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U.S.A. –(Ammoland.com)- "Today, we filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation over a Mandalay Bay FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] request that the FBI denied," Stamboulieh Law, PLLC announced in a Thursday media advisory.
Firearms designer and Historic Arms, LLC President Len Savage is the plaintiff in the complaint that charges "Defendant FBI is unlawfully withholding records requested by Plaintiff pursuant to 5 U.S.C. §552." As reported by this column in April:
The FBI has responded. They claim they have no way of knowing how many "bump stocks" have been used in crimes and the FOIA law doesn't require them to be responsive.
"Contrary to the FBI's position, in a similar FOIA to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the ATF responded almost immediately and has currently produced thousands and thousands of responsive documents," attorney Stephen Stamboulieh noted.
The latest revelation from those productions, reported Wednesday by AmmoLand Shooting Sports News, was a surprising admission by ATF:
"[O]n-scene ATF personnel were not allowed to physically examine the interior of the weapons for machinegun fire-control components or known machinegun conversion devices… [Emphasis in original]"
Another reason given by the FBI for denying information was "ongoing 'law enforcement proceeding,'" Stamboulieh observed. "The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department basically said 'case closed,' so, what is … proceeding?"
"It makes one wonder, why is the FBI not providing information about the case when, according to LVMPD, the shooter 'acted alone' and has no motive?" he asked.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at "The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance," and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.


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Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 06, 2013
WordStream Inc., a provider of PPC management software, today released a new infographic detailing Google's mobile strategy and key products that are helping Google gain revenue from the mobile market.
In the last year, mobile searches have increased 200%, and it's believed that in the following year, mobile will become the primary method people use for accessing Google's services and search. Google has witnessed the growing trend in mobile and embraced it as a new and promising revenue stream.
New research by WordStream delves into Google's mobile product portfolio, showing mobile strategy investments into valuable mobile products such as Mobile Apps, Mobile Devices, Mobile Content, and Mobile Advertising.
WordStream evaluated and graded Google's collection of mobile products based on product quality, market adoption, user value, marketing value, uniqueness, and other factors. These new mobile products by Google illustrate the trajectory of mobile and the vital part it will play in future revenues for Google and other businesses.
About WordStream
WordStream Inc. provides pay-per-click management software and PPC services that help marketers get better results from their PPC and SEO efforts. The company's services deliver quality traffic, clicks and conversions across all major search engines including Google, Bing and Yahoo Search.
WordStream's easy-to-use software facilitates more effective paid and organic search campaigns by providing a customized workflow, the 20-Minute PPC Work Week, to help advertisers increase relevance and Quality Scores in Google AdWords, follow proven best practices, and get expert-level results in a fraction of the time.
In addition to PPC optimization software, WordStream also regularly publishes infographics concerning subjects surrounding search marketing trends and the top Google keywords.
Whether you're new to search marketing or are experienced at Google PPC advertising, WordStream's keyword tools, AdWords bid management tools, and Quality Score optimization tools can help grow your business and drive better results. Learn more at http://www.wordstream.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Things Definitely Not Getting Better For Wells Fargo
You might not think that Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf has much to be thankful for these days, what with his mauling by Elizabeth Warren & co. on live television yesterday. As it turns out, things could have been worse: CNNMoney reports today that there seems to be an unfortunate connection between taking issue with the things Wells just paid a $185 million fine over and getting fired.
CNNMoney spoke to a total of four ex-Wells Fargo workers, including Bado, who believe they were fired because they tipped off the bank about unethical sales practices.
Another six former Wells Fargo employees told CNNMoney they witnessed similar behavior at Wells Fargo -- even though the company has a policy in place that is supposed to prevent retaliation against whistleblowers. CNNMoney has taken steps to confirm that the workers who spoke anonymously did work at Wells Fargo and in some cases interviewed colleagues who corroborated their reports.
And here's a little tidbit the senior senator from Massachusetts undoubtedly would have like to have in response to Stumpf's testimony that Wells employees are "encouraged to raise their hands," and to inquire whether he wants "to hear from them" so that he can make sure he stops hearing from them.
One former Wells Fargo human resources official even said the bank had a method in place to retaliate against tipsters. He said that Wells Fargo would find ways to fire employees "in retaliation for shining light" on sales issues. It could be as simple as monitoring the employee to find a fault, like showing up a few minutes late on several occasions.
"If this person was supposed to be at the branch at 8:30 a.m. and they showed up at 8:32 a.m, they would fire them," the former human resources official told CNNMoney, on the condition he remain anonymous out of fear for his career.
I called the Wells Fargo ethics line and was fired [CNNMoney]


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We wrote about this property back in July of 2009. Since then, it's gained a new slumlord owner and caught fire recently.
Property Address: 1272 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230
Property Owner: Holabird Investments, 6718 Holabird Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21222
Resident Agent for Holabird Investments: Matthew Hornung, same address.
City Council District and Contact: District 10, Edward Reisinger
The current owner of this property also owns at least one other slum property in the neighborhood — we've written about Holabird Investments before.


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Today's Minot Daily News headline "Weird Weather Weekend" best describes what we had in Anamoose on Sunday. It started out with about 3 inches of rain that turned to snow later on in the day. In checking with others we had somewhere between 5 and 8 inches of snow. Many tree branches were down around town. Pictured is a large branch broken off in William Piper's yard.
Then last night (Monday) the temperature went down to 27. Even the weeds were drooping this am. Hopefully the crops and perennial flowers like the lilacs survived the cold overnight temp.
This all comes after several week of reasonably nice weather. This past week on a walk around town I saw the flowering crab trees blooming.


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From the outside perspective, an automotive parts distribution center might look like any otherApril 27, 2015 Read More
Four Ways 3D Printing Is Shaping Product Design And Manufacturing
Product engineers and tooling manufacturers have much to gain from 3D printing: By generatingApril 20, 2015 Read More
Electric vehicles and the challenges of convergence
Electric vehicles (EVs) provide a fascinating early example of the convergence between industriesDecember 5, 2014 Read More
IoT-Enabled Predictive Maintenance
Manufacturers need to leverage emerging technologies such as the Internet of things (IoT),November 13, 2014 Read More
A New Approach to Automotive Electric and Electronic Engineering Life-Cycle Management
Organizations in the automotive industry face increasing engineering related challenges due toNovember 6, 2014 Read More
M2M: The Growth of Device Connectivity
M2M stands for machine-to-machine, mobile-to-machine, and machine-to-mobile communications. It isOctober 24, 2014 Read More
Business Models and the Internet of Things
This article provides theoretically and practically grounded assistance to companies that are todayOctober 9, 2014 Read More
7 Key Considerations For Effective Chip-Package Thermal Co-Design
Chip-package co-design is important for several reasons. Designing a large high power die, e.g. aOctober 8, 2014 Read More
Bringing on the Revolution in Manufacturing Automation
Throughout the world, a major step forward in automated manufacturing is taking place. NewSeptember 11, 2014 Read More
Advanced Manufacturing Initiatives: A National Imperative
The North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME (NAMRI/SME) has announced a newJuly 15, 2014 Read More


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No More 50 Cent Hot Dog
We received a tip in the forums that Gray's Papaya (on 38th & 8th) had pulled their sign for 50 cent hot dogs. Distraught, I walked over and confirmed that a hot dog cost $1.50. (That's 3x the sale price people!) Oh well. So much for my recession special.
Posted by Danny at 8:30 am, September 24th, 2010 under Asides.
0 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post


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Luxury Hotels and Concert Tickets: The Links Between Australian Billionaire James Packer and Netanyahu's Family
Yair Netanyahu has taken a number of vacations with James Packer footing the bill, Channel 10 reports. The billionaire also gave Sara Netanyahu 10 tickets to a Mariah Carey concert.
New details have emerged on the ties between Yair Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son, and Australian billionaire James Packer, a close confidant of the prime minister.
- Netanyahu Confidant: PM's Lawyer 'Didn't Earn a Shekel' on Sub Deal
- Journalist May Sue Netanyahu
- Netanyahu Confidant: PM's Lawyer 'Didn't Earn a Shekel' on Sub Deal
It seems that the younger Netanyahu has received more than just a few free nights in Packer's Tel Aviv apartment, as was reported two weeks ago.
Channel 10's Raviv Drucker reported Monday evening that Yair Netanyahu had flown to New York in September 2015 along with his father's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, and stayed in a luxury hotel in Greenwich Village – with Packer footing the bill. This is Packer's regular hotel in New York, and he rents a number of connected rooms there.
According to the report, Packer was also involved to some extent in Netanyahu's speech to the UN. In a letter he sent to his friends, Packer said he and Netanyahu went over the speech together and he even boasted about having a copy of the speech. According to the letter, Netanyahu even promised Packer a place in his entourage and a seat next to Sara Netanyahu. In a picture from the UN assembly, Packer can be seen sitting near the Netanyahu family with the Israeli delegation.
On other occasions the younger Netanyahu has taken vacations at Packer's expense, often on the billionaire's private plane, and sometimes even invited friends to come along too, Drucker reported.
In February, Yair Netanyahu took a vacation in Aspen, Colorado, and stayed in a luxurious complex Packer owns there.
In August 2015, singer Mariah Carey, who was engaged to Packer before they broke up in October, performed a concert in Rishon Letzion in Israel. Packer bought large numbers of tickets valued in the tens of thousands of shekels and gave 10 to Sara Netanyahu, Drucker said, and another seven to Yossi Cohen, then head of the National Security Council and now the director of the Mossad.
The Channel 10 report two weeks ago said that Yair Netanyahu had stayed a number of nights last summer in an apartment belonging to Packer at the Royal Beach Hotel in Tel Aviv. According to Drucker's report, Packer owns a house in Caesarea adjacent to the Netanyahus and Netanyahu occasionally holds weekend meetings in Packer's home.
The original report also stated that a few months ago, Packer's lawyer, Jacob Weinroth, met with Interior Minister Arye Dery and asked him to grant Packer, who is not Jewish, permanent residency in Israel. The interior minister is authorized to take such measures. Weinroth was previously Netanyahu's attorney.
One possible explanation for Packer's interest in Israeli residency is the large tax breaks he might be entitled to as a well-off new resident.
Weinroth was quoted as saying that Netanyahu had never spoken to him about the matter. The report stated that Packer has yet to be granted residency status.
In response to Drucker's report, a spokesman for the prime minister said that Yair Netanyahu is a private citizen and a student who does not need to provide answers to journalists. In addition, the spokesman said Packer is a close friend of the family and of Yair himself, who has the right to be hosted by friends.


