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School district, faced with rising food prices and tight nutrition standards, are beginning to call on commercial chefs to help them develop recipes and menus that will satisfy both their customers' desires and their districts' bottom lines. FSD examines four districts where chefs have done "back to school."
Faced with rising prices and strict nutritional standards, school nutrition programs often don't have much time to devote to menu development. Some directors, however, are looking for help from outside the school environment by turning to chefs from established local restaurants to reinvigorate school cafeterias. Here, we highlight four of the districts in which chefs have gone "back to school."
Saint Paul Public Schools
When Jean Ronnei, director of nutrition and commercial services for the 40,000-student Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools, wanted to make some changes to her menu to reduce sodium and increase the use of raw ingredients, she went to Chef Seth Bixby Daugherty for help. Bixby Daugherty had recently left his job as executive chef at Cosmos, an upscale restaurant in Minneapolis, to fight childhood obesity by working with school districts to improve their menus and programs.
"I went to have lunch with my son at his school two years ago, and he decided that he was going to drink three chocolate milks that day," Bixby Daugherty says. "I went, 'Wait a minute. What is going on here?'" Bixby Daugherty decided to focus his energy on improving school foodservice. (It would take him the next year and a half to get out of his contract with Cosmos.) Along with his wife, Karen, he formed Real Food Initiatives, a program in which he volunteers his time and expertise in the name of healthier and better food for students. (Bixby Daugherty also teaches at a local culinary school.) His first district partnership was Saint Paul Public Schools.
Bixby Daugherty and Ronnei met on a local radio program, where they were guests speaking about school nutrition. "I asked him during the radio interview if he knew how much money we had to work with," Ronnei says. "When I told him, he said, 'That's criminal,' and that sparked my interest in working with him."
Six months later, Bixby Daugherty was working in the district's kitchen to reduce the amount of sodium in the lasagna recipe, among other items. In his work, Bixby Daugherty sat down with the district's quality control specialist and chef. In the lasagna recipe, he reduced the sodium by more than half and eliminated all the brown sugar, while adding additional fresh herbs, spices and vegetables. The result was a healthier lasagna entrée that Ronnei says the students loved.
But not all the tweaked recipes have gone over well with students, she adds. For example, Bixby Daugherty also worked on a spaghetti sauce that students were not as happy with. "We found that we had to make the carrots 'disappear,'" Ronnei says. Once the carrots were shredded instead of diced, the sauce became a success in the students' eyes.
"It was really fun to have someone with a different frame of reference work with your staff," Ronnei says. "You get somebody ruminating in your kitchen and you think, I wonder if we could do this or that. So it gives you ideas you could do on your own without an outside chef. That cross-pollination of ideas is very helpful."
For his part, Bixby Daugherty says: "I am not a nutritionist; I'm not a specialist but I know what we are doing now is not working. Real Food Initiatives just evolves organically. I don't have a one-year plan, two-week plan or one-day plan." However, what he lacks in planning, Bixby Daugherty makes up for in his passion, which was showcased recently on an episode of the Rachel Ray show. After that appearance, Bixby Daugherty says he had requests from 135 school districts hoping to tap into his expertise and free labor. Next year, he plans to work with three districts, including the 3,200-student Sartell-St. Stephen District.
Sartell-St. Stephen School District
When Bixby Daugherty started his work with the Sartell-St. Stephen School District, he used the lessons learned from working with Ronnei and St. Paul. This time, however, he was asked by the district's foodservice director, Brenda Braulick, to create new recipes instead of tweaking existing ones. Bixby Daugherty knew to accomplish this he first needed to speak with students to find out what it was they were looking for in their lunches. "I requested to speak with the student council because they are the guests, the customers and the ones who are eating the foods," he says. "I find out what they like and don't, and then we go back into the kitchens and try to develop recipes based on the ideas that come from the student council." What he learned was that the students were asking for more ethnic dishes and salads as entrées.
Before Bixby Daugherty starts creating recipes, he tours the kitchen to find out what equipment he has to work with. Daugherty recognizes that schools often have varied pieces of equipment and little-to-no money for purchasing new equipment.
After completing research at Sartell-St. Stephen, Bixby Daugherty and the kitchen staff worked on new recipes to meet the desires of the students. Some new items developed were a wild rice soup, a hot pasta primavera salad and a number of ethnic wraps, including Greek and Mexican. Braulick also asked him to tackle Tater Tots, a popular item with students but not the most nutritious item. Bixby Daugherty's solution was a rosemary roasted potato side dish, which Braulick says students were willing to try because they knew it was a Chef Seth's recipe. She says that because Bixby Daugherty interacted with students and was so enthusiastic, the students were more willing to try new products. Braulick says student and parent buy-in was important, adding that publicizing the partnership in local media and school newsletters was valuable in that process. To market the items created by Bixby Daugherty, she puts a Chef Seth Recipe logo next to his items on the menus. She says when students see the logo, they tend to purchase those items.
For Braulick, the chance to work with a chef like Bixby Daugherty was extremely valuable, especially in today's economy. "As a foodservice director, we are juggling so many hats right now with rising prices and labor costs," she says. "We are stressed just to make ends meet and we don't always have time to devote to recipe development."
Another benefit of working with a professionally trained chef like Bixby Daugherty is the training he provides to the district's staff. "I have students who work in the kitchens for class credit and it is exciting for them to see career options and have that exposure with a chef," Braulick says.
One of the goals Bixby Daugherty has for Real Food Initiatives is to make everything available for free on his Web site, realfoodinitiatives.com. His goal is to showcase the recipes he has created for a school district and the equipment that district has available so that other districts can take what he had learned and implement that in their programs.
Atlanta Public Schools
In Atlanta Public Schools, local chef and television personality Marvin Woods is taking on children's health issues with his program, "Droppin' Knowledge with Chef Marvin Woods." The program focuses on four components—line presentation, batch cooking, customer service and recipe compliance—to enhance dining for the nearly 50,000 students in the district.
With a desire to make a change in the way kids eat, Woods started the program in 2006 by asking Superintendent Beverly Hall if he could do research on the way kids ate and thought about food. Hall agreed and Woods started his research. In 2007, he partnered with Sodexo, which holds the district's foodservice contract. The first step was to talk to the students about their eating habits and what they wanted to see in the school cafeterias. "Marvin found that the students had a real curiosity about food and that they were much more willing to try new and different things than many of us had thought," says Scott Loretan, senior vice president for Sodexo's School Services and liaison between Sodexo and Woods.
Although some child nutrition experts say working with younger students is easier, Woods' focus is on high school students. "Marvin said we can't give up on these kids because they haven't given up on themselves," Loretan says. "If you look at school nutrition programs, by and large, the greatest participation challenge in getting kids to eat is in those high schools. That is where we really need people like Marvin to come in and talk to these kids to tailor programs that better meet their needs." Participation in the district's high schools increased 25% during the 2007-2008 school year and, according to Loretan, the work Woods has done in the schools has been a major factor in that increase.
Interestingly, changing the menu wasn't the next step for Woods after the market research was completed. Instead, he spent the better part of the school year training, in what Woods's business partner Chadwick Boyd calls their own version of culinary school. During the training component of the program, Woods goes into each school and helps prepare each day's menu with the staff. Along the way, he shows them new culinary techniques and skills to improve the quality and presentation of the food served. He then interacts with students during lunch by helping to serve the food.
Loretan says the biggest takeaway from the partnership has been the students' desires for new foods. "These kids don't want to eat a slice of pizza every day for lunch," he explains. "They are looking for variety. What was exotic a few years ago, with Mexican and Chinese cuisines, is now the expectation."
The publicity generated by the partnership with the locally well-known chef has also been an advantage. "The press will show up and do a story on a Chef Marvin Woods in a school, whereas they won't often show up and do a story just on what's happening in your school lunch program," Loretan says. He adds that having an outside opinion has been a valuable asset. "People like Chef Marvin come in and they are not burdened with the processes, the systems, the regulations and the cost constraints of school nutrition programs. They come in and they challenge the status quo and ask, why not? And they really force you to try and think differently about the way you serve and what you serve to children."
Scottsdale Unified School District
Not all school districts bring in chefs to revamp the entire foodservice program; some just want a little help to get a new idea off the ground. When Sue Bettenhausen, foodservice director for the 25,700-student Scottsdale (Ariz.) Unified School District, wrote a letter to parents telling them about her desire to create a snack cart in the cafeterias, many parents opposed the idea because they thought it was going to sell "junk food." One parent, however, asked Bettenhausen if he could help. The parent was well-known local chef Eddie Matney. The two paired up and created Chef Eddie's Snack Wagon, a Western-themed cart that offers healthy à la carte snacks such as fresh fruit on a stick, hummus with pita chips and pinwheel sandwiches on a stick.
Bettenhausen wanted an option like the cart to help ease long lines, as well as to provide an alternative for students. "We have parents who don't want their kids eating baked chips every day," she says. "We have parents who want their kids to eat fresh fruit or all natural foods. The cart gives that option and it helps us diversify our menus."
To begin, they asked students what they wanted. "Kids are very educated about better food," Matney says. "They have parents who take them to restaurants and they see what is available." So Matney and Bettenhausen held a food forum with fourth and fifth graders, who asked for things like salads and fruit with yogurt. Then they piloted Chef Eddie's Snack Wagon in one elementary school this past May. According to Bettenhausen, sales for à la carte snacks tripled on the first day and have shown no signs of slowing down. She plans on opening four additional carts. "We spend a lot of time with Eddie and he came up with a lot of ideas for us," Bettenhausen says. "But then we had to sit down and say, 'Eddie, we have to make some changes like reducing sodium or the portion size to fit with nutrition standards."
It wasn't just the menu development aspect that Bettenhausen found useful for the department. "You can't underestimate the value of planning, marketing and getting buy-in on these things," she says. "And a chef like Eddie can get your kids excited and get them to participate. They can be marvelous marketing tools."
But the collaboration didn't benefit only the schools. When Matney opened his new restaurant Eddie's House, one item on the menu was meatloaf on a stick, an item similar to one found on the snack cart in the school. "The synergy that occurs when four or five food people get together is just extremely beneficial for kids," Bettenhausen says.


