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La Palina's Next Act
Bill Paley sits back in a leather chair in his Washington, D.C., office, a puff of smoke from his La Palina cigar dying long before it reaches the ceiling that looms high above. The room is tricked out with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, an octagonal poker table by the window overlooking the tree-lined streets of DuPont Circle and a fat, chunky CBS Radio microphone off to the side, a memento of the media empire built by his father. This is the headquarters of La Palina Cigars.
While he has only been selling cigars for two years, Paley's boutique smokes are a revival of a brand created by his grandfather in Chicago in the 1800s. The new La Palinas—made in five varieties and counting, by four different manufacturers in as many countries—have begun to attract serious attention from the cigar community despite hitting the market with price tags of $20 and up at a time when most cigar smokers were looking for bargains. Paley's La Palina El Diario KB, a small, dark smoke with a kick, scored 93 points in this magazine, and one of his newer creations, a small-production, truncated lancero called the Goldie sold out almost immediately.
A tall, snappy dresser of 64 years with long, silver hair and a beard, Paley has occasionally been mistaken for Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor who portrays "The Most Interesting Man in the World" in the commercials for Dos Equis. While his CV isn't as superhuman as that of the fictional beer hero, Paley has an intriguing story all his own.
A Vietnam-war vet and college dropout, Paley served as a filmmaker for the U.S. Army, worked on propaganda for the U.S. Department of Defense, lived on a boat for several years after the war, tried the restaurant business for a time and spent some two decades as an addictions counselor, helping users battle their demons after winning a battle against addiction himself.
His full name is William S. Paley Jr., and he hails from wealth and fame. His father William S. Paley turned CBS Radio from a small radio network into a powerhouse company, founded the CBS television network and once bought the New York Yankees for the company. In addition to the microphone, Paley's office has a tall cabinet holding three 20-inch Sony televisions that his father kept tuned to the three major networks, the entire media world, for all intents and purposes, during his day. His mother, Barbara, known as Babe, was a fashion icon. His maternal grandfather, Dr. Harvey Cushing, was a renowned brain
surgeon, described by some as the father of modern neurosurgery.
Paley calls his childhood "extraordinary," for its taste of luxury, grand homes, gourmet food and even a valet to teach him the ropes, but it was also challenging. His father was a hard-charging, competitive lion of industry who played for keeps, and being his son could be a difficult task.
"He could always see the weak point," Paley says of his father. "As a son, nothing was right. It was very hard to live up to."
Paley never excelled at school, which contributed to his landing in Southeast Asia. "I did a year in college, didn't do well and I got drafted," he says. He ended up in Vietnam, was stationed in the field filming troops, sometimes in action. "I didn't kill anybody, I didn't get killed," he says. But the wartime experience had an effect on him. "I sort of had it." He—literally—drifted for three years on a Hinckley Sou'wester yacht. "It was like a floating commune," he says.
Paley had trouble finding himself. He tried selling yachts and dabbled in the restaurant business, and found success as an addictions counselor, helping people who went through what he went through.
"I had my own issues," he says of addiction, saying he got clean in 1984. "Addiction is choice-less behavior. It's the brain that's addicted. The mind doesn't want to be there."
Addictions counseling was both fascinating and fulfilling to Paley, and he did it for some two decades. But after so much time spent counseling, and with his children grown and off to college, he was ready to make a change. "I had done it long enough. I had been counseling my kids, be passionate—do what you want to do."
Paley loved smoking cigars. Before joining the cigar industry he was a twice-a-day smoker with a taste for Cubans. "My go-to smoke was a Hoyo Epi 2, and I loved the Monte 2s and Sancho Panzas. My tastes were built on Cuban tobacco."
"Like anything in my life I got interested in, I got obsessed with it," Paley says of cigars. When he originally thought about entering the cigar business, he first thought he had no place in the industry. "I laughed and said, 'Who are you to make a cigar?' " he recalls. "But I wanted to do something I was proud of. Then it occurred to me—it was in my blood."
The Paleys come from Brovary, a suburb of Kiev in modern-day Ukraine. In the days before the Russian Revolution, Kiev was part of the Russian Empire ruled by the tsar, and the Paley family served as his local representative, according to Bill Paley. The family was well off, with interests in lumber.
Things changed after the 1881 assassination of Tsar Alexander II. The Paley's Jewish heritage made them a target during what followed: an intense wave of anti-Semitic rioting and scapegoating known as pogroms. The family moved to the United States, settling in Chicago.
The Paley luck turned for the worse as family patriarch Isaac Paley lost his fortune. "He had capital, played with his capital and lost his money," says Bill Paley of his great-grandfather. That forced Isaac's son Samuel to take a job as a lector in a local cigar factory, reading novels, newspapers and magazines to the workers. The cigar business suited Samuel, and he was later promoted to a roller and then a blender. In 1896, he went out on his own, forming Congress Cigar Co. The company's first brand was called La Palina.
"He would roll in the window," says Paley. "He was a small man, he had a gravelly voice—probably from the 15 cigars he smoked each day. All I have is fond memories of him."
Eventually the cigar company grew, and in 1910 Paley moved it to Philadelphia. His son joined as vice president of advertising, and his love of radio inspired him to create "The La Palina Hour," which brought the La Palina name to the airwaves and increased sales of the 10-cent cigars. The company bought a group of local radio stations to promote La Palina cigars, but that small acquisition turned into far, far more than anyone could have dreamt.
The elder William S. Paley loved radio a lot more than he loved cigars. Congress Cigar Co. went away after Samuel retired in 1926. The La Palina brand was sold, eventually becoming a mass-market brand, and ultimately was owned by Altadis U.S.A. Inc. For the Paleys, that small group of radio stations grew into what became known as the Tiffany Network. CBS Radio begat CBS Television, and at one time in the early 1960s Paley's CBS had 14 of the top 15 shows in prime-time television, and CBS's news division became the world standard under his watch. William S. Paley became a rich and powerful man.
Among the trappings of the Paley fortune was the Lightbourne House, a family retreat he and Babe built in Lyford Cay, a gated community in the Bahamas not far from the capital city of Nassau. Babe, a renowned designer, actually decorated the house, to scale, in a warehouse near her home in Long Island and had everything shipped down to the Bahamas, to make it just so.
After the death of his father in 1990 (his mother had died in 1978) Paley inherited Lightbourne House and visited the Bahamas frequently. There he met the Garzaroli family, which makes Graycliff cigars in Nassau. Paley was originally looking for a signature cigar for the Lightbourne House, which he had fashioned into a bed and breakfast.
Paley loved cigars, but lacked experience in the industry and turned to others for advice. He went to Michael Herklots, who ran New York City's Davidoff shop on Madison Avenue at the time, asking his advice over lunch at New York's '21' Club. "I said, 'I need you to tell me what's wrong with the cigar,'—and he did. And I tweaked it."
Paley set out to commercialize his new cigars. He bought back the name from Altadis. (He says he spent $5,000 on the brand name, which at the time was defunct.) He worked with a designer, studied the old imagery and took an engraving of his grandmother and turned it into the image seen on his new cigar bands. In 2010, he was ready, and Paley unveiled his first La Palinas at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show. Each of the cigars were made in the Bahamas by Graycliff Cigar Co., and each paid a form of tribute to his family. The La Palina 1896 was a limited-edition, named for the year his grand-father started making cigars, and each size in the La Palina Family Series was named after a member of his family. The least expensive has a suggested retail price of $18, the priciest sells for $23.
On paper, it was a lousy time to try and sell a $20 cigar, but La Palinas drew some interest, finding homes in high-end shops such as Davidoff. "He was very adamant about starting high-end, starting limited," says Herklots, now with Nat Sherman. "When you dig into the Paley story, it makes sense."
Paley admits he began in a way that runs contrary to most cigar brands. "I started backwards, with the super-premium first. I knew I would be pushing uphill." Right away, he reasoned he needed a less expensive version. He followed up in 2011 with the release of La Palina El Diario, turning to Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley Cigar Co. to help him make a less pricey blend rolled in Honduras at the Raices Cubanas cigar factory. El Diarios, made entirely of Central American tobaccos, have suggested retail prices about half that of the early La Palinas, right around $10 per cigar. The blend resulted in the highest-scoring La Palina to date, the 4 1/4 by 40 KB, which scored 93 points in the June issue of Cigar Aficionado.
"KB" stands for "Kill Bill," because the prototype of the cigar knocked Paley on his rear. "I wasn't able to finish smoking the first prototype," he said soon after the launch.
With its far more reasonable price point, El Diario brought the La Palina brand into many more smoke shops. Paley expanded further this past year, adding two more regular production brands: La Palina Maduro, also made in Honduras by Raices Cubanas, and the La Palina Classic, made in the Dominican Republic by PDR Cigar Factory.
He also created a limited-edition smoke made in Miami at El Titan de Bronze, a small cigar factory on Calle Ocho in the heart of Little Havana. The cigar, called the La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No. 2, is made entirely by one person, Maria Sierra, who has been making cigars for more than three decades, most of them spent within Cuba's legendary El Laguito Factory.
"She rolls 100 cigars a day. It took her 100 days to roll this [run]," says Paley, describing the 1,000 boxes, each containing 10 Goldies. He lauds Sierra's cigarmaking skills, but all the evidence you need is in looking at one of her creations. The Goldies are stunning, slim smokes, with specialized flag tips called fans by some—the little tab of extra tobacco adorning the head begins ultra slim and fans out a bit.
Paley describes the Goldie as a tribute to women working in the cigar industry. The smoke is named after a woman (his paternal grandmother, Sam's wife), made by a woman (Sierra) in a factory run by a woman (Sandy Cobas) and sold by a woman—Courtney Smith, the national sales director for La Palina cigars.
Paley wants to make more limited-edition variations of the Goldie, the first of which sold out to retailers in two weeks. And he wants Sierra to roll them. "I've got her basically under contract for the rest of her career," he says.
Paley is quite comfortable following his own path in the cigar business. He says he doesn't want to be tied to one country or one blender, and he knows he needs help making his cigars. "I don't have the ability to be a blender myself," he says quite frankly. Describing the La Palina house style, he promotes "smoothness and flavor," saying "It has to be absent of bitterness."
He doesn't quite grasp the tasting note concept, doesn't taste the hints of coffee bean or the wisp of leather others get when they smoke cigars. He prefers to find harmonies in his cigars. "A cigar to me is like a piece of music. It can have a lot of elements, it can be orchestral."
Sitting back in that leather chair in his D.C. office, he takes another puff of his smoke. On the table in front of him, on a stack of books of art, lies a wooden sampler box of the original La Palina cigar brand from the 1920s. It was a box designed for traveling salesmen, with slots for each of the sizes. The box has been loaded with current La Palinas, the modern-day cigars far larger than the compartments made for their early 1900s counterparts.
"I don't think I had ever done something that made my family proud," Paley says. "Starting the cigar business allowed me to—rather than living up to what my father built, and all his expectations—to live up to my grandfather."
He holds the La Palina in his hand. "I think my father could take a lot of pride in this. I'm honoring his father. This just feels right."


