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Yes it is a Monday.
I had to send the exceptionally beautiful pink, double knit, vintage Hanbury suit back to www.plaidponyvintage.com because it was a bit snug on the shoulders. It fit like a glove every where else but the sleeves on the jacket where about 2.5 inches too short and I felt like I was going to lose circulation in my arms because my shoulders are so broad...oh well, it wasn't meant to be.
As I type I am avoiding the treadmill, the laundry, the kitchen, and the floors. All which are on my list of things to do...on Monday.
On Monday I always miss my husband since someone has to work so i can keep up my habits. I often tell him he should be mean to me on the weekends so that I won't miss him so much on Mondays.
In a few weeks it will be even worse as the kids will all be in school as well.
The good news?
Monday only comes once a week.
And Friday is only 4 days away.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Last Monday of the Month
Yes it is a Monday.
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Friday, July 28, 2006
"Gimpy" is Born!
This was my project for this week. The hubby named her Gimpy because her right front leg is a tad bit shorter than the rest. She is made of linen (a couple of linen napkins that had major yellow spots). Her mouth is a little funky but for my first try I don't think she is all that bad.
Next I will try to make one out of wool felt. Maybe in Grey?
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Thursday, July 27, 2006
Why do I want to bake, even in the middle of the summer?
Why does summer have to go by so fast?
Why did I buy another watermelon today?
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Wednesday, July 26, 2006
This is the pink vintage suit that I have had my eyes on for some time now. I am hoping it arrives on time for the Promotion Ceremony on Friday.
I am also planning on wearing it for a wedding in a week and a half. I was asked to be the Wedding director.
I think that if anything says officers wife or wedding director it's a vintage pink Hanbury suit with a string of pearls.
Or maybe it just says Beaver's Mom.
Either way I like it.
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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Getting Ready
In preparation for my first full year of teaching music to preschoolers I have been planning lessons and researching songs that tell stories as well have good rhythm and movement. I have been researching and planning a curriculum based on research that I have read that says music set to quality literature opens a whole new world in the preschoolers brain and leads to success in other arenas of cognitive and developmental growth. In other words, teaching music to preschoolers can be a stepping stone to helping math and reading skills later in the school-age years...Plus they like it and so do I.
All this to say, I am organizing the curriculum for the year. I looked up the music for some old folk songs, since there are so many of those that tell great stories. One that I looked up was Clementine.
Having only grown up singing the first and maybe second verse I didn't realize there was a whole story. It goes as follows: (my personal favorite verses are 6 and 10 )
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Monday, July 24, 2006
The Weekend in Pictures
Saturday: A visit to our states capital and the Natural Science Museum.
Sunday: An afternoon on the river.
La Vida Dulce
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Freedom Rings
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Eat Or Be Eaten
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Takin' a Dip
Suspension Bridge
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Sunday Walk
Summer Fun, Having a Blast!
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Friday, July 21, 2006
Red-The Boy
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Photo Friday
In an attempt to get my kids thinking and being creative (and to keep them from watching TV during the heat of the day) I allowed them each to use the digital camera for 15 minutes.
We entitled the assignment Red.
They were told they could photograph anything they wanted as long as it had the color red as the main focal point. I thought they did pretty good. Even though they both came from their sessions with a gillion pictures of Kona.
They have both decided that next Friday they want to do the color Blue.
Happy Weekend!
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A Letter From The Dog
Dear Blog Readers;
I don't have much time, as Kellie and her pups are all doing a special photography project right now, but I am distraught so I sneaked into a room I, of all things, am not allowed to be in and logged into her blog. My hope is that you might be able to help me.
Today I had a haircut.
Obviously my very sweet Master as never heard of a professional groomer.
I was having a lazy morning after my walk. Just laying on my cozy blue bed, when all of a sudden I was hauled out to the driveway given a wretched hair cut and then, to make matters worse, a bath!
To say that I have been butchered is to be very nice. It actually looks like I have the mange. I had visions of the scene in " Mommy Dearest" where the little girl pup gets all her blond hair lopped off...Only I must say my Master was very gentle. Only it probably would have been better if she had just beaten me. At least I would still have my beautiful shiny coat.
The funny thing is while she haphazardly clipped away she kept telling me how much cooler I would be without all that hair...But then under her breath I thought I heard her say something about the ridiculous amount of hair that is floating around her house. I'm a dog...I can't help that my beautiful mane is thick and vivacious. Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful.
Please, if you love animals or have a shred of humanity, do not allow my sweet and very generous Master to get near me with scissors again. Remind her that although she cuts her sons hair and waxes her very own eyebrows, that she cannot, under any circumstances, add dog grooming to her list of talents.
Tell her to stick to making stuffed bunnies and playing the guitar.
My master's oldest pup took some pictures of me today and I am unable to post all of them now because of time constraints...Oh, and also the shame is almost more than I can bare. I have included the one above so that you can see how miserable I am. I am trying very hard not to mope...But I have had a bad haircut. Even my Master should understand that.
I am still very loyal to her though as evident in the last picture. Although there is a bit of revenge in the submission of this photo...She isn't wearing make-up and she hates to be kissed on the face.
Thank you kindly,
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Thursday, July 20, 2006
Water, Water, Everywhere!
Some people have pools in their yard, some run through sprinklers. Some go to the beach.
Some people can swim right in their own living rooms.
Send her some blogger love...She needs it.
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Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The Teacher Appreciation chocolate (see Gratitude post in May) has finally ran out.
The only thing left was the Raisinets.
And you know how I feel about raisins.
It's true what they say: You can make anything good if you fry it... or roll it in chocolate.
It is true desperation when you eat raisins for the sole purpose of a chocolate fix.
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Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Summer Crafts
The kids and I enjoy doing Arts and Crafts during the summer. Especially crafts that could be considered artful (not just another thing to collect and quietly throw away) and could be given as gifts.
Secretly, I enjoy hauling out the sewing machine from time to time....Especially when the supplies are scraps and things I already had in the closet.
I found this great pattern on the internet at www.weewonderfuls.typepad.com
If you are "arts and crafty" you should checkout her site. Another great site is www.littlebirds.typepad.com I enjoy her photography as much I enjoy looking at her handmade creations.
Yesterday the kids and I spent the morning sewing bunnies together and what follows is our final product. The kids did the face details (with a tad bit of help) and I did the sewing that required working with machinery!
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Bunny Buns, Bunny Belly
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Snuggle Bunnies
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The Happy Couple
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Monday, July 17, 2006
Junk Mail
Some of you may have heard me say this before:
Of course when it is bills or junk, it isn't the greatest, but I love cards and letters...and honestly any pretty colored paper. Included in this great love is e-mail. I love to receive it. Especially when you comment on this blog. (That was a paid political announcement.) Comments are mailed to my e-mail account.
But the junk mail I got in my snail Mail box yesterday really takes the cake. What came in the mail yesterday is un-acceptable. Especially because it came in a large coupon pack that got me all excited because sometimes they send you samples that are actually good. But yesterday my hopes where dashed and my love for mail was trampled on:
Need I say more?
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Friday, July 14, 2006
True Confessions
It is yet again time for another true blogger confession:
I ate an entire watermelon.
Yes, all by myself.
No, not in one sitting.
I bought it on Monday and cut it into cubes.
I finished it yesterday.
I think that beats my own record.
Than I went back to the store and bought another one.
Perhaps a new addiction?
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Thursday, July 13, 2006
I have a serious case of the lazy's today.
I would love to lay down on my bed and read a book...Through my eyelids.
I have actually accomplished a fair amount today. But I have a feeling this afternoon is shot.