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Tag Archives: Propositions
All That Online Shopping You're Doing? It's Also Bringing Jobs to Inland California
The unemployment rate in Santa Clara County — the heart of Silicon Valley — is 3.8 percent. The rate is even lower in other tech-focused cities in the region, such as Cupertino, Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
The tech sector is driving those jobs, from Apple to Google to Facebook.
One of the biggest areas of growth continues to be within e-commerce. E-commerce jobs have existed in Silicon Valley since the dawn of the first dot-com era, way back in the late 1990s. Remember, if you will, Pets.com.
But the Silicon Valley e-commerce jobs aren't stockers and shippers and blue-collar jobs — the office parks for e-commerce companies in Silicon Valley are filled with software engineers, web developers and marketers.
But as e-commerce, or online shopping, has grown, it has fueled another type of job: Jobs in warehouses and distribution centers, where the stuff we order gets sorted, packed and shipped.
One measure of this growth is in jobs labeled as "general warehousing" by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In California, those jobs jumped dramatically from 57,047 in 2007 to 90,263 in 2016. The growth has been concentrated in places like the Inland Empire, which helps fill demand from customers in and around Los Angeles. In Riverside County, for instance, warehouse jobs quadrupled from 4,944 to 20,567 between 2007 and 2016.
According to economist Michael Mandel with the Progressive Policy Institute, online shopping has the potential to bring employment to areas far beyond Silicon Valley, including areas like Riverside County, which are in need of jobs and growth.
"These are jobs that are fairly well paid. They are not entry-level retail jobs," said Mandel. "They've got decent salaries and very often are full benefits. So this really makes a difference to the growth of a region like this, helping pull jobs out of the concentrated center cities, those really dense areas, to areas that really need it."
Mandel said the growth in the number of warehouse-related jobs has more than offset the stagnation of jobs in the world of brick-and-mortar retail. Mandel acknowledged that the jobs are quite different, and in some cases more difficult.
"These are basically industrial jobs," said Mandel. "They're hard work. They're physical labor.
"They're hard work, but they're also decently paid," he added.
However, there have been complaints and concerns that the jobs don't, in fact, pay well enough. That's especially true in the Central Valley town of Tracy, which is home to two large Amazon distribution centers among many others.
In San Joaquin County, where Tracy is located, warehouse jobs increased from 4,338 in 2007 to 11,691 in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, housing costs in Tracy have skyrocketed, and warehouse wages haven't been able to keep up.
As companies like Amazon push the boundaries of automation in their distribution centers, there is a fear that these jobs could be short-lived. A recent study from McKinseyranked different job sectors where machines are most likely to replace humans, and "Transportation and Warehousing" ranked near the top. That's because jobs with lots of repetitive tasks, like those often done in warehouses, are most at risk from automation.
For now, however, there are some jobs that people do better than robots — things like picking delicate or oddly-shaped items from a shelf. In many cases, people and machines are working side by side. And it appears that ever-growing demand for online shopping is only creating more jobs.
The map below shows data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for general warehouse jobs in 2016. Counties in a darker shade of red had more jobs. The average county had 3,600 general warehouse jobs in 2016.
The Associated Press contributed data to this report.
Tips from an HOA Board for a Safe Halloween in Your Association
Halloween is a kid's delight. It's a blast to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating, attend parties and most of all, eat a lot of candy. At the same time, Halloween can be scary for parents. Costumes can be dangerous, too much candy can be sickening and walking around at night can be risky, even in your homeowners association community.
Halloween Safety Tips:
S – Swords, knives and similar costume accessories should be short, soft and flexible.
A – Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Children should walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
F – Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see trick-or-treaters.
E – Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before they're eaten.
H – Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help see and help others see you.
A – Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it when done to avoid skin irritation.
L – Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
L – Lower the risk for serious eye injury by avoiding decorative contact lenses.
O – Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
W – Wear well-fitting masks, costumes and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips and falls.
E – Eat only factory-wrapped candy. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the cook.
E – Enter homes only if you're with a trusted adult.
N – Never walk near lit candles or other open flames. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.
If members will be hosting a party in your homeowners association or expecting trick-or-treaters recommend they:
- Provide healthy treats, such as individual packs of raisins, trail mix or pretzels. Offer fruits, vegetables and cheeses to party guests.
- Use party games and trick-or-treating as an opportunity for kids to get their daily dose of 60 minutes of physical activity.
- Be sure walking areas and stairs are well-lit and free of obstacles that could cause falls.
- Keep candlelit jack-o-lanterns and other open flames away from doorsteps, walkways, landings and curtains. Place them on sturdy tables, keep them out of reach of pets and small children, and never leave them unattended.
- Drive safely and watch out for trick-or-treaters.
- Be aware of the Association rules, especially regarding decorations, parking, and noise.
It's the role of the HOA board to protect, maintain, and enhance the homeowners association. Keeping members informed or even providing a place where they can gather to celebrate Halloween – such as the clubhouse – will help everyone have a fun and safe Halloween.
Encourage your HOA board members to pass out these simple guidelines to members to promote a safe environment to enjoy Halloween in your homeowners association for parents and kids too!
Bay Area Sprawl Has Put Homes in the Path of Fires — What Now?
October's historic fires in the North Bay are a stark reminder of a growing reality across California: during fire season, millions of people live in harm's way. That number is only expected to increase as the population grows.
Many Bay Area cities are trying to halt the pattern of sprawl that has put so many homes on hillsides and in the path of fires.
"Certainly, it's an opportunity for reflection and it is a moment where we can think about doing things a little bit differently," says Teri Shore of the non-profit Greenbelt Alliance.
Shore works on land use policy, but was also one of the evacuees who fled their homes as fires roared across the Sonoma County for days on end.
"What became the Nuns Fire got within two miles of our home," she says.
Her home was spared. Now, she's focusing on how her community will rebuild. Even before the fires, housing was in short supply with high prices and low vacancy rates. Now, thousands of people will also need to rebuild. In Santa Rosa, fires razed fully five percent of the city's housing stock.
Historically, cities expanded their boundaries as they grew.
"People wanted single family homes and were willing to drive for hours to have that American dream of the white picket fence and the home," Shore says.
Those choices, made over decades, have put many Bay Area residents in the fire zone.
"Clearly, a lot of people are in dangerous areas," says Jon Keeley, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
About a third of Californians live in the WUI, or the "wildland-urban interface," as scientists call it. Studies show that could increase by a million more homes by 2050.
It's an area prone to fires whether or not people live there, because many of the ecosystems evolved with fires.
"They are an inevitable feature," Keeley says. "All you need is the conditions we saw in the North Bay. So, we need to respect the fact that these are going to happen in the future and we need to have communities adapt to the fires."
But for city and county governments, that often comes at the end of a much longer list of priorities.
"Historically, communities have by and large assumed the state and federal government will solve the fire problem and they've left fire issues to them," Keely explains. "And the communities haven't taken a real serious look."
The Bay Area is expected to add more than 2 million people by 2040. And Keeley says where the housing is built will matter. Instead of sprawling outward, there are ways to reduce the fire risk.
"One is to take existing development areas and fill in those areas within the developments," he says.
Building Inside-Out
Keeley is describing "infill development," where housing is packed into the urban core, close to shops and public transit. The trend is currently on display in downtown San Jose.
"The question isn't whether or not we're going to grow," says San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo. "The question is: how are we going to grow?"
Like a lot of cities, San Jose looks a bit like a doughnut: growing on the edges but not a lot going on in the middle.
"We've got a lot of work now to revitalize that middle," Liccardo says.
Google is currently negotiating with the city to build a tech campus downtown, which would bring thousands of jobs. San Jose is trying to fast-track housing development nearby, but it's not as simple as it sounds.
Infill is often more expensive to build; permitting and zoning can be more complex. San Jose has changed downtown zoning to make it easier there.
"That enabled a tower to get a permit within 66 days," he says. "I'm told that's a record in the state of California."
Long Road Ahead
But many developers are still pursuing suburban subdivisions, like a 900-home development planned for the Evergreen foothills of San Jose. City voters could see a measure to approve it on the ballot next year.
"We're gonna fight like heck on this because we can't continue this pattern of sprawl," Liccardo says. "It's utterly unsustainable."
In the Bay Area, the hills are often where the wildfire risk is highest.
"The North Bay fires are illustrative of the perils of hillside development, certainly," Liccardo says.
In Sonoma County, many cities have instituted "urban growth boundaries," which rein in the expansion of development outward. But the challenge has been figuring out where to build housing within city boundaries. Denser development often faces local opposition.
Shore of the Greenbelt Alliance says the region has a new opportunity for infill close to the public transit system, the SMART train, which just started running a few months ago.
"Most of the cities along the line have station-area plans that were adopted around ten years ago," she says. "Now we need to do it. Stop talking and planning but actually start building in the right places in the right way."
Regional planning agencies are trying to encourage denser development through Plan Bay Area, their transportation and land use plan.
Under that, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission has restricted some funding for transportation projects, giving it only to cities doing infill development. The commission is seeking to link even more funding to those goals set by SB 375, a state law that requires regions to cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of miles driven by cars.
But many agree, the region has a long way to go to break the pattern that has put so many people in the path of wildfires.
Please stop calling the new Bloomberg HQ the world's most sustainable office building. It's not.
by Lloyd Alter (@lloydalter) –
© Foster + Partners/ Bloomberg
It's a great building with lots of green features, but there is more to sustainability than a high BREEAM score.
Mike Bloomberg is one of my favourite billionaire philanthropists, building his new European headquarters in London, one of my favourite cities, designed by Norman Foster, one of my favourite architects. But I do wish everyone would stop calling it "the world's most sustainable office building," which both Bloomberg and Foster (and every other website) do; it's not.
© Foster + Partners/ Bloomberg
There is a lot of green goodness in this building, and it did get a BREEAM score of 98.5 percent, the highest ever for an office development. (BREEAM is a sort of British version of LEED). There are some really interesting innovations, like the ceiling, described by Foster + Partners:
© Bloomberg via Archdaily
Integrated Ceiling Panels: Bespoke integrated ceiling panels combine heating, cooling, lighting and acoustic functions in an innovative petal-leaf design. The system, which incorporates 500,000 LED lights, uses 40 percent less energy than a typical fluorescent office lighting system.
© Bloomberg/ Green features
It has serious water conservation measures that reduce consumption by 73 percent, including vacuum toilets. There is also a Foster favourite:
Natural Ventilation: When ambient weather conditions are temperate, the building's distinctive bronze blades can open and close, allowing the building to operate in a "breathable" natural ventilation mode. Reducing dependency on mechanical ventilation and cooling equipment significantly reduces energy consumption.
© Bloomberg via Archdaily
Foster has tried this on a few buildings, notably the Gherkin, where nobody ever opens the windows. I suspect nobody will in the Bloomberg building either, given the awful air quality in London. But there are also "smart CO2 sensors that vary the amount of fresh air required when they are running the air conditioning, and a big combined heat and power (CHP) plant that supplies heat and power in a single, efficient system with reduced carbon emissions. Waste heat generated from this process is recycled for cooling and heating and, in use, is expected to save 500-750 metric tonnes of CO2 each year."
All of these are wonderful things; Foster and Bloomberg deserve much credit. But calling it "the world's most sustainable office building" just because it has a high BREEAM score doesn't make it so. For example, CHP plants usually generate heat and power by burning natural gas. The most sustainable office building in the world wouldn't burn fossil fuels.
© Bullitt Center
The Bullitt building in Seattle doesn't; it has solar power and gets its heat through ground source heat pumps. But it's not BREEAM; it is built to the Living Building Challenge standard.
The world's most sustainable office building would consider the embodied energy of the materials in it; Oliver Wainwright notes that "the embodied energy levels are not slight, given that it contains 600 tonnes of bronze imported from Japan and a quarry-full of granite from India." That doesn't even include the embodied energy of the concrete in it.
© Powerhouse Korbo/ Snohetta
The PowerHouse Kjørbo, an office building outside of Oslo designed by Snøhetta, was designed to produce not only more energy than it needs from its solar panels, but "generates more energy than what was used for the production of building materials, its construction, operation and disposal." It actually pays back its embodied energy.
© Foster + Partners/ Bloomberg
The Bloomberg HQ is a lovely, very green building and London is lucky to have it. (Really lucky — Bloomberg might have built it somewhere else had he known Brexit was coming.) Bloomberg describes his ambitions for it:
We believe that environmentally-friendly practices are as good for business as they are for the planet. From day one, we set out to push the boundaries of sustainable office design — and to create a place that excites and inspires our employees. The two missions went hand-in-hand, and I hope we've set a new standard for what an office environment can be.
© Bloomberg via Archdaily
It is a new standard, absolutely. But please, stop calling it the most sustainable office building in the world. It's not.
This might explain why your electricity bill is so high
You're wasting electricity and money. Here's how to save on both.
Even when you turn off your electronics, they could still be wasting electricity. When you press the off switch, many electronics — like televisions, DVRs and satellite boxes– go into standby mode.
During standby mode, electronics don't turn off completely. They perform updates, record your favorite shows and generally just wait for you to come back, sucking up energy as they do. This is called standby power or phantom load. The energy lost is called vampire energy or leaking energy.
According to the US Department of Energy, your electricity wasters account for 10 percent or more of your electricity bill.
It would explain how my colleague Jason Cipriani ended up saving $840 per year on his electricity bill.
Televisions, DVRs and satellite boxes aren't the only energy users. Chances are, you have several chargers around your home and they stay plugged in 24/7. Phone chargers use around 0.26 watts when plugged in, but not in use. A laptop charger also wastes energy, using 4.42 kWh when not in use and 29.48 kWh with a fully charged laptop plugged into it. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has a full list of gadgets and how much energy they waste, here.
Test your home for excess energy usage
Want to see if your home is affected by leaking energy? Turn off your AC or heating unit and your hot water heater. Now, turn off everything in your home, but leave it all plugged in.
Then, go look at the electric meter box that's typically located on the side of your home. Are the numbers still going up? If they are, that means that your devices are still sucking electricity.
Another, more straightforward approach is to use a plug-in device like the Kill-A-Watt or the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch that measures energy usage.
Duke Energy also has a nifty calculator that can help you see just how much your devices and appliances may be wasting… without getting out of your chair.
How to kill vampire waste
The most obvious way to stop energy leaks is by unplugging everything when you aren't using it. But this can be a huge pain, especially when you use various items throughout the day or the outlets are behind heavy furniture.
One way to make things a little easier is by using power strips. Whenever you aren't using your devices, flip the switch on the power strip to cut off all power to your devices so that they can't go into standby. Some power strips even come with remotes so you can shut off power from across the room, like the Conserve Switch AV Surge Protector or the Uninex Surge Protector.
Smart power strips take this idea a step further. They have outlets that are meant for different types of devices. Some of the outlets are designated for items that need to stay on all the time, like your DVR. Other outlets are for items that go into standby mode or use energy, but don't need to be on. When you shut off a device or disconnect your device from its charger, the power strip senses it and will shut off all power to the device.
Another option is programmable outlets, like the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch and Quirky Pivot Power Genius. These plug into your regular outlet and have an app you can use to schedule your devices to shut off remotely.
Replace energy-hogging appliances
In some cases you might decide that replacing a device or appliance is the best solution. For instance, Jason found that his old secondary refrigerator cost him $40 per month, enough to justify a more energy-efficient replacement.
The California Report
Largest Fire Cleanup in State History Begins in North Bay
In Northern California, local, state, and federal agencies are launching what they call the biggest fire clean-up effort in state history.
Pigs Fleeing North Bay Fires Find Refuge in Half Moon Bay
Those whose homes burned in wine country have to live somewhere else for awhile. That includes animals, as well as people. I recently attended a Pumpkin Patch day at a farm in Half Moon Bay that's offering refuge to some of those animals.
Federal Agency Promoted Ranger Five Months After His Gun Was Stolen and Used in Steinle Killing
A Bureau of Land Management ranger is expected to testify in a high-profile murder case over the slaying of Kathryn Steinle on a San Francisco pier in 2015. The trial opened in the city yesterday.
Steinle was killed with ranger John Woychowski's gun, which was stolen after he left it unsecured in his car.
Half of California Children Live in Household with Immigrant Parent
In California, nearly half of all children live in a household where they or one of their parents is an immigrant. That's according to a new study released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
State Senate Hires Outside Firm to Investigate Sexual Harassment
Fall out continues at the State Capitol over claims of sexual harassment within Sacramento's political circles. The leader of the state Senate has hired two outside firms to investigate the problem.
Fierce Santa Ana Winds Predicted for Southern California
Just as extreme fire conditions are easing up in Northern California, they're heating up down south.
Fresno Hopes 'Nothing' Is Enough to Attract Amazon Headquarters
Some cities are going to great lengths to get the company's attention: New York temporarily turned the Empire State building orange, to match the Amazon logo; Stonecrest, Georgia offered to rename itself "Amazon." And, of course, lots of cities are hoping to win the company over with massive tax breaks. But one California city is taking a gamble on a different offer: nothing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Eloise Brezault
B.A.; M.A. and Ph.D. Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris (France)
Website: http://www.eloisebrezault.com
Academic, Teaching, and Personal Interests: My research interests include Francophone African literature, cultural theory, postcolonial literature and migrant identities in a globalized world. My Ph.D. in comparative literature focused on the emerging trends in postcolonial Sub-Saharan African literature in French from 1990 to 2000. I have taught a wide range of material including French language and literature, cinema, essay writing (at Wagner College, NYC) and cultural studies (at New York University). In 2008, I co-translated Ama Ata Aidoo's novel Changes to French. Some of my other publications include a collection of interviews with contemporary African novelists and a book analyzing Congolese writer Emmanuel Dongola's Johnny Mad Dog that explores the figure of the child soldier in postcolonial Africa. In my spare time, I'm an avid photographer who reads a more detective novels than I should and enjoys watching all sorts of movies.
Selected Presentations and Publications
- Brezault, Eloïse, Johnny chien méchant d'Emmanuel Dongala, Bienne-Gollion/Paris, ACEL-Infolio éditions, collection Le cippe, 2012.
- More info at: http://www.lecippe.ch/fr/les-auteurs.5/liste-des-autrices-et-des-auteurs...
- Afrique. Parole d'écrivains. Montréal: Mémoire d'encrier, 2010.
- "Le 'polar' en Afrique australe anglophone : la question des clivages identitaires." Contemporary African Novel (2000-2010). Special Issue of Revue de Littérature Comparée 4 (Dec. 2011): 475-96.
- Ata Aido, Ama. Désordre amoureux. Trans. Eloise Brezault and Catherine Tymen. Genève: Editions Zoe, 2008.
Awards, Honors, and Service
- Northeast Modern Languages Association Fellowship, 2011
- State scholarship recipient, Paris III (Sorbonne Nouvelle), 2000-2003
- Assistant editor for the academic review Nouvelle Études Francophones (NEF), 2011 – present.


