text:
10 techniques every cook should know
This easy, three-step technique ensures an even crumb coating. It's commonly used on thin cuts of chicken, pork or veal that will be fried or baked.
To begin, set up your breading station. Fill the first of three shallow dishes with flour. In the second dish, make an egg wash by whisking eggs with a little bit of water, milk or other liquid or seasoning. Finally, place your breadcrumbs (or other crumbs) into the third dish.
Start by dredging a piece of meat in the flour. Dredging means to thinly coat the meat with the flour, then shake off any excess. This eliminates much of the moisture from the surface of the meat and provides something for the egg wash to grab onto.
The second step is to dip the meat into the egg wash, again letting the extra drip off. At this point, you'll basically have a paste for the crumbs to adhere to. Finally, press the meat into the crumbs, coating evenly.
Try to work with one hand as you complete the process, so as not to bread your fingers on both hands - that can lead to a sticky mess.
Proceed with the recipe as directed.
Myths abound about the benefits of searing, most notably that it seals in the juices. In reality, searing or browning meat or fish creates a caramelized, golden crust that adds texture and a depth of flavor.
The most important factor in this technique is to start with a very hot pan. Ideally, you should use one made from a stainless steel or anodized metal - a heavy material that will conduct and distribute heat evenly and well.
Although you can use nonstick pans for delicate fish, pans without a nonstick finish do a better job of browning, and leave lovely browned flavorful bits to use in a pan sauce (see "Making pan sauce.")
To brown, heat a completely dry pan, then add enough oil to lightly coat the surface (if you're using meat that has a lot of fat, you can skip this step and put it directly into the dry pan). The oil should heat to the point where it shimmers, but does not smoke. You can test this by flicking a droplet of water into the pan - if the pan is ready, the water should sizzle and evaporate upon contact.
Place your ingredient directly into the pan. It will hiss at first, but let it cook until a golden brown crust forms. If the pan is heated properly, the ingredient won't stick to the pan, and you'll be able to lift it with tongs or a spatula easily.
Keep in mind that if you overcrowd the pan, the ingredients will steam rather than brown, so sometimes you'll need to cook in batches. It's OK to wipe out the pan in between, but leave the fond - the brown bits that stick to the bottom.
Dicing an onion
If done properly, dicing an onion is very simple. If you've never attended culinary school or worked in a restaurant kitchen, there's a good chance you've never learned the proper method. It's little more than three basic cuts.
Before you begin, make sure your chef's knife is very sharp, so that it slides easily through the onion. (This will help your watering eyes, too.)
Cut off the stem end of the onion, trim the root end, then halve the onion from top to bottom. This will give each half a flat side to place on the board.
Leave the root end (which will be tighter than the stem end) intact to hold the onion together, peel off the skin, and, starting with one half, face the root end away from you on the cutting board. Holding the onion firmly on either side, proceed by making vertical cuts along the onion half, spacing them according to the desired thickness of the dice. You'll want to angle your knife inward at the sides to hold the onion together as you cut along the half. Again, leave the root end intact, and don't cut all the way through to the root.
Next make horizontal cuts. With your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice the onion, spacing according to your desired dice size and not cutting all the way through the root end.
Finally, cut the onion cross-wise, releasing the diced onions in each layer as you cut toward the root end. When you've reached the final piece, lay it flat on the cutting board and make cuts in both directions to finish the dice.
This technique can also be used to dice shallots.
Folding is used in souffles, cake batters or any recipe that calls for combining two ingredients of different densities. Usually, whipped egg whites or whipped cream is incorporated into a heavier batter or custard to lighten the batter. In the case of egg whites, the air that has been incorporated into the whipped whites acts as leavening to help cakes or souffles rise.
With the heavier batter in a bowl, gently deposit about a quarter of the egg whites or whipped cream on top of the batter. Using a rubber spatula, gently reach down through the whites and batter to the bottom of the bowl and lift the some of the batter up along the edge of the bowl and over the whites in the center. It's all about the twist of the wrist.
With each folding motion, turn the bowl slightly. Continue this motion until there are no traces of egg white left. Starting with a quarter of the whites or cream will lighten the batter enough so that when you add the remaining egg whites or cream all at once, you can easily fold using the same technique.
Be careful to combine the two ingredients quickly but gently, so as not to deflate the air bubbles.
Making pan sauce
One of our all-time favorite techniques - making a pan sauce - is a great secret for home cooks. Within minutes, you can create a quick, professional-tasting meal using just a few ingredients.
This method utilizes the brown bits on the bottom of a pan (called fond) that appear after you've used the searing or browning technique, with anything from meat or poultry to fish.
We like to start by sauteing some diced shallots or other aromatics for added flavor, either in the fat leftover from browning the meat or in a little extra olive oil or butter.
Next, add liquid to the hot pan, and bring to a simmer. You can use wine, stock, vinegar, juice or other flavored liquid. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan and incorporate it into the sauce, adding color and flavor. This is called deglazing. Reduce the sauce by letting it simmer and cook down, which concentrates the flavors and thickens the sauce. How long it simmers depends on how much liquid you add, but it's never more than a few minutes.
To finish, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in cold cubes of butter, which will further thicken the sauce, add extra richness and provide luster. Season it with salt and pepper, and you'll have a finished sauce that will enhance a main course.
Rolling out pie crust
Even the most experienced baker can have trouble rolling out a pie crust and getting it into the pan. It's a technique that, above all else, requires practice. Plus, outside factors, like the temperature of the room or the dough, can affect success.
Start with a flattened round of pie dough that has been chilled in the refrigerator. You want it to be cold enough so the butter or fat doesn't melt, but malleable enough that you can roll it out somewhat easily with a rolling pin.
Have a pile of flour on hand for dusting - it's imperative to spread it on your work surface, sprinkle it on top of the dough and rub some onto the rolling pin, to ensure that nothing sticks. Starting in the center of the dough, make short strokes toward the edges in different directions, turning the dough often as it becomes thinner to maintain a circular shape. Sprinkle the work surface and dough with flour as needed to prevent sticking; avoid adding too much flour, which will toughen the dough.
Stop rolling when the dough is about 2-3 inches larger than your inverted pie pan. Place the rolling pin on the edge of the dough that's farthest away from you, and roll the dough around the pin toward you, until you have about half of it on the pin. Gently move the rolling pin over the pie pan, and slowly unroll the dough, draping and centering it over the pan, and gently lift and coax down into the edges. Lightly press the dough into the bottom corners of the pan.
Using a sharp knife, trim the excess dough around the outside, leaving a 1/2- to 1-inch overhang that you can roll under the border to create a thick edge, which gives the crust stability as it bakes. Decorate the border as desired, either with the tines of a fork or your fingers.
Making a roux
A roux is the traditional way to thicken and enrich gravies, sauces and soups. It's essential to making our Best Way Gravy that is part of our Thanksgiving section every year, and is used often in Cajun/Creole cooking.
A roux is a cooked mixture of equal weights of flour and fat - we generally use butter So, one stick of butter (or four ounces) would be blended with four ounces of flour, usually a little more than what would fit into a dry half cup measure.
To make the roux, start by melting the butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan until it foams and bubbles. Add the flour all at once, whisking constantly until the two are combined and a smooth consistency has formed. It's important to cook the mixture for at least 2 to 3minutes. At this point, you have a blond (or white) roux, which is used to thicken soups or sauces like bechamel or veloute, where the lighter color plays a key role.
Beyond that, the roux will take on different characteristics, depending on how long it cooks in the pot. Between 5 and 10 minutes, the roux will develop a light brown hue and a nutty flavor, good for thickening dishes like beef stew.
In Cajun/Creole cooking, recipes most often call for a dark brown roux, which has been cooked for 20 to 25 minutes.
Keep in mind that the longer roux cooks, the nuttier and richer the flavors become, but it will also lose thickening power as it darkens, which means you'll have to make more.
To thicken your dish, cook it with the roux mixed in for at least 15 to 20 minutes. This will cook out the starchy flour flavor and bring the dish to the desired consistency.
Segmenting citrus
Orange or other citrus segments, also known as supremes, make a beautiful presentation when they are removed from the peel, pith and membrane. We love them on salads, over fish or in desserts.
Cut off the top and bottom of the fruit so that it sits flat on the cutting board. With a small, sharp knife, cut away one section of peel and bitter white pith, following the natural curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Continue around the citrus, cutting away sections of the peel and pith as you go. Trim any leftover pith once the peel has been removed.
Holding the fruit in your hand, with a bowl underneath, make two cuts within the membrane on either side of a segment, and with the second cut, lift the segment out of the membrane. Place the fruit on a plate or in another bowl. Continue around the whole fruit in the same fashion. The juice will drip into the bowl as you work, allowing you to save it for another use, such as vinaigrette.
The peeling portion of this technique can be used for any rounded fruit with a rind, such as melons and pineapples.
This technique refers to a method that blends ingredients of two different temperatures. Most often, we use it to incorporate cold eggs into hot liquid, such as milk or cream when making custard, ice cream or other dishes where eggs are the main thickener.
In its most basic form, tempering involves gradually pouring hot liquid into the eggs in a steady stream while whisking constantly, which slowly raises the temperature of the mixture without curdling or scrambling it.
Once enough of the hot liquid has been incorporated, the egg mixture can be poured back into the original liquid, where it will begin to thicken the liquid as it continues to cook.
(Note: Tempering chocolate is a different process that produces shiny, smooth chocolate after melting.)
Making a vinaigrette
Knowing how to make a vinaigrette always comes in handy. It's something that can be made on a whim with pantry staples, and it tastes much better and fresher - and is more economical - than bottled dressing.