What I really need is a Grande non-fat Vanilla Latte on the rocks from Starbucks but, alas, the closest Starbucks is far away and I'm too lazy to get into the car.
Perhaps a good workout would be just what I need to boost my energy. But than that would require changing into workout clothes and shoes. Indeed, a paramount production.
As I type my fingers have to stop every fourth word or so...Just to rest.
My eyelids keep trying to close and they don't want to open again.
A cat nap might be nice...But I am afraid it will turn into a luxurious lion size snooze that will make the afternoon too short.
But now that I have written about it I might get off this computer and try to shake off this silly sluggishness.
Or I might just crawl in bed.
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Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Blogger Birthday!!!
As a blogger, and person who likes a good reason to celebrate, I wanted to take the time to tell you that many things in history have happened on this day. It seems that July 12 is a day of new beginnings and amazing feats! Let me share some with you....
1864 - My Husbands hero, George Washington Carver, was born. He invented Peanut Butter
1923- Harry Houdini, while suspended upside down 40 feet in the air, escapes from a straight jacket. Maybe not a beginning to speak of...But maybe the beginning of people realizing he was one fry short of a Happy Meal.
1933- Congress passes 1st. Minimum wage law. 33 cents an hour!
1960 - Etch-A-Sketch goes on sale (shoulda bought stock in those)
1962- Rolling Stones gives first public appearance. 10 years before my time.
1976- TV Game show Family Fued premiered with host Richard Dawson. According to family legend I'm related to that guy. It's my only claim to fame so I'll take what I can get.
1982- The movie E.T. broke all box office records surpassing $100-million in ticket sales. How many of you saw that one in theater? I did!
1984- Geraldine Ferraro becomes first woman major party Vice President candidate. You Go Girl!
1985- Singing in the Rain opens at the Gershwin Theater in NYC.
2005- This blog, La Vida Dulce, is born with a post on Blueberry picking!
It is with great excitement that I celebrate this one year of blogging. With almost 300 posts, I never thought I would blog this long...and I never thought any one would read it!
La Vida Dulce...
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Tuesday, July 11, 2006
A Bird That Flies But Doesn't Sing
or Yikes! Here Comes a Rant!
So, this morning I am driving on the highway on the way home from taking my son to the dentist. As it goes, the dentist is my son's least favorite place on the planet. I do believe he would rather be whipped (and have bad teeth) than to go to the dentist, but this morning it was imperative that he finish out a root canal that he had started three months ago. I, also, would rather be anywhere else than in those hours before taking my sweet first child to the dentist. Truth be told it's hard on everybody and we all get anxious.
I tell you this only to elucidate my frame of mind this morning. I had a weepy son who is fearful of the dentist. So he would vacillate between wanting to be hugged and encouraged, to giving me the evil eye and treating me with contempt for passing on my "bad teeth" gene.
I thought for sure this morning would go a bit better than yesterday.
Yesterday I tried very hard to ignore the fact that The Girl pointed out not one but three whiskers growing on my chin. While I had the tweezers out I decided I might as well clean up the eyebrows a bit...And to my delight I found in the middle of my right brow a...Are you sitting down?...Grey hair.
This, of course, did not make my morning, but I thought that I might add insult to injury, so I pulled out my scale. I knew that I had had a lot of culinary fun in Arizona but I guess I didn't really realize how much...6 pounds worth. Too many tasty tortillas and pool side popsicles and not enough actual swimming.
I was hoping this morning would go a bit more my way...But I was crazy to think that a morning starting with an Endodontist is actually worse than spending a morning trying to figure out how to save enough hair dye each month to cover eyebrows and deciding that those extra pounds are probably just added weight from the new beard I'm growing.
The dentist is much, much worse; for both my son...and my pocketbook.
Ok...so back to the highway on the trip home from the dentist...I have a boy in the back who is still not happy and now is noxiously numb. His sister, although worried for her brother is more concerned we will not make our 10:30 pool date and is talking a mile a minute in an attempt to cheer him up. And my cell phone is dying and beeping like crazy but has fallen to the floorboard and I can't reach it to make it stop.
I merge to the highway exit where people are supposed to yield to me and this red car pulling a trailer comes barreling toward me. He sees me and I am unable to slow down because I have traffic behind me. He is smoking a cigarette in one hand AND talking on the phone with the other all while his radio is blaring. He nearly broad sides me. I speed up so that he doesn't hit me and I give him a look that says "HELLO?".
To which he very angrily flips me the bird....As if I am the offending party.
Perhaps tomorrow will start off better...I am sleeping in.
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Sunday, July 09, 2006
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Home Again, Home Again! Jiggety Jig!
We have arrived from our home in Arizona to our home in the Southeast.
It's good to be here!
Kona had a blast while we were gone. When asked, she insists she didn't have any friends over (other than the neighbor who took her for walks and stuff), but that one dog made more mess than I thought humanly possible...Then again, she isn't human.
I just spent the last two hours sweeping, vacuuming and moping the downstairs in an attempt to get rid of 26 days worth of dog hair. It was seriously gross. But now that everything is clean I can relax.
The night before we left there was a magnificent sunset. That was to top off the day spent with my niece and an evening slobbering all over my nephew (those cheeks are delicious). We also had a great "kid free" steak dinner with my parents which was great... but not quite as good as baby Fil's cheeks. It was a great way to end our trip.
So, give me a few days to settle in and I will get back to regular blogging.
La Vida Dulce!
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'Cheeks' N Me
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Sunset Between the Palms
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Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Soaking in the Sun
It seems hard to believe that for 21 days I have been soaking in the Arizona sun. It is even harder to believe that in 3 days I will once again be back home. It's been a great trip! And since the hubby has joined us it has been even more fun.
One of the more spectacular sights here are the sunsets. We had the opportunity to see a great "sunset show" on July 3rd. We went to my aunt and uncles house for a great dinner with my my parents, my brothers and their families, and extended friends and family. The pic above is of me with my two brothers. Dan is on my right and Fil is on my left. I know what you are thinking: She is the oldest sibling? I know it is hard to believe, but I am in fact the oldest.
Below are a series of sunset pictures from that night.
We had a great time yesterday celebrating Independence Day. We had some friends over for swimming and eating and it was fun to hang out and relax.
We also got some great news while we have been here. That sweet man of mine has been promoted to Lieutenant Commander...Which means that from now on he might make me call him "sir". Actually, being the humble guy that he is, he has quietly acknowledged this great news while I have wanted to shout it from the mountains that surround our little valley. It's great news for him, which makes me happy.
So all is well in the desert...It's time to go swimming. I only have 72 hours left to perfect my Arizona tan!
La Vida Dulce!
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Storms Moving In
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Sunset on the mountains
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Century Plants at Sunset
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Arizona Sunset
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Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Happy Fourth of July!
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WBUR News
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Pope Makes Easter Pleas For Peace
Pope Francis delivered a plea for peace in his first Easter Sunday message to the world, decrying seemingly endless conflicts in the Middle East and on the Korean peninsula after celebrating Mass along with more than 250,000 people in flower-bedecked St. Peter's Square.
Francis shared in his flock's exuberance as they celebrated Christianity's core belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead following crucifixion. After Mass, he stepped aboard an open-topped white popemobile for a cheerful spin through the joyous crowd, kissing babies and patting children on the head.
One admirer of both the pope and of the pope's favorite soccer team, Argentina's Saints of San Lorenzo, insisted that Francis take a team jersey he was waving at the pontiff. A delighted Francis obliged, briefly holding up the shirt, and the crowd roared in approval.