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The Birdcage
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Joe Gregorio is a software engineer, member of the AtomPub Workgroup and editor of the Atom Publishing Protocol. He has a deep interest in web technologies, writing "The RESTFul Web" column for the online O'Reilly publication XML.com, writing the first desktop aggregator written in C#, and publishing various Python modules to help in putting together RESTful web services.
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Washed-up: State bans selling secret junkers
Come July, buying a used car in Virginia will become a little less risky. That's because "title-washing" will no longer be legal, thanks to the passage of House Bill 1521.
In a recent cover story ["Taken for a Ride: The Secret History of Salvaged Cars," January 23], we chronicled a local woman's experience with the practice, which has come under fire from car buyers and sellers alike.
Her story was typical: After paying $19,500 for a late-model Honda at Brady-Bushey Ford on Pantops, she began having almost constant problems with the car. Finally, when she explored trading it in at a used-car lot in Amherst, she learned that it had been severely damaged in a three-car accident in Maryland, sold for salvage, rebuilt in Virginia, and given a clean title. As a result, its value had plummeted. Brady-Bushey offered to take it off her hands for $8,000.
A 1999 attempt to pass federal legislation outlawing the practice failed, and the burden to act was passed to individual states.
"I carried your article around with me," says Carter Myers, who is the immediate past chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), and who lobbied for passage of the bill. Myers, owner of Charlottesville's Colonial Auto Center, credits Virginia for "taking the lead position, and hopefully other states will follow."
Max Pearson, an 84-year-old dealer in Richmond, worked for 12 years to see the practice banned. According to R. Michael Allen, director of public affairs for the Virginia Automobile Dealer Association, Pearson believed– passionately– that "Somebody has to stand up to insurance companies."
As Allen said, "Insurance companies are the opposition." That's because under the current system, they make a lot more selling a car that's going to be rebuilt– then purged of its shady past– than they make selling a car for parts.
Ultimately, NADA hopes that a nationwide database that links motor vehicle-department computers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia– currently in the testing stage– will allow consumers to quickly research a car's history. Until then, even with the passage of HB 1521, Virginia used-car buyers will need to invest time and energy in researching any vehicle they're thinking of buying.


