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Ginger, Almond, and Cranberry Semifreddo
January 27, 2011 at 3:42 pm 47 comments
One of the most important lessons I've learned so far second semester? Bundle up. Sometimes when I step outside it hurts to inhale, like the breath freezes in my lungs. Snow packs into the spaces between bricks.
The other morning I took an extra long, extra hot shower and found myself running late to class. I got dressed, swept up my books, and headed for the elevator. I didn't give my towel-dried hair a second thought until I was on the sidewalk. I couldn't have been outside longer than a few minutes, but when I got to the classroom, my skull was so cold it burned. My hair had frozen solid, waves of ice brushing against my cheeks.
When the temperature is in the single digits, I try not to leave my building. But between classes and shifts at the restaurant, I'm getting the full New England winter experience.
Way back in September, one of the things I immediately loved about Boston was its color palette. Seattle is splashed grey and green and blue, with chrome and glass and buildings that reflect the clouds. While it's gorgeous and familiar, Massachusetts was a welcome change. Boston is all brick and gold and off-white, rich with history and equally beautiful. But four months later the cars and streets and trees are burdened with dirty snow, and that's all I notice.
I walk to work with the same philosophy I have towards other unpleasant things – get it over with quickly. Salt crystals crackle beneath my boots every step of the way. Scarf, gloves, earmuffs, two coats and a pair of tights under my jeans… Every accessory means the longer it'll take me to change into uniform once I get there.
When my shift ends long after midnight, the sidewalks are quiet and clear. Sometimes a fresh blanket of snow has fallen and untouched white stretches in all directions. The air is just as chilly before, but windless, and the street feels unreal. I've caught myself standing in the restaurant's doorway, breathless, suddenly reminded why I love living here.
The walk home is so dark, it's like a different set of streets. The blackness swallows up the lampposts, so the bulbous orange lights seem suspended in midair. Taxi headlights cut through the darkness in wide, white sweeps. I watch my breath curl into itself and dissolve up towards the sky, which is either greyed purple or orange thanks to light pollution.
Boston is painted with an entirely different color theme at 1 AM. And as I walked home last night, past leafless trees embossed with snow, I suddenly thought of semifreddo.
When the semifreddo is made, a quick custard folded with whipped cream, it's marshmallowy and soft. But after an overnight freeze, it becomes an entirely different dessert, with the creamy richness of ice cream. And this semifreddo has a gorgeous color palette, too. The base is flavored with dry white wine and a hint of orange, the color of eggshells. Every slice is studded with vibrant dried cranberries and sharp crystalized ginger, like gems held up to the light.
I realize it's still the dead of winter, but I'm one of those people who orders iced coffee and eats gelato all year. I can get home from work, clap my snow-packed boots together, and enjoy a cold fruit smoothie straight from the fridge. I'm one of the lucky people who happily makes semifreddo whenever the whim strikes. This dessert is unusual and beautiful, worth a hurried walk through the chill.
Ginger, Almond, and Dried Cranberry Semifreddo
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes a 9×5" "loaf"
8 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
2 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
1/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger
Line a 9x5x3 inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 3 inch overhang on all the sides.
In a medium metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and white wine. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk constantly until a candy thermometer registers 160 degrees F, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from heat and beat with an electric mixer until cool and thickened, about 5 minutes. Beat in the orange peel.
Whip the cream in a large bowl until peaks form. Add the egg mixture and gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Fold in the almonds, cranberries, and ginger. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan. Fold the overhanging plastic wrap over the top so the semifreddo is completely covered. Freeze overnight.
When ready to serve, turn the semifreddo out onto a plate and peel off the plastic wrap. Let it stand 5 minutes to slightly soften, then serve in slices.
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Entry filed under: Frozen Desserts. Tags: almond, berries, cranberry, creamy, frozen, ginger, holiday, ice cream, nuts, orange, restaurant, winter.
47 Comments Add your own
I always look forward to your posts. Everything you make looks and sounds sooo good. Your photography is beautiful and inspires me to work harder to take great pictures. Your writing always transports me to where you are, like I'm right there with you. I am amazed at all that you have accomplished and how you manage to do so much and do it all so well.. You are truly amazing and I appreciate that you share it with all of us that read your blog. Thank you :)
Karen (a very loyal reader)
My friends all made fun of me the other day for eating a frozen dessert outside while it was snowing. :)
I enjoy every single minute I spend reading your blog. Your pictures are glorious. Your writing feels like you're sitting next to me and telling me about your life. As a life-long New Englander, I've begun to see life here in a different light thanks to your perspective. Cheers!
I love your blog! The pictures, the recipes and your writing.
I hope you didn't get a cold walking outside with frozen hair!
I always look forward to reading your posts too. You are great at bringing a scene alive in my mind. I have never tried semifreddo before, but I LOVE ice cream and I eat it all winter long so I need to try this too. Thanks for the recipe!
It is freezing here in Ontario too, -28C requiring the dreaded tights and jeans combo. A nice bonus however is the ability to wear cute earmuffs and eat tons of soup. Oddly enough, I've been craving an ice-creamy desert lately and this sounds like just the ticket!
I'm always excited to read your posts! I save it for after I finish my homework to read as a treat. Lovely writing and photos, as usual. I'm glad I read this though, because now I know I'm NOT going to Boston for college! It's hard to believe you actually have time for this blog on top of your college life and job. Thank you!!
One of my favorite things about your blog is the weaving of story and recipe. I'd eat that semifreddo any day, so thank you for sharing.
That looks absolutely wonderful!
I love your blog, the pictures, recipes, and writing is amazing. I hope to be able to write/bake/take pictures half as well as you some day :P
Stay warm!
Unusual pairing of ingredients but definitely looks delicious! You are so talented in Photography as well. These photos are absolutely gorgeous!!
I enjoy reading the details of your story and related it to your dish. Great job!
What a lovely dessert! I, too, live in Boston, and can relate completely to this post! I love your contrast between the dark, dirty snow after a day full of pedestrians muddling through the city, and the peaceful, soft snow immediately after it falls. A couple of nights ago, when I heard the plow machines out at 11 pm, I just thought, "why can't they wait. why can't they just let the snow fall peacefully?" Oh well.
Definitely an unusual choice to post this in the middle of winter, but your photos are so gorgeous and your writing is always lovely. I am curious though, didn't you mean "color palette"?
I always love your photos, but these ones are especially nice!
This is just gorgeous. I've been making ice cream like crazy, but maybe it's time to give semifreddo a try.
Your hair was literally frozen? Girl. I couldn't do that. I'm a southerner… when it snows here people don't leave their houses (even if it's just a scant sprinkling). I can't even imagine!
I too went to college in Boston, and even though I'm from Texas, I LOVED eating ice cream in the winter! I found it amusing to walk down the street eating ice cream that was actually warmer than the air around me:-)
I smiled when I read the first part of this post. I lived in Seattle (Bothell) until I went to college in Chicago. I've been in the Midwest for 6 1/2 years now, and it's the first winter I've finally gotten the hang of dressing properly for the weather. It's a pain, but I'm so much happier now that I wear a scarf, gloves, and boots :).
The dessert looks wonderful – and different, too.
Thanks for sharing!
The way you described the New England winter weather is so vivid! I love hearing first-hand accounts of weather and visions of famous places!
beautiful photos and post! love your narrative about your boston winter… :)
here's to more winter treats!
looks so flavorful and creamy !!!!!
This semester, my English teacher has given my class the assignment of choosing One Little Word to be our theme for the year. We are supposed to ponder it, reflect on it, and apply it to our everyday lives. I chose the word "present" to remind myself to live fully and truly experience each moment. The assignment has been rather inspiring, and I've really enjoyed seeing that little word pop up spontaneously in my life. And now, reading your post, I am reminded once again. So often, we close our eyes to the world around us, concentrating only on getting through the biting wind of our lives. But then there are those times – when the light changes, catches our attention – and all of a sudden we are reminded how good it is to be alive!
Thanks for your thoughts, I really enjoy your blog :) And I hope you don't freeze to death.
This would have been really lovely at Christmas time. I love the 'vibrant' cranberries too. I can imagine the creamy coldness right now!
Gorgeous semifreddo for anytime of year! Stunning photos…you have a fantastic blog! Happy Baking.
oh my dear. That looks amazing. I fell in love with semi-freddo all over again when I discovered Nutella semi-freddo. Amazing. But now I must try this.
What I love about ice creams and things that might melt is that you have no option but to eat it all before it does melt! :)
This looks fabulous. I am totally not averse to eating chilly things in the dead of winter. Your photos are lovely.
I always look forward to your blog post! The way you always describe the food metaphorically relating it to some situation is always interesting to read. I love the way you are so descriptive in the way you describe the New England weather that I feel like I am there myself. I also enjoy the way you describe every food, to the point that I can almost picture it in front of me. Thank you for a great post!
Looks delicious! Definitely will try making this! :)
I really love reading your posts and how you incorporate a recipe with it. Your writing is very detailed and I feel like I am in the freezing weather myself!
This looks absolutely amazing just looking at it makes me hungry even though I just ate! Love the blog
I love your writing in these blogs. The references to cool and warm colors at the beginning were stunning.
The food looks amazing! The story was great. Good luck staying warm.
You are such a great writer; everything you say is so vivid, I can picture everything in my mind!
The way you correllate food to your present life experiences and emotions simply amazes me. I can literally see the palette of colors that you describe and taste the food. From your pictures, I can see that you appreciate the beauty in life, and you capture the wondrous look and texture of your food so perfectly!
This post is perfection. THIS is blogging at it's most perfect, most equalizing. 10 years ago I would read my normal food columnists and go through life never having been exposed to such wonderful, talent. This is the kind of post I wish I could clip out and post on my wall. May you never stop writing, cooking and photographing. Seriously. I was with you through this whole post. The food, the story, this is why you kids are the future and why storytelling trumps all, even now in the digital age. Keep up the GREAT work!
I love how you talk about weather and "palette" of cities while your pictures are so vivid with colors. I love the picture of the chopped almonds–exquisite!
The Writing in this post is amazing as well as the photography. I always look forward to reading your stories.
Elissa your food photography is beautiful! I love olive oil cake and the rhubarb crisp looks like the one we made at Chez Panisse. It was so nice to see you at the restaurant for lunch the other day. Thanks for stopping in.
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From the moment he was conceived in an artist's studio, Rio Yañez' fate as an artist was sealed. Born and raised in San Francisco's Mission District, Yañez is a curator, photographer, and graphic artist. As a curator he is a frequent collaborator with his father, Rene Yañez, and the pair have been developing exhibits together since 2005. he has exhibited in cities ranging from San Francisco to Tokyo. His reimaginings of Frida Kahlo have included the Ghetto Frida Project, a series of prints, writings, and performance pieces featuring a thugged-out Kahlo. Yañez is also a founding member of The Great Tortilla Conspiracy, the world's most dangerous tortilla art collective. Yañez currently works at the South of Market Cultural Center (SomArts) as a curator and manager.
Artist Statement
My primary interest, as an artist, is in combining icons and mythologies. As a child growing up Chicano I was often frustrated that Chicano art and iconography rarely intersected with my personal mythologies of comic books, pro-wrestling, music, and Godzilla movies. My images bring together my heroes, friends, and childhood fantasies with Chicano aesthetics, traditional images, and politics. They are a fulfillment of my childhood yearnings and an exploration of my relationship to the worlds I walk between.
Appearances in works by other artists
Rio Yañez has been featured in artworks and projects by a variety of artists. Throughout his infancy and childhood he was a frequent subject of painter Yolanda M. Lopez. During his time at Calarts, Yañez was featured in Shizu Saldamando's Looking at Art video project. He has been photographed by Harry Gamboa Jr. as part of Gamboa Jr.s Chicano Male Unbonded series. Chilean artist Mabel Negrete has featured him in two of her performance projects, Changing Places Changing Bodies and Wanna be Black, Wanna be White. Most recently, Rio Yañez was included in muralist Mona Caron's mural on 24th and Sanchez streets in San Francisco. He is depicted walking down 24th street, past El Trebol, in the city's Mission District.
Published Work
My illustrated guide to San Francisco's Mission District, My Mission, can be purchased in stores throughout the Mission District and online from Mission Loc@l.
My work is featured in the art book Street Art San Francisco: Mission Muralismo and can be purchased at bookstores nationwide and at amazon.com.
Both of my zines Peligroso Pop and The Ghetto Frida Reader come in and out of print and can be purchased by contacting me.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Story by Coyote Poetry
A sad poem. We need more friends. More kindness. No-one wins in war. We just teach the children blood and death.
Young black man.
22 year old.
He sat alone and ate alone in the mess hall for many days and
I watched him and wondered why?
I knew great pain and understood his face and eyes.
I started to sit with him.
He said nothing for many meals.
Other Soldiers said he was crazy.
One morning at breakfast.
He looked at my eyes direct.
He told me.
"Some of the poor men were still alive at Death valley. They were still breathing.
Pieces of bodies speaking in a foreign language. I held so many of them. All I could do is listen."
His eyes filled with tears. He asked me.
"Was there any purpose for this war?"
I looked at his sad eyes. I told him.
"You did all you could. Mercy of someone hearing your last words allowed the poor men to move to the next place with the vision a kind heart. Not the bloody shit of war."
He got very quiet for a time. He whispered.
"All I see is death and blood in my dreams. I can't see any good in my life now. What can I do?'"
I took him to Virginia beach. Not many people in the late months of winter.
I made him drink many long Island ice teas and
we drank till we could barely see anymore.
We wandered down to the Virginia shoreline and
he watched the Atlantic dance on the shore.
He turned to me. Asked me? "What the fuck are you trying to do to me?
Why don't you leave me alone?
I passed the whiskey to him.
I told him. "We have been lied to. No-body care if people live or die. We were just mercenaries for money and oil. Let's scream to the Gods. Lets scream into the wind. Tell the world to f-off. Then maybe we can find the mercy to forgive ourselves."
He gave me a big smile. Told me. "You are damn crazy."
He stood up and started to run down the ghostly night beach.
Screaming and crying.
He ran into the sea.
Yelling "kill me, end my bloody life."
I swear I saw someone with him and
I tossed my wallet to the sand.
I went into the cold sea to get him.
He was waiting for me.
I wrapped my arms around him.
He smiles and told me. "I'm Okay.
I know I must forgive myself."
He turned and looked me in the eyes.
He whispered. "Thank you for the mercy of your friendship. No-one came when I was alone and afraid. I prayed for forgiveness. You forced me to face my life."
He looked at the morning sun rising from the east. Told me. "I'm done with the Army. I won't touch a gun or hurt another person."
A month later at the Greyhound bus station he was going home. I went to shake his hand. He grabbed me and gave me a bear hug. Kissed my forehead. He told me.
"Mama will heal me with her love. Baby sister will insure I'm alright. And I remember your face and what you gave me. You gave mercy to a man in need."