Francis has repeatedly put concern for the poor and suffering at the center of his messages, and he pursued his promotion of the causes of peace and social justice in the Easter speech delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the same place from where he was introduced to the world as the first Latin American pope on March 13, shortly after his election.
He said he was joyfully aiming his Easter greetings, at "every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons." Francis prayed that Jesus would inspire people to "change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace."
In his softly and slowly pronounced speech, Francis defined Easter as an "exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness."
As popes before him have, he urged Israelis and Palestinians, who "struggle to find the road of agreement" to find the courage to resume peace talks and end a conflict that "has lasted all too long." And, in reflecting on the two-year-old Syrian crisis, Francis asked, "How much suffering must there still be before a political solution" can be found?
The pope also expressed desire for a "spirit of reconciliation" on the Korean peninsula, where North Korea says it has entered "a state of war" with South Korea. He also decried violence in Africa, where he singled out for condemnation terrorists' hostage-taking, as well as strife in Mali and warfare in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Central African Republican, which has driven people from their homes.
The first pontiff to come from the Jesuits, an order with special concern for the poor, and the first pope to name himself after St. Francis, a medieval figure who renounced wealth to preach to the down-and-out, Francis lamented that the world is "still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threats human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st century."
Earlier, wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis celebrated Mass on the esplanade in front of the basilica at an altar set up under a white canopy. He frequently bowed his head as if in silent reflection.
The sun competed with clouds in the sky Sunday, but the square was a riot of floral color in Rome, where chilly winter has postponed the blossoming of many flowers. Wind sent fluttering yellow forsythia and white lilies shone, along with bursts of lavender and pink, from potted azalea, rhododendron, wisteria and other plants. Francis thanked florists from the Netherlands for donating the flowers.
He also advised people to let love transform their lives, or as he put it, "let those desert places in our hearts bloom."
The Vatican had prepared a list of brief, Easter greetings in 65 languages, but Francis didn't read them. The Vatican didn't say why, but has said that the new pope, at least for now, is growing comfortable in his new role using Italian, the everyday language of the Holy See.
Francis also has stressed his role as a pastor to his flock, and, as bishop of Rome, Italian would be his language.
In another departure from Easter tradition, Francis won't be heading for a few days of post-holiday relaxation at the Vatican's summer palace in Castel Gandolfo, in the hills southeast of Rome. That retreat place is already occupied by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who took up residence there in the last hours of his papacy on Feb. 28. Benedict became the first pope in 600 years to resign, and eventually is to move back to the Vatican, after a convent there is readied for him.
Francis so far has declined to move into Benedict's former apartment in the Apostlolic Palace, into the rooms whose studio overlooks St. Peter's Square. He is still in the Vatican hotel where he and fellow voting cardinals checked in on March 12, the day before they chose him in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel to lead the Roman Catholic church.
While Francis has just begun to make his mark on the church, he quickly made plain he has little desire to embrace much of the pomp customarily associated with the office. When he appeared on the central balcony of the basilica both times, he chose to wear the simple white cassock of pontiffs, declining ornate outfits and only accepting a red stole to be draped on him when it was time to give the crowd his solemn blessing.
This article was originally published on March 31, 2013.
This program aired on March 31, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Serious Reads: Eat the City, by Robin Shulman
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When I tell my farmer friends that I grew up in New York City, they're often surprised. How did I become interested in farming and food production, they wonder, in a city that embodies urban development? New York has become such a sprawling, overwhelming metropolis that many of its residents have lost much of their connection to nature and the land. But between condos and on rooftops, at farmer's markets and small butcher shops, New York is experiencing a real growth of urban food production. Robin Shulman explores the agricultural history of New York, tells the tale of the city's transformation from farmland to the epitome of cities, and highlights many young foodies who are reclaiming the city's roots through bees, meat, and wine in her new book, Eat the City: A Tale of the Fishers, Foragers, Butchers, Farmers, Poultry Minders, Sugar Refiners, Cane Cutters, Beekeepers, Winemakers, and Brewers Who Built New York.
In its past life, New York City was highly productive farmland. Its proximity to water, extensive river network, and lush soil made the land conducive to growth of all sorts of crops and animals. In the late 1800s, about 3 million animals were slaughtered each year on the island of Manhattan. Upstate New York produced 90 percent of the country's hops, many of which were sold to breweries located throughout the slowly developing city. Sugar refineries in Brooklyn were producing most of the country's sugar in the mid-nineteenth century, creating great wealth in the city. These industries drew entrepreneurial men and their families, who settled in the still-rural uptown Manhattan. The city was one of the major food hubs of New England.
Today, agriculture in New York looks very different. Shulman has an extensive profile of beekeeper Andrew Cote, a dedicated and slightly volatile man who produces some of the city's best honey. He has worked tirelessly to train new beekeepers since the practice was legalized in the city in 2010. New York honey isn't quite pure, since it's impossible to know where your bees are feeding. But a productive hive can still produce hundreds of pounds of honey, worth many more hundreds of dollars.
Tom Mylan, butcher at the now-famed Meat Hook in Brooklyn, was just opening his new shop when Shulman spent time with him and his partners. He has a serious attitude about meat, and considers butchering and food production a form of art. But at the same time, his shop is accessible to all kinds of customers. Mylan works with farmers within the city and nearby to source deliciously-raised local meat. He holds classes to educated eaters on the best cuts and how to prepare them. It's a far cry from the cattle fields of New York's past, but a more appropriate business for the city's urban present.
And two friends named Josh and Jon, who ran a successful underground brewing operation, decided to take their beer public. Having been home brewers for a long time, the two wanted to run their own small business and share their beers with a wider population. New York has long been a brewing hub—before Prohibition, the city boasted over 70 distinct breweries. But now it's difficult to find an affordable building with enough space to house brewing machinery. Josh and Jon eventually decided to move out of the city—a decision emblematic of the changed realities of today's New York.
Eat the City is very well-researched, and highlights some of the more interesting tales of food production in New York, both past and present. Shulman contrasts the ways of life and methods of production of modern-day growers in the city with the lifestyles and livelihoods of nineteenth-century city dwellers. She has a positive outlook for growth in the city, and frames the current producer resurgence as a kind of back-to-the-land movement. I left this book inspired by my city, and with a better answer to those who wonder how a city kid could come to love agriculture.
About the Author: A student in Providence, Rhode Island, Leah Douglas loves learning about, talking about, reading about, and consuming food. Her work has also been featured in Rhode Island Monthly Magazine.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
So far this season, the Global RallyCross Championship has been more notable for seriously injuring its competitors than giving them a chance to race. One race featured more red flags than a Chinese military parade and others notably few chances to pass.
This weekend's GRC match in New Hampshire finally brought together all the elements that should make the series fun to watch. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
If you missed Saturday's race you can go to ESPN3 and skip through all the filler.
GRC, for those unaware, is an Americanization of the many European originals that pits high-powered, fairly unrestricted rally cars against one another on short tracks. After qualifying, drivers compete to make it to the final race through a series of heats (and a loser's last-chance qualifying bracket).
Sounds awesome, right? This year it's had its highlights (like Ken Block racing to 2nd in the X-Games on three tires), but most of the talk has centered around the two big crashes at the X-Games. There's also been a fear that the tracks were both too dangerous (thanks to ramps) and too boring (thanks to a Tilke-like lack of passing and no dirty). And then there's that rampant red-flagging due to mis-starts.
I don't have enough intel into the decision-making process with the GRC rule-makers to know for sure, but I've heard from a source that the drivers have been vocal in getting them to address the problems.
