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Brand Awareness
This story appears in the September 2001 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Brand. The hip, catch-all word of the New Economy. It suggested all a company needed to succeed was awareness. Image, as they say, was everything.
Pat Harpell saw it up close as the CEO of Harpell Inc., an integrated marketing firm in Maynard, Massachusetts. Over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have called on her to create branding programs, and she could see that old-fashioned branding strategies had gone astray. "That's not a branding program; that's a logo," she says. "Basic business principles fell apart."
Branding turned into a game of being seen for the sake of being seen, without giving consumers a reason to buy.
What ultimately fell apart was the connection between companies and consumers. Branding turned into a game of being seen for the sake of being seen, without giving consumers a reason to buy. "There's been a tremendous abuse of branding," says Jeff Dufresne, managing director of BrandStorm, a brand consulting group in Cincinnati. "I think people got confused and thought branding was just throwing some ill-conceived advertising out there to gain awareness."
With the dotcom fallout, companies are relearning the basic lessons of what makes a successful brand-mainly, that you can't live on image alone. Eyeballs don't equal sales, and logos don't create loyalty. Consumers want to know what you're all about and why they should trust you enough to purchase your product. This will never change, no matter how much technology alters our lives.
Remember Me? I'm the Customer
Many companies today are refocusing on something they'd all but forgotten: their relationships with customers. After all, if you had a lot of venture capital and a plan to take your company public and sell it in six months, did you really need to spend time figuring out your product's value to consumers? The answer was no for the dotcoms-and the consultants they hired to create their brands-that never did in-depth market analyses.
"There are a tremendous number of brand experts and consultants in the world now who know nothing about the product, nothing about the development of information technology that allows you to interact with customers in the marketplace," says Regis McKenna. Chair of The McKenna Group, a Silicon Valley-based international consulting firm that works with technology companies, McKenna helped Intel launch the first microprocessor and worked with Apple to get the first PC to market. He even designed Apple's famous logo. "When brand becomes abstracted from what [your company does] from day to day, it loses meaning," he says.
Of course, building a brand is still as important as ever. Brands simplify and add comfort to consumers' purchasing decisions. Good brands deliver on a promise. (See "Case Study: Trader Joe's" below.) In fact, it's rare to succeed long term without branding, Dufresne says. "[Brand is] your fundamental relationship with an end user, who is buying your service and creating revenue," he says. "It's what sustains you."
When Trader Joe's opened a few stores around the Washington, DC, area last year, it was overwhelmed with customers. This specialty retail grocery store has nearly 159 stores and is expanding rapidly. Its Monrovia, California, headquarters regularly receives calls from relocating customers who want a list of the company's locations so they can move near one.
Relocating to be near a grocery store? What gives? How does Trader Joe's earn that kind of loyalty? Consider the fact that the company does little advertising and relies mainly on its newsletter, The Fearless Flyer, to promote its products, new and old.
Pat St. John, Trader Joe's vice president of marketing, sums it up this way: "We keep our promise." That promise is delivering interesting, high-quality foods at very good prices. But St. John says the Trader Joe's "brand" isn't about the products; it's about the customer experience. The company's employees, decked out in Hawaiian shirts, are a friendly and knowledgeable presence for customers navigating aisles stocked with unique products. "No amount of advertising can create what we want to create with our customers. [Advertising] can remind people, but it can't create an experience," she says. "It's the personal relationship with these people that builds loyalty."
We Just Don't Talk Anymore
Nancy Koehn, a business historian at Harvard Business School, researched the lives of six famous entrepreneurs for her new book, Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers' Trust From Wedgwood to Dell (Harvard Business School Press). She learned that those entrepreneurs were obsessed not only with an idea, but with meeting a consumer need. Consider Josiah Wedgwood, an 18th century British potter who saw the average Briton yearning for social status. He positioned his products by targeting the aristocracy, knowing this would attract customers from lower economic brackets as well. His strategy worked, and still works today.
The entrepreneurs also kept their ears to the ground. Estée Lauder constantly updated her skin-care formulas based on what customers told her. Though Howard Schultz of Starbucks initially resisted using skim milk in the company's authentic Italian lattes, he finally gave in after spending time in a Starbucks location listening to customers repeatedly ask for it.
What those entrepreneurs did so well, Koehn says, was create ongoing, two-way dialogues with consumers-and alter their products based on what they heard. Wedgwood met a need for status, Lauder played into the post-war 1940s glamour boom, and Schultz tapped into the need for community in a disconnected world. Along the way, consumers got the branding message: This product is unique, and therefore better. Advertising didn't buy consumers' loyalty. Instead, long-term loyalty came from consistently fulfilling a promise and creating a great customer experience.
Branding has become a monologue instead of a dialogue. Entrepreneurs need to leave their ivory office towers and talk to people.
It's that dialogue that's been missing lately, Koehn says, and it's essential to any branding strategy. Branding has become a monologue instead of a dialogue. Entrepreneurs need to leave their ivory office towers and talk to people. They need to be responsive to their customers. (See "Case Study: Krispy Kreme" below.) They have to make sure their branding messages are understood by everyone inside the company. "Over the last few years, people [didn't realize] how hard branding really is," Koehn says. "But its rewards are equal to its difficulty."
Harpell recently studied a group of new companies to see how ingrained their branding messages were inside those companies. She found that many employees weren't aware of their companies' branding messages at all. "There was no brand connection, no teaching of employees and no communicating with consumers," Harpell says.
The Web's a problem, too. When management and technology consulting firm Accenture and technology research company Online Insight surveyed 2,000 online consumers last year, they found that a lot of the givens about the Web that marketers operate under are false. While most marketing is aimed at youth, the average online shopper is 35 to 44. Entrepreneurs also assumed that ads drew consumers to their sites while customers surveyed relied on search engines. And the low prices companies touted weren't what customers were looking for: They wanted a satisfying customer encounter that was fast and convenient.
"[Branding] is about more than the sock puppet. It's about the total customer experience," says Kelly Dixon, co-author of the study and director of e-branding at Accenture in Chicago. "Companies haven't focused on the entire package."
Consumers developed a love-hate relationship with late-'90s branding strategies, observes David Schumann, consumer psychologist and associate dean at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. On one hand, seeing logos invade every inch of public space has left U.S. consumers over-exposed to branding. On the other hand, consumers are paying attention, if only briefly, to discover whether you'll reveal that one clear benefit your product or service offers that'll make them try it. The problem is, this "one clear benefit" has been missing in plenty of branding campaigns, and Schumann sees companies facing the fallout: consumers sticking with the products they've trusted for a long time instead of taking a chance on products they don't really understand. When the value proposition is missing, Schumann says, risk-averse consumers will go with what they know.
This Winston-Salem, North Carolina, company produces more than 3 million doughnuts a day. When it opened its first Denver location in March, doughnut fans camped out the night before, and lines extended out the door for days. Customers who want Krispy Kremes in their area or just want to say how much they like the doughnuts send 5,000 e-mails a month.
But Krispy Kreme relies on word-of-mouth and doesn't advertise outside of the occasional billboard. So why is it such a successful brand?
"We look at every touch point with consumers as an opportunity to brand," says Stan Parker, Krispy Kreme's senior vice president of marketing. When the "Hot Doughnuts Now" neon sign is on, customers come running. You can peer through glass windows as doughnuts make their way along the conveyor belt, and the smell is irresistible. "You can eat them hot," Parker says. "That's a huge brand-building asset for us."
Back to Basics
Suddenly, branding isn't as much about generating buzz as it is about fundamentals. When Harpell surveyed marketing professionals and CEOs in February, she found generating leads, making sales and developing new channels were the new priorities, not branding. Only 19 percent listed branding among their top challenges. "People are starting to get it that it's not enough to get out and bang a gong as loudly as you can," Harpell says. "You have to have some meat behind the sizzle."
Companies are rediscovering direct mail, focus groups and customer surveys as ways to tap into customer tastes. But in a slowing economy, they need to connect with consumers on an emotional level, says Marc Gobé, CEO of New York City-based international brand consulting firm D/G* New York and author of Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People. "People are going to be more selective in what they buy, where they buy it and how they buy it," Gobé says. "There's a tremendous opportunity for [businesses] to stand out and demonstrate that they have a strong commitment to people."
Better hurry...your customers are waiting.
|What's it like when everyone sees your logo and
instantly knows who you are? Just ask Nike. The Nike Swoosh is
immediately recognizable, and the company's slogan, "Just
Do It," has become a part of the American lexicon. The power
of its branding helped Nike sprint past the competition in the
1970s and '80s.
But even überbranders can stumble. Nike started losing its brand edge when it changed its focus in the 1990s from traditional athletics to more outdoorsy activities like hiking. Adidas and Reebok grabbed greater market share. Lesson #1: Be careful in changing brand identity.
Lesson #2: In the process of rebranding, Nike overbranded and seemed more focused on trendy celebrity marketing than on creating good, affordable shoes-and, consequently, priced shoes too high for most buyers.
Lesson #3: A well-known brand often becomes a target for consumer protest, as Nike found out a few years ago when it faced allegations regarding its foreign labor practices. "They've weathered it pretty well, but it's left a stain on their reputation," says Sheri Bridges, an associate professor of marketing at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It may have affected Nike's bottom line, too. Nike announced in February that it wouldn't meet its latest sales projections, and it's refocusing on what it once did best: midpriced footwear.
Chris Penttila is Entrepreneur's "Staff Smarts" columnist.