The basic ratio for vinaigrette is one part vinegar to three parts oil, although if you substitute something less acidic like lemon juice for the vinegar, you'll want to lessen the oil accordingly. As with anything else, you'll get the best results if you use the highest quality ingredients.
You'll need both hands to make a vinaigrette - one to pour in the oil, and the other to whisk. To that end, it's important that the bowl sit stationary on the counter. If you don't have a rubber-bottomed bowl, you can shape a towel in a ring around the bottom of the bowl to provide traction.
Start by dissolving a little bit of salt in the vinegar. Though you can season the dressing at the end, the salt will dissolve more readily directly in the vinegar. Add a small amount of Dijon mustard, which acts as an emulsifying agent, binding together the oil and vinegar. Whisk in the mustard until well combined, then slowly pour the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly, until the dressing is blended and emulsified. If desired you can season with pepper or more salt, to taste.
Experiment with this basic vinaigrette by changing the type of oil or vinegar, or by enhancing the dressing with other ingredients like herbs, garlic, shallots or citrus zest. It can be tossed with salad greens, or drizzled over grilled vegetables, pasta salad, fish or meat to finish a dish.
Popular cuts
Finishing a dish with a chiffonade of basil or garnishing with a brunoise of red peppers are techniques that most professional chefs employ. But even in a home kitchen, knowing how to chop, dice and slice correctly speeds preparation and adds an artistic edge to even the most basic dish. Here are illustrations of some of the most popular cuts:
Crispy Chicken, Orange & Fennel Salad with Champagne-Citrus Vinaigrette
Serves 6
Techniques used: Breading; Segmenting Citrus; Making a Vinaigrette (see page F1).
- The chicken:
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper + more to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise and pounded thin into four cutlets (around 3/8-inch thick)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- The salad:
- 1 head frisee, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 head butter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 ounces loose arugula
- 1 small head fennel, halved and sliced very thin
- 3 oranges, peeled and cut into segments, 1 tablespoon juice squeezed from peel and set aside
- The vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup fruity olive oil
- -- Ground black pepper, to taste
For the chicken: Set up a breading station. On one shallow plate, combine flour with salt and pepper. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk eggs with 2 tablespoons water and the mustard. On a third plate, spread panko breadcrumbs.
Season chicken lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge one cutlet in flour, shaking off excess. Dip into egg mixture, and then coat with breadcrumbs. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot but not smoking, add the chicken. Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate covered with paper towels. You may need to do this in two batches. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch thick slices on the bias and set aside.
For the salad: Wash and dry the salad greens. On a platter, combine the greens and fennel, and gently toss in the orange segments.
For the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and reserved orange juice, and whisk in the salt to dissolve. Whisk in the mustard until combined, then, in a steady stream, slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Add black pepper to taste, and more salt if needed.
Gently toss all but about 3 tablespoons of the dressing with the salad, top with the sliced chicken, and drizzle remaining dressing over the chicken.
Per serving: 400 calories, 15 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 27 g fat (4 g saturated), 95 mg cholesterol, 707 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.
Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Plum-Madeira Pan Sauce
Serves 4
Techniques used: Browning/Searing; Making Pan Sauce.
Depending on how tart your plums are, you may need to add more or less sugar than the recipe calls for.
- 4 boneless, center-cut pork chops (thin cut, about 3/4-inch thick)
- -- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1/2 cup Madeira
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 4 plums, pitted and sliced into wedges
- 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons chiffonade of basil
Instructions: Season the chops with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot when you place your hand a few inches above the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the pork chops and sear until a golden-brown crust forms, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and cover.
Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining oil and the shallots, and saute until the shallots are softened, about 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the Madeira, making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits, or fond, on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and reduce the sauce by half, about 3 minutes. Add red wine, bring to a simmer, and continue to reduce about 5 more minutes. Add the plums and sugar as needed, and cook until the fruit is softened and the flavor has infused the sauce, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cold butter. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, add the pork chops back into the sauce, and put back on low heat. Slowly heat for at least 5 more minutes, until the meat is just cooked through to your liking.
Remove to a platter, and garnish with the basil. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 390 calories, 27 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat (6 g saturated), 94 mg cholesterol, 53 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
Coconut Custard Pie
Serves 8-10
Techniques used: Rolling Out Pie Crust; Tempering; Folding.
- The pie dough:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons cold shortening, cut into small cubes
- 3 to 4 1/2 tablespoons ice water
- -- Additional flour for rolling
- The filling:
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons rum
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut, toasted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons sugar
For the pie dough: Mix together the flour and salt in a bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and shortening, and work it into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender or pulse in the food processor until the mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring lightly with a fork or pulsing after each addition. Use enough water so the dough holds together.
Form the dough into a ball and flatten the top to form a disk. Wrap the dough completely in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is a 1/8-inch thick round that is 2 inches larger in diameter than your inverted pie pan.
Transfer the dough to the pan (see video on sfgate.com), then trim edges to make about a 1-inch overhang. Roll the edge under and crimp decoratively. Chill for at least 20 minutes before baking.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425°.
When ready to bake, line the pie dough with a piece of aluminum foil shiny-side down. Fill with dried beans, rice or pie weights. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and beans. Return the pie shell to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes longer, rotating the pan a couple of times, until evenly browned. Set aside to cool.
For the filling: In a large saucepan, whisk together the coconut milk, milk, 3/4 cup of the sugar and vanilla bean seeds and pod, and scald over medium heat. When you see small bubbles around the sides, remove pot from the heat and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Discard the vanilla bean pod.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch, rum and salt until well combined. Pour about 1 cup of the milk mixture into a liquid measuring cup, and in a very slow and steady stream, gradually whisk the hot liquid into the eggs to temper the mixture. Then, whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining milk on the stove and, continuing to whisk, heat until the whisk makes clear lines across the thickened custard and it starts to boil in large bubbles. Immediately pour into a clean bowl, and whisk in 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut and the cold butter until melted and combined.
Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. When cooled, place in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to assemble pie, whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Fold half of the whipped cream into the custard and spread into pie shell. Pipe the remaining whipped cream decoratively over the top, and garnish with remaining toasted coconut. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Per serving: 470 calories, 7 g protein, 43 g carbohydrate, 31 g fat (19 g saturated), 181 mg cholesterol, 255 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
Shrimp & Corn Chowder
Serves 6-8
Techniques used: Making a Roux; Dicing an Onion.
I like to use chicken broth and water for the soup base, but for broth with more fish flavor, substitute seafood stock or clam juice. For garnish, buy an extra handful of shrimp. Season with salt and pepper, and saute in olive oil.
- 4 ounces bacon, cut into thin slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional, if not using bacon fat)
- 2 cups chopped onion (from about 1 large onion)
- 1 cup medium diced red pepper (about 1 large pepper)
- -- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- -- Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 4 ears corn, kernels removed and divided, ears saved
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 pound shrimp (51/60 count left whole, or larger shrimp cut into medium chunks), peeled and deveined
- 1/3 cup cream
- -- Chives, for garnish
Instructions: Place bacon slices in a cold pan and turn burner to medium-low heat. Cook bacon until it's crisp and the fat has rendered, about 6-8 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel with a slotted spoon and set aside.
If you want to use the olive oil, pour the bacon fat out of the pan and add the oil. If not, leave the bacon fat in the pan.
Turn the heat to medium, and add onions and red pepper, sauteing until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits left over from the bacon, and reduce until nearly dry. Add the bay leaf, thyme, half the corn kernels, the broth and 2 cups water. Scrape any remaining pulp or juice from the stripped ears of corn into the pot as well. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer until the flavors have melded and the soup has reduced slightly, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the roux. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter until it is bubbling and foamy. Add flour all at once, whisking constantly for about 2-3 minutes, until some of the flour has been cooked out and you have a smooth, light, straw-colored paste.
When soup has finished simmering, take about 1 cup of the broth (try to get it without too many vegetables if possible) and slowly add it to the pot with the roux, whisking constantly until the roux is loosened and combined. Pour the whole mixture back into the big soup pot, and continue to whisk and cook the soup until it has thickened and the chalky taste has been cooked out, about 15 minutes.
About 5 minutes into this final cooking time, add the shrimp and the remaining corn kernels.
When finished cooking, stir in the bacon, leaving a few slices for garnish if desired. Remove from heat, stir in cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with snipped chives, remaining bacon and sauteed shrimp, if desired.
Per serving: 315 calories, 11 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat (9 g saturated), 89 mg cholesterol, 679 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.