Whatever happened, it started to work yesterday. Each heat went off with only a limited number of red flags. With one exception, the battles didn't end with everyone crashing out. The ramp was still there, but padded like a training bra at a Jr. High dance. There was dirt, there were jumps, there was honest-to-God passing.
And then there was Travis Pastrana. Everyone likes Pastrana. He's got a wide goofy grin that hides all the broken bones, bruises, and bad finishes he's had this season. If there's a living embodiment of this season he's it. Each race so far this year ended in some sort of external or internal tragedy.
Whenever someone would ask he'd say "we've got a great car and a great team" but I started to wonder. Was it just bad luck?
Apparently so. In the best heat of the GRC this year, the final saw Pastrana overcome a hard-charging Tanner Foust and hold off Samuel Hubinette for a tight victory.
At the end of the race the winners were: Dodge, Saab, and Ford. Where else are you going to find that kind of finish?
More like this fellas.
Photo Credit: NHMS


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CHICAGO (STMW) — Illinois raised its speed limit Monday on its vast interstate and tollway highway system to 70 mph, but don't go flooring it just yet until the politicians who put this new law on the books figure out whether higher speeds were really meant for the Dan Ryan, the Stevenson, the Tri-State and urban super-highways like them – or just the ones cutting through the state's corn and soybean fields Downstate.
Gov. Pat Quinn, who defied the advice of members of his own cabinet, signed the higher speed-limit legislation into law Monday but insisted the move from 65 mph to 70 mph will affect only rural interstates when it goes into effect Jan. 1.
But one of the bill's chief legislative architects was as equally certain in his interpretation that the legislation would hike speed limits by as much as 15 mph on the 55-mph routes that run through the heart of Chicago, the densely-populated collar counties and the Metro East area near St. Louis – unless county boards in those areas opt out of the higher speed limits.
The back-and-forth set off confusion involving one of the state's pre-eminent traffic-safety groups and officials in the collar counties, who seemed perplexed at being given any role in the discussion over higher speed limits.
"The governor's press release misstated the facts," said state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove), the bill's chief Senate sponsor, who insisted it was his intent for the higher speed limit to apply to even clogged arteries in Chicago and suburbia."The bill moves the speed limit to 70 mph for all interstates and tollways in Illinois," Oberweis said, with an aide to Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) backing up Oberweis' interpretation.
But late Monday, a Quinn aide insisted Oberweis was wrong in how he was reading his own legislation.
"The law is the law is the law," Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said.
The dispute between the governor's office and Oberweis revolved around a key phrase permitting the higher speed limit "outside an urban district" and new power given to Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties to opt out of the higher speed limits.
But that opt-out language had officials in some of those counties befuddled about how the law even applied to them since they seemed to lack rural stretches of interstate – or, for that matter, any roads with 65-mph speed limits — and have never had authority to set speed limits on expressways or tollways.
"Our interpretation is that this law does not impact our county highway system — 55 remains the maximum speed limit along the county's roadways," said Johnna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the DuPage County Board.
"The county doesn't have jurisdiction over the tollway and IDOT roads," she said.
A top Will County official echoed those sentiments.
"I think there's a little confusion," said Anastasia Tuskey, a spokeswoman for Will County Executive Lawrence M. Walsh. "Our county highway director said we can't regulate any state highway speeds."
A representative of AAA Chicago, a motorist-advocacy group that lobbied against the bill last spring amid concerns it would increase speeding-related fatalities in Illinois, appeared to share in the uncertainty.
But later in the day, the group shifted gears and sided with Quinn's interpretation, while acknowledging that the law contained confusing aspects involving the overlay of the new 70-mph speed limit and the counties' role in setting speed limits.
"We've got some time to clear things up and let everybody know where and how fast," AAA Chicago spokeswoman Beth Mosher said. "That's the good part of all this, that we have some time."
"Speed is such an enormous problem on our roads already. To have people going faster, we don't see as the answer," Mosher said. "We're really, really disappointed Quinn signed this today."
By signing the legislation, Quinn took a stance on the bill opposite that pushed by Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider and State Police Director Hiram Grau, who both contended the higher speeds could lead to an uptick in traffic fatalities.
But in a bow to traffic safety, the governor highlighted how the legislation cut the threshold at which a motorist can be charged with excessive speeding. Now, that amounts to 31 mph over the posted limit; with the new law, it goes to 26 mph over.
"This limited five miles-per-hour increase will bring Illinois' rural interstate speed limits in line with our neighbors and the majority of states across America, while preventing an increase in excessive speeding," Quinn said in a statement announcing the move.
But for his part, Oberweis said he knows what his intent was with the legislation – making sure speed limits in urban parts of Illinois are in tune with neighboring states, too.
He favors passing a "clarifying amendment," if necessary, to explicitly make that clear.
"If you have a law on books that's widely ignored by our citizens, we ought to look at it. If it's a good law, we ought to enforce it. If it's a bad law, we ought to change it," Oberweis said.
"In this 21st century, almost all states in the country have 70 mph and even 80. We're the exception rather than the rule. Our interstate highways were built for 80-mph traffic; so 65, to me, is an artificially low barrier. And someone driving from Iowa to Ohio, it seems they can go 70 in Iowa, slow to 65 in Illinois and go to 70 in Indiana," Oberweis said. "I don't think it's good policy."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)


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HOUSTON – The centennial year of US Soccer began with a whimper as Jurgen Klinsmann's side stumbled to a scoreless draw against Canada at BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday night, their second straight goalless game against their North American neighbors.
A United States team composed primarily of Major League Soccer players was unable to break down the Canadians, beaten by four goals against Denmark just three days earlier, managing just two shots on goal over 90 minutes despite holding 66 percent of the possession.
OPTA Chalkboard: Canada holds firm in defense to deny USA
On the other hand, Canada captain Dwayne DeRosario and his young side should head north extremely satisfied with their overall effort.
As if a continuation of their match at BMO Field last June, the two sides struggled to find any success going forward in a tepid first half. Most of the offensive duties were allocated to winger Brad Davis, making his first national team appearance since 2010, but the Houston Dynamo winger's crosses failed to find either Eddie Johnson or Chris Wondolowski.
Klinsmann brought on Josh Gatt and Benny Feilhaber at halftime looking to inject some life into his side, but the start of the second half was much like the first. The US finally mounted a serious threat on the Canada goal in the 53rd minute when Feilhaber's through ball found Johnson streaking down the right side. His cross found Davis bearing down on goal, but the ensuing shot took a slight deflection leading to a harmless corner kick.
Check out the lineups and stats
As the second half wore on, Klinsmann's litany of substitutions only increased the uncoordinated nature of the game. The biggest cheer of the night came when Dynamo forward Will Bruin was brought on in the 74th minute, but much like his Houston teammate, he was unable to find any space against the composed Canada defense.
The last 10 minutes brought some much-needed rain, but no goals, as the US begin the all-important final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying at Honduras on Feb. 6.
Canada, meanwhile, enter the unknown as Colin Miller's two-game stint as interim head coach is now over. The Canadians next face Japan in a friendly in Qatar on March 22.


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These prices are based on the Higher Rate Motability Component. Pricing and offers are correct at the date of publication and are subject to confirmation. Pricing may not be accurate as pricing is updated quarterly. Unless otherwise stated, metallic paint at extra cost. Library image for illustration purposes only.
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It's easy with Motability! You choose the car, we do the rest.
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BHP rates the engine performance of vehicles and stands for the brake horsepower.
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CO2 is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the vehicle in grams per kilometre travelled, the lower the CO2 emissions the cleaner the vehicle is for the environment.