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This Saturday, April 27 one of the most heroic life saving rescues on Sullivan's Island will be remembered in an awards ceremony at the old Coast Guard station on Sullivan's Island. In August 1898, James L. Coste, a Surfman with the lifesaving station on the island (forerunner of the Coast Guard), died while saving the life of young Ned Schachte, who almost drowned while swimming in the waters in front of Fort Moultrie.
In this historic ceremony, Coste will be posthumously awarded the coveted Silver Lifesaving Medal for Heroism.
This drama was headline news at the time of its occurrence. "LIFE CREW TO THE RESCUE," ran the August 20, 1898, Charleston Evening Post, one of the many newspapers who reported the story in detail. Long-time East Cooper residents will recognize many of the names mentioned.
"The cry of distress was heard by the life saving crew and Coste, one of the best swimmers of the crew, made for the water and quickly swam out to Schachte, who was almost exhausted from the terrible struggles with the waves.
"Guard Coste was followed by Capt. [Jack] Adams, Guards G. Bequest and [William] Tapio. Captain [Elmore] Martin, who was out horseback riding at the time, heard the cries of young Schachte and dismounting he quickly threw off his coat and removing his shoes swam out towards Coste, who had Schachte trying to bring him in, reaching the two men about the same time as Capt. Adams and Tapio. Capt. Adams was the first to relieve Coste, Capt. Martin and Guard Tapio assisting him. They spoke words of encouragement to the boy, telling him they were out for a little fun and would soon reach beach.
"A BATTLE WITH THE WAVES. Suddenly the swimmers reached a point where the current sweeps around the jetties like a mill race. It was a flood tide and the sea was choppy. Ned Schachte became frightened and seized Capt. Adams around the throat with a death like grasp. Capt. Martin released the boy's hold just in time to save them both, as Capt. Adams had become considerably exhausted. In fact all of the men were, as the battle of the waves and strong tides was a terrific one.
"Guard Bequest in the meantime came with life belts and Schachte was delivered to him. He had not had the boy long before he cried out that he was being swept out to sea by the strong current. A boat from the life saving sta6tion had been launched and in a short time picked the men up and started for the shore.
"Tapio had become very weak and was seen to go down once. The boat reached him just in time to save him from a watery grave. The water was only waste deep but the poor fellow had completely worn himself out and his strength had about left him when he was picked up. He was in an unconscious condition when the shore was reached. Some time was spent in restoring him to consciousness. Tapio is an expert swimmer.
"COSTE GOES DOWN. Capt. Martin and Capt. Adams, after seeing that young Schachte was all right, made their way for the shore. They gave no thought to Coste, as they knew him to be an expert swimmer and had seen him make for the beach after he had been relieved of Ned Schachte. Instead of following the current, which forms an eddy around the rocks at that point, and swimming to shore, he attempted to swim across and it swept him away.
"All of the men who took part in the rescuing of Schachte displayed remarkable bravery and coolness. Not once did any of them lose their head or become nervous, and it is not an easy thing either for a man rolled and tossed by a choppy sea, trying to save the life of another, to keep cool throughout."
Coste's body was recovered around 2 a.m. the following morning. The double tragedy around this event was that Coste was only 27 years old and a newlywed. He had married Louisa Bruggeman only a month earlier.
The Silver Lifesaving Medal is one of the oldest decorations for heroism in the United States. Established in 1874, this medal of honor is bestowed by the U.S. Coast Guard upon someone recognized for endangering his or her own life by "saving, or endeavouring to save lives from perils of the sea, within the United States, or upon any American vessel."
Receiving this medal puts Surfman Coste in good company. Others to receive this prestigious award include Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, General George S. Patton and Rasmus Midgett, an ancestor of Capt. John Midgett, who long-time islanders may remember as the commander of the Coast Guard station when it was still active in the 1960s.
Fifth-generation island resident Hal Coste, James Coste's grand-nephew, will receive the award for the extended Coste family. Ironically, Hal also helped save the life of a swimmer caught in the same waters in 1991.
Numerous dignitaries will be at the awards ceremony this coming Saturday, including one important figure, Charleston's mayor, Joe Riley. Riley has a particularly personal reason for remembering Surfman James Coste's heroism.
The young man Coste saved, Ned Schachte, was Mayor Riley's grandfather. The public is invited to this historic event.
Suzannah Smith Miles is a writer and Lowcountry and Civil War historian.


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If you are accessing you Linux machine from VNC then you can try x2go.
Pretty straight forward installation, with packages available for both Ubuntu and Fedora and most other common distros as well. Just install, change one line ( visit the link above) and you are done. Neat, I must say.
Do try it when you feel the need to do something new.
Link to this post!


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Norman Prentiss
Class of 1984
Major/Minor: Englsh
The 1984 Sophie Kerr Winner
Norman Prentiss is a high school English teacher and Department Chair at The Shoshana S. Cardin School in Baltimore. He is also a part-time editor with Cemetery Dance magazine.
He won the 2009 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for "In the Porches of My Ears," originally published in Postscripts 18. His first book, Invisible Fences, was published in May 2010 by Cemetery Dance and was a Bram Stoker nominee in the Long Fiction category. His fiction has also appeared in Black Static, Commutability, Tales from the Gorezone, Damned Nation, Best Horror of the Year, The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror and in three editions of the Shivers anthology series. His poetry has appeared in Writer Online, Southern Poetry Review, Baltimore's City Paper and in A Sea of Alone: Poems for Alfred Hitchcock. His essays on gothic and sensation literature have appeared in Victorian Poetry, Colby Quarterly and The Thomas Hardy Review.
His website is: www.normanprentiss.com.


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Our mission: To enable simple and responsible urban living
We envision a future where car club members outnumber car owners in major cities around the globe. Most residents of these cities will live within a five-to-ten-minute walk of a self-service Zipcar. Zipcar will be an integral part of these vibrant communities of well-informed, connected people who enjoy urban life and transportation options.
We envision a future where car club members outnumber car owners in major cities around the globe.
We will deliver on-demand mobility while leaving a small footprint on the environment—providing a great timesaving service that frees up space in our cities and puts more money in consumers' wallets. Our leading brand will be synonymous with fun, honesty, clever innovation, and social good. Car-sharing strategies will be a requisite part of the planning for all college campuses, urban, residential, and commercial developments, and city planning agencies.
We will become a premier employer for talented, passionate people who seek to turn great ideas into a profitable, growing company while doing good for our world.
What drives us forward (pun intended) is a commitment to our core values. These values ensure that every team member from the Big Apple to Big Ben is working together to make it happen.
Our Core Values:
1. Obsess about the Member Experience
Build trust and confidence among our member community by delivering leading convenience, dependability and service excellence
2. Be the Best We Can Be
Support personal growth, impact, and excellence
3. Deliver Results
Create enduring value through growth
4. Keep it Simple
Win through simplicity and continuous innovation
5. Have an Impact
Change the world through urban and environmental transformation


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Disclaimer: Though we strive diligently to control the content of linked sites, we can accept no liability for the contents of any external links. All responsibility for the content of linked sites rests exclusively with the operators of such sites.


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The Red Sox vanquished America's Sweetheart tonight at Fenway Park, to win their third World Series in the past 10 years. But this was the first World Series Boston iced in Boston since 1918. How long ago was 1918? Here are all the things that have happened since then:
1. The New York Yankees won 40 pennants and 27 World Series titles.
2. Women's suffrage, the jazz age, prohibition, the Great Depression, the New Deal, the Dust Bowl, world war, the rise of television, the rise of flight, the Cold War, the nuclear age dawned, satellites were launched, Billy Joel was born, more war, Motown, "I have a dream," Watergate, Nintendo, human-aided climate change, the Berlin Wall, freedom spread and contracted, another Yankees dynasty, Google, smart phones, the NBA put a team in Oklahoma.
3. "Little roller up along first — behind the bag! It gets through Buckner!"
We're inclined to let Bostonians savor this one. Their dues have been paid in full.


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I saw the same thing today. I got the more muted, movie version. The brighter green & yellow is definitely a nice homage to HYDRA in the comics though. But Jungle Mission Cap? Please Hasbro, don't make the same mistakes with this line that were made with the Iron Man and Thor lines.
Oh, I knew about the comics colors; this is a different figure. It's no big deal, it just surprised me at the store. The body is identical, except for the red stripes going down the front of the legs. The head is a different sculpt with a bulkier helmet. I looked into it a little more, and the one with the smaller helmet is the "Attack Trooper" and the bulkier one is the "Armored Soldier" or something like that. Here's the difference:Apparently just me making much ado about nothing, as usual.
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Pi Day, people! It's this week! Thursday! Celebrate by baking a pie (or pies). Share your ideas you have in store and your favourites and then post a picture of your lovely creations.
Thankfully, I have Thursday off work, so I'm staking my claim on the kitchen and baking away as soon as I wake up. I've been thinking of going wild and making a mixed berry pie. Or should I keep it classic and go with cherry or apple?
What are your secret recipes? Do you buy a pre-made crust? Or are you true-blue and make it from scratch? Frozen, canned, or fresh fillings?
Tell, tell, tell!!


