NFL. It doesn't work in college. LSU has won and descended in the polls and probably should have gone down more.
The defense appears to be playing as well or nearly as well as last year's dominant unit as the Tigers are No. 2 in the SEC in total defense and No. 4 nationally with 217.8 yards allowed a game. It thoroughly stuffed Auburn, but it did allow an 80-yard drive to Towson in the fourth quarter Saturday that exasperated Miles.
The offense is not playing as well as advertised. Neither is quarterback Zach Mettenberger. LSU is 12th in the SEC and 93rd in the nation in pass offense with 203 yards a game.
"We've been sloppy week in and week out," said Mettenberger, who has lost three fumbles in two weeks and is seventh in the SEC in passing efficiency. "Right now, we aren't playing LSU football. It was just sloppy play. I'm very disappointed in myself and the team right now."
Florida, meanwhile, looks improved over the Gator carcasses that lost 41-11 at No. 1 LSU last Oct. 8. The Tigers led that one 24-3 at the half, and it was over. Look for a tighter game Saturday.
Florida quarterback Jacoby Brissett, a true freshman last season who threw two interceptions in his first career start at LSU with regular starter John Brantley injured, is not the starter. Sophomore Jeff Driskel is the quarterback and has done the job under new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brent Pease, who left the same job at wide open Boise State to replace the disaster that was Charlie Weis and has shown progress. Driskel is sixth in the SEC in efficiency on 55-of-79 passing for 698 yards and four touchdowns with one interception for a 158 rating.
"Oh, I've been very pleased," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "But again, I expected it. Jeff is very talented, but he's also a cerebral guy who's going to work at it. I felt comfortable about that position all along. I never once blinked about the quarterback position."
The Gators are running the ball better, too. They are third in the SEC with 224.5 yards a game after finishing eighth last year with 143 a game. Senior tailback Mike Gillislee is second in the SEC with 100.5 yards a game. Florida's total offense numbers are up to 407 a game for eighth in the league after finishing 10th last year with 328 a game and 10th in the last year of the slipping Urban Meyer era in 2010 with 350 a game.
Unlike last season, Florida has not blinked in the second half and fourth quarter. The Gators have outscored opponents 34-0 in the final period, including a 10-0 run at Tennessee in a 37-20 victory after trailing 14-10 at the half and a 7-0 run in a 20-17 win at Texas A&M after trailing 17-10 at the half.
"I think we're a stronger football team," said Muschamp, who last year became the first Florida coach since Galen Hall in 1987 to lose six games. "We're a more physical bunch because we've been able to practice a little differently than we were a year ago because of our depth. We're a much more mature team than we were. We inherited a young, talented team, but most of those guys were playing for the first time through a full year in the SEC. And over 70% of our roster was freshmen and sophomores last year. This year we have experience and depth on both lines of scrimmage."
Sounds like Florida is ready. Is LSU?
Maybe Miles, athletics director Joe Alleva and former chancellor Mike Martin knew what they were doing when they tried to end the yearly series with Florida at the spring meetings in Destin, Fla., last May. Kentucky (1-4, 0-2 SEC) would be much more of a sure thing as a permanent SEC East opponent than Florida this year for LSU. Or would another sloppy win over another sloppy opponent like a Kentucky only prolong the inevitable for the seemingly overrated Tigers?
"Games like this, we're playing Towson, it just seemed guys weren't into it," Mettenberger said. "It's tough to get into a game like that. But if you are great players, it shouldn't matter."
Unless, LSU suddenly "gets into it," Mettenberger may have answered the question.


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In a previous post, we discussed how Portlanders in the past few decades have steadily shifted their preferred way of commuting to work away from driving alone to more active transportation options. Recall in 1990, 68 percent of commuters drove alone to work. By 2000, that number was down to 64 percent. In 2011, less than 60 percent of Portland workers were driving alone to work.
In this follow-up post, we'll discuss how that trend will most likely continue over the next few decades, given demographic trends. And keep Portland on track towards its goal: by 2035, 70 percent of commuters will either take transit, bike, walk, telecommute or carpool.
Portland is on the path towards that future, but much work still must be done. The good news is, we have demographics on our side. Over the next few decades, the scales may tip with the preferences of the baby boomers and their children — the Millennials — of the later 1970s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s.
Combined, they are the largest population group. And their preferences will shape the mobility landscape in the years to come.
Just as boomers' preference for driving shaped the development of the country over the last forty to fifty years, so too, as they age, will their increasing preference to take transit shape how the urban landscape evolves. Their children, who make up an even larger group than the boomers, will have a similar impact, if not more.
How these demographic groups choose to live and get around will have an impact on all Portlanders.
The American Assocation of Retired Persons recently reported that as baby boomers move into retirement age and older, driving will continue to steadily decline as an option for getting around. And more and more seniors will increasingly depend on a variety of public transportation options.
On the other end of the age spectrum, fewer teens, 20-somethings and early 30-somethigs are falling in love with the car culture. Fewer young people are getting their driver's license. Researchers and various media report that between half and two-thirds of 18-year olds had their driving licenses in 2008; in 1983, more than 80 percent had their licenses. And they're buying fewer cars.
Millenials also don't mind getting around by transit, walking or biking. Carpooling and even car-sharing is an acceptable alternative. Owning a car is not out of the question, so long as they do not have to spend so much of their income on a monthly payment.
Millenials also prefer — even demand — a more urban lifestyle. They tend to want something different from the suburban way of life of their parents' generation. Most young workers today want to live in a more urban setting.
And more and more, too, Millenials are choosing to live alone (or with a dog). Thus, the trend is towards smaller and smaller households that demand less space.
Given these demographic trends, a variety of policies will need to be put in place to address mobility and access services and the complementary land use activities that reinforce such services. To be sure, over the long run, investment in public transportation to make it more accessible to seniors will also benefit young working adults. And building communities that invite more transit use, walking and bicycling, while also supporting affordable and inclusive housing options, will help spread the benefits of good living to all Portlanders.
Given these preferences of the two largest population cohorts, it should be no surprise, then, that a high probability of better quality urbanism is in all of our futures.
The 2017 Progress Report shows how the 142 actions in the Portland Plan are moving forward and highlights new opportunities and heightened priorities to advance the City's goals.
The Portland Plan was unanimously adopted by City Council on April 25, 2012.
Questions? Call 503-823-7700
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This is my 'go to' recipe for cup cakes (Fairy Cakes). The tops are flat rather than crowned or domed and the batter is mixed in a food processor, or may be mixed by hand. I appreciate that it makes just 12 cupcakes, but the recipe can be doubled to make 24 if you prefer.
You may use the Royal icing (recipe below) as Nigella does, or your favorite.
This time I used a fluffy cream cheese icing, tinted light pink with gel food coloring, then decorated with organic "Queen Elizabeth" pink rose petals from the garden.
Fairy Cakes~
Recipe makes 12 cupcakes
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's cookbook "How to be a Domestic Goddess"
1/2 cup butter (unsalted if you wish), softened
7 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cups self-rising cake flour*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
If you want to use regular (non-self rising)
All Purpose flour, or Cake Flour
then add a scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda,
with a scant 1 teaspoon baking powder.
Royal Icing:
1 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1 egg white
3-4 drops lemon juice
food coloring
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
(I set my oven to 375-degrees (F)
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.
Put all the ingredients except for the milk into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pulse while adding the milk down the funnel to make for a soft consistency.
Nigella commented that this will not seem like enough batter for 12 cupcakes but surprisingly, it is.
Scrape the processor bowl thoroughly and divide equally into the 12 paper cups.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden on top.
Cool on a wire rack, but remove from the tin as soon as possible.
Before you decorate, slice off any mounded tops so you have a flat surface to decorate. (Sometimes the cupcakes form humps or peaks as they bake, I use a small serrated knife to remove the mounded tops ~ baker's treat!)
To make the icing:
Mix the sugar, egg white and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and creamy, it should have the consistency of heavy cream. Tint with a small amount of food coloring or leave white.
If desired, divide the large batch into smaller portions to tint each one a different color. Decorate with garnishes, or leave plain, as desired.