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from: KidsHealth.org
Sports are a great way to have fun and stay active. Kids have lots of choices about which sports to do and whether to compete in sports or just play them for fun. One kid might be happy to shoot baskets at the park, whereas another kid may prefer being on a basketball team that competes against other teams.
Competition can make sports more exciting. But because somebody wins and somebody loses, competition also can make kids feel pressure. A little pressure can be OK. Too much pressure is bad news.
Does your mom or dad yell from the sidelines? Does your coach want you to practice every day instead of a couple of times a week? What if you thought you'd like being on the hockey team, but now you want to quit? Read on to learn more about sports pressure.
What Is Competition?
There are different kinds of competition in sports. You may compete by yourself, as part of a team, or both. For instance, a swimmer or a wrestler might compete individually, but the person's score may also contribute to the team score. If baseball or soccer is your sport, you might be the lucky one to score a goal or a run, but it usually takes a team effort to win the game.
What all sports competitions have in common is that all of the competitors want to win. But usually only one person or team does.
Why Do I Feel Pressure?
Do you ever have "butterflies" in your stomach? It's that nervous feeling some people get when starting a new school, taking a first airplane ride, or gearing up for a big soccer match. In sports, almost everyone worries about playing well and doesn't want to make a mistake. Believe it or not, the best player on your team and the teenagers who play on high school teams get nervous before a big game. Even professional players feel nervous sometimes!
Feeling a little excited or nervous is OK, though. This helps your body and mind get ready to compete. Your body makes adrenaline (say: uh-DREN-uh-lin), which is a hormone that gives you extra energy. But if you're getting so nervous that you aren't having much fun, it's time to figure out why.
What Can I Do to Ease Pressure?
When you're competing in sports, you need a lot of energy. One secret to having lots of energy is to get plenty of sleep. Be sure to get to bed on time or even a little early the night before a big game. And don't forget to eat well on game day.
One way to chase the butterflies away is by being ready to play. Try to attend all of your team's practices. By practicing, you'll improve your playing skills and your team will learn how to work together. In some ways, playing a sport is like learning a part in a school play or how to play the piano — the more prepared you are, the better you'll feel and the more fun you'll have.
Try to find a way to relax right before the game. You might take a few slow, deep breaths or do some gentle stretches to warm up your body. Some teams have a group cheer or huddle before heading onto the field. Let any tension you feel melt into the excitement of the first play.
Time for a Change?
If these steps don't help, and you feel sick or sadabout your sport more than you feel happy, you should talk with your parents or coach. Too much pressure can come from your coach, your parents, your teammates, or even from yourself. If your coach or parents are making you nervous, talk to them about what would make you feel more confident during practice and games.
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Reviewed by: D'Arcy Lyness, PhD
Date reviewed: September 2013


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Developers at Internet services company Netcraft have released a browser extension that makes it easy for Web surfers to know if the site they're visiting is vulnerable to the catastrophic Heartbleed vulnerability.The extension works on the Chrome, Firefox, and Opera browsers. It's available here, and you can read Netcraft's description of it here. Once installed, it provides a bleeding heart icon and warning sign when users visit a site that remains susceptible to one or more of the risks posed by Heartbleed, the extremely critical bug that allows attackers to pluck sensitive data from the memory of vulnerable servers. Exposed data most often seems to include usernames and passwords, but it can also include taxpayer identification numbers and even the private encryption keys that are a website's crown jewels.
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Figures Netcraft provided Wednesday show why people should be on the lookout for sites with potentially compromised keys. Of the 500,000 HTTPS-enabled sites the company estimates were vulnerable to Heartbleed, only 80,000 of them have revoked and replaced their old certificates. That means the vast majority of formerly vulnerable sites remain susceptible to spoofing attacks and in some cases passive eavesdropping even though the gaping Heartbleed hole may have been plugged.
The Netcraft extension gives the HTTPS-protected portion of Ars a green light, since our tech team patched OpenSSL and replaced its old certificate nine days ago. Interested readers are invited to install the extension and leave comments reporting any vulnerable sites that get flagged.
Update: Several readers have noted the privacy drawbacks posed by use of the Netcraft extension. Among other things, according to one reader, the extension sends vistited URLs
that can include query strings, and it does so using an unencrypted HTTP connection. If true, that leaves a list of visited sites open for surveillance and man-in-the-middle attacks. Netcraft has a fuller privacy disclosure in the "About" tab of the extension. Ars readers are encouraged to think over the implications before installing the extension.