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Please read carefully, both the usage and washing instructions, before using the product.
All Back on Track products should be implemented gradually. To start with, use the product for a maximum of four hours a day for the first 2-3 days. The body then has the opportunity to familiarize itself with the fabric's effects.
The reason we recommend starting with a maximum of 4 hours use is that some people experience pain in the beginning. In horses and dogs, it manifests itself as a swelling. This is due to the increased blood circulation, which is actually a good indication that the ceramic fabric is taking effect. This initial pain or swelling can occur anywhere from a few to several hours of use. You should then cease using the product any more that day, and instead introducing it carefully and more gradually over the following days.
After the introductory period you should up the usage to a minimum of 8 hours per day, preferably more. After only an hour or so is often perceived a positive effect on tight muscles and stiff joints. More persistent problems may require several days, usually between 10-20, before the desired result is achieved.
After the introductory period of 2-3 days it is important to continue to use the product intensively at least 10, preferably 20 days, before assessing its impact. Since this ceramic fabric reflects more of the body's heat radiation as you move, the effect is greatest if you wear the product when active. Back on Track also works when resting, even when you sleep.
Continue to use the product according to the routine you develop, or use it for two weeks and then take a break in the third week, this in order to avoid dependency. The sensitivity of this dependency varies from individual to individual. For maximum effect, the ceramic fabric should be in direct contact with the skin (if necessary, a thin cotton cloth inserted between).
Note: Caution is advised during simultaneous use with liniment or similar, since the effect is amplified.
Use the product only as directed and consult a doctor if symptoms persist. Do not use during pregnancy.
Keep in mind that the effect of Back and Track increases with movement when the body heat increases, so in addition to using pads and blankets in the stables, the horse can also be allowed to move around with the Back on Track products. Especially suitable in this context is Riding Boots, Bandages, Saddle Pads, Exercise Rug and Exercise Machine Rug.
For long term problems, the horse may need to use Back on Track for an extended period. Use the product for two to three weeks and have a break one week, to see if the symptoms persist.
As a preventive measure, Back on Track can be used with regular breaks. Use Back on Track 1 day before and 2 days after exercise and then stop until the next workout. For warm-up, use 1-2 hours before and 2-4 hours after exercise.
For dogs, one often uses the standard Dog Rug, which is rain repellent and breaths. However, it should be noted that for long-running problems, Back on Track should be used for several weeks, at least 8 hours per day, with regular breaks in order to achieve the desired results. This means that the dog can use the rug day and night, indoor as well as outdoor, 24/7. If being used at night, it is probably more comfortable for the dog to wear the Mesh Rug, which is more adaptable. Alternatively, the dog may be provided with a mattress with "memory foam" or a cover of Back on Track to the sleeping basket. The foam part molds to the body shape and relieves a sore back.
Back on Track products can be machine washed at 30 C with normal detergent. Air dry.
Note: Do not use bleach or fabric softener, or tumble dry. The product should be ironed at a maximum temperature of 50 C. The ceramic powder is fused in the fibres of polyester/polypropylene and does not separate when washed.
The textile is produced in China and consists of 100% polypropylene (PP) with ceramic powder or 50% polyester with ceramic powder and 50% cotton.