text:
Interactive Checklist: Choosing No-Code Software for Higher Ed
No-code tools are on the brink of changing the way people work—from automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks to empowering staff to build entirely new processes in minutes. Adding no-code tools to your higher ed tech stack can enable workers of all technical levels to achieve great results with less time, money, resources, and infrastructure.
If you're ready to be less reliant on your college or university's IT team and more in control of your daily workflows, this is the interactive checklist for you. This resource will guide your team as you research, select, and implement the best no-code software for your higher ed institution.
By completing each section of this fillable education checklist, you can better understand how to:
- Identify a team of stakeholders and no-code champions
- Build a list of important "must-haves" in a no-code solution
- Research no-code tools and create your shortlist
- Implement your first no-code workflow
Download your higher education checklist now to get started!


text:
Navid Sabetian has not received any gifts yet
Having been in recruitment for some time, I understand that recruiters are, for the most part, financially motivated.
I am keen to use this topic and get everyone to share some of the more successful commission structures and incentives out there that helped encourage high achievers and weed out those who were just winging it.
What other…Continue
Posted on September 10, 2013 at 9:00pm
Before I start I should establish that this post is purely based on my personal experience and I am not trying to pass it as factual information. I am solely sharing my experience and will hopefully be able to hear from others who have the same or perhaps a different opinion.
I have spent the good part of the past 6 years in building a decent network on Linked In. A network that has a large number of executives and decision makers in it but is also wide enough to span across…Continue
Posted on November 22, 2012 at 1:32am — 8 Comments
Being in search and recruitment for a while now I have met and spoken to different strange people here and there but there are some interactions that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
About a year ago we had a candidate that we were representing to one of our clients at the time. Let's call the candidate John.
After several interviews John decided not to proceed with the role (or the client decided not to proceed, I can't exactly…Continue
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 5:50am — 13 Comments
Last night I was watching Australian open, the match between my favorite player and arguably the best tennis player of all times Roger Federer taking on the Serbian Novak Djokovic who doesn't even have half the number of trophies Roger has.
The game started on equal grounds but a few games into the first set Novak started to dominate with his aggressive game. You could tell this guy is not going to give in and roll over just because he is playing the champion and it was this…Continue
Posted on January 28, 2011 at 4:26am — 3 Comments


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Items where SHU Author is "Lynch, R."
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LYNCH, R. (2006). Coercion and social exclusion: the case of motivating change in drug-using offenders. British journal of community justice, 4 (1), 33-48.
LYNCH, R., LEO, S. and DOWNING, K. (2006). Context dependent learning: its value and impact for workplace education. Education and training, 48 (1), 15-24.
LYNCH, R. (2004). How healthy is your 'community of practice'? Probation journal, 51 (1), 59-66.


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|Don't ask to ask, just ask
comment on
|( #3333=superdoc: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
I concur. My graduate Systems Programming course met for the first time last night. I was surprised to find that our professor is allowing us to implement our projects in any language (that can access common system calls). However, instead of choosing Perl, i am going to choose C because i want to 'get a deeper' understanding. Our first assignment is a client-server app that functions much like rsh (next one will be more like ssh). We all know that Python, Java, and espcially Perl can solve this problem quite easily - i hope to gain more from implementing this puppy in C. Plus, i am teaching 3 C++ labs and need to get back into the swing of doing it the hard way. ;).
L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L-- -R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B-- H---H---H---H---H---H--- (the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)
In reply to (jeffa) Re: Do your homework!
by jeffa


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WGDB: Beer Taxes, Regs a Bipartisan Issue
Fighting beer regulations and taxes has brought members of both parties together.
Lawmakers in both parties have been worried the Food and Drug Administration would impose new regulations restricting the repurposing of grains used in the brewing process that currently get used as animal feed.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has been visiting breweries over the two-week recess period to criticize the possibility. He said in a statement Thursday that he had been assured the FDA would not go down that road.
"I made clear to Commissioner [Margaret] Hamburg when we spoke that this ridiculous rule would have been extremely damaging for Upstate New York, harming both our burgeoning craft brew industry and farmers alike," Schumer said in a statement. "I am glad she realized that the proposed rule is misguided and that she is committed to protecting this win-win transaction. I will continue to watch the FDA like a hawk as they revise this rule over the months ahead."
Numerous senators have been active on the issue, including the Maine delegation and Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who faces a tough re-election fight.
"I am proud the FDA has heeded my call to ensure its rules on brewers' spent grains work for Colorado's innovative and job-creating beer producers. This decision is something brewers and ranchers alike can raise a glass to, and I was proud to champion their shared concerns," Udall said in a statement. "Colorado brewers and ranchers' partnerships have shown how spent grains can be a cost-effective and safe livestock feed. I will keep fighting to ensure these partnerships are not imperiled by federal red tape."
Nebraska GOP Sen. Mike Johanns, a former secretary of Agriculture, had criticized the proposed changes in an April 15 letter.
"Whether the byproducts are from ethanol plants, breweries, or human food manufacturers, these are an important part of the supply chain for animal food and help companies reduce waste and create additional value. However, the proposed rule included a number of new requirements that would have made the distribution of byproducts cost-prohibitive," Johanns wrote.
There's been legislative chatter too. Sen. Mark S. Kirk, R-Ill., visited Chicago's Revolution Brewing to announce his support of the Small BREW Act, which would slash federal excise taxes on smaller brewers (those producing fewer than 6 million barrels in a year).
"Lowering these tax rates for small breweries will help grow small business and make burgeoning entrepreneurs more competitive," Kirk said.
The Small BREW Act has 28 Democratic cosponsors, 10 Republicans and both independents; 93 Democrats and 63 Republicans have cosponsored the bill in the House.
There are two major pieces of brewer tax legislation pending before Congress, in addition to the Small BREW Act, the BEER Act would reduce excise taxes more broadly.


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A VALUE THAT'LL MAKE YOU JUMP! We have a trailer just for you.
Whether you are interested in the expanded interior space provided by the
spacious drop down bunks, heated mattresses and the feel of a traditional
trailer, the Flagstaff Shamrock will deliver the quality and amenities you
expect. Flagstaff brings the necessities of residential living on the campsite
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) – is the maximum permissible weight of the unit when fully loaded.
It includes all weights, inclusive of all fluids, cargo, optional equipment and accessories.
For safety and product performance do NOT exceed the GVWR.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) – is the maximum permissible weight, including cargo, fluids, optional equipment and accessories that can be safely supported by a combination of all axles.
UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight)*- is the typical weight of the unit as manufactured at the factory.
It includes all weight at the unit's axle(s) and tongue or pin and LP Gas.
The UVW does not include cargo, fresh potable water, additional optional equipment or dealer installed accessories.
*Estimated Average based on standard build optional equipment.
CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity)** - is the amount of weight available for fresh potable water, cargo, additional optional equipment and accessories.
CCC is equal to GVWR minus UVW. Available CCC should accommodate fresh potable water (8.3 lbs per gallon).
Before filling the fresh water tank, empty the black and gray tanks to provide for more cargo capacity.
**Estimated Average based on standard build optional equipment.
Each Forest River RV is weighed at the manufacturing facility prior to shipping. A label identifying the unloaded vehicle weight of the actual unit and the cargo carrying capacity is applied to every Forest River RV prior to leaving our facilities.
The load capacity of your unit is designated by weight, not by volume, so you cannot necessarily use all available space when loading your unit.
* Due to the current environment, our features and options are subject to change due to material availability.
We were unable to complete your submission. Please see the issues below and try again.


