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The briefs opposing gay marriage in the two cases currently under consideration in the Supreme Court are strange to say the least. Unlike past battles, the briefs do not argue that homosexuality is immoral. Major step forward. Sex is fine. Marriage is the problem.
Why? In short, because gay partnerships do not produce unwanted pregnancies.
Limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples is justified because it "reflect(s) a unique social difficulty with opposite-sex couples that is not present with same-sex couples — namely, the undeniable and distinct tendency of opposite-sex relationships to produce unplanned and unintended pregnancies. ... Unintended children produced by opposite-sex relationships and raised out of wedlock would pose a burden on society."
You read that right. Limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples prevents out-of-wedlock births. "It is plainly reasonable for California to maintain a unique institution (marriage) to address the unique challenges posed by the unique procreative potential of sexual relationships between men and women." Since same-sex couples "don't present a threat of irresponsible procreation," they don't need to get married.
Respectfully, this makes absolutely no sense. For one thing, heterosexual marriage does not prevent children from being raised by unwed mothers. If only. For another, the fact that gay couples do not have unintended pregnancies is hardly a reason they should not be allowed to marry. If only those who could have children were allowed to marry, there would be no reason to allow any woman over a certain age to marry.
And yet we do. Of course we do. My two favorite stories in last Sunday's New York Times Style Section, which reports on weddings and relationships (I am not the only one who calls it the ladies' sports page), report on late-life marriages. In one, there is a beautiful picture above the wedding announcement of a 97-year-old bride (she is keeping her name) and her 86-year-old groom, a widow and a widower who met five years ago.
The other is a first-person account by Eve Pell, who married when she was 71 and her husband-to-be was 81, titled "The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap." They met when he was 77, because they belonged to the same running club, and she devised a plan with a mutual friend to invite him to a screening at the friend's home. Very "seventh grade," she wrote. "We had nothing to do but love each other and be happy. ... We followed our hearts and gambled, and for a few years, we had a bit of heaven on earth."
Neither of these marriages, like so many others, was necessary to serve the state's interest in promoting two-parent families. They were based, pure and simple, on what Pell calls "one of the most precious blessings available to human beings — real love."
Nearly half a century ago, the Supreme Court held that this blessing should not be limited to couples of the same race, as it had been in Virginia. In 2013, it is time for the Supreme Court to hold that it should not be limited to opposite-sex couples, any more than real love is.
This court does not want to be remembered as the court that decided the Dred Scott decision of its time: a case that held that a slave could not sue in federal court for his freedom, a case that is regarded in retrospect as one of the lowest moments in the history of the Supreme Court. I think the Chief Justice John Roberts knows that. I think Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the landmark opinion in Lawrence v. Texas striking down Texas' sodomy laws, knows that.
I think the opponents of gay marriage are fighting a battle they will not win, and the weaknesses in the briefs filed by these distinguished lawyers reflect that.


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Like a pacemaker for the brain, deep brain stimulation (DBS) controls electrical signals in the brain to help control abnormal movements such as tremors and involuntary muscle contractions. A tiny device, implanted in the brain, is connected to a pulse generator beneath the skin of the chest. The patient can adjust the level of stimulation to provide the greatest relief with the fewest symptoms. The treatment does not destroy brain tissue, and the entire system can be removed if an alternative treatment becomes available.
When used in conjunction with medication, DBS is extremely effective. In fact, during their six-month follow-up, 100 percent of Swedish patients treated with DBS reported symptom improvement, increased independence and improved quality of life.
Throughout the care experience, we strive to establish a connection and rapport with our patients. We pride ourselves on our compassionate, patient-focused approach and our ability to treat the whole patient, not just the condition.
Swedish is also one of the few programs approved to use DBS as a treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
DBS is like a pacemaker for the brain. Instead of controlling the rhythm of your heart, DBS controls your movements.
A tiny wire (electrode) is implanted in the area of the brain that controls abnormal movement. The wire is connected to a pulse generator implanted beneath the skin of the chest. The generator sends mild electrical pulses through the wire to the brain. These pulses modify the brain's electrical signals to help control abnormal movements, such as tremor.
Swedish movement disorder experts have determined that DBS combined with medication therapy gives many patients the best chance of significantly reducing disease symptoms.
During their six-month follow-up, 100% of Swedish's DBS patients report:
DBS is both adjustable and reversible. New technology allows patients to use a remote control to adjust the level of stimulation needed to provide the greatest symptom relief with the least amount of side effects.
DBS does not destroy brain tissue. in the event an alternative therapy or treatment becomes available in the future, the entire system can be safely removed.
SNI's DBS program is a leader in this treatment in Seattle and the Northwest. In fact, it is one of the most active programs on the entire West Coast. It is the only program in the area that offers DBS to patients with cardiac pacemakers.
It also is one of the few approved programs in the U.S. that offers DBS as a treatment for dystonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
At Swedish, neurologists who specialize in movement disorders and neurosurgeons with expertise in DBS work together to empower patients who are seeking relief from these disabling abnormal movements.

subset: commoncrawl


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What I do all day
Today my chief task is to clean up the house.
At the end of the day, the house will still need to be cleaned. There may be some areas that are visibly cleaner than they were this morning. Or not.
Here's a blow-by-blow description of why.
Task: clean up. The first part is to get random detritus off the counter tops and the top of the fish tank, putting it all away (preferably not just shoved in an 18 gallon Rubbermaid bin), and wiping off the dust, dirt, and inexplicable sticky stuff that is found under all the things.
Here is a Christmas wreath of yarn and pom-poms, lying on the kitchen counter. It was made by number one daughter a couple years ago. She was overjoyed that it was put into service as the official front door wreath this year. Sadly, the white-hot temperatures that develop between our southern-facing dark green front door and the glass storm door quite handily melted the hot glue holding said wreath together and bits began falling off. Daughter was devastated, so the wreath can't be simply thrown away. It needs to be refurbished and hung in a more climate-controlled location.
So, I obtain the glue gun and glue sticks (luckily located for other projects last week. Well, the glue gun was, and the extra glue sticks were not found at that time, but were located later, when the same sewing basket was rifled once again in search of the foot pedal to the sewing machine. The foot pedal was nowhere to be found, but the previously absent glue sticks had warped in from a dimensional rift. So that was lucky for today.)
While waiting for the glue gun to heat up, I pick up the next item cluttering up the counter. It's an information form about pictures taken at preschool. I sit at the computer, find the web site, sign in, and try to decide if any of the pics are good enough to spend money on. Then call the photographer and leave a message. By then the glue gun is hot, so I glue bits back onto the wreath. I have no idea how the teachers originally succeeded in gluing he hanging loop on the back, and in my attempt, I manage to burn my fingers as well as adhere the photography information sheet to the back of the wreath.
So that represents about 30 minutes of work, and two items I've tried to clean up have progressed about 75% toward actually being off the counter top and put somewhere sensible. And they're stuck together.
Every additional stray sheet of paper, toy, UPS package, and decoration brings with it a high possibility of involving similar calendar transfers, contact list additions, e-mails, phone calls, repairs, cleaning, input from other adults, children, or bureaucracies, reorganization of the space into which I wish to put the thing, and/or disassembly and deposition into the recycling of some form of package, box, or bag.
So, at the end of the day I've done an executive assistant's worth of filing, calendar management, and contact maintenance, several crafts, some mending, de-cluttering and reorganization worthy of a TLC show, and enough box handling to qualify me to work at UPS. And the house looks about the same.
Finally, I've started adding things to my To Do list as I complete them, and including each step of a task as a separate entry. "Clean kitchen" gets replaced with neatly checked-off entries such as:
empty dishwasher
sanitize sink
take recycling out to garage
take overflowing garage recycling out to curb container
realize in a panic that it's recycling day and sprint curb container down to curb as truck pulls up
wave sheepishly at truck driver
At the end of the day, my To Do list is immense, and almost every item is checked off! My house still looks about the same. But at least I know the answer when I (or anyone else, should they dare be so reckless) wonders what the heck I did all day!
Posted on December 18, 2012, in Parenting and tagged housework. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.