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"Declan has written a well-researched book of investigative journalistic brilliance. A book that deals with the unseen and often shadowy world of soccer's match-fixing. . . . A world the authorities try to ignore; the effects of its existence swept under the carpet in the name of preserving the game's image."
–Shaka Hislop, ESPN soccer commentator and former English Premier League and World Cup goalkeeper
"Fascinating. . . . Part true-crime potboiler, part spy thriller, part academic discourse and part journey of personal discovery."
— Stephen Brunt, Globe and Mail
"A powerful investigative work…. The Fix is a fascinating read."
— Ottawa Citizen
"Sensationa…. Fascinating…. [Hill] makes a good case."
— Winnipeg Free Press
"An explosive book."
— Daily Mail
"Declan Hill literally takes his life into his own hands…. [He] presents convincing evidence that even games in the 2006 World Cup in Germany were fixed…. Read this book and you'll second guess every referee's dodgy call."
— Replay magazine


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TYM wrote:This will be interesting to see if it is rigorously enforced. I am all for proper security but surely there is also some room for common sense.
It is not as if there is much to do at the Airport to while away the time.
Buzz Lightyear wrote:Unfortunately as with a lot of things it is out with the airports control and it is regulations that must be enforced from the Department for Transport and also now more and more Europe.
Mary G wrote:Buzz Lightyear wrote:Unfortunately as with a lot of things it is out with the airports control and it is regulations that must be enforced from the Department for Transport and also now more and more Europe.
Thanks for this, Buzz.
I appreciate your inside knowledge, so how do you explain that our airport is the only one that Loganair/ flybe serves that will be introducing this new regime? Not Islay, Tiree, Barra ... etc - as far as I can tell. Nor even Stornoway - described by a friend of mine as "the El-Al training facility that is Stornoway airport security" insists on this one hour rule.
Buzz Lightyear wrote:
I am no longer there or here whatever it is....but what i can tell you is that it is due to the type and size of aircraft that visits. Barra is in the same boat or is it plane?? as campbeltown these measures were introduced at Tiree about 18 months ago though we did manage to get machinery maninng etc in place to make it easier, the hour was given as the bags have to be physicllly hand searched as there is no x-ray facility available at the moment. Islay had an upgrade around 3-4 years ago and saw considerable changes at the time to the terminal infrastructure, but like everything it takes time and most importantly money.
Campbeltown is and will be no differant than any of the other HIAL units or indeed any othe UK airports in what it does and will do, although the perception is from the outside is always 'why???? and we dont need to change, sorry we are living in a changed world now and there is some bad people out there.....and to anyone says but it will never happen here......a lot of people said that about Glasgow, yes it may never happen to the town, but where does the aircraft fly to?
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Shrine Circus Worth the Trip
As many of my journeys are wont to do, it began spontaneously, in error, and late. When I heard that my youngest son's daycare was taking a trip to the circus, I was disappointed that he would miss it, since he would be home with me that day. Unbeknownst to me, his teacher slipped two comp tickets in his diaper bag.
I found the tickets at 11:45 and saw that it was the El Riad Shrine Circus. Remembering that their location is close by, I decided to walk the little guy over there in his stroller. I set off at 12:20, fully expecting an hour or so of a circus for babies; clowns, trained poodles, hulahoop tricks and what not.
What I found when I got there was a reminder on their marquee that tickets were only available at the arena. It was then that I realized that this was going to be a real circus.
Driving to the arena wasn't an option, because my wife had our car for the day. Remembering that the city bus terminal was just a few blocks away, I headed there. The arena is a popular destination, right? Surely I could get on a bus and still make the show, albeit a little late.
The next bus for the arena left at 1:45. Another route that would have put me at 12th and Western, still quite a hoof from the arena, didn't leave until 1:15. This is a bus system that is wholly unbefitting a city with the size and stature of Sioux Falls. Bus systems are run on taxes though, and you get what you pay for.
It was a beautiful day, and I could get there faster on foot, so I decided to go for it. Walking through Sioux Falls, it struck me that the tree clean-up is going painfully slow. In many cases the downed limbs completely cover the sidewalk, meaning that I had to push the stroller through people's muddy yards. Also, as a courtesy to others, try to avoid parking in your driveway in a way that blocks the sidewalk. I made it around, but someone in a wheelchair would not have been so lucky.
My son slept through the entire trip. He didn't miss that much. The highlight of the walk was passing through the city parks, they look great and are ready to go. Spring has finally arrived, and the parks are waiting. Apparently, the city has decided cleaning up the trees there was more important than getting them off the sidewalks.
Given the route that I took, the walk was about 4 miles. I arrived at 1:35, in time for the final act of the first half of the show, and ten minutes before the bus for the arena would have left. On the floor where we sat, I was struck by the number of people in wheel chairs, and the elderly in assisted living groups. Apparently the complimentary tickets went to more than just daycares.
Mind you that these are people who disproportionately make up public transit ridership; at least when said transit system is adequate to a city's needs. Judging by the number of organizations' vans in the parking lot, they didn't take the bus either. Someone unaffiliated with such groups though, would have had to take the bus, likely with a long wait for a transfer, or just skip the circus.
And that would have been a shame. The show was great. I won't spoil it for you by telling you what I saw, but suffice it to say, it was well worth the effort and the $5 that I spent on concessions and glow-in-the-dark party favors for my toddler son. He was enthralled and sat still through the whole thing, which is saying something. For a minute there, I was a serious candidate for Dad of the Year.
When the show ended, I asked an arena employee where the bus stop was, and she had no idea. I cannot stress this enough; Sioux Falls needs a better public transit system! It would have been a long wait anyway, had I had the heart to circle the arena looking for the stop.
So, inspired by the feats of human achievement I had just witnessed, I mustered up my pluck and set out on foot again for home. At a more leisurely pace and on a more direct route, the 2.5 mile walk home took me 50 minutes and through more city parks.
As many of my journeys are wont to do, it ended with me wanting to go back, more organized next time.


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I was taking premarin and I just couldn't affrod it anymore since I got laid off from work. Wlagreens Pharmacy told me about Estropipate and that it was cheaper. They submitted the reqwuest to change to my doctor and i have had absolutely no side effects. no headaches or naseau. It is easy to use when you remember to take it : ). Hope this really helps other women out there.
I have to say that besides being hot flash free, the side effects overpower the need to be taking this everyday. I have horrible headaches, trembling as well and my anger goes through the roof. I do not know if anyone else is having these side effects, but this is just what I have been going through while taking this. I am taking estropipate 1.25(1.5 mg) Generic for OGEN


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Posted 8 years ago
(41 items)
Porcelain figure of sitting ``borzoi`` - Russian wolfhound, made by Bing & Grøndahl. In 1987 the company merged with the Royal Porcelain Factory under the name Royal Copenhagen.
It is almost 9 inches tall.
B&G Kjøbenhavn Danmark (Green) B&G (Blue); The J in Kjøbenhavn is flush with the other letters (1915-1947)
It was sculptured by Danish artist Lauritz Jensen (1859 - 1935), who made about 15 animal figures for both Copenhagen factories 1906 – 1916. Dog figure is model number 1814.His sculpture of two lions is in a Copenhagen park.


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Pop cans. Coffee cups. Candy bar wrappers. Fast food wrappers. Cigarette packages. Cigarette butts. Dog feces. Bags of dog feces. Flyers. Cellophane package wrap. Water bottles. Juice bottles. Chip bags. Beer cans and bottles. Disposable lighters and pens. Cardboard beer boxes. Discarded newspapers and junk mail. Plastic grocery bags.
I just don't get littering. I've never gotten littering.
These are just some of the items I've seen stuck into snow banks and hedges in my neighbourhood, or dropped on the road the past few weeks. There's always litter, it seems, always someone carelessly and thoughtlessly dropping garbage on the sidewalk, the boulevard or street. The snow has covered up the older stuff. Come spring it will come out again. The streams and creeks will thaw and deliver a new load of garbage into our harbour.
Why do people litter? Why would anyone pollute their own home? Dump their trash on streets and sidewalks they have to walk themselves? Why would anyone get a dog and let it crap on someone else's lawn and not pick up after it? Or more confusingly, pick up then leave the bag of feces on the lawn for the homeowner to deal with. Or someone else to walk on.
What sort of animal fouls its own nest? What sort of person would foul a beautiful town like Collingwood? Surely we all want this to be the best, the prettiest, the cleanest and most livable town in Canada. Litter won't let that happen.
Why would anyone – even a smoker – consider it acceptable to dump the contents of a car ashtray on the public street? After all, the public space is their space too: it belongs to us all. Would you do this in your living room? In your bed? yet I've often seen people do this downtown and in parking lots.
I've seen people buy oil and windshield washer fluid at Canadian Tire, fill their car in the parking lot, then drive away leaving the empty bottles on the asphalt. I've seen people walk into local pizza joints, buy a slice, eat it and drop the cardboard tray on the sidewalk only feet from the place they bought it.
I'm baffled. And I'm not the only one. Anneli Rufus wrote in Psychology Today:
I believe that the proliferation of discarded packaging peppering urban and suburban America — strewn over sidewalks, streets, gutters and gardens rather than being dropped into recycling bins and trash cans — tells us something. I just can't figure out what.
Every day we each step over and around a slurry of discarded cups, cans, straws, snack wrappers, cigarette packets, and more – all dropped by others. Most of us pay no mind. Litter isn't pretty, but it won't bite. So over it we step, averting our eyes.
But hey: Each of these items got where it is because someone was holding it in his or her hands and then let go…
Public areas are ringed with recycling bins and other trash receptacles. Litterers are nearly always within sight of at least one receptacle when they choose, instead, to litter. And it is a choice. Something is in your hand; then it isn't. It ceases to be in your hand. How? Reaching the nearest trash receptacle would mean only grasping the item a few seconds longer, two or three minutes at most. But somehow, for countless someones, that wait isn't worth it.
I understand somewhat that not all children have been taught not to litter, and that a child's sense of social responsibility is often under-developed. Some of the garbage I see is from elementary students walking to school. Candy wrappers, chocolate milk containers, that sort of thing. I've seen them drop it, even while parents escort them home. Sometimes the parents even stop and pick it up.
But coffee cups and cigarette butts – these are adults. I've seen adults at sports fields and events cheering their kids on in some game, then leaving coffee cups, discarded food wrappers and condiment bags on the ground at their feet when they leave. Usually there is a waste bin a few feet away. No wonder their kids litter; no wonder they don't develop a healthy sense of social responsibility: they learn the lesson from mom and dad.
I'm sure every reader here has seen images of Canada Post superbox installations awash in the discarded junk mail people simply drop on the ground rather than take home and dispose of responsibly. A Google search will produce hundreds of such images, if not. Disgusting, I suspect you will say when you see them.*
These are adults, not children doing this. Adults are supposed to know better. We're supposed to be the role models for children: responsible, aware, conscientious, ethical. Stewards of the environment. Not lazy litterers.
And I'm sure everyone of them who did it knows full well that littering is irresponsible and anti-social behaviour. So why do it?