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Biology Forum › Molecular Biology › Role of membranes in synthesis of ATP in cellular respiratio
August 15, 2012 at 11:12 pm #16753mkbeast99Participant
Just asking people to check my work please, not asking anyone to do my homework
—-Membranes play a huge role in the synthesis of ATP in the mitochondria, the power house of the cell. Mitochondria are composed of two separate membranes, an outer and an inner membrane. The structure of the inner membrane is organized in repeated folds known as cristae, which greatly increase surface area and therefore increase efficiency of an event known as electron transport. The electron transport chain utilizes electrons from NADH and FADH2 molecules, which are transported along a nine-step chemical reaction chain. The electron transport chain does not make ATP directly, but uses the flow of electrons generated from its reactions to regulate hydrogen levels.
ATP production occurs because of chemiosmosis, the diffusion of hydrogen ions across the membrane using the ATP synthase (a transport protein). This protein uses the power of hydrogen ions sandwiched between the inner and outer membranes, as a result of the electron transport chain, of the mitochondria to drive ATP synthesis. The mechanism of action of ATP synthase resembles a spinning rotor that uses hydrogen to generate ATP.
One can conclude membranes play a major role in ATP synthesis in both the election transport chain and chemiosmosis, two events that are absolutely critical for aerobic respiration in cells.
Did I screw up and facts somewhere?
August 16, 2012 at 3:57 pm #112103JackBeanParticipant
seems OK, I would just change this sentence:
but uses the flow of electrons generated from its reactions to regulate hydrogen levels.
into something like:
but uses (better avoid this verb) the energy released during redox reactions taking place iin mitochondria membranes to transport hydrogen cations through the membrane.
And of course the hydrogen ions do not diffuse through membrane, but are transported (well, they do, but in such case we loose efficiency, so that's not what you're interested in)
word order:
the inner and outer membranes, as a result of the electron transport chain, of the mitochondria
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Clerk Offices in Gallatin County, KY maintain public records for a county or local government, including records related to property taxes and tax auctions. In a tax auction, the government sells property with unpaid property taxes that is under a tax lien or in the foreclosure process. Clerk Offices have records on property tax payments, unpaid property taxes, property assessments, parcel numbers, and tax sales. Clerk Offices may also provide parcel searches or property maps to look up properties listed in a Gallatin County tax auction, as part of their records on foreclosures and property tax auctions. This Gallatin County tax auction information is often available on the Clerk Office website.
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Treasurer and Tax Collector Offices in Gallatin County, KY collect taxes for a county or local government, including property taxes, and they also operate tax auctions. During a tax auction, the Gallatin County municipality auctions off properties that have unpaid property taxes, both due to tax liens and the foreclosure process. Treasurers and Tax Collectors maintain records on property Gallatin County tax payments, appraisal values, parcel numbers, and tax sales, and they may provide information on setting up a property tax payment plan or appealing a property tax assessment. Tax auction information, including upcoming tax sales, property descriptions, and auction information in Gallatin County, Kentucky, may be on the Treasurer and Tax Collector website.
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Town and City Halls in Gallatin County, KY provide municipal services and preserve important documents, and they may be responsible for property taxes and tax auctions. In a tax auction, the town or city sells off properties that have unpaid property taxes, tax liens, and foreclosures. Town and City Halls keep records on property tax payments, real estate appraisals, parcel numbers, and Gallatin County tax sales, and they may provide parcel searches or property maps to look up properties listed in a tax auction. They may also provide property descriptions, tax auction procedures, and restrictions on tax auction purchases. Tax auction information in Gallatin County, Kentucky is often available on the Town or City Hall website.
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Social Media for LearningThe aim of this blog is to help you explore the different ways you can interact online using social media and the tools to help you do this.
Introducing Social Media
Social Media is an umbrella term for web based and mobile technology that allows the user to produce and share information with others using text and/or media (video, audio, images), who in turn are then able to engage in a interactive dialogue about the content.
Social Media ResearchMy publications can be found in SHURA the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive
Sue is a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. She is Certified Management and Business Educator, Senior Fellow of the HEA, a Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association and a Certified Member of the Association of Learning Technology. Sue is also a Visiting Fellow at Edge Hill University.
Tweets as @suebecks and can be found on LinkedIn here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suebeckingham/
Social Media Blog by Sue Beckingham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Monthly Archives: August 2018
Extending the audience of a blog post
When you start to blog your focus is understandably on the post you are writing. However if you don't then think about about how you will share this post to an audience that will appreciate it and potentially share with … Continue reading
Posted in Blogs Leave a comment
Different ways to engage in a Twitter conversation
From time to time it can be useful to keep an ongoing Twitter conversation together. This can be done by replying to a tweet. Whilst you can also interact through a tweet by mentioning individuals or by adding a comment … Continue reading
Posted in Communication tools, Twitter 3 Comments
The Google Yourself Challenge
When was the last time you googled yourself? If not recently (or indeed if you never have) then now's the time to do this. Dismiss the idea that this is some sort of 'ego surfing' exercise. This is an opportunity … Continue reading
Posted in Digital Skills, Google, Tips Tagged online presence 2 Comments


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Home » ReR Label » ELECTROPLEINAIR SOUND DIARY: The Wind Rises
ELECTROPLEINAIR SOUND DIARY: The Wind Rises
A revelation. First released in Hungary in 1987, this is an extraordinary work combining ensemble playing, documentary recording, studio manipulation, electronics and some stunning compositional conception. Featuring Marta Sebastjen, the Amaninda group, WYXOMPHONIC group, Mandel Quartet and a star gallery of other instrumentalists of all kinds. A unique work we worked years to acquire - a masterwork in every sense. L
Only available at this price as part of the ReR Sale Offer (minimum) 4 titles)
Code: ReRSD1
Price: £5.00