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By Laura Pottorff, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension horticulturist and plant pathologist
Mid-March is a good time to start transplants from seed. These include tomatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celery and eggplant. To ensure healthy transplants, start these seeds in pathogen-free soil. Most garden centers sell sterile potting mixes, but home gardeners can use safe, non-chemical methods to sanitize small amounts of soil at home.
Treat soil before seeding or transplanting. Soil to be treated should crumble easily and be without clods or large pieces of plant debris. The soil also must be moist, but not wet. Gently squeeze a handful of soil. When the hand is opened, the soil ball should break apart somewhat. If it doesn't and if the ball cannot be broken by gently pushing on its top, the soil is too wet. If the soil is too dry, add water. Add any amendments — manure, compost or peat moss — before treatment.
You can choose from four methods to sanitize soil at home.
Oven Method– Spread soil not more than four inches deep in non-plastic containers, such as seed flats, clay pots and glass or metal baking pans. Cover each container tightly with aluminum foil. Insert a meat or candy thermometer through the foil into the center of the soil. Set the oven between 180° and 200° F. Heat the soil to at least 180° F; keep at this temperature for 30 minutes. Do not allow the temperature to go above 200° F. High temperatures may produce plant toxins. After heating, cool, remove containers from the oven and leave aluminum foil in place until ready to use. The heated soil will give off an odor.
Microwave Oven Method-You also can sterilize soil in a microwave. Microwave soil for 90 seconds per kilogram (2.2 pounds) on full power. Don't use metal containers and aluminum foil when using a microwave. Two methods suggested by others are:
1. Fill clean, quart-size plastic containers with very moist soil, perlite or cutting medium. Check the rims of the containers to make sure there is no aluminum of any kind because some yogurt containers come with a foil seal. Use clean plastic yogurt containers with lids on for sterilizing soil. This is done using a temperature probe inside a carousel-type microwave oven, heating to 200F and holding that temperature with the digital oven program for 20 minutes. Poke a hole through the plastic lids with a nail for steam ventilation. The temperature probe goes half way down into the soil through this hole in one of the containers. In a large microwave, up to 7 quart containers can be sterilized at a time, making this a very efficient way to heat sterilize soil. Allow to cool and tape over the hole in the lid to keep sterile until ready to use.
2. Place approximately 2 pounds of moist soil in a polypropylene bag. Leave the top open and place in the center of a microwave oven. Treat for 2½ minutes on full power of about 650 watts. After treatment close the top of the bag and allow the soil to cool before removing.
Pressure Cooker Method– Pour several cups of water into the cooker. On a rack above the water, place shallow pans containing no more than four inches of soil. Level the soil, but do not pack it down. Cover each container with aluminum foil. Stack the containers to allow steam circulation. Close the lid, but leave the steam valve open somewhat until all the air is forced out and steam begins to escape. Then close the steam valve and heat at 10 pounds pressure for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, allow the containers to cool and remove. Leave the aluminum foil in place until you use the soil.
Steam Sterilization Without Pressure– Pour about an inch of water into the sterilizing container. Follow the soil preparation procedures for the pressure cooker method. Place filled containers on a rack to keep them out of the water. Close the lid and bring the water to a boil. Open the lid just enough to prevent pressure build-up. When steam begins to escape, continue boiling for 30 minutes. Then turn off the heat and replace the lid. Remove soil when cool.
Many heavier soils and soils containing large amounts of organic matter may release toxic compounds when heated too long or at too high a temperature. These toxins can cause poor seed germination, plant growth abnormalities or plant death. The toxicity is caused by an accumulation of ammonium compounds, soluble organic compounds, minerals or salts that may occur during the heating process.
Use a simple test to determine if the treated soil is toxic. Plant a few lettuce or other seeds with a high germination rate in the treated soil. If the seed does not germinate, toxic compounds may be present. To check the validity of the test, plant the same seeds in untreated soil.
To start seeds indoors, fill containers with soil three-quarters inch from the rim. Place seeds on the soil surface and cover to the depth indicated on the seed packet. As a general rule, don't cover more than four times the diameter of the seed. Water the seeds with a fine spray; avoid flooding the pots. Cover the containers with plastic sheets or glass panes to increase humidity; place them in a cool room (60 to 65° F) away from direct sunlight until germination. Once germination occurs, move containers into brighter light over a gradual 2-to-3 day period. When the first true leaves develop, thin to one seedling per container if using peat pots or partitioned trays. If seeds were planted in larger containers, transplant them to smaller containers or peat pots at this stage.
Harden off seedlings about a week before planting time. (The last average frost-free dates are May 12 – 15.) To do this, gradually expose the seedlings to longer periods of outdoor temperatures (unless temperatures are below 50° F). Reduce watering slightly to help plants adjust to full exposure. For more information contact your local Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office.
Photograph courtesy of Garden Gate magazine; Copyright, August home Publishing Co.
Go to: www.durablegrowingequipment.com
Note: for professional grade sterilizers for soil and other growing medium, click here for Heavy Duty Soil Sterilizers manufactured in U.S.A.
Professional Grade Soil Sterilizers are an excellent alternative to other labor intensive methods, including the use of ovens that result in not only a mess, but long-lasting earthy odors which develop in ovens.
GROW WITH THE PRO'S in 2022!


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The third annual Pawcurious Blogathon starts this coming Saturday at 1:00 pm Central Time!
What is Blogathon?
Blogathon is a word that I assume Dr. V made up, which as you know, in my book, makes it a real word now. Especially since it has a real word definition. Blogathon is a very fun online fundraiser for animals. It was started in 2009 when Dr. V decided, sort of on the spur of the moment, to spend twenty-four hours in a row blogging hourly to raise money for her local humane society.
In 2010, eight other bloggers joined Dr. V to raise money for different pet causes. Four of us raised money for a seizure support dog for a four year old named Bradyn. (He is getting his dog in March 2012 – woo!) This year, the project has gotten so crazy that I do not even know how many animal lovers are participating yet! How cool is that??
Dr. V is raising money for a large animal sanctuary near San Diego called Lions, Tigers and Bears. Su Smith and her students at Cornerstone Christian School are raising money for dogs affected by the recent Texas wildfires. Elizabeth Hilpipre and I, along with at least six other Omaha bloggers, are raising money for the Nebraska Humane Society. Also, an anonymous donor is matching every single donation to the Nebraska Humane Society during the Blogathon! (Thank you Secret Pet Saver!!!)
Here is a running list of participants…Let me know of any others!
The Wandering Duck Climbs a Mountain
When is Blogathon?
1:00 pm Saturday, November 12. 2011 – noon Sunday, November 13. 2011 Central Time.
Can I participate?
Yes, of course!
- If you have a blog, and an animal related cause you would like to support, join us on Saturday and Sunday to blog hourly to raise money for your chosen cause. Feel free to blog more or less often, or participate in the "sane" hours of the Blogathon.
- If you have a blog and would like to support a cause already being sponsored, check the list of participants and jump in with the project you would like to support! Last year, I was still figuring all of this out, and loved Dr. V's idea of helping a little boy get his therapy dog, so this is the option I chose.
- Let us know you are participating!
Do I Have Time to Prepare if this is the First I Have Heard of Blogathon?
Last year I bought some Diet Coke and chocolate right before Blogathon started and made stuff up as I went. So, yes.
What Should I Blog About?
The cause you are supporting…pets…your thoughts on things you think…videos…photos…links to the cause you are supporting or other Blogathon participants' websites and the causes they are supporting or other stuff…
My blogging style is a bit random, so I made sure to link to the donation site at the end of every post last year to help focus myself. I will be doing that again this year!
Do You Have Links From Last Year I Can Check Out?
Yes, and if you follow those links, they will bring you to more information!
Blogathon 2010 on Riley and James
Oh no, I do not have a blog! Do I need to sit on the curb and watch everyone go by? *sniff*
No, of course not!
- Offer to write a guest blog post in advance for any participating blogger you think may need a 3 am coffee break.
- Comment on the participating blogs. You would not believe how encouraging support and participation are when bloggers are thinking "What was I thinking?" and "What did I get myself into?" and "I am so tired!" and "Is this making a difference?"
- See if bloggers need pictures that you have taken. We are ALWAYS looking for great pictures, and they make posts more fun to read. Also, your pets are super cute.
- I am specifically looking for pictures of clocks "on the hour" to post each hour, so if you take a neat clock picture that I can use, let me know!
You are crazy! I am not staying up all night!
That is not a question! But you do have a good point. You can still help!
- Promote the Blogathon through facebook and twitter and other social media sites.
- Tell your friends and family.
- Support the cause or causes that you love. Make donations during the Blogathon or even later in honor of "The Pawcurious Blogathon."
- Learn about the groups highlighted during Blogathon that sound interesting.
- Get to know the participating bloggers. Odds are, they are just as dog crazy as you are and would be very fun to know!
- Do the awesome things you are already doing to help organizations helping animals…give, volunteer, support.
I think you are awesome, and I can not wait to spend this coming weekend with you! THIS is going to be fun, people!


