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Looks like the USPS is back in the news again- it seems the five day work week issue has reared its ugly head.
The post office is claiming that declining revenue from reduced mail volume is the culprit.
Well Duh!
The USPS bit the hand that fed them way too many times with it's rate increases. They drive mailers out of the market, and they drove other mailers to look at alternative methods of customer acquisition and retention too. Loosely translated, they helped many marketers shift their dollars to the internet to the point where I would hope that the folks from Google sent them a thank you letter.
I'm going to keep it short this week. If John Potter and the post office want to get out of this mess, they need to take s few steps. Now I'm not naive enough to assume that my prescriptions to heal the USPS are alone a cure, but hey, it's a start
So here in simple form even a gov't run bureaucracy can understand are some tips for the post office to help increase revenue.
- Do everything in your power to seek out customers they lost and woo them back.
- By wooing them back I mean, come up with ways for these lost customers to lower their postal costs to the point where they can mail profitably again.
- I love the concept of mail sales and discounts. Keep that stuff up.
- Don't make the rules so hard and the criteria to get sale prices so restrictive that the average mailer doesn't get to take advantage.
- Create promotions for smaller companies. There are two kinds, companies who stopped mailing when prices went up, and companies who don't mail because they get sticker shock looking at postage and printing costs.
- Get some postal ambassadors out to all of the local and regional direct marketing groups and clubs, plus internet/social media clubs and promote the heck out of small business discounts, first time mailer discounts, etc.
- Have those same representatives of the USPS start teaching more companies how to do direct mail buy the book. I know they do some of this now, but it's not nearly enough. Teach stuff like analysis – the 40/40/20 principle and how to do mail right.
- Getting new mailers to test mail and smaller mailers back in the game will eventually create larger mailers!
Bottom line… USPS your image is damaged, and you need to rehab it. Create products we can grow with using direct mail, promote the heck out of them on a national and grass roots level, and you will eventually get volume and revenue back.
Note from Jim. Make a difference too. Contact John Potter, the Postmaster General here and make your voice heard:
The Honorable John E. Potter Postmaster General
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20260-0010
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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subset: commoncrawl


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What should concern S'poreans more than GIC's US$675m loss from "its investment in Manhattan's largest residential enclave" is that GIC is a big investor in US property, spending billions of dollars over the years (sorry can't insert links on examples: they all break) though to be fair to it in 2006 it said it was diversifying into Brazil, India and China.
"Anybody who bought property in the last six years has their equity pretty well washed out," said Ray Torto, chief economist at CB Richard Ellis, a real estate firm. "People are looking back on that period as the peak of the madness, the bubble. The expectation was that there was always someone who would pay a higher price after you," part of an article about the promoter of the investment that lost GIC about US$675 million.
"Instead of rents and values rising unchecked, the value of commercial office buildings in the United States has dropped 43 percent, on average, since November 2007, according to economists' estimates. If unemployment continues to rise, an ugly situation could turn nightmarish," it continues.
As to the promoter,
"Tishman Speyer, which has no corporate debt, earns fees for developing and operating the buildings but usually puts little of its own money into a deal … In the $5.4 billion Stuyvesant Town deal, for instance, BlackRock and Tishman Speyer invested only $112 million each of their own money, which they have written off … Tishman Speyer took $18 million a year in fees; company executives say they began waiving the fees in fall 2008."
Update 25/1/10
Complex Is Turned Over to Creditors
Question is whether GIC is one of the creditors? Trying to find out.
Update 26/1/10
It is confirmed that it is likely not to get anything back.


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9¾" x 1¼" Wraparound Label - Peace Love Joy
Add seasonal well wishes to custom projects with pre-designed Peace Love Joy templates. The design features the words PEACE and JOY in a green capitalized font, with the word Love, in a pretty pink cursive font, sitting in between. The column of three words is beautifully framed by parentheses-like sprigs of curved, delicate greenery dotted with pink flowers. The subtle design provides plenty of space for adding custom text and photos, and it works well for projects related to Christmas, New Year's, special events, parties, and fundraisers. Customize your next personal or professional project with pre-designed Peace Love Joy templates.
Shape: Wraparound
Dimension: 9¾" x 1¼"
Start Designing


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Planning & Economic Development
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The new earth was quiet. Winds whisper the only plants of the world. Peacebloom flowers were scattering in the highlands of Arathi. There was no Azeroth nor Kalimdor, just one big continent named Zoraelia. The World Tree was just a seedling. Little does this sproutling know that it will hold the eternal life of the Night Elves. Sounds from the wind and the rain were beckoning. Something new is forming. The first Old God, Azeur appeared. Azeur is known as the creator of Aserosz. Azeur was a servant-god. He tended his newly formed plants. Azeur, high in the heavens was worried that this planet will not last long if there was only motionless life. He started adding life by taking a drip of his blood made it land on Aserosz. The drop of blood turned into a massive red ooze. He was the first form of life that walked the lands of Zoraelia. He was gathering everything in his path to form more life. The second form of life had brown skin, had a nose to breath, had a mouth and a set of eyes. He was the first orc. Azeur summoned him into his homeland to turn him into his own brother. Azeur teached him his own language, made him learn the ways of life and how to create life out of no life. This first orc was named Drargor. Drargor, now a wise orc made other orcs. They were called orkae. Drargor taught them the ways of surviving and hunting. Thus, the first hunters were born. They were swift and had an advantage over nature. There were ten orc hunters and each of them evolved into the 9 races today. The Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes, Dreanei, Trolls, Tauren, and the High Elves.
Ok, now this is the fun part. Everyone will get to make their OWN VERSION of the race's lore. Which means they can make their lore on how the High Elves discovered magic, and how they turned into Blood Elves.
1.Please, no spamming. If you wish to comment, please follow this form.
COMMENT: Hehe, nice post.
2. Follow this form if you wish to post your own version of your desired race's lore.
Night Elf:
Night Elves died and sucked blood.
3. Please post as professional as possible
What NOT TO DO:
lulz nit elfs becaim rouges bcuz they hav shdowmeldz lul
What TO DO
A group of Night Elves discovered their power of being invisible in the dark. Thus, the first group of rogues were formed.
If you have a hard time in grasping english, this is possible.
so the night elfs became the first rouges because they discovered shadowmeld and they were honored
As long as it's possible to read, it's ok. It doesn't matter if there isn't any period or capitalization. But if you could do it, please do it.