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Columns share an author's personal perspective.
Fire up your imagination and make people feel loved. COVID-19 restricts in-person meetings but online, face-to-face connection is unlimited. Separated by thousands of miles, invitees in Massachusetts, London and the Caribbean island of Dominica toasted with teacups on Zoom.
Elizabeth Thomas, 53, of Milton, Massachusetts, hosted an online birthday tea party for her sister, Debbie Hilton, who turned 57 in London.
Zoom is an online meeting platform, and its first 40 minutes of usage is free. The virtual tea party was just the thing to lift everyone's spirits.
"Everyone is by themselves, so I look for opportunities to bring people together. Even though 57 is not a milestone birthday, I thought that during COVID, every time you wake up it's a milestone," Thomas said.
Hilton was stunned when 12 guests, framed in Zoom squares, yelled, "Surprise!"
One guest was Bernie, a childhood girlfriend in Dominica, and Thomas said, "Debbie was elated. I had to go through a few channels to find her."
Thomas's gaily designed invitations asked everyone to wear hats to the tea. The theme color pink commemorated October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Online guests ate savory tea sandwiches, others had dessert. "My daughter Dominique and I had shortbread cookies, mini-cupcakes, and strawberries," said Thomas.
For the sisters raised in Dominica, the tea party was nostalgic. Thomas said, "The number one school fundraiser was a tea party, it's what I knew. When I was growing up, at the end of the day, we always enjoyed herbal teas, we called them 'bush' teas and we had them with summer cake. Even now on stormy or rainy days, I feel better with a cup of tea."
Since the sisters were wild about the "Downton Abbey" series, Thomas's Zoom square featured fine china, pink flowers and balloons. The "Downton Abbey" theme song played when Hilton first appeared.
Each guest shared how they knew Hilton and how she made them feel. Thomas got teary when her turn came. This was her big sister, her emotional support, her trusted advisor; the one who raised three daughters successfully.
"I got very emotional. She had her children very young and it was hard being a teenage mom, but she has continued with her life and raised role models to my own children."
Technology like Zoom can bring happiness. Everyone is missing travel, social events and trips to museums or movies. What is needed now are special memories.
Now I will include two friends via Zoom to a holiday dinner. I will put my laptop on a lazy Susan on the dining table so it can turn toward conversations. We'll cook the same dinner separately and we can all eat, talk, and celebrate. Someday we'll look back at our memories of staying strong together.
Thomas said, "I've been through a lot in my life, so I look for opportunities to bring joy, to bring smiles."
Email Suzette Martinez Standring at [email protected]


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What are the next Big Things in science and technology? Teleportation? Unlimited clean Energy? The scientists and researchers at DARPA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy put out a public call this week for ideas that could form what they call the Grand Challenges - ambitious yet achievable goals that that would herald serious breakthroughs in science and technology.
BACKGROUND: What are the 14 greatest engineering challenges for the 21st century?
In defining what the government groups are looking for, Thomas Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said that while there might not be universally accepted definition of what constitutes a Grand Challenge, they typically do have certain attributes including:
- They can have a major impact in domains such as health, energy, sustainability, education, economic opportunity, national security, or human exploration.
- They are ambitious but achievable. Proposing to end scarcity in five years is certainly ambitious, but it is not achievable. As Arthur Sulzberger put it, "I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out."
- Grand Challenges are compelling and intrinsically motivating. They should capture the public's imagination. Many people should be willing to devote a good chunk of their career to the pursuit of one of these goals.
- Grand Challenges have a "Goldilocks" level of specificity and focus. "Improving the human condition" is not a Grand Challenge because it does not provide enough guidance for what to do next. One of the virtues of a goal like "landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth" is that it is clear whether it has been achieved. Grand Challenges should have measurable targets for success and timing of completion. On the other hand, a Grand Challenge that is too narrowly defined may assume a particular technical solution and reduce the opportunity for new approaches.
- Grand Challenges can help drive and harness innovation and advances in science and technology. I certainly do not want to argue that technology is going to solve all of our problems. But it can be a powerful tool, particularly when combined with social, financial, policy, institutional and business model innovations.
The idea of developing a list of Grand Challenges is growing almost commonplace these days as many groups try to emulate the success of government entities such as NASA, DARPA and private firms like X Prize Foundation have had in setting up successful challenges in the past.
In fact, X Prize last year it declared a top eight list of key challenges that could end up being public competitions in the coming months or years. The eight concepts or challenges included:
1. Water ("Super 'Brita' Water Prize") - Develop a technology to solve the world's number one cause of death: Lack of safe drinking water.
2. Personal Health Monitoring System ("OnStar for the Body Prize") - Develop and demonstrate a system which continuously monitors an individual's personal health-related data leading to early detection of disease or illness.
3. Energy & Water from Waste - Create and demonstrate a technology that generates off-grid water and energy for a small village derived from human and organic waste.
4. Around the World Ocean Survey - Create an autonomous underwater vehicle that can circumnavigate the world's oceans, gathering data each step of the way.
5. Transforming Parentless Youth - Dramatically and positively change the outcome for significantly at risk foster children, reducing the number of incarcerations and unemployment rate by fifty-percent or more.
6. Brain-Computer Interface ("Mind over Matter") - Enable high function, minimally invasive brain to computer interfaces that can turn thought into action.
7. Wireless Power Transmission - Wireless transmission of electricity over distances greater than 200 miles while losing less than two percent of the electricity during the transmission.
8. Ultra-Fast Point-To-Point Travel - Design and fly the world's fastest point-to-point passenger travel system.
A report from the National Research Council earlier this year defined research priorities and challenges that would fill gaps in optics and photonics, technologies that have the potential to advance the economy of the United States and provide visionary directions for future technology applications.
From the National Research Council report, the five challenges are:
1. How can the U.S. optics and photonics community invent technologies for the next factor of-100 cost-effective capacity increases in optical networks?
2. How can the U.S. optics and photonics community develop a seamless integration of photonics and electronics components as a mainstream platform for low-cost fabrication and packaging of systems on a chip for communications, sensing, medical, energy, and defense applications?
3. How can the U.S. military develop the required optical technologies to support platforms capable of wide-area surveillance, object identification and improved image resolution, high-bandwidth free-space communication, laser strike, and defense against missiles?
4. How can U.S. energy stakeholders achieve cost parity across the nation's electric grid for solar power versus new fossil-fuel-powered electric plants by the year 2020?
5. How can the U.S. optics and photonics community develop optical sources and imaging tools to support an order of magnitude or more of increased resolution in manufacturing?
News: The weirdest, wackiest and coolest sci/tech stories of 2012 (so far!)
Kalil went on to point out how other groups can help develop even more challenges. For example:
- Philanthropists and foundations: Philanthropists and foundations could organize some of their giving around Grand Challenges. The Gates Foundation is funding Grand Challenges in Global Health, such as vaccines that do not require refrigeration and a single crop that provides all of the nutrients needed for a healthy diet.
- Research universities: Some universities such as Duke and USC have joined with the National Academy of Engineering to launch the Grand Challenge Scholars Program. This program enables engineering students to organize their coursework, research, service, international studies, and experiential learning around a Grand Challenge. Universities could extend these programs to interdisciplinary teams of students from all disciplines and emphasize ambitious Grand Challenges in their capital campaigns.
- More companies could identify a Grand Challenge they can contribute to. IBM has driven advances in computing and AI by beating Kasporov at chess and Ken Jennings at Jeopardy. Google has recruited Sebastian Thrun, the Stanford researcher who won DARPA's Grand Challenge competition for unmanned vehicles, and is making significant investments in self-driving cars.
- Some venture capitalists are investing in startups that are pursuing Grand Challenges. The Founders Fund, for example, is focused on "smart people solving different science and engineering challenges," such as lowering the cost of space launch costs by a factor of ten; dramatically reducing the time, cost, and uncertainty associated with the drug development process; and machine intelligence that can replicate components of human intelligence. Flagship Ventures is investing in a startup called Essentient, which has stated that its technology could provide enough protein for everyone on the planet in an area the size of Rhode Island.
Kalil offered up his own list as well. It reads:
- Solar cells compete with coal and natural gas generation before the end of the decade
- Building energy use is cut in half within a decade
- Buildings and industries continuously monitor performance, diagnose problems, and summon repair crews before problems become serious
- Meters provide continuous detailed information about the energy consumption of every device and provide users information only when and where it can be useful
- Utilities can make as much money saving a kilowatt hour as generating a kilowatt hour
- The equivalent of Saudi Arabia's oil production is replaced by biomass
- Nuclear reactors are safe, affordable, and easy to site almost anywhere
- Electric vehicles travel for 300 miles, and "filling up" with electrons is cheaper than gasoline at $3 a gallon
- We make 10 high-volume products that are "carbon-negative" - turning carbon dioxide into a valuable raw material as opposed to pollution
- Business travel miles are cut in half by the use of virtual presence technologies
- Non-food crop can be used to produce liquid fuels, electricity, animal feed products, and industrial materials anywhere in the country, tailored for each local area
- We can eliminate radioactive waste from nuclear power generation
- Deep water wind farms on our coasts and great lakes that compete with coal and natural gas
- Strong, lightweight materials now used only by NASA and the military cheap enough to use for cars, trucks, and wind machines
- A $100 e-reader can read a child 10,000 stories in the voice of their favorite celebrity, dramatically reducing the gap in vocabulary size between children from rich and poor household.
Follow Michael Cooney on Twitter: nwwlayer8 and on Facebook
Check out these other hot stories:
Army special operations wants battlefield biometric tech
DARPA shows off unmanned aircraft in-flight refueling technology
FTC: $1 million fine for Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez fan website operator that unlawfully collected kid info
FTC bombs tech support scammers
Sandia lab fires up 300,000 virtual Android devices to test out security
Wireless medical devices face myriad security concerns
US Department of Homeland Security looking for (more than) a few good drones
Air Force sets first post in ambitious Space Fence project
Man held iPhone for ransom, police charge
FTC short-circuits privacy-invading computer spy ring