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Kneading Conference West (part 1)
I'm just back from the Kneading Conference West, hosted by Washington State University's Mt. Vernon Research Extension Center. It was a great conference and the setting -- a campus and orchard in the center of Washington's Skagit Valley -- could not have been more wonderful.
The Kneading Conference's misson is to "inspire and educate novice and professional bakers, grain growers, millers, wheat breeders, wood-fired oven enthusiasts, food entrepreneurs, food writers, and anyone who loves to eat hand-crafted breads. The purpose is to bring together people who, by exchanging skills, experiences, and ideas, will invigorate the rebuilding of regional grain systems." That's truly what it was: the people who love to make, sell, and eat good bread getting together with the folks from the region who raise and process the grains, trying to figure out how best to work together.
There were out of town guests too, such as the first morning's keynote speaker Andrew Whitley, author of Bread Matters and co-founder of the Read Bread Campaign in the UK.
Dawn Woodward, owner of Evelyn's Crackers and Naomi Duguid, co-author of Home Baking and Flatbreads & Flavors, were there representing Team Canada and gave a number of presentations together, including a wheat tasting and sessions on making crackers and flat breads at home.
From closer to home, Kiko Denzer led a day-long, hands-on session on building an earth oven.
George De Pasquale, co-founder of Seattle's Essential Baking Company, led a session on artisan sourdough bread for the home baker.
Mark Doxtader of Tastebud Farm kept his oven hot the entire conference, both for his baking and for other folks to use.
His wood fired bagels were a particular hit in the early morning.
What better way to start a beautiful fall morning, eh?
Speaking of wood-fired ovens, Mike Dash of Rolling Fire lead a session on baking pizza in a wood-fired oven and made some of the best pizza I've ever had.
After. And, yes, the woman in red in the front is clapping. Everyone there was really enthusiastic about baking.
Continued in Part 2.


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BackCurrent doctoral students
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We create an excellent experience for our doctoral students and provide great support. The Policy for Research Resources and Support for Post Graduate Research Candidates outlines the research and support available to you as a doctoral candidate at Massey.
Find out more about the various services available to you.
Academic support
You will find all the information you need to successfully complete your doctoral study in the Research Services section of the online Massey University Research Library.
Research Services - Massey online library
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This programme is designed to provide additional support and developmental opportunities to doctoral candidates in preparation for life post completion of their degree.
Find out more about the programme and support around career development
The Finding Theses page is a great resource to help you prepare and write your thesis. You will get access to every Masters and Doctoral thesis completed at Massey University, and information on how to access theses from other New Zealand universities.
A doctoral citation is required from all doctoral students who have completed the examination process. We cannot recommend the award of your degree or issue you with a completion letter without this.
Citations are used by the Graduation Office for the graduation programmes. They are posted on our website and may also be used for press releases.
Read the citation instructions and examples
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If you would like to read doctoral citations from students who have completed their study, go to the Student Profile Search. Make sure you change the filter for student type to Completed Students. You can also filter your search results by Department and Fields of Research.
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When you are enrolled you are given an online profile page. We strongly encourage you to complete this and update it as you progress through your candidacy. Please see examples of students' profiles at different stages of their candidacy and tips on what to include here.
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Configuration Infrastructure
Since 9th October 2003 the new configuration infrastructure is part of the main trunk of the DRI CVS repository. It introduces a consistent mechanism for configuring all DRI drivers using an XML-based configuration file. It further provides an interface for configuration GUIs to find out about the ConfigurationOptions of installed drivers. Option descriptions are available in multiple languages. The first GUI configuration tool that uses the new infrastructure is DriConf.
DriConf is by far the easiest and most user-friendly way to edit the configuration. On the page ConfigurationOptions you find more detailed descriptions of common configuration options. If instead you prefer to edit the configuration file with a text editor, then read on. ConfigurationForDevelopers describes how to make drivers configurable and how to add new options to drivers. For those interested in the technical details there is a design document.
System-wide and per-user configuration files
There is a system-wide configuration file /etc/drirc that applies to all users. Those settings can be overridden by a user's configuration file $HOME/.drirc. Both files have exactly the same format.
Example for a single-headed setup
Let's start with an example of a configuration file for a single-headed setup, where you have only one graphics card and one monitor installed.
<device screen="0" driver="radeon">
<application name="all">
<!-- Always synchronize with vertical refresh to avoid tearing -->
<option name="vblank_mode" value="3"/>
<application name="glxgears" executable="glxgears">
<!-- glxgears should not synchronize with vertical refresh, show full fps -->
<option name="vblank_mode" value="0"/>
<application name="tuxracer" executable="tuxracer">
<!-- Tuxrace has some artifacts with hardware TCL -->
<option name="tcl_mode" value="0"/>
Comments start with . Indentation is optional but makes the configuration file more readable. Each configuration file starts with
Between the
- mga (Matrox cards)
- r128 (ATI Rage 128 and some Mobility chips)
- radeon (ATI Radeon 7000, 7200, 7500 and some Mobility chips)
- r200 (ATI Radeon 8500, 9000, 9200) If you are not sure which driver is the correct one for you, then you can find out with xdriinfo. If you type xdriinfo in the shell, you will get a list of all direct rendering capable screens with their drivers.
In each device section there can be any number of application sections that contain the configuration of different applications. The opening tag can contain the attributes "name" and "executable". The name is merely a descriptive string. If no executable attribute is present then the section applies to all applications. Otherwise the section only applies to the specified application.
Caution: The executable that you specify in the executable attribute may differ from what you type in the shell. For instance the command q3demo is a shell script. The actual executable that runs the game is called q3demo.x86.
Options are specified as empty element tags. This is indicated by the slash before the closing bracket. They have two attributes, "name" and "value". Their meaning should be obvious. The set of available options, their types and ranges of valid values depend on the driver and are subject to changes. Hopefully the most common change will be the addition of new options. But sometimes options may be removed or replaced by different options with different semantics.
An up-to-date description of available options can be obtained with the program xdriinfo, which is included in the DRI CVS repository and in recent binary snapshots. In the shell type
xdriinfo options <screen number or driver name>
You will see a rather long XML document that formally describes all available options and also includes verbal descriptions in multiple languages. This format is not exactly easily readable. Its main purpose is to be automatically processed by configuration GUIs. But it may also serve as a reference to the "power user".


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The History of CCB
Update (08/24/2008) - TWITastic
Update (06/26/2006) - Critical Mass
On a sunny day some friends and I had ordered some bacon cheese burgers for lunch. After a couple of bites someone commented on how bacon was able to make an already delicious hamburger even more delicious. This started a conversation on the power of bacon in-which it was able to make everything it came in contact with taste better. Whether it's a filet wrapped in bacon, bacon on salads, pizza, or sandwiches it's always that much better with bacon. We wondered if it was possible that any other foods had this special property. Someone quickly identified chocolate as a food with similar complimentary properties. Chocolate covered pretzels, strawberries, nuts, just about everything tasted better covered in chocolate. If both bacon and chocolate can make other foods taste better, what would happen if someone was just crazy enough to combine chocolate and bacon? A quick search on the internet yielded little information, which raised some serious concerns on the safety of combining two such powerfully substances. Several questions came to mind; maybe bacon and chocolate aren't supposed to be combined? Maybe combining them could start the apocalypse? With complete careless recklessness for ourselves and the rest of the planet we decided it had to be done.
I've carefully documented the procedure for making Chocolate Covered Bacon (CCB) to serve as record incase I was killed during the combining process.
If you are planning on following the outlined procedure listed
below please proceed with EXTREME
CAUTION. This documented procedure was performed in a
controlled environment with all the necessary safety procedures.
Please note: That no animals were hurt in this process (none that I specifically hurt, but I suspect the company that harvested the bacon might have).
Getting Started
You will need the following ingredients and necessary cookware:
- 1 bag (12oz) of Semi-Sweet Chocolate morsels
- 1 1lb of uncooked bacon
- Sprinkles (optional)
- Large skillet
- Double boiler | medium sauce pan and smaller sauce pan (simulate double boiler)
- Cooking tongs
- Cooling rack | cookie sheet
- Large plate and some paper towel (2 or 3 sheets)
- Big Spoon
- Remove Bacon from package (I suspect it is possible to cook it in the package, but this might make it difficult to cover it in chocolate)
- Heat large skillet on high.
- Add bacon strips to skillet.
- Turn bacon strips over as needed with tongs.
- Cook back until it's reduced to about ¼ of its original size and appears to be crispy. (Personally I believe that the bacon should be crispy; however if you prefer your chocolate covered bacon chewy opposed to crunchy then reduce cooking time by removing your bacon earlier)
- Remove bacon from skillet and place it on a paper towel lined plate. (This will absorb the excess fat and oil making this a low calorie healthy snack)
- While the bacon is cooling fill the double boiler or medium sauce pan with water and bring to a medium heat.
- Place double boiler top pan in double boiler bottom pan or put the small sauce pan in the medium sauce pan.
- Slowly add chocolate morsels into top pan and stir while morsels melt. Do this until all morels have been added. (Be sure to keep stirring to prevent the chocolate from burning.)
- Using your fingers or tongs carefully dip the bacon strips into the chocolate, if necessary use a spoon to spoon the melted chocolate over the bacon evenly coating it.
- Once coated lay strips on cooling rack or cookie sheet.
- (Optionally) Apply Sprinkles evenly on chocolate covered bacon while on cooling rack. It's important to apply while the chocolate is still warm. This will allow the sprinkles to better adhere to the chocolate.
- Place cooling rack with bacon into the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove bacon strips from the cooling rack and place into a container or place the strips directly into your mouth.
- Bring container with strips to work, school, or religious event.
Moment of Truth
At this point you are probably wondering if Chocolate Covered Bacon (CCB) tastes good or is utterly disgusting. Perhaps you are asking yourself "Why would anyone even consider this combination?" I suspect the person who suggested that orange juice might not just be for breakfast anymore was subjected to the same level of scrutiny. But it was exactly this type of forward thinking that tore down the walls and stereotypes about orange juice, and made it perfectly acceptable to consume anytime of the day.
Let's see what people are saying about it.
"It's like someone crapped in my mouth, Mmmm! Eh!"
Sammy Haggar of Canada
"Tastes like Chicken"
Waitress of Detroit, MI
"Three Words; Full Moon Party"
Rene of Miami, FL
If you have any questions, please post a comment. I'll be compiling the list into a FAQ.
Please donate or visit our sponsor's links to ensure more quality
life-enriching articles.