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Lookout, I've pulled out the soapbox.
Recently, I've come upon more than a few people who are expressing a general dislike for hunters and hunting. It gets my hackles up right away, of course, being married to a very responsible, passionate hunter. The arguments I hear are usually quite uninformed, and unfairly prejudiced.
Over the last month, I've heard about how *all* hunters are supposedly only after trophies, running around willy-nilly with machine guns, madly through the woods killing Bambi and any other living creature that crosses their paths with no respect or remorse, tromping over sacred wilderness destroying all that is in their paths.
Many people are unaware that hunting is a highly regulated division of wildlife management. Yes, management. Hunters pay a fee to apply for a license in a specific area of the state. Apply. As in, they may not get the license they are applying for. But the Division of Wildlife gets that fee no matter what. The DOW gives out so many licenses per area (all the applications go into a drawing). So many licenses are for males, and so many are for females. How many? Well, the DOW actually keeps tabs on the herds in all the areas of the state. They determine how many animals can thrive on the land (all this counting, as well as the land management itself, is mostly paid for by those application fees from hunters). The DOW keeps track of how many licenses were filled the previous year, and how many weren't. They keep track of how hard the previous seasons were – was there too much snow for all the animals to find food? Was the summer too dry and the vegetation low? They make sure that there are not more licenses given for an area than the herds in the area can afford to lose.
For example, in years past, Rick and his brothers and uncles and grandfather would all get licenses, usually at least one deer and one elk license each, for the area they hunt near Kremmling. But last year (2008) hardly anyone had a license. One person in their whole group had a deer license, and every one else got either one elk license or nothing. The total number of animals killed last year for the family: zero.
This year, the herds had increased (due to the break they got last year). Rick had two elk tags and a deer tag. He filled his deer tag, and so did two other hunters in his group. But a friend of ours, who hunts a neighboring area, got no licenses at all this year. But he paid all the fees.
Also as with other applications in this country, you have to give information about yourself. You have to give your personal information (like SSN, proof of residency, etc.), prove that you've taken and passed a two-day hunter safety course. You can't be a felon, and the types of guns/calibers used for hunting are regulated. Not every one can just shoot a deer.
I encourage anyone to visit their states DOW website (here's Colorado's) and view the many rules and regulations surrounding hunting.
It is illegal to kill an animal without a license. It's illegal to kill a different animal than you have a license for. It's illegal to kill an animal outside of the season determined by the DOW (the seasons are one to two weeks long). That is called poaching. Hunters truly detest poachers. Poachers steal and/or waste the meat, hurt populations, destroy habitat, and make hunters look bad. They are generally selfish and hurtful to the image of hunters. They are the ones people think of, running willy-nilly through the woods, shooting whatever they feel entitled to.
Poachers are not punished with a simple wrist slap. When they are caught, generally their guns are confiscated, their hunting privileges revoked for life, and they are saddled with huge fines and sometimes jail time. My friend's father (an avid hunter) helped catch someone poaching a bear near his home in Allenspark this summer. The DOW awarded him $500 (he could have chosen instead to have Preference Points – points that give him an advantage in next years license drawing).
So what about trophies? One of the recent argue-ers (unsolicited at a bookstore, after I made H put a video of Disney's Bambi back on the shelf) informed me of how terrible hunters were because they always took the biggest and the best animals, only hungry for trophies. Well, as you can see with the license system, it's harder to pull a tag for a male deer or elk than just wanting it. And most "trophy worthy" animals (the ones with the big antlers) are older. They've been around for a few years, spread their seed, and yes, hunters often look for them. They have more meat because they are bigger. And killing the old male, and passing over younger fork-horns, will let those young bucks grow their own big antlers, and give them a chance to start their own herd. The young ones are the ones that you don't want to see on the table… like with beef, you kill the older, fully grown steer, and let the yearling grow up a bit.
But many hunters are a bit more like Rick. They view the animal they killed to feed their family as the trophy. The meat in the freezer is the prize after a few days hunting. It doesn't matter how big the antlers were (or if they even had any). Having kids with full bellies all year-long is trophy enough for them.
Besides all of this, hunting is spiritual, sustainable, organic, natural, and an important tradition for many families. Rick says 'thank you' to each animal whose life he has taken to sustain our own. When he shot the grouse with H, we taught H how the grouse died so we could eat. How to treat it with respect, and how the grace said at dinner means something…
The animals on a hunters table is free-range, organic, and healthier than anything commercially raised. It's sustainably "produced" by nature. And thankfully most of America has overcome the greed that decimated the bison on this country. Most hunters are conservationists. Rick's uncle loves to hunt ducks. So he belongs to clubs and organizations that preserve duck habitat. The DOW works with land owners to preserve and maintain wildlife habitat, as well as conduct outreach and education for the public, such as Georgetown's Big Horn Sheep festival in November and youth hunter mentoring. And, by the way, Rick is a volunteer for the DOW for these kind of programs.
There was a great short series of articles called Thoughts on Eating Venison posted on Field & Stream's blog yesterday:
The Obligation
The Ritual
The Manifesto
The Plea
The Tribute
The blogs, along with the comments, can be quite enlightening as to how hunters around this country think.
For me, I sleep easier knowing that my food never placed a hoof in a feed lot. There are no antibiotics or hormones to contend with. I know it was slaughtered humanely, and processed in a clean facility. And it's quite tasty too.
What about you? Thoughts on hunting? Personal experiences?


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Crosswords are extremely fun, but can also be very tricky due to the forever expanding knowledge required as the categories expand and grow over time. Puzzle and crossword creators have been publishing crosswords since 1913 in print formats, and more recently the online puzzle and crossword appetite has only expanded, with hundreds of millions turning to them every day, for both enjoyment and a way to relax.
The forever expanding technical landscape making mobile devices more powerful by the day also lends itself to the crossword industry, with puzzles being widely available within a click of a button for most users on their smartphone, which makes both the number of crosswords available and people playing them each day continue to grow.
As with any game, crossword, or puzzle, the longer they are in existence, the more the developer or creator will need to be creative and make them harder, this also ensures their players are kept engaged over time. With forever increasing difficulty, there's no surprise that some clues may need a little helping hand, which is where we come in with some help on the Gator relative crossword clue answer.
Gator relative Crossword Clue Answer
We have scanned multiple crosswords today in search of the possible answer to the clue, however it's always worth noting that separate puzzles may put different answers to the same clue, so double-check the specific crossword mentioned below and the length of the answer before entering it. The clue below was found today, January 24 2023, within the USA Today Crossword.
- 4 Letters
There you have it, we hope that helps you solve the puzzle you're working on today. If it was the USA Today Crossword, we also have all the USA Today Crossword Clues and Answers for January 24 2023.
Check back tomorrow for more clues and answers to all of your favourite Crossword Clues and puzzles.


text: WASHINGTON – Wayne LaPierre would just as soon read a book as fire a gun. That's right, the National Rifle Association's fire-breathing defender of gun rights is more academic than marksman. 'A policy wonk,' says Joseph Tartaro, president of the pro-gun Second Amendment Foundation. 'He is more professorial than you would think.' 'Wayne is a Washington-type person,' says John Aquilino, a former NRA spokesman who worked with LaPierre. 'He is best characterized as an absent-minded professor.' A professor, that is, with a million-dollar megaphone and a well-honed ability to dish apocalyptic warnings about a tyrannical government angling to grab people's firearms. 'It's about banning your guns … PERIOD!' LaPierre wrote in a January email to the NRA's 4 million-plus members. For decades, LaPierre, 63, has been serving up heated us-vs.-them rhetoric to rally the NRA faithful. Usually it works; sometimes it backfires. There was his 1995 reference to federal law enforcement agents as 'jack-booted government thugs.' (He later apologized.) And his 2000 declaration that President Bill Clinton was 'willing to accept a certain level of killing to further his political agenda.' (No apology.) And his 2002 complaint that tougher airport screenings after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks signaled that 'I guess it's OK to wand-rape someone's daughter in public.' A week after the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn., LaPierre gave a fiery speech calling for armed guards in every school. He blamed violence on a culture that celebrates gory video games and 'blood-soaked slasher films' and rewards killers with fame. 'Gun nut!' the New York Post screamed on its front page. 'The most revolting, tone-deaf statement I've ever seen,' tweeted then-Rep. Chris Murphy, now a Democratic senator from Connecticut. 'Call me crazy,' LaPierre retorted on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'I think the American people think it's crazy not to do it,' referring to armed school guards. In fact, a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted in January found that 55 percent of Americans said they would support a law 'placing an armed guard in every school in the country.' In the weeks since Newtown, LaPierre has been the ever-present public face of gun-rights forces, shuttling between speeches, hearing rooms and TV studios to forcefully reject proposals for tighter gun controls as misguided ideas that will do nothing to stop criminals and everything to tangle law-abiding citizens in a bureaucratic nightmare. Jimmy Carter was president when LaPierre first went to work for the NRA in 1977, and for the past 22 years LaPierre has been the organization's executive vice president, steering it through a transformation from a clubby marksmanship group into a political movement adept at beating back efforts to tighten firearms regulations. Along the way, says Josh Sugarman, head of the pro-gun-control Violence Policy Center, LaPierre's tenure has been marked by a willingness to push the envelope with over-the-top language that casts the government as the enemy and stokes 'fear-driven paranoia.' LaPierre has been richly rewarded for his efforts: NRA tax returns show he earned $835,000 in salary and $126,000 in other compensation in 2010. For all of LaPierre's tough talk, friends and former colleagues describe a soft-spoken man who's a little scattered. Aquilino, the former NRA spokesman, remembers his former colleague oversleeping and missing a golf outing with Vice President Dan Quayle. Leaving a trail of dropped notebooks and papers on the path from his office to a cab. Sitting head in hands in an airport terminal, unable to remember what flight he was booked on. Aquilino says he once asked LaPierre what he wanted to do eventually and was told, 'To tell the truth, I'd like to run an ice cream parlor in Maine.' How does all of that square with LaPierre's combative reputation? 'It's all done on purpose,' says Grover Norquist, an anti-tax crusader and member of the NRA's board. 'It's hard to say: `The Second Amendment's in danger' and say it in a shy, soft-spoken way.' Or, as LaPierre himself put it in a 2000 interview: 'When I used less strong words for the last three years, everyone dozed off.' No one snoozed in 1995 when LaPierre signed an NRA fundraising letter that accused the Clinton administration of empowering police to 'murder law-abiding citizens' at will and described the ban on semi-automatic weapons as a law giving 'jack-booted government thugs more power to take away our constitutional rights, break in our doors, seize our guns, destroy our property, and even injure or kill us.' Even some NRA members were aghast. Former President George W. Bush very publicly quit the group. LaPierre at first defended the letter then offered a qualified apology. He'd slipped over the line from hard-nosed to incendiary in an episode that will always brand him. By those standards, his words have been generally more measured since. But when LaPierre speaks, those who watch him wonder what undercurrents he's tapping. The NRA's website describes LaPierre as 'a skilled hunter, from Chesapeake waterfowl to African Cape buffalo.' Online, there are lots of suit-and-tie photos of LaPierre, and a couple of hunting shots, including a picture of him next to a downed buffalo in Botswana. The NRA declined to make LaPierre available for an interview or to answer questions about him. But former colleagues say LaPierre did not show great interest in shooting. And they're hard pressed to recall any LaPierre hobbies beyond devouring nonfiction. LaPierre is married but does not have children. 'There was an opportunity for him to learn about firearms, and he certainly knows about them,' says Tanya Metaksa, who hired LaPierre at the NRA and later worked under him. 'But he's more the intellectual in his understanding of the history of the issue and the philosophical underpinnings of what it means to uphold the Second Amendment.' LaPierre's path to the top of the NRA began with an interest in politics, not guns. Richmond attorney Tom Lisk grew up across the street from LaPierre in Roanoke, Va., and remembers him as an avid bowler, passionate about hockey and politics. As a teenager, LaPierre would take his young neighbor along to the bowling alley on Saturday mornings, and he'd hang out at Lisk's house to talk government with Lisk's father, who was on the city council. The NRA executive who's worked against many a Democratic presidential candidate over the years actually cut his teeth working for Democrat George McGovern's campaign in Roanoke back in 1972, when LaPierre was 22. LaPierre, who has a bachelor's degree from Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., and a master's from Boston College, got a job early on as an aide to Vic Thomas, a pro-gun Democratic state legislator in Virginia. He worked on gun legislation for Thomas, and that led to his hiring by the NRA in 1978. Lisk, whom LaPierre later recommended for an NRA job, remembers LaPierre as 'a person that people gravitated toward' at the organization. 'Wayne wanted to be liked,' says Lisk, noting that he'd send out for ice cream as the group's lobbyists met to decide which candidates would get campaign contributions. Richard Feldman, who worked with LaPierre at the NRA but later had a falling out and now runs the Independent Firearm Owners Association, says LaPierre's success as a lobbyist came in part from never saying 'no' to those he might need. 'Wayne's approach would be, `That's a good idea. Yeah, I'm with you on that," says Feldman. 'Meanwhile, he's doing everything around your back to kill it.' After a surprisingly long run as the NRA's executive vice president, surviving insider plots along the way, LaPierre remains the hero to many a gun lover and villain to opponents. The sharpened battle lines since Newtown have made it easier for LaPierre to pitch his uncompromising message that gun owners must band together to fight liberal elites out to take their firearms. LaPierre has been here before. When he went before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, one of the questioners was Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., his longtime nemesis on the subject of banning assault weapons. Feinstein welcomed the witnesses and made a point of saying, 'Even you, Mr. LaPierre. It's good to see you again. I guess we tangled, what was it, 18 years ago? You look pretty good, actually.'