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Today's News: Our Take - CSI Creator Anthony Zuiker Divorced, Plans to Remarry
CSI creator Anthony Zuiker's has finalized his divorce from his ex-wife, TMZ reports.
RIP Jelena and TomKat! Check out the most shocking celebrity splits
Zuiker, 44, and his ex-wife, Jennifer, still need to settle money issues, but Zuiker was reportedly trying to fast-track the divorce so that he can remarry.
Zuiker has been dating pre-school teacher Michelle Territo for a year. TMZ reports the couple may wed as soon as next month.
Photos: Everybody's posing nude! Check out Rihanna and other stars who've bared all
Zuiker and Jennifer married in 1999 with no prenuptial agreement. Since then, the CSI franchise has generated more than $6 billion in profits.
View original CSI Creator Anthony Zuiker Divorced, Plans to Remarry at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


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The Chicago Teachers' Union will lead a massive protest through the Loop on Wednesday against Chicago Public Schools' plans to shutdown 54 schools, and consolidate 11 others, next year.
The demonstration will kick-off at Daley Plaza at 4pm, and then make stops at City Hall and CPS headquarters. The Board of Education has metal barricades around the building in anticipation of the protest.
Thousands of teachers, parents and students are expected to attend the rally. The Chicago Teachers' Union is joining with UNITE HERE Local 1, SEIU Local 1, and the Grassroots Education Movement.
"They're destabilizing, they're dangerous, and they're detrimental to families, and we need all voices, all hands on deck, to make a proper decision about helping the situation, and not making it worse," said Pastor Gregory Livingston of Mission of Faith Baptist Church. He's among several ministers who are calling on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to put a moratorium on the closings.
But, CPS says underutilized schools are draining resources and contributing to the system's whopping deficit. The CTU believes CPS is just looking for ways to open more charter schools.
Meantime, CPS announced Tuesday they are looking to hire "Safe Passages" patrols to help students get to school safely.
Thousands of students will be transferred to schools further away once the closures take place and CPS says the Safe Passages community watchers will help keep an eye on the students as they travel to their schools.
CPS plans to spend $7.7 million on the patrols.
WGN's traffic reporters are advising evening commuters to be knowledgeable of this rally and march. Here's the map they tweeted:
Heads up Loop commuters!!! Rally to Stop CPS Closings is TODAY at 4p! Check map for planned stops along march: pic.twitter.com/Syw2vMHXNI
— WGN-TV Traffic (@WGNtraffic) March 27, 2013
WGN News Writer C. Hayes helped publish this story.
For the latest travel times, go to http://wgntv.com/traffic.


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One governor hangs up his hat, and another wrestles with what Washington won't.
Our Sunday exclusive with Texas's longest serving Governor, Rick Perry. Is he riding into the sunset, or is getting ready for the next presidential rodeo?
And in the Land of Lincoln: An exclusive interview with Governor Pat Quinn, who stopped sending paychecks to state legislators until they can reform the state's worst-in-the-nation pension crisis. He's also battling the same legislature on guns, abortion, and same-sex marriage.
Six months into President Obama's second term, he meets with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus. We'll get the readout on those meetings with two members of Congress who were there: Congressman Raul Grijalva and Congressman Chaka Fattah.
And finally, we're waiting with the rest of you for a verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. NAACP President Ben Jealous joins our panel to discuss.
Watch Sunday at 9am and Noon ET.