text:
Why don't High Schools put thier former coaches and records on thier athltic pages the way colleges do?
It was be a great way to track coaching careers as well as tradition in schools vs. just having a great coach. Some places would be tough to determine since they have only had one coach in the last 30 years.
Minot High BB
Linton FB
inset living legend here.
Also it would be great to find out what has happened to these guys/gals.
What ever happened to the Napolean coach from the BB team that went to state.
I was in Fargo area during the flood Hillsboro had very good girls programs, who was the track coach, VB coach and BB coach during those years or was it just a good group of girls?

subset: commoncrawl


text: Part of the original lineup of the superstar group Destiny's Child, LeToya Luckett, who as a solo artist chose to go by her first name only, didn't just sit around after she and Latavia Roberson left the group shortly after the release of 1999's The Writing's on the Wall (neither singer was seen in the "Say My Name" video, which came as a surprise to both of them). She started up another group with Roberson, Anjel, which dissolved before a record ever came out, opened up an upscale boutique in her hometown of Houston, TX, and lived briefly in Los Angeles, where she signed to Capitol in 2003. Her first promotional single, "U Got What I Need," was released in 2004, followed the next year by "All Eyes on Me" (that same year LeToya also appeared on the Coach Carter soundtrack with her song "What Love Can Do"). In the spring of 2006 "Torn" hit radios, eventually reaching number two on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and in July her self-titled debut -- which contained all of the singles she had previously released -- finally came out. Her second album, Lady Love, followed in August 2009, featuring collaborations with Ryan Leslie, Ne-Yo, and Estelle. ~ Marisa Brown, Rovi


text:
The Indianapolis Colts were cruising at 12-0 and had tied New England's recently-established record of 21 consecutive regular season wins as they hosted the Denver Broncos on December 13, 2009. There had been no drop in performance under Jim Caldwell, in his first year as head coach in place of Tony Dungy. The Colts had now won at least 12 games in seven straight seasons and were on their way to reaching the postseason for the eighth time in a row. The key to the offense was still 33-year-old QB Peyton Manning (pictured above), in the 12th year of his outstanding career, and he had a fine stable of receivers in TE Dallas Clark and wide receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie. The ground game was not as formidable as the passing attack, although RB Joseph Addai was capable as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield.
Denver, also under a first-year head coach in fiery Josh McDaniels, had gotten off to a surprising 6-0 start before losing four straight. The Broncos had recovered to win their last two games and were 8-4 heading into the game in Indianapolis. Star WR Brandon Marshall had clashed with Coach McDaniels but was the primary target for capable QB Kyle Orton.
There was a crowd of 67,248 at Lucas Oil Field. The Colts had first possession and drove 70 yards in 13 plays, starting with Manning throwing to Pierre Garcon for a 29-yard gain. It was the first of six straight completions and eight in all that ended up with a five-yard scoring pass to Austin Collie. Following a three-and-out series by the Broncos, Indianapolis drove to another score. This time it took seven plays to go 56 yards, highlighted by a Manning throw to Joseph Addai that picked up 25 yards. Dallas Clark (pictured below) caught a 10-yard pass for a TD and, with another successful extra point, it was 14-0 in favor of the Colts.
In the second quarter, Indianapolis put together another long scoring drive. Along the way, the Colts converted a fourth-and-four situation with a Manning pass to Clark for 22 yards and the 11-play, 71-yard series ended with Manning's third touchdown pass, again to Clark from a yard out.
Down by 21-0 and being dominated by the Colts, the Broncos finally put together a scoring drive of their own. Five of Kyle Orton's pass completions were to Brandon Marshall, including two that converted third downs and the last one for a five-yard TD. The tally remained at 21-7 at the half.
The teams traded punts to start the third quarter until Manning was intercepted for the second time by FS Brian Dawkins, who had picked off a pass late in the second quarter. The turnover gave Denver good field position at the Indianapolis 37, but after advancing to the 20 Orton was intercepted by DB Tim Jennings to end the threat. After a short series by the Colts that ended with a punt, the Broncos again drove into Indianapolis territory but Matt Prater's 42-yard field goal attempt was wide to the left.
On the next play, Manning, who had tossed the three early scoring passes, was picked off for the third time. On this occasion it was safety Darcel McBath giving the Broncos the ball at the Indianapolis 24, and as the period ended Denver was at the ten. The drive stalled there and on the second play of the fourth quarter Prater kicked a 28-yard field goal to cut the Indianapolis margin to 21-10.
Once more the Colts were unable to move on offense, with Manning tossing three incomplete passes. The ensuing punt gave the Broncos the ball at their 32 and they moved methodically down the field. Except for a throw to WR Jabar Gaffney for a 20-yard gain, all of Orton's pass completions were to Marshall, again including a TD pass from five yards out. Denver attempted a two-point conversion to try and make it a three-point game, but RB Knowshon Moreno couldn't reach the end zone and the tally stayed at 21-16.
With the momentum against them, the Colts finally came back alive on offense. Manning completed a pass to Collie for 23 yards in a third-and-20 situation and, two plays later, connected with Reggie Wayne for 20 yards on a second-and-11 play. The 80-yard drive took 14 plays, used up over seven minutes, and ended with Manning throwing to Clark for a one-yard touchdown that put the game away. The Broncos ran out of downs on their last, desperate possession, with a seven-yard completion to Marshall giving him a record 21 for the day. The Colts won by a final score of 28-16.
The Broncos had the edge in total yards (357 to 312) and time of possession (31:27 to 28:33) although Indianapolis had more first downs (21 to 20). The Colts hurt themselves with three turnovers, to one suffered by the Broncos.
Peyton Manning's statistics reflected his up-and-down performance as he completed 20 of 42 passes for 220 yards with four touchdowns but also three interceptions – the most he had thrown in a game in over two years. Joseph Addai rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries and led the team in pass receiving with 5 catches for 49 yards, although Dallas Clark was the more effective receiver with his 5 catches for 43 yards that included three TDs.
For the Broncos, Brandon Marshall (pictured below) was the big story with his 21 pass receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Kyle Orton was successful on 29 of 41 throws – only eight of which went to a receiver other than Marshall – for 277 yards and two TDs with one interception. Knowshon Moreno gained 63 yards on 23 rushing attempts.
"I thought Denver made some big plays, and we had some bad luck with bouncing balls there," said Peyton Manning. "We kind of weathered the storm, and the defense did a great job. So it was kind of two different games in terms of momentum, but fortunately we finished on a high note."
The 22nd straight regular season win set a new NFL record and was extended to 23 before the Colts finally lost a game. They ended up topping the AFC South at 14-2 and advancing to the Super Bowl where they lost to the Saints. Denver lost its remaining games to finish second in the AFC West with a disappointing 8-8 record and out of the playoffs.
Peyton Manning received MVP honors from the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers while also gaining selection to the Pro Bowl for the tenth time in his illustrious career. He ranked second in the NFL in pass attempts (571), completions (393), completion percentage (68.8), yards (4500), and TD passes (33, tied with Minnesota's Brett Favre).
Brandon Marshall, who broke the record of 20 catches in a game by Terrell Owens of the 49ers in 2000, tied for third in the league with 101 catches (along with Houston's Andre Johnson), which was one more reception than Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, who each caught 100. He gained 1120 yards and caught 10 touchdown passes and was named to his second straight Pro Bowl – but was dealt to Miami in the offseason.


text:
Maayan Ziv via Crowdrise
May 08, 2012
ORGANIZER: Sophia
EVENT: Philadelphia Girl Scouts
I am so pumped about raising money for this awesome cause.
I am going to give up dessert for a week to try and fundraise as much as I can!
Friends and family, back me up and help support Pencils of Promise!!!
Thank you so much!
Sophia Bush wrote -
2 Dell laptops to give away!
Donate $26 or more by May 10th and be entered to win one.
Become a fundraiser and raise the most of all the 5 Charities by May 10th and you will win one laptop.
Good luck and thanks for being a part of this.
At Pencils of Promise they focus on building strong structures and sustainable education programs. By forming long-lasting, collaborative relationships with communities, they increase access to quality education and positively impact students and parents in high-need communities throughout Laos, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
From the beginning, they work with the villages so that they have a greater sense of ownership over their school. They also use local materials, driving the local economy and ensuring that the structures we build are high quality, affordable, and designed with appropriate consideration for local geographies and culture.
They design PoP involvement to be 100% sustainable. From day one, they ensure that the village views the school as theirs and takes ownership of its ongoing maintenance and support. Beyond building a school, they also offer the following education programs to our communities.
PoP provides its local staff with professional development training to empower staff members (many of whom are females and minorities) to grow as professionals and take on leadership and mentorship roles. To learn more about a few of the 40+ the inspiring local women and men who develop and execute their programs on the ground.
Thanks so much for your support.
Rules – Donate $26 or more for a chance to win an Ultrabook
Rules – Raise the most to win an Ultrabook


text:
Renting a Moving TruckJanuary 29, 2018 12:00 am
When moving into a new home, transporting your items from your old house to your new home can be a major factor, and hiring movers to do this job may become pricey. If you are considering moving your belongings yourself, here are a few tips to help make renting a moving truck a simple process:
Decide on the size you will need – Most rental truck companies can help you determine which size truck you need based on your estimate of the amount of items you will be moving or the number of rooms in your current home.
Plan and compare prices – Moving truck prices fluctuate much like airline prices; they vary based on time of year and demand. Once you have chosen the target timeframe for your move, compare prices from several rental truck providers as well as home improvement stores, and play around with the dates to find the best rate. For example, moving midweek rather than over the weekend may lower your rental cost. Also, many renters may be trying to move on the 15th or end of the month, so peak pricing may be in effect.
Factor in additional fees – In addition to a moving truck, consider if you will need items such as handcarts or furniture pads. Many moving truck companies will provide rental of these items but at an additional cost. You may want to ask friends or family if they have these items that you can borrow or price them separately.
Inquire about insurance – Check with your insurance provider to see if they offer any coverage for the rental of your moving truck or your belongings during the move. If not, purchasing the insurance option is always a wise investment. While we hope that everything will go smoothly, it is important to be prepared.
For more information about comparing moving truck rentals and pricing, click here.Moving


text:
With it the message: "Pastor in Bears parking lot." I fumbled around furiously with my keypad: "34443-0-99988666-0-3328-0-444811111". For those of you operating with phones in which you do not have to meticulously thumb through a numeric keypad (I also used a rotary phone until 1998), my message read: "Did you eat that?" The response was negative, but he did report that in addition to the best tailgating food a man could ever want was a stripper pole. And a DJ. That, if you are wondering, is hilarious.
While stripper poles and football are not everyone's cup of tea (I prefer foul poles and baseball), one has to respect (respect is not the right word) the dazzling, overboard display of fans like this. This was opening day at Soldier Field. How did Denver do? Anyone seen any Pastor spits yet? I might become a football fan yet.


text:
Kohler Co., the worldwide leader in plumbing products & fixtures. Kohler understands that each customer has a unique definition of the perfect faucet. That's why their faucets are offered in a variety of handcrafted styles, colors and finishes. Whether the kitchen or bathroom decor reflects a traditional, modern or contemporary aesthetic, Kohler provides exceptional design solutions to accommodate individual preferences. Kohler offers a wide selection of Kitchen Faucets, Bathroom Faucets and Bar/Prep Faucets in an array of finishes including Polished Chrome, Brushed Nickel, Brushed Bronze, Brushed Chrome, Polished Nickel and Brazen Bronze.
Kohler also produces a wide variety of sinks for the Kitchen or Bath including Stainless Steel, Apron Front, Cast Iron, Undermount, Vessel and Bar/Prep Sinks. Whether you're looking for Soaking Bath Tubs, Jetted Whirlpool Tubs, Toilets or Bidets, Kohler has what you're looking for in styles and finishes that complement any style.
Kohler products offer intrinsic quality born of tradition. Skills passed down through generations combined with innovative techniques and timeless design to establish the enduring character for which Kohler is known. There is no substitute for the reliable performance ensured by our ceramic disc valving or the authentic beauty of our hand-brushed faucet finishes. This experience is bold. This experience is art.