subset: commoncrawl


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Report adds to its research database Heavy Duty Truck market report. The report provides in-depth market statistics on different business scenarios, including estimates of current market conditions classified by participants, end-users, geographic segment-based applications. Since the market is full of obstacles that emerge now and then, this report's comprehensive observations suggest every single growth opportunity that can be translated into significant revenue.
The report briefs on existing competitors and major market trends, covering a comprehensive analysis of both growth factors and limiting those may have a positive or negative impact on the outlook of the industry during the forecast period. This provides all the specifics of the key factors that are expected to drive the growth of the Heavy Duty Truck market during the period forecast.
The market data and analytics presented in the report are a product of extensive root-level research and therefore the resulting information serves as a guideline for new players willing to enter the market. Considering the degree of accuracy and reliability, the data comes from several trustworthy sources.
A Heavy Duty Truck is an instrument used, as in sonar, to locate fish underwater by detecting reflected bursts of sound energy. A modern Heavy Duty Truck shows mirrored sound measurements on a visual monitor that enables an operator to interpret data to identify fish schools, underwater debris, and the water floor. Sport and commercial fishermen use Heavy Duty Truck instruments. In 2019, the global Heavy Duty Trucks market will reach Volume Million USD and between 2020-2024 will reach CAGR xx percent.
Download Sample Copy Of Report: https://emarketresearch.us/global-heavy-duty-truck-market/#Request-Sample
The comprehensive study in the Heavy Duty Truck market report focuses on the most important regions in the world such as Europe, North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The data provided in this report are also categorized into various segments and sub-sections, including manufacturers, product types, applications, end-users, and regions.
Leading companies for Heavy Duty Truck including:
ISUZU, Kamaz, Volvo, Sinotruck, Renault, GAZ, Ganja Auto Plant, Scania, Dongfeng, KRAZ, Shaanxi Automobile, Man and JAC
Market split by Type can be divided into:
Complete Vehicle
Incomplete Vehicle
Incomplete Vehicle
Market split by Application can be divided into:
Infrastructre Construction
Freight Market
Infrastructre Construction
Freight Market
Heavy Duty Truck Market size is driven by a number of end-use industries indirectly influenced by downstream consumers as a result of consistent regional economic development as mentioned above. In particular, developing economies ' preferring trade policies are likely to create tailor-made market growth circumstances that will help players carve a niche in the years to come.
As true to the competitive market conditions complemented by constant impulses and retracements on the market's growth map, the report provides you with detailed information on the factors that promote or restrict the expansion of the market.
In addition, these elements tend to vary with regard to the regions and end-users to which the product is targeted. Hence, it helps to analyze various factors that promote market growth, while also identifying restrictive factors that cause a market downturn.
These factors are analyzed on the basis of historical data, which helps to predict future opportunities while at the same time alarming the negativity during the forecast timeline that could affect the growth of the industry.
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The Heavy Duty Truck market report provides accurate figures and statistics including the CAGR, volume, percentage share, consumption, and price fluctuations as a brilliant presentation of critical market dynamics based on the segmental and regional analysis.
Each region covered by this study is carefully analyzed to explore key opportunities and business prospects that are expected during the forecast period to generate commendable returns. The report outlines some of the world's Heavy Duty Truck market's leading names, providing players with crucial information that can enhance their overall business tactics to ensure a strong market foothold.
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Maple Ridge Mayor Mike Morden has asked the provincial government to invest $60 million for social housing and to assist with the costs associated with Anita Place Tent City.
Morden met with a number of provincial ministers on Feb. 25 to discuss the impacts of housing affordability, the increasing frequency of 'renovictions' and the availability of affordable housing for seniors and those dealing with poverty. He also discussed operational models, accountability of operators and the community impacts for facilities that are addressing the housing needs of those with addictions and mental health challenges in the community.
"While this is a large list of topics, they are interconnected. I got the sense that there is a broad understanding that we all need to work across jurisdictions to identify the problems, assess and enact solutions and ensure that we all understand our roles and responsibilities," said Mayor Morden who also thanked local MLAs, Minister Lisa Beare and Bob D'Eith.
Residents of Anita Place were moved out of the camp on March 1 after an evacuation order was issued by the Provincial Fire Commissioner following an application by Maple Ridge fire chief Howard Exner.
The site is currently closed, with security personnel stationed at the site 24 hours a day supported by the Ridge Meadows RCMP.
Accommodations and meals for evacuees from the camp were provided by the City of Maple Ridge's Emergency Support Services team that opened a reception centre on Lougheed Highway east of 222 Avenue, at noon on Saturday.
Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said the province wants to make sure that everyone who has been evacuated can access shelter, food and health and social services.
"In the longer term, this reinforces the need to act quickly and build more supportive housing in Maple Ridge," she said noting that dozens of former Anita Place campers have homes and can access support services in modular housing opened several months ago.
Morden asked the province to look into the difficulty that local governments have in getting accurate information on people who are receiving services in the community and what the outcomes are as they move through the network of services and front line organizations. His hope is that by addressing reporting and data collection gaps across ministerial portfolios there can be better coordination and improvement in outcomes for those who are dealing with multiple health issues and housing challenges.
Those who attended the meeting included:
· Honourable Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health & Addictions
· Honourable Adrian Dix, Minister of Health
· Honourable Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing
· Honourable Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development & Poverty Reduction
· Honorable Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism MLA Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows
· Mr. Bob D'Eith MLA Maple Ridge – Mission
· Mr. Shane Ramsay, CEO of BC Housing
· Michael Morden, Mayor City of Maple Ridge
· Kelly Swift, Acting CAO City of Maple Ridge


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Here's something I do to save money for trips that started when I brought some coin banks home from a visit to England. These little banks were originally containers for caramels and shortbread that came in the shapes of double-decker buses and post boxes. Once the treats were gone, I made a display of them at home. But then I thought: why not use them to save money? I started using one of them to keep the extra coins I'd brought home from England. I reasoned this would give me some starter money to use on my next trip there.
An opportunity to buy a piggy bank happened when I was in Switzerland. I saw a really cheerful one and thought I could use it for the Swiss francs I didn't spend. At this point I decided to build a collection of banks. And I might mention that they also make nice souvenirs!
So now I fill them with extra coins I'm saving toward future trips (this includes shopping trips). It works well for me.


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Well, you've almost made it to Friday! Yippee! That's always cause for celebration in our house. For tomorrow's lunches for my little turkeys, I went with a turkey theme. This just might be my altogether favorite themed lunch from over the years. I've probably done this one over a dozen times and it never gets old to me. I think that little turkey is so darn cute! I made a turkey shaped PB sandwich. Ain't nobody (re: me) got time for jelly today. I used my food safe markers to add some details. I also packed some crackers, a mandarin orange (Smalls), fresh berries (Bigs), red grapes, half a cheese stick, and a pumpkin brownie with a candy corn for dessert.
Hope your Friday isn't too fowl! HAHAHHAHA


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Just after my 6th birthday, my parents bought an old house in what was then a rural area. It was purported to be haunted, though Mom and Dad did not mention that to myself nor my brothers and sisters. I remember shortly after moving into the house, I left my bedroom and as I entered the hallway, a misty figure appeared before me. I screamed! Dad came running with Mom just behind him. I told him I saw God. Even now, after so many years, I can still see the knowing look he gave my mother.
You might think that whatever frightened me would have been thrown off by my screams, but the spirit kept coming back to me. He (I've always thought it was a he) would playfully lift me up and let me "fly" around the room when my parents were in another part of the house. Our house had high ceilings and he would fly me to the ceiling and let me look down on the room. Now, don't start thinking I was dreaming or out of my mind. I was as sane as ever.
Of course, as I grew up he ceased letting me fly, but he stayed with me. When I was in high school, Mom and Dad opened up and talked about the ghostly noises they heard, but I kept mum. I thought they wouldn't believe that their "ghost" and daughter were friends.
When I married, he followed me wherever we moved. I didn't see him every day, but he would appear and stand next to me from time to time. My ghost was very respectful of my privacy and never entered my bedroom or bathroom, but I would often find him waiting in the hall when I opened the bedroom door.
One day, when my youngest was still small, we were all sitting on the porch sharing stories. I went in to get everyone something to drink. As I opened the refrigerator door, I felt my "friend's" presence at my side. I turned and quietly said, "You are going to scare my sons." He left and hasn't made his presence known to me since.
I miss him and have tried to call him back. I may have released him from whatever bound him to Earth or perhaps he is still here but not making his presence known to me.
This was the first of many such occurrences I have had since then. I have many more stories to tell. Stay tuned, you never know when one will pop up.
About Michelle
Michelle says that she is "a reader, not a writer". She writes and reviews at Book Chat, a blog dedicated to the books she loves and where she shares advice and information for writers.
She says of herself …
"After college, I entered the workforce, but soon left that behind when my children were born. While raising my sons, I embarked on a fulfilling volunteer path for such groups as our local children's hospital, church, neighborhood association, PTA, classroom volunteer, Kindervelt, military academy parents' organization, and Make-a-Wish. Volunteering enabled me to develop lifelong leadership skills and establish an extensive professional and social network. Of course, I have always been a voracious reader, seeking out books that are both fulfilling and enjoyable. I am married to my soul mate and have three amazing adult sons and two wonderful daughters-in-law. My grandchildren bring me the greatest joy imaginable."
Find and follow Michelle
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If you have had a strange experience or encounter that you would like to share, please get in touch with me at firstname.lastname@example.com (or my usual email if you already have it) and we can discuss a guest post.
I am not looking for sensationalism or fictional tales… but in light of the response to some recent posts, I think it would be both useful and reassuring to others to realise that none of us are alone in these strange encounters and experiences and perhaps we can open discussion on what they may be or may mean.
If you would like to share your story but prefer to remain anonymous, we can discuss that too. If you would like to share your beliefs and opinions on the nature of these experiences, I would be happy to talk about a guest post. Through sharing with respect we may learn to understand our world and each other a little better.


