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Early last month, prominent social psychologist Diederik Stapel was outed as one of the biggest frauds in scientific history when he admitted to fabricating results in numerous scientific studies.
The committees charged with investigating Stapel's work continue to pore over the results from over 150 of publications in search of fraudulent data, but yesterday, Stapel officially signed off on the first of what will likely amount to dozens of retracted publications when all is said and done.
The retracted paper, "Coping with chaos: How disordered contexts promote stereotyping and discrimination," was published in Science earlier this year, and was covered here on io9. The provocative study concluded that people were more likely to exhibit prejudiced or discriminatory behavior in dirty and disordered urban environments.
In a recent interview with Nature News, Siegwart Lindenberg — who co-authored the study with Stapel — expressed his disbelief at his colleague's scientific misconduct:
Stapel's doing had caught me as much by surprise as it did anybody else. I never had any suspicion. He was a very trusted man, dean of the faculty, brilliant, successful, no indications for me to be distrustful. In this, I was not the only one. I also had no trouble with the results of the experiments.
[Stapel] did not indicate which of the experiments contained faked data. I would love to know myself but he is not reachable, and I cannot find out any other way.
Lindenberg told Nature News that he intends to repeat the study, and that's good on him. In the meantime, we'll be making note of the original publication's retraction in our original article here at io9.
[Science via Nature News]
Top image via


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By Jim Finkle
(Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson is telling patients that it has learned of a security vulnerability in one of its insulin pumps that a hacker could exploit to overdose diabetic patients with insulin, though it describes the risk as low.
Medical device experts said they believe it was the first time a manufacturer had issued such a warning to patients about a cyber vulnerability, a hot topic in the industry following revelations last month about possible bugs in pacemakers and defibrillators.
J&J executives told Reuters they knew of no examples of attempted hacking attacks on the device, the J&J Animas OneTouch Ping insulin pump. The company is nonetheless warning customers and providing advice on how to fix the problem.
"The probability of unauthorized access to the OneTouch Ping system is extremely low," the company said in letters sent on Monday to doctors and about 114,000 patients who use the device in the United States and Canada.
"It would require technical expertise, sophisticated equipment and proximity to the pump, as the OneTouch Ping system is not connected to the internet or to any external network."
A copy of the text of the letter was made available to Reuters.
The Animas OneTouch Ping, which was launched in 2008, is sold with a wireless remote control that patients can use to order the pump to dose insulin so that they do not need access to the device itself, which is typically worn under clothing and can be awkward to reach.
Jay Radcliffe, a diabetic and researcher with cyber security firm Rapid7 Inc, said he had identified ways for a hacker to spoof communications between the remote control and the OneTouch Ping insulin pump, potentially forcing it to deliver unauthorized insulin injections.
The system is vulnerable because those communications are not encrypted, or scrambled, to prevent hackers from gaining access to the device, said Radcliffe, who reported vulnerabilities in the pump to J&J in April.
J&J executives said they worked on the security issues with Radcliffe.
Dosing a patient with too much insulin could cause hypoglycemia, which in extreme cases can be life threatening, said Brian Levy, chief medical officer with J&J's diabetes unit.
Company technicians were able to replicate Radcliffe's findings, confirming that a hacker could order the pump to dose insulin from a distance of up to 25 feet, Levy said. He said such attacks are difficult to pull off because they require specialized technical expertise and sophisticated equipment.
"We believe the OneTouch Ping system is safe and reliable. We urge patients to stay on the product," Levy said.
J&J's letter said that if patients were concerned, they could take several steps to thwart potential attacks. They include discontinuing use of a wireless remote control and programming the pump to limit the maximum insulin dose.
In August, a prominent short seller and a cyber security research firm went public with allegations of potentially life-threatening cyber vulnerabilities in heart devices from St. Jude Medical Inc.
As its shares tumbled, St. Jude said the allegations were false, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began an investigation.
The FDA is preparing to issue formal guidance on how medical device makers should handle reports about cyber vulnerabilities.
An early draft of that guidance, which was released in January for public comments, called for device makers to work with security researchers, identify steps to mitigate risks, and provide patients with information about bugs so they can "make informed decisions" about device use.
The FDA declined to comment on J&J's handling of the vulnerability in the insulin pump.
J&J said it had reviewed the matter with the FDA before sending the letters.
Radcliffe said he believed that OneTouch Ping users would be safe if they followed the steps outlined in the letters from J&J.
"They can give peace of mind to the patient or parent of a child using the device," he said.
J&J Chief Information Security Officer Marene Allison said her team would make sure other J&J products do not have similar bugs.
Radcliffe said he found vulnerabilities in the Animas OneTouch Ping, but not the Animas Vibe line of insulin pumps.
Suzanne Schwartz, an FDA official responsible for reviewing bugs in medical devices, said in a statement that she encourages collaboration between researchers and device manufacturers to identify, remediate and alert the public to vulnerabilities.
"It enables all stakeholders to better address device safety with the interest of patient health in mind," she said.
The FDA has said it knows of no cases where hackers have exploited cyber vulnerabilities to harm a patient.
The agency last year issued multiple warnings about cyber bugs in infusion pumps from Hospira, which has since been acquired by Pfizer Inc.

subset: commoncrawl


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(CNN) -- Six years removed from the death of their son -- former NFL star Pat Tillman -- in Afghanistan, Patrick and Mary Tillman say they haven't gotten the full truth from the U.S. Army and don't expect to.
"No, we don't know the whole truth," Mary Tillman said on CNN's "Larry King Live" Monday night. "They never did a criminal investigation after Pat was killed. So, without that proper criminal investigation, they destroyed evidence, which is long gone. There really is no way for us to know exactly what happened to him."
Tillman was a safety with the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League when he passed up a multimillion-dollar contract to join the Army in 2002, after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
He was a corporal with the service's elite Rangers when he was killed during an ambush in an Afghan mountain pass in April 2004.
The Army posthumously awarded Tillman the Silver Star, the third-highest U.S. combat decoration, announcing that he had been killed leading a counterattack. But it later admitted that officers in his chain of command knew almost immediately that he had been shot accidentally by his own comrades.
For five weeks, his family was not told that the death was a result of friendly fire.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, both declined to appear with the Tillmans on CNN. However, the U.S. Army did issue a statement.
"As an Army, we failed in our duty to the memory of a fallen soldier and to his family. The failures of a few brought discredit to the Army and compounded the grief suffered by the Tillman family," the Army statement said. "The Army truly regrets the pain and suffering endured by the Tillman family as a result of this tragic, friendly fire accident and the shortfalls in reporting accurate information to them in the days and weeks after Pat's death."
Mary Tillman took issue with the Army's characterization of events.
"They weren't shortfalls. They weren't missteps and they weren't errors," Tillman said. "They were deliberate attempts to cover up what happened in order for them to use Pat's death for propaganda purposes at a time during the war in 2004 when [the] Abu Ghraib Prison scandal was breaking ... it was a terrible time for the military and for that administration, and Pat's death was an opportunity for them."
Patrick Tillman said he hasn't ruled out that his son may have been deliberately killed.
"I haven't eliminated it," he told King. "There is strong evidence of two shooters, not one."
The Tillmans, who are divorced, are promoting this week's opening of "The Tillman Story," a new documentary about the death of their son and the controversy that followed it.
Mary Tillman also is the author of the book "Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman."