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There has been a 10-percent hike in ambulance call-outs in Sweden in the past three years, and it is not due to a 10-percent increase in emergency cases.
Emergency call operators are afraid of refusing a request for an ambulance and being hung out in the media if something goes wrong, wrote Eric Carlström, an ambulance nurse studying at University West.
"There's a whole bunch of patients who could have taken a taxi or other medical transport instead, while those people who are truly in need of help and need to be picked up in minutes are maybe made to wait for 40 minutes," Carlström said in a statement, according to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
In 2012, Sweden was hit with a number of cases where an ambulance no-show resulted in a death.
In January, a 22-year-old woman died after her request for help was denied because she was "still talking".
SEE ALSO: Ambulance call outrage: 'Are you black or white?'
In February, a 17-year-old boy's parents were forced to drive him to hospital after no ambulance showed up, with the SOS Alarm team later blaming an error in prioritization. He died soon after.
The new report suggests that even the patients are unimpressed.
"You get irritated when you are referred by health services to go in to emergency just to spend six hours of potential sleep time so you can sit there in the glow of some aquarium," said one internet user who was cited in the report.
The study suggests that more time should be invested in training emergency call operators to ensure they feel comfortable trusting their instincts.
The Local/og


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A word to the wise: Do not sneak photos of pop stars.
On Monday, One Direction hunk Niall Horan ranted about a fan who invaded his privacy.
An unidentified fan snapped a photo of Horan, 22, sick and asleep on a long flight that departed from London.
"And to sum up the PERFECT European adventure, I sat directly next to Niall from One Direction for 9 hours on my flight home from London last night," read the caption. "He was sick and asked for no selfies, but here is a pic I snapped when he was sleeping lol he was so friendly! Talked about Ireland, LSE, lolla, and more. Not a British Duke… But an Irish Popstar will do thanks for treating me so well Europe!"
Although that caption seemed innocent, Horan didn't take it too kindly.
"I think this s–t is unreal," he angrily tweeted. "I mean if you can't sleep on a plane without people taking photo of you, what can u do."


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As McConnell plan fails, will Democrats and Republicans work together to fix health care?
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell once threatened that Republicans would have to work with Democrats if they couldn't get their act together on a repeal and replace strategy for Obamacare.
It looks like that day might have come.
At a somber press conference in the Capitol on Tuesday, McConnell, R-Ky., announced that it appeared he could not get 50 Republicans to agree on an Obamacare replacement behind closed doors and conceded that the experience had been "very, very challenging."
"We've demonstrated that Republicans by themselves are not prepared at this particular point to do a replacement," he said, when asked if the GOP would now work with Democrats. "That doesn't mean that the problems all go away."
"There will be hearings about the crisis that we have," he added.
McConnell also continued to insist that he would hold a vote to repeal Obamacare on a two-year delay to give Republicans and Democrats time to come up with a replacement. But at least four members of his caucus have nixed that idea, effectively making it impossible to pass such a measure.
"If they want to have a vote on that, fine," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. "But I think we all know where this is going to end up … Democrats and Republicans working on positive changes to the Affordable Care Act."
Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced late Tuesday that his committee would begin bipartisan hearings in the coming weeks on "how to stabilize the individual market."
That move could signal the return to the "regular order" that Democrats — and some Republicans — have been calling for ever since McConnell decided to hammer out a bill reshaping the nation's health care system entirely behind closed doors, skipping the regular committee process. The original group of senators working on the bill snubbed key GOP moderates such as Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, which may have helped doom McConnell's efforts.
"I think that opens up all kinds of opportunities on regular order," Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said of the failure of the GOP bill Tuesday. "And two of the people who do regular order the best are Lamar Alexander and [Sen.] Patty Murray [D-Wash.]." (Murray is the ranking member of Alexander's committee.)
But it remains unclear if Republicans and Democrats can overcome their significant policy differences, as well a a simmering political animus, and fix the problems that both parties admit dog Obamacare's individual marketplace — even in an open committee process.
Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., mentioned several specific Democratic policy goals he'd like the committee to consider, such as bringing back billions of dollars in federal funding for reinsurance payments and making cost-sharing payments to insurance companies permanent. Currently, the Trump administration is in charge of making the cost-sharing payments to insurers, and it has repeatedly threatened to cut them off, which insurance executives argue destabilizes the markets.
Over the past six months, some top Republicans have seemed open to guaranteeing cost-sharing payments, acknowledging that insurance companies need that security to stabilize the markets. But that willingness was predicated on the assumption that the party would be able to repeal Obamacare. Now, cost-sharing payments will likely be portrayed on the right as a "bailout" for insurance companies, with no end in sight, making them politically risky to back.
Further complicating the Republican path forward is President Trump, who has repeatedly suggested that Republicans should "let Obamacare fail" and blame Democrats. The president would likely oppose any Republican attempts to work with Democrats to try to stabilize the markets.
"We're not going to own it. I'm not going to own it," Trump told reporters at the White House of the health care system Tuesday. "I can tell you the Republicans are not going to own it. We'll let Obamacare fail, and then the Democrats are going to come to us."
Asked whether he thought the acrimony was too strong in the Capitol for Democrats and Republicans to work together, Schumer told reporters, "Let's find out."
Read more from Yahoo News:
On 'Made in America Week,' White House fields questions about what's not: Trump products
Trump says GOP won't give up on health care: 'We will return!'


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Kristin Cavallari talks about her LASIK surgery from Dr. Robert Maloney
Dr. Robert Maloney has personally performed over 65,000 vision correction procedures.
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Schedule Your Consultation & Comprehensive Exam
Find out if you are a candidate by calling or emailing today.
Want to see it all, without your glasses? To schedule your Complimentary LASIK Consultation, call us at .
More than 100 eye doctors or their family members from around the world have chosen Dr. Maloney & Dr. Shamie to perform their surgery. Shouldn't you?
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Cash Home Buyer And Everything That You Need To Know About Selling Your House To Them
One thing that is extremely possible is when you want to sell your house but you have no idea where you will start or end. You see, there are plenty of options when it comes to selling your house for cash but it all depends on what you want and what you get to know. It is really good to figure out when you will have sold your house and also to know how much you want to sell your house when you want your house to have been sold.
You need to know that there are companies that require you to have remodeled your house, renovated your house, repaired everything in it and even replaced all the things that need to be replaced in your house and well, that takes a lot of money since you probably have to hire all the people that will have to do all these kind of things.
A cash home-buying investor is the best one for you to sell your house to in order to cut this long story short, in case you do not want to go through the method that we have described above. What we mean by saying this is that when you look for a cash homebuyer you will not have to do all the renovations, the remodeling all the replacing of things since the only job that a cash homebuyer does is he comes to your home value your home and then tell you what he thinks your home is worth and then you can negotiate on how you will sell your house to him.
This will especially work on the people that need to sell their houses very quickly due to maybe an emergency situation that needs to be financed immediately. It is very easy for a cash home buyer to buy your house regardless of the situation or the condition that it is in simply because these companies usually have some deals with other companies.
Cash home buyers as you have said make deals with other kinds of companies that are in charge of renovating houses have sold to the cash on buyer they are also in charge of remodeling it and also replacing anything that is broken and basically doing everything that is necessary to be done in your house so that your house can look good.
This is also so that they can be able to even double the money that they bought the house at or even triple it if possible. This will work for both you and for the cash home buyer.
Smart Tips For Uncovering Sales
The 4 Most Unanswered Questions about Properties