text:
PF Louis
Natural News
October 13, 2013
Finally, though too late, the chickens have come home to roost for many Obama supporters and apologists.
It isn't from the endless invasions and occupations, Wall Street bailouts, drones, increased gestapo security measures, NSA or several other corrupt episodes swept into the memory holes of mainstream media.
Nope. The wake-up call that has many on the other side of the aisle saying "I told you so" is Obama's "Affordable Care Act" insurance premium price hikes for those whose private plans are now more expensive than before.
Already, there have been several reports of tremendous premium hikes from Obama supporters upon enrolling for Obamacare, even though they haven't had major health issues or medical care. They are truly shocked.
A few sample horror stories
The San Francisco Bay Area is a liberal strong-hold. But the San Francisco Chronicle came out recently with the headline "Health Insurance Shoppers Suffer Sticker Shock."
One example they cited was SF Bay Area resident 47-year-old Shelley Ross, self employed, who was looking forward to getting a better deal through Obamacare. After registering, she lamented that "every plan is going to cost more than what I pay now, and what I pay now is ridiculous."
Another San Francisco resident, 63-year-old John Lonergan lost his reasonably priced Kaiser Permanente plan, because it can't comply to Obamacare mandates. In order to maintain the same level of coverage with Obamacare that he had with Kaiser, his annual premium cost will increase by over $3,600.
In nearby San Jose, California, the San Jose Mercury News reported, "Like many other Bay Area residents who pay for their own medical insurance, they were floored last week when they opened their bills."
This paper featured Cindy Vinson's and Tom Waschura's sticker shock. Both are Obama supporters. Vinson's annual premium bill went up $1,800, and Waschura's annual premium spiked incredibly to $10,000 over what he was accustomed to paying.
Cindy Vinson explained that she's in favor of everyone having coverage, but "[she] didn't expect to be the one paying for it personally." Waschura told the Mercury News, "I really don't like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this."
The Christian Science Monitor reported a case where the cost increase of $8900 annually for North Carolina couple Michael Yount and his wife has them considering going without health insurance.
The Younts need to be alerted about those tax penalties for not complying with their unaffordable Affordable Care Act coverage, which can be enforced by the IRS with their tyrannical police powers.
Are there real options or is it catch-22 forever?
San Francisco health insurance agent, Jeff Sher, who ironically does conceptually favor a universal plan, pointed out that the Affordable Care Act may help those whose incomes are low enough to warrant subsidies, but most will suffer higher prices from this "horribly complex and ill-designed system."
To consider options, it's wise to drop the foolish left-right political schism meant to keep us arguing while politicians deceive us. Both sides of the aisle house the same monster that really only wants to feed itself by catering to the so-called one percent.
So why should people go bankrupt over medical bills? And why must only the most monopolistic, dangerous and least effective medical system take the spotlight with oncologists making up to a half-million per year poisoning patients, often making them die faster than cancer can kill them?
Until a single payer-system with minimal bureaucratic complexity and overhead allows individuals coverage for so-called "alternative" medical practices instead of catering to the Medical Mafia's excessive profit monopoly, it will be catch-22 forever.
Sources for this article include:
Our Christmas in July sale is now live! Get up to 60% off on our hottest products today!


text:
Chadian troops secure Kidal as global players meet on Mali
[Dawn] Chadian troops swarmed into the desert town of Kidal in northeastern Mali on Tuesday, securing the last militant bastion as global players met in Brussels to carve out a path back to stability for the troubled west African nation.
The French defence ministry said 1,800 Chadian troops had entered Kidal to "secure" the Saharan outpost, after days of air strikes in the surrounding mountains where extremist insurgents are believed to be hiding in hillside caves.
"The French are controlling the airport with the back-up of two paratrooper units," a ministry official said, adding that nearly 4,000 French troops were now on the ground in its former west African colony.
The official said French air strikes had hit 25 targets in recent days, "mainly logistical depots and training centres" in the areas of Aguelhok and Tessalit, near the Algerian border.
French-led forces have driven out the extremist fighters, who had controlled the north for 10 months, from their key strongholds in Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal after sweeping to Mali's aid on January 11 to stop the rebels from advancing on the capital Bamako.
The rebels melted away into the Adrar des Ifoghas massif around Kidal, a craggy mountain landscape honeycombed with caves where they are believed to be holding seven French hostages kidnapped in Mali and Niger in 2011 and 2012.
Dozens of French warplanes have carried out air strikes in recent days on rebel training and logistics centres in the region, near the Algerian border and some 1,500 kilometres northeast of Bamako.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday the strikes were aimed at blocking the rebels' supply routes to flush them out.
Some 600 French troops based in the fabled city of Timbuktu prepared to withdraw on Tuesday, crossing the Niger River and making their way to Gao before heading to Kidal, a military source told AFP.
On Monday Fabius said France was working to "very quickly" withdraw its forces from Timbuktu and hand the baton over to African troops.
In Brussels, global players met to carve out plans for Mali's future once the 26-day-old offensive draws to an end.
"When a state falls apart it takes time to put it together again, like Humpty Dumpty," a European Union official said on condition of anonymity. "It's going to take years to achieve the end outcome. But I hope it will only take months to achieve a secure enough environment."
Posted by: Fred 2013-02-06


text:
The Industry Responds To Pimp Cs Atlanta Comments
Cheddar DVD Speaks To Several Rappers From The South About Pimp Cs Comments Regarding Atlantas Placement In The South Before He Passed&IP=18.104.22.168
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
This food of the Goddesses is a one of a kind treat. This is raw organic Cacao beans (raw chocolate, fermented). Chocolate is made from cacao beans. Now you can eat raw chocolate, make raw food delights and frozen chocolate shakes. Have a chocolate party.
The Cacao tree shares a wide array of unique properties. Chocolate and cacao are often associated with love.
The cacao tastes similar to, yet better than, unsweetened bakers chocolate. A sweetener is often used like raw organic agave nectar in conjunction with your raw treat ingredients. A great chocolate dairy free shake consists of water, cacao, agave nectar, ice and macadamia nuts. Blend the cacao with the water and agave until smooth. Next add ice and quickly blend to crush ice into a slurry. Now get crazy.
What do I do with cacao beans?
*Peel the cacao beans with your fingers and fingernails or a small paring knife, rinse if desired.
Now there are many things to do (be the star of your next potluck):
* Eat them plain, chewing and experiencing the taste
* Add to your fruit, nut or coconut based smoothie
* Dip in Raw Agave Nectar and then in Maca for a Saturday night party treat
* Freeze them with agave and enjoy a frozen treat
* Creativity abounds in raw brownies or a raw chocolate pecan pie
Warning! Eating cacao may cause you to have an incredible day.
Recipe - Goddess Divanna
Blend 20 peeled cacao beans with 1 cup water, 3 tablespoons agave nectar, 1 teaspoon mesquite, 20 macadamia nuts, and 1 banana until smooth. Now add 2 cups of ice and 1 cup more water and blend into a slurry. Share with two friends.
Special Notes:
- Refrigeration of these cacao beans is not required, although recommended for optimum freshness.
- These extremely high quality beans are Organic, raw cacao beans and exclusively sold in the United States by only a very few vendors.
- Be extremely aware of other cacao beans and nibs available on the world market because they are typically heated, fumigated and are contaminated by bacteria and fungus. We have purchased some of these beans and have not been satisfied with the quality, so we are only offering beans from a limited number of suppliers at this time. The BEST BEAN we can find.
Copyright © 2020 Natural Zing's Raw Food StorePowered by osCommerce


text:
Cardamom Ellataria
This aromatic spice, a popular member of the ginger family has long been used in cooking and herbal medicine.
An organic project in Guatemala cultivates our cardamom pods in semi-wild conditions under the canopy of the verdant tropical forest.
Organic cardamom is so valuable that the farmers call it green gold. It's packed with an uplifting essential oil that we do everything we can to protect in its safe, green pod.
In Ayurveda, cardamom possesses a warming and drying quality perfect for adding aromatic spice to our Detox, Revitailse, Relax, After Dinner and Licorice and Cinnamon tea blends.