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The issue of Stoic theology comes up often in the context of reviving ancient Stoicism for modern times. Lately, there has even been talk of "officially" incorporating Stoicism as a religion so that Stoic "chaplains" can provide services to the US Military. I thought that was a mistake when secular humanists did it, and I think it would be a mistake for Stoics. The world doesn't need another religion, and Stoicism has never been one, under any reasonable description of what a "religion" is.
(To elaborate on this point briefly: all ancient philosophies, including Epicureanism, had a "theology" of some sort, meaning that they had something to say about the existence and nature of a transcendental, supernatural world. But their own leaders and adherents never thought of those doctrines are religious, clearly treating them as philosophies. I don't see why we should break with that approach now.)
That said, there is a genuinely interesting — philosophical — debate about the extent to which Stoic theology, and in particular the concept of Providence, is a quintessential part of Stoicism, and therefore whether one might do away with it, if one is not theistically inclined, and still honestly get to call the resulting philosophy "Stoicism."
One obvious answer would be: who cares? Labels aren't important, and if I want to call my personal philosophy "Stoicism" even though it bears only a weak family resemblance to the original version, so be it, what's the big deal?
The (not really big, but significant) deal is that there is a point in being historically and philosophically accurate, in respecting the tradition that allegedly inspires us and taking it seriously. That said, however, I do think that modern Stoicism is a big enough tent to include both theists and atheists (as well as pantheists, agnostics, etc.). Indeed, that's a major reason I'm attracted to it. Let me defend this position by way of a discussion of two recent essays on this very topic that have appeared over at Stoicism Today.
(But before we proceed, an interesting aside from a post by Erik Wiegardt in The Stoic Philosopher newsletter: according to his thoughtful analysis, the textual support is for the conclusion that the ancient Stoics were — in modern parlance — deists, not theists, and of a pantheistic strip: they believed in a god who is embedded in nature and does not answer prayers or is otherwise concerned with what happens to individual creatures in the cosmos.)
The first essay is by Christopher Fisher, who argues that one cannot do Stoicism without a concept of Providence, and hence that Stoicism has an inescapable religious component to it. His argument is that it is not difficult to find textual evidence, as well as modern scholarship, supporting the idea that the Stoics thought that the universe was embedded with a rational plan. This is most definitely the case. More controversially, though, he also argues that such a belief is crucial to the entire system of ethics that is central to Stoicism (as opposed to the ancillary role played by Stoic physics and logic).
For instance, here is Epictetus: "The philosophers say that the first thing that needs to be learned is the following, that there is a God, and a God who exercises providential care for the universe." (Discourses II.14.11).
Or: "What are we to do, then? To make the best of what lies within our power, and deal with everything else as it comes. 'How does it come, then?' As God wills." (Discourses I.1.17).
Fisher argues that these aren't just rhetorical flourishes (he's right) and that ignoring them puts the entire project of modern Stoicism in peril (I think he's wrong about that): "The concept of a providential cosmos provides psychological comfort and supports the ethical framework of Stoicism. When the threads of providence are unraveled from the fabric of Stoicism, the whole tapestry begins to fall apart, and the practitioner is left without the essential therapeutic tools the Stoics thought were necessary to face the vicissitudes of life."
Donald Robertson responds to Fisher by acknowledging the importance of Stoic theology, while at the same time pointing out that the Stoics themselves where open to revision or alternatives on this point. He mentions Panaetius, the last head of the Athenian school, who framed his discussion of the gods in a "nugatory" (i.e., of little importance to Stoic practice) framework; cites Cicero as saying that "Aristo holds that no form of God is conceivable, and denies him sensation, and is in a state of complete uncertainty as to whether he is, or is not, animate" (On the Nature of the Gods, I.14); and then mentions the famous "God or atoms" comments by Marcus Aurelius, who really does not seem to think the answer is crucial to his understanding of Stoicism:
"Alexander of Macedon and his stable-boy were brought to the same state by death; for either they were received among the same creative principle of the universe [God], or they were alike dispersed into atoms" (VI.24).
Or: "If the choice is yours, why do the thing? If another's, where are you to lay the blame for it? On gods? On atoms? Either would be insanity. All thoughts of blame are out of place" ( VIII.17).
My conclusion after reading these two essays — as well as after reflecting on several pertinent chapters in the well researched Cambridge Companion to the Stoics — is that both Fisher and Robertson have good points. Fisher is certainly right that the concept of Providence played an important role in early Stoicism; Robertson is also correct that there was dissent among the Stoics, as well as room for maneuvering within their philosophy.
But how are these two positions to be reconciled? Am I just deluding myself, rationalizing an irreducible difference in the name of a well intentioned but ultimately incoherent ecumenism?
I don't think so. What needs to be done is to take the Stoics themselves at their word, one or two levels up, so to speak, from the Fisher-Robertson discussion. Let me explain.
Every scholar I have read agrees that Stoicism was a system made up of three components: physics (i.e., what we today would call natural philosophy, metaphysics, and theology), logic (what we today think of as logic, epistemology, rhetoric, and psychology), and ethics (not in the modern deontological or consequentialist sense, but in the virtue ethical one).
Scholars also agreed that the Stoics considered the ethics, not the other two parts, the absolutely crucial aspect of their philosophy. Stoicism is a practical philosophy, and it was clear from the beginning that the "physics" and "logic" were seen as instrumental to the ethics, not on the same level as the latter. In the Socratic tradition, Stoics were not interested in understanding nature (physics) or reason (logic) for their own sake, but insofar as such understanding lead to a better formulation of their ethical principles, which in turn were good only because of the practice they lead to. Here is Epictetus, on merely theoretical philosophy, for instance:
"Some students [of philosophy] become captivated by all these things and don't want to proceed further. One is captivated by diction, another by deductive or equivocal arguments, someone else by yet another 'inn' of this kind; and there they stay and rot as if seduced by the Sirens." (Discourses, II.23.41)
The Stoics were also very aware that they could be wrong on specific doctrines, and they were willing to change their mind about them. This is not only clear from the continuous back and forth with the Epicureans, the Academics and the Peripatetics as understood by modern scholars, but also from direct textual evidence. Here is Seneca, for instance, in the context of Stoic knowledge of comets and other celestial bodies:
"Let us be satisfied with what we have discovered, and leave a little truth for our descendants to find out." (Natural Questions, book VII, XXVI)
Fisher claims that the concept of Providence was basic to Stoic philosophy, and that without it there simply is no recognizable Stoicism. But the idea of a providential universe can in turn be understood as embedded in Stoic understanding of physics, of which a truly basic component was the universality of cause and effect. Everything has a cause, all things are interconnected. The idea of Providence is one reasonable interpretation of this universal web of causation. Another, of course, is the naturalistic one: the universe is what it is because that's the way nature works. (It is relevant here to note that Boethus of Sidon, a I Century BC peripatetic philosopher, thought of the cosmos as an unconscious vegetative process, not the embodiment of a rational principle.)
So one can consider the idea of a Logos in the more neutral sense — the fact that the universe is understandable by rational means — to be more fundamental than either the providential interpretation (which was, to be sure, by far the most common in antiquity) or the naturalistic one (which has gained more traction nowadays because of the discoveries of modern science).
If this doesn't convince you, at an even more abstract level one could simply think of as truly fundamental to Stoicism the idea that our best understanding of the way the world is ought to inform the way we behave in it. In this sense, Stoicism is a thorough naturalistic philosophy, with a spelled out connection between "is" (matters of fact) and "ought" (values).
(Another parenthetical aside: it is often said that David Hume argued that one cannot in principle bridge the is/ought gap in a famous quote in A Treatise of Human Nature (1739). But what Hume actually did was to very reasonably ask for an account of how such bridging is done, if it is to be attempted.)
Look, the Stoics were, after all, wrong on a number of pretty serious tenets of their physics: the world is definitely not made of four elements, there is no pneuma (the breadth of life) permeating the universe, and current cosmological theories do not accord with the Stoic idea of a recurring series of identical cycles of booms and busts of the universe (the universe may indeed cycle between a Big Bang and a Big Crunch, though even that's open to debate, but it is more likely that each cycle isn't exactly the same as the preceding one, as the Stoics maintained).
And yet it is far more credible that had Stoicism continued to be practiced in the way, say, Buddhism has been, Stoic philosophers would have acknowledged the discoveries of science and incorporated them into their system, or — when necessary — that they would have altered some components of their system accordingly. Even the Dalai Lama recently said that if Buddhism contradicts science, so much the worse for Buddhism, it will have to adapt:
"If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims." (Dalai Lama XIV, The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality)
I really don't think the Stoics would have been any less wise than this.