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Train tickets
Rail Europe allows travellers to reach 15,000 destinations in Europe with the widest selection of point to point tickets and rail passes. (...)
Eurostar - Between top point to point cities, from London to Paris, with stops at Disneyland Paris, Lille and Brussels.
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Rules made the world go around.
Especially at the dinner table.
You had to hold the fork in the right hand. You couldn't hold your knife facing the wrong way. I can't even remember all the rules, there were so many! There was a meat knife, a butter knife, a nose hair knife. The fork goes on the left side of your plate, the pickle fork goes in your ear...
What I do remember is how funny it is to break the rules. The more you did things wrong the more mad Dad would get. And even funnier than mad, sometimes is the frustration at how stupid and immature an 11 year old kid was to him.
"You're 11 years old now! GROW THE F***K UP!
It's time to put away your little comic books and starting thinking about the future!"
It's time to put away your little comic books and starting thinking about the future!"
That line is burned in my brain forever!
Anyway, comedy is full of scenes where an authority figure is driven to violence by the immature and frustrating antics of the undisciplined silly character.
Remember how funny high school was? Did you have a history teacher who would get so mad at your talking and joking in class that he would break his pencils and throw them at you? Which would only make the situation funnier.How many times have you been told to stop laughing by a red faced authority figure?
This is how violations of sacred rules were resolved before political correctness ruined the world!
Look how satisfied Ren is that he has taught a valuable life's lesson.
Uh oh! another violation in table manners. You never balance a spoon on your head with the pea still in it!
My Dad used to shove his eyes into his brain all the time when lessons didn't sink in to my silly immature dumbass self.This didn't happen though. That's what cartoons are for.
Have any funny stories of you driving authority figures to frustration and rage?
I wonder why more cartoons don't get inspired by real life type situations and expressions? It's so fun to draw!
But you won't get any of the expressions off a model sheet. You'll have to observe the real world and find a way to interpret it.
BTW, The Animation world is full of arbitrary rules too (that change every few years), under the guise of "styles". You gotta get a lot of drawing skill so you can recognize what an arbitray stylistic rule or dogmatic routine action is, versus a solid principle. Then you can really start having fun. Of course the authority figures will hate you though.


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Tracy Gardner necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 190 diseños de 38 diseñadores freelance.
http://www.TheVideoChic.com Tracy Gardner is The Video Chic
My name is Tracy Gardner & I am known as The Video Chic. I am create online videos for Internet Marketers, Solopreneurs, Coaches, Consultants and Service Based Industries. Video Editing, Video Production and New Media Marketing Strategy. My background is business & before The Video Chic I was branded as Tracy Gardner and known more as Strategist On Demand but love video & have been doing video so I rebranded and changed to The Video Chic. Very Excited about having a new logo and as a Marketing Person I love working with Amazing Designers! During my corporate years I was a Manager and Project Manager - lots of Strategy and later owned a Marketing Firm. I downsized in Dec 2008 to move home and worked as a Duct Tape Marketing Coach/Consultant and Business Coach. My passion for Video lead me to where I am creating videos for clients and developing an Online Video Strategy & Online Marketing Strategy for clients. I am a 40 year old (almost 41) mother of 3 children raised as an Entrepreneur. I am a solopreneur myself have been asked to speak on stage with some bigger names as The Video Chic so I need a very cool logo that fits my image, sleek, classy yet fun and whimsical. My site now: http://www.TheVideoChick.com I will possibly keep my picture in the Header but looking for a new design for my header. Excited about the possibilities!!! Can't wait...
Online Internet Marketers, Solo-preneurs, Coaches, Consultants, Authors and Service Based Professionals. My target Market is mainly to appeal to women but I do work with men also. I also work with Corporations on Training Videos, Screencasts & powerpoints. I do work with Corporations on Video Production, Realtors for Real Estate Videos and might possibly expand to Event Videos - (Possible - but not set in stone)
Please look at website for overall look and feel: http://www.TheVideoChic.com
http://www.TracyGardner.tv (brand new site)
Logo Colors: Black/White
**I love Silver & Metals but hard to achieve in RGB on web.
Sample of vibrant color I like
I want to see many different styles as I mentioned I like Sleek Designs that are very chic (Sheek), cool, sophisticated, classy and let's not for get SASSY!... I want something awesome that people will look at this Logo and think WOW!!
I can't wait to see the creativity that comes from this contest! I am very excited.
Logo Files Required:
EPS File
This will be used for Web and any future printed items.
I am also wanting to create a Web Header for my site.
Too Your Success - Designers!!!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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The light graffiti artists behind last year's awesome set of incandescent supercars are back with a new, brighter fleet of exotics. A Brown Audi R8 convertible? Yes, please.
All the photos are by artists Mark Brown and Marc Cameron. You can buy the prints here for about $50 a pop.


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On Wednesday, a Longmont resident reported that three solar landscaping lights were stolen from his front yard in the 100 block of Sparrow Hawk Drive. The case was closed due to lack of suspect information.
An employee at a Longmont day care in the 900 block of Deerwood Drive reported that two tricycles were stolen from a locked, fenced area. The case was closed due to lack of suspect information.
A Walmart employee told police Tuesday that electronics were stolen from the store on June 21, according to reports. The case is under investigation.
A resident reported that a vandal broke out the back window of her vehicle on the 200 block of East Eighth Avenue on Tuesday, according to reports. There are no suspects.
A thief stole a weed whacker from the backyard of a home on the 400 block of East Fourth Avenue on Monday, police reported.
A woman reported that someone caused "a significant amount of damage to her vehicle" on Monday, police reported.