text:
London Police Ban on Extinction Rebellion Ruled 'Unlawful'
The Metropolitan Police's decision to ban Extinction Rebellion from London last month was "unlawful," the city's high court ruled Wednesday, as CNN reported.
The police imposed the ban Oct. 14 for the last four days of Extinction Rebellion's two-week "Autumn Uprising," a campaign of civil disobedience in London intended to pressure the government into action on the climate crisis.
"Extinction Rebellion is delighted with the Court's decision," Tobias Garnett, a human rights lawyer in Extinction Rebellion's Legal Strategy team, said in an Extinction Rebellion press release. "It vindicates our belief that the Police's blanket ban on our protests was an unprecedented and unlawful infringement on the right to protest. Rather than wasting its time and money seeking to silence and criminalise those who are drawing its attention to the Climate and Ecological Emergency, we call on the Government to act now on the biggest threat to our planet."
More than 400 @XRebellionUK activists unlawfully arrested for assembling (a human right) could sue the Met Police f… https://t.co/XDTKvg7OY1— Extinction Rebellion London (@Extinction Rebellion London)1573047748.0
The police had issued the ban under Section 14 of the Public Order Act of 1986, which grants them the power to impose restrictions on assemblies that "may result in serious public disorder." But the court ruled that the police had overstepped their authority by banning a series of protests as if they were a single assembly.
"Separate gatherings, separated both in time and by many miles, even if coordinated under the umbrella of one body, are not a public assembly within the meaning of the Section 14 of the 1986 Act," Lord Justice Digemans said, according to CNN. "The XR autumn uprising intended to be held from October 14 to 19 was not therefore a public assembly ... therefore the decision to impose the condition was unlawful because there was no power to impose it under Section 14 of the 1986 Act."
Here is the crucial section of the judgement: https://t.co/LxNJsE8YQc— George Monbiot (@George Monbiot)1573036583.0
Anyone who was arrested under the ban may now sue the London police for false imprisonment, The Guardian pointed out.
"It's a very expensive mistake for the Metropolitan police," Jules Carey, part of the legal team that brought the case, told The Guardian. "I'm sure most of them would want to start off with an apology for the ordeal that they experienced, but all of them could potentially be awarded several thousands of pounds depending on how long they were arrested for and whether force was used against them."
More than 1,800 people were arrested during the two-week protests, CNN reported, and 400 were arrested after the ban.
The judicial review of the police order was brought by Green Party Members Jenny Jones, Caroline Lucas and Ellie Chowns, Labour Members of Parliament Clive Lewis and David Drew, Labour activist Adam Allnutt and Guardian columnist George Monbiot.
Chowns, a Member of European Parliament who was arrested for remaining in Trafalgar Square after the ban was announced, applauded the ruling.
"I'm delighted with this judgement because this is about fundamental democratic rights. The right to assembly and public protest are cornerstones of a functioning democracy," she said in a video shared on her Twitter feed. "Now Extinction Rebellion protesters have been raising the alarm about the climate crisis. We need to listen to that alarm, not outlaw it."
In Trafalgar Square at the place where I was unlawfully arrested three weeks ago for defending the right to protest… https://t.co/YveTsHcP5r— Ellie Chowns MEP (@Ellie Chowns MEP)1573048937.0
Extinction Rebellion launched in the UK in late October of last year and has since spread worldwide. In the UK, the group has three demands: that the government declare a climate emergency, that it act to halt biodiversity loss and achieve carbon neutrality by 2025 and that it convene a Citizens' Assembly to guide its actions on the environment.
The group's London demonstrations in October cost the police $31 million, according to CNN. For comparison, the police spend £15 million (approximately $19 million) on their violent crime task force every year.
"After eight days of continual disruption we took the decision to bring an end to this particular protest, a decision which we believe was both reasonable and proportionate," Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said in a statement reported by CNN. "I want to be clear; we would not and cannot ban protest. The condition at the center of this ruling was specific to this particular protest, in the particular circumstances at the time."
In court, it was revealed that the police ban followed an online message from Extinction Rebellion urging protesters to adopt the "be water" tactics used by demonstrators in Hong Kong, BBC News reported.
"Be water, crowds split up into fast moving groups and pairs, that network via phones," the message said. "You gather at particular spots in large numbers, until the police response building then you move to a new disruptive site."
BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said the ruling would make it hard for the police to control similar protests in the future:
Today's High Court ruling takes away from officers the ability to impose a city-wide ban of future protests, which means demonstrators wanting to be "like water" - where they split into fast-moving groups - will be difficult to control if they are trying to disrupt a whole city.
So police will have to deal with what is in front of them.
If a specific protest in a specific place gets out of hand they will be able to close it down, but it will have to be a decision made by an officer on the spot, and not by someone sitting in a police station worrying about what protests may happen the next day.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Beaches Closing for July 4 Weekend Due to COVID-19 Surges
Independence Day weekend is a busy time for coastal communities as people flock to the beaches to soak up the sun during the summer holiday. This year is different. Some of the country's most popular beach destinations in Florida and California have decided to close their beaches to stop the surge in coronavirus cases.
- The U.S. Isn't in a Second Wave of Coronavirus – The First Wave ... ›
- COVID-19 Masks Are Polluting Beaches and Oceans - EcoWatch ›
- No Social Distancing or Mask Requirement at Trump's Mt ... ›
- Trump's Fireworks Show at Mt. Rushmore Is a Dangerous Idea, Fire ... ›
Fireworks Can Trigger PTSD. Here's How to Be Considerate While Celebrating July 4th at Home
For some combat veterans, the Fourth of July is not a time to celebrate the independence of the country they love. Instead, the holiday is a terrifying ordeal. That's because the noise of fireworks – loud, sudden, and reminiscent of war – rocks their nervous system. Daily fireworks in many U.S. cities in recent weeks have no doubt been interfering with the sleep and peace of mind of thousands of veterans.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD can occur when someone is exposed to extreme exposure traumatic experience. Typically, the trauma involves a threat of death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Along with war veterans, it happens to refugees; to victims of gun violence, rape and other physical assaults; and to survivors of car accidents and natural disasters like earthquakes or tornadoes.

PTSD can also happen by witnessing trauma or its aftermath, often the case with first responders and front-line workers.

All this adds up to tens of millions of Americans. Up to 30% of combat veterans and first responders, and 8% of civilians, fulfill the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. And that criteria is not easily met: symptoms of PTSD include nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive trauma memories, difficulty sleeping, avoidance of reminders of trauma, negative emotions, and what we call "hyperarousal symptoms."

Fireworks Can Trigger Flashbacks
Hyperarousal, a core component of PTSD, occurs when a person is hyper-alert to any sign of threat – constantly on edge, easily startled and continuously screening the environment.

Imagine, for instance, stepping down the stairs in the dark after hearing a noise; you're worried an intruder might be downstairs. Then a totally unpredictable loud sound explodes right outside your window.

For people with PTSD, that sound – reminiscent of gunfire, a thunderstorm or a car crash – can cause a panic attack or trigger flashbacks, a sensory experience that makes it seem as if the old trauma is happening here and now. Flashbacks can be so severe that combat veterans may suddenly drop to the ground, the same way they would when an explosion took place in combat. Later, the experience can trigger nightmares, insomnia or worsening of other PTSD symptoms.

Those of us who set off fireworks need to ask ourselves: Are those few minutes of fun worth the hours, days, or weeks of torment that will begin for some of our friends and neighbors – including many who put their lives on the line to protect us?

Who Else Is Affected?
Millions of others, though not diagnosed with PTSD, may similarly be affected by fireworks. One in five Americans have an anxiety disorder, many with symptoms of hyperarousal. Also impacted are those with autism or developmental disabilities; they find it difficult to cope with the noise, or just the drastic change from life routines. Then there are people who have to work, holiday or not: nurses, physicians and first responders, who have to be up at 4 a.m. for a 30-hour shift.

How to Reduce the Negative Impact

There are ways to reduce how fireworks affect others:

For those with PTSD, the unexpected nature of fireworks is probably the worst part. So at least make it as predictable as possible. Do it in designated areas during designated times. Don't explode one, for instance, two hours after the designated time window. And avoid setting them off on the 3rd. People are less prepared then.

If you're aware that a veteran or trauma survivor lives in the neighborhood, move the noise as far as possible from their home and give them prior warning. Consider putting a sign in your front yard noting the time you'll set the fireworks.

Remember, it doesn't have to be super loud to make it fun. Consider using silent fireworks. And you don't have to be the one who lights the fireworks. Simply enjoy watching while your city or township does it safely.

- 4 Ways Acupuncture Helps Restore Balance to the Body - EcoWatch ›
- Why Can't Veterans Get Medical Marijiuana for PTSD When People ... ›
Koalas Face Extinction in Next 30 Years Without Urgent Intervention, Report Warns
Koala populations across parts of Australia are on track to become extinct before 2050 unless "urgent government intervention" occurs, warns a year-long inquiry into Australia's "most loved animal." The report published by the Parliament of New South Wales (NSW) paints a "stark and depressing snapshot" of koalas in Australia's southeastern state.
- First Koalas Rescued From Bushfires Returned to the Wild - EcoWatch ›
- Koalas Found 'Massacred' at Logging Site - EcoWatch ›
- Koalas Become 'Functionally Extinct' in Australia With Just 80000 Left ›
- Koalas Face Extinction Threat After Wildfires: New Report - EcoWatch ›
Are New Extreme Global Warming Projections Correct?
By Jeff Berardelli
For the past year, some of the most up-to-date computer models from the world's top climate modeling groups have been "running hot" – projecting that global warming may be even more extreme than earlier thought. Data from some of the model runs has been confounding scientists because it challenges decades of consistent projections.
International Effort to Evaluate Climate Models
For the past 25 years the international community has been evaluating and comparing the world's most sophisticated climate models produced by various teams at universities, research centers, and government agencies. The effort is organized by the World Climate Research Programme under the United Nations World Meteorological Organization.

Climate models are complicated computer programs composed of millions of lines of code that calculate the physical properties and interactions between the main climate forces like the atmosphere, oceans, and solar input. But models also go a lot further, incorporating other systems like ice sheets, forests, and the biosphere, to name a few. The models are then used to simulate the real-world climate system and project how certain changes, like added pollution or land-use changes, will alter the climate.

Every few years there is a new comprehensive international evaluation called the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). In the sixth such effort, known as CMIP6 and now under way, experts are reviewing about 100 models.

Information gleaned from this effort will act as a scientific foundation for the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) next major assessment report, scheduled for release in 2021. The goal of the report – the sixth in 30 years – is to inform the international community about how much the climate has changed, and, importantly, how much change can be expected in coming decades.

A Conundrum Emerges
Over the past year, the CMIP6 collection of models being reviewed threw researchers an unexpected curveball: a significant number of the climate model runs showed substantially more global warming than previous model versions had projected. If accurate, the international climate goals would be nearly impossible to achieve, and there would be significantly more extreme impacts worldwide.

A foundational experiment in every report addresses "sensitivity": If you double levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) that were in the air before the Industrial Revolution, how much warming do the models show? This doubling is not expected for a few more decades, but it is a quick way to communicate the critical role of greenhouse gases in changing the climate.