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GREENFIELD -- A company that wants to lay a high-voltage transmission cable under Lake Champlain in Vermont has pledged $20 million for low-income energy retrofits in Western Massachusetts if its New England Clean Power Link wins a major utility contract in the Bay State.
TDI New England has pledged 20 years of funding, at $1 million annually, to Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions for deep energy retrofits to low-income homes, said Don Jessome, CEO of Transmission Developers, Inc.
In a telephone interview, Community Action director Clare Higgins said the investment would stabilize aging housing stock in the state's four western counties, provide steady work to local contractors and help veterans, the elderly and families with young children stay warm.
"The payments from TDI would cover things other programs won't pay for," said Higgins. "Such as replacing certain types of insulation, or upgrading heating systems. It will make a big difference over time."
But the funding will materialize only if TDI prevails in the Massachusetts Clean Energy RFP -- a competition to import renewable energy into Southern New England for purchase by Massachusetts utilities.
The race is on and the stakes are high for the multi-billion-dollar energy contracts. The bids were submitted to state regulators in July.
TDI plans 98 miles of underwater and 56 miles of underground cable to deliver 1,000 megawatts of hydro, or hydro and wind, from Canada.
Several other transmission developers submitted bids in the Massachusetts Clean Energy RFP and are proposing to work with dozens of hydro, wind or solar power generators in Canada, northern New England and New York.
The winners will be announced Jan. 25 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and electric utilities Eversource, National Grid and Unitil.
While the proposals will be evaluated on the basis of hard criteria -- such as the ability to deliver reliable, cost-effective power during the winter -- subjective issues of "community benefit" will also be taken into consideration by the decision-makers.
As such, TDI is not the only firm offering enticements to the people of Massachusetts.
Northern Pass Transmission -- a partnership between Eversource and Hydro-Quebec -- has offered $10 million to Action for Boston Community Development if it gets to build its 192-mile power line through New Hampshire.
The Atlantic Link, a 375-mile undersea cable from Atlantic Canada to Southeastern Massachusetts, would provide $750,000 per year to South Shore Community Action Council. Developer Emera, Inc. also promises tax payments to the town of Plymouth at $2.5 million per year and 200 in-state construction jobs.
National Grid did not respond to an email asking for that company's plans to benefit Massachusetts. National Grid, partnering with the nonprofit Citizens Energy, proposes the Granite State Power Link and the Northeast Renewables Link through Vermont and New Hampshire.
Central Maine Power's New England Clean Energy Connect bid includes $50 million for battery hardware storage, as well as low-income energy initiatives in the Bay State. The initiatives are structured "to allow for maximum flexibility by state officials in determining the best use of those resources so they will ensure maximum impact in Massachusetts' communities," said a Central Maine Power spokesman.
TDI's buried cable is privately funded by Blackstone, a private equity group.
"We believe we have the best proposal," Jessome said in a telephone interview. He said the project already has its state and federal permits and has gained the support of environmentalists, state agencies and communities in Vermont.
While the Northern Pass has been dogged with controversy and delays, Eversource executives have expressed certainty that project will prevail in the Massachusetts solicitation.
National Grid, Central Maine Power and Emera have also asserted that their transmission proposals are the best and will win.
Hydro-Quebec is in the catbird seat, with proposals to work with either TDI, Eversource or Central Maine Power.
The bid process was launched in March in response to legislative mandates to diversify and clean up the power sector in Massachusetts.
Gov. Charlie Baker's 2016 energy bill requires that utilities procure around 9,450,000 megawatt-hours of wind, solar, hydro or energy storage -- so-called "Class I renewables" -- to meet the state's clean energy goals.
Concerns have been raised about Eversource and National Grid sitting on both sides of the negotiating table, because the conglomerates run electric utilities, are proposing transmission infrastructure, and are part of the bid evaluation team. It could be that the companies end up buying power from themselves.
To prevent self-dealing, the corporations barred company officials from the utility side from talking to their colleagues on the development side. Also, an independent evaluator is monitoring the overall contracting process.
Each project developer promises to lower energy costs for Massachusetts consumers while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change.
Mary Serreze can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com


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The American dream for many people is to run their own company. As a result, they mistakenly pursue their hobby as their business idea. Unfortunately, very few people can make a living from their favorite interest. The worst reply when an entrepreneur is asked why they want to start a restaurant is "Well, I love to eat out and I always wanted to own one." This is one reason why so many restaurants close within a year of opening. Liking an area of business and having the experience to run it is two different things.
Franchises are a good alternative for some people since they give a road map to run that business. There are more than 2,000 companies that franchise in the U.S., according to the International Franchise Association. Most startup costs are not cheap with entrepreneurs investing between $11,000 and $2 million to get started. Franchise advantages include skipping the writing of the business plan, no product development or branding, and an operations manual.
Michael Waller of The Entrepreneur's Source helps entrepreneurs identify sound franchise opportunities. He believes that "franchising offers an attractive alternative for an individual to become their own boss while at the same time significantly reducing the risk and ultimately the fear factor. Statistically, better than 90 percent of franchise points are still operating at the 10-year mark."
While buying a franchise does minimize some of the risk components, it doesn't totally mitigate the biggest one: paying customers. Just because an entrepreneur opens a popular franchise does not mean that customers will call to buy the product. While the larger franchises do help the credibility gap inherent with new businesses, franchisees do need to find customers of their own.
Waller doesn't believe that buying a franchise is for every person looking to start a business. "Although you may have some flexibility in tactical execution of the day-to-day activities of the business, the risk is reduced when you follow the system," he said. "The business processes, procedures and tools that the franchiser provides are part of the value add that they bring to the table. For someone who prides themselves in being a 'maverick,' they may have significant difficulty conforming to the standards of their franchise agreement."
Before making any decision to buy a franchise, work a few days on site with a franchisee at their location. Working at a Dunkin' Donuts is a lot different than being a customer. Work the long hours of a manager and doing the job of a counter clerk will be an eye opener.
As with any new business venture, do the homework. Do not assume that just because there is a proven business model and a brand that it will automatically be successful.


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Coach Pete Carroll had insisted that last week's loss to the Rams was an aberration. He was confident the team of the previous five weeks — when it won five in a row by averaging 34 points — was the real Seahawks.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Seahawks played Sunday without two starters on their offensive line, their top two running backs and their top two tight ends.
All the Arizona Cardinals knew, though, was that the Seahawks had too much of everything else for their liking.
In a rousing regular-season finale, the Seahawks routed the 2015 NFC West champion Cardinals 36-6, a performance that was surprising in its ease and heightened expectations for the playoffs.
Russell Wilson by the numbers
34: TD passes for the season. Wilson surpassed Dave Krieg's franchise record of 32 set in 1984.
4,024: Passing yards for the season. Wilson is the first QB in Seahawks history with 4,000 yards.
110.1: Wilson's passer rating, a franchise record and the best in the NFL this season.
"You saw the fun we were having,'' said quarterback Russell Wilson, who set franchise records for touchdown passes in a season (34) and yards (4,024). "Guys were making plays all over the field.''
Gallery | Team stats | Box score
Live game coverage »
Even die-hard Seahawks fans might barely have known the names of some of the guys making those plays.
Running back Bryce Brown, who first played for the Seahawks two weeks ago in the wake of injuries to Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Rawls, scored the first touchdown.
Chase Coffman, playing in his first game at tight end, scored another.
And in the kind of play that showed what a difference a week can make, fullback Will Tukuafu scored just the second touchdown of his career on a 7-yard pass from Wilson in the second quarter.
It was Tukuafu's fumble last week against the Rams that was returned for a touchdown, setting the stage for a shocking defeat that had some wondering where this Seahawks season was headed.
Coach Pete Carroll, though, insisted all week that the game against the Rams was an aberration. He was confident the team of the previous five weeks — when it won five in a row by averaging 34 points — was the real Seahawks.
"Coming off of last week, we wanted to get right,'' Carroll said. "Today was a good day for doing that.''
The game had uncertain meaning for both teams, Arizona having already clinched the NFC West and Seattle resigned to a wild-card spot.
But both teams insisted they were approaching it straight up, and there was no indication of any let-up on either side early on.
All there was, instead, was a Seahawks landslide of points and eventual team records.
Along with Wilson's marks, Tyler Lockett returned four punts in the first half for 139 yards to set a single-game record, and the Seattle defense ended up leading the NFL in fewest points allowed for a fourth consecutive season. The defense took great delight in a couple of late stops that helped preserve the NFL scoring title, including an interception by DeShawn Shead in the end zone.
"We knew what was going on on the sidelines," Carroll said. "The guys were having a ball, trying to get it done, and the offense was trying to keep the football to let that happen. That's a really cool accomplishment, so we take great pride in that one."
Seattle also finished 10-6, reaching double-digit victories for the fourth consecutive season after having won 10 or more just five times previously.
And despite a season that had unexpected twists and turns, the Seahawks enter the postseason feeling there's no reason it can't end in the same destination of the previous two — the Super Bowl.
"When you've got all three clicking together (offense, defense, special teams) it's going to be tough to beat us, that's for sure,'' Wilson said.
The defense took great delight not only in again being able to say it's the best in the NFL, but also in shutting down an Arizona team that had scored 39 on it in Seattle in November.
"I think people can sometimes forget who we are,'' cornerback Richard Sherman said. "We let a few penalties, weird calls or miscues change their perception, and then we come back and remind them.''
Sherman seemed to epitomize the most that little has changed. As the Seahawks jumped to a 30-6 halftime lead, he bantered with some Arizona fans sitting behind the Seattle bench.
In the fourth quarter, he drew a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for noting to Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer how he had shut down receiver John Brown — Sherman squatted in the process, signaling to Palmer that he was already on the bench, taken out at halftime with the game long lost.
"It's like, 'You're sitting on the bench,' '' Sherman said. " 'What are you talking about?' ''
It was the Seahawks, instead, making statements.
Seattle has won its past five road games, the final three in blowout fashion and two against teams it could face in the playoffs (Minnesota and Arizona), a confidence Carroll said was critical entering a postseason that will be played away from home.
"We couldn't be more ready than we are at this point,'' Carroll said.
The Seahawks also have won six of their past seven games after a 4-5 start that had simply making the playoffs seem like a longshot. Now they again appear a Super Bowl favorite, even if they'll have to do so going the toughest route possible, winning three road games in three weeks.
"You have your peaks, you have your valleys,'' Sherman said. "A champion overcomes those valleys. They don't let them destroy us. We started off 2-4, everybody (is saying) all is lost, that Super Bowl hangover or whatever they had. Guys just continued to stay the course.''
Now to see where it takes them next.