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WARWICK – More than 150 people packed into a township building meeting room Wednesday night to find out how much they don't know about a pipeline proposed to cut through a stretch of the Hopewell Big Woods and their backyards.
Alerted by requests to survey her property, Mount Pleasant Road resident Amy Shenk began contacting neighbors, township officials and activists and by Wednesday night, the meeting room at the Warwick Township building on Route 23 was filled to the point that people were looking in through the door.
What they heard was a collection of officials and activists explain to them the difficult and circuitous road they face in trying to stop a natural gas transmission pipeline that will cut straight through Berks and Chester counties, and could cross no less than four exceptional value streams in northern Chester County alone.
'This is a huge, huge project,' Lynda Farrell, project coordinator for the Kennett Square-based Pipeline Safety Coalition, said of the proposed Commonwealth Pipeline – 120 miles of 30-inch pipeline extending from Lycoming County to several points of interconnection in southeastern Pennsylvania with other interstate pipelines.
The pipeline was proposed to carry natural gas produced by Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale formations in the northern and western portions of the state.
This is the gas produced by the controversial drilling method known as 'fracking,' by which water and a slurry of toxic chemicals are pumped into formations of shale rock to 'fracture' them and release the small pockets of gas trapped within.
This gas boom has also produced a boom in proposals for new pipelines, 13 throughout the three-state region of the Delaware River Watershed, according to Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper.
'Essentially, pipelines are coming and we need to focus on what we can do to help make sure they come by making smart decisions,' state Rep. Tim Hennessey, R-23rd Dist., told the crowd.
'There are better places to put this pipeline than where they are proposing,' Hennessey said. 'Some of you may be asking why does it have to go there at all. Well, it may be the most efficient or economical way, but that doesn't mean it's the proper way or the best way. There are already existing rights of way.'
'If it is going to come through, we want to make it as safe and environmentally effective for all of us if we can,' added state Rep. Becky Corbin, R-155th Dist.
This particular pipeline is proposed to run from Williamsport to Eagle, right through Berks County, the Coventry Woods section of The Hopewell Big Woods in North and South Coventry, French Creek State Park, Warwick County Park, Ryerss' Farm for Aged Equines and down to Ludwig's Corner in Upper Uwchlan, said Warwick Supervisors Chairman Charles Jacob, who said the supervisors had received some information from the company proposing the pipeline.
It would have to cross two branches of French Creek and 'three separate sections of Rock Run Creek,' Jacob said.
Jacob said Chester County Planning Commission Director Ron Bailey told a recent meeting of the Northern Federation of Chester County that the federal agency which oversees the siting of the pipeline 'wants to promote pipelines. Their main goal is to see and make pipelines happen and they have no interest and don't care what the county or local government thinks about it.'
That agency is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, whose website documents a voluminous list of pipeline and pipeline-related projects over the past 10 years.
Pipeline regulations seem to have sprouted from several sources and, consequently, there is an alphabet soup of government and quasi-government agencies that have a piece of the puzzle.
In addition to FERC, there is PHMSA, which stands for the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration, which is actually part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Then there's the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS); the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) which gets involved when pipelines cross wetlands and streams, the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which regulates safety and, potentially, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) which has jurisdiction over threats to groundwater and surface drinking water in the Delaware River Watershed.
Farrell, who outlined a pipeline proposal's potential stops along the way as part of what she called, 'Pipelines 101,' and warned the packed room the process, 'couldn't be more confusing if they tried.'
'In this process, the public is at a big disadvantage,' van Rossum said. 'FERC is not about protecting the environment or the community.'
Because Commonwealth is an 'interstate' pipeline, because of its connections to pipelines carrying natural gas over state lines, FERC is the first stop in the approval process, Farrell said.
West Vincent Township Manager Jim Wendelgass has quite a bit of experience with FERC, not only in his former life as a lawyer, but also as the manager of a township with no less than three major pipelines and two major pipeline compressor stations within its borders.
'In the park next to the township building, we have two pipelines going through, one of which dates back to World War II,' Wendelgass said.
In Ludwig's Corner, Columbia and Texas Eastern pipeline compression stations are 'right across the street from each other, one of which is in Upper Uwchlan,' he said.
'We have one that goes right through Ludwig's Corner, next to the Weatherstone development with 270 homes, the new library and a brand new elementary school,' he said.
He said right now, the Commonwealth Pipeline proposal is in the 'informal process' so no one has the right to information or materials yet.
Once Commonwealth makes a formal application to FERC, 'then things get dicey,' Wendelgass said.
From that point forward, townships, citizens and activists have only 21 days to apply to 'intervene,' the agency's word for being involved in the process and having rights to all the information related to it.
'There are not a lot of major things that happen with people's lives in 21 days,' he said wryly.
'If you intervene, you can get all the information and you have right to appeal, but if you wait, you run the risk that you will lose some rights' as they relate to the project approval, Wendelgass said.
Although it is extremely difficult, pipeline proposals can be successfully diverted, he said.
He pointed to the case of the proposed Dominion Pipeline that would have gone through East Vincent, West Vincent, West Pikeland, Charlestown and East Whiteland which was defeated, due, in part, to joining with opponents of the pipeline in Lancaster County.
Eventually, the gas meant for the pipeline was diverted into an expanded pipeline in York County.
Joining together with opponents outside your immediate area increases your influence and your ability to have an impact on the application, van Rossum told the crowd.
'In a neighbor against neighbor battle, the pipeline wins,' she said.
The company will be required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, but this is most often done, with FERC approval, at a cursory level with a document called an Environmental Assessment.
Perhaps the first order of business, van Rossum said, is to organize to push for a full Environmental Impact Statement, which requires a much more in-depth look at the environmental impact of the pipeline, particularly where it crosses exceptional value streams.
It may also force a look at the potential impact on the habitat of the bog turtle, an endangered species that lives within the woods and streams the pipeline is proposed to traverse, said Jim Thorne, a naturalist with the Natural Lands Trust.
He called the pipeline's potential a trigger for a review for compliance with the Endangered Species Act, 'another federal nexus,' which could then also involve the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Thorne is an expert in the environs of the Big Woods, the largest and one of the last pieces of uninterrupted woodlands along the East Coast called The Highlands, which run from Connecticut to Maryland.
These woods, Thorne said, have been declared 'a globally significant natural area' and, as such, should be afforded increased protection status. 'If you cut a globally significant natural area in half with a pipeline, its value will diminish tremendously,' he said.
Although the fight to stop or have an impact on the path of the proposed pipeline is a hard path, it's one worth following, said Karen Feridan of the organization Berks Gas Truth.
'No path is going to be easy on this,' she said, adding that the residents in the room had one distinct advantage – they were getting informed, involved and organized very early in the process.
'I've been to a million of these meetings and I haven't seen this many people this early in the process either tonight or at last week's township meeting,' she said.
Shenk said after the holidays, she hopes to organize those who signed up on the night's mailing list into teams to tackle the many different issues the Commonwealth Pipeline proposal represents.
Follow Evan Brandt on Twitter @PottstownNews.