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Road Tax is based upon the CO2 emissions of the vehicle and is split into 13 bands from A to M. The higher the letter the greater the cost of tax paid to drive the vehicle on public roads. In addition to the road tax detailed below, any vehicle that had a manufacturers retail price in excess of £40,000 when first sold, attracts a road tax supplement of an additional £320 per year. This is charged until the vehicle is 6 years old.
Ten Second Review
Vauxhall has long offered MPV passenger-carrying versions of its compact Combo van on the Continent. Now it brings that kind of package to the UK market in the form of this small but spacious People Carrier, the Combo Life.
Is this more than just a van with windows? Vauxhall wants to convince you that the Combo Life is just that. Yes of course it's based on the Combo panel van, but this little MPV gets the kind of safety and media technology that most LCV drivers can only dream of. It comes in two lengths, gives you a choice of either five or seven seats and can swallow up to 2,693-litres if you load it up to the gunwhales. Is there room in your life for a vehicle as versatile as that, one that can average around 65mpg and is priced from no more than around £20,000? If so, then read on...
Driving Experience
Combo Life buyers choose between three engines. There's a 1.2-litre 110PS petrol unit. Or a 1.5-litre CDTi diesel, developing either 100 or 130PS. The units are combined with five and six-speed manual transmissions. In addition, in a segment first, a low-friction eight-speed automatic with Quickshift technology can be ordered in combination with the top-of-the-range 1.5-litre 130PS diesel. Under the skin, there's an independent Bi-link suspension system that can provide reasonably supple ride comfort, yet is firm enough to resist body roll and support heavy loads. It's a decent compromise. Whichever variant you choose - standard or long - you'll find that the driving position pretty good, with the steeply raked windscreen and low bonnet combining to give great visibility. Couple that with big panoramic door mirrors and the result is a vehicle you can be confident about driving even the most congested city streets where the light steering facilitates a tight turning circle, 11.2m in the short wheelbase version and 12.5m for the long wheelbase model. As for refinement - usually a van-based MPV issue - well, the slightly clattery note at start-up settles down quite acceptably once you get up to speed. Ultimately, probably the biggest compliment you can really pay this Vauxhall is that at times, it's easy to forget you're driving a van-derived product.
Design and Build
The Combo Life is available in a 4.4-metre standard length version or a longer 4.75-metre long model, with two sliding rear doors as standard. Both variants have a height of 1.8 metres and are available with either five or seven seats. Style-wise, compared with other van-based MPVs in the segment, this one has a shorter front overhang and a higher bonnet, making it look more balanced. From the front, it displays a typical Vauxhall identity and the high bonnet features two crisp lines, which go from the windscreen down to the grille and emphasise the stability of the vehicle. As with most van-based MPVs, you get plenty of boot space. The five-seat, standard length version has a minimum luggage volume of 597-litres, while the long wheelbase model has a minimum luggage volume of 850-litres. With the rear seats folded down, the boot volume of the standard version more than triples to 2,126-litres. The longer version of the Combo Life offers even more capacity when the rear seats are folded down with up to 2,693-litres available. For passengers, there are five and seven-seat variants. Either way, you get three individual rear seats, all with ISOFIX child seat brackets, and you can specify an optional panoramic glass roof.
Market and Model
Priced from just under £20,000, the entry-level 'Design' 1.2-litre 110PS petrol 6-speed manual model features air conditioning, a DAB Radio with USB and Bluetooth audio streaming and 16-inch steel wheels with styled wheel covers. Moving up the range, the 'Energy' trim starts from around £22,000 for the five-seater 1.2-litre 110PS petrol 6-speed manual model. Standard specification includes an eight-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system, 16-inch alloy wheels and front and rear parking sensors. If you need space for more passengers, the 'Energy'-spec seven-seater starts from just under £22,000 for the 1.2-litre 110PS 6-manual model. Standard specification includes 35/30/35 split-folding second-row seats with a fold-flat facility, two removable third-row seats and two foldable tables with cup-holders. The Combo Life aims to raise the bar for safety and comfort in this segment. It is fitted with technologies and driver assistance systems that are more commonly seen in the compact or SUV sectors, such as Driver Drowsiness Alert, a rear view camera with 180?? bird's-eye view, a Head-up display, and an 'IntelliGrip' traction aid, as well as improved comfort features such as heated seats and a heated steering wheel.
Cost of Ownership
Running cost returns from the various turbo-charged, direct injection petrol and diesel engines are competitive, CO2 emissions starting from 111g/km and fuel economy of up to 67.3mpg possible for the 1.5-litre 100PS diesel. The 1.5-litre 130PS diesel manages 65.7mpg and 113g/km. And the 1.2-litre 110PS petrol variant delivers 51.4mpg and 125g/km. All powertrains meet the stringent Euro 6d-TEMP emissions standard. You'll also need to know that Vauxhall includes a three-year, 60,000 mile warranty as standard, a package that can be extended up to five years and 100,000 miles at extra cost. A year's free breakdown cover is also provided, along with a six-year anti-corrosion guarantee. Service intervals are at 20,000 miles or every 12 months, depending on which comes round sooner and you can opt for a service plan that lets you pay monthly to spread the cost of regular work to your car. As part of this, Vauxhall offers discounts on wear and tear items, such as brake pads and windscreen wipers.
By Jonathan Crouch
If you're looking for a new Vauxhall Combo Life 1.2 Turbo Energy XL 5dr [7 seat] Petrol Estate for sale, you've come to the right place. At Bristol Street Motors we don't just have the best Vauxhall Combo Life 1.2 Turbo Energy XL 5dr [7 seat] Petrol Estate deals, we also offer friendly advice and help with all your enquiries to ensure your buying experience is a happy experience.
What are you waiting for? Make an enquiry online using the link above or call one of our friendly sales advisors today.