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What do we need to know to make excellent bread? What do you need to know to help you out?
120 thoughts on "P & Q: White Loaves"
LOVED this bread! Simple to make and so delicious! Both loaves were gone in 3 days. :)
I've baked it yesterday evening, it rose wonderfully. I used oil instead of butter as always when I can but it's great even so.
I am really excited, but have never baked bread from scratch like this, so any hints would be much appreciated!!
Mmmmm… a cinnamon swirl sounds delicious! I may have to make it again today! :)
I did a test run the other night and though my forearms were killing me by the end of all the kneading, it came out really well! I am going to try another go at it this weekend, seeing as how the boyfriend inhaled most of the first batch ;)
I loved the recipe too. Great rise. I love baking bread in the winter- so easy to double in size when you stick the dough near a radiator! I did a cheese swirl in the second loaf. Oh and it makes great French toast (the white loaf not cheese loaf that is)
I can't wait to make this! Great tip on the cinnamon swirl. My hubs will love it! :)
Both loaves are out of the oven, one plain, one with cinnamon (thanks, Laurie!). The trick, now, is not to eat them both right away. Probably should do a slice-and-freeze.
I only have instant yeast here at home…. can I use this instead of the active dry? If so, how much of the instant should I use?
Hi Janis,
Instant yeast is a little stronger than active dry. Use just a little less instant and you'll be fine. The best part is you don't really have to worry about proofing the yeast. Though, if you want to, you can. Hope this helps!
Thanks Susan! You've been a big help! I think I'll skip proofing the yeast :)
I used instant for my first attempt and it came out just fine! :)
Made these yesterday – and had grilled cheese on it today. Nice slicing loaf.
looking forward to baking these when the book arrives.
I baked a white loaf from Beard on Bread just yesterday. delicious. my kids can't get enough.
I baked mine yesterday. The aroma was absolutely wonderful!! Easy and tastes great. I am new to the group – are we allowed to post it to our personal blogs before the 7th?
I can't wait to make this! I do have a question–I don't have a stand-up mixer, so can I use my food processor with the dough blade instead?
Ooh, I would not use the FP, besides that the full recipe would be too much for it. I would just knead it by hand. That's just my opinion though. I do make a pizza dough recipe in the FP, but it only kneads for 1-2 minutes. This one goes for 10 minutes.
Made my first loaf yesterday. Very tasty white bread. I'm so glad I stopped by here this morning. The cinnamon swirl idea sounds fun. I think I'll try another loaf next week with that variation. I used instant yeast for mine. I didn't cut back on the yeast and it worked fine. I proofed my loaf in the oven w/ just the light on.
I am new to this. I heard the interview on NPR and here I am. I have ordered my book, and I have a blog. I have a couple newbie questions….Do you bake at any point prior to the recipe date on the schedule? and only post comments regarding the baking on the scheduled recipe Tuesdays? I'm not sure I understand the layout of the schedule. From the posts, it looks like people are already baking the first recipe.
I just signed up and am really excited. I have a question. If I make a recipe with a small variation (because I forgot to buy an ingredient or the technique I used was different) does that still count? Should I disclose any variations in my post?
I made the bread yesterday. I did a cinnamon swirl and it did take longer to rise because I rolled it, nor did it rise as high as the plain. My kitchen aid could not handle the kneading… not sure why. Had to hand knead it, and it was a workout! :)Put it back in the KA when I added the butter and let it beat for 3-4 minutes more to incorporate the butter. I also slathered butter on the top when it came out of the oven. We all loved this bread. Perfect texture and density for sandwiches. Really enjoyed it!
Made two loaves today! One regular and one with cinnamon swirl, they are both excellent (of course, I am a little biased because they were my first ever bread from scratch!). I tried to use my handmixer with the dough hooks… yeah, the dough actually started to go up into the holes for the hooks, so everything came out and by hand it was. Totally a workout, but kinda a stress reducer. Next time, I am going to try a savory cheese one and maybe an apple.
How did you make your cinnamon swirl exactly?
roll it out and slather some soft of melted butter on it and sprinkle a bunch of sugar and some cinnamon. Can do raisins, nuts, or cranberries… sprinkle about. Roll it, instead of folding. Pinch the edges and put it seam side down in pan.
This is a great white bread recipe. My suggestion for those new at bread baking is to use "bread" flour and not AP flour…it makes a big difference, although AP will be good, the bread flour makes the bread great. Thought I'd pass that along since my neighbor just asked me if the flour would make a real difference…YES!
I just got the cookbook in the mail, and I can't wait to get started. I must have read through this recipe three times so far! I'm so excited to learn how to be a good baker by following these recipes and all of your blogs! I dont have a stand mixer,so I guess I'll be getting a forearm workout. Do you think I should invest in one for the other recipes in this book?
I used ours this morning for the dough and it was the first time I really put it to an extended, vigorous test! I am thrilled to know I have the power to make bread doughs with it. I am very excited to take on more "kneading" now.
I made my loaves yesterday and the crust was delicious but the crumb was denser than I imagined. Is that due to proofing? Maybe I didn't proof it long enough? I did the poke test and my poked stayed. Not sure what I did wrong. Any thoughts?
Hi Jen,
The original white loaves recipe was drier than I like to make bread. I actually used almost a cup less of all purpose flour, but that's an adjustment for baking at high altitude too. Also, there can be a lot of variation in flours; BWJ page xi mentioned they used King Arthur flour (and Land O Lakes butter) for filming the TV series. Bread flour absorbs more liquid than all purpose, and measuring by volume (cups) is inherently inconsistent (and not through any fault of yours!). If your bread seemed dry besides dense, I would suspect too much flour/not enough liquid. If it was dense because it fell during baking, then it was probably over proofed. Hope this helps!
Thanks piebird! I'll try making it again this weekend. eeeehehehehehe!!! This is so fun! Yay!
Perfect, Jen! Isn't that the most important point? Just have fun with it! Cheers!
Hi All!
I'm new to TWD/BWJ but happy to be here. I used to teach pastry/baking at a Boulder, Colorado culinary school. Had to take a break last year when I got a cancer diagnosis. Am almost done now with my medical treatments, and look forward to baking therapy at home with all of you while I recover. Since I have some extra time right now, and miss teaching a lot, I went ahead and posted a basic bread making tutorial from my own experience. Feel free to comment, and I hope it is helpful, especially to newbie bread bakers. Here's a link to my site, http://cookteachgrow.wordpress.com/
Oh yeah, since I live near the Mile High City, my future results may reflect the need for some altitude adjustment.
Cheers All!
Would love to know all your high altitude tips. There are so many variables. Can't wait to check in on your blog!
I bought all my ingredients this morning at the grocery store! Excited to test out this recipe tomorrow…definitely adding a little cinnamon swirl. I've never made bread before so wish me luck :)
My loaves are rising now….I did something crazy! I slathered peanut butter all over the second loaf!!! I have know idea what will happen. It's a peanut butter swirl. I figure it will save the kids (and husband) the extra spreading time :) I will update on the success or failure on this one….
Okay. Peanut butter is not recommended. It gets too dry and falls out of the bread when sliced. It will still be devoured, but it won't be made again. Oh well. It was fun trying something different just for the fun of it!
ugh…"no idea"
I'm thinking trying a pesto and shredded mozzarella swirl in one of my loaves – will see how it goes!
Mine are rising right now. Probably will do a cinnamon sugar swirl in one of the loaves later.
Do not have a stand mixer and 10 minutes seemed like a long time to knead the bread (plus I was sorta pooped with all the stiring I had to do to incorporate the flour with the yeast and water) that I used the dan lepard way of kneading. Hope it turns out ok!
I got my book yesterday as an EARLY 30th birthday present, so that i would be able to make the bread on time :)
My bread is currently hanging out on the counter rising. I only did half a recipe because i had just the right amount of bread flour for 1 loaf. I can't wait to see how this turns out and after flipping through the book I am excited for all the recipes :)
Hi everyone,
I will be ordering my book today. I can't wait to actually get baking! For those of you who have already started, I have a question. I was wondering what size loaf pans you used for the bread. I am just trying to figure out if I need to order anything other than the book before I get going.
Happy Baking (and Eating)!
Hi, I used 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans. I'm curious whether using larger pans make a difference.
Thank you Steph and Geared to Cook! That is a huge help. My book arrives tomorrow but I will be stopping by the store today. I've been meaning to buy smaller loaf pans for a while and this is just the excuse I needed.
The 9×5 loaf will be flatter than the 8.5x 4.5. I have both size pans and went ahead and used them. I will probably go get a second 8.5 pan for the future.
I love that there is a P & Q section – it's so helpful to hear about everyone's experiences. My book arrives tomorrow – I absolutely cannot wait. I plan to bake a white loaf and a chocolate loaf (using butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips in the center) – my brother-in-law makes chocolate bread that is better than a chocolate croissant! I will let you all know how it turns out!
I am wondering what else we will be baking and have just the white loaves and choc. tartlets on the recipe schedule. Is there a full schedule and calendar some where to view?
Very proud of my two loaves. Looks like a lot of people like grilled cheese.
I made my loaves on Saturday and they turned out wonderful! Great flavor and the bread toasts beautifully. I used 8-1/2×4-1/2 loaf pans but didn't get the 4″ height. Missed it by about an inch. My bread flour, although stored in a tightly sealed container, was purchased more than six months ago (I don't think I'll have this problem going forward!) and I used bread machine yeast because that was what I had. I'm going to have another go at it today with just purchased active dry yeast and bread flour to see if I can get the 4″ rise. Looks like we're off to a great start. I have been reading my book and studying the first chapter carefully. Can't wait for croissant and broche dough. Happy Baking
NM is now represented! Any tips for baking at 5000ft?
Thanks, Piebird. Funny, I went to school in Boulder, CO & loved it!! I will follow your advice and let you know how it all goes. Unfortunately, my book has yet to arrive :(
My cookbook is officially broken in: A cloud of flour settled on pages 82-83.
-Lisa in Iowa
My book just arrived. Wow. A lot of recipes. :)))
Re white loaves as the dough contains honey will it be a sweet? I saw some of you said cinnamon swirls. But is it working with cheese or tomato swirls or any toher salty filling? Or this is more of a dessert?
Emese from Hungary
I used the called for amount of sugar and made a savory cheese loaf. The final bread isn't sweet!
My lovely dough did not 'come back together' as I beat in the butter … it was a shaggy, slippery mess … but no matter. The loaves rose beautifully and the bread is delicious. (I think salt is the key.)
Thank you Audrey for mentioning that. I was just about to ask you all if anyone had concerns during the butter step. Mine was also a slippery mess, on it's first rise now…
I just put my loaf in the oven. I am so excited. I hope it will turn it to be ok. I did a loaf with a pizza swirl (home-made tomato sauce and cheese).
I made my loaves today and it turned out beautiful. I used saf-instant yeast and for the flour, I used 3/1/2 cup of unbleached AP flour and 3 1/2 cup Durum Whole flour.
I used my mixer in the beginning but as the dough came together my mixer cannot handle it.. so I kneaded it by hand for 10 minutes. I made the other loaf with cinnamon.
Maybe next time I will make it with Gruyere and walnut!!
Happy Baking !!
out of the oven & cooling. one plain, one with a cinnamon chocolate swirl. so excited!
Pingback: White Loaves « galettista