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Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Artichoke and Strawberry Panzanella
This panzanella was just such a recipe, and it's a vision of spring on the plate. It's is also from Girl in the Kitchen, and I was reminded of it when I pulled the book off the shelf for the Pistachio-Cilantro Butter. After convincing myself to approach the artichokes with a positive attitude and prevailing in the battle of their prep, the cleaned hearts were cut into eight pieces. They were cooked in a mixture of olive oil, stock, white wine, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. It was interesting that this cooking liquid became the dressing for the salad. After the artichokes became tender, after about 25 minutes, they were removed from the pan. Then, the cooking liquid was boiled and reduced to about one half cup. Meanwhile, bread cubes were toasted, and the strawberries that arrived in my CSA were washed and sliced. Basil should have been used in this salad, but I didn't have any basil growing yet that day so I used parsley instead. One last ingredient was preserved lemon, and the rind was julienned. The artichokes, bread cubes, strawberries, parsley, and preserved lemon were tossed with the cooled, reduced cooking liquid. That mixture was served over slices of fresh mozzarella.
The dressing was surprisingly flavorful, and the preserved lemon gave the salad a nice, bright punch. Sweet strawberries and fresh mozzarella were a great match with the crunchy toasted bread. And, what about those artichokes? This is the kind of dish that will make the artichoke battle easier to face each time.
Posted by lisa is cooking at Tuesday, May 01, 2012
29 comments:
I would never have thought to pair strawberries with artichokes. This looks really delicious, and fits in with my search for new ways to eat artichokes now that they are in season for me. I would love for you to share this post on my Seasonal Eats Sheet blog roundup for May, found here, which highlights recipes that use seasonal ingredients in great recipes.ReplyDelete
never paired strawberries with artichoke but sounds like something I would love to give a try!ReplyDelete
What an original dish and interesting combination! Absolutely fabulous.ReplyDelete
Beautiful salad. I love the sweet and savoriness of it and it certainly looks like the work of prepping the artichoke is worth it.ReplyDelete
Just reading this made me feel exotic - stunning salad :)ReplyDelete
Choc Chip Uru
Love this combination, very different.......I like this book so far.ReplyDelete
That is a winning looking salad. I have never paired strawberries and artichokes and preserved lemons but it's a flavour combination I would love to try xxReplyDelete
I am not really an artichoke fan, but what can I do, you paired it with strawberries...a combination I won't be able t resist. This looks fantastic.ReplyDelete
such a great salad! creative idea pairing the artichoke with strawberries!ReplyDelete
Looks so very delicious!ReplyDelete
Artichokes and strawberries? Who would have ever thunk? Gotta try this to give my taste buds a real surprise. ;)ReplyDelete
What a unique combination... Never paired these two together, I bet they taste divine...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 2, 2012 at 10:12 PM
A very intriguing combination with artichokes and strawberries, it sounds lovely!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 3, 2012 at 1:46 AM
I wish I had these for breakfast today - yum!ReplyDelete
I looked at this and said out loud, "Did she say strawberry and ARTICHOKE??"ReplyDelete
What a combo; I can't wait to try it.
Adore the unique and delicious combo of strawberries and artichokes.ReplyDelete
Wow, this sounds wonderful!ReplyDelete
I love artichokes Lisa and this salad look awesome!ReplyDelete
Beautiful dish Lisa...so "springy", very nice combination of artichoke and strawberry :)ReplyDelete
Hope you are having a wonderful week!
Beautifully unusual Lisa. What a yummy combination. I'm sure that they complimented each other well.ReplyDelete
A primary reason why I bake more than cook: prep work sucks. Good for you on prevailing over those artichokes. And this gorgeous salad looks like it was worth the effort!ReplyDelete
I'm with you on washing dishes and peeling/deveining prawns! your dish looks delish and I'm sure worth the effort prepping the artichokes.ReplyDelete
Beautiful panzanella. Love the way you cooked the artichokes and then used the marinade for the dressing. Strawberries and artichokes who would have thought. Workds for me. Congrats on the Top 9.ReplyDelete
I love panzanella! I don't believe I've ever had strawberries and artichokes together but I'm certain that, if you made it, it must be delicious!ReplyDelete
Such a unique recipe... a must-try!ReplyDelete
how...unexpected! this actually sounds really lovely to me, lisa--nice share!ReplyDelete
Like you, the eating of an artichoke makes the prep battle worth it. And this salad is fabulous - I love the flavors and love the artichokes with strawberries idea...with the croutons. Beautiful!ReplyDelete
That is funny - I find breaking down artichokes to be oddly meditative. But I'm with you on the dishes. The strawberries seem like an odd addition to me, but you know I trust your taste. If you say it was good, I'm sure it was delicious.ReplyDelete
nice blog... you can also visit my oneReplyDelete


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1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed with cold water, and drained
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
3 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon granulated garlic
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1½ cups mayonnaise
Stir celery, peppers, capers, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and cayenne into macaroni. Add mayonnaise and mix well. Chill.


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My friend Jyl introduced me to this salad, perfect for a summer Shabbos lunch.
3 cups cooked chicken (from the soup is perfect), shredded
1 cup cubed salami
3 potatoes, peeled, chopped and boiled
1 red pepper, chopped
3 radishes, thinly sliced
¼ cup green olive rings
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
10 asparagus spears, steamed until crisp-tender and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 head Boston lettuce, broken into pieces
3 tablespoons sherry
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground pepper
Place the Boston lettuce across the bottom of a large salad roll and place all other ingredients on top. Whisk together dressing ingredients and shake well. Pour over salad and toss.


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More info about the name "Ysolt"
Ysolt is a French form of Isolde. Isolde originates in Germanic languages and means "fighting the ice battle". Isolde is a well-known character from Arthurian legends. Isolde is the Irish princess who saves the life of Tristan. Without him knowing who she is, they fall in love. Later on, Tristan goes back to Ireland to bring the new wife of his King, Mark of Cornwall. Only then he realizes that his beloved Isolde is the future wife of his king. Over centuries, the tragic story has been an inspiration for many writers, directors and composers. As a feminine given name Isolde is rather rare in the United States.


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Barcelona Catedral Catalunya - Barcelona City Spain
Cortijo Bravo Andalucia Spain
Villa OniriaAndalucia Spain
Riad MeriemMarrakech Morocco
Vila ValverdeAlgarve Portugal
La Fuente del SolAndalucia Spain
As a former Director and a Receptionist of one of the world's leading Boutique Hotels, we know a thing or two about what makes a hotel stand out in the crowd. We are based in Spain, and have a passion for all things Spanish. It is a country we have both made our home – Michael for 17 years, and Laura for 5 years with her Spanish husband, Jorge. With this in mind, we bring to you our selection of "Amazing Hotels" in Spain. These are now joined by a stunning collection of boutique hotels in Morocco and Portugal which we have had the enormous pleasure of visiting. We will also be including a few "gems" that we have had the pleasure of staying in outside of Europe.
Our policy: To provide an exceptional level of personal service unrivalled by other websites, having researched, personally inspected (and that does not mean 5 years ago!) and reviewed our "Amazing Hotels".
Our Service: We will make the booking on your behalf providing you with an emailed confirmation and reservation number, contact details for the Hotel and directions of how to find it – all this without the hassle of language barriers. Unlike other websites, as we are based in Spain, we have legally binding, signed contracts with the Hotels in all countries we feature. Your reservation is with us, and, consequently, you are not on your own when staying in one of our hotels.
Our office is open 7 days a week and we are at your disposal throughout your holiday – and of course, before and after!! We are NOT a website that makes your booking and then deserts you!
Why book with us? By making a reservation with anamazinghotel.com you give us the means and recognition to discover and invite more Amazing Hotels into our group. Our ever-growing and faithful clientele bear witness to our knowledge and understanding of the industry. You will receive the same price as you would by booking directly with the hotel. If you would like more information on our hotels, or need advice on your travel itinerary, please do not hesitate to send us an email. The personal touch is invaluable to us and we will do all that we can to help and advise.
Unlike many other websites, boutique hotels cannot buy themselves onto anamazinghotel.com. In our previous employment we were staggered by the number of websites that, for an annual fee, would promote our hotel without even visiting us. Hotels must be invited to join us, they are inspected regularly and should receive excellent client feedback, which, in turn, help us to decide our annual awards.
Our criteria for selection are demanding and hotels must fulfil many of the criteria below – some exceptional hotels fulfil them all!
We want you to return from your holiday saying that you have stayed at
"An Amazing Hotel".
Michael Soffe & Laura Dibben