The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by 35% since the 1800s because of the burning of fossil fuels. As a result, global temperatures have already increased by more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the first IPCC assessment report, published in 1990, the answer to that question about the impact of doubling carbon dioxide gave a fairly wide range of results – between 2.7-8 degrees F of global warming. Since then, four more assessments issued six to seven years apart reached nearly the exact same conclusion on sensitivity.

But that sensitivity may, for the first time, change significantly in next year's assessment. Why? Because starting last year, numerous models in the CMIP6 collection displayed even bigger spikes in temperature upon doubling of CO2 concentrations. We're in serious trouble if the climate sensitivity falls in the mid or upper range of the previous assessments. But if the new, higher estimates are correct, the impacts on civilization would be catastrophic.

In the above CarbonBrief interactive visualization, the bars offer a comparison in the range of sensitivity in the CMIP5 models (gray) and CMIP6 models (blue).
New and Encouraging Evidence Is Emerging
At first, scientists were uncertain whether the new model runs were on to something, so the international modeling community dug in to produce multiple studies. The results are not yet conclusive, but a gradual collective sigh of relief seems to be materializing.

"Evidence is emerging from multiple directions that the models which show the greatest warming in the CMIP6 ensemble are likely too warm," explains Dr. Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

For example, a study released April 28 evaluated the past performance of the models making up the CMIP6 ensemble. The team assigned weights to each model based upon historical performance of their warming projections, weighing the poorer performing models less. By doing so, both the mean warming and the range of warming scenarios in the CMIP6 ensemble decreased, meaning the warmest models were the ones with weaker historical performance. This result supports a finding that a subset of the models are too warm.

That conclusion is supported by another new study evaluating one particular model – the Community Earth System Model (CESM2) – that showed greater warming. Using that model, the researchers simulated the climate in the early Eocene era, about 50 million years ago, when rainforests thrived in the Arctic and Antarctic. The CESM2 simulated a historical climate that seems way too warm compared with what is known about that era from geological data, indicating that the model is likely also too warm in its future projections.

Two other recent studies of the CMIP6 models being evaluated use clever analysis methods to narrow the range of future warming projections and also reduce the projected warming of the CMIP6 models by 10 to 15%.

Through the intensive research spurred by the CMIP6 climate-sensitivity curveball, scientists have been able to turn a confounding challenge into a confidence builder, providing even greater certainty than they had before in both the abilities of the climate science community and in the computer models used. Moreover, the experience has helped unearth uncertainties remaining in the modeling process.

Experts conclude much of this uncertainty probably lies in the complexity of clouds. "We have been looking as a community at why the models with greater warming are doing what they are doing – and it's tied to cloud feedbacks in the southern mid-latitudes mostly," explains Schmidt.

In fact, a new study addressing the increased sensitivity was published in Science Advances stating, "Cloud feedbacks and cloud-aerosol interactions are the most likely contributors to the high values and increased range of ECS [sensitivity] in CMIP6."

Understanding the Complexity of Clouds
It's long been known in climate modeling circles that cloud processes and interactions are a potential weak link for climate modeling. That reality has been brought front and center by the urgent challenges posed during this CMIP6 evaluation period, but the current evaluation of models also provides an opportunity for discovery and improvement.

Cloud complexity comes from the reality that clouds have a multitude of sizes, altitudes, and textures. Some clouds cool Earth by providing shade, reflecting sunlight back into space. Others act like a blanket, trapping heat and warming the world.

Given that about 70% of the globe is covered by clouds at any given time, it's no surprise that they play an integral role in regulating the climate. The challenge is to figure out which types of clouds will increase, which will decrease, and what the net effect will be on cooling or warming as the climate changes.

One study last year reached an alarming conclusion: Left unchecked, the release of CO2 into the atmosphere may lead to a tipping point where shallow low clouds disappear – leading to runaway, catastrophic warming of nearly 15 degrees F. While scientists see that outcome as only a remote possibility, it drives home the urgent need to better understand clouds.

"We have a saying at NOAA: It isn't rocket science – it's much, much harder than that," quips Dr. Chris Fairall, ATOMIC's lead investigator. "One of the major problems for modeling is there is not clean separation of scales." The photo below is one that Fairall took from the NOAA P-3 aircraft.

Investigating the Secrets of Clouds
To address the urgent question about the dynamics and role of clouds in a warming world, NOAA and European partners launched their ongoing research effort unprecedented in scale. The U.S. contribution, ATOMIC – short for Atlantic Tradewind Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Interaction Campaign – is an international science mission that was featured recently on "CBS This Morning: Saturday."

- New Climate Study: Most Severe Warming Projections Are Now the ... ›
- 7 of the Best New Documentaries About Global Warming - EcoWatch ›
- What's in a Name? Global Warming vs. Climate Change in the Eyes ... ›
The Climate Emergency Won't Wait for the Press to Play Catch-Up Again
To hear many journalists tell it, the spring of 2020 has brought a series of extraordinary revelations. Look at what the nation has learned: That our health-care system was not remotely up to the challenge of a deadly pandemic. That our economic safety net was largely nonexistent. That our vulnerability to disease and death was directly tied to our race and where we live. That our political leadership sowed misinformation that left people dead. That systemic racism and the killing of Black people by police is undiminished, despite decades of protest and so many Black lives lost.
- Climate Crisis Brings India's Worst Locust Invasion in Decades ... ›
- Climate Crisis Made Australia's Historic Wildfires at Least 30% More ... ›
- 4 Climate Crisis Solutions No One Is Talking About - EcoWatch ›
'Sharpiegate': Commerce Department Blocks Release of Inspector General's Report
- Top Government Scientist Transferred After Questioning Trump ... ›
- Trump Admin Manipulated Wildfire Science to Encourage Logging ... ›
- NOAA Officials Backed Trump's False Dorian Claims Under Threat ... ›
- Coronavirus and the Terrifying Muzzling of Public Health Experts ... ›
- 'Science Under Siege' From Trump Admin: New Report Warns We ... ›
In 'Conservation Disaster,' Hundreds of Botswana's Elephants Are Dying From Mysterious Cause
More than 350 elephants have died in Botswana since May, and no one knows why.
- Botswana Auctions Off First Licenses to Kill Elephants Since Ending ... ›
- 'Heartbreaking' Vulture Poisoning in South Africa Raises Alarm ... ›


text:
Please use this thread to discuss all feasible off-season related topics including
(but not limited to) potential trades, free agency and more. This thread is intended to
discuss the New York Rangers off-season, though other team information (that is
relevant to the Rangers) like potential trade candidates can be posted here as well.
This thread is not designed for trade proposals. Please do not post them here unless
they are specific to an existing rumor or report.
This thread will be updated regularly between now and July 1st, as well as into the
off-season months in the event major names are still available on the board (so to speak).
Dates to Remember:
NHL Draft Lottery April 28th
NHL Entry Draft June 22nd, 23rd
Free Agent Signing Period Begins July 1st
Buyout Window TBD


text:
- 4k optical 6 x zoom lens
- 12MP high sensitivity sensor for 4k security camera
- High resolution, more than 2000TV lines
- Smart IR-LED for visibility in any light condition
- 4K ultra engine
- Smart DoF (Depth of Field)
Introducing Panasonic's brand new ultra-high-definition WV-SPV781LPJ 4k security camera, which provides the crisp and clearest images ever experienced. It is vandal proof and packed with a multitude of ground breaking features. This outdoor 4K security camera offers extremely high picture quality, with 1/7th the file size of other 4K cameras thanks to our compression technology. We understand the importance of wide angle viewing through HD cameras, and have ensured that our True 4K security cameras maintain crisp clarity in any area of their view.
The 1/1.7" sensor located within the camera, in combination with the Panasonic True 4K F1.6 lens achieves low light performance at just 0.3lx in colour, 0.03lx in black and white mode or 0lux through the smart IR-LED function, being highly sensitive compared to competing 4K class surveillance cameras.
Virtual PTZ operation allows the user crop certain areas in the camera view whilst still recording the whole area, so no event is missed in mission critical applications.
The WV-SFV781L 4K camera also provides 17° to 96° horizontal angular field of view with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 17.0° to 100° horizontal angular of view with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The WV-SFV781L and WV-SPV781LPJ are also weather and impact resistant with IP66-, NEMA4x- and IK10-ratings.
The camera's rain wash coating allows for continued high visibility in rainy conditions, ensuring that the water is sheeted from the surface of the camera rather than form droplets which can scatter light and impair visibility.
This camera is ideal for a range of outdoor applications. The environments that it would flourish in are, but not limited to:
Public safety, e.g. City surveillance at intersections, squares, prisons or parking spaces.
Transportation, e.g. at airports, stations or hub terminals
Industrial environments, e.g. Port facilities, plants
Anti Vandal 4K Security Camera
Product Features
- 4K (3,840 x 2,160) images up to 30 fps, 12M pixel (4,000 x 3,000) images up to 15 fps
- VIQS (Variable Image Quality on Specified area) technology allows the designated eight locations to retain higher image quality while the excluded area will have a decreased image quality, which enables to use lower image file size and bit rate.
- Multiple H.264 (High profile) streams and JPEG streams ensure simultaneous real time monitoring and high resolution recording.
- High sensitivity with Day & Night (ICR*) function: 0.3 lx (Color), 0.04 lx (B/W) at F1.6 * ICR: IR Cut filter Removal
- Vandal resistant mechanism for high reliability (IK10)
- Rain wash coating for visibility in rainy conditions
- Dehumidification device for use with various weather conditions
- Smart IR LED equipped: The equipped infrared LED makes it possible to take pictures at zero lx. The IR LED is controlled to match the environment, thereby the camera provides clear images of human faces without white blur.
- HLC (High Light Compensation) technology reduces strong light sources such as vehicle headlights to prevent camera being blinded
- Fog compensation function equipped as standard.
- IP66 rated water and dust resistant. Compatible with IEC60529 measurement standard, Type 4X(UL50), NEMA 4X compliant.