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Browsing Centres by Author "Olsen, Jørgen Kai"
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Birch, Kristina; Olsen, Jørgen Kai; Tjur, Tue (København, 2005)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: On the background of a data set of weekly sales and prices for three brands of coffee, this paper discusses various regression models and their relation to the multiplicative competitive-interaction model (the MCI model, see Cooper 1988, 1993) for market-shares. Emphasis is put on the interpretation of the parameters in relation to models for the total sales based on discrete choice models. Key words and phrases. MCI model, discrete choice model, market-shares, price elasitcity, regression model. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6735
Files in this item: 1stat-pp-2005-1.pdf (274.7Kb)
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Troubleshooting (Android TV™): What are the benefits of restarting the TV and software updates? / Issues with the sound and screen
If an unexpected symptom or those listed below appear while using your TV, the following procedure may help to improve the situation.
Abnormal image/ no picture/ no sound for a TV channel or external device
No sound/distorted sound/unwanted noise/interrupted sound when playing video or audio
Video, pictures or thumbnails do not display properly/black screen
USB playback, Throw or Screen Mirroring does not work/cannot be played
The application does not operate correctly
Restart the TV.
For more details, visit the following FAQ.
How to restart (reset) an Android TV?
If peripheral devices are connected to the TV, remove them.
- Turn off the power supply of the TV and pull out the power cord (mains lead) from the outlet.
Wait approximately 2 minutes, and then insert the power cord in the outlet again and turn on the power supply of the TV.
- If you connect your BRAVIA TV to an external HDD, remove it and try again.
- If you leave the TV with the power cord (mains lead) disconnected, the electricity that remains in the unit will be discharged.
As a result, unnecessary data and error information in the memory will return to their defaults, and allow you to use the TV again normally.
When the screen becomes black or the image is not displayed correctly in the HDMI/MHL connection, try the following methods to improve it.
NOTE: Your TV may not be compatible with an MHL connection. For details on your TV's specifications, refer to the manual.
- Disconnect and connect the HDMI/MHL cable.
- Disconnect and connect the power cord (mains lead) of the connected device or reboot the device.
If you experience an abnormal image or sound, reset the picture or sound settings.Picture setting:
- Press the HOME button on the remote control.
- Select Settings.
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options:
- Select Display & Sound — Picture — Advanced settings — Reset.
- Select Display — Picture — Advanced settings — Reset
- Press the HOME button on the remote control.
- Select Settings.
- The next steps will depend on your TV menu options:
- Select Display & Sound — Sound — Reset.
- Select Sound — Sound — Advanced settings — Reset.
Software Update is an update program that adds new features and fixes bugs.We recommend that you connect the BRAVIA TV to the Internet, and set Automatic Software Download to On. Updates will automatically be downloaded when the TV is in Standby.
For more information, refer to How to receive an automatic software update
For more information on how to perform software update on BRAVIA TV, refer to How to perform a Firmware / Software update on BRAVIA TV?
- If you downloaded applications other than those pre-installed, those applications may be affecting the TV's operation.
For details, refer to the following FAQ: Troubleshooting (Android TV): How to check if the cause of the problem is in a downloaded application and how to resolve it
- If there is no improvement after doing a Restart or Software Update, the problem may have another source. Please try searching for other FAQs.


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MBIA Inc. said Troy-based Flagstar Bancorp Inc. agreed to pay $110 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of making misrepresentations to induce MBIA to insure mortgage-backed securitizations that defaulted.
MBIA, based in Armonk, N.Y., alleged that Flagstar sponsored two securitizations and avowed that it had originated or acquired all of the loans and each complied with underwriting guidelines, according to a complaint filed Jan. 11 in Manhattan federal court.
The lawsuit concerned about $1.1 billion of securitization transactions backed by second-lien mortgages insured by MBIA in 2006 and 2007, the insurer said Thursday in a statement. Flagstar will pay $110 million in cash and other unspecified consideration, and MBIA will use the cash to repay a portion of its secured loan from National Public Finance Guarantee Corp., the company said.
MBIA Chief Executive Officer Jay Brown called the settlement "consistent with our recovery expectations."
"We will continue to focus on resolving our remaining litigation with other parties so that National Public Finance Guarantee Corp., our U.S. muni-only insurer, can resume its role as a leader in the U.S. public finance insurance market," he said in the statement.
The announcement is a "major milestone" in moving past the "legacy challenges" of Flagstar, Michael Tierney, the bank's CEO, said in a statement. Flagstar in February was ordered to pay Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. $90.1 million the bond insurer paid when home-equity loans underlying two Flagstar mortgage-backed securities defaulted.
"We can now focus more time and attention on our national mortgage business and our community banking operations in Michigan," Tierney said.
The case is MBIA Insurance Corp. v. Flagstar ABS LLC, 13-0262, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).


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November 5th, 2013
Banned pesticides linked to endometriosis
Women with higher levels of pesticides in their blood are also more likely to have endometriosis, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue normally lining the uterus' interior walls also grows outside the uterus, commonly to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or pelvis –- causing pelvic pain and infertility.
"It affects women during their reproductive years and it could be that as many as 10% of women during reproductive ages have endometriosis," says Victoria Holt, a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington and lead study author.
More than 5 million women have endometriosis, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Women's Health.
"What we know about endometriosis is that it's an estrogen-driven disease. Women who have more estrogen are more likely to have it," Holt says.
Once in the body, some organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are believed to mimic estrogen, possibly contributing to endometriosis. FULL POST
June 12th, 2013
BPA linked to obesity in young girls
Poor diet and lack of exercise might not be the only factors contributing to the obesity epidemic. A new study suggests the environment may also play a role.
"Eating too much and exercising too little are important factors," said Dr. De-Kun Li, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California. "But they cannot explain the steep increase in the obesity rate the last three decades. We haven't really changed our eating habits and exercise that much."
The environmental culprit, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, may be bisphenol-a, a chemical commonly found in plastic and cans.
Li and colleagues studied 1,326 school-age children in Shanghai, China, and measured BPA levels in their urine. In girls ages 9 to 12, higher BPA urine levels were associated with a doubled risk of obesity. And as BPA urine levels increased, so did the girls' obesity risk - measured using their weight in reference to weight distribution in the population. FULL POST
March 1st, 2013
Study finds link between BPA and asthma
The list of products containing bisphenol A is pretty long: it coats the inside of the food cans; it can be found in certain plastic containers; it is sometimes found on cash register receipts.
And the list of maladies linked to the chemical is growing longer.
The latest study, by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, suggests a possible connection between BPA detected in urine samples of children and later problems with breathing.
July 17th, 2012
BPA ban in baby bottles and sippy cups official
The chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA has been officially banned from use in certain baby products, the US Food and Drug Administration announced today.
"FDA is amending the food additive regulations to no longer allow BPA in the plastic used to make baby bottles and sippy cups," said Curtis Allen, an FDA spokesman. "As a result, consumers can be confident that these products do not contain BPA. "
The move came as a result of a petition filed by the American Chemistry Council – an organization that represents "companies engaged in the business of chemistry" –- including plastic companies - saying the government should ban its use in these specific products.
July 16th, 2012
Dental fillings linked to kids' behavior problems
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in the U.S. for kids. In fact, more than half of elementary school students will have cavities by the time they're in second grade, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Since the 1970s, dentists have been using tooth-colored fillings that contain derivatives of the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA), in favor of the metal amalgam fillings.
Now a new analysis on dental fillings in children suggests these non-metal fillings may contribute to behavioral problems. The study authors caution that their results only point to an association; they say their analysis does not prove that BPA causes any behavior changes.
June 26th, 2012
Researchers: Chemical testing is 'inadequate'
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other regulators are not using the best available science in their assessment of bisphenol-A's (BPA) safety, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Endocrine Society.
"Testing needs to include models of developmental exposure during critical life periods when organisms may be most vulnerable to even very low-dose exposure," says the world's largest group of researchers and clinicians who study how hormones function.
For a typical poison, a higher dose correlates directly with greater toxicity, but endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA may be counter-intuitively more potent at lower levels, and during "windows of vulnerability" such as pregnancy, explains a 2009 scientific statement by the Endocrine Society.
That poses a problem for regulatory agencies' screening tests, which are based on traditional toxicology and do not detect the low-dose effects of chemicals on the endocrine system, said Frederick vom Saal, who co-authored the Endocrine Society's new statement.
June 20th, 2012
Senate votes in favor of clean air protections
Senate Joint Resolution 37, the Senate bill that would overturn the Environmental Protection Agency's controversial Mercury and Air Toxics Standards or MATS, was voted down Wednesday by a margin of 46 to 53.
Introduced by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) in February, the resolution was a challenge to the country's first national protections rule designed to limit the amount of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and other toxic air pollutants released by power plants that burn coal and oil - toxins many suspect cause cancer and other health problems.
But Inhofe said the bill was specifically designed to kill the coal industry and the good paying jobs it provides. He led the charge to repeal the protections and vowed to keep fighting what he called the Obama administration's "damaging regulatory regime."
June 14th, 2012
'Dirty 30' want EPA air pollution rule repealed
Lines are being drawn on Capitol Hill over an EPA rule to reduce air pollution from the nation's power plants.
Last year the Environmental Protection Agency approved the controversial Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (or MATS; also known as MACT), the country's first national protections rule designed to limit the amount of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and other toxic air pollutants released by power plants that burn coal and oil - toxins many suspect cause cancer and other health problems.
The new standards set work practices that include an annual performance test program for new and existing electric generating units. This would include an inspection, adjustments, maintenance and repairs.
"Utility MACT is specifically designed to kill coal as well as all the good paying jobs that come with it," Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) said on the Senate floor Tuesday. "The vote on my resolution will likely be the one and only opportunity to stop President Obama's war on coal - this is the one chance for my colleagues to show their constituents who they really stand with."
May 22nd, 2012
Study: 9/11 WTC dust sickened residents years later
Several years after dust from the World Trade Center twin towers found its way into thousands of homes and nearly every crevice in lower Manhattan, area residents still suffered health problems, according to a new study.
People living in homes damaged after 2001's Trade Center attacks were more likely to report respiratory illness or disease years later, when compared with people whose homes were not damaged, according to a recent analysis of World Trade Center Health Registry data.
May 3rd, 2012
Study: Toxic chemicals found in gardening tools
Planting season is here. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a novice, a new study is raising a red flag about some of the products you might be using.
Researchers for the Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental group tested nearly 200 common garden products and found two-thirds of them contained significant levels of one or more toxic chemicals they ranked of "high concern." The data was published on the website HealthyStuff.org.
About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.