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Variable Valve Timing For Circle Track Engines
Follow Along As We Explore What Comp Cams Has In Store For Circle Track Engine Valve Timing
In order to set a stage for what follows, let's first revisit some of the fundamentals involved in how valve timing relates to power output. And to further clarify how "power" is defined in the context of this story, let's simply say horsepower is a mathematical function of torque which, in essence, is closely related to volumetric efficiency. Increase volumetric efficiency at any point in an engine's rpm span, and at least the potential for a torque gain will result.
Relative to how valve timing plays into volumetric efficiency, let's further say the designed ability of a camshaft to "time" intake and exhaust valve events (particularly as they relate to piston/crankshaft position) is key to achieving proper volumetric efficiencies. For example, when a given piston is at or near maximum downward speed during an inlet cycle, you'd like for intake valve event to support a high level of volumetric efficiency. And, in a similar fashion, other piston motion patterns should be accompanied by valve action that helps optimize cylinder evacuation during the exhaust cycle.
Historically and largely because camshafts are characterized by a "fixed" design, we've only been able to advance or retard their installed orientation to an engine's crankshaft. We were limited to the amount of "variability" achievable, relative to where in the rpm range valve timing plays into volumetric efficiency. Simply stated, we "advance" cams to enhance lower rpm torque output and "retard" them (both in relationship to the crankshaft or piston position) for higher rpm output. Ideally, at least from one perspective and outside the realm of a fully-computerized valve train with true valve timing variability, it is plausible to provide some means for advancing and retarding the camshaft during engine operation.
By the employment of "cam phasers," it's possible to find a middle ground between either advancing or retarding a cam. What this means is that while advancing and retarding a given camshaft won't necessarily boost (or even shift) peak torque values, it's now possible to increase torque below and above this point. In essence, the overall torque curve becomes "flatter" (or wider) over a broader range of engine speed. (See graphical illustrations of torque curves with and without phased camshafts on the next page.)
Actually, as an outgrowth of Ford's introduction of computer-controlled cam gears on its '05 modular, Three-Valve engines for Mustangs, Comp has used this technology platform for further improvements. Ford's approach allows the cams in these engines to include a range from 20-60 degrees retard during part-throttle operation, thereby reducing friction horsepower and enhancing fuel economy. Based on the use of their computer-controlled camshaft phasers and regardless of engine speed, this approach enables camshaft positioning for optimal power throughout the rpm range. The net result is an extended power range.
Using a specific routing of engine oil through cylinder heads and camshafts, the on-board computer regulates a pair of solenoids which, in turn, control the phasing of the camshafts. The span of control can be as much as 60 degrees of camshaft retard. As you would expect, the extent and precision to when the cams undergo a phase change is a function of the software written into this portion of the onboard computer. Stated another way, there appears be a way to provide valve timing (camshaft design) that takes further advantage of this technology, enabling a window for exploring this concept in other engines and applications.
As produced by Ford, their "stock" phasers provide such a wide range of camshaft retard (up to 60 degrees, as stated), there are limitations based on the amount of available piston-to-valve clearance. As a result, there are corresponding limits that are placed on what can be done with non-stock camshafts, certainly in the areas of net valve lift and valve overlap periods. Also keep in mind that Ford is faced with certain compromises, including exhaust emissions and Federal fuel economy mandates, which further restrict the extent to which they can focus on power output. Such is not the case when you apply this technology to engines in a racing environment.
As previously indicated, electronics play a major role in this issue. Given the fact it's possible to modify the stock camshaft phasers in engines that incorporate this technology, proper control of their function is key to optimizing power, at both lower and higher rpm. Specifically, computer programming should include addressing the cam retard limiting issue, along with provisions (for street-driven engines) to make certain diagnostic trouble code (DTC) strategies are properly restored. For racing applications, this latter issue is not a concern.
In addition, Comp provides "phaser limiters" that prevent cam retard positions from exceeding 20 degrees, at least for the 4.6- and 5.4L Three-Valve Ford engine. Looking ahead, this same approach is anticipated for other computer-controlled engines for which they plan producing camshafts. And in that regard, you can expect some form of "electronic device" as a companion to any race-bred camshafts Comp offers for circle track applications.
At the time of this writing, Comp is aggressively exploring application of the technology in GM's LS engine family. Given the fact these are and continue to become "spec" engines in the circle track community and GM's inclusion of cam phasing technology in them, Comp is currently evaluating prototype units directed to circle track use. Again, by limiting the extent of OEM camshaft retard, racing camshaft lobe profiles and valve timing can be developed that optimize torque boosts below and above an engine's peak torque rpm, thereby improving both off-corner acceleration performance and straightaway speeds in circle track applications.
Virtually any race engine is a combination of compromises. Over time, engine builders have incorporated various techniques to "flatten" or "broaden" torque curves, particularly for applications in which a comparatively wide range of engine speed is required. Especially well suited to circle track engines required to operate over a span of 3,000 rpm or more, the ability to dynamically alter camshaft/crankshaft relationships appears to be a significant step toward minimizing power losses and extending an engine's operational range.
Of particular interest is the fact this technology addresses the time-honored problem of advancing and retarding camshafts when deciding upon where to optimize and where to compromise power gains (or losses). Not only does the prior practice tend to consume inordinate amounts of dyno time, excluding engine wear, it's essentially a trade-off in terms of selective power placement. Given the ability of Comp's concept, it's possible to perform a series of tests (specifically eight) at different camshaft advance locked positions to determine optimum power. Then it's a relatively simple matter to remap the controller's program to incorporate these settings over a span of rpm, thereby eliminating the time-honored "advance compromise" by present-day methods. Essentially, this process of reprogramming the phaser ensures the cam will be at its best power output levels throughout the desired rpm range, not within a narrow span.
Finally, as we move toward electronic valvetrains and "cam-less" engines, the incorporation of variable cam phasing techniques (although initially enabled by the OEM) looks to be an intermediate step to the removal of camshafts altogether. And since it stands to be a while before we get to that point, COMP's "variable cam phasing" packages may be the answer to engines benefitting from enhanced torque both below and above torque peaks. What's the old saying about "having your cake and...?"


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Guy I found out today that there is a new Marvis Toothpaste 85 ml + xylitol . Do they taste like 75ml or the flavor has changed as well ? Did u notice any differences ?
Anybody tried them ?
Please share ur opinion
New Marvis 85ml + xylitol
Ok, so we've got shaving all taken care of but what about that hair and the rest of your face? Get the low down on shampoo's, conditioners, finishers, cleansers, toners and moisturizers right here!
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Country's Top 5 Moments at the 2014 Grammys
Country music shined at the 2014 Grammys, with nine of Nashville's top singers taking the stage to sing and play guitar. Collaborations and solo performances from artists like Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and Hunter Hayes were among the night's best, but what was the best moment?
Taste of Country has assembled the Top 5 country moments from the 2014 Grammys. Watch as writer Billy Dukes explains who made the most of their opportunity on music's biggest night. With two wins, Kacey Musgraves walked away as country's big winner, but she didn't rank No. 1. That honor goes to a woman whose stare left the front two rows frozen.