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• Set of two cut crystal highball glasses • Presented in a Soho Home gift box• Crystal has a weighty feel and a highly polished brilliance• Each piece is hand finished• Ideal for long drinks like mojitos and Soho Mules• Our Barwell cut crystal is used in all our Houses• Available in sets of eight and twelve
Availability: In stock
Crystal is made from a special mixture of quartz sand, calcinated soda, red lead, ash and calcite or limestone. Our cut crystal glassware has a 24% lead content making it easier to sculpt because the working temperature of the glass is lowered, extending the amount of time the glassblower has to shape the molten glass bulb. Lead is also responsible for the clarity of crystal – the higher the lead content, the greater the brilliance and the more it sparkles in sunlight.
The glass mixture is melted in furnaces at 1,450°C. The glassmaker takes a small quantity of molten glass on the end of a glass pipe, then blows a bulb into the desired shape. After the crystal is shaped and slowly cooled (to prevent cracking), the glasscutter cuts the piece by hand using traditional carborundum or diamond cutting wheels of varying levels of fineness. Finally they polish the piece by hand until it feels perfectly smooth and sparkles in the light.
"Nothing says Soho House more than these 1920s-style Champagne glasses. The pattern is inspired by a vintage wallpaper print and we named them after the Barwell Barn at Soho Farmhouse."
Product Dimensions: W7.8 x D7.8 x H12cm
Product Weight: 430g
Materials: 24% Lead Crystal
Finish: Clear
Dishwasher Safe? No, handwash only
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(photo by m. trombly)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
the friendly skies
Saturday, November 20, 2010
quote of the day
john cole @ balloon juice:
why the hell do we even make pilots go through security screening in the first place? if they want to bring a plane down, they don't need nail clippers, a lighter, four ounces of hand lotion, or the rest of the stupid shit the TSA morons confiscate from the rest of us. all they need to do to bring a plane down is to ... point it down.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
thank you for your concern
con•cern troll |kən'cərn trōl|
a creature out of greek mythology; a pretend pal, notorious for bearing gifts of dubious merit:one and done: to be a great president, obama should not seek reelection in 2012
president obama must decide now how he wants to govern in the two years leading up to the 2012 presidential election.
by douglas e. schoen and patrick h. caddell
the washington post
in recent days, he has offered differing visions of how he might approach the country's problems. at one point, he spoke of the need for "mid-course corrections." at another, he expressed a desire to take ideas from both sides of the aisle. and before this month's midterm elections, he said he believed that the next two years would involve "hand-to-hand combat" with republicans, whom he also referred to as "enemies."
it is clear that the president is still trying to reach a resolution in his own mind as to what he should do and how he should do it.
glad you asked, mr president! we just happen to have a great idea you're just gonna love ...this is a critical moment for the country. from the faltering economy to the burdensome deficit to our foreign policy struggles, america is suffering a widespread sense of crisis and anxiety about the future. under these circumstances, obama has the opportunity to seize the high ground and the imagination of the nation once again, and to galvanize the public for the hard decisions that must be made. the only way he can do so, though, is by putting national interests ahead of personal or political ones.
to that end, we believe obama should announce immediately that he will not be a candidate for reelection in 2012.
that's right! quit — for the sake of the country! look how happy everyone is after sarah palin quit!if the president goes down the reelection road, we are guaranteed two years of political gridlock at a time when we can ill afford it. but by explicitly saying he will be a one-term president, obama can deliver on his central campaign promise of 2008, draining the poison from our culture of polarization and ending the resentment and division that have eroded our national identity and common purpose.
we do not come to this conclusion lightly. but it is clear, we believe, that the president has largely lost the consent of the governed. the midterm elections were effectively a referendum on the obama presidency. and even if it was not an endorsement of a republican vision for america, the drubbing the democrats took was certainly a vote of no confidence in obama and his party. the president has almost no credibility left with republicans and little with independents.
... and no one cares what democrats think!the best way for him to address both our national challenges and the serious threats to his credibility and stature is to make clear that, for the next two years, he will focus exclusively on the problems we face as americans, rather than the politics of the moment — or of the 2012 campaign.
quite simply, given our political divisions and economic problems, governing and campaigning have become incompatible. obama can and should dispense with the pollsters, the advisers, the consultants and the strategists who dissect all decisions and judgments in terms of their impact on the president's political prospects.
obama himself once said to diane sawyer: "i'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president." he now has the chance to deliver on that idea.
no need to thank us, obama ... this was all your idea! really!in the 2008 presidential campaign, obama spoke repeatedly of his desire to end the red-state-blue-state divisions in america and to change the way washington works. this was a central reason he was elected; such aspirations struck a deep chord with the polarized electorate.
obama can restore the promise of the election by forging a government of national unity, welcoming business leaders, republicans and independents into the fold. but if he is to bring democrats and republicans together, the president cannot be seen as an advocate of a particular party, but as somebody who stands above politics, seeking to forge consensus. and yes, the united states will need nothing short of consensus if we are to reduce the deficit and get spending under control, to name but one issue.
because, after all, we can't — and shouldn't! — expect republicans or anyone else to rise above politics!forgoing another term would not render obama a lame duck. paradoxically, it would grant him much greater leverage with republicans and would make it harder for opponents such as senate minority leader mitch mcconnell (r-ky.) — who has flatly asserted that his highest priority is to make obama a one-term president — to be uncooperative.
and why would the GOP back down? duh! because we say so, that's why!and for democrats such as current speaker nancy pelosi (calif.) — who has said that entitlement reform is dead on arrival — the president's new posture would make it much harder to be inflexible. given the influence of special interests on the democratic party, obama would be much more effective as a figure who could remain above the political fray. challenges such as boosting economic growth and reducing the deficit are easier to tackle if you're not constantly worrying about the reactions of senior citizens, lobbyists and unions.
moreover, if the president were to demonstrate a clear degree of bipartisanship, it would force the republicans to meet him halfway. if they didn't, they would look intransigent, as the gop did in 1995 and 1996, when bill clinton first advocated a balanced budget. obama could then go to the democrats for tough cuts to entitlements and look to the republicans for difficult cuts on defense.
on foreign policy, obama could better make hard decisions about iran, north korea and afghanistan based on what is reasonable and responsible for the united states, without the political constraints of a looming election. he would be able to deal with a democratic constituency that wants to get out of afghanistan immediately and a republican constituency that is committed to the war, forging a course that responds not to the electoral calendar but to the facts on the ground.
if the president adopts our suggestion, both sides will be forced to compromise. the alternative, we fear, will put the nation at greater risk. while we believe that obama can be reelected, to do so he will have to embark on a scorched-earth campaign of the type that president george w. bush ran in the 2002 midterms and the 2004 presidential election, which divided americans in ways that still plague us.
and why would anybody else back down? duh! because everyone loves a quitter, that's why! (and because we say so!)obama owes his election in large measure to the fact that he rejected this approach during his historic campaign. indeed, we were among those millions of democrats, republicans and independents who were genuinely moved by his rhetoric and purpose. now, the only way he can make real progress is to return to those values and to say that for the good of the country, he will not be a candidate in 2012.
should the president do that, he — and the country — would face virtually no bad outcomes. the worst-case scenario for obama? in january 2013, he walks away from the white house having been transformative in two ways: as the first black president, yes, but also as a man who governed in a manner unmatched by any modern leader. he will have reconciled the nation, continued the economic recovery, gained a measure of control over the fiscal problems that threaten our future, and forged critical solutions to our international challenges. he will, at last, be the figure globally he has sought to be, and will almost certainly leave a better regarded president than he is today. history will look upon him kindly — and so will the public.
and everyone gets a pony!it is no secret that we have been openly critical of the president in recent days, but we make this proposal with the deepest sincerity and hope for him and for the country.
[snicker]we have both advised presidents facing great national crises and have seen challenges from inside the oval office. we are convinced that if obama immediately declares his intention not to run for reelection, he will be able to unite the country, provide national and international leadership, escape the hold of the left, isolate the right and achieve results that would be otherwise unachievable.
patrick h. caddell, who was a pollster and senior adviser to president jimmy carter, is a political commentator. douglas e. schoen, a pollster who worked for president bill clinton, is the author of "mad as hell: how the tea party movement is fundamentally remaking our two-party system."
ok, everyone can stop laughing now.


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On Tuesday 25 October 2011 at 7:30 p.m., there will be a meeting of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.
Iris Shea will talk on "Descendants of Foreign Protestants who settled at the Northwest Arm: Jollimores, Slaunwhites and Boutiliers".
The location is Akins Room, Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, 6016 University Avenue, Halifax, NS
The website is http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS/index.html
They also have Publicly Accessible Databases, which includes an Index to Vital Stats from "The Colonial Patriot" 1827-1834, the Published Genealogies of Nova Scotia Families, and the Nova Scotia Genealogist Subject Index.
The databases are at http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS/databases.html#public


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No capitalization......Crazen!
Who are you again and why in the world would you expect anything resembling rationality or civility in youtube comments?
That quote is actualy very witty, Celdur. I suggest you use that in your signature.
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Lunch in the Loft
Time Out says
Friendly warning! We're working hard to be accurate. But these are unusual times, so please check that venues remain open.
You'll be hard pushed to find a more insider address than Lunch in the Loft: the exact location is revealed only once you sign up for the party of eight at the home of Claude Cabri (aka Miss Lunch), an artist who loves to cook and who happens to live near one of Paris's best food markets. The surprise of who you might meet around the table is part of the fun, though it's worth checking in advance whether most guests speak French or English. And put aside the whole afternoon, as when the wine, food and conversation starts flowing - and it will - 4 hours go by faster than you can say "this dish is délicieux!".
After your appéro, Claude disappears behind the curtain that separates the kitchen from the dining room, popping her head round every now and again to join in the conversation. Menus are seasonal, but run along the lines of homemade figatellu salad, followed by turbans of sole and shellfish, aiguillettes of stuffed foie gras, and dessert of apple and almond fondant with passion fruit coulis. Just when you're ready to pop, coffee arrives with sweet delights - mignardise - to help you digest!
To reserve, email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text: This is an indispensable collection that fills the need for quality solo and ensemble literature for the Christmas season! Whether it's a soloist using a book accompanied by piano or the fully orchestrated accompaniment CD, or a group of two, three, four players ... or a full orchestra, Sounds of Christmas is a uniquely flexible idea for church instrumentalists. Each book includes a solo line and an ensemble line. Mix and match lines with different instruments and combinations of players. Contents are: Celebrate the Child with O Come, All Ye Faithful; Emmanuel with Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and the Amy Grant original O Little Town of Bethlehem; How Great Our Joy; Breath of Mary (Mary's Song); There's a Song in the Air; O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming with Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus and Joy to the World with Away in a Manager and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.