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I always go a little crazy this time of year.
Yes, I am one of those annoying people who listen nonstop to Christmas music on Sirius each season. I start shopping for gifts before Halloween, and one of the highlights of October is choosing a color scheme for the year's wrapping paper. I know it's compulsive, but I like assigning each family member a different print because I am also a wrap-as-you-buy person, and it helps me make sure the kids have about the same number of gifts. (Not that, at 22 and 19, they are even really kids any more, or care how many presents they get. But still.)
The day after Thanksgiving, I deck the halls and commence the annual Christmas classic movie fest, watching at least two every weekend, despite the fact that I can already recite all of Holiday Inn ("You're a fake and I'm a phony!").
I am sure living with me throughout Q4 must be difficult. All this forced merriment must feel like a Bataan Death March of Jolliness. Many years ago, I remember telling Jack and Hadley (who really were kids at that point) that we had to watch a holiday movie. Had to.
They finally submitted but insisted that it be Jack Frost, that 1998 flick about the dad who dies in a car wreck and comes back as a snowman. Of course, I protested. I mean, it didn't have to be Bing Crosby, but you could scarcely call the Michael Keaton movie a holiday classic, what with its emphasis on parental death and a cold, fat-bellied afterlife. But watch it we did, and it was a good time.
While it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, it actually turns out that when I back off on the forced fun agenda, two things tend to happen: a) We have more fun; b) Another family member steps in with good ideas.
When she was in middle school, Hadley went through a stage where she liked organizing family activities.
That Christmas, Hadley came up with a weeklong plan. On the first day, we read a book about Hanukkah and lit a menorah. One night was devoted to Kwanzaa, another to family games. (I should note that all the activities took place at night because we spent much of the day shopping for them.)
Everyone's favorite activity was a drawing contest. Hadley created a haunting scene of a woman in a winter storm. Jack did a fine portrait of our cat, TK. I traced a screen saver of Pikachu. My husband David's art was the most, oh, let's just say memorable. I think he started out trying to draw TK on a motorcycle, but the cat ended up sitting in a chair and dressed as Santa. It's a family favorite still.
Sometimes I ponder my tightly wound holiday behavior, asking myself the deep philosophical question: What the hell is wrong with me? And I think the answer is best summed up with one of my very favorite holiday stories.
I used to work with a woman named Cynthia, and every December I would beg her to retell the tale of an epic family Christmas in Colorado. To be honest, I don't remember any details except this: After a drive together, it ends with a big brouhaha between Cynthia and her mom. She and her boys get out of the car as her mother peels off and one or the other screams "Merry &*#@! Christmas!"
I love this story because it reminds me of the many Christmases where the self-induced stress of the holidays has brought me to tears. It's a thin line, it turns out, between the crazy striving for shared joy and the realization that our own lives are rarely as perfect as a Hollywood film.
This story releases me from feeling as though I have to be manic me.
It reminds me that we're all in this holiday thing together, surviving the season in our own dysfunctional ways. And it reminds me that I need to turn off the Sirius sometimes and let my loved ones vent about their co-workers, their teachers and, yes, their mothers.
This is the true spirit of the season, after all.
Yes, and I will get to it, I promise. Right after I finish my color-coordinated wrapping.
Catherine Mallette is a senior content editor in The Sun's features department and the editor of Chesapeake Home + Living magazine. Contact her at email@example.com.
I always go a little crazy this time of year.


text: The people involved are in the BDSM lifestyle. They do this for their pleasure and for you to enjoy their suffering. You get REAL people doing REAL things to each other in every video.Categories include: Bondage, Interrogation, Punishment, Sex Toys, Spanking, Torture, Training, Whipping, Flogging, Hot Wax and much more!


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Book Now! Check out these amazing Istanbul City Breaks inc. flights and accommodation!
To book, click 'Book Now' below the relevant offer or call us now on 01 6080056.
Prices below are per person based on 2 sharing and include flights and accommodation. Subject to availability at time of booking.
Whether you're looking for a longer trip, a romantic weekend away or a sizzling shopping stay, Club Travel offer you fantastic prices and packages for Istanbul breaks from only €221 per person!


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Vegetables grow nearby Yingfeng Chemical Plant. Shifang City, Sichuan Province. Greenpeace has investigated the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer in Sichuan. Chemical fertilizers play an integral role in industrial agriculture and food production. However, its manufacture has proven to be highly polluting, contributing to wide-spread environmental contamination and causing distress for local communities living in the vicinity of the production facilities.
© Liu Feiyue / Greenpeace
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JayCompanyComics.com produces the Amazing Arizona Comic Con, January 25th through 27th, 2013 at the Phoenix Convention Center
Jay Company Comics returns to Phoenix to produce the newest installment, the 2013 Amazing Arizona Comic Con. With a fantastic debut show in 2011, promoters Jimmy and Bill Jay built on the strong attendance, a dynamic guest line-up, and industry buzz to double the size of the in 2012. With this year's event expanding to 3 days, and move to a larger facility at the Phoenix Convention Center, Amazing Comic Con has quickly become the premiere destination for comic books and pop culture in the Southwest.
Jay Company Comics is a family run and operated comic book retail organization that focuses on the hottest collectibles in the market. Jay Company was founded by brothers, Bill and Jimmy S. Jay, in the spring of 1996, as they established an extensive mail order company and quickly became the #1 largest convention dealership in the nation. For nearly 18 years, you can visit our family at the multiple Jay Company booth locations at the San Diego Comic Con International, Wondercon, C2E2 Chicago, many of the Wizard Worlds, and other regional shows throughout the country.
Jay Company also produces the finest specialty comics for the modern age, with exclusive covers and other special editions. Studios and publishers that continue to work with Jay Company include Marvel Comics, Aspen Entertainment, Top Cow Productions, Zenescope, Udon Studios, Basement Comics, Big Dog Ink, Devil's Due, and Arcade Comics. Jay Company has also forged working relationships with a virtual A-list of comic artists from companies such as Marvel, DC, Image Comics, and more.
Over the last two decades, JayCompanyComics.com have been employed as publishing consults for 12 Gates Productions, Avalon Press, Awesome Entertainment and Stan Winston Studios. Over two dozen titles were published by its subsidiary, ARCADE COMICS, this last decade. In 2010, JayCompanyComics.com made the next logical progression from exhibiting, retailing, consulting, and publishing to convention promoting with the AMAZING ARIZONA COMIC CON and the 20th Anniversary IMAGE COMIC EXPO. With a strong track record of successful comic events taking place in the last three seasons, partner Jimmy Jay looks to continue to expand Amazing Comic Conventions in the near future. Look for more announcements coming soon.
For more information, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can follow us on Social Media on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AmazingArizonaComicCon, and Twitter@AmazingComicCon.


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Around Town
Get started with College Greenlight to compare the Friends University weather with your hometown!Create an account now!
Lots of sporting events take place. Lots of band concerts, drama productions. There is always something going on. Art projects, open volleyball, movies.Read More
There are some great coffee shops around the area, notably the Donut Whole, which makes specialized and themed donuts. There are movie theatres, bowling alleys, and lots of local clubs.Read More
There are lots of community theaters and parks, so go see a show, have a picnic, or just go for a bike ride. Downtown there are lots of fun shops and little diners that are fun to window shop or experience. There are also a couple of museums. My favorite activity is the 5K's that are constantly going on.Read More
Wichita itself has many things to do for fun, like the mall, resturants, cinemas, down town cafes and more. But you do not need to travel far as there is always some sort of event happening on campus, like carnivals, earth day celebrations and more.Read More
Get involved in the Student Government.Read More
On campus there are plenty of events (concert, ballets, plays, falcon king, talent shows, bingo, intramurals, etc.). There are plenty of things to do in the city as well if you have money.Read More
Extra-curricular activities! (I can't stress it enough.) :-) Intramurals, sports events, concerts, theatre productions, the list goes on...Read More
Throughout the year there are different types of activities, concerts, and projects. Those you can join, participate, and become a part of a great student community.Read More
Hanging out with friends and playing games is always an option. Attending the weekly corner stone meetings is always fun. Many activities that are sponsored by the school such as ice skating, bowling, roller skating and so much more are always a good option when looking for something to do,Read More
Athletics events, student activities on campus, dances, block parties, community volunteer activitiesRead More


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Roasted Broccoli with Smashed Garlic Recipe
Here's a great way to make broccoli if you are tired of making it the same old way. Roasting broccoli with garlic creates a sweet, nutty delicious flavor and the aroma that wafts through your kitchen will make everyone asking when's dinner ready. This is a simple, yet elegant side dish. I like it topped with shaved Parmesan but you can also add red pepper flakes or top it with fresh lemon juice.
Roasted Broccoli with Smashed Garlic
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th of broccoli • Points +: 3 pts • Smart Points: 2
Calories: 126 • Fat: 7.5 g • Protein: 4.3 g • Carb: 13.7 g • Fiber: 5.7 g
1 1/2 lbs broccoli florets, cut long with part of stem
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh pepper
Preheat oven to 450°. In a baking dish combine broccoli, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast broccoli about 20 minutes, until broccoli is browned and tender.
Keywords: Roasted Broccoli with Smashed Garlic