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Obama Team's Al-Awlaki Memo Furthered Bush Legacy
Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) — Killing terrorists with drones is great politics. To the question, "Is it legal?" a natural answer might well be, "Who cares?"
But the legal justifications in the war on terrorism do matter — and not just to people who care about civil liberties. They end up structuring policy. As it turns out, targeted killing, now the hallmark of the Barack Obama administration's war on terrorism, has its roots in rejection of the legal justifications once offered for waterboarding prisoners.
The leaking of the basic content (but not the text) of an Obama administration memo authorizing the drone strike that killed U.S. citizen Anwar Al-Awlaki therefore calls for serious reflection about where the war on terrorists has been — and where it is headed next.
The George W. Bush administration's signature anti-terror policy after the Sept. 11 attacks (apart from invading countries) was to capture suspected terrorists, detain them, and question them aggressively in the hopes of gaining actionable intelligence to prevent more attacks.
In the Bush years, after the CIA and other agencies balked at the interrogation techniques being urged by Vice President Dick Cheney, the White House asked the Department of Justice to explain why the most aggressive questioning tactics were legal. Lawyers at the Office of Legal Counsel — especially John Yoo, now a professor at the University of California at Berkeley — produced secret memos arguing that waterboarding wasn't torture.
The Torture Memos
What was more, the memos maintained, it didn't matter if it was torture or not, because the president had the inherent constitutional authority to do whatever was needed to protect the country.
Some of the documents were leaked and quickly dubbed "the torture memos." A firestorm of legal criticism followed. One of the most astute and outraged critics was Marty Lederman, who had served in the Office of Legal Counsel under President Bill Clinton. With David Barron, a colleague of mine at Harvard, Lederman went on to write two academic articles attacking the Bush administration's theories of expansive presidential power. Eventually, Jack Goldsmith, who led the Office of Legal Council in 2003-04 (and is now also at Harvard), retracted the most extreme of Yoo's arguments about the president's inherent power.
In the years leading to the 2008 election, all this technical criticism of the Bush team's legal strategy merged with domestic and global condemnation of the administration's detention policies. The Supreme Court weighed in, finding that detainees were entitled to hearings and better tribunals than were being offered. As a candidate, Obama joined the bandwagon, promising to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year of taking office.
Guantanamo is still open, in part because Congress put obstacles in the way. Instead of detaining new terror suspects there, however, Obama vastly expanded the tactic of targeting them, with eight times more drone strikes in his first year than in all of Bush's time in office. Barron and Lederman, the erstwhile Bush critics, were appointed to senior positions in the Office of Legal Counsel — where they wrote the recent memo authorizing the Al-Awlaki killing.
What explains these startling developments? If it's illegal and wrong to capture suspected terrorists and detain them indefinitely without a hearing, how exactly did the Obama administration decide it was desirable and lawful to target and kill them?
The politics were straightforward. Obama's team observed that holding terror suspects exposed the Bush administration to harsh criticism (including their own). They wanted to avoid adding detainees at Guantanamo or elsewhere.
A Father's Appeal
Dead terrorists tell no tales — and they also have no lawyers shouting about their human rights. Before Al-Awlaki was killed, his father sued the government for putting the son on its target list. The Obama Justice Department asked the court to dismiss the claim as being too closely related to government secrets. The court agreed — a result never reached in all the Guantanamo litigation. Anwar Al-Awlaki now has no posthumous recourse.
In the bigger picture, Obama also wanted to show measurable success in the war on terrorism while withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. But even here the means were influenced by legal concerns.
Osama bin Laden is the best example. One suspects that the U.S. forces who led the fatal raid in Abbottabad almost certainly could have taken him alive. But detaining and trying him would probably have been a political disaster. So they shot him on sight, as the international law of war allows for enemies unless they surrender.
The authority for targeted killing — as expressed in the Lederman-Barron memo — offers the legal counterpart to the political advantages of the Obama targeting policy. According to the leaks, the memo holds that the U.S. can kill suspected terrorists from the air not because the president has inherent power, but because Congress declared war on Al-Qaeda the week after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The logic is that once Congress declares war, the president can determine whom we are fighting. The president found that Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which didn't exist on Sept. 11, had joined the war in progress. He determined that Al-Awlaki was an active member of the Yemeni groups with some role in planning attacks. And, the memo says, it's not unlawful assassination or murder if the targets are wartime enemies.
From a formal legal standpoint, Lederman and Barron can claim consistency with their attacks on the Bush administration. They relied on Congress and international law; Yoo's "torture memos" didn't.
But this argument misses the more basic point: Most critics rejected Bush's policies not on technical grounds based on the Constitution, but because they thought there was something wrong with the president acting as judge and jury in the war on terrorism.
No Defense Allowed
Anwar al-Awlaki was killed because the president decided he was an enemy. Like the Bush-era Guantanamo detainees, he had no chance to deny this — even when his father tried to go to court while he was still alive.
Naturally, a uniformed soldier in a regular war also wouldn't get a hearing. But like the Guantanamo detainees, Al- Awlaki wore no uniform. Nor was he on a battlefield, except according to the view that anywhere in the world can be the battlefield in the war on terrorism.
Al-Awlaki might have maintained that he was merely a jihadi propagandist exercising his free speech rights as a U.S. citizen. Which might well have been a lie. Yet we have only the president's word that he was an active terrorist — and that is all we will ever have. The future direction of the policy is therefore clear: Killing is safer, easier and legally superior to catching and detaining.
Sitting beside Al-Awlaki when he was killed was another U.S. citizen, Samir Khan, who was apparently a full-time propagandist, not an operational terrorist. Khan was, we are told, not the target, but collateral damage — a good kill under the laws of war.
Legal memos are weapons of combat — no matter who is writing them.
(Noah Feldman, a law professor at Harvard University and the author of "Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices," is a Bloomberg View columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)