text: ATLANTA - Atlanta Hawks guard John Jenkins will miss the remainder of the season following lower back surgery. The Hawks said Mondays surgery in Atlanta was successful but provided no additional details. Jenkins, a second-year player from Vanderbilt, averaged 3.1 points in only 13 games this season. He averaged 6.1 points in 61 games, including two starts, as a rookie. Nike Womens Shoes Australia . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers. Nike Shoes Wholesale Australia .com) - The University of Montana named Bob Stitt as its new head football coach on Tuesday. http://www.cheapnikeaustraliashoes.com/. On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. Nike Mens Shoes Australia . Clevelands manager had just watched his team lose 5-3 to Kansas City, which completed a 2-6 homestand and dropped the Indians 2 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central. Nike Shoes Australia Sale . -- Mike Shanahan gave Robert Griffin III a rest, and may have turned up the pressure on himself, too.Each year I look back at the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings, comparing the preseason to end-of-season results and see what kind of factors contributed to unanticipated results. Injuries, goaltending and unexpected individual performances, both good and bad, tend to play the largest role. Its important to note that the pre-season rankings are not predictions, because they are based on current value of the team, with the understanding that there will be factors throughout the season (trades, injuries, unexpected performances -- both good and bad) that affect results. But if a team has a dramatically different ranking at the end of the season, compared to the beginning, there ought to be some reasons that are evident for that change. Basically, what happened that wasnt necessarily expected in training camp? Here are some of the reasons for differences in rankings between rankings in September, 2013 and those in mid-April, 2014. ANAHEIM DUCKS Pre-Season Rank: 15 Final Rank: 7 Average Rank: 7.16 Whats the Difference?: Shooting percentage is the biggie, as the Ducks scored on a league-best 10.7% of their 5-on-5 score-close shots this season, more than 2.0% better than any other team, so they scored more than I expected. Sure, Getzlaf and Perry are going to be varying degrees of great year after year, but this year, Nick Bonino, Mathieu Perreault and Patrick Maroon, among others, had more productive seasons than forecasted. BOSTON BRUINS Pre-Season Rank:4 Final Rank: 1 Average Rank: 5.64 Whats the Difference?: The Bruins have a stable core, so its no surprise that they finished at or near the top of the rankings, but they rose to the very top because players like RW Reilly Smith and C Carl Soderberg exceeded expectations and then, when D Dennis Seidenberg suffered a season-ending injury, the Bruins defence handled the loss, despite Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and Kevan Miller each having less than 50 games of NHL experience coming into the season. BUFFALO SABRES Pre-Season Rank: 29 Final Rank: 30 Average Rank: 29.84 Whats the Difference?: Not much, only that the Sabres had G Ryan Miller and LW Thomas Vanek on the roster at the start of the season. Once they were moved, which was inevitable, the Sabres were practically assured of finishing 30th in the rankings. CALGARY FLAMES Pre-Season Rank: 28 Final Rank: 21 Average Rank: 23.56 Whats the Difference?: Strangely enough, the Flames reversed the previous seasons results (forecasted for 21st and finished 28th), exceeding expectations even though they didnt get much by way of goaltending, which would be a common way for many teams to surpass the preseason forecast. In the Flames case, they got a Norris-calibre season out of Mark Giordano, and T.J. Brodie continued to improve as his partner. That was probably the biggest factor in the Flames being more competitive, but a number of players -- Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan, Joe Colborne, Paul Byron -- exceeded expectations. CAROLINA HURRICANES Pre-Season Rank: 22 Final Rank: 22 Average Rank: 22.44 Whats the Difference?: Not much, ultimately. Eric Staal, Alexander Semin and Jiri Tlusty hit a market correction after their percentage-driven ride in 2013, but some Canes countered that. Jeff Skinner scored 33 goals, and D Andrej Sekera was a revelation after coming over from Buffalo. Stellar play from G Anton Khudobin also offset a tough year for Cam Ward. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS Pre-Season Rank: 1 Final Rank: 2 Average Rank: 3.96 Whats the Difference?: Its awfully difficult to take No. 1 from wire to wire, and the Blackhawks had some ups and downs during the year but, in the grand scheme, they are who we thought they were. Some a little better (Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook, Ben Smith), some a little worse (Jonathan Toews, Bryan Bickell) but the final product remains a Cup contender. COLORADO AVALANCHEPre-Season Rank: 26 Final Rank: 6 Average Rank: 6.48 Whats the Difference?: Start with G Semyon Varlamov, who was nearly 37 goals better than he was last season, and their rag-tag defence had some solid performances. Erik Johnson started living up to his billing, Tyson Barrie eventually got a chance to play and bargain additions Nick Holden and Andre Benoit were productive enough too. The forwards remain the strength of the team, but if not for Varlamovs goaltending, the rest likely wouldnt have much mattered, considering that the Avalanche were still a bottom-feeding possession team. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Pre-Season Rank: 18Final Rank: 14 Average Rank: 17.44 Whats the Difference?: The emergence of No. 1 centre Ryan Johansen stands out the most, but the Blue Jackets arent too far off where they were expected to be. Their preseason ranking, minus an injured Nathan Horton, had them on the fringe of a playoff spot and their final ranking, also without Horton, was for a team that made the playoffs by three points. DALLAS STARS Pre-Season Rank: 19 Final Rank: 10 Average Rank: 15.80 Whats the Difference?: It wasnt an utter shock that Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn worked well together, but Seguin breaking through for an 84-point season raised the proverbial bar for the Stars. The rest of the lineup might be underwhelming, but 17 goals from Ryan Garbutt? 14 from Antoine Roussel? Those contributions helped in the final analysis too, because the Stars dont have a clear division of lines behind their top unit. DETROIT RED WINGSPre-Season Rank: 7 Final Rank: 16 Average Rank: 17.88 Whats the Difference?: Well, going without Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for large chunks of the year was the big difference throughout the season, and while it was somewhat offset by the emergence of so many young players -- Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Riley Sheahan, Tomas Jurco etc. -- G Jimmy Howard didnt play to the level that he has in recent seasons either, so the Wings went from being a contender in the preseason to a team just sneaking into the playoffs by seasons end. EDMONTON OILERS Pre-Season Rank: 24 Final Rank: 28 Average Rank: 26.60 Whats the Difference?: Their defence was as bad as expected, but if there was one reason that the Oilers ended up being even worse than forecasted is that, coming into the season, the expectation was that Devan Dubnyk would be able to provide at least average goaltending, as he had previously. That didnt quite happen. They at least addressed the issue, eventually, by acquiring Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth. FLORIDA PANTHERS Pre-Season Rank: 30 Final Rank: 29 Average Rank: 28.48 Whats the Difference?: A team that had an 18-year-old No. 1 centre and a 39-year-old starting goaltender lived down to expectations (though not specifically the fault of those two). The Panthers may have received more than expected from D Tom Gilbert and rookie C Nick Bjugstad, but thats offset by a 9-goal season from second-year LW Jonathan Huberdeau. LOS ANGELES KINGS Pre-Season Rank: 3 Final Rank: 8 Average Rank: 7.84 Whats the Difference?: Still a very good team, but had trouble scoring at times, as Justin Williams, Mike Richards and Dustin Brown all scored below their previous norms. Adding Marian Gaborik at the deadline helps somewhat, but Gaboriks numbers didnt take off until he got to L.A., where he finished the year with 16 points in the last 16 games. MINNESOTA WILD Pre-Season Rank: 11 Final Rank: 13 Average Rank: 13.20 Whats the Difference?: It was quite a roller-coaster for the Wild to end up just a couple spots behind the starting point. They reached as high as No. 4, thanks to G Josh Hardings incredible start to the year, but sunk as low as 25 when injuries took Harding, Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu out of the lineup, and had been climbing with Darcy Kuemper in goal, but dipped a little late in the year once Ilya Bryzgalov was next on that goaltending conveyor belt. MONTREAL CANADIENS Pre-Season Rank: 10 Final Rank: 11 Average Rank: 10.60 Whats the Difference?: There werent as many highs and lows for the Habs, as G Carey Price limited their downside this season (particularly compared to last season) and the lineup brought both good and bad. Adding Thomas Vanek to Max Pacioretty on the top line sure helped, but a lot of the secondary sources of offence didnt have great years.ddddddddddddWhether it was Lars Eller, Alexander Galchenyuk, Daniel Briere or Rene Bourque, there were enough Habs regulars that didnt produce as much as hoped. NASHVILLE PREDATORS Pre-Season Rank: 27 Final Rank: 18 Average Rank: 19.60 Whats the Difference?: With a strong finish to the year, the Predators actually did much better than expected, despite goaltending being a problem all year, as Pekka Rinne got hurt and, even once he returned to action, Rinne wasnt up to his usual standards. By seasons end, Craig Smith, Ryan Ellis and Nick Spaling were some Predators that fared better than anticipated, while newcomer Calle Jarnkrok quickly made up for the departure of his trade counterpart, David Legwand. NEW JERSEY DEVILS Pre-Season Rank: 20 Final Rank: 15 Average Rank: 20.56 Whats the Difference?: Better than their place in the standings, as they were undone by an awful shootout record, the Devils did have some positives, including a great year for RW Jaromir Jagr, along with some potential exhibited by rookie defencemen Jon Merrill and Eric Gelinas, who werent on the roster to start the year. The other positive, that could have tilted even more, based on playing time, was that G Cory Schneider did ultimately play more than Martin Brodeur. Their ranking might have been even better had Schneider played 55 games instead of 45. NEW YORK ISLANDERS Pre-Season Rank: 17 Final Rank: 27 Average Rank: 25.04 Whats the Difference?: All the positivity of the Islanders 2013 playoff berth went away quickly, but at the start of the year, the Islanders were optimistic enough to trade for Thomas Vanek, sacrificing Matt Moulson and a first-round pick in the process. RW Kyle Okposo was a surprise leading scorer but, by seasons end, his linemates, John Tavares and Vanek, were out of the lineup due to injury and trade, respectively. That left a lot of young players to audition for roles in the future. NEW YORK RANGERS Pre-Season Rank: 14 Final Rank: 9 Average Rank: 15.84 Whats the Difference?: Even though he didnt do much after arriving from Tampa Bay, the addition of Martin St. Louis did raise the Rangers ranking late in the year, but there were others that helped htem exceed expectations. RW Mats Zuccarello led the team in scoring, and LW Benoit Pouliot provided useful forward depth, while backup G Cam Talbot was a pleasant surprise in 21 games (backup goalie not really a factor for a playoff teams ranking, but still noteworthy). OTTAWA SENATORS Pre-Season Rank: 6 Final Rank: 25 Average Rank: 20.64 Whats the Difference?: Just as the Avalanche were the big surprise, the Senators were the big disappointment. Just as Colorado benefitted from great goaltending, the Senators struggled because both Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner regressed hard after both were phenomenal in 2013. Between the pair, they were nearly 36 goals worse than the year before, using Hockey References Goals Saved Above Average. Expectations were so much higher for the Senators this season because D Erik Karlsson and C Jason Spezza, who had both missed much of the previous season, were returning to the lineup and a couple of healthy stars would figure to make a team better. Whats especially remarkable about the fall was that it overshadowed what was a breakout year for C Kyle Turris, who played on a very effective line with new Senators wingers Clarke MacArthur and Bobby Ryan. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Pre-Season Rank: 13 Final Rank: 12 Average Rank: 20.28 Whats the Difference?: Dug a hole early, and were ranked in the bottom third for the first half of the season, before eventually moving into a ranking more in line with expectations. Hoped for more from C Vincent Lecavalier, but got more from G Steve Mason than they had a reasonable right to expect, and now enter the playoffs as an underdog, though a lively one at that. PHOENIX COYOTES Pre-Season Rank: 25 Final Rank: 19 Average Rank: 13.72 Whats the Difference?: Cruised way above expectations for the first half of the year, but faded, as C Mike Ribeiro had a disappointing year and scoring in general got leaner as the season went on and injuries to C Martin Hanzal and G Mike Smith late in the year pretty much sealed their fate. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Pre-Season Rank: 2 Final Rank: 4 Average Rank: 5.92 Whats the Difference?: Injuries -- a lot of injuries -- kept the Penguins ranked lower than their starting and finishing point, but they go into the playoffs with Evgeni Malkin back to anchor the second line and Paul Martin and Kris Letang returned late in the year to upgrade the defence. ST. LOUIS BLUES Pre-Season Rank: 5 Final Rank: 5 Average Rank: 2.04 Whats the Difference?: The team that held down the No.1 ranking more than any other, 10 times on top, were on their way to exceeding expectations before a late-season swoon prompted by injuries and a rough patch for G Ryan Miller. SAN JOSE SHARKS Pre-Season Rank: 9 Final Rank: 3 Average Rank: 3.64 Whats the Difference?: While its no surprise that the Sharks are a contender, there were enough players that exceeded preseason forecasts. Joe Pavelski, Tommy Wingels, Jason Demers and James Sheppard were better than they had been previously, while rookies Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto were also useful contributors (and Hertl returned from injury late in the season), so they go from being ranked as a good team to being ranked as a Cup contender. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Pre-Season Rank: 21 Final Rank: 17 Average Rank: 13.16 Whats the Difference?: For good chunks of the season, the Lightning exceeded their forecast, thanks to G Ben Bishop, who is currently hurt, which has dropped Tampa Bay closer to that preseason expectation level. Rookies are ranked conservatively coming into the season, so it figured that the Lightning would exceed expectations with LW Ondrej Palat, C Tyler Johnson, D Radko Gudas, LW J.T. Brown and RW Nikita Kucherov among those playing regular roles. Palat and Johnson, in particular, contributed much more than anticipated. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Pre-Season Rank: 16 Final Rank: 26 Average Rank: 17.32 Whats the Difference?: Its not as if the Maple Leafs didnt get some better-than-expected performances -- C Tyler Bozak, LW Mason Raymond and G Jonathan Bernier were all better-than-advertised -- but there was expected regression from LW Joffrey Lupul and C Nazem Kadri and a complete bust year from free agent signee RW David Clarkson. The Leafs were as high as No. 6 a month into the season, before crashing, the first time, and rebounded as high as 15 in the second half of the season before their late-season plummet left them notably worse than forecasted. VANCOUVER CANUCKS Pre-Season Rank: 12 Final Rank: 24 Average Rank: 14.32 Whats the Difference?: Through the first half of the season, the Canucks were consistently ahead of their forecasted ranking, but injuries (Alexander Edler, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows, Roberto Luongo all out at times in January) started to add up, the results got much worse and it led the Canucks to trade Luongo to Florida, leaving them with lesser options in goal. WASHINGTON CAPITALS Pre-Season Rank: 8 Final Rank: 20 Average Rank: 17.56 Whats the Difference?: Held okay for a while, but a couple of months into the season, they ran into goaltending problems (though that seemed to be fixed by acquiring Jaroslav Halak) and while there were some nice years from the supporting cast -- RW Joel Ward and LW Jason Chimera stand out -- the Capitals got very little goal production from Marcus Johansson and Martin Erat, leaving them just short of a playoff berth. WINNIPEG JETS Pre-Season Rank: 23 Final Rank: 23 Average Rank: 18.94 Whats the Difference?: Apparently, not much, since they ended where they started. Have a decent core and the addition of rookies C Mark Scheifele and D Jacob Trouba lifted the Jets for a time, but, in the end, G Ondrej Pavelec delivering a .901 save percentage was enough to bring them back into the bottom third of the rankings. Scott Cullen can be reached at email@example.com and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '