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The Central Connecticut swimming and diving team defeated Wagner on Saturday afternoon at the Jack Suydam Natatorium. The Blue Devils cruised to a 190-101 victory, winning all 16 events on the day. Sophomore Taylor Friedmann won a pair of individual events and contributed to the Blue Devils 400 free relay team.
Friedmann won the 200 and 500 free events before contributing to Central's winning team in the 400 free relay. Her 200 time of 1:52.02 was four and a half seconds faster than the second place finisher. In the 500 she posted a time of 4:58.24, her time was more than 13 seconds faster than the rest of the field.
The Blue Devils 400 free relay time finished in a time of 3:40.43. The team consisted of Friedmann , junior Alex Czaplicki, sophomore Katie Lang and freshman Helene Neuhaus.
Czaplicki also won a pair of events, finishing first in the 200 IM and the 200 backstroke. Her backstroke time was 2:06.02 and her IM time was 2:10.19, both marks beat the second place finisher by more than five seconds.
Neuhaus won the 50 and 100 free events, posting a 25.01 in the 50 and a 54.66 in the 100. Kristina Gulia won the 100 (1:07.24) and 200 breaststroke(2:26.69). Lang won the 200 (2:09.01) and 100 butterfly (59.82). Allison Rasile won the 100 backstroke in 1:00.68, and Lauren O'Kelly won the 1000 free in 10:36.73.
Junior Madison Vestergaard won both diving events for the Blue Devils with a 242.39 in the one-meter and a 220.12 score in the three-meter.
The Blue Devil return to action in three weeks at the Northeast Conference Championships, the meet will be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


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Consumer Auto Guide – Consumer Auto Guide Source: consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com
New Car Test Drive – New Car Test Drive Source: www.nctd.com
Top Speed BMW E46 M3 Review – Top Speed BMW E46 M3 Review Source: www.topspeed.com
Motor Trend M3 Road Test – Motor Trend M3 Road Test Source: www.motortrend.com
Bimmer Forum – Interact with the BMW community on the forums. Source: www.bimmerforums.com
Car Brakes: How Do You Know When to Change Them?
By Zach Bowman For those who suffer a daily commute through heavy traffic, your vehicle's braking system can bring thousands of pounds of metal, plastic and empty Starbucks cups to a stop hundreds of times before you get to work. It goes without saying that these pieces wear out, but they do so slowly, meaning you may not notice they need attention until ...


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Sunday, March 29, 2009
Fine Cooking Make it Mini Challenge - Mini Fastest Cinnamon Buns with Rum Raisins
I've been racking my brain for a few more Make it Mini creations and the cold, gloomy weather inspired me to play in the kitchen this morning. Warm and gooey cinnamon buns...definitely an indulgence and perfect for a lazy Sunday morning. I knew Fine Cooking would have a recipe and I was able to find the Fastest Cinnamon Buns recipe. I made a few substitutions, based on available ingredients in the house, and a few modifications to make these Minis.
In the dough, I substituted ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese. In the filling, I substituted rum raisins for the pecans (John had some leftover rum raisins from making our St. Patrick's Day Irish Soda Bread - raisins marinated in dark rum). I divided the dough and filling in half so I could make two, smaller and longer jelly rolls. I was able to cut 12 rounds from each jelly roll and and then used a 24-muffin tin to bake the buns. The cinnamon buns puffed up nicely, but retained their mini shapes within the muffin tins. I also added a little dark rum to the glaze. These two-bite cinnamon buns were delicious. Before I was tempted to eat more than two, I passed most of them out to my neighbors and made John eat the remaining six!
Posted by Denise at 7:08 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Friday, March 27, 2009
Bobby Flay's Sour Orange BBQ'd Salmon Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw and Smoked Chile Sauce
San Diego is big on fish tacos...and we indulge at our local Brigantine Restaurant a little too often! The Brig serves full-size tacos with deep-fried cod, mayonnaise-based sauce, cabbage, salsa, cheese, chile sauce, and a squeeze of lime. You can't eat just one, especially at the happy-hour price.
These Sour Orange BBQ'd Salmon Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw and Smoked Chile Sauce, courtesy of Bobby Flay, are incredible, amazing, totally gourmet and much healthier. As minis, they are perfect for a crowd. If you can't find mini tortillas, you can use a cookie cutter and cut your own out of regular sized corn tortillas.
Posted by Denise at 6:57 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Bobby Flay, Fish/Seafood
Monday, March 9, 2009
Mario Batali's Mini Chocolate Chip-Orange Cannoli (Cannoli Di Ricotta)
An extraordinary Italian dessert composed of delicate, crispy, tube-shaped chocolate pastry shells, embracing sweet, creamy ricotta cheese, infused with Grand Marnier liqueur, miniature chocolate morsels, and candied orange peel, dusted ever so softly with powdered sugar. Close your eyes, envision yourself at a picturesque Venetian café, and indulge your craving...
We made these for Jim & Carmen's Daylight Savings Party and used recipes from two of my favorite Italian Chefs, Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis.
Mario suggests buying candied orange peel or substituting orange zest, so I made Giada's candied orange peel to use in the recipe. I've seen cannoli at one of our Little Italy area bakeries, but they are pretty large in size. I've always wanted to try making them and was able to find the cannoli forms at a gourmet kitchen store in town. I knew they would be cute as minis. Mario's recipe makes 12, but I was able to get 18 using a 3" round cookie cutter. I would like to try to roll the shells a little thinner next time, but they were still very flaky and retained their crispiness. You must drain the ricotta for at least an hour before adding the mini chocolate chips, orange zest, and remaining ingredients, but I drained it overnight in the refrigerator. The cannoli dough has Grand Marnier liqueur (8 tbsp!), cocoa powder and cinnamon. The candied orange peel was a little burst of sunshine, keeping in theme with the party.
Everyone loved these!
Posted by Denise at 2:06 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Giada De Laurentiis, Italian, Mario Batali, Pastries
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Shrimp-Andouille Gumbo - Get Your Gumbo On!
After Cooking the Issue, we've had more time to become familiar with the Fine Cooking web site, currently featuring a short video on how to make authentic gumbo. We were inspired and read a few different recipies, including Poppy Tooker's Seafood Gumbo and Chicken-Andouille File Gumbo, from FC's January 2008 issue #90, Get Your Gumbo On.
John took the lead chef role and I was happy to be his sous chef for the day. He combined a few different methods and ingredients, using shrimp, andouille sausage and okra in our gumbo. John's roux was beautiful and the final dish turned out delicious.
John took the lead chef role and I was happy to be his sous chef for the day. He combined a few different methods and ingredients, using shrimp, andouille sausage and okra in our gumbo. John's roux was beautiful and the final dish turned out delicious.
Posted by Denise at 2:10 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Fish/Seafood, Soups
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By Jeremy B. White
Emphasizing that young students who frequently miss school are far more likely to fall behind and commit crimes later in life, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and half a dozen lawmakers introduced an anti-truancy bill package on Monday.
The legislative effort ties to a report from Harris' office that depicts the repercussions of an estimated 1 million truant elementary school students a year, good for a 29.6 percent truancy rate among California youngsters. More than 250,000 elementary school students missed at least 10 percent of the year, or more than 18 days of learning.
Missing a substantial amount of school carries cascading consequences, Harris said. Children who are already behind reading level by third grade are four times as likely to drop out of high school. In turn, high school dropouts suffer higher unemployment rates and become more likely to turn to crime.
"There's a direct connection between education and public safety," Harris said.
School districts also incur a quantifiable economic cost, Harris said, given that funding is linked to school attendance rates. The report estimated that absent students cost districts $1.4 billion annually.
Legislators promoted five bills focused on data collection and reporting, from requiring the state Department of Education to track truancy rates to having district attorneys explain the outcomes of school attendance-related prosecution.
A bill by Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, would require all counties to create entities called school attendance review boards, which some counties already use to give chronically absent students an alternative to entering the juvenile justice system. A bill by Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, would have existing school attendance boards share more data.
Harris and lawmakers acknowledged that enhanced data collection will not by itself affect the outside issues that keep kids out of school, from poor health to volatile homes to overworked parents. But they said it is a starting point, allowing policymakers to understand why desks stay empty.
"If we don't know what the problem is or where the problem is, we can't solve it," said Buchanan.
Low-income students whose families lack the resources to compensate for missed classwork suffer acutely from skipping school, lawmakers said, as do children of color. Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, called addressing early childhood truancy key to breaking the cycle of poorly performing students churning through the criminal justice system.
"Stemming the tide of truancy is a critical component to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline," Monning said.
(c)2014 The Sacramento Bee


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My spiderweb quilt arrived this week! Many thanks once again to both Mary and Jenny for hosting this giveaway.
And because I've been on such a lucky streak with giveaways lately, I figured it's time to make a deposit into my karma account.
Here's a sneak peek at what I'll be giving away:
Consider yourself warned!


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For Alumni within Ten Years of Graduation
Are you thinking about a career change, applying to graduate school, or the next steps in your professional career?
Alumni Career Program's Summer Young Alumni webinar series can help you start to find the answers to your questions about:
• Job Search strategy
• Exploring graduate school options
• Changing career paths
• Interviewing and Networking
• Resume and Cover letters
• Public Speaking
Our series of summer webinars will help you re-tool your skills and leverage your UChicago network.
Weekly online events from June 18- August 31 from 12 - 1 pm (central) to help build your career.
Scheduled Webinars
Click on the event listing to learn more and register.
Check back for more details to come.