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Favourite Shirts (boy Meets Girl)Haircut 100
Combining light funk with frothy pop, Haircut 100 was one of the cleanest and most accessible new wave groups. Formed in 1980, the British band's core members were vocalist Nick Heyward, ba**ist Les Nemes, and guitarist Graham Jones; the following year, drummer Memphis Blair Cunningham, saxophonist Phil Smith, and percussionist Mark Fox joined the group. Once the band was signed to Arista Records, they were put under the direction of producer Bob Sargeant, who helped them polish their stylish pop. Released in late 1981, Haircut 100's first single, "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)," managed to reach number four in the U.K., establishing the group's widespread appeal. The band released their debut album, Pelican West, in early 1982. Their next single, "Love Plus One," was a bigger hit, making the band one of the hottest British pop groups of the year. However, their momentum crashed to a halt when Heyward decided to pursue a solo career. Fox became the lead vocalist in early 1983, yet Haircut 100 could not replicate their previous success; they broke up after the release of their second album, 1984's Paint and Paint. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide


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Going local has been saved
Going local
ME PoV Fall 2015 issue
Asset management in the Middle East
Middle East growth has picked up strongly following the financial crisis of 2008-2009, driven to a large extent by growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The GCC region's real GDP growth rate averaged 5.2 percent from 2010 to 2014, outperforming most developed countries throughout this period.
Most GCC countries have benefited from high oil prices over the past decade, which contributed to significant wealth creation for both institutional and private investors. Oil revenue still represents the majority of the region's GDP, but the countries are making efforts to diversify their economies. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries in the region have launched development plans (e.g. Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, Qatar National Vision 2030, UAE Vision 2021) to develop other sectors such as aviation, tourism, transportation, and financial services.
Oil revenues have allowed the countries in the region to invest heavily in infrastructure projects that today form a solid base for the development of a more diversified economy. However, the recent fall in oil prices could challenge near-term growth and investments.


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Keith, Sir Arthur
Keith, Sir Arthur, 1866–1955, British anatomist, b. Aberdeen, Scotland, educated at the Univ. of Aberdeen, University College, London, and the Univ. of Leipzig. He became conservator of the museum and professor at the Royal College of Surgeons (1908), then professor of physiology at the Royal Institution, London (1917–23). From 1933 he carried out research on tuberculosis as master of the Buckston Browne Research Farm at Downe, Kent. He also applied his knowledge of anatomy to an influential study of human origins, reconstructing prehistoric man based on fossil remains from Europe and N Africa. His writings include Human Embryology and Morphology (1902, 6th ed. 1949), The Antiquity of Man (1915, 2d ed. 1925), and A New Theory of Human Evolution (1948).
See his autobiography (1950).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies


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All of our handsets are Snom 360s. Switch is 2xi
To dial another extension (or to make an external call) you can just key in '2' & '7' and wait 3 or 4 seconds and it will ring the target extension. Alternatively '27#' places the call with no delay. Similar with external calls.
My new Snom 360 requires the user to enter '27' and to then press the tick button. Without pressing the tick nothing happens however long you wait. Same firmware as other phones.
What controls this behaviour? I just cannot find any difference in the Snom or Quadro settings between extensions with these behaviour differences.


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by Karen Mathhews
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP)—Some 300 people gathered in Times Square on Sunday to speak out against a planned congressional hearing on Muslim terrorism, criticizing it as xenophobic and saying that singling out Muslims, rather than extremists, is unfair.
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the imam who had led an effort to build an Islamic center near the World Trade Center site were among those who addressed the crowd.
"Our real enemy is not Islam or Muslims," said Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. "The enemy is extremism and radicalism and radical ideology."
|"TODAY, I AM A MUSLIM, TOO"—Entertainment promoter Russell Simmons addresses the "Today, I Am A Muslim, Too" rally to protest against a planned congressional hearing on the role of Muslims in homegrown terrorism, March 6, in New York.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Peter King, has said that affiliates of al-Qaida are radicalizing some American Muslims. He's planned hearings starting Thursday on the threat he says they pose.
King, a Republican from New York's Long Island, told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that he sees an international movement with elements in the United States of Muslims becoming more radical and identifying with terrorists.
Speakers at the cold and drizzly Times Square rally said King was targeting Muslims unfairly.
"American Muslims are as fully American as any other faith community," said Rabbi Marc Schneier, founder of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Singling out Muslim Americans "as the source of homegrown terrorism" is an injustice, he said.
Democratic Congressman Andre Carson of Indiana, one of two Muslims in Congress, said he wanted to say "to the Peter Kings of the world: We will not take your xenophobic behavior."
Imam Shamsi Ali, the leader of the Islamic Cultural Center on Manhattan's Upper East Side, said, "We are here today because we love this country. We are here today because we want to see America remain the most powerful and the most beautiful country in the world."
Simmons promised "to make sure that this rally is taken to the next generation and to a new age" by enlisting entertainers and sports figures to tweet about it, including Kim Kardashian, who tweeted Sunday that she stood with Simmons in "promoting love and compassion."
A smaller group rallied a few blocks away in support of King's hearings.
Beth Gilinsky of the Jewish Action Alliance heaped scorn on the Times Square rally's slogan, "Today I am a Muslim too," and referenced Rauf, who was given a reduced role in the Islamic center project this year because he had other commitments.
"I want to tell Imam Rauf and Imam Shamsi Ali and all of the rest of them up there that I am not a Muslim today," Gilinsky said. "Yesterday I wasn't a Muslim. Today I'm not a Muslim. I'm not going to be a Muslim for even 24 hours, Imam Rauf, and I'm not going to be a Muslim tomorrow. You will not convert me."


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OAKLAND "" A 67-year-old man captured in a YouTube video beating a fellow AC Transit passenger Tuesday is the same man whom Oakland police stunned twice with a Taser gun in August during an A"s baseball game.
The latest altercation involving Thomas Bruso began when a younger man on the bus began yelling at Bruso, who calls himself "Tom Slick," "Vietnam Tom" and "Epic Beard Man."
Bruso was taken to the John George Psychiatric Pavilion for an evaluation after he struck the male passenger several times with his fist and continued to rant about the incident, Alameda County Sheriff"s spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.
A video of the brawl captured by a college student, Iyanna Washington, showed the two men speaking to each from across the aisle near the center or rear of the bus. Within minutes, an argument broke out and quickly escalated. Bruso incensed the man by asking, "How much you charge me for a spit shine?" according to witness accounts.
The younger man then ordered the 6-foot-1, 280-pound Bruso away from him, to the front of the bus.
Bruso angrily stalked to the front, followed by the younger man who continued to yell at Bruso. The exchange continued with the goading of other passengers until finally the younger man struck him. Bruso stood up and returned the blows, beating the man until he fell to the floor with a bloody nose.
AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson said the younger man"s nose was broken. No one was arrested.
"He (expletive) hit me. He (expletive) hit me in the face," the enraged Bruso bellowed after the driver escorted him off the bus. "I'm 67 years old and I'm not getting killed," he screamed.
Last year, Bruso was involved in another incident, also captured on video and widely circulated on YouTube and other Web sites.
At an Aug. 3, 2009, A's ballgame, Oakland police officers used a stun gun on Bruso because he refused repeated requests to leave the ballpark. He hadn"t been drinking but had brought alcohol into the stadium, police spokesman Jeff Thomason said at the time. When Bruso refused to leave, Coliseum security asked Oakland police officers working the game to eject him. Three officers verbally tried several times to get Bruso to leave, but he refused.
The situation quickly escalated after Bruso made a rude gesture at one of the two officers. They then placed a handcuff on Bruso"s left wrist. A third officer arrived with a Taser, stunning the man in the left shoulder blade while another officer was placing the other cuff on Bruso"s right wrist. The third officer applied the Taser on Bruso again, this time near the middle of his back, which caused Bruso to fall forward into an aisle. He was charged with resisting arrest and taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
Contact Angela Woodall at 510-208-6413. Follow her at Twitter.com/angelawoodall or www.facebook.com/angelawoodall.