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Cookbook review: Taste of Treme
'Taste of Tremé: Creole, Cajun, and Soul Food from New Orleans's Famous Neighborhood of Jazz' by Todd-Michael St. Pierre is stuffed with doable recipes, from breakfast to dessert.
New Orleans is one of our favorite cities for food. Everything tastes of history, blended cultures and spices. Lots of spices. Some of them hot, of course, but more often just big flavored. And from the diviest dives to the fanciest white tablecloth spots, you have to work hard to find a bad meal.
It's been too long since we've been back to New Orleans. Fortunately, "Taste of Tremé: Creole, Cajun, and Soul Food from New Orleans's Famous Neighborhood of Jazz" by Todd-Michael St. Pierre delivers. Published in October 2012, it is stuffed with doable recipes, from breakfast right on through to dinner, dessert, and cocktails.
"Taste of Tremé" is also packed with the flavor and soul of the city. Author Todd-Michael St. Pierre shares some history of Tremé, his favorite NOLA neighborhood and the oldest African-American community in the nation. St. Pierre says of the area "music is always in the air and something wonderful is always simmering on the stove."
This recipe for shrimp with cheddar grits had me at "grits." I grew up in St. Louis, about as far north as grits reliably get on breakfast joint menus. And I have a lot of family in the South. So the creamy texture and buttery, salty taste of grits (to those of you who put sugar or syrup on grits, stop it) is a road trip welcome home sign for my mouth.
It helps to think of grits as kind of polenta (they're both ground corn) or even risotto, filtered through Southern kitchens. All are slow cooked to a creamy finish that, unlike rice or pasta, doesn't need a sauce or gravy. In fact, they often serve as the slightly saucy base for other foods.
St. Pierre warns that a "true grits connoisseur will scold you if you suggest that they use instant grits or what are commonly called 'quick grits.' " On the day I had for shopping, quick grits were all I could find – Chicago may be too far north for the real thing. If you can find old-fashioned, slow-cooking grits, do so. Otherwise, the quick grits are pretty good. However, don't use the instant grits – even I wouldn't do that.
Spicy Shrimp with Tomatoes and Cheddar Grits
Serves 3
For the shrimp:
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper (or other pepper—see Kitchen Notes), finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
3/4 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon Creole/Cajun spice (see Kitchen Notes)
2 to 3 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
For the grits:
3 cups water
a generous 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grits
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used extra sharp)
A quick note: Time the cooking of the grits and the shrimp so they're both done at the same time, based on the kind of grits you use.
Cook the shrimp. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium flame. Add bell pepper, onion, jalapeño pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes. Be careful not to brown or burn the garlic.
Add Creole/Cajun spice and shrimp, stirring to combine, and cook for two minutes, turning the shrimp halfway through. At this point, the skillet will seem alarmingly dry. Don't worry. Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional three minutes, stirring frequently. The tomatoes will release their juices; use them to scrape up any browned bits and incorporate them into the dish.
Meanwhile, cook the grits. Bring the water to a rapid boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and then slowly stir in the grits. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to low so the grits just simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until grits are smooth and thickened—30 to 45 minutes for old-fashioned grits, five to seven minutes for quick grits.
Don't go crazy on the thickening – like polenta, they will continue to thicken as they cool. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar until it completely melts into the grits.
Assemble the dish. Spoon grits into individual shallow bowls. Top with vegetables and shrimp and serve.
Kitchen Notes
Pick a pepper. The original recipe calls for a tabasco pepper. I went with the more readily available jalapeño, which is also lower on the heat scale than the tabasco (but I didn't seed my pepper, as the recipe called for with the tabasco). You could also use a Serrano pepper, if you want more heat.
Creole/Cajun spice. St. Pierre's Suck da Heads and Pinch da Tails Creole Spice sounds like an excellent mix (and authentically, it uses onion powder and garlic powder, two regulars in New Orleans cookbooks, even when the recipe uses fresh onion and garlic, as does this one). I used this recipe for Emeril's Creole Seasoning, a slightly stripped down version. (I switched teaspoons for tablespoons, reducing my total mixture to 1/3 the original recipe and still have plenty left for other uses.) In a pinch, you can use store-bought Creole/Cajun spice.


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With memories of the recession beginning to fade away, the world's automakers are again going all out to fill Cobo Center for the annual North American International Auto Show with an impressive array of new vehicles and new technology as well as a big dose of optimism about the prospects for 2014.
Detroit's automakers are eager to add to the comeback that helped power them over the past year when Ford Motor Co. boosted its market share, General Motors cut its ties to the federal government and Chrysler forged new ties with the Italian automaker Fiat. Each of the three automakers want to use this year's show as a spring board for further growth and each automaker is prepared to present new vehicles they hope will power their future success.
Ford, for example, will not only show off the 2015 Mustang but also the next generation F-150 which will bring new technology and fuel efficiency into the full-size pickup truck.
GM will also show off a new mid-size truck from GMC while Chrysler will present future models destined to roll off an assembly line in a plant slated to shut permanently doomed during the last recession.
"The all-new 2015 Canyon completes GMC's three-truck family, which started with the redesigned 2014 Sierra 1500 and 2015 Sierra HD," said Tony DiSalle, vice president of GMC Marketing.
"It rounds out a lineup that offers the broadest range of capabilities in the industry, giving truck customers more choices to find the vehicle that meets their professional, personal and lifestyle needs," he added.
DiSalle said when it goes on sale this year, the all-new Canyon will give GMC one of the only three-truck lineups in the industry. It is expected to deliver class-leading capabilities with the brand's signature refinement – all in an efficiently sized, maneuverable package for customers who want the cargo-hauling versatility of a truck without the size of a full-size pickup.
Chrysler also is preparing for to unveil for the first time a pair of mid-sized cars built from architecture borrowed from Fiat that will be built in Sterling Heights and give the Auburn Hills-based company its first credible entry into the critical mid-sized segment in several years.
Other automakers are also planning to put on major displays during the NAIAS, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary as one of the automotive world's top international shows.
Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Kia and Tesla are all planning major introductions for the show during the press preview that starts Monday. The press coverage is expected to reach every corner of the globe.
Mercedes-Benz, for example, is staging a special drive of the new C-Class from its production plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala. to Cobo Hall. The show car is expected to arrive Monday morning.
The estimates are the automakers have combined to spend over $200 million on the new displays on the floor of Cobo Hall.
"It's what we've been working toward since last January," said Bob Shuman, chairman, NAIAS 2014. "The manufacturers continue to show their confidence in the NAIAS, and will once again bring their absolute best to Detroit's world stage. The show is going to rock."
As show organizers prepare to open to the largest media audience in North America, the industry remains focused on one of the top automotive events in the world.
"We're at the top of our game," said Shuman, who added the official NAIAS Press Conference Schedule, features more than 40 media events over the two-day press preview this week.
"That means introductions of an expected 50 worldwide concept and production vehicles that will be seen for the very first time right here in Detroit," Shuman added.
The excitement around this year's show is being fed in part by the positive outlook for 2014.
Detroit's Three automakers are expected to report health profits later this month and are expected to distribute record profit sharing checks in early March, which will give the local economy and local car dealers a huge lift.
At the same time, many automotive suppliers are actively seeking engineers and other skilled employees as automakers continue to look forward to healthy sales in the coming year. Overall sales are expected to be the best in more than six years, analysts said.
Patrick Archambault, Goldman Sachs vice president of global research, recently Society of Automotive Analysts in Detroit, car sales are expected to grow again in 2014. Sales in the U.S. should continue to increase before peaking in 2016.