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This tool was given to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to sneak into Nekomata's Cat Fortress. These unique tools allow the user to interact with other cats as if they were cats themselves but if it were to fall off, they would once again become distinguishable from cats.
- Once Naruto was distinguished from the others, Sasuke and Sakura passed by the other cats with ease, but even with the cat ears on Nekomata was still able to tell that he wasn't a cat.
- In chapter 354, Nekobaa is seen sporting these cat ears like bando in her hair.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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Parking pleasure: New Street garage wows Staunton
This is the second in a series of occasional stories about Staunton.
In the early-1970s, the old Strand Theater in Staunton was torn down to make room for a parking lot. The Strand, a Mission-style building on South New Street, gained fame in the Statler Brothers' song Strand on their 1973 album, Carry Me Back, mourning the loss of the old theater where they used to watch cowboy movies:
We came to watch our heroes ride the silver screen
In hot pursuit of Blackie's outlaw band
I wish that I could walk up to that ticket booth again
And buy just one more ticket to the Strand.
It's also a stoic anthem to urban renewal:
But our town is changin' and it seems we need
A parking lot to help our town expand.
Today I learned a lesson, like you, I must be brave
Today I learned they're tearin' down the Strand.
Unfortunately, the parking lot that replaced the Strand may not have really helped Staunton expand.
"In the late 70s, that was the deadest part of town," remembers architect Kathy Fraizer. "Now it's one of the busiest corners in Staunton."
That's thanks in large part to the work of Fraizer and her firm in revitalizing downtown Staunton– in particular, their New Street Parking Garage project that went up over the Strand-eating parking lot in 2000.
Unlike the parking lot that destroyed the city landmark, the New Street Parking Garage has become one. Of course, when we think of interesting, landmark architecture, we don't normally think of parking garages. Next to parking lots, most parking garages are as visually compelling as– well, parking lots. In fact, parking garages– think of the ones on Water Street, Market Street, and UVA's new structure on Ivy Road– are either so utilitarian or downright ugly that we tend not to even think about them as "architecture."
In contrast, the New Street Garage announces itself in the classic form of an old railway station like Grand Central in New York or Union Station in D.C. In fact, that's what Frazier and her team had in mind when they began brainstorming for a design.
"In the past," says Frazier on her company's website, "architects designed beautiful buildings for visitors to arrive in. Somehow that didn't get translated to parking garages, and people grew accustomed to parking in these ugly utilitarian buildings. The question we asked ourselves is 'Why can't we make a parking garage beautiful and celebrate the arrival sequence like we used to with train stations?'"
The result is a utilitarian building without a utilitarian design. In addition to providing space for 270 cars, direct access to the newly renovated Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Blackfriars Playhouse, and seven store fronts that meld seamlessly into the turn-of-the-century architecture on New Street, the new garage's elegant arched windows and elaborate brickwork make it something to stare at, especially at night when the lights are on. And that's saying a lot for a parking garage!
On street level it's also remarkably unobtrusive, almost invisible. Standing on the street corner only a few feet away, it's hard to tell it's a parking garage. The entrances are so compact that the structure of the building is apparent only from inside, kind of like entering the Bat Cave.
Of course, none of this has gone unnoticed. In 2002, the New Street Garage Project won Traditional Building Magazine's Palladio Award for new design and construction.
"Perhaps one of the more significant contributions of this project," reads the 2002 citation, "is that it has moved parking-garage design into a new and more elegant category, along with other civic structures, instead of being considered as only plain, ordinary buildings."
In addition to helping revitalize downtown, the project assisted the renovation of the 1924 Stonewall Jackson Hotel, which– after decades of being only slightly more than a flophouse– reopened September 21, the beneficiary of a two-year, $21 million upgrade into a luxury hotel/conference center.
"They never would have renovated the hotel if we hadn't done the parking deck," says project manager Carter Green.
"Hats off to the city of Staunton," says Frazier. "It was their commitment to preserving the architectural character of downtown that made it possible. We've held on to our architecture much better than other downtowns."
Of course, that commitment hasn't been cheap. The New Street Garage cost taxpayers $4.3 million, and City fathers kicked in nearly $9 million to create the conference center.
That's quite a commitment to downtown. Some would even say it's a risky gamble. As Charlottesville taxpayers learned when they funded the Omni Hotel in 1985, if the hotel doesn't turn a profit, it's Staunton citizens who'll have to foot the bill.
In a 2004 Hook article ["City on a hill: Is Staunton the next Charlottesville?"], University of Texas prof Heywood Sanders noted, "The question that has to be asked is what does Staunton envision itself becoming?"
"Right now we're on the upswing," says Frazier, who remembers when Staunton was so dead she could stand at the intersection of East Beverley and New streets at night and not see a car for hours.
"One of the rewards of getting older is being able to see how much things have changed," she says. "Now there are shops and restaurants and boutiques and a real vibrant scene downtown. And that's very gratifying."
The New Street Garage shines as one of Staunton's most successful civic architecture projects.


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We love our Pinterest fans. We just need more of them!
Pinterest is a fun way to explore blogs and find interesting articles or photos you love.
If you have a Pinterest board, then please follow CFCA.
Here's just a small sample of what our Pinterest page offers.
Learn something new.
See beautiful pictures!
Be inspired.
Brighten your day with big smiles.
Because hope is huge.
It's incredibly adorable.
See? We told you.
We know something small you can do with great love. Follow CFCA's Pinterest page!
Like any of these photos? Repin your favorite!
Happy pinning!


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Zoom – 5:30pm Yoga Class: Level 2 with Marsha Nieland | 75 min Thursday
February 18, 2021 @ 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm
Free – $108
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 5:30 pm on Thursday, repeating indefinitely
Enjoy this 75 min class with Marsha.
A level 2 class with energizing postures that develop strength and flexibility are combined with coordinated breath and movement to release tensions held in the body. Modifications are given so that every pose is accessible to students of varying levels. At least one year prior yoga experience required. Let Marsha guide you for 75 minutes while you step away from your busy life. You will leave with your cup filled and your heart full.


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Kapiolani Community College's Hospitality and Tourism Department achieves national CAHM accreditationKapiʻolani Community College
Kapiolani Community College
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
External Affairs & University Relations
HONOLULU - The Hospitality and Tourism (HOST) Department at Kapiʻolani Community College was recently granted accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Hospitality Management Programs (CAHM), and is one of only twelve two-year colleges in the nation to receive the CAHM recognition. The Commission granted the HOST Department with the maximum seven-year accreditation status effective summer 2007 — summer 2014.
"Out of hundreds of two-year colleges that offer hotel/restaurant and travel/tourism programs, the HOST Department was notified that it achieved accreditation from the CAHM Commission after an eight-month self-study process," said HOST Department Chair Ron Umehira, who oversaw the department's accreditation report.
"We are very proud to achieve this recognition and will work very hard to maintain the standards and also to continually improve the quality of our programs, services, and facilities to better serve our students," said Umehira.
CAHM accreditation is a status granted to an educational program that has been found to meet or exceed stated standards of educational quality in terms of its mission and objectives, evaluation and planning, administration and governance, curriculum, faculty and staff, student services and activities, and resources.
To achieve this accreditation, a total of 49 faculty, staff, students and industry partners researched and wrote a very comprehensive self-study report of Kapiʻolani CC's hospitality and tourism education programs. The self-study report was then evaluated by a group of three commission and industry officials, who also visited the college in May 2007 and evaluated the department's laboratories and classrooms, and conducted numerous interviews with the faculty, administrators, students, and industry executives. The team's findings resulted in a recommendation report to the CAHM Commission that was discussed and reviewed along with the HOST program's self-study report at the annual CAHM Commission meeting in July 2007.
CAHM consists of 13 commissioners, including hospitality educators, executives from the lodging, food, service and other allied hospitality members, and the members of the public at large, and reviews, assesses and evaluates two-year hospitality programs at community and junior colleges in the United States and throughout the world.
For more information about the HOST Department at Kapiʻolani Community College, visit www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu.
For more information, visit: http://www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu


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Sara Al-Gashm
Evaluation Manager
Sara Al-Gashm manages evaluation projects at the Resilience Research Centre at a national and international level, which integrate both quantitative and quasi-experimental pre and post-test methodology as well as qualitative methods. She brings interdisciplinary and cross-national training and experience to her position, along with an extensive research background in health and wellbeing across the lifespan. Sara received a Master's degree in Global Health from McMaster University and a Bachelor's degree in International Development Studies from Dalhousie University. She was granted the title of Leading First-Class Honours Student and is the recipient of the University Silver Medal from Dalhousie University. Sara holds publications in The Lancet and the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. She is fluent in three languages: English, Arabic and Tagalog. Her interests include monitoring and evaluation, results-based management, participatory research methods, and qualitative research.