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Study of the Day: Towns With Small Businesses Have Healthier People
The rewards of a vibrant small business sector go beyond economics: Research shows places that rely on large retailers have more problems.
PROBLEM: Sociologists are divided on how small businesses affect public health. Some say that mom-and-pop operations symbolize a greater investment in the community so proprietors may value the well-being of their employees, customers, and other local citizens more. Others, however, argue that large companies may be better at providing pension plans and health insurance.
- School Contracts Boost Grades, Student Satisfaction
- How We Really Read Restaurant Menus
- Older Women Need More Sex Education Too
METHODOLOGY: Researchers at Louisiana State University and Baylor University looked at health, business, and housing data from 3,060 counties in the contiguous United States. More precisely, they analyzed the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, the 2007 Centers for Disease Control Obesity and Diabetes Estimates, the National Center for Health Statistics Compressed Mortality records from 1994 to 2006, and the 2002 County Business Patterns and the 2002 Nonemployer Statistics.
RESULTS: Counties with more small businesses tend to have lower rates of mortality, obesity, and diabetes, while those with more large retailers tend to post higher rates of these poor-health indicators. The authors explain that communities with thriving small businesses may be more likely to support bond issues for health infrastructures, recruit physicians, push for local anti-smoking legislation, promote community health programs, and support local farmers' markets.
CONCLUSION: Places with a greater proportion of small businesses have healthier residents.
IMPLICATION: The rewards of a vibrant small business sector go beyond economics. "Some communities appear to have thriving small business sectors that feature entrepreneurial cultures that promote public health," says lead author Troy C. Blanchard in a statement. "A place like this has a can-do climate, a practical problem-solving approach in which a community takes control of its own destiny."
SOURCE: The full study, "The Health and Wealth of U.S. Counties: How the Small Business Environment Impacts Alternative Measures of Development" (PDF), is published in the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society.
Image: Shutterstock.


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Breaking the Sound Barrier
The first time I listened to high-resollution surround-sound music was literally a religious experience. It was at an electronics-industry trade show, in a listening room set up by Philips to show off its Super Audio CD technology. The room was decorated in early soundproofing, with all the ambience of a heavily insulated attic (albeit an attic outfitted with some very expensive audio gear). But the moment my host hit the play button the space was transformed. Choral voices swelled from the speakers surrounding me and, if I had shut my eyes, I'd have sworn I was sitting in a European cathedral. It wasn't just the purity of the sound that caught me up—it was the sense of space, the feeling that even though I knew I was in a small listening room, I was enjoying the audio equivalent of an entirely different environment.
If you've listened to surround-sound DVD movies or concert recordings, you have some inkling of what I'm describing, but at the same time, high-resolution surround-sound recordings are very different from DVD movies, producing a heightened realism that you really have to hear to understand. In a nutshell, the audio on a well-recorded and well-engineered Super Audio CD or DVD-Audio disc sounds like a live performance enjoyed from the best seat in the house. Unfortunately, your existing CD or DVD player can't unleash all the audio goodness stored on one of these new disc formats, so you're going to need some new gear. On the plus side, though, while you can go the audiophile route and spend thousands of dollars to enjoy this experience, you can also get in on the fun for under a thousand. If you already have a home theater set up, two hundred bucks is all it will take to kick your audio rig into high gear.
The Inevitable Format Wars
Lately it seems that every major technological advance in audio or video must involve competing camps dishing up incompatible formats that confuse consumers and slow down widespread acceptance. The most infamous example, of course, was the VHS-Betamax battle that plagued early VCR buyers, but consider some other battlefronts: DVD recorders today come in three flavors (DVD+R, DVD-R and DVD-RAM), and at least seven varieties of memory cards are used for digital cameras. So it only stands to unreason that there are two competing formats for high-res audio: Super Audio CD (SACD for short) and DVD-Audio, or DVD-A.
In this corner is the SACD, developed and supported by Philips and Sony (the same team, it should be noted, that created the original audio CD format 20 years ago). On the opposing side is the DVD-Audio disc, supported by the DVD Forum industry group, which represents nearly every manufacturer of DVD players (including Philips and Sony, interestingly enough). I could burden you with
bafflegab explaining the technical differences in the way music is encoded for both formats, but you've never done anything to bore me to tears, so let's cut to the meat of the matter.
Both SACDs and DVD-A discs can hold far more digital data than conventional CDs—more than four times as much for SACD, more than seven times as much for DVD-A. That extra storage
capacity can be used to store a more detailed digital representation of the music than a conventional CD, resulting in noticeably superior sound quality. Some people complain that audio CDs lack the warm sound of good old vinyl records. But by increasing the sampling rate (the amount of information used to re-create an audio waveform) and extending the recorded frequency range, makers of CDs can virtually eliminate the "digital" sound that so annoy those of us blessed with golden ears.
Most SACDs and DVD-A discs support 5.1 surround sound—that is, separate audio channels for left and right speakers in the front and back of the room, a center channel speaker up front (making 5) and a subwoofer to reproduce bass notes more effectively (the .1). Many discs also include a high-resolution stereo mix, which is a profoundly good thing—if the original recording was produced in stereo, the technical fakery required to remix it into six channels often seems more technologically impressive than musically pleasing.
DVD-A discs are not the same as DVD movie discs. A DVD movie devotes gigabytes of storage to video and only a small fraction to the soundtrack. A DVD-Audio disc, on the other hand, uses nearly all the available storage space for higher-quality music, though some room can be devoted to visual goodies, which often include on-screen menus, lyrics, photos and sometimes even a music video.
The DVD-Audio content of a DVD-A disc won't play back on a standard DVD movie player. However, most DVD-A discs also include a separate surround-sound version of the music in the Dolby Digital or DTS formats that a DVD movie player understands; it won't sound as good as DVD-A, but it will play back on any DVD player. What you can't do with a DVD-A disc, though, is listen to it on your CD player—at least not yet. Some music companies are working on a new hybrid DVD-A format with a separate CD layer on the flip side of the disc. It may arrive this year.
Which brings us to SACD. Nearly all the Super Audio compact discs sold today are hybrid discs, containing two separate layers, one with high-resolution content that can be enjoyed only with an SACD player, the other with a standard stereo mix that will play back on all those CD players you already own. Unlike DVD-A discs, SACDs don't include any visual content.
One bit of good news in the ongoing format wars: both SACD and DVD-A players sold today will play DVD movies and regular CDs, so the number of boxes hooked to your audio system doesn't need to increase when you add high-res audio.
Listening to a Hot Combo
While promoters of each format will stand at the podium and insist on the superiority of their system, talk to them privately over a beer and they,ll admit that both SACD and DVD-A reproduce music superbly. Given comparable audio quality, the basis for choosing one format or the other should be easy. If you want to play a disc in a standard CD player, buy SACD. If you don't care about standard CD playback but want surround sound from any DVD movie player, go DVD-A, with its menus and extra features as a bonus. But there's a rub: most recordings are released in either one format or the other, not both.You want the superbly remastered Bob Dylan collection or Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in surround sound? SACD only. Big fan of the Eagles or Eric Clapton? Only released on DVD-Audio, thank you very much.
Truth be told, the catalog of music in either format isn't huge. On the DVD-Audio side, fewer than 700 discs are available, and while the SACD catalog has nearly 1,500 titles, only about half are surround-sound productions. DVD-Audio isn't going away—the Warner Music Group, one of the industry's 800-pound gorillas, has pledged allegiance to the format. For a complete list of DVD-Audio titles, check out the Web site at www.dvd-audio.org.
Since Sony is not only codeveloper of the SACD format
but also one of the largest music publishers on the planet, you know that Sony recording artists aren't going to be releasing
DVD-As any time soon. For the full rundown of SACD releases, try www.sacd.philips.com/d_releases.php. You,ll find a wide range of music available in both formats, ranging from classic to jazz to head-banging rock.
So you see, the point isn't which format you prefer, but which
format offers the music you enjoy. Inevitably, there will be discs in each flavor that appeal. You could buy separate SACD and DVD-A players, but there's a much more elegant solution: a single player that handles both SACDs and DVD-A discs (along with DVD movies and standard audio CDs). At least 17 manufacturers offer players that handle both formats with equal aplomb and, while many are priced in the audiophile $1,000-plus range, we're also starting to see units at prices even lowly journalists can afford.
If you're serious about your audio gear, I especially recommend the combination players from Denon, Pioneer and Marantz. For simplicity's sake, you can't beat the Pioneer DV59-AVi ($1,600) paired with its VSX-59TXi receiver ($4,500)—a single FireWire cable sends SACD and DVD-Audio data between the two components, allowing easy setup for bass management and speaker output balancing. Pairing Denon's DVD-5900 ($2,000) with its AVR-5803 receiver ($4,400) lets you send DVD-A digitally using the company's proprietary single-cable connection, but you will need to connect six separate cables (one for each audio channel) for SACD output. The Denon does involve more cabling, but the important point is that you,ll still have full audio output control through the receiver. With most high-res audio setups, you have to make bass management and speaker output settings twice: first on the receiver, then again on the SACD/DVD-A player.
Of course, if you're going to use a single player for both audio and DVD movies, the quality of the movie playback is another essential consideration. The Marantz DV8400 ($1,699) offers superb audio performance and also incorporates DVI output, a direct digital connection to your high-definition display that provides the sharpest possible video images.
While it's fun hanging around the high end, I have to say that it's the affordable combo players that really excite me at this point. Pioneer led the way here with its DV563A, a high-performance model that lists at $249 and can found for as little as $149. Toshiba recently announced it was coming out with two inexpensive combo players, the single-disc SD-4960 ($180), due to arrive in June, and the five-disc changer SD-6915 ($200), scheduled for a May introduction. No, we're not talking a $39 Wal-Mart DVD movie player here, but these combo units are certainly affordable and flexible enough to be compelling purchases. And as player prices fall, music publishers have more incentive to release more discs, which in turn makes buying a player more enticing, and so on and so on.
If you're just starting out with surround sound, consider a convenient home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system. With HTIB all you have to add is the display—the receiver/amplifier plus all the speakers and wiring are included. While audio snobs may still thumb their noses at this approach, there are distinct advantages, not only in convenience but in having a full set of components professionally matched to work well together. And we're not talking second-rate gear here. Klipsch has announced a primo system that will ship this year, the KES-6100-THX, includes a "control center" with a built-in receiver/amp and universal DVD player, plus six satellite speakers and a big honking subwoofer. The company has even thrown in Monster cables for system hookup—but then again, with a $4,000 price tag, throwing in the speaker wire seems fair.
For a more affordable receiver/universal DVD player solution (albeit minus the speakers), Sharp is introducing its SD-HX600 system ($1,499), a strikingly modern-looking anodized aluminium and plexiglass concoction featuring the company's impressive 1-Bit amplification system. If you want the whole enchilada—receiver, universal DVD, speakers—Pioneer will deliver three new HTIB systems between May and July, ranging in price from $600 to $1,400 (the $1,400 HTZ-950 includes flat-panel speakers), all with built-in
DVD-A/SACD playback capability.
Meanwhile, Outside the Living Room…
For most of us, the time we spend listening to music on our stereo systems is a small part of the time we spend listening to music. When it comes to enjoying the full effect of DVD-A and SACD audio without a rack full of audio gear, the choices are limited.
For drive-time listening, only DVD-Audio players are currently available; the easiest way to get one is to buy a 2004 Acura TL, which is the first car to incorporate a factory-installed DVD-Audio surround system as standard equipment. The audio system, designed by the famed producer/audio engineer Elliott Scheiner and built by Panasonic, includes an in-dash radio with a built-in six-disc DVD-Audio/CD changer as well as eight speakers.
Of course, trading in your wheels for the sake of making nice to your ears is a bit extreme. Alternatively, you can upgrade your car audio system to accommodate DVD-Audio. Alpine, a leader in high-end car audio, introduced its "ultra-premium" Alpine F#1Status line in January, which includes the DVI-9990 DVD-Audio player plus the PXI-H990 surround-sound audio processor required to fill your car with multichannel music. Add in a TME-M770 in-dash monitor and you're in for $5,300, before amps, speakers and subwoofers. By comparison, Pioneer's AVH-P7500DVD, which supports DVD-Audio and video playback and includes a seven-inch touch-screen display, is a bargain at $2,700.
Finally, for those of us who enjoy listening to fine music while chained to the computer all day, there's a DVD-Audio solution at hand. Creative Labs offers enhanced audio cards for PC users, the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 and Audigy 2 ZS series (priced from $100 to $250) that reproduce DVD-Audio discs (sorry, no SACD) with perfect clarity. Even notebook computer owners can get into the act (if your notebook has a DVD-ROM drive) with the Audigy 2 NX ($130), an external box that connects to the laptop via the USB port. You can route the Audigy output through a surround-sound stereo-
system receiver and speakers if you like, or just add a set of high-end computer speakers. I have two favorites here, the Logitech Z-680 and the Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1, each of which runs $400.
Steve Morgenstern is a freelance writer living in New York. He often writes on technology topics for Cigar Aficionado.