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Vincenzo Bellini 1801 – 1835
Melodrama in two acts
Libretto by Felice Romani after the libretto by Eugène Scribe for the ballet La Somnambule ou L'Arrivée d'un nouveau Seigneur (1827) by Jean-Pierre Aumer
First performed March 6th 1831, Teatro Carcano, Milan
Sung in Italian with German surtitles
First ever performances in Frankfurt
Duration: 2 hours 45 min. with one interval
08.01.2015 |11.01.2015 |
Eun Sun Kim
Tina Lanik
Stage Designer
Herbert Murauer
Costume Designer
Stefan Hageneier
Lighting Designer
Olaf Winter
Mareike Wink
Chorus Master
Tilman Michael
Brenda Rae
Stefan Pop / Luciano Botelho
Kihwan Sim
Louise Alder / Nina Minasyan
Fredrika Brillembourg
Vuyani Mlinde
Ein Notar (a notary)
Simon Bode
Oper Frankfurt's Orchestra and Chorus
About the work
The story of the beautiful sleepwalker Amina unfolds in seemingly endless, flowing arcs of melody. Bellini's score rolls out like a loving carpet for bel canto. The ambiguousity in the music only becomes clear when interpreted precisely by the soloists, chorus and orchestra. This challenge is made clear by explicit instructions the composer wrote in the score. Uncertainty, reflected in the mixed genre of opera semi seria, and portrayal of the fragility of human existence corresponds to a heightened awareness of being alive prevalent at a time marked by radical political change and uncertainty. Changes were also underway in Italian music. After Rossini stopped composing Bellini and Donizetti were now Italy's leading operatic composers. Bellini's Il pirata (1827) was the foundation stone for Italian romantic opera. La Sonnambula was a great success when it first opened on March 6th 1831.
Everyone is thrilled about Elvino and Amina's imminent wedding, except Lisa, Elvino's former lover, who gives good hearted Alessio …
Everyone is thrilled about Elvino and Amina's imminent wedding, except Lisa, Elvino's former lover, who gives good hearted Alessio's attentions the cold shoulder. Amina's step-mother Teresa guards the secret of her sleepwalking. Elvino arrives late – he had been praying at his mother's grave for her blessing. The notary asks what they will bring to their marriage Elvino: "My farm, house, name, all I possess. Amina has "only her heart" to give. He puts his mother's ring on her finger, they are engaged. A stranger, Rodolfo, appears, making hints about the return of the dead Count's lost son. He and Amina share a mutual fascination. Dusk: the villagers are uneasy and – egged on by Teresa, because this "explanation" is useful – say that a ghost is seen every night. Rodolfo just laughs, and takes a room in Lisa's hotel.
When Lisa checks to see if he needs anything, they start getting to know one another better. Amina appears, sleepwalking. Lisa flees Rodolfo's embrace and room, forgetting her scarf. Amina talks of her beloved Elvino, treats Rodolfo tenderly before withdrawing again. The villagers, having heard that Rodolfo is the dead Count's lost son, arrive. When Amina awakes she finds herself surrounded by them. Elvino breaks off their engagement. Teresa finds Lisa's scarf.
The villagers want the new Count to explain the situation. Amina cannot convince Elvino of her innocence. He pulls the ring from her finger. The story takes another unexpected turn: Elvino has decided to marry Lisa. On the way to church they meet Rodolfo, who vouches for Amina's fidelity. He explains the phenomenon of sleepwalking. Nobody believes him. Teresa, the scarf as evidence, disproves what Lisa maintains, that she, unlike Amina, has never been alone at night in a strange man's room. Lisa is now the outcast. Amina appears, sleepwalking, dangerously high above the ground. She speaks of her deep love for Elvino and pain she feels at the loss of his love. Elvino wants her back. The village rejoices.


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Internal dialogue is incredibly important. Doing it right is critical.
Today, I have a special treat for you guys. Author, speaker, editor and long-time W.A.N.A. International Instructor Marcy Kennedy is here to talk about internal dialogue—when to use it, why we use it and how not to get all cray-cray with it.
Trust us. As editors, Marcy and I see it all. Often newer writers swing to one extreme or another. Either they stay SO much in a character's head that we (the reader) are trapped in The Land of Nothing Happening or we're never given any insight into the character's inner thought life, leaving said character as interesting as a rice cake.
Like all things in fiction, balance is key. Marcy is here to work her magic and teach y'all how to use internal dialogue for max effect.
Take it away, Marcy!
Understanding why something is important to our writing lays the foundation for bettering our writing because it…
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Morphological functions
In addition to basic morphological transformations, there are also geodesic transformations based on the concept of mathematical restoration.
In more sophisticated software packages it is possible to define mathematic filters that are able to adapt to image structures. For example, it is possible to eliminate all structures below a particular size. In addition there are methods available to separate objects from each other, as shown in this example with a group of coins touching each other.