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CASE70315: Horary consultation concerning Samuel Rogers (PERSON57817)
Question asked by the patient on 24 March 1630 at 13:00
U[1624–34] Samuel Rogers of Moulton 22. y. Mart. 24. ☿. h. 1. p. m. 1630
hath a Swellinge in his Back & RN \genitalibus rūning & in his/ U[1624–34] hand cannot hold his water Lame in his Thighe & Hucklebone
Transcribed excerpt from MS Ashmole 194, p. 199 (upper right part of page)


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TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I'm Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I'm Leslie Segrete.
TOM: And we are here to help you transform your home from money pit to palace. I mean to us, the money pit is a term of endearment. We love our money pits but they need some care and feeding. And we're here to teach you how to do just that. So pick up the phone and help yourself first by calling us with your questions at 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.
Coming up on today's program, are you a family that really enjoys bottled water? I bet you don't enjoy the cost associated with it. We're going to have tips this hour on how to install an under-sink water filter. That's a great way to enjoy good-quality water at home without the expense of buying it at the store.
LESLIE: Plus, have weeds taken over your lawn and garden? Well, we've got tips to help you get a handle on those weeds so they'll stop growing, well, like weeds.
TOM: And hey, did you start out as an avid do-it-yourselfer but now have officially graduated to pro? If so, we're going to tell you about a nationwide Home Depot event that's really designed to say "thank you" to all of the pros who frequent the stores across the country and show you how you can benefit from a new, exclusive loyalty program they're running.
LESLIE: And this hour, we've got a great prize to give away. We've got a Bostitch 3-Tool Compressor Combo Kit. Now, it comes with a finish nailer, a brad nailer and a crown stapler and it's a prize worth 279 bucks.
TOM: Going to go out to one caller that reaches us with their home improvement question, so let's get to it. The number is 888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.
Leslie, who's first?
LESLIE: Lauren in Florida is on the line with a lead-paint question. How can we help you today?
LAUREN: Hi. My husband and I are remodeling a 1907 home that's been vacant for multiple years, so there's lots of damage. A lot of the paint is chipping off the windows. There is – on the beadboard and wainscoting, a lot of the paint's chipping off. And someone has gone in and put sheetrock mud to texture over the original plaster walls, so some of that's chipping off. And we've got three young children, so we need to repaint this house and fix it but we're really concerned about the lead-paint issue.
LESLIE: Yeah. Understandably so. And your house is in the timeframe where you do need to be concerned about lead paint.
Now, we had an issue when we put central air conditioning in the house when my son was six months old – you know, when he was little, I didn't think that – any concern. And they did a great job. They were very tidy; they contained all the dust. But something must have gotten on something and when we had gone for his next exam, he had elevated lead levels probably from some dust getting on a toy and then the toy going in his mouth, anything. Anyway, it turned out after we did the next blood work, his levels went back to normal, so we were really not concerned at that point. But it is a very scary issue.
Now, I'm not sure, nationwide, what the rules are – and maybe Tom can speak better on this – but in New York, when you are fairly certain that you've got lead paint or the timeframe sort of dates it that way, you have to work with a painter or a contractor who's certified in sort of lead-paint containment, if you will. Because even if you have it on a window frame and you're opening and closing that window, you're creating little specks of lead dust that are getting into the air. And with small children, you do need to be concerned.
So you do need to make sure that, if you can, that this is done by a pro. There's nothing that regulates when a homeowner does it themselves but knowing that you probably have lead paint and with small children in the home, I would just have a pro do it. And you want to make sure that things are taped off and really sealed up and cleaned very thoroughly. There are specific rules, I know, in New York State that allow for a contractor to be certified. And that's something you really want to look for.
TOM: Yeah. And especially because the paint is flaking in deteriorated condition right now, that's the highest risk for this, Lauren. So you're wise to proceed very cautiously and make sure that the contractor that you're working with is certified as a lead professional.
LAUREN: Alright. Thank you.
TOM: You're welcome, Lauren. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Now we've got Damian in Iowa on the line who's got a mystery noise in the bathroom. Tell us about it.
DAMIAN: Bought a new house beginning of April and it's my second house I've owned. And in my master bedroom, in the closet – master closet and the master bath – it's just some weird, like clicking/ticking noises in the walls.
TOM: Does that happen when you run water, Damian?
DAMIAN: That does but that's mainly – I think my plumbing's in the flooring. And I don't think this is a plumbing issue.
TOM: So if it happens consistent with running the water or turning the water on/off, it's almost always the pipes expanding and contracting. If the pipes are rubbing against the wall as it expands or contracts, it will make that clicking sound and then that clicking sound will resonate. So, it could be originating in the floor and you might hear it in the wall and so on. Sometimes it sounds like a drip, sometimes it sounds like a click. But in a bathroom area, that's the – almost exclusively the reason that that sound occurs.
DAMIAN: Here's my thing. It happens in the closet and it happens for hours at a time when the plumbing's not even being used.
TOM: OK. Well, it still could be expansion and contraction.
DAMIAN: Could it be because – I'm kind of facing the west side and it happens in the afternoon. Do you think the sun has anything to do with it? Stuff heating up in the walls or …?
TOM: It may very well because when you're heating things up, then you're going to get expansion.
DAMIAN: OK. Yeah, I'm just glad you said – I used to own a brick house and this one's steel siding, so I never used to hear those kinds of sounds.
TOM: Oh, well, see, yeah, the expansion and the contraction of the siding is very noisy, too.
DAMIAN: Oh, could that be it then?
TOM: Yeah, it could be, absolutely.
DAMIAN: I've gotten to the point where I almost want to take a hammer to my drywall and see what's going on in there.
TOM: I think you'd be chasing it for a long time and probably never exactly find the point. But it's pretty typical and I wouldn't worry about it. OK, Damian?
DAMIAN: Alright. Thank you so much. Appreciate it, guys.
TOM: Alright. Try to get some sleep. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com.
Well, the unofficial end of summer is just around the corner, with Labor Day and the kids all going back to school. So what are you working on at your money pit to sort of get things wrapped up before the cool weather sets in? Give us a call. We're here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to lend you a hand at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
Up next, are the weeds in your yard out of control? We'll show you the green way to make those weeds go away, next.
MIKE: Hey, this is Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs and I've just been told that Tom and Leslie might have a dirtier job than me? I find that hard to believe but then I heard they worked in a pit. It's a money pit but it's still filthy.
TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I'm Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I'm Leslie Segrete. And the number to get Team Money Pit is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
Now, one of you lucky callers who gets on the air with us this hour is really going to win a very exciting prize pack. We've got up for grabs a 3-Tool Compressor Combo Kit from Bostitch. Now, it's lighter and more compact than other compressors, so it's really easy to carry around. And it's got 90 PSIs of power for nailing and stapling. And of course, it's got a Bostitch high-efficiency motor for easy start-up, especially in the cooler weather right around the corner.
TOM: Yeah. This tool is great for dozens of projects, I mean if you're doing crown molding, baseboard molding, cabinetry, insulation. All those sorts of projects go so much easier when using air tools and a Bostitch compressor.
So, the Bostitch 3-Tool Compressor Kit is actually worth $279 but it's going out to one caller drawn at random from those that reach us for today's program. So pick up the phone and give us a call. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: John in Pennsylvania is on the line and has a question about flooring. What can we do for you today?
JOHN: We're about to become homeowners and we need to rip up some carpet. And we want to install hardwood flooring. We were curious how far you have to leave it away from your new floor – away from the wall.
TOM: Is it prefinished hardwood, John?
JOHN: Yeah, it's all finished. Yep.
TOM: OK, well, that's great. Now, I would recommend probably around ½-inch.
TOM: You want to make it so that a piece of baseboard molding plus shoe molding will cover it. So, between baseboard and shoe molding, you've probably got about an inch to an inch-and-a-quarter of overlap, so to speak. So generally about a ½-inch will work.
Most of the flooring manufacturers will give you specific advice on what the gap should be but I'd say generally about a ½-inch is fine. And remember, that's a ½-inch away from the drywall. Because even – you have space under the drywall, as well as another ½-inch. That should give you plenty of room for expansion and contraction.
JOHN: OK. And then the other question was: when we get the new floors delivered, they said you have to leave it a certain amount of time before we install it to get, I guess, acclimated to our weather?
TOM: Yeah, you want to acclimate it to the space that it's going to be in. Because if it comes really cold, for example, it's going to kind of shrink and then if it expands, it could buckle up. So you want to just put it in the room that you're going to install it in and leave it there for a good couple of days to acclimate.
JOHN: OK, great.
TOM: Good luck with that project. It's very exciting. This is your first house?
JOHN: Yeah, yeah. First house, yep.
TOM: Alright. Well, good luck and call us anytime, Dan, if we can help.
JOHN: Appreciate it. Thank you.
LESLIE: Connie in Arizona is on the line with a leaky roof. How can we help you today?
CONNIE: Yes. I have a Pro-Panel roof. And it has started – I live in Arizona, so we don't get a lot of rain. But when we do, it rains really hard. And I have a leak and I cannot find where it's coming from on the roof because it's all Pro-Panel and there's no vents around where it's leaking out of. But it runs down [an eave] (ph) and leaks in my kitchen and I cannot find …
TOM: So, what you want you want to do in a situation like that, where you're not really sure why it's leaking or where it's leaking, is you can get up there or a contractor, obviously, can get up there with a hose – a garden hose. And start on one end and then very slowly work away – work across the roof until you find the area where the leak exists. And then once you identify that, you can get that roof taken apart in that particular area and then resealed.
With a metal roof, it's very frequently a fastener that comes through the roof that needs to be sealed. And the other approach is to simply reseal all the fasteners that are in the area of the leak and sooner or later, you're going to get to the bottom of it.
OK, Connie? Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
Well, like it or not, weeds play an important role in our ecosystem because they colonize bare soil and they prevent erosion. But when they interfere with your gardening plans, there are actually environmentally-friendly ways to get rid of them.
LESLIE: Now, weeds will be the first plants to show up in bare soil, so cover bare ground with plantings or organic mulch. Now is the perfect time to give your yard and garden a treatment of corn gluten meal. These super-tiny granules will prevent weeds from sprouting and you can spread them again in the fall for early protection against next spring's weed growth.
TOM: Now, for pesky, established weeds that are, say, between sidewalk cracks or paver-brick patios, you want to turn to horticultural vinegar. That's going to do the trick. And for younger weeds, you can make them disappear very simply with a mixture of household vinegar and lemon juice. It's as easy as that. With a few, simple green products, you can make that weed problem go away.
Hey, if you've got a home improvement problem you'd like to make go away, pick up the phone and call us and we'll see what we can do to help you out. The number is 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Bill in Illinois, you've got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?
BILL: We put a deck on the back of our house. It was with pretreated wood. Stained it with deck and – transparent deck stain. Turned out the color was not what my wife expected. We tolerated it for a few months and then she said, "I don't like this. So, let's paint it or let's do something." So we went back to the place where we got the paint.
And they gave us a paint that was not a real pink paint but he said it will go ahead and just cover that blue. So I said, "OK," painted it. And it was satisfactory and then decided more – decided to put a rug out on half of it so that it would match the paint in the house and so forth. So, left this for a year and sure enough, when you pull the rug up, the paint – some of the paint peeled off, which I understand because of the moisture in that. But other parts of the deck are starting to peel off now. And I'm wondering what I should do to go and repaint it or rough the – sand the deck down or something. But it won't work.
TOM: Well, here's the thing: you can't put good paint over bad paint.
BILL: Right.
TOM: So, if the paint layer is separating and delaminating, you have to strip it. So you absolutely, positively have to strip this deck with a good-quality wood stripper. Get it down to the wood and then go back up from there.
I would recommend that you not paint but use solid-color stain next time. That's going to give you long-term protection of the deck. And it's not the kind of material that will generally peel, either. So I would strip it down and then use a solid-color stain to get to the color that you want it to be. OK?
BILL: We'll give it a try. Hey, thank you very much.
TOM: Alright. Good luck, Bill. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Judy in Iowa, you've got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?
JUDY: I'm in a house that my father built back in 1990.
JUDY: And while they lived there, they experienced black spots coming through on the drywall.
JUDY: And they called in a painter; a painter came in. He went over everything with KILZ first and painted it. Well, since then, they've both passed away and so I purchased the house.
TOM: Right.
JUDY: I had a friend take a look up in the attic and he told me, "Oh, I can't believe that your father wrapped all this in plastic. Your house can't breathe. We need to get up here and slice this plastic, let the house breathe and you won't get any more of these black spots."
TOM: So does he think the black spots are mold?
JUDY: I don't know.
LESLIE: And what room were you seeing it in?
JUDY: Every different room. Yeah.
JUDY: It's almost like it's the nail heads are getting wet or something.
TOM: OK. So, up in the attic – let's talk about that area. And you say he wrapped it in plastic. What exactly are you seeing?
JUDY: Well, I didn't; I haven't been up there.
TOM: Oh, your friend saw it.
JUDY: My neighbor went up.
TOM: Alright. Well, look, when it comes to vapor barrier, here's the rule: the vapor barrier goes towards the heated side of the house. So a common mistake, for example, up in attics, is to put the insulation in backwards where they have the vapor barrier sort of facing up as you're in the attic looking down.
And the solution to that is to cut the vapor barrier. I've seen that in crawlspaces, too, where they put the vapor barrier because it has the nailing flange on it. And the only tab on it – at the edge of the beams and it's on the wrong side. So, as long as the vapor barrier is between the ceiling and the insulation, it's done correctly. If not, then yes, you can go up and slice the vapor barrier and let it breathe more.
The other thing to do is to make sure that your attic has adequate ventilation. And the best ventilation is a continuous ridge vent, which goes down the peak of the roof, matched with soffit vents at the overhang.
JUDY: OK. That's what I needed to know.
LESLIE: Pat in Pennsylvania is on the line with a leak in a garage roof. What can we do for you today?
PAT: Well, I have an attached garage to my house and right down at the end where the – near the garage door is there – right where the soffit meets the shingles, I have a leak there. And I was just wondering how I could try to fix that, if I could just put some of that BLACK JACK in there and try to fix it or …
TOM: How long do you want it fixed for? A week or like forever? Because if you just use the tar, it's going to be a very short-term repair.
TOM: Tell me where exactly the leak is evidencing itself.
PAT: Well, it's just a little bit of a water spot there right at the garage door and it seems like the shingles are lifted up a little bit. But my – we built our home only nine years ago, so I wasn't sure if it was the shingles or …
TOM: OK. So you're not even sure if it's the shingles themselves that are cracking. So if you built your home nine years ago, you've got a fiberglass-based asphalt shingle. And one of the ways that fiberglass-based asphalt shingles wear is they actually develop sort of fissures or cracks in them. So if you put a ladder against the front of the garage and you kind of go up and look down on the shingle itself and if you see cracks that go through them, that could be the source of the water.
Now, if you've just got one or two shingles that are pushed up like that, usually that's because a nail is actually backing up through the roof. And you could put a flat bar in there and kind of tap that nail down. And yeah, if you want to put a little bit of asphalt sealing under the tab just to kind of hold it in place, then that would be OK.
But in terms of leak prevention, that type of sealant is not the way to fix the leak. If it turns out that the shingles are cracked, I don't want you to tar them; I want you to take them off and replace them.
PAT: OK. So that's not a permanent fix then, I guess, is what you're saying.
TOM: Well, that's right. It's not going to be a permanent fix. If the shingles are cracked, then you should pull off the shingles that are damaged and replace them and you can do that with a flat bar. You can actually sort of extract – sort of surgically remove – a shingle from the middle of a roof and put a new one back in its place.
PAT: OK. You wouldn't think after nine years, though, that the shingles would be cracked already, would you, or …?
TOM: I have seen it happen quicker than that.
PAT: Oh, really? OK.
TOM: Yeah, that's why – see, that's kind of the way those shingles wear. It depends on a lot of factors. But I would take a very careful look at that and see if that's what's causing it.
PAT: OK. Well, that sounds good. I appreciate your help.
TOM: You're welcome, Pat. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com.
Well, is your recycling bin filling up super-fast with just dozens of empty water bottles? Why not just install an under-sink filter and forget those bottles altogether? That tip, coming up next.
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TOM: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com and also on Facebook. And if you head on over to our Facebook page, all this month you can enter our Dog Days of Summer Sweepstakes.
This is great because we're giving away good stuff, including the Namath Rapid Cooker grill. You know our friend, Joe Namath? He was on the show just a few months ago when this product first came out. It's doing really well. It's one of the best grills I've ever seen for producing sizzling steaks. It works great in a backyard, works great as a tailgate.
It's worth $397 and it's just one of three amazing prizes that we're giving away this month. All you need to do is "like" The Money Pit on Facebook and enter. And then you can share the sweepstakes with friends. And check this out: if they enter – for every friend that enters, you get five more bonus entries. That's online at Facebook.com/TheMoneyPit. Or just click on the Facebook link on MoneyPit.com.
LESLIE: Alright. Now we've got Diane in Illinois who needs some extra storage space at her money pit. How can we help you today?