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I honestly find myself missing my friends more and more everyday - especially today! I don't know what's going on, I was crying and everything! =[ I called my friend Jocelyn (pictured to the right with me and Neff), and she made me feel way better, she even got teary-eyed too! It's hard going from seeing people everyday, and then not seeing them for weeks... going on months! It's going to be okay though, because we decided to meet up and go to NIU (Northern Illinois University) homecoming to go see our friend Neff. We can finally be all together again!
There are definitely some things I wish my school had, like sports teams, games, homecoming and traditions, but we don't! That's why I can't wait to party with my friends at their homecomings! I'm going to NIU's and University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana's. I honestly just think I'm a little homesick and in need of my friends.
But enough with all that sad stuff - I have a little secrettt! Shhh. Don't tell anyone, but I think I have a crush on someone... it's not anything big, I just think I like him. All I'm going to say is sometimes people want what they can't have. Me on the other hand... I always get what I want, and I'll definitely keep you guys updated, haha.
More From Seventeen
Recently, I got the chance to interview model Kai Morae, actress Lisa Raye's daughter, for a publication I work for. It was great, and the interview definitely confirmed that Broadcast Journalism is the field that I want to be in. I recently doubted myself and wondered whether this was for me. Did I make the right decision in coming to a school where I start my major my freshman year? The answer to that question is... absolutely yes! I love interviewing, I love writing and I love the entertainment industry.
If you have any questions/need advice, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @BriaAndrea, or Facebook Bria Andrea! I'll be more than happy to talk to you about anything!
Bri <3