text: REV 3.0 - New Q67 B3 Revision Flexible and safe Vpro brings new-gen Q67 enjoyment GPU Boost – Go to the Limit with iGPU Level Up! UEFI BIOS – Flexible and Easy BIOS Interface SATA 6Gb/s Support – Let you experience the latest transfer technology!Learn more about the new B3 revision and previous version Shop Modal header CPU, Chipset and Graphics features LGA1155 socket for Intel® Second Generation Core™ i7/ Core™ i5/ Core™ i3 Processors This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Sandy Bridge processors in the LGA1155 package, with memory and PCI Express controllers integrated to support 2-channel (4 DIMM) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes. This provides great graphics performance. Intel® Sandy Bridge processors are among the most powerful and energy efficient CPUs in the world. Intel® Q67 Chipset The Intel® Q67 Express is the latest single-chipset design that supports the new socket 1155 Intel® Core™ i3/Core™ i5/Core™ i7 2nd generation processors. It improves performance by utilizing serial point-to-point links, allowing for increased bandwidth and stability. Additionally, the Q67 comes with 2 SATA 6Gb/s and 4 SATA 3Gb/s ports for faster data retrieval, doubling the bandwidth of current bus systems. Moreover, Intel® Q67 Express Chipset also supports iGPU function. Intel Vpro The IntelR vPro™ Technology allows IT organizations to remotely manage corporate PCs, even when they are powered off or with non-functional operating systems. It features the IntelR Active Management Technology and offers IT organizations a lighter weight form of virtualization to audit all IntelR AMT-based platforms in a network environment. PCs with IntelR vPro™ Technology allow IT departments to remotely retrieve assets and hardware/software inventories, contain security threats, resolve system problems, and increase the uptime of desktops with lower maintenance costs. VGA Output Support DisplayPort Cutting-Edge Digital Interface for High Resolution Multimedia and Easy UpgradesThis motherboard introduces the new digital display interface standard – DisplayPort. This new design features a smaller and user-friendly connector. It delivers higher performances of resolution, refresh rate and color depth and improves digital display connectivity. Latest Transfer Technology Native SATA 6Gb/s Support The Intel® Q67 Chipset natively supports next-generation Serial ATA (SATA) storage interface, this motherboard delivers up to 6.0 Gb/s data transfer rates. Additionally, get enhanced scalability, faster data retrieval, double the bandwidth of current bus systems. ASUS Exclusive Features UEFI BIOS (EZ Mode) Flexible, Easy BIOS InterfaceASUS brand new UEFI BIOS offers a user-friendly interface that goes beyond traditional keyboard only BIOS, to enable more flexible and convenient mouse controls. Users can easily navigate the new UEFI BIOS with the same smoothness as their operating system. The exclusive EZ Mode displays frequently-accessed setup info, while the Advanced Mode is for experienced performance enthusiasts that demand far more intricate system settings. GPU Boost Go to the Limit with iGPU Level Up! GPU Boost accelerates the integrated GPU for extreme graphics performance. The user-friendly interface facilitates flexible frequency adjustments. It easily delivers stable system-level upgrades for every use. ASUS Anti-Surge Protection Anti-Surge Protects Your DevicesAnti-Surge Protection Design detects overvoltage conditions and prevents voltage surges from spreading in real time. It also actively cuts off the overvoltage supply to protect the system.1. Real-time over voltage detection.2. Active protection against potential damage to your motherboards and systems. ASUS EPU System Level Energy EfficiencyThe ASUS EPU (Energy Processing Unit) provides total system power management by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power usage for critical PC components in real-time–helping save power and money! RoHS GreenASUS The motherboard is European Union´s Energy-related Products (ErP) ready, and ErP requires products to meet certain energy efficiency requirements in regards to energy consumptions. This is in line with ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and energy-efficient products through product design and innovation to reduce carbon footprint of the product and thus mitigate environmental impacts.


text:
All-in service for group travel organisers
Expert support services for tour operators, coach companies, ship owners and incentive agencies at attractive rates
Hoorn Events, Hof Events Alkmaar, Events Waterland, Enkhuizen Events and Amsterdam for Groups specialise in arranging transport, accommodation and excursions in the Netherlands for incoming tour operators. Hoorn Events has four sister companies - Hof Events Alkmaar, Events Waterland in Volendam, Enkhuizen Events in Enkhuizen and Amsterdam for Groups in Amsterdam. The five agencies are all part of the same organisation which specialises in the province of North Holland. Hof Events, Hoorn Events, Events Waterland, Enkhuizen Events and Amsterdam for Groups will be more than happy to make group package arrangements for you in North Holland - regardless of whether you are organising group travel to Hoorn, Volendam, Alkmaar, Amsterdam, Enkhuizen or Haarlem.
For group visits by boat or coach to one of the five towns of Hoorn, Volendam, Enkhuizen, Amsterdam and Alkmaar (and the surrounding regions) we will be happy to arrange the following for you at attractive rates:
Accommodation in North Holland
Accommodation in Hoorn, accommodation in Alkmaar, accommodation in Volendam, accommodation in Haarlem, accommodation in Amsterdam. Among other things we will be happy to organise group accommodation in Hoorn, Alkmaar, Volendam, Amsterdam, Enkhuizen or Haarlem.
We work with an extensive network of hotels and are always able to organise something suitable in North Holland both on weekends and throughout the week.
Excursions in North Holland
Tickets to museums and amusement parks, tours of Hoorn, tours of Alkmaar, tours of Volendam, tours of Amsterdam, tours of Haarlem, tickets for boat trips in Amsterdam, tickets for boat trips Volendam, tickets for the ferry between Volendam-Marken, coach transport in the province of North Holland, tourist brochures for your guests.
Among other things we can procure and arrange the following for you at attractive rates;
Tickets for the Rijksmuseum, tickets for Madurodam, tickets for the Heineken Icebar, tickets for the Volendam Museum, tickets for the Dutch Cheese Museum, bus transfers, excursions with a tour guide, tours led by expert tour guides who speak Dutch, German, English, French, Spanish and Italians (tours in other languages can also be arranged on request), tickets for a boat trip in Amsterdam, tickets for a boat trip in Alkmaar and tickets for the scheduled tourist ferry service between Volendam and Marken. We are also able to provide tourist information brochures for guests visiting our region by boat, coach or with their own means of transport. Many highly regarded tour operators in the Netherlands and abroad have been familiar with our all-in service for many years.
If you would like to make group package arrangements in the province of North Holland, we are the people to talk to. We will be happy to compile a tailor-made tour operator programme especially for you. We will also be happy to make group package arrangements in North Holland on your behalf. And we can also arrange group accommodation in North Holland. Drawing on our knowledge of the area, we are able to plan and deliver perfect evening packages, day packages and several-day packages.


text: Amore Frutti - Fruit of LoveRaspberry- the rose moscato with flavors and taste of sweet red raspberries. Amore Fruttis is a new player in the hot and growing moscato category. Amore Frutti is delicious frizante moscato with some of the most popular fruit flavors. Drink it chilled or mix up your favorite cocktails with it. With only 6% of alcohol and low calories count per serving Frutti Amore lets you enjoy great time without worrying about counting calories.


text:
SAN DIEGO – Tarec Saffiedine has a big fight coming up, but it isn't the biggest one on the radar screen for Team Quest.
That honor belongs to Dan Henderson, who fights Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title in two weeks. But Saffiedine, a Henderson teammate and frequent training partner, is feeding off the positive vibes running through the Temecula, Calif.-based fight team.
Saffiedine (12-3 MMA, 4-1 SF) fights Roger Bowling (11-2 MMA, 4-2 SF) on Saturday at "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman," and he hopes a convincing win might turn into a title shot of his own.
"It's been great because we have a lot of guys in the gym training hard, and we have a lot of guys fighting this weekend or so," Saffiedine on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "The energy is great."
Both Saffiedine and Bowling come into the welterweight fight with two-fight win streaks. Bowling's back-to-backs have been of the more violent variety – a 42-second knockout Jerron Peoples in December and a March TKO of Brandon Saling. Saffiedine has a split-decision win over Tyler Stinson and a unanimous nod against Scott Smith.
But Saffiedine said this camp, even though he didn't train with Henderson as much as normal, having a full two months of prep work has him feeling much better heading into Saturday's fight in San Diego.
"I had an eight-week camp, unlike my last fight, where I had only four weeks," Saffiedine said. "So I had a long camp and I feel really good."
Saffiedine's three losses have all been decisions – he's never been stopped. Even though Bowling has nine of his 11 wins by stoppage with seven knockouts, Saffiedine said he has no concerns over fighting someone with heavy hands.
"I've fought a lot of tough guys, and heavy-handed guys," Saffiedine said. "Scott Smith was heavy-handed. Nate Moore was heavy-handed. Tyler Stinson was heavy-handed – and they couldn't finish me. I've trained really hard for this fight, and I hope he comes prepared because I'm ready."
To that end, Saffiedine said he has a possible title shot on his mind. Strikeforce only recently crowned its new welterweight champion when Nate Marquardt stopped Tyron Woodley – Saffiedine's last loss – with a fourth-round knockout.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker isn't quite ready to commit to a title fight for the Saffiedine-Bowling winner. But if one of them truly shines, he admits it's possible.
"That's a little bit early," Coker said. "What I like to do is sit back and look at how they perform. They could get injured. They could have a really bad performance, but win. These two guys, I really want to see something special out of them on Saturday night to show us that they want the title shot."
But that something special is precisely what Saffiedine says he'll be going after.
"Hopefully if I win the fight they'll put me right there at a title shot," Saffiedine said. "I heard (it's possible), and I hope so. I think I need to finish him or win in a great fashion – that's what I'm going to look for."
"Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman" takes place at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET, featuring a women's bantamweight title fight between Ronda Rousey and former champ Sarah Kaufman. Prelims air on Showtime Extreme at 8 p.m. ET.
For more on "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.