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Tell Your New York Story With the Urban Archive Vintage Photo Call
Got a snap of New York with an evocative story behind it? Here's your chance to get your story and photograph out to history enthusiasts across the city with Urban Archive's new photo call.
The Google Crisis Maps: Superstorm Sandy – excellent online resources post-Hurricane Sandy
Image source: Google – click to enlarge
We mentioned both the Google Crisis Map: Superstorm Sandy and the Google Crisis Map: Superstorm Sandy: NYC on October 28, which at that point had a few things to offer – the location of the storm, webcams, and a few other things. Since then, it's exploded with information that is incredibly valuable during this post-Sandy world in NYC. More about the map:
This map displays information about current crises and events for which the Google Crisis Response team has collected geographic information. The data comes from a variety of sources, including official information sources and user-generated content. See the Layers list for additional details about each layer.
Tips for using this site:
- Zoom the map using either the on-screen controls or your mouse.
- Find additional layers in the Layers list, where you can turn them on or off. Scroll to see all layers.
- Zoom to an appropriate view for each layer by clicking the "Zoom to area" links in the Layers list.
- View selected layers in Google Earth by clicking the "Download KML" links in the Layers list.
- Share the map in e-mail by clicking the Share button and copying the URL provided there. The URL will restore your current view, including the set of layers that you have turned on.
- Embed the map on your website or blog by getting a snippet of HTML code from the Share button.
- Share the link on Google+, Twitter or Facebook by clicking the appropriate button in the Share window.
If you wish to provide feedback or comments on the map, or if you are aware of map layers or other datasets that you would like to see included on our maps, please submit them for our evaluation using this form.


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PHP Code Profiler is a Profiling Class that helps you debug your code of Memory & Execution hogs in a very intuitive manner. Capable of functioning across any existing/new PHP Project, this class is very light on memory and uses very less footprint.
PHP Code Profiler comes with an Intellingent Algo which helps you with Visual Clues (Hotspots) to identity the hogs in your code. It is as simple as that.
With the ability to TURN OFF the profiler dynamically, you can not manage a single version of your code even while debugging. No need to remove the profiling code from your main code each time.
Example Profiling Code
<?php ini_set('display_errors', 1); // Include the profiling library include_once 'libs/class.profiler.php'; Profiler::watch("Loaded Common"); // Include your project file require_once 'require.php'; Profiler::watch("Start System plugins loader"); foreach ($plugin_list as $plugin) { loadPlugin($plugin); Profiler::watch("Loading {$plugin}"); } ?>


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EatDrinkShopCook: Chocolate elixirs of love for Valentine's Day
By Patti Woods
Valentine's Day is the one time of year when otherwise health-conscious adults can get away with having chocolate for every meal.
Heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, handfuls of Hershey's Kisses from the office candy jar for lunch, chicken in cocoa-infused mole sauce for dinner, and any number of chocolate confections for dessert.
But don't neglect the wide world of beverages. Believe it or not, there are chocolate-based drinks for every minute of Valentine's Day, from breakfast to a nightcap.
At Fairfield's Las Vetas Lounge, the drink menu offers a number of chocolate-laced espresso drinks to kick-start your day. There's the S'mores Latta Latte, which combines Hershey's chocolate syrup, Torani Toasted Marshmallow syrup, espresso and steamed milk. Or the Turtle, which blends Ghirardelli caramel and chocolate sauces with espresso and steamed milk.
Not a coffee drinker? Check out the various hot chocolates offered at the downtown Fairfield coffeehouse, including Nutella Hot Chocolate and Bonnell's Triple Threat Hot Chocolate (Ghirardelli chocolate with Torani White Chocolate Syrup, semi-sweet chocolate chips, whipped cream and a cherry).
"But I don't drink coffee or hot chocolate," you say. "I'm a tea drinker." Believe it or not, there is such a thing as chocolate tea. At The Pantry in Fairfield, you can pair one of their gluten-free brownies with a cup of Harney and Sons Chocolate and Coconut Tea (it tastes just like a Mounds bar). Or at David's Tea in Westport, check out the Chocolate Orange, Chocolate Rocket, Mint Chocolate Rooibos and Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate Chili Chai teas. They even offer six different cocoa-inspired teas in a "Chocolate Box" assortment.
Of course, when tea time is over, it's time to get down to business. Valentine's Day happy hour is even happier with chocolate-themed drinks.
At Westport's Bottlerocket Wine and Spirits, there seems to be something chocolatey in every drink category. Yes, there's chocolate liqueur like Godiva, but there's also chocolate vodka.
"Our clientele is very familiar with craft beer," sales associate Raven Blake said.
More InformationTHE SCOOP
For decadent hot chocolate:
Las Vetas Lounge, 27 Unquowa Road, Fairfield; 203-255-1958
For a cup of chocolate tea:
The Pantry, 1580 Post Road, Fairfield; 203-259-0400
David's Tea, 135 Main St., Westport; 203-221-4435
Bottlerocket, 1790 Post Road East, Westport; 203-259-3939
Saddle up to the bar:
Gray Goose, 246 Old Post Road, Southport section of Fairfield; 203-292-8779
Bobby Q's: 42 Main St., Westport; 203-454-7800
The store carries several different chocolate stouts, including Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and Young's Double Chocolate Stout.
"My favorite is the Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout," Blake said.
If you find yourself celebrating Valentine's Day at a restaurant, take a peek at the cocktail menus for the evening.
At Southport's Gray Goose, you can order a White Chocolate martini made with Stoli Vanilla vodka, a splash of Godiva White Chocolate Liquor and White Crème de Cacao with a Hershey's chocolate syrup swirl and chocolate shavings.
At Bobby Q's in downtown Westport, drinks can double as dessert if you pick a Peppermint Patty (Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Crème de Menthe and Bailey's) or a Big Poppa Sweets (Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Bailey's and Butterscotch Schnapps).
It's not every day you can indulge in over-the-top chocolate bliss, so Valentine's Day provides the perfect excuse. Start the morning with a mug of creamy, rich hot chocolate, and cap off the day with a chocolate kick.
Allow Cupid to work his Valentine's Day magic because, let's face it, Feb. 15 will be here soon enough.
Patti Woods is a freelance writer. Contact her at email@example.com.
For decadent hot chocolate:
Las Vetas Lounge, 27 Unquowa Road, Fairfield; 203-255-1958
For a cup of chocolate tea:
The Pantry, 1580 Post Road, Fairfield; 203-259-0400
David's Tea, 135 Main St., Westport; 203-221-4435
Bottlerocket, 1790 Post Road East, Westport; 203-259-3939
Saddle up to the bar:
Gray Goose, 246 Old Post Road, Southport section of Fairfield; 203-292-8779
Bobby Q's: 42 Main St., Westport; 203-454-7800


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Are you still using Pixelpost for your photoblog? Would you like to export everything to WordPress?
Herd of 5 deer eating their breakfast at the bird feeder. Now that we are at our new home, the deer are more tolerant of humans and come closer to the houses. The girls love to watch them eat at the feeders.


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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois Auditor General William Holland pleaded guilty to drunken driving Thursday, paid a fine and was sentenced to a year of court supervision.
Holland appeared in Sangamon County Circuit Court just six weeks after the Illinois State Police stopped the 61-year-old's car and reported he failed a field sobriety test.
The popular, no-nonsense officeholder declined to speak to the Associated Press but in a statement asked for "the forgiveness of my family, friends and fellow citizens."
"In my job as auditor general, I am asked to hold people accountable for their actions," the statement said. "As a citizen, I must be held to the same standard. ... I made a mistake. I am grateful no one was hurt, and no property was damaged."
Holland paid court fines and costs of $1,555, including $100 he paid the night of his arrest to be released on bond.
According to a police report, Holland was stopped at 11:43 p.m. Feb. 6. He was alone in his personal car and refused to take a breath test to measure blood-alcohol content - an automatic, one-year drivers license suspension.
But Associate Circuit Judge Rudolph Braud agreed Thursday to rescind the suspension, allowing Holland to drive while he serves court supervision.
"Because he accepted responsibility, and looking at the entire facts of this case, this was the appropriate resolution," State's Attorney John Milhiser said.
Milhiser said Holland also will be required to complete 10 hours of driver's training, 12 hours of alcohol counseling and must attend a session with victims discussing the impact impaired drivers had on their lives.
Holland, who makes $150,300, was first appointed by the General Assembly in 1992 as only the second auditor general since the position was created in 1971. He was named in August to his third 10-year term. He began his state career in 1975 as a legislative staffer and spent a decade as chief of staff to Democratic Senate President Phillip Rock of Chicago.
He's been praised for a hard-charging, impartial approach as auditor general, a position assigned the duties of reviewing the use of public funds and state government administrative practices and functions. Often shunning the public eye, he found himself at odds with former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, calling out the now-imprisoned governor's administration for cutting corners and side-stepping rules and laws after Blagojevich took office in 2003.
Holland, explaining his numerous audit findings, played a key role in the impeachment investigation and trial of Blagojevich, who was removed from office in January 2009 and later was sentenced to a 14-year federal prison sentence for political corruption.


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According to Google, Android 3.0 Honeycomb is aimed only at tablets with the future version of Android updates bringing some features of Honeycomb to mobile. However, unofficially the Honeycomb SDK has already been ported to the EVO 4G and some popular Android handsets from HTC. A guy with the username t3haxx0r has ported the Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK to the EVO 4G.
As of now, the build is quite buggy but at least it will be able to provide users with a sneak peek' of what the latest version of Android will bring. Nearly nothing on the port works including radios, hardware buttons and the ROM is quite sluggish as well.
Here is a video of Android 3.0 Honeycomb in action on the EVO 4G :
t3haxxor and some other developers are also working on a Honeycomb port for the Droid Incredible as well as for the Desire HD.
Below is a video of the Honeycomb SDK port in action on the Desire HD :
HTC Desire HD owners can download the Honeycomb SDK port for their phone from here, while EVO 4G owners can download the port for their handset from here.