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By Don Babwin
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal court ruling tossing out Illinois' ban on concealed weapons might end the last such gun prohibition in the country, but not without a fight.
The question is whether the battle will be an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has been silent on the issue of concealed weapons, or a legislative confrontation over the court's order that Illinois adopt a law allowing concealed carry with "reasonable limitations" as in other states.
Gun control advocates urged Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to quickly appeal Tuesday's ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Illinois' ban is unconstitutional.
Madigan's office said she is studying the issue. But the ban's defenders said they were more certain of fireworks over a second part of the ruling — an order for the Illinois Legislature to come up with a law legalizing the concealed carry of weapons within 180 days.
"I expect a battle," said Barbara Flynn Currie, the House Majority Leader and a longtime gun control advocate. "The proponents of concealed carry have not yet carried the day."
Exultant gun rights advocates, who long have argued that the Illinois ban violates the Second Amendment, couldn't agree less. They celebrated the ruling as a major victory in their campaign to make Illinois and its ban the center of the national debate over gun control after Wisconsin tossed out its own ban on concealed carry last year.
The gun rights backers interpreted the 2-1 appellate court ruling as a mandate instructing lawmakers to pass a bill allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons in public with few if any restrictions. Todd Vandermyde, a National Rifle Association lobbyist, said gun control advocates could forget any limits such as partial bans near places such as day care centers and schools.
"It's over for them. They have no stroke in this game, they have no negotiating power," Vandermyde said. "When you start drawing circles around all those places — day care centers, schools and parks — that's a ban and they don't get a ban. They lost."
State Rep. Brandon Phelps, who sponsored a restrictive concealed carry bill last year that lost by the slimmest of margins, said gun control advocates are not going to like the next bill they see on the floor of the General Assembly.
"I said on the floor (last year), 'A lot of people who voted against this, one of these days you're going to wish you did, because of all the limitations and the safety precautions we put in this bill, because one of these days the court's going to rule and you're not going to like the ruling,'" said Phelps, a Democrat. "Today's the day."
Richard Pearson, the executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said lawmakers could quickly pass the Phelps bill when they reconvene the first week of January. The bill, he said, "contains all the things — background checks, classroom time — that all the parties wanted, so it's ready to go." But that's not to say all those provisions will be in the bill this time around, he said.
"We bent over backwards before and tried to accommodate everybody, and they just threw it in the garbage," Pearson said. "Maybe we won't be so accommodating now."
In the appellate ruling, Judge Richard Posner, author of the majority opinion, suggested that there was no excuse for the state not to join the rest of the nation when it comes to concealed weapons. He wrote, "There is no suggestion that some unique characteristic of criminal activity in Illinois justifies the state's taking a different approach than the other 49 states."
But the majority included the 180-day stay of its ruling to "allow the Illinois legislature to craft a new gun law that will impose reasonable limitations, consistent with the public safety and the Second Amendment as interpreted in this opinion, on the carrying of guns in public," Posner wrote. The fight in the Legislature would be over what constitutes "reasonable limitations."
Among the biggest backers of the ban were powerful Chicago Democrats with a long tradition of support for gun control legislation; much of the rest of the state opposed the ban.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, an ardent gun control advocate who recently tried to revive a proposal for an assault weapons ban, was still reviewing the ruling, an aide said.
One provision in Phelps' bill that might be taken out is a requirement for concealed-carry training specific to Illinois residents, Pearson said. That requirement is far more rigorous than in some other states, including Arizona and Wyoming, which Pearson said have far less stringent training requirements.
Pearson said another possibility is requiring training from any NRA instructor, as some states require. "You get certified and you're out the door," he said.
There also is likely to be debate over where concealed weapons can be carried. For example, Wisconsin decided that gun permit holders cannot carry weapons in schools, police stations or courtrooms but can carry weapons into taverns if they aren't drinking alcohol. Private property owners can ban weapons in their buildings if they see fit.
Some gun control advocates believe their best chance is with the Supreme Court. It could be a long shot, given the court's rulings in the last few years — one overturning Chicago's
28-year-old handgun ban — that citizens have a Second Amendment right to have a gun for self-defense in their homes.
At the same time, Flynn Currie, the House Majority Leader, said she is encouraged by the court's silence on the right to carry concealed weapons, and wants Madigan to appeal the ruling.
The Supreme Court's rulings on the Second Amendment were "very limited, saying the home is your castle, and it didn't apply to other places," she said. "For that reason, it's worth checking on that question."
- Posted December 17, 2012
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Court ruling on gun ban sets stage for fight
By Don Babwin
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Erlenmeyer Flask 2000 mL
All of our flasks are made from borosilicate type glass which is nice because they can be transferred directly from heat to ice and not crack like normal glass. (We do not recommend the use of an electric element. If this cannot be avoided, we recommend using a larger pot as a hot water bath on the stove.)
Great Flask for yeast culturing.
Recommended Process for Use of Flask:
Double Boiler Method
It is important for your safety to heat water in the flask with a heat source that distributes heat evenly. Our manufacturer has confirmed that direct heat to the glass can break down its integrity and break if the heat source doesn't distribute evenly.
We recommend using the "double boiler method." This process involves using a boiling water bath on the outside of the flask to heat up the water inside the flask. All you need is a kettle 3 gallons or larger. This process is much safer and efficient. If the flask should break or boil over, your kettle will be there to collect the contents, thus keeping your stove clean and keeping you away from potential harm.
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Insurers and other health care companies are facing costly new restrictions and fees under the new law. The Republicans, the party most associated big business, hate it. So if President Obama's health care overhaul is repealed by the Supreme Court this month, companies would rejoice, right?
Well, not all of them.
For many companies, overturning the law could mean less profit, not more. Certain health care insurers and hospitals could no longer expect to get payments from millions of newly insured patients.
What's more, health care experts say many big companies want to see the law upheld because they've worked hard to adapt to it, and fear legislation replacing it might prove more costly to them.
"There's no guarantee that Washington wouldn't come up with something more disruptive," says Matthew Coffina, a health care analyst at Morningstar, a research firm. "You have to worry about what comes next."
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the law, called the Affordable Care Act, by the end of the month. The justices will decide whether Congress went beyond its authority in the Constitution in passing it. They could throw out all of the convoluted law, part of it or decide to keep it intact.
Opponents have focused on the so-called individual mandate. This requires virtually every U.S. resident to carry health insurance. Most of the estimated 50 million currently uninsured will be able to obtain taxpayer-subsidized coverage, either through an expansion of Medicaid eligibility or new markets for private insurance called exchanges. Some people are exempt from the mandate, illegal immigrants, for example.
Here is how some companies will win or lose under four possible rulings by the high court.
The court throws out the individual mandate, but keeps the rest of the law
Hospitals could find themselves in the sick ward.
Hospitals have to foot at least some of the bill when uninsured patients show up for treatment. The law would help put an end to that by requiring most people to get coverage. Cut the requirement, and hospitals would have to continue paying out of pocket. Plus they would still have to swallow Medicare cuts in the law.
Though it's not clear investors are anticipating this, they have been selling stock of hospital chains lately. Since the high court started considering the case in late March, they have pushed down the stock of Universal Health Services, Tenet Healthcare and Kindred Healthcare by 6 percent or more. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 3.6 percent in the same period.
But investors should be careful not to overreact. If the high court rejects the individual mandate, hospitals would still be better off than if there were no law. The tax credit to help pay for insurance and the expansion of Medicaid might remain. That would make it easier for millions of uninsured people to get coverage, meaning fewer non-paying patients.
Some insurers could get hit, too.
In a partial repeal, the law would still require insurers to offer policies to people with prior medical conditions such as diabetes and cancer. That raises the scary prospect of only costly, sick people signing up for coverage. Healthy people who would otherwise help pay for sick people's bills with their premium payments might choose to stay uninsured. After all, they could always sign up for coverage once they got ill.
This is why the Obama administration has asked the court to get rid of the coverage guarantee if the mandate is thrown out.
But, again, investors shouldn't overreact. Insurers could limit losses under this scenario by dropping out of the business of directly selling coverage to individuals and sticking with just employer-sponsored plans. Or they could decide to stay in the individual market and recoup the cost of covering their new, sick customers by raising premiums. Studies suggest premiums in the individual market could jump by 10 percent to 30 percent.
The court repeals the individual mandate and the new coverage rules
Insurers would win.
They wouldn't have to worry about people signing up for coverage only after they got sick. They could just reject them. And the tax credit and Medicaid expansion would remain. Experts expect many uninsured would take advantage of those incentives to get coverage, and insurers would make more money.
"You have the market you have today, plus you have subsidies," says Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, a consulting firm in Washington D.C. "That's Disneyland, that's fabulous."
Whether investors think the high court is likely to rule this way is another matter. Since the judges began reviewing the case three months ago, investors have been selling managed care stocks, pushing a dozen of them down an average 9 percent, according to Bespoke Investment, a research firm.
Just how much of a benefit insurers would see under this scenario is difficult to know. Many insurers do the bulk of their business with employers, with individual policies accounting for a tiny share. At Wellpoint, one of the biggest providers of individual insurance, policyholders getting such coverage make up less than 5 percent of the total.
The court repeals the law
Insurers focused on Medicaid recipients could lose.
Of the estimated 30 million people gaining coverage under the law, more than half are expected to benefit from the expansion of eligibility requirements for Medicaid, the federal-state program for low income families. Take away the law, and you take away those new customers.
But it's unclear how much insurance stocks would fall, if at all. Morningstar's Coffina says he doesn't think Medicaid will pay as much in premiums for the new recipients as they do for the elderly, blind or disabled already in the program. And so he questions whether insurers specializing in Medicaid will lose much if the law is repealed.
The stocks of two big insurers in this area—Centene Corp. and Molina Healthcare—are down more than 30 percent in the past three months. But Coffina says those companies have struggled with mispriced policies and other issues unrelated to the health care law.
For the rest of the insurance industry, not much is likely to change in a full repeal.
The law requires them to provide new benefits such as preventive care with no copayments and coverage for young adults until age 26 on a parent's plan. So it might seem that their costs would fall if the law is struck down.
But insurers are already charging higher premiums for family plans to compensate for these younger customers. And the costs aren't that steep anyway—less than 2 percent in additional annual costs to the insurers, Coffina estimates.
What's more, insurers seem to like the new business. Earlier this month, UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and Humana said they'll continue to allow children to piggyback on their parents policies no matter how the court rules. They also said they will continue to not charge co-pays for preventive care.
One winner could be drug companies. Under the law, they have agreed to pay a fee and cut the price of some medicines. Medicare recipients with high prescription drug costs are getting discounts averaging about $600. The companies could stop offering discounts if the law is repealed, though Wall Street stock experts who follow the industry aren't sure. The drug companies have spent time and energy negotiating the discounts, and so may be reluctant to throw all that work away.
The court keeps the law
In a sense, healthcare companies, and their investors, win.
Laszewski, the consultant, says insurers and drug makers know the problems and costs of the law, and have already spent time and money complying with it, and so many don't want to it thrown out. Plus, they fear that the vacuum that a repeal would create could be filled with a more restrictive, more costly overhaul in the future.
"No one really likes this law, but what's the alternative?" Laszewski says. "It's easier to fix a law in place with obvious flaws than starting over from scratch."