text:
Tiger Tennis Concludes First Week of Practice
Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee State men's and women's tennis teams completed the first week of practice in preparation for the 2013-14 season. Head coach Robert Cain is in his second season at the helm of the tennis program and has brought in a foundation of players to begin the turn-around process.
Freshman Joe Daniels joins sophomore Kyle Burton and transfer Ryan Weatherly as new additions to the men's squad. The trio will team up with returners Jared Asher, Branden McClain and Daniel Bernal. A pair of freshmen highlights the incoming class on the women's side. Victoria Haynes and Trinity Randolph look to be the building blocks with sophomore veteran Attallah Eiland.
Both teams will play in three individual based tournaments in the fall before their traditional spring season which features 18 matches. The fall schedule begins with a trip to Atlanta for the HBCU Championships from Sept. 19-22. Both squads will compete in the ITA Regionals with the men traveling to Knoxville, while the women will compete in Memphis. The fall concludes for the men with a return trip to Knoxville; the women will wrap up their tournament season in Jonesboro, Ark.


text:
Longtime friends Brenda Brum and Dolores Townsend have a lot in common. They both like antiquing and poking around flea markets. They both care for an elderly parent. They both taught at the same school. And they both avoided a financial debacle that would have forced them to keep working well past retirement age.
Brum and Townsend live in West Virginia, the state that until a few years ago had the worst-funded pension plan in the entire country. By the early 1990s, the plan was on the verge of collapse with just 14 percent of the money needed to cover the pensions it owed teachers.
In 1990, then-Governor Gaston Caperton signed legislation to pay off the pension liabilities over a 40-year period. But it also changed the plan from a defined benefit (DB) pension to a defined contribution (DC) 401(k)-type plan.
Effective July of 1991, West Virginia's new teacher hires were placed into the DC plan. Educators hired prior to that date were able to choose to enroll in the new 401(k)-type plan or to stay with the pension. Lured by the possibility of huge investment returns instead of a lower, but steady, pension income, many made the switch.
But not Brenda Brum or Dolores Townsend — they opted to stick with the pension, and now they're counting their blessings rather than the number of years to retirement.
"I have colleagues who changed to the DC plan and they have to keep on working," says Townsend, who retired in 2009. "They've been ready to retire, but they lost all their 401(k) savings in the crash of 2008, and now they can't afford to retire."
Turns out they wouldn't have been able to afford to retire before the crash either.
By 2008, according to a study done by West Virginia's Consolidated Public Retirement Board, most teachers age 60 or older who participated in the 401(k) had only $100,000 or less in their accounts – a fraction of what the pension would have provided them, and not nearly enough to retire on and remain self-sufficient.
"In West Virginia, a lot of people think $100,000 is a lot of money. Teacher salaries have always been so low, people have a distorted view about how much is enough to live on," says Brum, who retired in 2011. "But most people live 18 to 20 years after they retire, and how can you stretch $100,000 over that time? The only option is not to live as long!"
According to West Virginia Education Association Executive Director David Haney, the DC plan "failed in every way, shape and form."
He gives an example of a woman who retired on the pension plan at age 60 after 30 years of service. Over those 30 years, she'd contributed $51,604 to her pension (despite common misperceptions that taxpayers fund pensions, they're actually a shared responsibility with employee contributions and investment earnings doing most of the work). The plan's benefit formula is 2 percent of final average salary times years of employment. The woman's final salary was about $45,000 a year, so her pension is $2,261 a month. To earn the same amount in the DC plan, she would have had to amass $323,400 in her 401(k) – a hefty sum compared to $51,604, and a long shot given the ups and downs of a volatile market.
401(k)s Weren't Meant to Replace Pensions
Defined contribution 401(k) plans were never intended to be a pension replacement for employees. They were originally created as a perk for highly paid executives, and were originally called "salary reduction plans" before being renamed for the tax code that makes them possible. The thinking was, the more these executives were paid, the more they could afford to contribute from their paychecks, and the more they had for retirement – on top of the old stand-by pension and Social Security. Another perk was that DC plans are portable – convenient for executives who climb the corporate ladder from one company to another.
It all sounds pretty good when the markets are hot and delivering high returns, which is why so many working Americans – executives or not — clamored to get in on the 401(k) action starting in the 1980s. But what happens when the bottom falls out like it did in 2008?
People lose money. Lots of money. And moderately paid public employees like teachers who spent their entire careers serving the public in the classroom are suddenly unable to retire after their 401(k) has been decimated by a market crash.
Pensions Provide Secure – and Higher — Retirement Benefits
For years, David Haney and WVEA members lobbied the West Virginia government to overhaul the plan and return to a pension system that provided secure retirement benefits and was managed – and funded — properly. They pointed out the discrepancies between the defined benefit and defined contribution plans, showing why the pension plan offered a much better retirement benefit for employees and major cost savings for the state.
Finally, the retirement board's actuary provided some facts that backed them up.
The actuary discovered that savings rates in the DC plan did, in fact, lag far behind monthly benefits that the DB plan would pay. The DC plan members, including new hires and those who made the switch in 1991, had an average of $33,944 in their accounts by June of 2005. Those over age 60 had an average of just $23,193 – a trifling amount to spread out over the rest of their lives in retirement. On the other hand, teacher participants in the DB plan, earning the average salary after 30 years of service, would receive an annual pension of $27,000. They wouldn't have to figure out how to make it last. They'd get that $27,000 each and every year of their retirement, whether they lived to be 68 or 108.
The government saw the red ink writing on the wall, and in 2008, West Virginia agreed to switch back to a DB plan.
Here's why they made the switch and why other states should follow suit.
DB Plan Investments Are Managed By Financial Experts
Over a 30-year period, according to a study by the National Institute for Retirement Security and consulting firm Milliman Inc., defined benefit plans delivered an almost 25 percent greater return to participants than defined contribution plans.
One reason for the higher returns is because DB plans ' investments are professionally managed day-to-day by investment experts rather than individually managed by people whose investment tools consist of little more than a crystal ball and a lot of luck – which is all West Virginia investors had to rely on.
"The DC plan participants received absolutely no education on how to manage their investments," says Haney.
Like many public employees in states with DC plans, the West Virginia educators received no web-based courses, no seminars, no written materials, and no access to consultants. They couldn't even get reports on how their investments were doing more than once a quarter, and then had only a very short window in which to change their allocations.
"Do most classroom teachers, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers know what their risk tolerance is, or about their time horizons? Do they know the difference between fixed securities and equity securities, or max cap versus mid cap? Do they know whether they should they invest internationally, or in growth stocks, or derivatives?," asks Haney.
We can't reasonably expect the average employee to effectively manage her savings with absolutely no training when even some winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics admit to making mistakes, either by not paying enough attention to their own retirement arrangements or by making bad decisions when they do.
"I think very little about my retirement savings, because I know that thinking could make me poorer or more miserable or both," 2002 Economics Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University told the Los Angeles Times .
DB Plans Lower Costs With Pooled Risks
DB plans are pooled and therefore have "built-in" savings that allow them to deliver retirement benefits at a lower cost to the employer as well as the employee.
First, they average risks over a large number of participants. Instead of requiring contributions substantial enough to provide retirement income through a person's maximum life expectancy, which, with the miracle of modern medicine, could be upwards of age 90 or even 100, defined benefit plans only need to fund benefits through the average life expectancy of the group. So when a pension member or their designated beneficiary dies prematurely, the assets that have been accumulated on their behalf are used to provide benefits to the remaining employees.
Also, with pooled funds, the management fees are lower than maintaining hundreds or thousands of individual accounts, which result in a 26 percent cost savings, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security.
Also, unlike defined contribution plans, pension assets can be diversified for optimal returns throughout an employee's lifetime. People with 401(k)s, on the other hand, are advised to move their investments into safer, lower-returning assets as they age and approach retirement. But because DB plans pool the risks of losses, they can maintain an investment mix that is diversified among stocks, bonds, and other investments, increasing the investment returns and lowering required contributions.
DB Plans Boost the Economy
According to an analysis of 20 million 401(k) participants conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Investment Company Institute, the median account balance of a worker in his or her 60?s, making between $40,000 and $60,000 a year was $97,588 at the end of 2006. That amount would generate about $8,000 a year in retirement income.
"How can someone live on that amount," asks Haney. "They'd struggle just to pay utilities and to put food on the table. They'd probably become wards of the state."
In fact, research shows that when older Americans can't be self-sufficient in retirement, taxpayers face higher public assistance costs.
But when they're on a fixed income pension, retirees represent a vital, continuous source of spending. A National Institute for Retirement Security study shows that public employee retirees pump $358 billion into local economies and help to create 2.5 million jobs.
They can afford home maintenance , they can buy a new car, or, like West Virginia retired educator Dolores Townsend, they can go on a vacation.
"I don't have to scrimp and save because I'm worried my retirement benefit will run out," says Townsend. "When everything else fluctuates, like gas, groceries, and prescriptions, it's nice to know my paycheck won't, so I can plan for my expenses and then spend what's left on the fun stuff, like a new pair of shoes or a ski trip with my nephews."
Haney says the rest of the country can benefit from what West Virginia learned the hard way – that individual 401(k) accounts. which were only intended to supplement pensions, have proven to be an insufficient primary source of retirement income, that pensions are more economically efficient, and can provide the same retirement benefit at half the cost.
"Given the growing level of retirement insecurity, our nation should be looking at ways to get back to basics and ensure that all Americans have access to adequate and secure pensions," he says. "Part of the American dream is that after a life of hard work and playing by the rules, people should be able to retire with dignity and security."
Top Photo: Michele Coleman


text:
Virginia Highlands Community CollegeHome Menu
Information About
Employee Directory
Loving, Wayne
- Departments:Economics, Adjunct Faculty
- Divisions:Arts & Sciences
- Title:Adjunct Faculty - Economics
- Phone:(423) 794-6218
- Email:email@example.com
Return to full list >>
No office on campus.
Contact instructor via VHCC email at email@example.com.
For immediate assistance, you may contact the Arts & Sciences Division office at 739-2433.