DIANE: Well, I have a deck off of our master bedroom. And it's a 12×12 deck and I want to turn it into a walk-in closet. And I want to bring my washer and dryer from the basement upstairs and put it into that closet.
TOM: Well, this sounds like a good project, Diane, but I have to tell you that generally, when people try to convert a deck into a finished room – I've seen it done many, many times, especially in the 20 years I spent as a professional home inspector – it just doesn't work, for a lot of reasons.
And I can understand that you want it to flow nicely into the house and all of that but you're really talking about an addition here. And if you're going to build an addition, you typically were going to build it different than a deck. What I would recommend is that even though this is a small project, it's a complicated project. Because not only do you want a closet, you also want laundry there.
I think this is a great opportunity for you to consult with an architect because you have a lot to do to get this done correctly. And you also don't want to make it look like it's sort of slapped on the outside of your house because it's going to detract from your home value.
But every single time I've seen somebody try to take a deck and convert it into living space, it's never worked out too well. It might be that you can preserve some of the framing and maybe incorporate it in there but it's going to now be living space. It's going to have to be heated, it's going to have to be cooled, it's going to have to have wiring, it's going to have to have plumbing. It's an addition; it's no longer going to be in a deck. So while that space might fit well for it, starting with the existing deck doesn't always make the most sense, OK?
DIANE: OK. So what would – we would have to just tear that deck down and start over or …?
TOM: You may. But that's why I say – let's not speculate on this and let's not make a wrong step. This is a type of project where you are well advised to hire an architect. It's not going to be an expensive consulting fee because it's a small project. But it's really smart to do that in this situation because you'll find out what you can save and what you have to tear down. You won't make a costly mistake.
DIANE: OK. I didn't want anything falling off the house and tearing the roof apart. And I didn't want to have to do all of that, so I appreciate your advice.
LESLIE: Well, if you're a big drinker of bottled water, you may have noticed that the price never seems to go down and you might be ready for an alternative to the cost and all that waste.
TOM: But there are alternatives. You can save money and go green with an under-sink water filter. Richard Trethewey, the plumbing-and-heating expert for TV's This Old House is here to explain.
Welcome, Richard.
RICHARD: Hey, guys.
TOM: It's good to see you again. And Americans, boy, we drink a lot of bottled water and those expenses can really add up.
RICHARD: You know, it's about a $6 billion-a-year industry, this bottled water.
TOM: Wow.
RICHARD: It is – there are a lot of those little bottles going around. And the rest of the planet uses about $29 billion. I mean it is a big industry. What is the Earth, two-thirds water?
TOM: Yeah.
RICHARD: We're going to drink it all sooner or later, so …
LESLIE: Right.
TOM: Now, why do people think that the water in those bottles is that much more cleaner than what comes out of their sink? There are regulations that water authorities have to follow.
RICHARD: Yeah. Right.
TOM: They're respected all the time.
RICHARD: Right.
TOM: The water in this country, for the most part, is pretty darn good.
RICHARD: That's right. We feel like we can trust in this country – when you go to a faucet, you at least feel, if it's a municipal water supply, that that water is trustworthy. But what's happened is people, I think, are still nervous. There's a few things I think every house will have, sooner or later. One is water filtration, both under the sink and potentially coming into the building. A couple of solar panels will be on the roof, I think, on most houses.
TOM: Right. Mm-hmm.
RICHARD: And I think every house will have some sort of way to bring fresh air into the building, some sort of mechanical ventilation device.
TOM: Yeah, that makes sense.
RICHARD: Those are the three things I think …
TOM: We're all feeling that much more health-conscious.
RICHARD: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
TOM: Well, in terms of the sink filters themselves, there are a number of different types of filter technologies out there.
RICHARD: Yeah.
TOM: Talk to us about how they actually work. And which ones are most effective?
RICHARD: The most common one, by far, is a thing called "granulated activated carbon." That is the – it's a carbon-block filter and the water goes through it. Carbon is a great filter to get taste and odor under control.
If that's what you're trying to do, just to sort of cosmetically clean up that water for taste and odor, you can't beat a granulated activated carbon filter.
TOM: Now, is that under-sink? It's an under-sink filter.
RICHARD: Yeah, most of these are under-sink.
RICHARD: You have to decide: "Am I trying to deal with the whole house? Am I trying to deal with the water that I drink?" And so, in most cases, there's so much water coming into the house that you're going to use for bathing and for toilets. You really don't often have to do a whole-house filter. You've really got to think about that water that people are going to drink with, cook with or to make ice cubes with.
LESLIE: Cook with.
RICHARD: And so, under-the-sink filter is what most people should have and do have.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And is that something that you can do yourself, as far as installation?
RICHARD: They have made the installation pretty darn easy nowadays. You're still dealing with plumbing, so you've got to make sure you turn the water off and make those connections. But so many of them are these really do-it-yourself-able connections.
First of all, you – if you want to have a separate spigot at the sink, you have to use one of the holes that are on the sink. You have to drill a new hole so you have that separate spout coming out for your filtered water.
TOM: Right. Mm-hmm.
RICHARD: Some people will do it on the cold water going to the faucet and do everything out of sight. I like to have a dedicated faucet where I know that that's the water I can trust. And that's what I go to.
And then you mount it underneath the kitchen cabinet. We've done it on This Old House, Ask This Old House a couple times. They should be maintained. The ironic thing is the better the filter is …
TOM: The less maintenance you need?
RICHARD: No, the more.
TOM: Oh, really.
RICHARD: The more it'll clog, meaning – so it has a better filter.
TOM: Oh, interesting.
RICHARD: And so people will say, "Oh, that thing's clogged in." Well, guess what? That means it took out a lot of stuff that would have – you would have been drinking.
TOM: Right.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And not even known about.
RICHARD: That's right.
TOM: Right. Yeah, yeah.
RICHARD: So, you really – you've got to look at it the right way. That if it's doing its job, sooner or later it's going to clog and that stuff, you avoid it. If you put one in that's got such low filtration capacity, you'll never have to maintain it but you might as well not have done it.
LESLIE: So is the clog the indicator that the filter needs to be changed? Or do some of these fixtures have maybe a light that comes on or something that will tell you now is the time to change the filter?
RICHARD: It's going to clog. I haven't seen any fancy – I'm sure there's a few on the market that have sort of some filter – or you could do it on time. But I think you're going to see that there's a drop-off in the performance because that filter media is getting more and more clogged with particulates that we would have drank.
TOM: We're talking to Richard Trethewey. He's the plumbing-and-heating expert on TV's This Old House.
Richard, one of the common complaints that people have about water is this sort of rotten-egg smell that comes from water. Can that be solved with a filter?
RICHARD: Well, that's sulfur and that is usually an indication that something else is going on in your system.
RICHARD: And what we most often find when you have that sulfur complaint, it's usually on hot water. And it is that inside of the water heater, down in your basement or wherever it is – inside that tank, there's an anode rod – a sacrificial anode rod – that is taking the electrolysis that would have eaten the tank and becoming sacrificial to it.
Now, if that anode rod fails, sooner or later you're going to start getting hydrogen sulfide in the water because it's really the beginning of the breakdown of the tank. So it means that you should think about changing that water heater; it's beginning to give that sulfur smell.
TOM: So that's a good point.
RICHARD: That's right.
TOM: So if you actually tried to deal with it with a filter, you might, in effect, be masking (inaudible at 0:26:45).
RICHARD: You might mask it but sooner or later, that basement is going to be flooded.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And I think you know what we're talking about, this entire under-sink filtration system. Generally, we're talking about municipal water supply.
RICHARD: Yeah, yeah.
LESLIE: What about well water? Are you able to filter that, as well, or is that a whole different animal?
RICHARD: You don't have any idea what the water is coming out of the ground. You don't know where your neighbor's septic system is in relation to the water, so I think you can't filter the water enough when you're coming out of the ground with a well. So, potentially, you're going to have a whole-house iron removal, you're going to have some sort of prefilter for the water coming through. And then by the time you get to the kitchen sink, you want to be sure to have a granulated activated carbon filter.
TOM: And that is definitely a pro project. You've got to test that water and build the filtration system around what you find, correct?
RICHARD: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of great pros in the water-quality industry in this country. You've just got to find a local guy that knows what they're doing.
TOM: Good advice. Richard Trethewey, the plumbing-and-heating expert on TV's This Old House, helping us keep our water clean, safe and smelling nice.
RICHARD: I'm thirsty.
LESLIE: Alright. You can catch the current season of This Old House and Ask This Old House on PBS. For local listings and step-by-step videos of many common home improvement projects, visit ThisOldHouse.com.
TOM: And This Old House and Ask This Old House are brought to you by GMC. GMC, we are professional grade.
Still to come, do your home improvement projects always seem to go over budget? Welcome to the club. It happens to the best of us but now there's a new way to plan and track spending so you'll stick to that budget for every single project. We're going to tell you about it, next.
TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I'm Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I'm Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Give us a call right now with your home improvement question. We're standing by at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. If we draw your name at the end of today's show, you might just win a cool prize because we've got the Bostitch 3-Tool Compressor to give away.
LESLIE: Yeah. You know, it's really light and compact, so it's super-easy to carry around. And the kit is going to include a 16-gauge straight finish nailer, an 18-gauge brad nailer and an 18-gauge crown stapler.
TOM: Yeah. And that's going to cover you for dozens of projects, from molding to cabinetry, insulation and so on. The Bostitch 3-Tool Compressor Kit is worth $279 and it could be yours if we answer your question on the air this hour, so give us a call at 888-MONEY-PIT, 888-666-3974.
Well, has doing it yourself transcended from a hobby to more of a calling? You may know a lot about home improvement but to give you a little extra information, we've got an Insider's Trick Of The Trade, presented this hour by Pro Xtra, The Home Depot's new loyalty program for home improvement pros. And this tip is about painting.
LESLIE: Now, if you're an avid do-it-yourselfer, most likely you've no fear of one of the easiest and cheapest room makeovers out there: new paint. But if you're painting your house piecemeal, you may be making a mistake and wasting money. Pros will tell you to paint in bulk. So before diving into a paint job, take a step back and look around your entire home. Identify each room or space that needs to be painted.
TOM: Build out a timeline for how long it'll take you to save up. Or prepare to paint all the walls that need it at one time. By combining paint purchases, you might make yourself eligible for substantial savings.
LESLIE: Now, a great resource that some folks really just don't know about is The Home Depot's special web page, which is specifically for the pros and those avid do-it-yourselfers, at HomeDepot.com/Pro.
And starting August 27th, The Home Depot is hosting its first-ever, nationwide pro-appreciation event. It's a two-day celebration to say "thank you" to its valued pro customers. And it's really featuring some special deals on those top products. They're offering free delivery on some products, 10-percent off of your first purchase when Pro Xtra members open up a new credit-card account. There's giveaways, there's snacks and so much more.
TOM: And a pro or even serious do-it-yourselfers can join Pro Xtra, which allows free access to The Home Depot Estimator. Now, this is a great tool because it enables you to determine how much a job will cost. And the online purchase tracker will help you keep it on budget.
LESLIE: So go ahead and check out Pro Appreciation Days at Home Depot stores nationwide. It's happening from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Check out their website, HomeDepot.com/Pro, and you'll find out a ton more ways that you could be saving.
TOM: Pro or not, pick up the phone and call us. We'd like to talk about your next home improvement project. The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Dan in South Carolina needs some help with a garage project. How can we help you today?
DAN: I just wanted to know, is there any product – linoleum, tile – I could put on my garage floor? It's been painted already with a stain. And they tell me I have to sand it up and everything. Is there anything I can put on that that would stay when I drive the car in and out?
TOM: Yeah. There are garage-floor systems – tile systems – designed specifically for garage floors and to stay in good condition when you drive the car over it. These are usually tile systems that lock together. They're very attractive.
You could take a look at RaceDeck, for example, RaceDeck.com. You'll see some drop-dead gorgeous floors there. And there are others, as well. And they're - once they're installed, they look good, they clean easy and they're not going to peel up.
DAN: And there's no glue involved? They lock together?
TOM: No, they lock together and they snap together and they're basically floating floors. But they're great.
DAN: Oh, great. Thank you very much.
TOM: Your place is going to look like Jay Leno's garage if you put this in.
DAN: OK. That's what I want, without the cars.
TOM: Alright. Take care. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: You are tuned to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com.
Well, still to come, have you been enjoying your deck all summer long, as evidenced by those grease and grime and ketchup stains? We're going to have some tips to cut down on deck maintenance, when The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show continues, after this.
ANNOUNCER: The Money Pit is brought to you by the new Chamberlain Garage Power Station, an air inflator, utility cord, and LED task light all together in a new, 3-in-1 tool. Exclusively at The Home Depot.
TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. I'm Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I'm Leslie Segrete.
Hey, are you guys thinking about a renovation project? Well, if you are, you want to make sure that you pick the right project. In this market, over-improving your home is actually going to hurt more than it's going to help. So if you want some great ideas, check out "Home Improvements for Under 1,000 Bucks" on MoneyPit.com.
And while you're there, head over to the Community section, post your question. I've got one here from John in New York and he writes: "My house recently lost power. When it came back on, I found that one of the circuit breakers had tripped. I reset the breaker and it tripped again. The breaker controls the living room, which has eight outlets. I unplugged everything and reset the breaker but it still pops. I went around to each outlet with a tester. All outlets indicated correct but the breaker keeps tripping. What should I do next?"
TOM: Believe the breaker, John. I think a lot of folks …
LESLIE: But it's doing its job, isn't it?
TOM: It's doing its job, right. You just haven't found the source of the problem. If you blow a fuse or if you blow a breaker, it ain't the breaker. The problem is in the wiring. There are other points that could be impacted and certainly, if there was a surge because of the storm, that could contribute to this.
But look, the breaker itself could be bad. I've pulled breakers out of panels and found the back half of them all burned out. You could have a wire connection that's bad. You could have pierced a wire with a nail or a screw hanging that heavy mirror or something like that. There's a lot of places that it could have failed. So, believe the breaker. You've now done everything that you reasonably can do on your own, John. You do need to call a professional electrician to find out what's going on. That's simply the best way to tackle this problem and get it resolved.
And by the way, speaking of breakers that blow, there's a new kind of breaker that's out that I want to tell you about. It's called an "arc-fault circuit interrupter." Now, we've talked about ground faults, right? The GFCIs? This is different. Ground faults prevent shocks but arc faults are new to the market and they're specifically designed to prevent fires. So, look into the arc-fault breakers. And if you're going to have an electrician in your house, that is a great time to put them in because you only need one per circuit. It could be in a circuit breaker or it could be an outlet. But you could have, in this case, eight outlets. With one arc fault, you'll protect the entire string. Good thing to look into now and a great improvement to do and a very inexpensive one, by the way. They cost about 30 bucks apiece, plus the cost of the electrician.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. And you know what? If you've got a bunch of electrical work that needs to be done in the house, sort of put everything together. Because you're still paying the price for the electrician to come to the house, so you might as well have him work on as much as possible to keep that visit cost sort of more manageable.
Alright. Next up, we've got a question from Rose in New Jersey who writes: "I have a 12-foot by 20-foot deck, which is about 6 years old. Each year, I have to refinish the deck." Wow. Why each year? "I would like to give the deck a good finish and then put a composite deck over it to cut down on the maintenance. What do you think?"
Why finish the deck and then cover it up is my question.
TOM: You know, you don't need to put a deck on top of a deck, Rose. If you are tired of the deck maintenance, you could do a composite makeover but I would remove the original decking. You'll keep the structure, you'll keep the frame but you'll put the new composite decking down on top of that. And once you do that, you won't have to worry about any type of decking maintenance in the future.
But even once a year – look, if you're doing it right, you shouldn't have to do it more than every two or three or four years. And there's a great article on MoneyPit.com that will teach you how to properly stain and finish a deck.
LESLIE: Yeah. Rose, every time I've refinished a deck – I know it seems like it's every year. And maybe you really are doing it every year but most manufacturers are saying five years on exterior horizontal surfaces. So make sure you're doing the proper prep, letting that deck dry very thoroughly before you put that new finish on. And that really should do the trick.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show on air and online at MoneyPit.com. Thank you so much for spending this hour with us. I want to remind you that you can turn to us 24-7 by calling the show at 888-MONEY-PIT with your home improvement question. You can also post it to our Facebook page, tweet us @MoneyPit or join the Community section at MoneyPit.com. All ways that we love to talk to you and help you achieve your home improvement dreams.
I'm Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I'm Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself …
LESLIE: But you don't have to do it alone.
(Copyright 2013 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. No portion of this transcript or audio file may be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.)