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Hate crime reports up in wake of terrorist attacks
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Reports of hate crimes against Muslims and southeast Asians have risen exponentially across the U.S. in the wake of Tuesday's terror attacks. The backlash has prompted Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to ask President Bush Sunday to ensure the safety of Sikhs living in the United States.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations says it received more than 300 reports of harassment and abuse from Tuesday through Thursday night, nearly half the number it received all last year. Khalid Iqbal, director of the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, says cases range from families being spat and yelled at, "Go back to your country," to assaults on people and businesses.
In Mesa, Arizona, a man was charged with first-degree murder Sunday in connection with a series of shootings that police said could be a racially-motivated response to last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Mesa police said Francisco Roque, 42, was being held on a $1 million bond in the killing of Balbir Singh Sodhi, 49, a Chevron gas station owner. Sodhi, from Punjab, India, was shot to death while doing landscaping outside his business Saturday afternoon.
Many Sikhs believe he is the first to have been killed in retaliation for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Family members, friends, and members of the Indian Sikh community say they are being targeted because their men wear turbans and long beards as part of their religious dress, a tradition that's lasted for 500 years.
"Our appearance looks like Osama bin Laden and those of Afghanistan," said friend Suminder Sodhi, alluding to the man the U.S. has branded the "prime suspect" in the attacks. "But we are different people from Muslim people. We have different beliefs, a different religion."
A leader of the Phoenix Sikh community says the media didn't help to dispel bias when they broadcast the arrest of a Sikh aboard an Amtrak train on Wednesday. He was charged with carrying a knife, but was later cleared of any connection to the terrorist attacks.
"And the media just showed that over and over and over," said Guru Roop Kaur Khalsa, a minister of the Guru Nawak Dwara Sikh temple in Phoenix. "It sets us up."
"We strongly condemn the attacks on the U.S.," she said. "The American Sikh community and Sikhs worldwide feel we not only share Americans' grief, but we have some killed in the World Trade Center, too."
Suminder Sodhi, who is not related to the victim, said just the day before the shootings, the two friends were working on setting up a news conference to discuss the Sikh community's reaction to the terrorism attacks -- and to allay public fears that Sikhs have no connection to bin Laden. They were trying to get in touch with Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Sodhi's brother Rama Sodhi says they had been warned by well-meaning customers that they should be careful.
Sodhi is survived by three sons and daughters. The 49-year-old former taxi driver was known for giving candies out to children at the gas station.
Attacks on Sikhs have also been reported elsewhere in the United States.
They include a Queens, New York man who was shot in the forehead by a BB gun as he left a temple. He had gone there to pray soon after the attacks. And a Fairfax, Virginia man was nearly driven off the road by two vans on his way to donate blood.
A Hindu temple was also firebombed in Matawan, New Jersey last week.
Sikh Dharma's official website -- Sikhnet.com -- reports 133 incidences of hate crimes and harassment since Tuesday.
Attacks on Muslim-Americans have also been reported.
In Texas, mosques in Irving and Denton were attacked last week in the wake of the terror attacks.
Iqbal said while he thinks the media are more responsible in their coverage of last week's terrorism attacks, he believes they still carry subtle biases against Muslim-Americans.
"When I see reports of Osama Bin Laden or Afghanistan, what images to I see? The call for prayers and Muslim men and women praying with their Muslim attire. It not only hurts me, but my children," he said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said there are an estimated 7 million Muslims living in the United States; about 1.2 billion worldwide.
The group recorded over 138 media reports fingering Islamic extremists as the culprit during the week of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, he said. And it was repeated again after the crash of TWA Flight 800 the year after.
Attacks on Muslims and mosques are often triggered by news reports, the group said, from the latest violence in the Middle East, the destruction of the Taliban statues in Afghanistan, to terrorist attacks such as the ones on Tuesday.
"I urge you to try and understand -- for everybody to understand what each other's religion is so we can live in harmony with each other," Iqbal said.
Iqbal did point to something good coming out of last week's tragedy.
Some Muslims in Seattle had been afraid to go to mosque all week, and when they went, they found non-Muslims standing there with flowers.
One woman had even approached Iqbal asking, "What can we do?"
"And when I told her, women are looked at and targeted mostly because of their recognizable headscarves and veils, she said she'll dedicate Monday to wearing a headscarf in solidarity. It touches my heart."
On Sunday, the Islamic Society of Denton in Texas, which suffered only minor damage by the Molotov cocktail attack last week, held a prayer vigil. Joining the Muslim prayer were the city mayor and 15 other church groups. "It is a gathering of peace, prayer and friendship. Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian..." Irfan Ali, a member of the mosque, said, trailing off.
The day before, the mosque received a gift from the student body of the University of North Texas: 50 posters with greetings, flowers, condolences and prayers. The student body president had delivered it in person, Ali said.
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text:
One of my big goals in 2017 is to get hyper-organized in all areas of my life, from client processes to the way I store my makeup to the tidiness of my closet.
The beauty of getting organized is that as you're sorting, it becomes crystal clear what items no longer have a place in your life. If there isn't room or it no longer serves a purpose, throw it out! There's a sense of satisfaction in letting go and donating all that clutter.
I didn't always have a walk-in closet. In fact, until a year ago, my clothing and accessories were confined to two side-by-side IKEA wardrobes because there wasn't enough built-in closet space in my 1920s home to hold much of anything.
My IKEA wardrobes made it easy to stay organized with add-in drawers and shoe racks and Joey took over the small closet in our room. This worked well….but there was an even better solution lurking in a drafty, bare raftered attic space tucked behind a door off to the side of our room. Most of the time, I forgot it was even there.
A few years earlier, Joey had spent a month remodeling it to use as an art studio, cutting odd-shaped drywall pieces to align with the peaked roof and angled beams. When that was done, he painted it out and added flooring. It was cozy but even in the center, the space wasn't quite 6 feet tall so he had to duck inside and always sit on the floor to work. It wasn't ideal for him but it was perfect for me since I'm 5 foot 3.
The Tour
After Joey built out a new, roomier studio space in the basement, I took over the former attic area. In went more shelving, Cole and Sons woods wallpaper left over from our dining room, a fresh coat of white paint and rope lights, which snaked along the floor seams.
This once unused, dark space I always avoided slowly came to life and was now the perfect hangout for playing with new looks and getting dressed up!
Once the space was cleaned up, we moved onto a solution for holding all my clothing. A lot of you ladies who have had clothing racks know that the cheaper store-bought ones tend to bow in the middle or come crashing down from too much weight (been there, done that!)
On the other hand, metal pipes can handle all those dresses! Joey built 3 clothing racks in total from supplies he found at the hardware store. They line up with the pitch of the ceiling. The center is taller and holds dresses, some of which are quite long while the left side holds skirts and coats and the right holds tops and sweaters.
Right by the entrance to the left, there are shallow built-in shelves which are perfect for holding clutches, sunglasses and shoes. The wallpaper behind them adds a nice pop of pattern.
Below those shallow shelves are the things I need to grab most often, tucked away in white wicker baskets from Target including underwear, bras and pajamas.
A nail was added to the side so I could hang up a few smaller bags.
Behind that are beam supports that once left an open area of wasted space so Joey added a piece of wood as a base and then angled slats which make it possible to display more shoes. (In case you're wondering: in a past life, I sold shoes for 5 years and the obsession rages on.)
Along one side of the space is a very long, windowless area that's much too narrow for furniture. This was by far the hardest part to figure out a solution for because we couldn't have anything bulky along the walls.
It has a steep incline so we installed a long piece of wood from Home Depot along the entire length which makes it an ideal spot for more sunglasses, purses and jewelry.
Below the shelving is a row of identical IKEA white banker's boxes which are used for storing purses, keepsakes and everything I want to keep but isn't used regularly enough to have sitting out.
On the right, we installed four round IKEA mirrors which create visual interest and reflect light.
Along the very back of this narrow area, Joey built in additional shelves which I use to hold the basics that don't need to be hung up. I use them to store a stack of leggings (top), jeans (middle) and hats (bottom). On the floor, I have storage boxes for more bulky stuff (shoeboxes for designer items I want to keep) and on those rest clear plastic organizer trays for scarves, socks and tights, all arranged by color.
Closet Sources
• Round mirrors (similar), IKEA
• White banker's boxes, IKEA
• White wicker baskets (sold out), Target
• Clear jewelry and sock trays (similar), Target
• Woods wallpaper, Cole and Son
• Paper bags, Be-Poles
• Metal hangers (sold out but I love these from HAY), IKEA
• White pendant light, IKEA
• Clothing rack piping and supplies, True Value
• Rope lights, Home Depot
5 Organizing Tips
I have a few easy tips to help you stay organized once and for all:
1. Arrange your clothing first by type and then by color.
Think of it this way: if you're looking for a shirt, you know where to focus and you tend to remember an item of clothing based on its color. I have a ton of dresses and if I'm in the mood for a pink one, I can quickly locate my options.
2. Store your less used items away.
Get rid of the clutter by buying up a bunch of boxes in the same color and style to create a sense of uniformity and clean lines while hiding those seasonal items and keepsakes. Out of sight, out of mind!
3. Roll your socks and tights.
These items get tangled and separated easily but if you've rolled them into trays, it's easy to find a specific color and pattern quickly without ending up with the entire tray thrown onto the ground!
4. Use mirrors to create the illusion of more space.
My closet as a whole is a pretty decent side but the right side is very long, dark and narrow. Adding a row of mirrors creates a sense of depth and makes it feel slightly less claustrophobic.
5. Wrangle odds and ends you don't want to lose track of into bags.
I love Le Sac En Papier bags because they're sturdy and stylish while hiding clutter. I have a ton of swimwear (I tend to travel to warm locales often) but don't use it on a daily basis. The pieces all go in this bag so I can find them easily when packing.
Thanks for reading! It's been pretty rewarding taking this once wasted space and transforming it something that I now use every day. With everything having a place, it's less likely to get messy because I have no excuses.
Any questions about the space or organization? Let me know in the comments!