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Nebraska beats Iowa, will face Badgers in title game
Big Ten championship game Saturday in Indianapolis
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Rex Burkhead scored the go-ahead touchdown in his return from a knee injury and No. 17 Nebraska beat Iowa 13-7 on Friday to secure a spot in the Big Ten title game.
The Huskers (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) will face off against Wisconsin next Saturday in Indianapolis. It'll be a rematch of Nebraska's thrilling 30-27 home win over the Badgers in late September.
Burkhead, making his first appearance since spraining the MCL in his left knee on Oct. 20 against Northwestern, broke through with a 3-yard TD run to make it 13-7 late in the third quarter.
Alonzo Whaley's interception with 2:11 left sealed the victory for Nebraska.
The Huskers defense held the Hawkeyes (4-8, 2-6) scoreless in the final three quarters in windy conditions.


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The architecture of choice: Eclecticism in America, 1880-1930
G. Braziller, 1974 - Architecture - 178 pages
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What Was Eclecticism? i The Nightmare of the Eclectics
the Aesthetic Period 5 Ideas
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Aesthetic period American architecture arches archi architects Architectural Book Publishing Art Deco artists beauty Beaux-Arts began Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Boston Burnham capitol Carrere and Hastings Cass Gilbert cathedral Charles Follen McKim Chicago church City Hall classical clients Colonial Revival color commercial concrete cornice cotta Courthouse Cram decorative Demolished dome Eclectic architecture Eclectic building Eclectic period Eclecticism executed facade forms French Gothic Gothicist grand Greek Revival Henry Henry Hobson Richardson historic styles imitation interior Italian John Russell Pope John the Divine JSAH Lee Lawrie Library look Louis mansion marble masonry masses materials Mead and White Mizner modern Modernistic Monograph motifs Museum Newport office buildings ornament painted Philadelphia Pittsburgh Queen Anne Renaissance Richard Morris Hunt Richardson Roman Romanesque roofs Saint-Gaudens scale Scully sculpture seemed Shavian Manorial Shingle Style skyscraper Stanford White tall terra terra-cotta texture tower traditional Tudor vaults Victorian Villa walls William World's Columbian York


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Justin Bieber Shaves His Moustache [PHOTO + VIDEO]by Maggie Malach | PopCrush
'Fess up, Beliebers: Are you Team Moustache or Team Clean-Shaven?
These days, Justin Bieber's facial hair gets almost as much attention as the singer's on-and-off again relationship with Selena Gomez or his long list of lawsuits. Whether or not you're a fan of JB's stache, you've got to check out this video of the singer shaving it all off.
"Should I do it?" Justin asks, before breathily whispering into the camera, "Alright, peace, 'stache."
Fans are then treated to a very, very closeup shot of Justin's face, showcasing his moustache and a very spotty goatee. And, because why not, the singer then proceeds to meticulously lather up his face before dramatically announcing, "Here I go!" The last glimpse of Justin we see is him slowly bringing the razor to his face.
We know all of the Beliebers were waiting with bated breath to see a clean-shaven Justin, and luckily, he shared an "After" shot on Instagram. It's hard to tell for sure, but it appears the goatee is gone as well.
How do you like Justin's new look? With his clean face and hair combed forwards, the singer is giving us serious throwback vibes.
Watch Justin shave off his facial hair in the video above and see the results in the photo below!
Check Out Justin Bieber + More Shirtless Celebs


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BoldlyWalking necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 82 diseños de 23 diseñadores freelance.
theSafetyFactor.net or the Safety Factor
My background is as a safety consultant and writer. The Safety Factor education and standards program was developed for the insurance industry and used successfully all over North America by hundreds of companies.
ITBS, Inside the Box Safety was started to bring voluntary facility standards and storage guidelines to the self storage industry. It is a start up business.
When a self storage facility agrees to our standards they will be able to use the logo on there signage and advertising.
I am disabled but know what I am doing.
The program will be three quarters web based. The logo will be our identity.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
The target audience will be the general public that uses self storage facilities to store their extra stuff or simply while they are in transition.
They all want to be assured that there possessions will be safe and secure.
BOLD, STRONG, LONG LASTING and SECURE!
Concrete and steel sheds that keep valuable items safe and secure. Like a rock!!
The people are crying--give me safety, give me safety. Where can I put all my precious junk.
Some businesses need extra storage also.
There is no competition.
A block or rock structure (strong, bomb proof etc) storage sheds that have spelled out on their doors-the Safety Factor. One or two stories six rooms long. S A F E T Y (6) F A C T O R (6)
they could be vertical or incorporated in a better way you create.
Safety Factor on the front of a strong storage structure with the word "the"
vertical on the left side. the Safety Factor.
It can all tie in to the company name
ITBS or InsideTheBoxSafety
Thinking outside the Box to protect what's inside.
Just ideas. I am very open. You can trash all the above and replace it with your own creativity. My ideas are simply ideas. I can't remember a project that ended up like I originally thought about it.
Thomas Holm
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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On sale now!
Many scientific discoveries often come out of left field.
The history of science (if we learn any of the history of science at all in school) is often depicted as a neat, tidy progression from ignorance to enlightenment. How could Isaac Newton not have formulated his laws of gravity and motion, or Einstein not have stumbled on his Theory of Relativity? It all seems foreordained in hindsight. [Read more...]


text: Superficial Injuries to the Face and Head Children are more likely to end up with a cut or scrape on the head or face. One reason is that children's sense of balance isn't completely adjusted. Cuts and Wounds of the Face Most minor cuts or wounds to the face can be handled at home with simple first-aid treatment. Foreign Bodies in the Ear, Nose, and Airway Children usually place things in their ears because they are bored, curious, or copying other children. Some objects may cause no symptoms, but other objects, such as food and insects, may cause pain in the ear, redness, or drainage. Insects in the Ear Don't attempt to remove the insect by poking it with a cotton swab. This may push the insect farther into the ear or cause damage to the middle ear and eardrum. Cuts and Wounds of the Mouth and Lips The gums, tongue, and lips have a rich blood supply and when cuts occur, these areas may bleed excessively. Injuries to the Teeth The injury may be to a primary tooth or a permanent tooth. A tooth can be cracked, chipped, or totally detached from its socket. Cuts and Wounds of the External Ear Any wound to the ear cartilage that is more than just a superficial cut or laceration should be seen by a doctor to decide if stitches are needed. Cuts and Wounds of the Nose Most minor nose wounds can be handled at home, but a wound or bruise that also involves one or both eyes requires immediate medical attention. Nosebleeds Nosebleeds are fairly common in children, especially in dry climates or during the winter months, when dry heat inside homes and buildings can cause drying, cracking, or crusting inside the nose.