Key Standard Features*
- Touchscreen infotainment with 8" colour touch screen, DAB radio, USB/iPod, Bluetooth audio streaming, 4 speakers, apple CarPlay/android auto + RDS
- Solid - Onyx Black
- Solid - White Jade
- Solid paint
- 12V electrical accessory socket in passenger side
- Tailgate with heated window and wash wipe
- Cruise control + speed limiter
- Manual folding door mirrors
- Mistral cloth - Grey/Angora
- Air conditioning
- Tyre repair kit
Body Glass
- Rear wiper
- 2 speed wipers+variable intermittent wipe
- Tinted glass including windscreen
- Heated rear windscreen
- Electric front windows + drivers one touch
- Glazed tailgate
- Solar heat absorbing windscreen
- Nearside and offside sliding side access door with opening windows
- Traction control
- Electronic brake force distribution
- Emergency brake assist
- Motor Slip Regulation (MSR) - Engine Drag Torque Control
- Hill start assist
- CSC - Cornering stability control
- Manual park brake
- Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
Driver Aids
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Front camera system
- Forward collision warning
- Driver alert system
- Lane departure warning with lane change assist
- Speed sign recognition
Driver Convenience
- Remote control boot opening
Driver Information
- Service indicator
- 3.5" colour information display
- Driver information centre with trip computer
- Central facia display with digital clock, outside air temperature and audio information
- Multi function trip computer - Trip odometer, vehicle range, average speed and fuel economy, instantaneous fuel economy and driving time
Driving Mirrors
- Dipping rear view mirror
- Body colour door mirrors
- Electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors
Embellishment Trims
- Chrome instrument cluster dial rings
- Steering wheel mounted audio controls
- Instrumentation - Speedometer, rev counter, low fuel gauge warning light + water temperature gauge warning light, shift up/down indicate light
Exterior Body Features
- Body colour door handles
- Body colour bumpers
- Chrome-effect front grille bar
- Body colour bumpers, side protection mouldings and sliding rail cover
Exterior Lights
- Front fog lights
- Automatic lighting control
- Daytime running lights
- Pollen filter
Interior Features
- Height/reach adjust steering wheel
- Rear door pockets with bottle holders
- Chrome inner door handles
- Drawer under drivers seat
- Luggage compartment cover
- Mistral cloth upholstery
- Two drinks holder in centre console
- Two facia mounted drinks holders
- Large open storage pocket behind infotainment screen
- Small open storage compartment behind gear knob
- Two large and two small open door pockets
- Open storage compartment below glovebox
- Full width overhead storage shelf with ambient lighting
- Two foldable table with cupholders
- USB charging and infotainment in rear of centre console
- USB charging point in glovebox
- 12V electrical accessory socket in centre console
Interior Lights
- Delay courtesy light function
- Front/rear courtesy lights
- Driver/passenger reading lights
- Adjustable dashboard illumination
- Welcome lighting
- Ambient Lighting
- Sight and light Pack - Combo Life
- Front seat side impact airbags
- Three 3 point rear seatbelts
- Front seatbelt force limiters
- Seatbelt warning
- Driver/Front Passenger airbags
- Child locks on rear doors
- Two inertia reel seatbelts - 3rd row
- Energy absorbing steering column
- Reinforced passenger safety cell
- Deformation zones front and rear
- Side impact protection beams
- Deflation detection system
- Driver drowsiness alert system
- Front seatbelt unfastened audible warning and warning light
- Deactivation switch for front passenger front and side impact airbags
- Full size curtain airbags for driver, front passenger and outer rear passenger seats
- Drivers and front passenger lap belt pretensioner system
- ISOFIX child seat mountings incorporating top tether anchor points located on second row rear seats
- Front seat back map pockets
- Driver's lumbar support
- Rear adjustable/removable headrests
- 4 way manually adjustable passenger seat with height, reach,till and backrest
- Sliding/reclining 3rd row seats
- 4 way adjustable front head restraints
- 2 individual 3rd row seats
- 6 way manually adjustable drivers seat
- 35/30/35 split fold 2nd row seats
- Front body-lock seatbelt pretensioners
- 2 folding and removable seats in 3rd row
- Anti submarining ramps in front seats
- Locking wheel nuts
- 2 remote folding keys
- Visible vehicle identification number
- Remote control central locking
- Engine deadlock and immobiliser
- Electronically protected audio equipment
Vanity Mirrors
- Driver/passenger sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors + covers
Wheels - Alloy
- 16" 7 spoke alloy wheels
- 0 to 60 mph (secs)
- 0 to 62 mph (secs) 12
- Engine Power - BHP 110
- Engine Power - KW 81
- Engine Power - PS
- Engine Power - RPM 5500
- Engine Torque - LBS.FT 151
- Engine Torque - NM 205
- Engine Torque - RPM 1750
- Top Speed 109
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*Vehicle reviews are conducted by an independent reviewer, information, images and specifications included may not be correct.


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Reviewed By Ronald W (Knoxville, TN) Reviewed for a 2004 Isuzu Rodeo —11/12/2014 6:17 PM
Very pleased with the weather tech mats! Excellent quality!
There are no customer reviews for this product
Reviewed By John G (Katy, TX) Reviewed for a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo —11/1/2006 10:30 PM
I have to admit that I thought I would never spend more than $20 on floor mats but I did. The Hexomat for my 2001 Rodeo fit perfectly. The color was also a match which made me happy. If you are looking fora winner then this is it... BUT it does come with a fairly strong odor for about the first week or so. Plan on leaving them in the garage for the first week to air out... I won't ding these awesome mats due to the short term odor so it gets all 5 stars from me.


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|Biographical Information
|Other names
|The Lame, Club-foot
|Sixth Chieftain of the Haladin
|F.A. 499 (aged 34)
Nen Girith; killed by Túrin
|House of Haleth
|Handir and Beldis
|Physical Description
|A short sword
|By Ardamir. (Help; more articles)
Brandir the Lame (F.A. 465–499, aged 34 years) was a Man of the House of Haleth. He was the son of Handir and Beldis and was named after his mother's brother.[1] Brandir became a leader of his people despite his deformity, yet he became ensnared by the doom of Túrin and died by his sword unjustly.
[edit] History
Brandir suffered some accident in his childhood that resulted in a broken leg and left him lame thereafter. Due to his mishap and because of his gentle mood he was never a man of war, taking delight instead in all things that grew in the earth.[2] Yet after his father died Brandir inherited the chieftainship of the Men of Brethil and thus was their lord when Túrin arrived in F.A. 496.[3] In order to protect his people, Brandir sought silence and secrecy, far from the other fights of Beleriand.[2]
Túrin was brought into Ephel Brandir upon a bier carried by the woodmen that he had saved from an Orc attack. He had swooned upon seeing the mound where the woodmen had buried the dead Finduilas and when Brandir looked upon Túrin a shadow darkened his heart. However Brandir tended to Túrin in his house until he cast off his darkness. Although Túrin determined to renounce his past and took on the new name of Turambar, he still hunted Orcs with other woodmen, against Brandir's policy to protect his people.[2]
Brandir's healing skills were needed again when Túrin brought in a feverish young woman that he and a party of woodmen had found while out seeking Orcs. Since she had been unable to speak and had been weeping they called her Níniel. Although Brandir healed her and fell in love with her, her heart was given to Turambar. In 497 Túrin asked Níniel to marry him but Brandir counselled her to wait because of the fear in his heart regarding Túrin. Seeking to dissuade her, Brandir revealed Túrin's lineage to her, being the son of Húrin. Níniel did put off the marriage due to the words of Brandir (which did not please Túrin), but did marry Túrin at mid-summer of the following year.[4]
By the third year of Túrin's abiding at Ephel Brandir he had become the de facto leader of the Men of Brethil; Brandir went unheeded. Túrin led the woodmen in many battles against the Orcs, yet these deeds drew the dread dragon Glaurung from ruined Nargothrond, who crawled in a straight path towards Brethil. When Túrin asked for volunteers to go with him to meet the dragon, Dorlas came forth. Seeing the others hold back, Dorlas chided them and asked if none would take the place of Brandir so that the House of Haleth would not be put to shame. Thus Brandir, long unheeded, was subjected to scorn and became bitter at heart.
After Túrin, Dorlas, and Hunthor had gone, Níniel decided that she had to follow her husband. Ignoring Brandir's plea that she wait, Níniel led a great company of the woodmen to Nen Girith to seek tidings of the three hunters' fate. Unable to endure the scorn and disdain that had been heaped upon him, Brandir renounced his lordship and people. Yet still he loved Níniel and so, taking up his crutch and a short sword, he hobbled after the throng.[5]
Brandir caught up with Níniel at Nen Girith where she had been stricken upon hearing the far-off voice of Glaurung. Brandir attempted to lead her away to safety but she sped away to seek Túrin. Again Brandir was forced to limp after her as best he could. Again he caught up with her but too late, for by then Glaurung had revealed to Níniel that she was in truth Niënor, sister of Túrin, and that she carried her brother's child in her belly. Brandir heard Glaurung's words and was so stricken that he leaned against a tree. For a third time Níniel ran with Brandir calling after her but this time he could not catch up, for Niënor cast herself into the waters of Cabed-en-Aras. Brandir was the last man to peer into its darkness and he turned away in horror.