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I have to admit that the first part of that title is not my metaphor. It does, however, perfectly capture the true story behind of where education reforms, learning standards like the Common Core, SEL competencies, or School Choice, actually lead. The true story is found via a converging mixture of open declarations by insiders, coupled to deceitful narratives by people also tied to 'public policy'. The False Narratives always seem to be trying to obscure the same actual goals as what someone else openly declares. Either that obstruction, as in "Don't Look Here!", or we get a deliberate misrepresentation of what something means or how it works (based on Robin's handy Education Glossary of terms).
In other words, both shrouding something I know is there or misrepresenting a definition are telling facts of what the deception is about. Using my own metaphor now, if the Open Admitters of education as a transformational tool are Hansel, and the Deceiving Craftsmen (and women) are Gretel, the crumbs Hansel is leaving, and the areas of the pathway that Gretel's crumbs never touch, are headed in the same direction. Let's look there!
One of the documentable facts I have uncovered in the last few months of footnote tiptoeing and then reading is that in 2003 the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society was launched at a conference at the Vatican. At an opening session workshop, the Senior Scientist of One Laptop Per Child, Antonio Battro, presented a video called Mysterious Butterflies of the Soul, which was a metaphor for the neurons in the student's physiological brain. The idea was how to transform education to target the 'living brain' so its structures reliably guide future actions and behaviors. This future activity is to be grounded in the supposed "spiritual roots of humanity." That true neurobiological focus then gets obscured by frequently substituting the terms cognition or mind.
Linking up with the last post's observation that all these aims, when uncovered or deciphered, turn out to be about the student's decision-making capacities, Antonio Damasio, from the same conference (USC prof involved with BRAIN Initiative and author of Descartes' Error) told us why SEL Standards are really so important. Hint: it has nothing to do with any government database of PII.
"We use emotions and the devices that underpin them every day of our lives, frequently as a helping hand in the conscious decision-making process and just as often to orient our behaviors and enrich our humanity. Creativity [one of the 4 Cs of 21st Century Learning] is not conceivable without emotion. Neither is moral behavior. As for education, it is difficult to imagine how to proceed without two of the leading consequences of emotion: engagement and attention. The brain uses emotional processes to identify salient features of the environment that are especially relevant to the management of life."
When the think tanks, American Principles Project and the Pioneer Institute, decided to pilfer from the footnotes of my book Credentialed to Destroy, with neither proper attribution nor permission, to misrepresent the true focus of both Competency-based Education and Transformational Outcomes Based Education, the misleading pathway constructed led away from that very same Life Roles focus as what Damasio and IMBES were getting at. "After the Fall: Catholic Education Beyond the Common Core" made public education supposedly all about preparation for the workforce. It also alleged the Common Core was "devoid of any attention to 'the true, the good, the beautiful," and catered to "man with the soul amputated." Well, that butterfly metaphor makes a mockery of that statement.
Plus, on the next page Professor Damasio told us that "the importance of emotion in education is not confined to its role in engagement and attention. The role that emotions play in the construction of moral behavior and, by extension, building a citizen is just as important." I bolded those phrases because when the Atlanta Classical Academy, which is part of both the Atlanta Public Schools and where the head of Hillsdale's Barney Charter School Initiative, Terrence Moore, is the principal, ran an ad in the local paper recently it touted its curriculum as building the basis for Virtuous Living and Good Citizenship. Sounds like synonyms for Damasio's vision for MBE education to me.
Moreover, in following our trails of crumbs and no crumbs, an October 13, 2016 story in The Federalist entitled "Meet the Americans Revitalizing Freedom, One Child at a Home" on Classical Education and the charter schools opened under the Barney Initiative cited how Moore had spoken at "a summer institute dedicated to introducing new volunteers to the ideas behind the Barney initiative." We can all decide if this seems to be a fact-based curriculum to us.
"Moore playacted the part of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists of the American Revolution, illustrating ways to engage children in Western civilization's great ideas. The seminar's whiteboards proclaimed: 'I will learn the true. I will do the good. I will love the beautiful.'"
I bolded that because we are going back to what Antonio Battro of the Mysterious Butterflies of the Soul metaphor wrote just before he described the IMBES launch from the Vatican. In his section called "Truth, Goodness, and Beauty," he latinized these tenets everyone seems to be using to make education about transforming the emotional bases, values, and beliefs that guide future behavior. Just like what the Barney Charter initiative says it wishes to do and which is also supposedly the purpose of the new Catholic Curriculum Framework. What are the odds of such consistent similarities if not outright congruence?–Quoting Battro: "In the words of the old scholastic dictum, Verum, bonum et pulchrum convertuntur (Truth, goodness, and beauty are interchangeable.)"
At this rate so are the visions of the schools being created by School Choice advocates and public education generally. The pro-Common Core and Anti-Common Core organized forces are also headed in a common direction when we delve far enough. Interchangeable is truly the perfect word if we pay attention to function and not slight differences in phrasing or supposed purposes. I am also sure it is totally coincidental that the same day the Catholic Curriculum Frameworks rolled out with its admitted aims that somehow tie to the same behavioral science template as what Tranzi OBE and Competency-Based Ed really mean, the Center for Assessment in Dover, New Hampshire rolled out its Framework for what would constitute innovative, student-centered quality assessments under federal law.
Headed to the same place with measurable results of what is being internalized, in other words. Apparently no one is ever supposed to recognize all this commonality as long as different talking points are used in the official descriptions we are just to accept demurely.
One more example of all that can be learned about the real agenda from affiliated think tanks and the desire that we all accept analogical thinking using the presupplied metaphors that take us in a non-factual direction. This one seemed to be about once again wanting us to misunderstand the Common Core and 'standards' generally. We are also supposed to move on. First, the Bradley Foundation-financed, Harvard PEPG publication, Education Next, went with the story "Lessons on the Common Core" by Robert Pondiscio on January 5, 2017. The next week the PEPG partner and Education Excellence Network absorber, Fordham Institute, republished the same article. Later, that week, my local School Choice pusher think tank led its Friday Facts newsletter with this quote:
"to be upset by academic standards is to invest them with a power they neither have nor deserve. In my five years of teaching fifth graders, I never–not even once–reached for English language arts standards when deciding what to teach. I would wager that when I.M. Pei was commissioned to design the Louvre Pyramid, his first move was not to reach for a copy of the Paris building codes for inspiration." A clever, but totally inapt metaphor, for the purpose of 'standards'. They are not 'academic standards' in the historical sense of that term as transmitting a fact-based curriculum. A better metaphor would have Pei mulling over the laws of physics governing the desired design. True 'learning standards.' like the Common Core or Competency-Based Education, are always so interested in neurons and biology after all.
And why are everyone's learning standards so focused on transmitting knowledge in terms of concepts, instead of building up from known facts and cause-effect relationships? Our IMBES template again had Vartan Gregorian, the President of the hugely influential Carnegie Corporation, telling us that "concepts are far more important than facts and the ability to analyze and synthesize has much greater value than the ability to memorize. In short, school may be multiple choice but real life is all essay." All this interest in pushing concepts, categories, themes, topics, and ideas as the essence of Knowledge makes more sense if, like Gregorian said, there is now to be "no boundaries between learning and life." Just like in Tranzi OBE, Competency-Based Ed, and apparently Classical Education too, once properly understood without deceit.
An admitted Marxist poli sci prof, back in 1996, laid out his vision of the future and what needed to be altered in italicized, reconstructive terms, in a way that someone writing about just education reform for an audience of parents, politicians, and taxpayers is typically unwilling to do. That does not change the fact that the desired poli sci or economic transformations can only occur with a certain type of change in the nature of education. Education reforms, to be deemed effective or what is now called 'evidence-based' should be gathering student data studying "mass dispositions and capabilities and associated discourses of democracy. Reconstructive science is concerned with the social competences of individuals and the corresponding grammars of human interaction. Its categories are sought in how its subjects apprehend the world."
Everyone cited in this post, whether being honest or providing a metaphor or narrative to mislead, appears to be interested in providing the basis for how we 'subjects' in this 21st Century Age of undisclosed collectivist Politicalism–'apprehend the world'.
In the next post we will cover how someone with ties to virtually everyone cited in this post wants education to be about practicing the desired "internal acts of reason and will." A vision incorporating "the moral norms available to guide choice and action."
I guess we will call the next post the End of the Trilogy laying out the Deceit surrounding Manipulating Each Student's Personal Decision-Making Capacity, with neither notice nor consent.
Can anyone tell I do not like any vision of education that regards us as anyone's 'subjects'?