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The pit-latrine coverage in Kamuli district has increased from 46% to 76% in the past two years, the district health department [Alex Mulindwa] said […] Mulindwa said they launched a campaign to encourage people to construct pit-latrines in 2006.
He added that they used radios and patrols to mobilise the residents. The campaign was funded by the water department. Mulindwa said at the beginning of the campaign, some villages had no pit-latrines and residents would relieve themselves in the bushes.
"Bulungu village in Namwendwa sub-county had no pit-latrine and the residents had turned anthills into latrines," Mulindwa noted. The district health educator, David Mbadhwe, said the district council passed a resolution under which a punishment of six months jail term was imposed on those who did not have pit-latrines. Mulindwa said they targeted having pit-latrine coverage of 90% by 2010.
Source: Tom Gwebayanga, New Vision / allAfrica.com, 18 May 2009


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The power of social media helps to create a new attraction at Bluestone this Easter
Facebook and Twitter users help come up with ideas for the latest attraction at Bluestone National Park Resort
Social media users have helped develop ideas for a new attraction to be opened this Easter at Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
Treetops will be launched at Bluestone in readiness for the Easter holiday as part of an ongoing programme of investment at the all-year and all-weather luxury five star resort.
Last year Bluestone tasked Facebook and Twitter users with the challenge of coming up with services and attractions they would like to see and use. One of the top responses was a larger adventure playground in the resort's village.
And true to the "free range" spirit at Bluestone, a new Treetops adventure area and tree house is being developed, complete with walkways, towers, climbing area and much more.
Yvonne Buckingham, Head of Marketing at Bluestone, said the power of social media was being fully harnessed at Bluestone and the new attraction demonstrated how the business places importance on its engagement with potential and existing guests through channels such as Twitter and Facebook.
"Guest interaction is key to our success. We take all comments and suggestions seriously and build on them to make Bluestone even better. Last year we tasked our social media followers to tell us what they would like to see at Bluestone, and one of the top suggestions was an even bigger adventure playground," said Yvonne.
"We listened and we're now in the process of building it in readiness for the Easter break."
Bluestone believes everyone of all ages should be able to have "free range" adventures or relax within the 500 acres of countryside comprising the luxury short break destination within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
The Treetops adventure builds on the more than 100 all-weather activities it already has, from the Steep Ravine with its zip wire, high ropes and Camp Smokey, to the Blue Lagoon water park, the indoor Adventure Centre with the Big Four, and the Tournament Field, introduced last year with its giant catapults and medieval challenges.
Social media has become an integral part of Bluestone's marketing strategy, using it for customer services, promotions and PR.
"Social media has come a long way in the past coupe of years. We've fully harnessed it in the knowledge that it's where many of our new and existing guests come to find out about Bluestone and to interact with us," added Yvonne.
"The Treetops idea is just one way our free range philosophy works. We ask the people who matter what they want and we do our best to deliver. We'll be tasking them with more ideas and offers in 2013 as we see the power of social media develop even more at Bluestone."
Bluestone combines exhilaration with relaxation, offering families and couples the chance to choose the type of short break they want. Enjoying everything from the heart-pumping activities, to the treatments and pampering at The Well Spa, relaxing environment within the luxury accommodation, or fine dining at its Carreg Las restaurant, as well as over 100 free range, all-year and all-weather activities.
This spring Bluestone is offering free range family breaks from £17 per person per night in luxury lodges and cottages, including access to the Blue Lagoon and Adventure Centre.


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Harris: Jimmie Drives Competitors To Distraction
Editor's note: The annual NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway is being held this week. RacinToday has a trio of writers on the Tour and will be reporting daily with opinions, features, news and notes.
By Mike Harris | Senior Writer
Concord, N.C. – Mel Brooks once played Louis XVI in one of his zany movies and his mantra in that role was, "It's good to be king.''
Jimmie Johnson can probably relate to that sentiment as he and his. No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team prepare their new Chevrolets for the start of the 2010 season and the possibility of an incredible fifth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.
Through the first two and a half days of the annual NASCAR Media Tour, hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, each and every team we have had the opportunity to see has had Johnson and the rest of the Hendrick team on the brain.
Four consecutive titles will do that to the competition.
Mark Martin has been around the stock car sport for more than two decades and has been the series runner-up five times, including last year. He's seen Jeff Gordon win four championships in seven years, and Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott each dominate the sport at times.
But Martin is awed by the accomplishments of Johnson, who became his teammate last year.
"I don't recall anybody in my time putting a whuppin' on the competition like Jimmie has,'' Martin said Wednesday during the Media Tour visit to the Hendrick Motorsports campus in Concord. "To be real honest with you, I think he's probably in their head more than any of those guys were.''
That suits Johnson just fine, although he doesn't foresee any lasting effect of his masterful, in unintentional, psyche job.
"I think it's a short term benefit,'' Johnson said, grinning. "In some ways, it could be bad for us. We've been a motivational tool for a lot of teams over the offseason the last few years. Only time will tell how it plays out.
"I've always been in the other position where I've looked up to the guy or the team on top and it's pretty damn cool to be that person right now,'' he added. "I'm going to enjoy it. When you get to Daytona you reset and worry about what happens there. Then we hit the downforce tracks after that. After three or four weeks in, we'll know who the players are and what that's going to be like. But, right now, over the offseason, I'll take any kind of a mental advantage we can get. It won't last long.''
Martin agreed, noting, "It'll come right out of their head if (Jimmie's) not the guy to beat on the race track. It might be right now, but as soon as you get out on the race track and it's the (No.) 5 car to beat , Jimmie won't be in their heads. Mark will. That's my take on it.''
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who many believe can be the driver to dethrone Johnson in 2010, admitted it's hard to get Johnson and his No. 48 Chevrolet out of his head, but only because he wants so badly to beat the Hendrick team.
But Hamlin, who drives the No. 18 Toyota, still has to prove he can find the same kind of consistency as Johnson has displayed in his championship runs.
"I feel like I'm as good as he is,'' Hamlin said earlier this week."I think I could be better in a lot of different areas, to get equal to him, but I think I'm 90 percent of what Jimmie is right now, and I think just a few little areas here and there, not letting things get in my head too much – not letting stuff frustrate you as much – that's what could make me better.
"As far as just being a better driver than him, it's just going to come with experience. He's been in the sport twice as long as I have. You've got to give me a little break on that. If Jimmie's at his best and I'm at my best, I feel like we're gonna be toe-to-toe. We'll race at Homestead for the championship.''
Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief since he began his Cup career in 2002, loves the fact that other drivers and teams are distracted by his team's success.
"As long as we can go out there this year and back it up out of the gate, it's definitely a plus,'' Knaus said Wednesday. "If you can get other people to be concerned about what you're doing and not concerned about what they need to be working on, that's definitely a goal.
"You see that even in the garage as team members and other crew chiefs are more concerned about what other teams are doing instead of what's directly on their plate. They don't typically perform as well. So, if they're talking about us already at this juncture, then good for us.''
But Knaus insists no team can go into a season worrying about winning the championship.
"You really need to take one thing at a time,'' he said. "It's a long season and you have rules changes and other things to deal with, like somebody's hot streak or some bad luck. You really just take it one race at a time and, when you get toward the summer and middle of the season, you see where you are and put yourself in the best situation to begin the Chase (for the championship). Then you can think about winning a championship.
Johnson too is a realist. He knows that his team will finish out of the money at some point.
"It's going to happen at some point,'' Johnson said. "When it does, that's what it is. I feel our chances (of winning) are as good this year as last, so I don't see why we couldn't, based on things we can control.
"If we come up short and we gave 100 percent, I'm going to go home happy. If we leave something on the table, a 100 percent effort's not put in and we come up short, that's going to sting. All we can do is our best and, the last four years, our best has done it.''
If they do continue this unprecedented string of championship, though, it will be because Johnson, Knaus and Rick Hendrick, now a nine-time champion as a team owner, never take anything for granted.
"All of our teams prepare for the season, any season, as if we're starting from scratch,'' Hendrick said. "You never know what is going to happen during the season, so you have to have the right people, the best equipment and, hopefully, a little luck.
"And, with the competition we have in this series, we'll take any advantage we can get.''
It appears the biggest advantage at this point is named Jimmie Johnson.
It's good to be king!
– Mike Harris can be reached at email@example.com
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