Limping back to Nen Girith, Brandir encountered Dorlas, who had quailed at crossing the Teiglin. Realizing that Dorlas' cowardice had contributed to Níniel's death, Brandir proclaimed his hatred for Dorlas. Dorlas tried to strike Brandir but died when Brandir hewed him with his sword. Brandir then hobbled on to bring the tidings to the people of Brethil still gathered at Nen Girith.[6]
Brandir had thought Túrin dead, and thus was amazed when he appeared before the gathering. Brandir then told Túrin that his wife was dead and revealed that she had been his sister. In wrath Túrin called Brandir "Club-foot" and slandered him, and then drew the black sword Gurthang and slew him. However, Túrin soon met Mablung the Hunter who confirmed Brandir's words. Túrin ran and asked his sword if it would slay him swiftly. Gurthang replied that it would, to forget the blood of Beleg, killed by accident, and Brandir, killed unjustly.[7]
[edit] Genealogy
[edit] Etymology
In the Etymologies, the name Brandir is said to be a compound of brand + dîr, meaning "Noble Man".[8]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of Men into the West (Chapter 14)", Commentary, (iii) The Haladin, p. 237
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "The Coming of Túrin into Brethil"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals": §291
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "Niënor in Brethil"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "The Coming of Glaurung"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "The Death of Glaurung"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "The Death of Túrin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", pp. 351, 354 (entries for BARÁD and DER)
House of Haleth
|Preceded by:
|Chieftain of the Haladin
|Followed by:


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Out of the Box: Dr. Oetker Ristorante Mozzarella Frozen Pizza
Reviews of frozen pizza.
"The mixture of 'fresh' and shredded mozzarella created probably the best frozen-pizza-cheese combo I've ever tasted. I realize that's like debating VHS vs Betamax in a Blu-ray world, but it was still tasty."
Dr. Oetker is a German company that produces a whole slew of food products ranging from baking powder and cake mix to frozen pizza.
Although this particular pizza is apparently the number one–selling frozen pizza in Italy, Dr. Oetker recently started selling these pies in grocery stores across the U.S.
So, just to recap: a German company with North American headquarters in Canada releases a pizza to the United States that is super popular in Italy.
All right, then.
The box advises you to cook directly on the rack for 10 to 12 minutes in a preheated 425°F oven.
How'd it taste? Surprisingly delicious.
The crust was light and crisp with a familiar frozen pizza texture, nothing really new in this department. The sauce was flavorful, bright, and thin, a nice tomato taste with a touch of herbs.
The mixture of "fresh" and shredded mozzarella created probably the best frozen-pizza-cheese combo I've ever tasted. I realize that's like debating VHS vs Betamax in a Blu-ray world, but it was still tasty. The herbs and diced tomato that top the pizza were fresh tasting and evenly distributed. This is one frozen pizza you can eat confidently without needing to add any basil or oregano.
Finally, the pizza wasn't overwhelming in size--it was big enough for two normal people to share as a snack or one pizzageek to eat as a meal.
If you keep a stash of frozen pizzas tucked away behind the Trader Joe's frozen edamame (safely concealed so as not to ruin your foodie cred), consider having the Doctor over for a house call.
How to Make a Pizzarito (Pizza Burrito)
Videos: DiGiorno Pizza Can't Solve All Your Problems
Mama Rosa's Minis: Scary Pizzas with Cheese that Does Not Melt
Ed Levine's Favorite Frozen Pizzas
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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What is depreciation?
Depreciation is the annual charge to income that results from a systematic and rational allocation of cost over the life of the fixed asset. Depreciation normally begins when an asset is purchased or completed. If it is not placed into service immediately, depreciation begins when the asset starts to lose value.


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Jonah Hill will host Saturday Night Live for the third time on Jan. 25, NBC announced on Monday.
Hill, who currently stars in The Wolf of Wall Street, will be joined by the U.K. band Bastille as they make their musical debut.
Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake close out 2013 on SNL
As previously announced, Drake is making his debut as both host and musical guest when the show returns with new episodes on Jan. 18. Drake was recently nominated for four Grammy Awards and just completed his North American "Would You Like A Tour?" tour.
Are you excited for Jonah and Drake?


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A Belgian supermarket was robbed this week after the stores manager was duped into a scheme that led him right into the hands of the stores would be robbers.
According to reports the manager received a friends request in February from a young female named Katrien Van Loo and they began an online relationship, when he was invited to her apartment it turned out she didn't exist and instead he was instead blindfolded and gagged by two men who stole his supermarket keys and the keys to his apartment.
The keys were then given to a third accomplice who entered the store, accessed the locations safe and made off with the stores cash. [Read more…]


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DWTS 13 Cast Rumors – L.A. Laker Ron Artest To Trade His High Tops For Dancing Shoes?
Another on-off-on again rumor! A source told Charged FM this weekend that L.A. Laker Ron Artest is confirmed to dance on Dancing With The Stars this season. Note below how their source didn't mention Dwyane Wade among the participants. I had a hard time believing the Dwayne Wade rumors anyway. So, if it's true Ron is dancing (and I wouldn't be surprised if it is being there is a NBA lockout and for how much his name as come up over the summer. He has also expressed loving the show), I bet he gets Cheryl or Anna as his partner. What do you think?
A source close to the highly-rated reality show confirmed to CHARGED that Artest or as he will soon be known, Metta World Peace, is one of the participants on the 13th season of DWTS.
The full cast will be announced on Monday, August 29th during ABC's "The Bachelor Pad" and the new season will kick-off Monday, September 19th. Artest, known for his defensive footwork will see if those skills translate to the dance floor.
It will be interesting to see who else Artest will be competing against. One rumor has the Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade as one of the other cast members. However, the source we spoke to did not mention Wade amongst the list of participants.
Stay tuned for the Cast Announcement tomorrow night to see which rumors are true and which are not! 😉


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Starboard have shared the sad news that the windsurfing pioneer, Jim Drake has passed away. RIP Jim, are thoughts are with friends and family.
Svein Rasmussen and the Starboard family speak about Jim and the legacy he leaves:
"Jim Drake changed the lives of millions of people and will continue to do so.
Windsurfing has made people experience the wind, waves and water in new ways. The sport has made converts travel and even settle on the opposite side of our planet. His spirit was always to include everyone and especially women and kids into windsurfing.
Jim and his wife Sam spent years with us in Thailand developing designs and strategies to increase the popularity of windsurfing. He was always optimistic and especially happy to challenge the status quo. His view on "one design" versus free choice of windsurfing gear for the Olympics was well known. His designs, like the Formula 175, the worlds most winning race board ever took competitive windsurfing to a new level.
Jim was an early adaptor of paddle boarding and he has helped design a number of winning designs like the K15. Some of his later designs are still being tested and his ideas on the future of paddle board designs may soon be shared.
He had so much more to give and reminded us on how precious each hour of life is."


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The housing market collapse in the second half of the last decade contributed to a surge in foreclosures across the country that still persists today. While in many respects the city of Philadelphia was well positioned to handle the situation, the volume of foreclosures was still sufficient to stretch the courts and lead to the creation of the Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program. Although highly effective to date, the program is heavily reliant on counselors for its continued success. Today, the nonprofit homeownership counseling industry in Philadelphia is beset with difficulties: Funding is limited, demand for counseling services remains high, and staff retention is problematic due to the stressful conditions under which counselors work. This has led to questions about the industry's ability to maintain its leading role in foreclosure prevention with its current level of funding and raises the issue of consistency in service delivery across agencies.