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the F bomb
Blogging GIRLS: Reactions to the Pilot
Full disclosure: I am an upper-middle class, highly educated (I have a PhD!), white woman. So when the protagonist of Girls, Hannah (played by the show's writer/producer/director Lena Dunham), admits to her emotionally distant, sometime-lover Adam (Adam Driver), that her parents have cut her off financially at age 24, and then adds, sheepishly, "Do you hate me?" her mixture of white privilege and liberal guilt reverberated with me. It was a moment of resonance, a particular feeling generated by a particular situation, and I experienced it as a "real" moment.
My guess is that Girls will create lots of resonant moments for many viewers for a variety of reasons. I imagine that some will relate to Marnie (Allison Williams) and her mixed feelings about her too-nice boyfriend or Jessa (Jemima Kirk) and her desire to travel in order to avoid impending adulthood. These are interesting characters. They are messy and imperfect, which is almost always preferable to neat and perfect characters. And I like that Hannah is slightly overweight, or as her fuck buddy assures her "You're not that fat anymore." I daresay that this is one of the most radical aspects of Girls: the very ordinariness of its protagonist. As I watched Hannah move across the screen, examining her for an inkling of physical charisma, I was both frustrated and elated. I was frustrated because I am so accustomed to looking at perfectly formed women on TV, with tiny waistlines and flat-ironed hair, that looking at a normal one was a little bit of a let down. But I was also elated by Hannah's ordinariness and the radicalness of placing a slightly frumpy, slightly average-looking female character at the center of a television series about young women. Jenny Jones offers up a lovely analysis of Hannah's appetites in her own response to the pilot:
The shot opens with Hannah in close-up but off-center, shoved into the bottom right corner of the shot, breathlessly stuffing spaghetti into her mouth. As the scene continues, she and her father voraciously shovel down food while Hannah's mother encourages them to slow down. From the start this positions Hannah against her mother and toward her father, an issue which springs up later when her mother is also the instigator for stopping Hannah's money flow. Hannah is portrayed as consuming carelessly–including sex, drugs, and money–and food does seem to be a primary way that's characterized. Eating a cupcake in the shower seems to be the ultimate example of this.
I, too, loved seeing Hannah shoveling food into her mouth because I also eat this way and I know it is disgusting. It's also unusual for a not-stick-thin actress to eat heartily on camera and not make it into a schtick (as Bridesmaids did with Melissa McCarthy's character). As I watched I asked myself: what if every model and every actress was as average-looking as Lena Dunham? Note that I did not say "ugly" or "fat" (she is neither of these things). She's just…plain. If film and television were populated with ordinary women would I feel less critical of my own aging body? Would my 5-year-old daughter be less likely to tell me, as she examines her perfectly perfect little body in the mirror,"This shirt makes me look fat"? (True story).
Why is it so rare and exceptional to have an ordinary-looking female protagonist? Ordinary male protagonists are ubiquitous, of course, but for some reason a female character can't just be smart or powerful or deadly with a broadsword. She has to be fuckable. I don't want to my 5-year-old to think she has to be fuckable. And the media are working against me and my attempts to bolster her self esteem. And that sucks.
But even as I praise Girls for these praiseworthy elements, it must be acknowledged that there is a wide swath of audience who will have difficulty finding an entryway into this show. As Francie Latour wrote in a recent editorial for the Boston Globe:
It's a zeitgeist so glaring and grounded in statistical reality that Hollywood has to will itself not to see it: America is transforming into a majority-minority nation faster than experts could have predicted, yet the most racially and ethnically diverse metropolis in America is delivered to us again and again on the small screen as a virtual sea of white. The census may tell us that blacks, Latinos and Asians together make up 64.4 percent of New York City's population.
Latour's observations are not in any way surprising. Films and television series are usually not made with a non-white, non-middle class viewer in mind. And when television shows do feature, for example, an all African American cast, it is rare that these shows are allowed to explore the subtle realities of their character's lives. These shows tend instead to be broad comedies or exploitative reality shows. So no, I'm not surprised that there were no brown faces (no poor faces, no queer faces) in the pilot episode of Girls. But I am disappointed.
No show can (or should) offer to represent all possible identities since this is both impossible and by nature unsatisfactory. But Girls is a specific kind of show. It is a show that aims for verisimilitude — with its focus on the plastic retainer Marnie sleeps in, the scene in which Jessa talks to Marnie while taking a dump and wiping herself (gross, but okay, there was some realism there) and the spartan decor in struggling actor Adam's apartment. If this show takes the time and care to present the realities of life in New York City for this group of young women in their early twenties, then I do expect to see some homosexuals and some African Americans and definitely some Spanish-speaking characters. It's New York City for crying out loud! It's telling that the only person of color to speak a line of dialogue in the entire pilot is a crazy, homeless, African American man who makes a pass at Hannah as she leaves her parent's hotel room. I mean, seriously, HBO? That's the role you decided to give to the black guy? [note: I forgot about Hannah's Asian coworker who asked for the Luna bar and the Smart Water and the Vitamin water. So that's two POC]. They found a way to bring a British woman onto the show (she's that Mamet girl's "British cousin" of course!) so couldn't an Indian girl be Hannah's old friend from the weight loss camp her parents made her go to as a tween (I just made up that backstory, by the way)? Couldn't an African American guy be an actor friend of Hannah's fuck buddy? There are ways to do this that do not stretch the credibility of this program. And that would make the show more real because I just don't buy that a girl like Hannah would only interact with straight white people when living in Brooklyn. I do not buy it. And by the way, saying that you wish you could have done this doesn't count. Consider the following exchange from an interview with Dunham in The Huffington Post:
Are you concerned that people might just think "Girls" is another example of white people problems?
Definitely. We really tried to be aware and bring in characters whose job it was to go "Hashtag white people problems, guys." I think that's really important to be aware of. Because it can seem really rarified. When I get a tweet from a girl who's like, "I'd love to watch the show, but I wish there were more women of color." You know what? I do, too, and if we have the opportunity to do a second season, I'll address that.
What? Why could you not do that this season? As the show's closing credits inform us, you run this show, Ms. Dunham. If your hands are tied, you're the one who's tied them.
So is identification necessary to the pleasures offered by Girls? I would argue yes. It is a program that aims to create "real" moments, such as Hannah awkwardly trying to maintain a sexy bondage position while her doltish lover looks for lube and condoms. We are meant to watch this scene and think "Ah yes, I remember having an awkward sexual encounter like that!" And this is not to say that a gay man or a black woman cannot identify with a straight white woman and her awkward, somewhat humiliating sexual experiences. Of course they can. But I don't think the show is cultivating that identification. I believe this show is zeroed in on a particular kind of viewer, a viewer who is like Dunham: white, middle- to upper-middle class, educated, and liberal. A viewer like me.
Why do I think this? Because the show is awash in its own privilege. It winks and nods, but then dismisses it as if to say "I acknowledged this okay? Can we move on to what I want to talk about now?" If you have the critical fortitude to acknowledge privilege, like when Hannah's friend scoffs at her for whining about having to pay her own bills (reminding her that he has $50,000 in student loans), then you better well deal with it. Kristen Warner addresses this nicely in her post on the pilot:
White womanhood holds in its grasp innocence. They are the only ones who can truly be innocent. The only ones who can truly and sincerely have a conversation about why working at McDonalds is not an option while waiting on a cup of opium with Jay-Z playing in the background without remotely considering the juxtaposition of all these um…ideas. And the way that the main character, Hannah, and her girlfriends deploy that innocence (in sometimes successful but mostly unsuccessful ways) reveals the invisibility and instability of whiteness.
To offer up a counterexample, the current season of Mad Men is finally starting to do a respectable job of acknowledging its insulated whiteness. In the past Roger Sterling (John Slattery) has been a likable cad, making skirt-chasing, cheating on your wife, and getting drunk at lunch almost (almost) seem charming. But this season Roger has become a dinosaur, an artifact of the white male patriarchy. He is no longer charming. He can't bring in new clients because he can't understand that the world is changing. Instead he sits in his office and stews, getting drunker and hazier as the days goes by. In the meantime, Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) puts her feet up on her desk, wears ties, and extorts money from her desperate boss. She is going to replace Roger because she at least understands, in a limited way, that the culture around her is changing. Roger just puts his head in the sand and this will be his downfall.
But Girls does not really address its privilege in a satisfactory way (meaning, I was not satisfied). When Hannah steals the housekeeper's money we cut to her walking on the street (being harassed by the craaaazy black man) and smirking a small smirk of triumph. What did I need after that scene? I needed a 30 second scene depicting the housekeeper walking into the hotel room, instinctively looking around for her tip, and then muttering something about "cheap motherfuckers" before stripping the bed. That's all I needed. Just a moment of consequence. Instead, Hannah gets to commit her selfish act in a vacuum and whoosh, it's gone. Invisible. Quirky.
Am I being picky? A little. Can you judge an entire series based on its pilot? No. But let me explain myself through a teaching analogy: when I am grading essays I tend to be harder on my best writers. I challenge them more on their ideas, get more annoyed at their grammatical errors, and more outraged at their lazy arguments. "I know you are capable of better work than this" I might write at the end of a perfectly respectable essay. If you have the ability and the intelligence, then why create something subpar? I'm taking the same critical eye to my study of Girls. Dunham is a great writer and a pretty good actress with an ear for smart dialogue, and I know she can do better. Do better, Dunham, you are capable of better work than this. I give you a B. I know you can get an A.
For more reactions to Girls, I encourage you to check out our Facebook group, which is the hub of our Girls blogathon.