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It's important that we remember a couple of old sayings 1-'Nothing is new under the sun' and 2-'If you don't learn the lessons of history you are destined to repeat it'. Many people have forgotten about or never knew about DW Griffiths landmark film 'Birth of a Nation'. It was taken from the book 'The Clansmen' which depicted newly freed Black slaves running the government and causing the country to fall to pieces. The movie showed that this country was falling until an organization was formed that gave rise to the country and restored order. That outfit was the Ku Klux Klan'.
The part that most people know about Birth of a Nation is the Reconstruction.. Here's a clip and brief synopsis
Part 2: Reconstruction
Stoneman and his "mulatto" protegé, Silas Lynch, go to South Carolina to observe the expanded franchise. Black soldiers parade through the streets. During the election, whites are shown being turned away while blacks stuff the ballot boxes. The newly elected black legislature passes laws requiring white civilians to salute black officers and allowing mixed-race marriages.
Meanwhile, Ben, inspired by observing white children pretending to be ghosts to scare off black children, devises a plan to reverse the perceived powerlessness of Southern whites by forming the Ku Klux Klan. Elsie is angered by his membership in the group.
Then Gus, a former slave who became educated and gained a title of recognition through the army, proposes to marry Flora. Scared by Gus' lascivious advances, she flees into the forest, pursued by Gus. Trapped on a precipice, Flora leaps to her death. In response, the Klan hunts Gus, tries him and finds him guilty, kills him, and leaves his corpse on Lieutenant Governor Silas Lynch's doorstep. In retaliation, Lynch orders a crackdown on the Klan. The Camerons flee from the black militia and hide out in a small hut, home to two former Union soldiers, who agree to assist their former Southern foes in defending their Aryan birthright, according to the caption.
Meanwhile, with Austin Stoneman gone, Lynch tries to force Elsie to marry him. Disguised Klansmen discover her situation and leave to get reinforcements. The Klan, now at full strength, rides to her rescue and takes the opportunity to disperse the rioting negroes. Simultaneously, Lynch's militia surrounds and attacks the hut where the Camerons are hiding, but the Klan saves them just in time. Victorious, the Klansmen celebrate in the streets. The film cuts to the next election where the Klan successfully disfranchises black voters and disarms the blacks. The film concludes with a double honeymoon of Phil Stoneman with Margaret Cameron and Ben Cameron with Elsie Stoneman. The final frame shows masses oppressed by a mythical god of war suddenly finding peace under the image of Christ. The final title rhetorically asks: "Dare we dream of a golden day when the bestial War shall rule no more? But instead-the gentle Prince in the Hall of Brotherly Love in the City of Peace."
People should take a look at some of these clips and think about whats going on right now with the anger and racial hostility attached to your modern-day Tea Party and sympathizers. There's a study that by the University of Washington and the NY Times that shows the motivation behind the Tea Party was 'conservatism' (a desire to return to the good ole days) and the election of Barack Obama. We will be doing a radio show this week where the folks behind the study will go into great detail explaining all their findings. It'll blow you away.
The other thing about the Tea Party is, it's a media creation. The information, tone, marching orders are all rooted in a large network of right-wing media outlets and personalities with Fox being the centerpiece.
The word used to describe this phenom is Videocracy... the use of media to move people politically. This happened in Italy with media mogul and its current President Silvio Berlusconi. There's a documentary called Videocracy that focuses on Berlusconi and his 30 year media reign over Italy and the impact that's had. Needless to say he went all out to prevent the showing of this film on his vast networks.
This concept of Videocracy was also shown in Oliver Stone's new film South of the Border where he shows how media corporations including our own CNN has been used to push political agendas, help launch coups and undermine democratic process in various countries. Berlusconi's ascension was called a coup of sorts and if the Tea Party creation becomes politically successful it'll go down in history as a coup as well.
We need to keep all this in mind when looking at the clips from Birth of a Nation and recall all the increased lynchings, attacks and race riots that took place during the first few years after this film was released. The most notable was the Red Summer of 1919. The movie (media) created a hostile climate that lasted for years.
We should also keep in mind that the newly formed NAACP denounced the film while filmmaker DW Griffith emphatically denied the film was racist. If that wasn't enough then President Woodrow Wilson not only gave the film two thumbs up. He said 'It's like writing history with lightening'. He added, that his only regret was what the movie depicted was terribly true.
It's hard not to draw parallels with the emphatic denials of racism by Tea Party leaders while witnessing the enthusiastic endorsement of racial hostility by political leaders and media pundits here in 2010. From the racial charged remarks of radio talk show host Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh to the overtly racist remarks by politicians like Sharon Angle, Debbie Riddle and Betty Brown one can see the handwriting on the wall. All this is compounded by the fact that there's been a rise in right-wing hate groups and hate crime. The vitriol, vandalism and attacks we saw around the proposed 'Ground Zero Mosque' (Park 51) the other month underscored that point.
The bottom line is that we now have a climate where any shortfalls or discomfort will be scapegoated to people of color who have growing political, economic social power.
The other thing to keep in mind, is that film premiered in Los Angeles which shortly after housed the largest Klan chapters in the country. The KKK was so powerful that in early 20s the group began protesting Hollywood's film industry because of two films 'The Pilgrim' and 'Bella Donna' which they felt did not depict them in a good light.
The Klan bolstered by the DW Griffith film saw themselves as a reform organization and political entity that demanded legitimacy. What do we see happening today with the Tea Party and its racism which is couched in so called 'legitimate' political discourse?
We see them being embraced and held up as a legitimate force that is on a mission to restore America. For them restoring America means taking away any sort of safety net for those who have have fallen on hard times or are members of groups that have been systematically denied opportunities.
Restoring America means trying to change the constitution to to deny citizenship to Brown folks born here, under the guise of 'terror baby' and 'anchor baby' threats.
In short restoring America means an aging population of people, scared of change and the Blacking and Browning of America are pulling out all the stops and going full steam ahead to not only hold on to power, but to also suppress those they deem a threat… Watch the clips below and when you get time, the full length feature and you'll see that many are pushing to have a tragic part of this nation's history repeat itself.
-something to Ponder-
Davey D


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Prosecutors: '4 or 5' things to do in Winston case
TALLAHASSEE — State Attorney Willie Meggs says there are still "four or five" things that still need to be done in the sexual assault case before a final decision is made on whether charges should be made against Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.
Meggs said Friday that while prosecutors have interviewed the alleged victim that they have not wrapped up their investigation. Meggs did not provide any details of the interview with the woman.
ESPN reported earlier this week that Winston's DNA matched a sample taken from the underwear of the accuser.
Timothy Jansen, Winston's attorney, says his client voluntarily gave the sample last week but that a match does not mean his client raped the woman. He told reporters any sex was consensual before somewhat backtracking when pressed about his comment.
Winston will be at quarterback for No. 2 Florida State in its game against Idaho (1-9) on Saturday.


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Does "Community" fail to tickle your funny bone? You're not alone — the show's star, Chevy Chase, doesn't see the humor in it either.
In a leaked phone message to series creator Dan Harmon, Chase trashes the show, calling it "just a mediocre [bleep]ing sitcom" and castigates Harmon for not letting Chase make the show funnier.
Also read: 'Community' Creator Apologized for Making Chevy Chase Tirade Public
"There's a disconnect somewhere, either between what is actually shot and the humor on the set when we shoot it and the final product," Chase told Harmon during the conversation, which was obtained by Celebuzz.
"The other part of the disconnect is that, obviously, you don't get my humor at all. Or what it is I do that's funny, that actually makes people laugh," Chase went on to tell Harmon, who agreed with the actor's assessment.
Also read: "Community" Return Spawns Twitter Trending Topics Aplenty
Chase complained that funny bits he performed during taping were being left out of episodes, and argues that the show focuses too much on plot.
"You have two choices," Chase tells Harmon. "One is storyline — like everyone gives a [bleep] about the [bleep]ing story when they don't even know who the [bleep]ing characters are — or there's make people laugh."
Chase continued, "It's just a [bleep]ing mediocre sitcom! I want people to laugh and this isn't funny … It ain't funny to me because I'm 67 years old and I've been doing this a long time. I've been making a lot of people laugh — a lot better than this."
Chase's spokeswoman told Celebuzz that the message was a year old, and offered no comment.
Even so, this isn't the only time that Chase has criticized "Community," which has suffered low ratings and has yet to be renewed for another season by NBC. Earlier this year, Harmon made headlines when he publicized an angry voicemail message that Chase had left for him. In the message, Chase called Harmon a "fat [bleep]" and tells him, "your writing is getting worse and worse, so suck my [bleep]."
After the message leaked onto the Internet, Harmon apologized for playing it to a crowd during "a monthly show I do in the back of a comic book store in Los Angeles in which I say things that I intend for 150 people to hear." Harmon called his decision to play the message to the crowd "childish, self-obsessed, unaware, naive and unprofessional."


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913th Airlift Wing Inactivation
On September 30, 2007, a chapter in history closed. The Air Force Reserve's 913th Airlift Wing at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station, PA, was inactivated. Officials ceremoniously encased unit flags and the Wing colors, remaining wing members conducted a final retreat ceremony, and the organization was stricken from the books. This was a very emotional event for many, especially those who served for decades in this Wing and deployed together to combat zones. The bonds of friendship and camaraderie created in a military unit are strong; seeing a unit inactivated that one was once part of is emotionally very distressing. Maybe that's why I have taken so long to post these photos. I was assigned to the Wing's flying unit, the 327th Airlift Squadron, for eight years. It was my first Air Force Reserve assignment after separating from active duty in 1998. The squadron was family.....I miss them.Read More