text:
Move over Florida, Georgia is on the radar for bizarre news this month.
Cobb County police were called Feb. 1 after a man was allegedly burglarizing a home while only wearing a shirt and socks, according to a warrant obtained by Atlanta TV station WXIA.
"(The) accused illegally entered into said victims home, a complete stranger, with no pants on and his genitals clearly visible," the warrant read.
With the home's alarm system set off, the man allegedly walked past the owner's room while having a gun pointed at him. He went into a child's room, where he put on a sweatshirt he found, opened a window to the garage and pooped on the ground.
The man then allegedly stole a golf cart from the garage "without any pants on," according to court records.
Police caught up to the man and ordered him to pull over, but he refused.
The police were "forced to pull in front of said golf cart and slow down in order to get said accused to yield," the warrant stated.
The golf cart eventually came to a stop after the man on the lam apparently crashed it. He then made a run into a forested area while being chased by officers who ordered him to stop, according to the report.
A Taser was used to no effect.
"After deploying the (Taser), said accused was completely unresponsive to its effects," the one-and-a-half page document stated. "Said accused, then with clenched fists, turned around in a defensive posture and began advancing on said affiant."
Cops were forced to use "hard hand tactics" to arrest the man.
James Paul Cogan is facing a litany of charges, including two counts of public indecency, first-degree burglary, reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, theft by taking, obstruction of law enforcement, loitering and criminal trespass.