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This West Lafayette Boilermakers Grill Mat is manufactured right here in USA with high standards & quality being paramount. The grill mat is constructed out of 100% vinyl that is skid resistant and gives the mat a rugged grip wherever it is placed. Designed for use on patios and decks this is a great way to dress up your grill and show your team spirit to your guests as your entertain them outside on your deck or patio.
Features of this Purdue Boilermakers Grill mat include:
This patio or deck mat is perfect for outdoor use and a with a large 26" x 42" coverage area this mat will fit almost all grills.
Even with larger grills this mat can help protect your deck and patio from stains when used as a standing mat. If properly maintained this Purdue Boilermakers Grill Mats will not wear out, but it does need to be cleaned when soiled.
Do not leave you grill naked any longer get your favorite teams grill mat today!
*Note: As we carry 5000 different styles of sports mats all sports mats are manufactured when they are ordered so production time is 7-10 business days.


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Storm spotter training to be held March 5
Kewanee ESDA Director Keith Edwards has announced that this year's severe weather awareness training will be one evening session only, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5 in the main auditorium at Black Hawk College East Campus, Routes 34 and 78, south of Kewanee.
The Quad City National Weather Service will conduct the training.
The session is free and open to anyone with an interest in severe weather and its effects. Edwards said those who attend do not have to become a storm spotter.
Sirens, technology and TV all rely on electricity and outages sometimes result in failures in getting information to the public, which Edwards said is why it's good to be able to look up in the sky and know whether to call off a baseball game or get workers into a safe spot inside a building.
The training is ideal for those who are in charge of groups of people, such as contractors working on construction, a factory foreman, a manager in charge of a lot of people inside or outside a building, teachers, coaches, or parents who help at sporting events.
Those who attend can take what they learn from the session to identify potentially dangerous weather and get everyone and themselves to safety.
Due to budget constraints at the National Weather Service, Edwards said that this year may be the last time the training is offered in Kewanee. It is possible the training will be offered every other year, but there is no guarantee, Edwards said.
Those interested in becoming a part of the Kewanee Severe Weather Spotters Network will have the opportunity to join. Attendees from outside the Kewanee area will find other local ESDA groups on hand.
"We are the first line of defense against severe weather for our community," said Edwards, "and we welcome all inquiries from those interested in becoming a severe weather spotter."


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No, I didn't spell WIP wrong. I'm not referring to a whip (like Indiana Jones uses), I mean "work in progress".
I've been taking a hard look at my writing goals in recent weeks and I've realized that something has to give. One of those things is my weekly blog post. This doesn't mean that I won't blog ever again, just that I need to focus on finishing Mystic Storm and my other works in progress. One of the reasons I haven't finished them is that I only have so many hours a day that I can spend on my writer life and I must start using them wisely.
That also means you won't see my hanging out on Facebook or Twitter very often. Not until the WIPs are done! Of course, if I have something to announce or share, I will do so right here as always.
While I have finished another manuscript this year – Misfortune Cookie – I can't sit on my laurels with Zephyr's book undone. I have several friends, including my wonderful beta readers, who are threatening to go Annie Wilkes on me if I don't finish the book. How can I argue with that? They know where I live and I'm pretty sure they know how to tie a mean knot.
I am still blogging weekly at the Scribes. Today my guest is fellow Pink Petal author – Krystal Brookes. She writes contemporary Highland romances! Hello hot men in kilts with cell phones!
Anyone else had to readjust their goals?


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The activities of my ancestors outside of their usual occupation is always of interest to me. Their sports, pastimes, hobbies, and social activities often help define them as people and sometimes those activities are present in later generations. Also, it can lead to further information from club records and results in newspapers.
In some cases, much spare time was devoted to the church, maybe on the committee such as William Hadden or as a lay preacher like James Harman. James was also able to find time for his other passion, ploughing competitions, not to mention various committees, such as the local school.
Richard Diwell had an interest in the Hamilton Horticulture Society but also indulged in photography. The photo in the post about Elizabeth Ann Jelly was one of Richard's using a camera with a timer, a new development in photography at the turn of the century.
My grandfather, Bill Gamble, grandson of Richard Diwell, had many interests, particularly before he married. He played cornet with the Hamilton Brass band and was a committee member of the Hamilton Rifle Club and a state representative shooter.
He also loved fishing, motorcycles, and like his grandfather before him, photography. As a result, we now have hundreds of photographs of motorbikes and fishing trips. He even developed his own photographs. His passions of photography and motorcycles were passed on to his son Peter.
Many of the Holmes and Diwell families were members of Brass Bands at Casterton and Hamilton. Alfred Winslow Harman was a rifle shooter and I recently told you about Nina Harman, wiling away the hours completing tapestry carpets.
I recently found an activity that previously hadn't been present in my family, greyhound breeding.
James Stevenson was the grandson of James Mortimer and Rosanna Buckland. He worked as a manager at Hyde Park a squatting run north of Cavendish until it was split up in 1926 for the Soldier Settlement scheme. After this James moved to "Glen Alvie" at Cavendish where he described himself as a grazier.
In 1927, he advertised five well-bred greyhound pups for sale. At £4 each, he stood to earn £20 if he successfully sold them. A seemingly profitable hobby indeed.
James would have needed a good return on his pups as the sire's stud fees would have been pricey given Cinder was imported by the successful breeder, Mr. Dickie of Bacchus Marsh. The article from the time of Cinder's arrival in Australia in 1923, reports the dog remained in quarantine for six months. Because of a rabies outbreak in England, there was an extension to the time spent in quarantine only a short time before his arrival.
In 1927, the time of James' advertisement, greyhound racing using a "mechanical hare" began for the first time at the Epping course in New South Wales. It took longer for other states to adopt the "tin hare" where they continued with the traditional field coursing.