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Those of you who are currently using the Fitbit Force need to be aware of a voluntary recall on it. Fitbit chose to recall the product after learning that some people are having allergic reactions to it. More specifically, some people are experiencing allergic contact dermatitis after using Fitbit Force.
Only 1.7% have reported any type allergic reaction. Even so, Fitbit has issued an apology to anyone who has been affected. As a person who has severe allergies (including some that result in allergic contact dermatitis) I applaud Fitbit's willingness to empathize with people who had an allergic reaction to one of their products.
I do not currently use any of Fitbit's products. If, later on, I decide I want a wearable activity tracker, I will consider Fitbit over other companies who sell similar devices. Personally, it feels like the products from Fitbit could be more "allergy-friendly" than the products from competitors.
How did the allergic reactions occur? Fitbit hired independent medical experts to investigate. It appears that the allergic contact dermatitis that some people are experiencing is a reaction to either the nickel present in the surgical grade stainless steel that is used in the Fitbit Force. Or, it could be a reaction to the materials used in the strap or the adhesives used to put the product together.
So, Fitbit offered an apology and did a voluntary recall of Fitbit Force. They also took things two steps further. Not only have they stopped selling Fitbit Force, but they also are offering a refund directly to customers for the full retail price of their Fitbit Force. I think Fitbit made excellent decisions after learning that some customers were experiencing skin irritation from Fitbit Force.


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The Czech Republic got off to a good start in front of the home crowd in Pardubice at the 2014 Inline Worlds. Photo: Ivana Hoskova
PARDUBICE – The Czech Republic began its 2014 IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship campaign on home ice with a 5-2 win over rivals Slovakia. Team USA kicked off its title defence in fine form, routing top division newcomers Great Britain 10-3. Canada edged Germany 3-1, and Finland outlasted Sweden 7-4. Austria, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia chalked up big wins in their Division I openers. Click here for scores, stats, and photosSlovakia – Czech Republic 2-5 (0-2, 2-1, 0-1, 0-1)The Czechs broke open the scoring when Martin Vozdecky found Michal Simo sitting in the right circle area, who slotted it home under the pad of Slovak goaltender Jozef Ondrejka five and a half minutes into the game. Then less than three minutes later Simo returned the favour, passing the puck from centre ice down low to Vozdecky, who slipped past the Slovak defender and beat Ondrejka short side for the 2-0 lead.The Slovaks replied early in the second period with a goal by Lukas Ruzicka, who following a rush found himself alone in front of the Czech net with nobody within ten metres of him. His linemate Roman Simunek fought for the puck down low, eventually winning it and making the centering pass to Ruzicka, who had plenty of time to cock back and fire a wrist shot past Czech goalie Dusan Salficky. "This team is still quite fresh, the tournament is earlier than usual this year so we've had a short time to get adjusted but I hope we will catch on soon," said Slovak head coach Imrich Antal. But the Czechs answered back less than a minute later as Zdenek Cap was allowed to come free into the Czech zone and fire a low shot beating Ondrejka's five-hole for the 3-1 lead.
Slovakia cut the lead back down to one when Jakub Ruckay took the puck down the middle, shook off the defender and fired a shot at Salficky, who gave up the rebound allowing Ruckay to fire it into the roof of the net going into halftime. Down 3-2 going into the second half, Slovakia fell behind by two goals when Pavel Strycek set up Patrik Sebek on the power play to go up 4-2. The team wasn't able to capitalize on a late power play, and the Czechs potted and empty netter and skated away with a win in front of the home crowd. "I feel like I need to go to the hospital and get a fresh set of legs," said Sebek, who after finishing with his club team in Rethel, France drove over 1,000 kilometres to get to Pardubice for the inline worlds. "But the important thing is that we got off to a good start."The Czechs will move on to face defending inline world champions the United States in the Monday evening game. Slovakia will play Great Britain, which lost its opening game 10-3 to the Americans."This will be our most important game this week," said Sebek. "The U.S. is a very strong team, maybe the best in the tournament, and we will need all our strength to win."Great Britain – USA 3-10 (1-1, 0-5, 1-3, 1-1)Forward Travis Noe had six points, and Matt White recorded and assist as the Americans started right where they left off in 2013. "I wouldn't call it an easy game but it was a good matchup for our team," said Noe. "Of course it's the first game and guys are still trying to figure things out, but it's a short tournament and we need to figure things out quickly, but I think the guys are starting to gel."An early USA scoring attempt by Rafael Rodriguez was denied by goaltender James Tanner midway through opening quarter. But the American offence, built with a number of players that train year-long in inline hockey, was in near-complete control of the puck throughout the opening frame. Still, the Brits caught the Americans napping in their own end with just over three minutes left, on a two-on-one that saw Alex Pearman take the puck down low then make a backhand centering pass to Rob Shelton, who fired it past USA goaltender Jerry Kuhn III for his team's first goal. But a penalty to Great Britain allowed the Americans to equalize, with a power play wristshot from the top of the circle courtesy of Noe, whose hat trick in the final game last year propelled the Americans to a gold medal.
Then early in the second quarter defenceman Coby Kettler got open on the side of the net and rifled the puck home. Then seconds later Junior Kent took the puck in front of the British net and roofed it to give the Americans a 3-1 lead.
"I'm happy with how we played at the beginning," said British head coach Simon Hehir. "We started quite strong but in the seconds began to make mistakes and that's when the goals came."
Matt White scored his team's fourth goal, coming on a one-timer short side assisted by Rafael Rodriguez. The second half saw more of the same, as Patrick Lee, Matt White, and Noe found the back of the net for the Americans to close out the 10-3 victory. Britain got two more scores from Rob Shelton who finished with a hat trick. USA will play hosts Czech Republic on Monday evening, while Great Britain takes on Slovakia in the afternoon.
Canada – Germany 3-1 (1-1, 0-0, 1-0, 1-0)Germany struck first five minutes into the game, courtesy of a power play goal from Marco Pfleger. Canada's Thomas Woods replied a minute later with a score, assisted by Brendan Baumgartner and Kyle Sheen.
Neither team was able to solve the other's goaltender going into halftime, the best chance coming on a breakaway by a Canadian player who mishandled the puck and wasn't able to get a shot off. "They are a very well-structured team," said Canada head coach Jason Stephens. "They played a really disciplined style tonight and it took us a little while to get going."
Canada appeared to go ahead in the third quarter when defenceman Shayne Calrson batted in the loose puck in front of the German net. But the goal was disallowed as the net was off its moorings.
But the Canadians were able to get a good one in minutes later, when Thomas Woods forced Tim Brazda into committing a turnover in front of his own net, giving the puck up to Josh Foote for the go-ahead goal going into the final frame.
A potential insurance goal for Canada was again waved off, this time due to a player in the crease. But a late breakaway score from Chris Terry sealed the game for the Canadians with 37 seconds left to go. "We've got a good core of players," said team captain Chris Terry. "This core has been playing together for four-five years and at this point we come together quickly, this year it feels like we only played last year's bronze medal game last week."Canada will next face Finland in the first game on Monday, while Germany, which had a fairly positive start dampened by the news that two of its players now are out indefinitely with lower body injuries, will play 2013 runners-up Sweden. Finland – Sweden 7-4 (0-0, 2-1, 2-3, 3-0)Finland came out the winner in a wild 7-4 win against Nordic rivals Sweden. Kari Lohtander scored three goals, including two in the fourth period to put away a tough Swedish team. "We played very well but we can do better," said Lohtander, who earned the Best Player nomination for Finland.
Down 2-1 after two periods, Sweden tied things up early in the third period when Emil Bejmo came streaking down the Finnish zone along the boards, cutting into the net and slipping the puck past Finland's goalie.
But the confident Finns kept coming, and shortly after a great save by Swedish goaltender Andreas Ollikainen on a one-time effort, Finnish defenceman Sami Markkanen blasted a shot from near the high slot area past Ollikainen. Then minutes later with his teammate in the box Marko Virtala scored short-handed putting his team up by two. Sweden cut the lead down to one thanks to a crisp passing sequence that finished with Mikael Eriksson scoring in front of the goal on the power play. Then just before the end of the period Johan Erkgards took the puck into the Finnish zone and wristed it in off the post and past the goal line to knot the game up 4-4. The Finns went back up by a goal on a three-on-one rush that ended with Lohtander deflecting the puck into the net from a saucer pass from Markkanen. Then the boys in blue caught Sweden again on an odd-man rush, Lohtander scoring off of a two-on-one to get the insurance goal and the 6-4 lead with six minutes left in the game. An empty-net goal sealed the win. "We have to work on our defence going forward," said Swedish head coach Bjorn Ostlund. "We gave up too many two-on-ones and we have to improve this.""I want to playe them again, we lost this time but there's nothing we can do about that now," said forward Carl Berglund.Finland opened the scoring early in the second period thanks to a solid effort from Lohtander skating into the slot area and firing a quick wristshot beating Swedish goalie Andreas Ollikainen glove side. The Swedes replied three minutes later with a goal from Robert Wall, who snuck the puck in from the side of the net as Finnish goaltender Sasu Hovi was not able to get into position to seal off the corner. But the Finns jumped back ahead 2-1 when on the power play forward Kim Stromberg blasted a slapshot through the legs of Ollikainen with just under a minute left before halftime.Finland will next play against Canada, winners of their opener versus Germany, while the Swedes play the Germans. Brazil – Austria 0-8 (0-2, 0-1, 0-1, 0-4)
Austria gave a rough welcome to Brazil in its return to inline hockey, shutting out the South Americans 8-0.
Daniel Oberkofler scored four goals and added two assists, and his linemates recorded 12 points in total as the Austrians jumped to a 2-0 lead in the opening period and closed out the Brazilians in the fourth with four more unanswered goals. Defencemen Harry Lange and Kristof Reinthaler added three goals for the Austrians, and Oberkofler's linemate Patrick Spannring notched a goal and four assists.
Brazil won't have long to lick its wounds before facing another contender for the top division crown in Hungary. The teams play Monday afternoon at 16:00. Austria will face Japan. Latvia – Slovenia 4-9 (1-1, 0-2, 2-3, 1-3)