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Lori Loughlin's Instagram-famous daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli has lost another lucrative partnership in the aftermath of the college admissions scam — this time with TRESemmé.
On Thursday, the popular haircare brand announced in a statement that the company is no longer working with 19-year-old Giannulli, who had shared sponsored content for TRESemmé as recently as February. The teen boasts 1.4 million Instagram followers and nearly 2 million YouTube subscribers.
The Unilever-owned haircare company is the second brand to sever ties with Giannulli in the wake of her family's scandal; earlier on Thursday, Sephora also announced it was ending its partnership with the influencer.
Giannulli's Sephora deal had included both sponsored posts and a limited-edition bronzing and highlighting palette, the now-deleted product page for which was flooded with scathing comments after news of the bribery scheme first made headlines.
"After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately," the brand shared in a statement.
It remains to be seen whether Giannulli's other partners — including Amazon, Smile Direct, Smashbox and Clinique — will follow suit. As Page Six previously reported, each dropped deal could cost the influencer more than $50,000.
Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli were arrested this week for allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes to get both their daughters into the University of Southern California; they're among a total of 50 people indicted in the fraud.


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Women's Dynama/2™ Capri
Women's Dynama/2™ Capri
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How to Do Outreach and Build Community
One-man or one-woman revolutions are sometimes necessary, but should never result from a failure to invite others to your demonstration.
Use e-mail, mailing lists, and phone trees from groups sympathetic to your cause. Put announcements in your local newspapers' calendars, and put up flyers in public places.
Introduce everyone at each protest. Honor all who join you. Ask for feedback afterwards and try to keep an open mind about incorporating new ideas.
Never use us/they language. Instead, describe problems as things which everyone in the human community must solve together.
Respect for your opponents will increase the likelihood of genuine dialog and eventual alliance.
Author's note: Before my first demonstration in 1978, I enjoyed a nonviolence training session led by seasoned activists, using a booklet filled with wisdom gained over time. Later on, when organizing protests of my own, I enjoyed the advice of civil rights and Vietnam War protestor Tom Lewis. I have also learned a few things the hard way. I hope How to Hold a Demonstration will make it easier for others to organize powerful and persuasive protests.


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Terms and conditions
You can book your tour by e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com or you can book your tour and pay directly from our home page.
By completing your booking with us, you agree with our terms and we in turn, by accepting your booking, we are obliged to do our best to make your tour with us as enjoyable and safe as humanly possible. We do only accept your booking when paid in full.
We advice all our clients that all adventure trips are undertaken on the responsibility of its participants. Iceland BackCountry Travel does not assume any responsibility for accidents that are caused by natural disaster or any other reason beyond human control, by its customers, or can be traced to their customers actions or negligence. Participants have to sign a liability waiver before undertaking all trips stating that they realize that all outdoor activities carry an inherit risk of injury or death.
With the purchase of your trip you agree to these conditions, understand its implications and accept responsibility for your participation in our tour.
Ibc travel will accept liability for any actions or lack thereoff by its driver guides causing direct physical injury to its passengers only to the extent that is obliged under icelandic law. Should any disagreement arise, this will be settled in Iceland, according to Icelandic law.
In order to ensure our customers utmost safety, Ibc Travel reserves the right to alter routes, itineraries or timetables due to unforeseen reasons, such as weather or road conditions. Bear in mind that this is Iceland and that weather conditions can change very rapidly. Especially during the winter months.
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It goes without saying that good personal insurance policy is a must and is mandatory when you take part in adventurous tours and expeditions like ours. We also recommend that you get travel insurance to cover your losses if you have to cancel your trip for some reason.


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Sara from Fresh Air wrote to me last week; they're already gearing up for a wonderful summer and host families are needed. That's a little hard to believe during an ice storm, but hey? What better time to think about family fun and summer than in the middle of an ice storm?
In case you haven't seen a post on the Fresh Air Fund Programs before, they're a charitable organization focused on getting urban children the opportunity to spend part of the summer with rural families. If a strong connection is made, the children can opt to return to that same host family in subsequent summers. The Fresh Air Fund also operates a summer camp and gets eyeglasses for kids and oh! They have a half-marathon every year.
One fact that continues to impress and amaze me is that the group has been in operation since 1877. Here's a video about one boy who was part of the program.
Here's the official summary of what the Fresh Air Fund does:
THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2010, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund's year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.
If you live in the Eastern US, you can be a host family and change a child's life forever. The rest of us can blog about it and spread the word, and also make donations to help fund the mission.
It's a good mission.
Earnest Parenting: helping kids experience fresh air.


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R.B. Longridge & Co.
Bedlington, Northumberland
Steamindex home page
Mechanical engineers
Lowe estimated that 209 locomotives were built between 1837 and 1852. Works were established in 1785 and were known as the Bedlington Ironworks. Well-known producers of locomotive tyres. About 1500 were employed at peak of company's activities. Locomotive manufacture began in 1837 with the involvement of Michael Longridge with an 0-6-0 Michael Longridge for the Stanhope & Tyne Railway. The first locomotive to run in Holland, a 2-2-2 Snelheid, was built by the firm. A considerable number of broad gauge locomotives were constructed to Gooch's designs for the GWR, and 2-2-2WTs designed by James Pearson for the Bristol & Exeter Railway, and 4-2-2 locomotives were supplied to both the Bristol & Exeter and South Devon Railways: the latter also received 4-4-0Ts. It is obvious that the firm developed special skills at building broad gauge locomotives as the last to be manufactured were 0-4-0WTs for maintaining the Holyhead Breakwater. Ten Cramptons (with intermediate crakshafts) were constructed for the GNR and several types were constructed for the Eastern Counties Railway including 2-2-2WTs of J.V. Gooch's design. The first three locomotives for the Londonderry & Enniskillen Railway (a 2-2-2 and two 2-4-0s) were supplied in 1846.
Hunt, David. Locomotive builders to the Midland
Railway. Midland Record, (21), 111-26.
Longridge supplied some of the early Midland Railway locomotives, but Hunt did not cite his sources: includes a portarit of Michael Longridge..
The Longridge family was related to the Gooch family, but Michael Longridge appears to have been the major driving force in locomotive manufacture. He was born in Bishopwearmouth in 1785 according to Marshall, and was son of another Michael Longridge who purchased the Bedlington Ironworks in 1785. Michael Longridge was one of the original partners in Robert Stephenson & Co. in 1823, but this did not stop him from entering into locomotive manufacture in about 1837. He died in Bedlington on 4 October 1858.
Other Longridges mentioned by Marshall:
James Atkinson Longridge
Born Bishopwearmouth on 31 May 1817 and died in Jersey on 15 April 1896. Studied with Daniel Gooch. After a period at Edinburgh University he was apprenticed to George Stephenson and afterwards worked on surveys for him. On behalf of the Bedlington Ironworks he was involved in Naples and then in Russia, Germany and Italy in the 1840s. In 1856 he left for India where he laid out the Calcutta & South Eastern Railway. He worked for Brassey on railways in many countries including on the Mount Cenis line. This last encouraged him to patent flexible locomotives (3259/1872 and 15,773/1884 via Ransom). J.A. Longridge also had a son, Michael.
On the use of the steam coals of the "Hartley District" of Newcastle in marine boilers (also contributions from W.G. Armstrong and Thomas Richardson). Newcastle: Andrew Reid, 1858.
Longridge's patent locomotive. London, 1885. 11pp
Ottley 2161
Michael Longridge
Son of James Atkinson: born in 1847 and died in Exeter on 18 January 1928. Educated Radley College and Trinity College, Cambridge. Mathematician but worked with father on Mount Cenis project and on railways in Sweden. In 1875 he joined his uncle R.B. Longridge, engineer of the Boiler Insurance & Steam Power Co of Manchester to insure steam engines and boilers.
Woodcroft lists two patents held by Robert Bewick Longridge: both are entitled Locomotive-engines and are 10, 513 (10 February 1845) and 11,038 (13 January 1846)
Updated 16-04-2012