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Yesterday was Earth Day and today is World Book Day.
I'm thinking globally.
Most of you know of the "universal" or "global" link for books. I've seen some posts about it and a lot of indies using it. The link allows you to customize your book url so that it redirects interested readers to the correct country. (Amazon.com becomes Amazon.ca or Amazon.co.uk—you get the idea.)
So, yes, I do want this. And, sure, I'm willing to learn about different options. Which is why I'm here today.
The companies that change your link range from free to one-time fee to monthly subscription. So you can assume they range in services. (They do.) We're going from cut-and-paste-your-link to tracking sales, customizing domains, and tons of other techie stuff I don't understand.
Some give you a link that automatically redirects your Amazon customers. So your country's Amazon store will become their country's Amazon store. This allows readers to quickly and easily buy your book from the site where they have an account. This is Amazon only.
Others completely transform your link. They go global and create a link that works in every country, on every operating system (iOS, Android, Windows…), in every store (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks…) on every device (laptop, tablet, phone…) so you're not only international, you're, like, intergalactic.
Here are a few that I've seen. If you use any of these, please let me know in the comments. If you know of any I've missed, drop those in the comments, too. Inquiring minds want to know.
My Sunday thoughts in (a bit over) 200 words.
Do you use a universal link? Do you like it? Which company would you suggest and why (price, ease-of-use, accessibility for buyers)?
Happy Earth Day! 🌎
Happy World Book Day! 📚


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A city not only known as the city of American freedom or the birthplace of America but also known for the revolutionary role it has played since centuries. Welcome to Philadelphia, a life-size city in Pennsylvania and the birthplace of America. Philadelphia is often referred as the New Athens, the name first suggested for the work done by the famous native of the city Benjamin Franklin. Rightly so as Benjamin Franklin was responsible for the country's first insurance company, the city's first public library and the first fire department; Franklin also played a great role in establishing the city's Postal system as well as inventing new conveniences such as bifocal lenses and the Franklin stove.
Philadelphia or "Philly" best known for its role in the American Revolutionary War saw the convening of the Continental Congress as well as the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Shortly after the nation's inception took place in Philadelphia, it was named the nation's capital between 1790 and 1800 before it was relocated to its present Washington D.C. Philly is now a big metropolitan which accommodates around 6.2 million inhabitants from almost all nationalities.
One of the unique factors about Philadelphia is that it is the most walkable city in the US and this factor is well used for the better part of it. Signs like "Walk! Philadelphia" well compliments the cities uniqueness and at the same time guide visitors toward shopping, dining, gallery perusing, cultural enjoyment, local must-sees and public transportation should it need to be taken. The city has two very walkable shopping districts as well as the walkable Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is home to many museums, including the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Museum of Art that was made famous in the Rocky series of movies.
Its geographic location makes Philadelphia accessible by all modes of transport. The Philadelphia International airport is a busy one and you can find regular flights to almost all the locations. You can even enjoy the road trip to Philadelphia. Moreover as a visitor you can find hotels for every budget and if by any chance you are on a tight budget you can definitely find a suitable place in the Philadelphia districts. There is a place for every budget in Philadelphia. Some of the regular facilities offered by the hotels in Philadelphia include air conditioned rooms, car rentals, airport pick and drop facilities, swimming pools, health clubs, spas, restaurants etc. The city provides a unique nightlife to all and that definitely means that you can take a ballet in the nation's oldest grand opera house as well as knock back a Pabst and a shot of swill for three bucks. In all Philadelphia makes a great city for all and if you haven't taken a note of that you better mark it in your next holiday destination.


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Keck's Exclusives First Look: Tennis Legend Chris Evert Guests on CSI
Elisabeth Shue wowed me when I visited the CSI set to watch her character, Julie Finlay, interrogate Chris Evert, who plays herself in the January 23 episode. Shue held her own in an on-the-court rally with the tennis legend. But it was the actress' behind-the-scenes interrogation of Evert that really impressed.
Shue: Except for my first day on CSI, I don't think I'd ever driven to work nervous before today. It's because I'm playing tennis with Chris Evert!
Evert: And I'm worried about my lines. I've never really acted before, except in the movie Wimbledon. I played myself as a commentator with John McEnroe.
Shue: You really are the best commentator out there. You and John should be a team. He was cute back in the day. You guys went out, right?
Evert: John? No...he wishes. I was engaged to Jimmy Connors.
Shue: Did anyone ever try to get in your head to throw you before a game?
Evert: I did have some death threats during tournaments - like, four or five times. I remember at the Canadian Open they had to drive me right up to the court. I looked up and saw police throughout the stadium. A mile away they found a guy with a rifle.
Shue: How about we do another tennis episode and murder you off?
Evert: Or I can be the killer!
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View original Keck's Exclusives First Look: Tennis Legend Chris Evert Guests on CSI at TVGuide.com
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The Bombay Reading List
changethinker Uncategorized 1 Minute
Published by changethinker
Born and raised in Mumbai, India with an undergrad degree from Oman and a masters degree from the National University of Singapore. I am an Environmental Professional with a passion for Sustainability, Social Innovation and Governance related issues. A Change Agent in the making who believes that small is beautiful and that impact can be achieved -one soul at a time. View all posts by changethinker


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"New York was never the same"
"I had to tell them that it wasn't their dad, it was only his car." On January 8th, 2019 Jack Wilcox wanted to interview his father . He was in New York at the time, only a ¼ mile away...


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Donors Pitch In To Protect Detroit's Art And Pensions
Under a deal mediated by a federal bankruptcy judge, a group of local and national foundations this week pledged more than $330 million to help Detroit's pension fund and protect the city's valuable art collection. Bio-chemical entrepreneur Paul Schaap is one of the donors; he speaks with NPR's Lynn Neary about the effort.
Under a deal mediating by a federal bankruptcy judge, a group of local and national foundations this week pledged $330 million to help Detroit's pension fund and protect the city's valuable art collection. With Detroit in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings, city officials had been casting an eye on the Detroit Institute of Art's collection of city-owned art valued at between $400 million and 800 million. The foundation's offer will not provide all the money needed to fund the bankrupt pension fund, but, combined with possible state aid and individual donations, it is hoped enough money can be raised to prevent the need to auction off the artwork. One of the first individual donors to step up was philanthropist Paul Schapp, and he joins us now from member station WDET in Detroit. Welcome to the program, Mr. Schapp.
PAUL SCHAPP: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be with you.
NEARY: I understand that you were instrumental in helping to get this whole deal going because you were one of the first people to really offer to donate money - $5 million in fact. What were you hoping to accomplish by doing that?
SCHAPP: Well, there was an article in the Detroit Free Press on December 5th that outlined the plan of Judge Rosen to try and find $500 million that would serve two purposes. One, to prevent the sale of the treasures of the Detroit Institute of Arts, and at the same time help minimize the pain to the Detroit pensioners. But I was struck by what a hard sell that was going to be, unless individuals, family foundations and others would step up and show that there is sort of grassroots support.
NEARY: You understand how all this works much better than most of us do. So, why would that have been such a hard sell without that kind of show of commitment, as you said, from the grassroots level?
SCHAPP: Well, this is unusual to ask major foundations to participate in this way. That's not their normal charter for helping various causes. And because of that I thought it was going to be important, and I believe it was, that individuals step up and make commitments.
NEARY: Three hundred thirty million dollars that has been pledged so far - it's not enough though to take care of the whole pension debt. And I understand that the governor is now proposing that the state should match these donations. Will that take care of the whole debt?
SCHAPP: Well, it might come close to what's needed at least to save the Detroit Institute of Arts treasures. The judge is looking to have the DIA become an independent, nonprofit organization that owns the art and the donations will go to the DIA but flow through them to the pension funds.
NEARY: So, in other words, this would then protect the art museum in the future from ever being under this kind of threat of having these art works auctioned off because of city debt or anything like that?
SCHAPP: Absolutely. That is one of the goals.
NEARY: And also, it seems to me, this then solves the hidden problem here which is how do you weigh such ethereal needs as the beauty of works of art being saved versus the very real needs of people who depend on those pensions.
SCHAPP: Oh, absolutely. Their pain is real but the idea that you would sell treasures to then pay the pensions just was something that would be do demoralizing to this community that we had to step in and hoped that others would do so as well.
NEARY: How are people feeling now? I mean, has it helped with the morale in Detroit that this movement is occurring?
SCHAPP: Oh, I believe so. I think the news about the governor was what we'd all been hoping for. This is a real sign of a community coming together to solve really difficult problems.
NEARY: And this doesn't take care all of Detroit's bankruptcy problems, does it?
SCHAPP: No, it certainly doesn't. But, as the judge points out, it would get out of the way two of the most difficult issues and then maybe some of the other things can be dealt with.
NEARY: Philanthropist Paul Schapp. Thanks so much for joining us today, Mr. Schapp.
SCHAPP: You're quite welcome.
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Welcome to the PRINT3Dforum.com.
Latest News on 3D World: 3D Printers, 3D Scanners, 3D Software, Printer Filaments, Laser Cutters, CNC milling, etc.
Anyone try printing PVB on a...
CubeX / CubePro specific Forum for hacks and software approaches to open source the rest of 3DSystems "desktop" printers.
A place to discuss CreationReality 3D Printers. Specially the CR-10 model but not limited to it. All clones/rebrandings are welcome too!
New printer, will not print,...
Welcome to the NEW era of 3D Printers: Morpheus (1st in the world) LIPS technology has arrived to stay! Resin printing, massive size, fast speed, affordable price.
Share your experiences, optimal settings, etc. with your Rapide Lite. Rapide Lite 200, 200XL, 350 and 500. Hacks, upgrades, etc.
SUB-FORUM: RapidePi: The place to discuss Rapide Lite printers, Raspberry Pi enabled ;) Hacks, tips and tricks!
Share any other brands for 3D Printing hardware you'd like to discuss here!
The world of 3D scanning at your fingerprints! Come and share the best hardware 3D scanners and the software you use with them.
3D scanner app for makers and...
The place to talk about extruders, head beds, laser heads and any other 3D Printer related hardware not specific to a particular printer.
By Polymakr. Feel free to share your tips, tricks and more with this new device meant to end with layering look!
Cura, CAD, Repetier, Slic3r... share your pros n cons, experiences and more with each 3D printing software!
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Online store, 3D Print farm and much more. CR-10 / Creation Reality Authorized Reseller.
Our Hub located in Barcelona, SPAIN. Need anything printed for a gift or repair pieces while your printer is offline? Come and order us a set! We ship worldwide!
There are currently 128 users online. 1 members and 127 guests
Most users ever online was 3,054, 10-20-2021 at 06:18 PM.
Welcome to our newest member, bellabrownbe