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whats with the photos of ATL desi? Those wouldn't happen to be his sisters in the see-though lingerie?
desmo. what's your story...I need to know before I get pumped up by your knowledge. ar arWhat lsat study guides should I use. I've decided to take it for sure and see how it goes
We have the horses molded and we prep and paint them from scratch. They're reproductions.


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A funny thing happened on the way to releasing all the backlog of material and upcoming albums we've been working on and preparing to release...
- When I Was Your Age (recorded 2009)
- The Best Of TheSongOfTheDay.com (Double-Album!)
- So Much To Rock About (recorded 2010)
- Remixes (In A Heavy Syrup) (recorded this year)
A completely new music-related writing project just knocked two of us in the band upside the head (Randy and me, Jason). So, he and I are focusing all our energies that way so we can "give it our all" like we did with our IndieGuide.com site and our books, The Indie Band Survival Guide and The DIY Music Manual.
If you're a musician who follows us, you may have noticed that we've put the IndieGuide.com blog, some of our social media (Twitter, Facebook, Google +, etc.), and the free How-To's on "pause" for the time being. That's because we're changing things up going-forward as we share our research from this project. Of course, we'd like to hear your feedback as well as we work to elicit ideas, get your success stories, thoughts, and ideas.
A big thank you to all those who have written to us with their comments, suggestions, and compliments regarding the book. We definitely appreciate it -- it keeps us motivated and it's the very reason why we're rolling up our sleeves now and diving into research and writing.
Oh, and in between writing, we'll continue to master and prepare the above albums. There's a lot of us in this band, you know.


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In Reply to: Falling off the face of the earth posted by Cliff Bowman on October 02, 2008 at 13:49:
: : : : : : What is the origin and meaning of the phrase "falling off the face of the earth"?
: : : : : A guess. Some people used to think the world was flat, a plane, and that a ship could literally sail to the edge and fall off. (
[Dead link removed - ed]) So the phrase is used when someone hasn't been seen for a while -- has dropped out of sight.
: : : : That's a bit of a myth. No one has ever (a few of the the very strange 'Flat Earth Society' members aside)really believed the earth is flat. In the 4th Century BC Aristotle was drawing the earth as a sphere for example.
: : : : And anyone who has ever been on a ship would know that the world is not flat.
: : : It is a myth that all people in the Middle Ages believed the Earth was flat, but "no one" and "ever" is an incredible overstatement.
: : The Wikipedia article covers all of the above.
: Would it be fruitful to start with "face of the earth" as a set phrase? I notice that it appears 33 times in the KJV translation of the Bible [Dead link removed - ed] That makes "face of the earth" a rather venerable (1611?) way to say "everywhere known to man."
: To me, "falling off" would follow pretty naturally, especially if the "flat Earth" myth were generally known (even if not widely believed).
My thought was that it was a joking reference to the flat earth theory.


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Punta Gorda - Laishley Park Marina
(Punta Gorda, FL)
Welcome to Freedom Boat Club of Punta Gorda:
Unique, romantic and peaceful
The name Punta Gorda means "Broad Point" and dates back to the landing of Ponce de Leon in 1513. Punta Gorda occupies a point where the Peace River meets Charlotte Harbor. Today, Punta Gorda overflows with waterfront restaurants and events to entice any boater.
Fishermen's Village Waterfront Mall, Resort & Marina offers unique harborside shops and boutiques; numerous dining options; a 140-slip marina; 47 quaint and spacious vacation villas; bicycles; a heated pool; live entertainment; and a spectrum of fun special events.
And for a bit of romance, you need only to glide along the river or spend an evening overlooking awe-inspiring Charlotte Harbor.
Florida Boating Requirements
Effective October 1, 2001, a person 21 years of age or younger may not operate a vessel powered by a motor of 10 horsepower or greater unless such person has in his or her possession aboard the vessel photographic identification and a boater safety identification.


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In Stock | STYLE: 001-140-01650
CZ 18KW .25 CTW SIMON G SEMI-MOUNT DIAMOND RING AUTHENTICITY # 667277*Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in metal prices and currencies
From the very beginning, we have existed to celebrate the best of life. We offer inspired individuality and a ceaseless passion for detail, as evidenced in jewelry that exceeds expectations, from our family to yours. What makes Simon G. special lies not only in its stunning designs, but also in the careful attention to the detail. Just like any relationship, it's all the little things that add up to the big picture. When it comes to quality, we spare no expense. Our jewelry is built to last a lifetime and beyond.


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Angela Smith necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 5 diseños de 3 diseñadores freelance.
YesWeCannabis is a non-profit focusing on education of the general public and teaching elected officials about the benefits and scientific advances in medical marijuana research. Principal founders of this non-profit have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Culture Magazine, as well as Los Angeles and Inland Empire television and print news outlets.
Our target audience is really three-fold and will include the general public, elected officials, and media outlets. The general public age range is broad, typically 22-65, and 60% male/40% female.
We need an upgrade to our existing page, http://www.yes-we-cannabis.org.
A list of what we would like to see includes:
-Ease of back end updating
-Graphically Appealing
-Flash Interactive layout
-Easy-to-access informational sidebars
-Prominent email sign-up solicitation
-Member tailored pages (login to access personal page) to access campaigns such as letter writing, emails, ect.
-Links to our social networks on Twitter, Myspace, and Facebook
-Shopping page to feature our YesWeCannabis t-shirts for donation
A few examples of pages we like are:
-www.norml.org: wealth of information, clean layout
-www.wecansolveit.org: simple layout, info relayed efficiently
-www.change.org: member's area, ways to take action are prominent, good use of media
-www.maps.org: good use of media on homepage, scrolling announcement bar
-www.weedplay.com: Use of games keeps people on the site, mouse-over text
Wishlist Pages:
-www.vitaminwater.com: interactive flash graphics, gorgeous colors
-www.mauriciostudio.com/:interactive illustration as navigation, great color
Thank You for Helping Us Make a Change!!


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Looks strange. But nice to see
Looks strange. But nice to see
Please Visit My Blog : Prakasharashmi's Blog
Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya
Good ones !!
Thanks for Netraanandam.............Shrid har Bhatt
very good dev
Yes they do look good though strange!
Radhe Krishna
Thanks for these wonderful paintings
Could you please post any pencil drawings of Shridi Saibaba


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Elizabeth City State chancellor resigns amid campus crime report probe
Elizabeth City State University's top administrator is resigning as investigators look into the school's failure to report campus crimes as federal law requires and alleged witness intimidation by the university's police department.
Chancellor Willie Gilchrist says he's resigning ahead of officially retiring at the end of June. A university statement described Gilchrist as saying his decision is in the best interests of the university, the University of North Carolina system, and his family.
His resignation comes in the wake of reports that the campus police department did not investigate about 125 criminal complaints going back to 2007, including 18 sexual assaults. The campus police chief was placed on leave and later resigned.
Gilchrist was paid $220,000 a year leading the public university with nearly 2,900 undergraduate students.


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CU offers many degree programs catered to the kind of Tiger you are. Are you a high schooler, dual credit student, a transfer, international, military student or adult learner? See how you can find your calling at CU. Learn More
You entrust us to offer safety and guidance to your child on their journey to find their calling. When your child joins the Campbellsville family, so do you. You can learn about what we offer at CU with the links above.
At CU, we want you to make a difference in our students' lives. CU is located in Campbellsville, a vibrant town with a growing community in the middle of Kentucky. See our employment opportunities.
Whether you earned your stripes as a Campbellsville student or made your Tiger name known through your contributions to our school, cause, and community, we are proud to have you as a part of our family. Follow us for updates on Facebook.
Join us as we cheer on our CU Tiger student-athletes! View our Athletics calendar.


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'Colour Climax / Monochrome World' is the should-have-been greatest hits (part 1) of Aberdeen's He's Dead Jim - from 1981-82 (and one track from '83). Across their career, HDJ released eight full-length cassettes - each of them bursting with hummable tunes - but they never darkened the door of a proper studio. If they had, they'd be all over Bored Teenagers or This is Mod, but they weren't mods at all, so maybe that's just as well! HDJ pay homage to all the usual school-band pop-culture deities from Fireball XL5 to Star Trek [obviously] to The Prisoner. Pure [trash] punk, a healthy dose of Mark E. Smith, and maybe some Billy Childish, as well, mix it up with peeved-teen quips like "...got no dry ice / to hide the fact that we're quite nice... / We want groupies (give us a break!)" ...Etc.And somewhere in here we should point out that two of them went on to form The Cateran.
Colour Climax/Monochrome World includes over an hour of music, and comes with a 12-page pdf booklet filled with color stuff that's not in the regular issue. $5.99 - Please select your preferred format (below) before ordering -
'Fab Gear'
'Our Generation'
'We Want Groupies'
'Colour Climax (Monochrome World)'
'Towel on the Radiator'
For instant downloads please order with your Visa or Mastercard credit- or debit-card.
(At the moment the PayPal system does not permit us to give instant downloads - we're still working on it - but for now we have to manually re-set your order status to "Download now available". PayPal customers will receive a "Preparing" order status until we can switch you to "Download now available": your downloads will then be enabled for the standard period. Apologies for the inconvenience!)
Available Options:
Colour Climax full-albm download:iTunes .m4a format (AAC) 168 MB320K MP3 (best MP3 format) 168 MB
Copyright © 2020 Hyped to DeathPowered by osCommerce