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July 29, 2011— -- When we first met Lindsay Ratcliffe, she was just like any other first grader, who loved ponies, Legos and running the bases at the T-Ball game in her hometown of Flat Rock, Mich.
But at 20 pounds and 36 inches, she was not an ordinary six-year-old. Lindsay has a rare and fatal disease called progeria -- derived from the Greek word for "prematurely old" -- which makes her body age eight to 10 times faster than normal children.
Only 80 children in the world currently have the condition, including 18 in the United States, according to the Progeria Research Foundation. Children are born seemingly healthy, but start aging dramatically by the age of 2. On average, they die at 13.
"You see this vibrant 5-year-old and then you put her X-Rays up and it looks like someone of a senior age," said Dr. Heidi Labo, who is Lindsay's chiropractor and aunt.
At birth, Lindsay showed no signs of progeria. "The first thing I did, I counted her fingers. I counted her toes. I'm like, 'Ten fingers, ten toes, we're good,'" recalled her father, Joe Ratcliffe, who had just returned from serving in Iraq as a U.S. army cook.
After four months, Lindsay had gained little weight and her parents knew something was seriously wrong. Specialists ran tests for weeks for nearly every disease and syndrome before reaching the terrifying diagnosis of progeria. It was a disease the family had never heard of.
PHOTOS: Vibrant girls living with progeria.
"What scared me the most was they told us, 'We don't know [much about progeria],'" said Joe Ratcliffe. "'You can go to a website and that is best source of information. You're going to have to teach the doctors what to do.'"
The Ratcliffes soon learned that progeria was the rarest of rare diseases, affecting only one in every 4-to-8 million births. It is caused by a mutation in a gene called LMNA, but is not hereditary.
"Kids with progeria occur out of blue. There's no family history, no warning, no reason to think that this might be getting ready to happen," said Dr. Francis Collins, the scientist who first discovered the gene and is now the director of the National Institutes of Health.
At the time of Lindsay's diagnosis, there was no known treatment for progeria and no cure, leaving the Ratcliffes to care for their beloved baby, whom they knew they would lose too soon.
"In the beginning it was a lot harder because Lindsay couldn't talk, she couldn't walk and she couldn't do everything for herself," Kristy told ABC's Barbara Walters. "Now, it's so easy because you see her and you smile. You can't help it."
They are determined to make every moment count. "Whether it's a birthday or going to the park, whatever you do, you look at it as unfortunately it could be the last time," her father said.
Young Girl Lives in Body Older Than Her Grandmother's
Being a young girl in a body that is biologically older than that of her grandmother takes a toll. Lindsay's leg muscles hurt at school during recess, so every week she goes to the chiropractor for a checkup and adjustment.
"She's six years old and she runs and jumps but has the spine of 70 year-old," Labo told us last year. "She feels aches and pains and isn't aware of what it is, but there is arthritis forming slowly throughout the spine."
For most of her life, Lindsay has been protected within a cocoon of love and empathy. But sometimes, the strangeness of her symptoms -- especially her tiny size -- strikes a brutal blow to her self-esteem. When the spunky little girl is mistaken for a two-year old, she instantly deflates and responds: "I'm not a baby."
"That'll of change the whole mood of her," Joe said. "You see her face and you see that for a brief moment the glow has gone out her eye."
Her mother tries to shield Lindsay from the constant stares. "I try to position myself so that she doesn't see it because I don't want it to hurt her as much as it hurts me," Kristy Ratcliffe said.
Three-Feet Tall and Fearless
As one of only nine girls in the U.S. who has progeria, it can be isolating for Lindsay. Amazingly, Kaylee Halko, now 8, who has the same rare condition, lives an hour away in Monclova, Ohio. The two girls have become friends and because of progeria look strikingly similar. Kaylee is a confident, boisterous and fearless.
"[Kaylee] likes to say she's a star," her mother Marla Halko said.
The youngest of four children in the Halko brood, Kaylee -- at only three feet tall and weighing 24 pounds -- is noticeably different from her older brothers, but they have a close, loving relationship.
"We don't really think about her having a disease. We just think of her as a normal person," her eldest brother T.J. said.
Kaylee loves to dance and is enrolled in a cheer dance class with regular kids. Despite worries about osteoporosis, a common symptom of progeria which makes her bones unusually brittle, Kaylee insists on riding the big yellow bus to school just like her brothers and millions of other kids across the country.
The pint-sized chatterbox told Walters that the main difference between them was their hair. "I have a bald head and you have hair," said Kaylee, who longs to grow curly hair and sometimes wears wigs.
"She's so happy and she has this condition and she just lives!" said her mother.
Finding a Cure for Progeria
All this optimism may seem oddly out of place, when Kaylee is unlikely to live to be a teenager. The life expectancy of most children with progeria is only 13. She is participating in one of two clinical drug trials aimed at developing a cure for progeria and takes several different medicines with the hope of slowing down the aging process.
"It is too early to tell if it working or not," said Marla Halko.
Lindsay is also enrolled in the drug trial along with 27 other children. She completed a part of this experimental program in 2009. Now, she and Kaylee have joined a second larger trial which includes 45 progeria patients from 24 different countries.
Another one of the participants is Hayley Okines of Great Britain; at 13-years-old she is one of the oldest surviving children with progeria in the world. Like Lindsay and Kaylee, she has the hallmark bald head, tiny stature and lives her life in the shadow of an ever-present threat.
"The first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning is whether today is going to be the day I lose her," said her mother Kerry Okines. "The only way I cope is by saying to myself that Hayley's going to be the one to prove the doctors all wrong."
Hayley and her parents have been hopeful ever since she joined the progeria drug trial, which is testing a pill originally developed for cancer, which could reverse the dramatic instability in her cells. She believes she sees small signs the pill is working.
"I've got eyebrows and I've got eyelashes and I've got hair on my arms," she said.
Despite progeria, Hayley sees herself as a person not a disease and has all the interests of an average pre-teen, including fashion, photography and a crush on pop-star Justin Bieber.
Parents Hope Not to Outlive Children
The Okines, the Ratcliffes and the Halkos hope that the ongoing clinic trials and research will unlock the secrets to their daughters' medical mystery and the process of normal aging.
"The evidence is growing, that the same glitch these kids have that causes them to produce a protein that makes their cells unable to keep dividing, that same protein is being produced by all of us," said Collins. "It looks as if this maybe part of a program that prevents humans from being immortal."
Every year, the three families raise money for the progeria research, typically through walk-a-thons.
Kaylee is very aware of the high cost of research and participating in clinic trials. She told Walters her wish is to, "that I have thousands of dollars to buy my medicines."
The families all say there is no preparing yourself for the probability that you will outlive your child.
"It scares me. Not much scares me, but that does. Even thinking about it [scares me], so I generally don't allow myself to go there," said Joe Ratcliffe, who tattooed the Progeria Research Foundation's logo of a child's handprint and dove on his arm as a symbol of hope. "That's what we fight for. Without awareness we have nothing."
New Triumphs
"20/20" first met the girls last year and caught up with them again this week. They continue to be determined to enjoy life, however short it may be. For Lindsay, her first trip to the beach was a brave new world of discovery.
"She saw the ocean and was just in awe of all this water," recalled her father, Joe.
Lindsay is usually unable to stay in the water for more than ten minutes. Due to progeria, she has very little body fat and cannot tolerate the cold. But her parents came up with an ingenious solution -- a wet suit -- specially tailored for her small size. Lindsay was ecstatic when she saw it.
"Making a big deal out of things that are big to her is just going to make her happier," said Kristy. "We just want to make sure she has as much happiness as she can hold."
This summer, Lindsay, now 7, returned to the beach, swimming freely thanks to her wetsuit.
Hayley is enjoying school and despite her size has many friends both in class and around the world. Recently, her dream came true, when she met her idol Justin Bieber thanks to a Twitter campaign.
Kaylee, too, is enjoying public school and is preparing to enter the second grade in the fall. Her mother Marla was afraid of her riding bus alone but not Kaylee, with her enormous backpack on her tiny frame, she took one small step towards education and one huge leap into her future.
She is now taking hip-hop classes and dreams of starring in her own television show.
Kaylee has advice for all the children who share her disease: "Be fabulous. Don't let one thing ruin your life!"
For information on progeria resources and the children featured in this story, click here.
Watch "7 Going on 70," a Barbara Walters special report, online here.