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Don't have a dog? Don't worry. This cute little bag can be use for anything: makeup, a crayon case…whatever you like.
1 honey bun of Charlevoix
2 fat quarters
fusible fleece
Deco Bond
black thread
Mini ricrac
Black scrap of felt
From the fat quarter, cut two 7.5″ x 8″ pieces for the lining.
Fuse the fleece to the lining pieces.
Press open.
Do this for both pieces.
Trim both pieces to 6.5″ x 7.5″. Set aside.
For the front pocket, take the other fat quarter and cut a 7.5″ x 8.5″ piece. Cut a piece of Deco Bond 7.5″ x 4.25″. Iron the fabric in half. Open up. Place the deco bond on the fabric. Fold over.
Position a piece of mini ricrac 1/2″ from the fold. Using matching thread, sew in place.
Using the dog pattern included in the Printer Friendly Version, cut a dog from the scrap of black felt. Cut a 1/4″ x 6″ strip of fabric from one of the fat quarters. Tie in a knot around the dog's neck. Position the dog 1.25″ from the side and .75″ from the top of the right hand side of the pocket piece.
Sew in place using black thread.
Cut 4- 1.5″ x 2″ pieces of fabric from one of the fat quarters. Take two of the pieces and put them right sides facing. Slide the zipper pull down. Sandwich the zipper in the middle of the two pieces. Sew over the top using a 1/2″ seam. Press the fabric open. Trim to 3/4″.
Trim to 3/4″.
Trim the sides so they are the same width as the zipper.
For the handle, cut 2- 12″ x 1.5″ pieces of fabric from the fat quarter. Cut one piece of Deco Bond 12″ x 1.5″.
Put the pieces right sides together and lay on top of the Deco Bond piece. Sew 1/4″ from each of the sides to make a tube. Turn right side out.
Press. Top stitch along both edges.
Layer the other bag piece along the other zipper side with right side together and stitch in place. Press the seam away from the zipper. Top stitch along the zipper on both sides.
Lay the pocket along the edge of the bag piece. Pin in place. Baste in place.
Pin the handle in place just above the pocket matching the seams. Tack in place.
Cut away excess. Do this for both corners.
Your bag will be about 5.5″ x 7″…not including the handle. You can easily leave off or shorten the handle, depending on the intended purpose of your bag. I made my handle long so it could hook over my wrist when I was walking Gracie.
You will have plenty honey bun strips left over to make a few more bags.
I'd love to hear what you will use your "Doggie Do" bag for….and don't forget to stop over and visit Gracie and me over at Jo's Country Junction.
Jo Kramer
{Jo's Country Junction}


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silky smooth & real-world tough
Innovia Touch Xtreme Clean™ Carpet is the product of the latest cutting-edge developments in eco-friendly Innotex™ technology. It offers a unique combination of benefits that make it naturally soft, naturally strong, and naturally low-maintenance.
- Exceptionally fine fibers allow for more per square inch, so the carpet is luxuriously plush to the touch.
- Special casings provide a shield to repel liquids and soil, and flexible, durable fibers offer incredible toughness to withstand heavy foot traffic.
- Clean up quickly with plain water, so beverages, spills, pet accidents, and other surprises are nothing to worry about.
See and experience the difference for yourself. Innovia Touch Xtreme Clean™ Carpet is available in an array of soft, beautiful styles for an ultra-rich look and feel.


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Over the last few months, I've been on the quest for the perfect brownie recipe. I love rich, fudge-y (not cake-y) brownies, with dark chocolate, that can be made in under half an hour prep time. In other words, they need to be amazing at the spur of the moment for that night's dessert. This has been a delicious quest which my husband is truly appreciating.
During my search, a few weeks ago, I came across a molten chocolate cake recipe. It was pretty good, quick and easy, but after tinkering with it a bit, and applying some of the techniques and twists I've acquired during my perfect brownie search, I think I came up with the best molten chocolate cake recipe ever.
Step one: preheat the oven to 400° and butter and dust your muffin tin with cocoa powder or granulated sugar. My only muffin tin has 12 cups, but you need only six for this recipe.
Now, in a double boiler, melt butter and dark chocolate chips together. Just so you know, with a double boiler, the boiling water should not be touching the bottom of the upper pan.
Also, I added chile powder, because I'm addicted to chocolate and chiles. And chiles in all their forms are just awesome.
If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a heat proof bowl set over a pan of boiling water. But the bowl should not be in the water – just over it.
After everything is all melted and mixed together, pour it into a mixing bowl with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Whisk the chocolate mixture with the sugar, and then add three eggs, whisking well.
The chocolate mixture will get all gloopy and shiny looking. At this point, mix in flour and a pinch of salt.
Then fill up your muffin cups. Go ahead and fill them to the top, they don't rise much.
Then set the muffin tin on a baking sheet and put them both in the oven. This is actually kind of important. It's not to contain the mess or anything (there's no mess), but I think it insulates the bottom of the muffin pan. When I tried not using the baking sheet, the cakes came out too well done at the bottom.
Anyway. Bake them until the tops are set. For me this is 12 minutes. It might be more or less for you, keep an eye on them. You only want them set, not cooked through. Like this:
Let them rest in the pan for ten minutes. Set your timer and read a blog post, answer some email, wash up your mixing bowl. Whatever.
Then plate them up hot and enjoy…
Spicy Hot Lava Cakes
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 TBS hot Chimayo chile powder (or other New Mexican chile powder)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
butter and cocoa powder or sugar for dusting muffin tins
Preheat oven to 400°. Butter and dust 6 muffin tins. In a double boiler or a heat proof bowl set over (not in) boiling water, melt together the butter, chocolate and chile powder. When melted and combined, whisk chocolate mixture into brown sugar. Beat in eggs. Combine the flour and salt and fold into the chocolate mixture. Divide batter between the prepared muffin cups.
Set muffin tin on a baking sheet, and bake for approx. 12 minutes, just until the top is set. Remove from oven and let stand 10 more minutes before serving. Enjoy hot (and spicy).
*Note: for my friends who like it on the milder side, you can use less chile powder or none at all, and they still turn out scrumptious.


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With wind chills in the single digits and a fresh blanket of snow covering DC, Washington Nationals fans proved their loyalty as they braved the ice and snow to line up for the 11:00am opening of today's 2nd annual NatsFest at Nationals Park.
For those suffering from withdrawal after four months without baseball, the day offered a full slate of player interaction, hot stove talk, and optimism about the season ahead.
Fans got an opportunity meet many many of the team's high-profile off-season roster acquisitions, including Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, Jason Marquis, and Brian Bruney, at scheduled photo opportunities and autograph sessions. The team also had Ryan Zimmerman's Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards on display in the Lexus Presidents Club.
Rob Dibble was the lively host of a series of Q&A sessions running all afternoon in the Red Porch restaurant and simulcast live on the HD scoreboard and on TVs throughout the ball park. The sessions featured General Manager Mike Rizzo, Manager Jim Riggleman, team president Stan Kasten, and baseball know-it-all George Will.
Dibble did a great job of driving the discussion, and set the panelists up with a few questions of his own. Rizzo, Riggleman, and Katzen offered no surprises (if you haven't heard, they are looking for a middle infielder and don't want to rush Stephen Strasburg, Jesus Flores, or Ian Desmond) . They received few hardball questions from the fans, who are enjoying a honeymoon with the newly-named GM and Manager, but the relative lack of surprises felt welcome when compared to previous years under Jim Bowden.
The format was a nice improvement over last year, and gave each executive a chance to focus on his area of expertise. Riggleman talked game management philosophy, and Kasten fielded a bevy of questions about marketing and broadcast deals (all but promising expanded radio reach by 2011).
After skipping the Winter Caravan, the Nationals racing presidents made their first official team event appearance of the year, greeting guests as they entered the ball park and cavorting around the Club level through the afternoon. Teddy appeared well-rested and fully-recovered from last season's hamstring injury, and was caught silently assuring many inquiring fans that 2010 would be his year.