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Who were the wise men? If you read the Bible, you see them described in the Book of Daniel. They were also known as the magi, or the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans were priests of Babylon's chief religion which was based on astrology. In the Book of Daniel, unfolds, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream that terrified him not only because of its disturbing nature, but also because he could not understand it. Not trusting the Chaldeans to accurately tell him what the dream meant, he insisted that they first tell him what his dream had been – and THEN interpret its meaning. And when the Chaldeans couldn't perform this task, Nebuchadnezzar was outraged. He threatened to have both the Chaldeans and their families executed unless they could describe his dream to him. It was all up to Daniel, the Jewish prophet who had been captured when Babylon had defeated Israel in battle and hauled off to Babylon years before. Miraculously, Daniel was able to tell Nebuchadnezzar what his prophetic dream was and then explain its meaning. Daniel saved the Chaldeans from being destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's anger. And they never forgot how Daniel's Hebrew God had delivered them from otherwise certain death.
One of the things that Daniel told them about was the Prophecy of the Seventy Sevens (see Daniel chapter 9) which precisely prophesied when Messiah would be killed to atone for mankind's sins. But according to Babylonian legend, he also described to them a star that would appear in the night sky to herald the birth of the coming Messiah of Israel as well.
Daniel lived some six centuries before Jesus was born, but this prophetic sign was embedded into the Chaldeans' religious beliefs and culture from the time that their deliverer Daniel first told them. So when the Chaldeans saw this prophetic sign in the heavens at the time of Jesus' birth, they began a journey to the land that the star led them to: to Israel. The star literally led them to the very house where Jesus lived (Matthew 2:9).
In Mathew 2:2, the wise men arrived in Jerusalem after what would have been a dangerous journey of about 800 miles one-way from Babylon and started asking "where is the newborn King of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him." At that time King Herod was the king of the Jews, and of course the news of the birth of a King made him troubled along with all of Jerusalem. (Mathew 2:3) So he called the wise men into his chamber for a conference. He instructed the wise men to return to him when they found this new born king. Herod told the Chaldeans that he wanted to go and worship Jesus as well, but that was not King Herod's true intentions. Eventually the magi reached Jesus and worshiped him. Many people believe there were three wise men, but that is only because they brought three gifts with them: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Mathew 2:11). They took a new route back to their home country (another 800 miles) because God warned them not to return to King Herod on their way back. (Mathew 2:12).
In actuality, the first "official" Christmas actually took place when Jesus was about two years old. That's how long it took the Chaldeans to prepare for their long journey, make that journey, and then find Jesus' home (Matthew 2:7 cf. Matthew 2:16).
King Herod was demonic with anger at the thought of being replaced as king. He asked his leading priests where the messiah was to be born and they told him from the Book of Micah, "In Bethlehem." He then ordered all children ages two and under in Bethlehem to be murdered and thus kill this coming king as a helpless child. But God had already came to Joseph in a dream and commanded him to take the child and flee from Bethlehem and seek refuge in Egypt. (Mathew 2:13-14). But how were Joseph and Mary to flee? They were extremely poor and would have had no resources to make such a long journey and support themselves when they arrived in Egypt. They never would have been able to afford a trip like this on their own. But don't forget what the wise men gave Jesus. They gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold can obviously be used as currency, but the frankincense and myrrh were extremely rare and very expensive. In other words, the wise men gave Jesus and his family a small fortune which made an exodus to Egypt possible. This also fulfilled a prophetic word "I called my Son out of Egypt" (Mathew 2:15).
Christmas is about God's gift in the form of His Son sent to earth to reconcile sinful man and holy God. It is also a story of divine provision; God takes care of His own and provides for their needs.
Hal Lindsey has a great presentation about this:


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Warming down on the rollers
March 5, 2012 Comments Off on Warming down on the rollers
I knew it was going to be a great day at the races when JR, after finishing his race, donned his trademark fedora, lit up his trademark cigar, hopped in his pimpmobile and gunned it. He'd forgotten to put away his rollers, though, which got sucked up into the undercarriage by the spinning car wheel. This created a small explosion followed by lots of cracking, grinding, and broken parts flying everywhere.
One of the onlookers pithily observed, "Yo, JR, them things roll smoother when you put the bike on them instead of the car."
I'd had to hire an investigator to perform "deep Internet" searches to find enough qualifying events for my Cat 3 participation upgrade, but after digging around for six months he found out that I had completed a 45+ crit in 2004 that gave me the magic number of race completions to move out of the certain death category and into the probable suicide one. I was raring to test my Cat 3 skilz in the local CBR crit held in South Compton, but affectionately called "Dominguez Hills" by the promoter so as not to scare people away.
Excerpted from O'Dooligan's "Encyclopedia of World Cycling": The U.S.A.-type "criterium," or "crit," is an event held on a flat, ugly, unchallenging course with four turns, of one mile or less in length and never enough port-o-potties. The "race" places an emphasis on being easy enough not to require any particular bike handling skills except for gradual turns and crashing on the last lap (Cat 3/4/5). Slow enough that anyone can finish, even the incredibly fat guy whose buttcrack hangs out of his shorts, but fast enough that no one can get away, the denouement of the race follows a set pattern: high speeds the first three laps, a futile breakaway that is reeled in, lollygagging until the last six laps, another futile breakaway followed by a mad dash on the last lap which is won by the team with the best lead out train. (U.S.A. amateur bicyclists actually have pro-style lead out trains, with a designated sprinter. The point of this is so that the same person can win every time, and the helpers, although losers, can share in the $75 prize list.) Crit racing is especially popular among wankers who fear hills, tactical racing, and being stranded long distances from the burger shoppe, and by promoters who like charging $34/head for 125-man fields, and then chopping 15 minutes off the 40 minutes of racing time promised in the flyer.
Dog is on your side
As I warmed up for my race by lying in the grass eating M&M's and sipping on an ice cold Hoppy Snockered IPA, Prez shouted over at me from the sign-in table. "Hey, Wankmeister! Wanna switch numbers? You've got my number!!"
I looked at my number, 316. "What are you talking about?"
"That number! I want that number!" Then I realized it…Prez is a super devout Christian, and 316 is, you know, that part from the Bible, Tebow 3:16–
For Dog so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but finally bring the fucking Lombardi Trophy back to Denver.
Without thinking, I hollered back. "Sure, you can have it! All you have to do is come over here and lick the sweat off my nuts!"
A few moments later up came Prez's lovely wife and their three awesome children. "Listen here, Mr. Pottymouth," she said. "You'll be cleaning up your oral toilet now. Our youngest overheard that last remark and said, 'That's gross!'"
Normally that would not deter me, as I've always viewed filthy language to be an integral part of a proper upbringing, but she is so pretty and reputedly has a badass left hook, so I apologized profusely and promised to do better.
Today's class assignment: compare and contrast
Earlier in the morning I'd completed the 45+ race and had placed an extremely competitive 58th, just behind the elderly lady who used to race professionally, and several bike lengths in front of the chubby short fellow with a ponytail and downtube shifters. I could immediately tell the difference between the 45+ field and the Cat 3 field. Only a fraction of the Cat 3 field appeared to be on drugs, and unlike in 1984, last time I'd lined up for a Cat 3 race, the average equipment expenditure per biker was easily $8,000, except for the enormous guy (290 pounds of sweaty love, easy) in the CVC jersey who probably spent an additional grand on fabric extensions and a steel truss apparatus to keep the worst part of his stomach and ass contained in his skinsuit. (*Note to sneerers: yes, he beat me by several bike lengths).
As you'd expect from a field comprised of young, healthy, well-trained, competitive athletic men in their 20's and at the height of their physical abilities, the race was much slower than the 45+ event, many of whose 100+ entrants were well into their 50's. That's the importance of having a healthy diet!! The other difference was that in the old farts' race it was virtually impossible to move up without a crowbar. The field was tightly packed and everyone fought like hell for every position, even Ol' Gizzards, that guy who looks like he came from the Pleistocene and who dropped me so badly at Boulevard.
The Cat 3 field, on the other hand, was much looser, and despite the fact that only a handful of riders were juiced to the gills, the riders were more verbally aggressive. This is because even when you fill a 55 year-old skinbag with the most potent drugs known to man, it still only gets him a ten-minute erection, whereas a 25 year-old on no drugs whatsoever is so filled with testosterone and serotonin and thyroxine and triiodothyronine and norepinephrine and sperm, sweat, boogers, and three-headed satanic skull tattoos that have the wrong kanji for "Merchant of Death" that, when placed in an even mildly competitive situation, he will try to kill you.
So whereas the duffers would say, "On your left, dude," or "Sorry!" if they pulled a boner, the Cat 3's, when they got excited, which was pretty much the entire fucking race, except at the end when they really got worked up, tended to scream "YOU STUPID FUCKING IDIOT FUCKING ASSHOLE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU FUCKING DOING YOU DOUCHEBAG ASSHOLE FUCKBAG FUCKER FUCKETY FUCK FUCK FUCK!"
Counting…it's not just for children anymore
But the biggest difference of all was the final lap. In the 45+ field, everyone knew the script by heart: fart along, flail a bit, maybe think about taking a pull, and then in the last five laps either drift to the back away from the action or move to the front where the action is. Then, with roughly 50 guys in contention on the final lap, on turn three half of those guys eased up and called it a day. Finally, around the final turn, of the remaining 25 vying for the win, half threw in the towel and you had a nice, clean, safe sprint to see who's going to get the twelve-pack of energy drink and case of pistachios.
With the 3's however, only about half the field knew the drill, as most had only just upgraded and it takes hundreds of these cookie-cutter races over a period of years for the pattern to finally take hold in the igneous, reptilian brain of a bike racer. What this means for you and me is that, with five laps to go everybody thought, "FIVE laps to go!"
Then it took them a couple of laps to count down to one, by which time they realized, "It's now THREE laps to go!" After another lap of down-counting, they all realized at the same time that there was only one lap to go. Whoops,make that two. Or was it one?
Whatever! They all dashed for the front at the same time, and since no one had been riding very hard for the last fifty minutes, and they were all young and dumb and full of cum, the peloton pressurized like firing a water hydrant through a garden hose. Unlike the 45+ field, where the combination of powerful drugs and lots of experience automatically separated the field, each little Cat 3-er suddenly saw himself as a possible winner of the race.
Not yet beaten down by the relentless hammer of reality and decades of defeat, and finally having worked out the math so that it was clear, even to them, that there were only two turns left before the sprint, many of the Cat 3's celebrated their youth and enthusiasm and vigor and passion for sport by taking the third turn too wide, clipping a wheel, and causing a massive collision which sent half the field of cursing idiots into the curb, carbon frames snapping, 3-lb water bottles flying through the air like oversized bullets, the terrible sound of plastic helmets shattering on pavement, the grinding shriek of metal spokes popping and shearing away from their carbon rims, bodies slamming with the dull thud of a bag of potatoes dropped off a roof, and the surreality of twisting and weaving my way around, through, and over heads, arms, legs, torsos, and the detritus of that $8,000.00 charge on the Specialized credit card that was only just paid off two weeks ago.
I'm b-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-c-k. Or just a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-c-k.
As if any proof were needed that the Cat 3 race is ridiculously easy compared to the 45+, I took a strong 47th, narrowly beaten out by the lummox with the steel undergirdle, but well ahead of the guy with the friction headlamp and panniers. Couple more of these races and those punks'll know whose boss without having to read about it in a fucking blog.