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CBS' Modern Sherlock Holmes Pilot "Elementary": Great Idea or Hot Mess?
As you have probably heard in some way by now, CBS is currently developing a series called Elementary, described as a "modern-day take" on the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great detective Sherlock Holmes. In addition to the modern setting, the new CBS drama will transplant Holmes and Watson from London to New York City. And there are some, um, other terrible ideas big changes in the works, too.
The project is being helmed by former Medium producer/writer Rob Doherty, and the series pilot (all that has been approved at this point) will be directed by Homeland's Michael Fuesta. Now that both Holmes and Watson have been cast, (though those particular bombshells are under the cut), it's probably time to talk about it because, well, everyone else is, and I don't think I can keep all the thoughts inside much longer.
I know the character of Sherlock Holmes is all kinds of trendy right now, what with the BBC's popular Sherlock TV series and Guy Ritchie's successful film franchise, but, CBS's decision to move forward with this pilot just raises all kinds red flags for me. (And I don't think I'm alone in this, given the general uproar that seems to be happening online.) So – is this show a worthwhile idea? Have we achieved Sherlock market saturation? Are there too many changes on the table? Most importantly, is this even going to be good television?
Full disclosure: I enjoy Sherlock Holmes in any and all incarnations, even thought the current BBC Sherlock is my favorite flavor of the moment. If this Elementary series makes it to air, I will watch for as long as it lasts. I will probably may mock it into the ground, but I'll be watching it. But as it stands at the moment, I don't think I'll be enjoying it very much.
To be fair, there's no guarantee that Elementary will make it out of the pilot stage – and many series often don't (anyone remember that ghastly Wonder Woman remake everyone was talking about last year?). But, as Holmes is such a hot property right now, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this series on CBS's schedule next Fall. And why does that bother me? Well…
Do We Even Need This Show on TV Right Now? There's already a pretty successful, high quality, modern-day Holmes adaptation on-air in BBC's Sherlock, which has become something of a cult phenomenon in America and is wonderfully done besides. While this CBS series appears to be (a bit hamfistedly) attempting to bring something new to the table via one of its casting choices, it somehow still carries a sense of vague unease along with it – like we're still talking about a rerun of something we've already seen. While the BBC certainly doesn't own the rights to the idea of Sherlock Holmes – Conan Doyle's works are in the public domain, after all, and every network could have a Holmes show of its own if they wanted to – it's pretty hard to not to think of this series as a retread (at best) or an attempt to piggyback on the popularity of these other successful franchises (at worst).
I mean, I can't be the only one who's already mentally envisioning the approximately eleven thousand "Cumberbatch Comparison" articles that will explode all over the media this Fall, can I? (Heck, I'll probably write one.) I adore all things Holmes, but this project might have been better served left on the shelf for a few more years. By that point, as sad as this makes me to say, the BBC series will likely have concluded its run, and there would be space for something like this to find an audience and convince naysayers that it has something original and worthwhile to say or, at the very least, is filling a void in their entertainment lives. At the moment, if I were a network executive, I would be a bit concerned that the same people who ought to theoretically comprise a significant portion of Elementary's core fanbase are the very folks that are so loudly and vehemently protesting its existence.
Honestly: American Remakes of British Imports Rarely Work. As most dedicated anglophiles know, American adaptations of British programs tend to be popular during development season – and with good reason. They're known quantities; they have recognizable names and, theoretically, they come with a built-in audience. And, of course, everyone always hopes that they can recreate the crossover success of NBC's The Office remake. The fact that this has never happened to any significant degree outside of The Office always seems to be lost in that conversation, but that doesn't seem to stop any major network from trying to create their own "Americanized" British hit – or pointing to the NBC comedy's success as a reason to do so. (While it's worth pointing out that many successful American reality shows have adapted the formats of British series – American Idol, The X-Factor, What Not to Wear, to name a few – reality is a very different beast than a scripted series.) Last season alone we got American versions of Skins, Being Human, Prime Suspect and Free Agents. And only one of those series made it to a second season. This should probably tell people something. (And please don't mention that rumored Misfits remake. Because I might cry.)
CBS has been doing an admirable job of telling anyone and everyone that this series isn't meant to be an American version of the current BBC drama and insists that they'll be using Holmes and Watson in stories with new characters. There's no reason not to believe them, but given the fact that the network did, originally, approach Auntie Beeb and attempt to remake their Sherlock with the network's blessing, I can understand why some people don't find their denials comforting and are viewing Elementary with trepidation at best.
Their Sherlock Casting: Interesting or Questionable? It's been announced that Jonny Lee Miller has been tapped to play Holmes for CBS. Surprising? A bit. As many fans know, Miller recently shared the stage with BBC Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch in Danny Boyle's fantastic Frankenstein, with the pair trading off the roles of Dr. Frankenstein and the Creature on alternating nights. They won some awards for it. On Miller's casting, Sherlock executive producer Sue Vertue told The Independent, "Let's hope their pilot script has stayed further away from our Sherlock than their casting choice." A snarky response, yes, but her comment does feel very on the nose about the situation.
What's unfortunate about this news is that Miller really is a fantastic actor in his own right: he did wonderful work with Cumberbatch in Frankenstein (which is, apparently, offering encore cinema screenings this summer, so go see it!), Eli Stone was an underrated gem, and should he gain international stardom playing Holmes, it will be well deserved. Yet, this is such an awkward casting choice, and for reasons that have nothing to do with Miller or his talent. For me – and probably a lot of others who would theoretically comprise this show's main fan base – this decision feels very like going with a Cumberbatch understudy, a sort of we can't have him, but let's see how close we can get in a six degrees of Kevin Bacon kind of way. It's possible my feelings are an overreaction born of extreme fondness for Cumberbatch's performance as Holmes, but surely there had to be some available, talented British actor out there who didn't have any ties to anything connected to the BBC adaptation? I mean, I hear Hugh Laurie's about to be looking for a job…
And Then There's the Watson Thing. Just last week, it was also announced that Charlie's Angels star Lucy Liu will be playing John…er, sorry.. Joan Watson in Elementary. Again, my indecision, welcome to it – I think that, on paper, this could be a somewhat interesting idea, in terms of the show being a Holmes adaptation, and I am generally excited to support the inclusion of more strong female characters on television whenever I can (and John's an awesome character for anyone to play). However, I also consider this "twist" to be a terrible and tiresome set-up for a CBS procedural, precisely because it is the probably the safest, most predictable choice they could have made (however much they try to spin it as "risky").
Had the series made an executive decision to have a female Sherlock, or heck, even made both characters women, that would have been much more interesting to me. That would have felt like taking a real risk with the source material, as Holmes' character has always seemed to swoop blithely past many of the "adjustments" or "experiments" foisted upon Watson's over the years (bumbling sidekick, nonentity, animated robot). I'm actually fairly certain that some adaptation has done a female Watson before, though I'm blanking on what it is and Wikipedia is no help. (Anyone know?) A female Sherlock would have been groundbreaking; it would have offered so many new opportunities to explore what precisely makes Holmes Holmes. The more I think about it, the more I really mourn the fact that they didn't make Sherlock a woman. That could have been so darn interesting! (I saw a random blog on Tumblr campaigning to re-cast Firefly star Summer Glau as Sherlock and I just weep for what might have been. Though, honestly, I think Liu herself would have really been an excellent Holmes.)
As it stands, it's a bit difficult to get that excited about yet another hour-long drama-mystery focused around a startlingly brilliant lead character and his omnipresent female sidekick who trails said lead around, telling him how brilliant he is and serving as a "humanizing influence" for his awkward, anti-social or aggressive ways. Both of those things are basically guaranteed to happen, as a huge function of John's presence in the stories, in addition to his general awesomeness, is to be the audience window into what makes Sherlock tick and turn the character into something we, the outsiders, can understand. We already have so many of these kinds of programs on television, on virtually every network. As a set-up, it's tiresome and it makes the series' premise feel mundane and average, when really, the Holmes/Watson stories are anything but.
Plus, there's my ultimate fear - that it all eventually turns into some sort of "will/they won't they" relationship drama with a side dose of crime fighting or mystery solving, just like the Castles, Bones-es, virtually all USA Network dramedies, and [insert procedural of your choice heres] that have come before. (Thanks a lot, Moonlighting curse.) CBS series do tend to follow a very specific formula in this regard – and it's one that's very successful for them ratings-wise, to be sure, so I imagine that they won't be terribly interested in messing with a format that works so well for them. Sigh. I would dearly love to be wrong about this. I just don't think that I'm going to be.
Personal Pet Peeve: Seriously, New York!? One of the most awful things about this entire CBS Sherlock brouhaha is the fact that the network is setting their Holmes story in New York. Really!? I love the Big Apple as much as the next girl, but this is, as BBC Sherlock would say, Wrong! London is practically a character in its own right in the Holmes stories. I'd almost rather they just take the basic plots from the Conan Doyle canon and have an entire new cast of characters, or aliens, or evil twins act them out, because having the actual Sherlock Holmes dashing around New York City is uncomfortably weird and somehow feels as though the entire show is out of character before we've even begun.
Early word on the street says that CBS's Holmes will still be British – a former consultant to Scotland Yard whose addiction problems land him in a New York rehab center. This backstory actually exacerbates my issue with this particular plot point even further – if they'd gone ahead and made it American!Sherlock in New York, that would be one thing (and I could at least argue with the voice in my head that New York is simply the same for American Sherlock as London is for British Sherlock). Keeping him British and in New York irks my internal "this is wrong!" meter quite a bit – is there even a Baker Street in NYC? Will Sherlock live at 221 Avenue B instead? I don't know what to believe in anymore!
This Could End Up Being a Real-Life Courtroom Drama. While no one holds the copyright over Sherlock Holmes and John Watson anymore, it's very possible that CBS could get sued if their modern adaptation appears to lift too many modern accessories from its BBC counterpart – which, as we all know, heavily features the use of texting, computers and other technological conveniences as major components of its stories. (And I hope they weren't planning to dress their Sherlock in anything that looks remotely like that Belstaff…) Obviously, the casting of Liu is an attempt to prove beyond question that CBS is going in an very different direction than the BBC's series – and thereby keep the network out of a lawsuit – but a lot will also depend on how they set up Elementary's premise and how many "modern" elements they include. Both Vertue and co-creator Steven Moffat have mentioned the BBC is monitoring the CBS series very closely to make sure that it isn't skirting the line too closely to their show. We'll have to see how that particular piece of the story develops - but since CBS just canceled another pilot over a legal threat from Sony, such a move would certanly not be unprecedented here.
It's understandable that CBS wants to do everything that they can to prove that they aren't stepping on the BBC's toes (they don't want a lawsuit) and that the network has a vested interest in making their Sherlock stands out from the crowd, as it were (they do want ratings). But it certainly feels to me as if they have picked the most pedestrian option possible with every choice they've made so far. I hope that at some point, something about this show will surprise me or turn out to be legitimately interesting. I also hope that I'm wrong about its likely quality. But I rather don't think I am. (And I'm pretty happy that we can sort of wash this out of my our collective brains for a bit when BBC Sherlock returns to Masterpiece in May.)
Well, now I've gone on at massive, embarrassing length about this, so now it's your turn. What do you think? Will you watch Elementary, should it make it to your television? Is it a great idea or a hot mess?
Sources: Deadline Hollywood, Huffington Post UK, The Independent and Digital Spy