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Not quite sure what to make of this, but Dell's website is now supporting Apple Mac OS, for what it's worth. Thus far they're only transmitting EXE files when you try to download the drivers and we're not quite sure what Dell products you can can attach to your MacBook except for cameras and other dosh. We shall soon see, I suppose.
"Apple OS X" appears on Dell's driver downloads [Engadget via Wired]


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Mural cells from saphenous vein could have long-term benefits in heart attacks
Stem cell therapies promise to regenerate the infarcted heart through the replacement of dead cardiac cells and stimulation of the growth of new vessels. New research has found the transplantation of stem cells that reside in human veins can help in the recovery of a heart attack. The findings could lead, in the next few years, to the first human clinical trial. The study, led by Professor Paolo Madeddu, Chair of Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol and colleagues in the Bristol Heart Institute, is published online in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) grant, looked at whether human mural cells, known to scientists as pericytes, cells that stay around, can stabilise blood vessels after a heart attack.
The researchers, using a mouse model, have demonstrated for the first time that pericytes expanded from redundant human leg veins are able to stimulate new blood vessels (neovascularization) and help with the recovery after a heart attack.
The study found that upon transplantation pericytes relocate around the vessels of the peri-infarct zone and establish with them physical contacts allowing the transfer of genetic material, microRNA-132 (miR-132). MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA sequences that modulate the expression of genes by binding to messenger-RNA and inhibiting it. One microRNA can inhibit many genes simultaneously. The study shows that the transfer of miR-132 from pericytes to endothelial cells inhibits a gene that acts as a negative regulator of cell growth. This unlashes endothelial cell proliferation and the formation of new vessels.
Professor Madeddu said: "Although bone marrow cell therapies dominate today, continued research on other types of stem cells is mandatory to achieve optimal treatment of cardiovascular disease.
"Human pericytes could be an invaluable source for future applications of cardiovascular regenerative medicine."
The researchers demonstrated that transplanted pericytes relocate around and support the growth of blood vessels in the heart, suggesting an unusual growth of these cells is instrumental to therapeutic benefit. The physical contact between pericytes and resident endothelial cells may strengthen the nascent vascularization, thus reducing micro-vascular permeability and myocardial oedema, which are acknowledged to have a negative impact on cardiac function.
The discovery that pericytes use microRNAs to communicate with neighbouring cells reveals a new mechanism used by these cells to influence vascular function. Likewise, pericytes can sense signals from the endothelium and communicate biochemical information to surrounding tissue.
Dr Helene Wilson, Research Advisor at the BHF, which co-funded the study, said: "This exciting discovery is one more step towards mending broken hearts. It shows that 'one man's trash could be another's treasure' -- using cells from leftover vein normally binned after heart bypass surgery, to try to repair heart damage in mice.
"While it's early days, the study shows that pericytes may have potential to help repair the heart after a heart attack. This is a vital goal for preventing heart failure, which currently affects more than 750,000 people in the UK and has a worse prognosis than many cancers."
Source: University of Bristol
Other sources
- Mural cells from saphenous vein could have long-term benefits in heart attacks, study suggestsfrom Science DailyFri, 26 Aug 2011, 1:30:20 UTC
- Mural cells from saphenous vein could have long-term benefits in heart attacksfrom PhysorgThu, 25 Aug 2011, 21:30:38 UTC


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"I hope you enjoyed that magnificent anthem presented by the Choir—"He, Watching Over Israel, Slumbers Not, Nor Sleeps." It is from Mendelssohn's Elijah, and the words are adapted from the Psalms. (See Ps. 121:4.)…
Play: He Watching Over Israel
… "Recently while wrestling in my mind with a problem I thought to be of serious consequence I went to my knees in prayer. There came into my mind a feeling of peace and the words of the Lord, "Be still and know that I am God." I turned to the scripture and read this reassuring statement spoken to the Prophet Joseph Smith 150 years ago: "Let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God." (D&C 101:16.)
"God is weaving his tapestry according to his own grand design. All flesh is in his hands. It is not our prerogative to counsel him. It is our responsibility and our opportunity to be at peace in our minds and in our hearts, and to know that he is God, that this is his work, and that he will not permit it to fail…"…We have no need to fear. We have no need to worry. We have no need to speculate. Our imperative need is to be found doing our duty individually in the callings which have come to us…consistently growing ever stronger…
"…My assigned ministry has taken me over the earth to many lands, to various places where I have seen with my own eyes both peace and war, both prosperity and terrible poverty, both liberty and oppression. I have witnessed the miracles that come with faith. I have seen the evidences of true goodness and greatness in men and women living under a great variety of circumstances. I have observed in a very intimate and wonderful way the workings of the power of the Almighty among his children…
"…Our great, basic message to the world is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God; that he gave his life as a sacrifice for all mankind; that he rose from the grave that first Easter morning, "the first-fruits of them that slept" (1 Cor. 15:20); that "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22); that he lives, our resurrected Lord and Master…"…We must prioritize our teachings to emphasize that which is of the greatest worth.
"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
"This is the first and great commandment.
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt. 22:35–40.)
"This must be the foundation of our instruction: love of God and love for and service to others—neighbors, family, and all with whom we have association… You and I may fail as individuals and miss the blessing. But his work cannot fail. There will always be those he will raise up to accomplish it. He has declared: "Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand." (Isa. 14:24.)
Gordon B. Hinckley, "He Slumbers Not, nor Sleeps," Ensign, May 1983