text:
If you dislike the idea of the Olympics being represented by logo that looks like a puzzle some mischievous housecat has broken into pieces, then you probably didn't like the London 2012 logo. The great thing about the Olympics, however, is that every four years, new graphic design teams and ad agencies have the opportunity to capture the elusive butterfly that is the Olympic spirit.
The Rio 2016 logo went in the opposite direction of the broken puzzle piece motif — Brazils Tatíl Design created a real "we are the world" image of three bodies holding hands (and feet, it seems) in a vibrant dance circle, which sends the really positive, unifying message to all competing nations that, hey, even if you lose, you're still in Rio. The design team also seems really excited about their effort and about the awesomeness of Rio, which, from the cutaways to to palm tree-lined, sun-dappled streets in the video below, seems considerable.
Hated the London 2012 Logo? You Might Like Rio 2016 Better [Adweek]


text:
I made this for a potluck dinner the other day. I just want to show you a picture of how I plated the baby bok choy. In the middle, I stir-fried some minced chicken with chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms and garnished with chopped scallion and crispy fried shallots. You can also make it vegetarian by omitting the ground chicken and use an assortment of mushrooms.
You can serve this during a Chinese New Year dinner. I think it's beautiful!
* I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover*
Par-boil the baby bok choy (wshed and cut in half) in boiling salted water with a little oil. Arrange it nicely on a round plate. Then, saute some ground chicken (or ground meat of your choice, or omit it for vegetarian version) in a little oil until no longer pink. Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are fragrant. Season with oyster sauce (vegetarian oyster sauce for vegetarian) and a little water for sauce. You can thicken it with cornstarch/potato starch mixture or by evaporation, it's up to you. Pour the sauce on top and in the middle of the plated baby bok choy. Garnish with chopped scallion and crispy fried shallots.