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David Cingari is. the. man. He's a graduate of not only New Haven Hotel & Restaurant Management, but also of the Culinary Institute of America. On a personal level, he is probably one of the nicest and most hilarious guys that you'll ever met, and he's also the proud owner and Head Chef of David's Soundview Catering in Stamford. We got to know him and the DSC crew at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center's Maple Sugar Chef's Challenge, and at many charitable events that they support and help organize. Needless to say, when it comes to awesome food like their redonkulous taco bar that we tasted at Fine Food for a Cause, they've got it all under control. And, with over 25 years under their belts, David's Soundview Catering has garnered an excellent reputation, becoming a staple in the community.
Stamford…and now Bridgeport
Well, we've got some great news to share with you: David's expanded a bit out of Stamford with the recent addition (opened 5 weeks ago) of Cafe 1000. His idea for this brand new restaurant? Offer up some great, high quality breakfast and lunch options for the good people of Bridgeport. The area they moved into (the ground floor at 1000 Lafayette Street) will soon house over 600 new apartment units, is close to 95, the train, and even the waterfront. Plus, Bridgeport is a great and growing alternative for young professionals with costs noticeably more affordable than Stamford.
Cafe 1000
At Cafe 1000, Chef Adlin Fluerency will be running the kitchen and, truth be told, he knows a little something about running kitchens and cafes. In fact, he used to run the Stamford Advocate Cafe, but now he's back for some more in Connecticut's largest city. With him will be Debbie Mortimer, Cafe 1000 Operations Manager, and the eager staff that includes Alicia, Victor, Sheila, and Jordan.
For breakfast, there are lots of options including coffee, bagels, muffins, croissants, fruit, fruit salad, juices, cereal, oatmeal, and some of the breakfast-ier options like egg sandwiches, and omelets. Hey, they'll also have sides of bacon, sausage, ham and home fries, too. Oh, and you'll want to definitely come by for some lunch. Check out just some of the options:
- Deli (you can build it any way you want with their killer meat and cheese selection)
- Tuna, egg, or chicken salad
- David's Croissant (Shaved Honey Ham, Swiss Cheese, Honey Mustard)
- Vegetarian Delight (Roasted Peppers Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Lettuce, and Pesto Mayo on a Wheat Wrap)
- Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap
- The Tuscan Panini and the Panini of the Day
The Grille
- Southwest Wrap (Blackened chicken with Yellow Rice, Fresh Avocado, Black Beans, and homemade salsa in a wrap. David told us that this one is off the hook!)
- Americana (Chicken Cutlet with Hot Cherry Peppers and American Cheese on a wedge)
- Grilled Cheese with your choice of cheese
- Burgers: Angus, Cheeseburger, Turkey, or Veggie Garden (you can order fries on the side)
- BBQ Chicken on a Roll with their tangy BBQ sauce
Salads and Soups
- Salad bar at $7.95 per pound…nice!
- Sante Fe Chicken, Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, or Chinese Chicken Salad.
- Homemade soups on a rotating basis
Cafe 1000 is open weekdays from 7 am until 2:30 and also offers delivery. In addition, they're offer corporate catering and will even host your party or function right at the restaurant at night or even over the weekend (e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com for info).
We'd like to congratulate David Cingari, Chef Fluerency and everybody at Cafe 1000, and also the crew of David's Soundview Catering on the successful opening.
Live long and prosper.
Cafe 1000
Cost: $
Noms: TBD
Address: 1000 Lafayette Street
Bridgeport, CT


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This four cheese macaroni and cheese with bacon is a twist on one of my favorite holiday side dishes. On Thanksgiving we do the traditional turkey and cranberries meal, but on Christmas we have a baked ham and that's when the ooey gooey comfort of mac and cheese makes an appearance on the holiday table.
And this extra cheesy twist on the classic is the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had. The best.
Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
I usually use a combination of two cheeses to make mac and cheese, but when I went grocery shopping, I saw an assortment of four cheese varieties in one package from Great Midwest® Cheeses, and I felt inspired to go cheese-crazy four times over!
Now technically, it was probably designed for crackers and whatnot, but the varieties and amounts in this particular gourmet cheese tray were perfect for a four-cheese macaroni and cheese with bacon.
More than perfect.
Begin by making a roux, and I promise you it's easy as long as you whisk, whisk, whisk. You pretty much want to be whisking from start to finish, and it will turn out to be the creamiest, cheesiest most wonderful mac and cheese you'll ever taste.
When the cheese sauce is ready, dump in your pasta and stir to coat.
Pour it all in a baking dish and then add more cheese.
YES. More cheese.
Cover with TONS of crumbled bacon, then bake it for 15 minutes.
Prepare to fall in love – a bite at a time.
The combination of all four melted kinds of cheese PLUS bacon is ecstasy. Pure ecstasy.
You may never be the same again.
This four-cheese macaroni and cheese is creamy, ooey, gooey magic, I tell ya.
Perfection. Cheesy perfection.
Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
- 1 16 oz box uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded colby cheese divided
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese divided
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese divided
- 1 pkg bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Cook pasta according to directions; drain and set aside.
- In Dutch oven stockpot over medium heat, melt butter. Slowly add flour, continuously whisking. Whisk in chicken broth. Slowly add cream, whisking throughout. Gradually add 3/4 cup of each of the four cheeses while continuing to whisk until smooth.
- Add pasta to cheese sauce, stirring to mix well. Turn into the casserole dish and spread evenly. Add the remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over cheese. Bake 15 minutes.


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Dozens of artists exhibit works at the BOZAR in Brussels and visitors can make offers (no money) to acquire them.
A fun event to attend in a very laid back atmosphere, especially at the end when reading the exchange offers is quite entertaining.
Some snapshots from past editions...
not sure but I seem to remember this is Delphine Boel
Friday 27.01.2012 7PM - 2AM !!! (no mistake)
Saturday 28.01.2012 2PM - 11PM
Sunday 29.01.2012 10AM - 6PM
BOZAR centre for fine arts
Ravenstein Street 23
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
we probably won't be able to visit this edition
posts (10 + this one) on previous editions click label Truc Troc