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Used Kawasaki MotorcyclesKawasaki emerged out of the ashes of the second World War to become one of the big players from Japan. In the late '60s and early '70s, Kawasaki built a reputation for some of the most powerful engines on two wheels, spawning legendary sportbikes like the Ninja series and a line of championship-winning off-road bikes.
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Across Wisconsin union members, community members and working families alike came together to celebrate labor and honor the workers who make our country strong. Working people are the backbone of our economy and their contributions to society are especially reflected upon each Labor Day.
In Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Marinette, Menasha, Milwaukee, Neenah, Oshkosh, Racine and Wausau, Wisconsinites enjoyed parades, car shows, picnics and good times with friends and family.
Keisha Hollis, a Communications Workers of America local 4603 member from Milwaukee explains, "being a part of Laborfest gives you a sense of togetherness and that is what Wisconsin workers need. Sometimes people just see us as fighting for our own causes but as working people we are part of the community and we will always fight for the greater good. If we don't have unions everything from wages and living standards will start to go downhill, fast."
Kenosha Laborfest 2012 honored Jeff Weidner, president of the Kenosha Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 414, as Labor Person of the Year. Bucket truck rides, pony rides and the moon walk kept all the Kenosha union members entertained throughout the Labor Day festival.
In Wausau, Nancy Stencil was honored as Citizen of the Year and in La Crosse, parade marshall, Dale Anderson, President of ATU Local 519, kicked off a ten-block family-friendly parade to Copeland Park where kids games, face painting, and other activities were enjoyed.
In Eau Claire, working families held a solidarity walk followed by a rally and picnic at Phoenix Park Riverfront Terrace.
Meg Kruger, Working America member, was on hand at Laborfest in Milwaukee and detailed why she came out to support working people and their unions.
"Unions fought for the 8 hour workday, the weekend, child labor laws, and benefits," said Kruger. "They didn't just fight for these for themselves, they fought for it for all of us, so that we could all have a better life and they continue to fight for all of us so our communities can be stronger and everyone can have a fair shot at the American dream."
Beer, brats and music were enjoyed as Labor Day participants looked ahead to the November 2012 elections and the need to re-elect President Barack Obama.
Local Media Coverage
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Union members and supporters march, rally on Labor Day
- WISN Channel 12, union members focus on Presidential Election this Labor Day
- Fox 11 Green Bay, Labor Day picnic at Bay Beach park
- Eau Claire Leader Telegram, Labor council rallies over workers' rights
- Wisconsin State Journal, Chat at LaborFest picnic heavy on politics
- Green Bay Press Gazette, Brats, politics on the menu at labor picnic
- Racine Journal Times, Unions rally at LaborFest
(Top Center Photo: IBEW members line up to march through downtown Milwaukee. Left photo: Corn roast at the Oshkosh Labor Day picnic. Photo Credit: Greg Hinds. Right Middle Photo: Wausau Labor Day Citizen of the Year Nancy Stencil. Photo Credit: Scott Wright. Bottom Right Photo: Children get pulled in wagon at Milwaukee's Laborfest. Photo Credit: Karen Hickey)


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Welcome to Oak Tree Golf Club
Located along the Ohio-Pennsylvania borderline in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania is one of the best-kept golf secrets in the country - Oak Tree Golf Club. This course sits between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and it has earned a reputation in both cities for the high-quality golf experience it offers. Players from throughout the region, and even the country, making a trip to Oak Tree, which is part of the "Mercer County Golf Trail of Western Pennsylvania (seasonal must)." Oak Tree is also a major part of the reason that this area earned Golf Digest's rating as one of the "Top 10 Best Golf Towns in the USA."
Course Layout
Famed course architect Ed Ault originally designed the course around four lakes, which still come into play on seven different holes. The course is also known for large, undulated greens and beautiful landscape. The 8th hole has a real treat -- a picturesque covered bridge that is also visible from several other vantages on the course. Oak Tree is a definite challenge for serious players, with a total of 60 large sand bunkers throughout. Hole No. 18 is the signature hole. It's a 407-yard, par 4 that requires a precise tee shot through two fairway bunkers followed by an approach shot over a lake that is highlighted by a scenic fountain. And if you're new to this classic game, don't worry. The course is also friendly to rookies.
After your round of golf, don't forget to stop in our dining room for a delicious meal or relaxing drink. Make sure you also say hello. We can't wait to meet you!


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My colleage Darius Himes at Radius Books tells me there are a few spaces left in his one-week publishing intensive that is part of the Santa Fe Workshops this summer. His course begins the evening of the 13th and wrapping up the morning of the 19th. Click here to view the course description.
And those of you in the Santa Fe area – remember that the Monday and Tuesday evening Santa Fe Workshop Faculty Lecture Series is free and open to the public – take advantage of these inspiring presentations!
From the press release:
"The faculty speak each Monday and Tuesday evening at 8:30 p.m. now through Tuesday August 5th, held at in the are held in the newly remodeled and air-conditioned auditorium of the Santa Fe Preparatory School on Camino Cruz Blanca. These lectures present three or four photographers each evening and are free to the public. For up-to-the minute scheduling, call the Workshops office at (505) 983-1400, extension 11."


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The Stats: The Dead Girls Detective AgencyCosmopolitan UK.
comes to you from Suzy Cox, a.k.a. deputy editor of
The Gist: Charlotte Feldman was just another ordinary girl in New York City, running late for school, when she suddenly finds herself talking to Nancy Radley, an official member of the Dead Girs Detective Agency. Nancy tells Charlotte the one thing that no one ever wants to hear: she's dead. Turns out, someone gave Charlotte a little push off the platform while she was awaiting her subway train. This leaves her in the care of Nancy, Lorna, and Tess; it is with their help that Charlotte figures out exactly who caused her death.
Charlotte learns that while being a dead ghost definitely sucks; it has a few perks, in the form of special powers. As Charlotte struggles to master her new "dead girl" abilities, she also squeezes in some time to flirtwith the super-cute boy ghost, Edison. Between being newly dead and solving her own murder, Charlotte definitely has her hands full; however, her sarcastic sense of humour and witty comeback remarks definitely keeps her from sounding too morbid.
More From Seventeen
Our favorite part... before Charlotte can figure out who her killer is, she has to master apparating with her new powers. Nancy and Lorna decide to take their new pupil to the top of the Empire State Building for her first lesson. Charlotte manages not only to fully apparate, but also glow from head-to-toe! While Charlotte tries to figure out where she went wrong, Nancy and Lorna freak out at the sight of a recently reported dead girl glowing atop a skyscraper.
You'll love it if... you enjoyed a good Nancy Drew mystery growing up, and are craving a New York City story outside of Carrie Bradshaw's diary. Suzy Cox gives us a hilarious ghost story with her witty one-liners and memorable characters.
Does The Dead Girls Detective Agency sound like something you'd love? Sound off: what part of Charlotte's post-life did you enjoy the most?


text: It was here, in this country, that coffee was first discovered, becoming a source of sustenance for its inhabitants, long before it spread throughout Africa and the rest of the world. Still now, as it was back then, coffee is still a way to achieve a better social position, to radically change our condition. This is why I work with a number of associations and companies, including Lavazza, to support farmers, educate them and pass on the depth of my passion.


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Is the Handwriting on the Wall for Rep. Buck McKeon?
Rep. Buck McKeon and his wife, Patricia McKeon, a candidate for California Assembly with House Speaker Boehner
When your top Congressional staff leave the state for another staff position, it is a definite tell. Buck McKeon who in November won easy re-election in his Santa Clarita and very GOP registered district is 74 years old.
Bob Haueter, former district director to U.S. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, has been hired to fill the same position for Blake Farenthold, a second-term GOP congressman in Texas.
Haueter started work Monday in Corpus Christi.
"(Farenthold) is a nice guy, a great guy, and he offered me an opportunity to do what I know," Hauter said from his district office on Shoreline Drive, looking out over the Gulf of Mexico. "I'm excited to have the opportunity to serve both him and the constituents of (Texas') 27th congressional district."
The move comes just days after Haueter's former boss, McKeon, announced he had hired Farenthold's chief of staff, Alan Tennille, as his chief of staff in Washington.
The rumor in Ventura County politics is that former California State Senator Tony Strickland who recently lost to Democrat Julia Brownley for a Ventura County based Congressional seat will move into McKeon's district.
But, former California Assemblyman Cameron Smyth and recently elected Assemblyman Scott Wilk are both said to be looking at the race.
Remember it is top two in California – so, when McKeon retires it will be a two Republican primary and general election.
Who will be the first to throw their hat in the ring?


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Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery
Commemorated on December 30 and 31
The nuns of Georgian monasteries have historically been outstanding in their diligence. God entrusted them with the special duties of ceaseless prayer, fasting, needlework, and the raising of orphans. Nuns have been regarded as vessels of sanctity and wisdom, and even royalty would kneel before them. Many Georgian noblemen would send their children to nuns to be brought up in the Christian Faith. According to the great church figure George the Lesser, when the parents of St. George of the Holy Mountain decided to have their first-born daughter, Thekla, raised by nuns, they sent her to the "worthy and holy" Sabiana, who at that time was abbess of the Samtskhe Tadzrisi Monastery in southern Georgia. St. Sabiana welcomed Thekla and raised her as though she were her own natural daughter. Before long Thekla's brother, the seven-year-old George, was also brought to the monastery, and St. Sabiana spent three years educating and instructing him in the spiritual life. Further information on the life and labors of St. Sabiana has sadly not been preserved. But as the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew attests, the tree is known by his fruit (Matt. 12:33). The high level of monastic life during St. Sabiana's abbacy and the pious lives of her spiritual children attest to the great spiritual heights she attained.
© 2006 St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.