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Google's latest spar with French media seems to be coming to a head. Earlier this month, word emerged about a proposed French law that would make Google pay to feature French media in news searches. Google emphatically rejected that position and published the letter it sent to French ministers about the proposed law. The search giant suggested it would sooner cut off French media sites than pay them for the snippets of content it features in search results.
Far from disappearing, though, the issue has apparently been elevated to France's highest office. Google's Eric Schmidt met with French President François Hollande yesterday, along with two key ministers, according to a report in Computerworld UK. Hollande sided with the publishers, insisting that Google had better reach an agreement to pay up by the end of the year.
Google wouldn't comment directly on the French negotiations but clearly finds that position unacceptable. It's similar to a proposed law making the legislative rounds now in Germany, and Google is on record as being against that law as well. "It's no secret that we think a law like the one proposed in Germany would be very damaging to the Internet," said a Google spokesperson. "We have said so publicly for three years. We hope it will not be implemented."


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Acquittals increasingly surpass convictions due to shoddy or corrupt police investigators.
NEW DELHI, December 7 (CDN) — Christian leaders in India have called for a special investigations team to counter the shoddy or corrupt police investigations into anti-Christian violence in Orissa state in August-September 2008.
Of the 100 cases handled by two-fast track courts, 32 have been heard as of Nov. 30, resulting in 48 convictions and more than 164 acquittals. A legislator for the main Hindu extremist party has been exonerated "for lack of evidence" in six cases, most of them involving murder charges. The number of cases registered total 787.
"Christians are extremely shocked by this travesty of justice in Orissa," attorney Bibhu Dutta Das told Compass.
The government of Orissa set up two fast-track courts in Kandhamal district headquarters for cases related to the violence that began in August 2008 after the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples in Jalespetta on Aug. 23, 2008. The chief minister of Orissa state has admitted that Hindu extremist umbrella group Sangh Parivar was involved in the anti-Christian violence (see sidebar below), and Christian leaders have said they are increasingly concerned over verdicts in the fast-track courts based in Phulbani.
Among those exonerated "for lack of evidence" was Manoj Pradhan, a legislator from the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who was acquitted of murder on Nov. 24. He was accused of killing Trinath Digal of Tiangia village on Aug. 25, 2008.
Thus far, Pradhan has been cleared in six of 14 cases against him.
"Manoj Pradhan has been let off in all the major cases against him, mostly murder cases, for lack of evidence," attorney Das told Compass. "Now only small cases of arson remain against him."
Attorneys said acquittals have resulted from police investigations that were intentionally defective to cover up for Hindu extremist attackers. In many cases, for example, police have fraudulently misrepresented the ages of suspects so they would not match with those denoted in the victims' First Information Reports, leaving the court no option but to let the alleged culprits go.
Nine people were convicted, and five suspects, including Pradhan, were acquitted "for lack of evidence" on Nov. 18 for burning the house of Ratha Nayak in Mlahupanga village, Kandhamal on Aug. 27, 2008. Those convicted were sentenced to four years of prison and fined 3,500 rupees (US$75) each.
In a previous case, witnesses had testified to the involvement of Pradhan in the kidnapping of Kantheswar Digal – subsequently murdered on Aug. 25, 2008 – in Sankarakhole village, Phulbani district, but their testimony failed to convince the court to condemn the BJP politician.
Pradhan was arrested and jailed in October 2008 and was elected as BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly from the G. Udayagiri constituency while in jail.
On Nov. 24, Judge C.R. Das acquitted six suspects: Budhdeb Kanhar, Purander Kanhar, Gadadhar Kanhar, Sudhir Pradhan, Ajibana Pradhan and Dadhi Mallick. They were accused of killing Meghanad Digal and his wife Priyatama from Dutukagam village, Tikabali on Sept. 25, 2008.
Judge S.K. Das sentenced 12 persons to four years of prison along with a fine of 2,000 rupees (US$43) each on Nov. 28 for torching houses and shops at Sirtiguda village, under Nuagaon police jurisdiction, on Sept. 13, 2008.
Indo-Asian News Service reported that on Nov. 30 Sanjeev Pradhan was convicted of torching the house of Shravan Kumar Digal of Penagari village on Aug. 25, 2008. Sanjeev Pradhan was sentenced to prison for five years and fined 7,500 rupees (US$160).
Special Investigation Team Sought
Christian leaders are calling for a special investigation team like the one created after communal violence wracked Gujarat state in 2002.
"The need of the hour is a special investigation team, for the investigations of the Orissa police have caused doubts," attorney Das said.
He added that the cases should be transferred out of Kandhamal, as Christian leaders feel justice cannot be served in the district's Hindu extremist atmosphere.
Many of the Christians displaced as a result of the violence have yet to return to their villages. The archbishop of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, Raphael Cheenath, told media that out of 50,000 people displaced, about half have returned, "but they are facing housing problems. The state government should take it up earnestly."
Dr. John Dayal of the All India Christian Council stated in a Dec. 4 report that "several thousand of the 50,000 Christian refugees are still to return home. Many cannot, as they have been told they have to convert to Hinduism before they will be accepted in the villages. The threats and coercion continue till today."
He added that most of the more than 5,000 houses destroyed in December 2007 and August-October 2008 mayhem have yet to be rebuilt.
Attorney Das told Compass many of those who fled their village fear returning home.
"It is true that in many cases, the pre-condition of converting to Hinduism and facing violence if they do not has been the factor that has prevented the people from returning to their homes," he said. "The fear of being attacked again has also stopped many from going into their villages. The government has not been very successful in instilling trust in the Christian community that such incidents can be prevented in the future."
Orissa police yesterday arrested a man accused in the rape of a nun during the violence in Kandhamal. Gururam Patra was reportedly arrested in Dharampur.
He was accused of leading a mob that attacked the nun at on Aug. 25, 2008. Police have so far arrested 19 people in the incident, with another 11 still at large. The 29-year-old nun has told police she was raped and paraded naked by a Hindu extremist mob, and that officers only stood by when she pleaded for help.
Official Names Hindu Nationalist Groups in Orissa Violence
NEW DELHI, December 7 (Compass Direct News) – The ruling party of Orissa state, which labelled last year's mayhem in Kandhamal district as "ethnic violence," has publicly admitted that Hindu nationalist groups were behind the killings and arson of Christians and their property.
"It is learnt from the investigation into the riot cases that the members of the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh], the VHP [World Hindu Council] and the Bajrang Dal were involved in the violence that took place last year," Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the state legislative assembly last month.
Patnaik, in response to a question by a member of the Communist Party of India, also disclosed that police had arrested 85 people from the RSS, 321 members of the VHP and 118 Bajrang Dal members in the attacks. He said that only 27 members from these groups were still in jail.
The others were either bailed out or acquitted for lack of evidence, which Christians say is due to shoddy or corrupt investigation by police and prosecutors (government attorneys).
Soon after violence in Kandhamal broke out in August 2008, Patnaik blamed it on "conflict of interest" between Dalits (people at the bottom of the caste hierarchy in Hinduism and formerly known as "untouchables") and tribal people.
National media speculated that Patnaik was seeking to deflect attention from the Bajrang Dal, which had been accused of the attacks on the Christians. The Bajrang Dal (Army of Hindu God Hanuman) is the youth wing of the VHP, which is seen as part of the RSS family.
Local Christians had suspected the role of the RSS and related outfits since the violence began on Aug. 24, 2008 – one day after Hindu nationalist leader Laxmanananda Saraswati was killed by Maoists (extreme Marxists) and RSS members blamed Christians for it.
The RSS is a Hindu nationalist conglomerate whose political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was part of the ruling coalition during the 2008 eruption of the violence that killed more than 100 people, mostly hacked to death or burned alive, and incinerated more than 4,500 houses, over 250 churches and 13 educational institutions.
Patnaik's party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) broke up its 11-year-old alliance with the BJP in March 2009, a month before state assembly and national elections were held. The BJD, which fought the two elections alone, won a majority in the state assembly and most seats in parliament from the state.
It was only after the coalition's break-up that the BJD began to hint at the culpability of the RSS and related groups.
"It was important to break up with the BJP, because I don't consider them healthy any longer for my state after Kandhamal [violence] – which I think is very apparent to everyone," Patnaik told CNN-IBN, a private TV news channel, on April 19.
A state government-constituted panel, the Justice Mohapatra Commission of Inquiry, is probing the Kandhamal violence but has yet to issue its final report.
Meantime, a report of another panel, the Justice M.S. Liberhan Commission of Inquiry, said that top leaders of the BJP, the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal "meticulously planned" the demolition of the 17th century Babri Mosque 17 years ago.
More than 2,000 people were killed in communal violence across the country following the demolition of the mosque on Dec. 6, 1992. The incident polarized voters along religious lines and subsequently contributed to the BJP's rise in Indian politics.
The Liberhan report, presented to parliament on Nov. 25, indicted several Hindu nationalist leaders, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, current Leader of Opposition in the People's House L.K. Advani, VHP leader Ashok Singhal and former RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan.
Observers said the indictment of extreme Hindu nationalists, however, has come too late, as the BJP no longer seems to be powerful at the national level.
Report from Compass Direct News