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CEO of the Year: The Optimism Continues
Columbus C.E.O. and Capital University's School of Management and Leadership initiated the annual Central Ohio CEO Survey last year. At that time, we found local C-level leaders optimistic about the 12-month outlook for the Columbus economy and business environment. More than 90 percent of the executives who responded in 2011 expected the local economy to hold steady or improve and forecasted a stable-to-improving national economy. The majority expected that their organizations would experience increasing revenues, productivity and employee salaries in the year ahead, marking further optimism about recovery from the recession that negatively affected 70 percent of their businesses.
Have local executives retained the optimism they expressed last year, with U.S. job growth sluggish and an accelerating crisis in the Eurozone? The Capital University School of Management and Leadership administered the Central Ohio CEO Survey for Columbus C.E.O., polling those in Columbus's corner offices to find out.
Once again, we mailed the survey to top officers in local businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional services firms throughout the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to assess their insights on the health of the business landscape in Central Ohio. An online version of the survey was also available, but few respondents opted to use the electronic instrument. We used an adapted version of the SMU Cox CEO Sentiment Survey, which we modified to address geographic differences.
We assessed executives' opinions in five business climate categories: the economic outlook, their organization, company practices, perceptions of the Columbus metropolitan area and leadership issues. We also asked them to nominate their peers for 2012 CEO of the Year honors.
Our CEOs-Who Responded?
Surveys were mailed to C-level and other high-ranking executives in the Columbus MSA (Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties). Overall, our respondent demographics remain largely consistent with last year's sample.
Respondents are primarily male (77.1 percent) and white/non-Hispanic (93.4 percent). The majority (59 percent) is between the ages of 40 and 59, though 7.3 percent are under 40 and 4.5 percent are 70 or older.
Half of the respondents have served in the top spot in their current company for more than 10 years, and another 10 percent have accumulated more than 10 years of executive experience throughout their careers. A very small number (2.8 percent) has served as CEO/president for less than a year. Our respondents are highly educated: The majority holds bachelor's or graduate degrees, and only 7.4 percent have two years of college or less.
The sample includes a broad range of functional expertise, with 27.1 percent ascending to lead organizations from a general management background, 13.6 percent from sales and 10.2 percent from accounting. About two-thirds of respondents (66.7 percent) direct private companies, though 22 percent are at nonprofit organizations and 6.2 percent are at publicly traded enterprises. Female CEOs are more likely than male CEOs to be at the helm of nonprofits.
Of those who run private companies, three-quarters (75.4 percent) founded, own or both founded and own their organizations. Forty-five percent of the leaders of these private organizations describe their company as a "family-owned business." The majority of the respondents hold the title CEO (33.9 percent) or president (43.7 percent). A little more than 13 percent are executive or managing directors and 8 percent are managing partners.
The companies these C-levels lead are well-established in this area, with 87.6 percent residing in Central Ohio for more than 10 years. These organizations function across the varied industries that characterize the Columbus MSA, including: professional services (20.7 percent), construction (13.2 percent), financial services (10.3 percent), health care (10.3 percent), human/social services (6.3 percent) and manufacturing (5.2 percent).
A little more than 60 percent of the businesses in our survey record 50 percent or more of their sales in the Columbus metropolitan area, and report that their best opportunity for growth in the next 12 months is in Central Ohio or within the state. However, a quarter of the respondents indicate that less than 25 percent of their sales occur in Central Ohio, and about the same number find greater opportunity for business growth in U.S. regions outside of Ohio.
Once again, our responding organizations are somewhat skewed toward mid- to large-sized Central Ohio employers. While 65.7 percent of respondents employ less than 100 employees, more than 96 percent of the enterprises in the Columbus MSA employ fewer than 100, according to 2009 U.S. Census data. Employers with 100 to 1,000 employees comprise 25.3 percent of our respondents, and 9 percent employ more than 1,000.
Central Ohio CEOs consult a variety of media outlets and publications on a regular basis, including industry-specific and trade publications. Some of the most popular media outlets accessed by our participants include The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus C.E.O., CNN, FOX, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and Columbus Monthly.
Economic Outlook
Last year, executives were optimistic about the continuation of Central Ohio's economic recovery, with more than half anticipating improvement into 2012. This year, the city retained a spot on Forbes' "Best Places for Businesses and Careers," moving up to the No. 24 position, and earned the No. 3 ranking as one of Forbes' "Best Places for Tech Jobs." The September 2012 unadjusted unemployment rate in Columbus was 5.7 percent, down from 7.4 percent in September 2011 and below September statewide (7 percent) and October national (7.9 percent) rates.
Our 2012 results show that Central Ohio industry leaders are even more unified in their expectations for improvement in the local economy in the year ahead, with 61.1 percent forecasting economic gains over the next 12 months in the Columbus MSA (compared with 51.8 percent in 2011) and only 4 percent predicting decline. This optimism extends to the national economy, with 45.5 percent expecting economic expansion at the national level (up from 38.8 percent a year ago). Overall, 70 percent of respondents report observing recent improvement in the economic environment.
It's not surprising that the dark spot in respondents' economic forecasts for the year ahead is the global economy, where expectations have diminished considerably. Compared with just 30 percent predicting global economic decline in 2011, this year, 42.8 percent of respondents envision a declining world economic outlook over the next 12 months.
Despite recent observed improvement and future expectations of growing local and national economies, survey participants remained consistent in their reports of the negative effects of the recent recession locally. Leaders of local industry reported that 62.7 percent of their organizations were negatively affected by the recession, with 6.2 percent recording "very negative" outcomes. However, more than 13 percent report a positive or very positive organizational outcome from the economic downturn, which is consistent with last year's survey results and may reflect Central Ohio's diverse industry base. Likewise, while 53.7 percent of CEOs indicated that they have personally felt the negative effect of the recession, 46.3 percent felt no impact or were positively affected.
Organizational Challenges and Change
Columbus executives' assessment of the top obstacles facing local organizations remains unchanged since the 2011 survey: The current economic climate, keeping up with changing customer needs and expectations, and regulatory and legal issues were cited as the top three challenges facing their enterprises in 2012.
Leading an adaptive organization appears to be the norm for those local executives whose organizations are navigating these challenges. Most CEOs (72.2 percent) report that their organizations have undergone moderate to significant change since the economic crisis began, and 3.3 percent have led their organizations through complete transformation. The vast majority (98.9 percent) expect to make additional changes in the year ahead.
The majority of our respondents seem confident that these organizational changes and the improving economic environment will pay off in the form of enhanced revenues (70.9 percent), profits (52.5 percent) and productivity (59.6 percent) in their companies over the next 12 months. More than 44 percent expect to increase staffing (another 46.4 percent expect no change), and 72.5 percent anticipate increasing employee salaries.
Ethical and Sustainable Practice
Slightly more than half of our executives-53.6 percent-describe their organization as having a formal ethics program, which has not changed from a year ago. Just 9.3 percent of respondents have an ethics office in their organizations, and 8.8 percent have an ethics officer. Given that the majority of our respondents lead organizations with fewer than 100 employees, these results are not surprising. According to the Ethics Resource Center, organizations of this size are less likely than large businesses to have formal ethics programs.
Nonetheless, Columbus organizations are using a variety of ethics initiatives, including: statement of values (53.3 percent), code of ethics (41.2 percent) and including ethical behavior as a component of employee performance reviews (34.3 percent). Less than a third of the organizations represented in our survey offer anonymous channels for reporting violations (31.9 percent), encourage a whistle-blowing process (31.3 percent) or require ethics training (29.7 percent). Overall, 12.3 percent report that there are no ethics initiatives in use in their organization.
Sustainability and corporate responsibility continue to be salient in local business plans and practices, according to area executives. Nearly 60 percent of our survey participants say they've integrated sustainability initiatives into their business plans, and more than 70 percent report that corporate social responsibility is important or very important to their organization. Specific sustainability initiatives in use in respondents' organizations include: recycling (56.6 percent), moving toward a "paperless" environment (42.9 percent), energy efficiency (42.5 percent), conducting regular audits (16.5 percent), retrofitting facilities (14.3 percent) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification (11.6 percent).
Perceptions of the Columbus MSA
Columbus ranked 10th among Forbes' 2012 "Cities Where a Paycheck Stretches the Furthest." According to its list of cities with the highest income when adjusted for the cost of living, our resilient economy and relatively low cost of living made the 2011 average annual Columbus area wage of $48,483 worth $53,691.
For the second quarter of 2012, the Council for Community and Economic Research calculation of the Cost of Living Index for Columbus was 89.1 (the U.S. score is 100). More than two-thirds of the organizational leaders responding to our survey agree that this moderate cost of living is one of the top three contributing factors to the city's overall quality of life.
But it's not just the reasonable price tag that makes Central Ohio a desirable place to live. Nearly half of local business leaders cite the area's "family-friendly environment" as an important attribute. And the area's health-care and medical facilities, employment opportunities and educational resources each were cited by about 30 percent of respondents as having an important influence on quality of life. Columbus executives remain generally pleased with the quality of the area's labor force, with more than 90 percent rating the overall quality of the region's workforce adequate (55.9 percent) or high (36.3 percent).
There was no change from 2011 in C-level opinions of the measures local governments should take to improve the business climate in Central Ohio: 1) change the business tax structure; 2) increase financial incentives for businesses, such as tax abatements, fee rebates and expedited permits; and 3) improve public school education.
Leadership Perspectives
Our CEO sample has significant tenure, with more than half reporting more than 10 years of experience at the highest organizational level. What do they think of the next generation of emerging leaders in their organizations? What attributes have they found integral to their own success as leaders of industry? What persistent challenges do they face as CEO, and how do they assess their effectiveness? And who do they most often turn to for support and counsel?
More than 83 percent of our CEOs describe the leadership depth within their organizations as good to excellent, and less than 2 percent find leaders in short supply. Yet more than 55 percent do not have a formal succession plan in place. This figure is only slightly higher than the percentage of respondents who founded or own their companies (50 percent), which may signal a need for more formalized succession planning in owner-run private businesses. Most Central Ohio organizational leaders (60.5 percent) deploy a "grow" strategy to leadership development, primarily developing leaders from within the organization. Another 35 percent promote leaders from within and bring proven leaders in from outside of the organization about equally.
Since nearly a quarter of our survey respondents identified "keeping up with changing customer needs and expectations" as the top business challenge facing their companies, it's not unexpected that more than half (54.1 percent) rank "sustaining a competitive advantage" as one of their top three challenges. Many of those polled also rate attracting and retaining good employees (36.1 percent), developing leaders (25.1 percent), managing growth (23.5 percent) and meeting quarterly earnings projections (23 percent) as the top challenge in their role as CEO. More than 90 percent are satisfied or very satisfied with their job (nearly 10 percent more than last year), and more than 75 percent report that they feel secure about their job.
We asked respondents to reflect on the attributes and skills that have contributed the most to their success as organizational leaders. Sound decision making (67.8 percent), strategic thinking (59.7 percent) and strong ethics (38.8 percent) were the most frequent responses. Interpersonal skills (33.3 percent), financial acumen (28 percent) and being a good judge of people (21.3 percent) rounded out the list.
Few of our executives measure personal success by their paycheck. More than three-quarters (77 percent) indicate that they measure their personal success by their company's success, and more than 65 percent gauge success by their impact on the lives of employees and customers. Forty-four percent measure personal success by the amount of quality time spent with loved ones. Loved ones are also a source of significant counsel and influence. More than 80 percent rely on their spouse or significant other as an important confidant, and more than half cite their spouse/significant other (24.4 percent) or parent (29.7 percent) as the single most influential person in helping them achieve professional success.
Others credit professional mentors (16.9 percent) and/or bosses (11 percent) with playing an instrumental role in their professional success. Outside of their households, these leaders most often rely on friends (41.8 percent), a business partner (28 percent) or their CFO (21.4 percent) as trusted confidants.
The results of the second annual Central Ohio CEO Survey continue the theme of leader optimism revealed last year. An increasing percentage of respondents expect the local and national economies to improve in the next 12 months, and 70 percent have witnessed recent improvement in the economic environment. This buoyancy is moderated by gloomier expectations about the world economy, with more than 40 percent of respondents predicting global economic decline.
The top organizational challenges facing area businesses remain unchanged from last year, according to their leaders: the need for continued economic recovery, competitive forces, and regulatory and legal issues. Central Ohio business leaders would like to see local governments create more business-friendly tax structures and financial incentives to improve the area's business climate. They rate the quality of the Columbus workforce as adequate to high, but would still like to see local governments improve public education.
Local executives consider themselves custodians of their institutions, employees and customers. Most tie their personal success to the success of their company and impact on their employees and customers, but also highly value time with loved ones. They appreciate the quality of life in the Columbus metropolitan area for its moderate cost of living, family-friendly environment and medical and educational resources.
We intend to make the Central Ohio CEO Survey an annual poll. If you didn't receive our survey this year and would like to participate in 2013, please complete the request at www.capital.edu/ceo-survey.
Keirsten S. Moore is assistant dean of the School of Management and Leadership and Beckett A. Broh is former assistant professor of sociology/criminology at Capital University.
Reprinted from the December 2012 issue of Columbus C.E.O. Copyright © Columbus C.E.O.