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ORLANDO, Florida — Former tennis star Jennifer Capriati was recovering Monday from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication, a family spokeswoman said.
The 34-year-old Capriati, once ranked No. 1 in a career sidetracked by personal troubles, was in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, spokeswoman Lacey Wickline told The Associated Press. She declined to identify the medication.
Capriati was rushed to a South Florida hospital early Sunday morning, she said. Wickline would not say how Capriati was found or who called emergency services.
"In response to an outpouring of concern and support shown by Jennifer's fans and friends worldwide, we would like to acknowledge that Jen is recuperating at a South Florida hospital from an accidental overdose of medication prescribed to Jen by her personal physician," Wickline said. "Jen is recovering fully and stably."
"The Capriati family asks that you respect our privacy at this time. As we will provide updates when available," she added.
Public records show Capriati owns a condo on Singer Island in Palm Beach County, Florida. Riviera Beach city spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown said a person was transported from Capriati's address Sunday morning but could not provide details, citing privacy laws. Nearby hospitals did not have a patient listed under Capriati's name.
Celebrity website TMZ first reported that Capriati was hospitalized.
At Wimbledon, Venus and Serena Williams paused after wins Monday to extend their concern.
"I probably will definitely see how that goes and pray for everyone
involved," Serena Williams said. "If there's any way I can do anything to help, reach out, I definitely will do that."
Venus Williams added: "I remember her match against Monica [Seles] in the semifinals of the [French] Open. I remember watching that and just thinking how great that tennis was. So definitely a lot of fond memories just watching her growing up, and obviously even playing against her, respecting her game so much."
Kim Clijsters also posted on her Twitter site, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about Jen! I hope she makes it through ok and can get some help!"
Capriati won three majors — two Australian Opens and one French Open — and a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. She also was the youngest semifinalist at the French Open, when at age 14 she lost to eventual champion Seles in 1990.
But the child prodigy burned out of tennis and retired several times from a game she had been pushed to play nearly her entire life.
She was arrested in 1993 for shoplifting at a Florida mall, and again in 1994 for marijuana possession. She also spent more than a week in drug rehabilitation in 1994, and acquaintances alleged she used crack cocaine and heroin during a weekend party before her arrest at a Coral Gables motel.
Capriati, however, came back strong several times from both injuries and personal issues.
She won three majors — two Australian Opens and one French Open between 2001-02 — to go along with her gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. She was the youngest semifinalist at the French Open in 1990, when at age 14 she lost to Seles, the eventual champion.
Capriati reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 2003, losing to Justine Henin. She failed to gain any momentum from that run and soon faded from the game again.


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Just days before President Obama is scheduled to make a major policy speech announcing his legal justification for his use of drones as a means of summary execution, the U.S. has ramped up the remote control war in the Yemeni theater.
In a pre-dawn strike Friday night, May 17, drones piloted by U.S. officials (military or CIA) launched several missiles at a truck traveling on a road north of Ja'ar in the Abyan province of Yemen. At least four and as many as seven people were killed with many others wounded.
An AFP story reports that "the truck was carrying grenades and explosive belts" and that all the ordnance was destroyed by the missiles.
The AFP and other major media accounts of the story also reported that all those killed in the attack were "suspected militants" associated with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the local branch of the global terrorist network.
For President Obama and those pulling the triggers on the joysticks guiding the missiles toward their human targets, "suspected militants" are officially defined as "all military-age males in a strike zone."
For those of us concerned with the Constitution, due process, and the rule of law, however, "suspected militant" is just a euphemism for a person not charged with any crime, not afforded even the most perfunctory due process protections, but executed by presidential decree anyway. In this way, we are no better than those we kill in the name of safety.
Last Friday's attack was the first in Yemen in nearly a month, but it wasn't the last.
On Monday — just four days after the previous strike — the Obama administration ordered an attack on a motorcycle as it drove away from a farm in the central Yemeni province of Baydah.
Striking a very familiar (and convenient) tone, the Long War Journal reported that "Two members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed in the airstrike. The Yemeni military identified the fighters as Abd Rabbo Mokbal Mohammed Jarallah al Zouba and Abbad Mossad Abbad Khobzi."
Long War Journal also recounts the purported growth of the group in the area:
Since losing control of large areas of Abyan and Shabwa, AQAP has spread out into the provinces of Aden, Al Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a. Of the 29 drones strikes recorded by The Long War Journal over the past 11 months, 25 have taken place in the provinces of Aden, Al Baydah, Al Jawf, Damar, Hadramout, Hodeida, Ibb, Marib, Saada, and Sana'a.
AQAP has increased its presence in Baydah province over the past several years, and the US has pursued the terror group with drone strikes. On May 28, 2012, the US targeted Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir in the province, and his brother Nabil, who is also a senior leader in the terror group, in a strike in the town of Rada'a.
Although it is the official policy of the United States to refuse to confirm drone strikes or associated casualties, reports from Yemen indicate that the United States has launched nine drone strikes in the country in 2013.
In 2012, 42 drone strikes were ordered in Yemen by the U.S. government. In 2011, there were 10 such strikes, all of which were prosecuted under the pretext of targeting the leadership of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
This expansion of the Yemeni area of operation of the deadly drone war is likely to continue on its record-setting pace. In fact, U.S. "successes" in the region are being used as a blueprint for the execution of the tactic in other areas, particularly in North Africa.
With that in mind, Americans can expect the growth of anti-American sentiment to increase proportionally to the number of missiles fired from the powerful Predator and Reaper drones used to carry out the culling of the president's kill list.
That sentiment is already being channeled by al-Qaeda leadership as its primary recruitment message.
Testimony from victims and eyewitnesses of the drone-delivered devastation in Yemen reveals that the attacks are serving better to recruit al-Qaeda than defeat them.
Since the inauguration of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the number of sorties sent to Yemen has spiked.
Although U.S. officials typically do not comment on this or any other drone strike in Yemen or elsewhere, Hadi isn't quite so close-mouthed about the arrangement between the two "allies."
In a statement made to the Washington Post in an interview published September 29, 2012, President Hadi said he "personally approves every U.S. drone strike in his country."
Hadi's praise for the Predators continued during a speech delivered at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "They [drones] pinpoint the target and have zero margin of error, if you know what target you're aiming at," Hadi said, according to the New York Times.
As the Washington Post rightly posits, it is likely this personal interest in promoting President Obama's drone war that has influenced U.S. officials to consider Hadi "one of the United States' staunchest counterterrorism allies."
Beyond the effect the winnowing of the president's kill list is having on domestic politics in Yemen, there is a larger threat to security from blowback.
Blowback in this case is defined as violent counter-attacks carried out as revenge for covert operations.
After a drone attack killed 13 Yemenis by "mistake" last September, relatives of those killed in the strike spoke with the clarity and carelessness that comes from the mixture of mourning and rage.
"You want us to stay quiet while our wives and brothers are being killed for no reason. This attack is the real terrorism," said Mansoor al-Maweri, whom CNN reported as being "near the scene of the strike."
Then there was this from "an activist" who lives near the site of the September massacre:
"I would not be surprised if a hundred tribesmen joined the lines of al Qaeda as a result of the latest drone mistake," said Nasr Abdullah. "This part of Yemen takes revenge very seriously."
Perhaps an increase in militancy isn't a relevant consideration. There are some who argue that the goal of the drone war is not to reduce AQAP's strength, but to increase the safety of the United States.
The problem with that premise is that there is no way to tell who is a "militant" and who isn't.
Besides, when did militancy become a crime? If it is a crime, where is it defined? How can anyone know if he is guilty of militancy if such a crime is not defined? Could one hypothetically be a militant without knowing it, given that the crime is nowhere defined?
Incidentally, it is this very vagueness that dilates the grey area and makes the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) such a fearsome weapon in the arsenal of the seemingly all-powerful president.
With this record in mind, it is all but certain that President Obama's speech on Thursday will continue to ring the "militant" alarm bell and warn that these threats to the homeland must be hunted and must be killed to keep America safe.
The New American will cover the speech and provide appropriate context for all the president's claims.


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you suck!
Nice Parking Job, Asshole!
Who Watches The Watchmen?
Thanks to Scott for sending me this one. He writes:
This is how the "parking enforcer" was parked while she was giving out parking tickets.
I'm sure you see plenty of asshole parking jobs, take a picture and email me.


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SASKATOON - Premier Brad Wall says Saskatchewan has the answers to questions on food security as the world's population hits seven billion and demand grows for food.
Wall says his Saskatchewan Party would create a Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan if re-elected Monday.
He notes that the province accounts for 67 per cent of the world's lentils and more than half the supply of potash, which is used in fertilizer.
The Saskatchewan Party says it will put up $1 million in next year's budget to establish the new Global Institute for Food Security.
It would focus on two main questions: how to sustainably expand the supply and quality of food now and in the future, and how to ensure that food gets to those who need it most.
Wall says the goal of the institute will be to create unparalleled innovations in food-related scientific discovery, technology and policy.


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Lifesaving Stubbornness
"Shalom", said the excited voice on the telephone to the author of the Hebrew book "Tuvcha Yabiyu", "Im the fellow you wrote a story about in your book".
This introduction triggered memories of a touching story about a yeshiva student scheduled for radiation treatment in an Israeli hospital. He was informed that he could only receive such treatment wearing sterilized hospital clothes. The hospital could not provide him with a sterilized four-cornered garment and tzitzit, so he had one of his own properly washed and sterilized in order to avoid being without this mitzvah while undergoing such serious treatment.
To his dismay the nurse in charge of the treatment refused to administer it unless he removed the tzitzit garment. He stubbornly refused to comply and sat for hours outside the radiation department hoping for some miracle. The miracle did come but not in the way he expected. One of the senior doctors of that department noticed him and asked what he was waiting for. Upon hearing his problem he entered the department office to speak to the nurse. When he returned to our hero, he was in shock.
"I took a look at the records of your case", he said, "and the treatment you were to receive. The nurse had accidentally mixed things up and the treatment she would have given you could have proved fatal!"
The boy whose life had been saved by his stubbornness for the mitzvah of tzitzit went on to tell the author that he had enjoyed a complete recovery a couple of years later and was now happily married.