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Having arrived early (not surprising to anyone who has read this blog for any length of time) at a Mediterranean restaurant a few months ago, I searched the menu for something small that wasn't too caloric. I was so hungry, but didn't want to spoil my dinner appetite. That is when I saw something that I'd never encountered before: pickled turnips.
A small dish arrived with the small, hot pink morsels. I was intrigued. When I bit into one, I was astonished at how good it was. Salty, vinegary, and a crisp bite. Normally I am a sweet pickle person, and I loved these enough to want to make them.
After all the steps involved with pickling watermelon rinds, I was surprised at the simplicity of these. Thank you, Google, for giving me instant access to tons of recipes, all of which were essentially the same.
With just a handful of ingredients, and simple directions, this was a great experiment.
First up is dissolving the salt in hot water and then letting it return to room temperature. Next, cut the turnips and beet into little sticks.
Then combine the salt water with the vinegar and pour over the beets and turnips and add a bay leaf.
The hardest part of this recipe is waiting the 2-3 weeks for it to do its pickling magic. Finally, the end result.
They turned out perfectly delicious! About a month after my experiment, I was at another Mediterranean restaurant, so I had to order their pickled beets. They were just like the ones I'd made. I was so impressed by my talents!
"What do you eat these with?" you might ask. I love having them as a side when I make falafels. I also started researching random Middle Eastern eggplant recipes as yet another excuse to eat these wonderful treats. But what triggered me to post about pickled turnips now is we ate them two days ago as a beautiful side dish to complement lamb kofta and saffron rice.
When was the last time you tried to make something you first encountered at a restaurant? or What is your vote – Pickles: Sweet or Savory?


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The music at your wedding is a critical detail of wedding planning – it sets a tone and mood at your reception. Carefully selecting a band that fits your needs and budget is important. Lead designer April Dorsey of The D-Tales offers some helpful tips for interviewing and hiring a band for you wedding:
• Request and review the band's portfolio – this includes videos on YouTube, website, music play list capabilities and references from past brides.
• Start a spreadsheet to keep track of the bands as you review them, rating one as to how much you like them and if they "fit your vibe."
• Once you have made your decision, book the band immediately – most bands are often reserved up to a year in advance.
• Be sure to discuss any requirements the band may have that would restrict you from using them. For example, if your wedding is at a park and the band needs a power source that you can't provide you may have to work with another group.
• Get a written contract that clearly spells out everything you have agreed upon including: date, band size, number of hours for the event, set up requirements, equipment needed from venue, cost, deposit amount, break schedule/times, no-play and must-play lists, background music and schedule/timeline for the event. The more detailed you are the more covered you are should there be any issues.
There are plenty of local bands who cover all different genres that are ready to get your party started. Here are just a few to get your started:
The Buzzcatz: A 9-piece band that can perform a danceable mix of Classic Jazz, Motown and Rock 'n Roll; www.thebuzzcatz.com
Clint Wiley's None Other Band: A 5-piece band that covers songs by many of today's hottest artists, while not forgetting past hits that everyone loves. They can play Pop, Rock, Motown, Hip/Hop, 80s, New Wave and Disco. www.clintwiley.com/wordpress/
Hook'D is a top 40's band that can cover all styles and all genres; www.hookdonhookd.com
Brides have been able to let the world know about their pending nuptials with graphic t-shirts, hats, bags and NOW wedding-themed iphone cases. Enjoy your engagement in style (and protect your phone while your at it) with these super cute designs from Case-Mate. Choose from quilted leather with Swarovski crystals, four wedding theme illustrations or upload your own photo to create a custom case. This is also a gift idea for attendants. To order, visit www.Case-Mate.com
Don't forget that the Spring-Summer 2012 issue of Orlando Wedding magazine should be on newsstands December 26th. You can't miss our gorgeous cover girl and co-host of XL106.7's Johnny's House, Laura Diaz, who shares her Spanish-themed wedding at Casa Feliz, and we round up tips and detail suggestions for hosting your own foreign affair. It's also jam-packed with the latest reception trends, hidden gems, wedding dresses for every occasion, great bridesmaids gifts, guest welcome bags for locavores, designer must-have accessories, registry ideas and so much more. Plus, six brides share their love stories in Our Big Day. Enjoy! And let us know what you think at firstname.lastname@example.com