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We invite you to sit back with a cold one and enjoy a guest post by bartender, history major and story-teller extraordinaire: the one, the only, Nick Blakeslee.
There are many different styles of beer in the world. Beer Advocate puts the number around 104, but styles are constantly being invented or improved upon, mixed or matched, tweaked or tailored. Once upon a time, there were only a handful of selections: stouts, porters, pale ales and the like. But where did those staples come from? Great question, hypothetical inner monologue that brings up the perfect questions exactly when I need them. Today we're going to talk about a beer that has become a staple for breweries all over America for the past decade: the India Pale Ale – or as you probably know it, the IPA.
The IPA is a relatively new ale, one that's only graced bars, saloons, restaurants, tap houses and my weird teacher's secret cache, since around the turn of the 18th century, making it one of the newest ales brewed to date, considering beer has been consumed for the past several thousand years or so.
Now, before we get started, like many things in history it's hard to say which story is true – which is legend and which is just a bold-faced lie. Humans are OK at record keeping, but they're even better at telling stories. We have the uncanny ability to embellish, over-exaggerate or just straight make things up: for example, my uncle thinks he's a good fisherman.
Which is where our friend, the IPA comes in. In our research, we found that there's no agreed upon origin story of the IPA. There's no clear document that says in bold typeface, "THE IPA WAS CREATED BY BILLY McSCHOCKERED, THE TOWN DRUNK OF LONDON IN 1821." Instead, like much of history, we have to piece together bits of a story—some truth, others fiction—in order to find the semblance of what really happened.
So we'll start with a disclaimer: there's no 100% agreed upon origin story of the IPA. That said, there is one that highlights the most common history told of the IPA; a story that provides at least a bit of insight, as to how the iconic beer may have gotten its name. It involves soldiers far away from home, an overreaching brewer and colonial England.
At the time of the IPA's creation, pale ales were very popular in England. Often floral, a milder flavor than the stout and porters, this beer was enjoyed year-round, but especially in the summer time in England—a season lasting about four days.
Though recently losing the thirteen territories, England was nearing the height of its empire – it spanned from Europe, to the Americas, to Africa, Australia and India. Being a large empire means having a lot of peacekeepers, which is just a fancy way of saying, "people with guns." The Royal Navy was at its zenith, and it held the trophy for largest naval force since the sinking of the Spanish Armada in the late 16th century. Having the largest navy meant England was able to plant loads of flags all over the world to claim territories for queen and country (kind of like a kid at a dessert buffet sticking his finger in every cake to claim them for himself). Wealth, power and commerce flowed freely into the hands of England. This tiny country had all the things it'd need to become the largest empire in the world and eventually hold sway over a quarter of the world's population.
And this large population needed food and drink…and beer. British soldiers were actually given a beer ration, because beer is a great way to keep people happy (especially those very far away from home). India was a relatively new territory for England (who showed up early in the 17th century), and supplies were sent from all over for their soldiers, but one thing could never quite make it: a nice pale ale.
Because here's the deal with pale ales: they're delicate, temperamental and arguably weak in constitution (basically me in middle school… and high school…and now.). It was much too hot to brew a pale ale in India (remember: no refrigerators) meaning the beer would need to be imported from England. But the delicate beer couldn't make it; merchants had to go around the tip of South Africa (the Suez Canal wasn't constructed until 1869), meaning the trip would take six months by ship, one way. Ales only take 2-4 weeks to brew, so the beer would be sitting in barrels for 5 months. That, compounded with dangerous seas and mankind's uncanny ability to reason their way into drinking someone else's beer, meant that the ales never survived the trip.
Porters and stouts could last the voyage – the heartier beverage is naturally more resilient, due to many things (like its color, inherent ingredients and abv.). But having a porter on a hot 115 degree day isn't exactly what many would call refreshing.
English soldiers wanted beer, specifically refreshing English beer. So a London brewer by the name of George Hodgson took up the case. They decided to prolong the life of the beer by changing one simple thing: adding freshly picked hops, and lots of them. The increase in hops elongated the brewing process while also bittering the beverage and increasing the alcohol content. This allowed the more delicate pale ale to be resilient to natural beer-destroying things like bacteria. He called it the "October Beer." Rumor has it that Hodgson steeped the first test brew in a tea kettle, though that can't be confirmed as a fact or simply a legend.
His idea for including more hops originally came from barley wine, a style of beer rich in both color and alcohol content that used just-picked hops for the brewing process. These beers lasted years, and sometimes lords and ladies would brew a batch for a newly born child and tap it once that child turned 18.
Using this method of brewing—incorporating fresh hops and plenty of them—Hodgson sent off his first batch of beer late in 1821. That first shipment showed up on the shores of India in January of 1822. It was a historical event even then, "Hodgson's warranted prime picked ale of the genuine October brewing. Fully equal, if not superior, to any ever before received in the settlement."
For a time Hodgson and his sons had a monopoly on the beer style, being the only brewery that made and shipped this style beer to India. They also let merchants pay for their beer shipments after reaching India and returning, meaning merchants were more inclined to take his goods because they could pay him after they'd seen a profit and made the voyage back. But after overreaching for a price deal, other breweries threw their hats into the ring. Burton-on-Trent and Bass breweries both created a similar style of ale and thus the style of beer was popularized. That said, Burton-on-Trent was the first to designate it by its modern name: the India Pale Ale, or IPA for short. Before long, it found its way back to Europe and became another popular style alongside porters, stouts, pales, and the like.
And that's where things begin to differentiate. Some sources say an IPA style beer had been brewed in England for decades prior to Hodgson ever conceiving the idea. Others say Hodgson wasn't even the first one to send it off to India.
Whatever the origin is, there is truth to Hodgson's creation of his beer. It happened. It was sent. It was loved by the British Peace Keepers. He just may not have been the first, but it was certainly the most romantic of them all; and if history has taught us anything, it's that we humans love a good story, even if it's a bit exaggerated. We like the idea of this beloved beer having a romantic origin story: of being created in a small kitchen, in something as iconic to British culture as a tea kettle, and sent off to imbibe soldiers in a faraway land. That sounds a lot nicer than, "It just kind of showed up, no one really knows."
Since then, the IPA has become a staple for breweries to have on tap. Frankly, we love it. It's a beer that goes great with any season, and its relative flexibility means there's a style of IPA for everyone: a Ruby Grapefruit IPA from Wildcard brewery in Redding for some summertime citrus, or perhaps Ninkasi's Tricerihops for the masochists out there that love their beer to taste like the Dead Sea.
And that's all I've got on the IPA. Look at that. You learned something today. Feel free to gloat about it and be that person at the dinner table that shares a bordering-inane piece of triva. Better yet, appreciate the men and women before us who made it possible for us to enjoy such a delicious beverage.