This paper provides an overview of the nonprofit foreclosure counseling industry in Philadelphia, including a survey of the city's counseling agencies that highlights the challenges the industry faces. Specifically, the paper discusses the industry's structure, financial status, and requirements for funding. In addition, the survey results provide information on service delivery and monitoring, staffing, finances, investment priorities, and additional critical issues facing the industry. The paper is a springboard for future discussion and includes questions for further exploration.
Philadelphia has developed a broad base of organizations that offer homeownership counseling for foreclosure prevention. These organizations vary considerably in size and in purpose but can be broadly categorized by function. The categories are summarized in Table 1; a full list of agencies and their categorizations can be found in Appendix 1.
Note that the organizations that are the primary focus of this paper are specifically homeownership counseling agencies that operate in Philadelphia and that offer counseling services for foreclosure prevention.1
|Agency Type
Number of Agencies
|Social service providers
|Community development corporations
|Advocacy organizations
|Counseling specialists
|Senior service providers
* Four organizations are included in two separate categories; therefore, the total indicated is not the sum of the column.
Most of the 30 agencies operating in Philadelphia are not exclusively, or even primarily, devoted to homeownership counseling; therefore, these agencies employ just a handful of homeownership counselors. Almost half of the agencies provide a range of social services, rather than focusing on counseling in particular, and others have missions for which homeownership counseling is a part but not a central component. This broad scope of operations contributes to the fact that many of the agencies' counseling functions exist on the margin, meaning that they try to provide services with limited resources. As a result, eight agencies have closed or ceased to offer foreclosure counseling services over the past two years, which has, in turn, increased the workload for those remaining.2
Foreclosure counseling is funded through multiple channels in Philadelphia, each in different forms and with different requirements. The primary funders are government entities at the city, state, and federal levels: the City of Philadelphia's Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD), the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Each of these has its own model for distributing funds to agencies, and each maintains separate lists of agencies eligible to receive funding. The OHCD uses a "request for proposal" (RFP) process to provide HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money to agencies; the PHFA uses a fee-for-service model in which certified agencies are reimbursed for services provided; and HUD disburses money both directly to agencies and via intermediaries, including the OHCD and the PHFA.
Currently, the OHCD and the PHFA have each approved 25 agencies for foreclosure counseling in Philadelphia, while HUD has approved 20. Funds distributed to the agencies from each of these funding sources since 2009 are detailed in Table 2.
It should be noted that, in addition to the funding of agencies discussed here, other services are provided that benefit the foreclosure counseling industry. The OHCD, for example, also funds the Save Your Home Philly hotline, door-to-door outreach efforts, and the work of Community Legal Services, Inc. At current funding levels, this amounts to over $1 million per year in additional investment. Similarly, pro bono legal work has an accumulated value of $2 million since the inception of the Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program in 2009.3
Since the homeownership counseling industry is so reliant on government funding, it is vulnerable to overall cuts in public spending, as seen in fiscal year (FY) 2011 when HUD funding for housing counseling was eliminated as part of the federal government's FY 2011 Continuing Resolution. The spending reductions in FY 2011 amounted to a loss of $88 million for housing counseling across the nation.4
|Funding Organization
|Foreclosure Counseling
|Total Housing Counseling
|HUD (direct funding)e
Each of the main funding organizations uses its own methods to select counseling agencies to fund. In each case, there are specific standards that must be met for the agencies to gain approval. In addition, after an agency has gained approval it may be required to meet given standards of operation and training. The standards for both stages are outlined here for each of the funding organizations and are detailed in Tables 3 and 4.
The OHCD approves agencies based on applications solicited through an RFP process. Agencies must complete a detailed application for funding, which can be renewed for one year up to two times before the agency must submit a new application. Each application is assessed based on (among other things): capacity to deliver counseling, demonstrated track record, anticipated long-term effectiveness, prior experience of staff, and staff qualifications. Once an agency is approved for funding, it receives a grant from the OHCD and is required to take on additional clients from Philadelphia's Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program. Philadelphia's program has proven to be highly effective and has been used as a model for similar initiatives in other cities. While the OHCD funds are not restricted to foreclosure counseling, a substantial portion of the grants are used for that purpose as a result of the program. Once approval is granted, the OHCD requires that agencies follow the regulations for HUD's Housing Counseling Program and the National Industry Standards (see below). A key exception to this requirement is that client management and reporting must be conducted using CounselorMax, an online tool owned by NeighborWorks America that tracks and organizes counseling from client intake to resolution.
The PHFA uses a funding and evaluation model in which agencies become eligible for reimbursement for services provided to clients once they are approved as meeting the PHFA's standards. Like the OHCD, the PHFA requires agencies to demonstrate competence and capacity to meet their proposed counseling agenda. After an agency receives approval, it must comply with a set of stringent core operating standards. These standards cover staff training and certification, adhering to a code of ethics and conduct, and following specific stipulations about the services that must be administered to all clients. Unlike the OHCD, the PHFA requires agencies to report counseling outcomes using Home Counselor Online, an alternative program to CounselorMax that is operated by Fannie Mae. This difference results in duplicated effort and wasted time for many counselors who must enter the same data into both systems.
HUD distributes funds both directly to agencies and through intermediaries; in both cases, the recipients of the funds must obtain approval before receiving them. The approval criteria are similar to those used by the OHCD and the PHFA: Agencies must demonstrate their ability to effectively administer housing counseling in a specific area by detailing their experience, capacity, and resources, as well as documenting a sound financial footing. Once an agency receives HUD funds, it must implement the proposed work plan, deliver timely and accurate reports, achieve a minimum workload, disclose various pieces of information to clients, abide by certain federal regulations and audit requirements, and maintain an acceptable level of trained staff. Compliance with these requirements may be reviewed through on-site or remote performance reviews.
An additional set of standards, the National Industry Standards (NIS), is maintained by a collaborative of housing industry organizations. This set of standards provides a widely recognized benchmark that is endorsed by HUD, financial institutions, and government agencies and may be expanded upon and adopted by HUD in the coming years.5 The guidelines represent a baseline set of national standards that the PHFA supplemented to better meet the needs in Pennsylvania when the organization developed its own requirements.
|Agency experience
|No minimum requirement; describe in application
|Two years
|One year
|Area of service
|Plan for how to reach geographic area
|Leading provider in geographic area
|Served geographic area for one year
|Counseling resources
|No minimum requirement; describe in application
|Sufficient resources for service plan
|Sufficient resources for service plan
|Recordkeeping and reporting
|No minimum requirement; describe in application
|Demonstrated capacity
|Established system
|Not required
|Independent, prior accounting year
|Independent, prior 12 months
|No minimum requirement; describe in application
|PHFA training (free)
|HUD conference; HUD training
|Client management system
|Home Counselor Online
|Any system compatible with HUD's
|Other certifications
|Successful applicants must complete a Program Management Systems Review if no contract has been held with the OHCD in the previous three years
|Staff certified through HUD/NeighborWorks America Training Institute, or two years' experience as a trainer
|Staff must have six months' experience in role they will perform
|Other requirements
|Compliance with Community Development Block Grant funding regulations
|Agency trained in HEMAP and other PHFA lending products;d meets HUD requirements for providing homeownership services
|Staff fluent in language for client base; knowledge of HUD programs and local housing market
|Counselor training/certification
|Must be trained in housing counseling (which HUD may sponsor), and at least half of the counselors must have at least six months' experience in their role
|NIS requirements plus PHFA training, three months in mentoring program, additional 25 hours of training within six months of employment, gain PHFA certification within six months of employment
|Complete 30 hours of training within 12 months of employment, gain NIS certification within 18 months of employment, 10 hours of continuing education per year
|Service delivery
|Face-to-face counseling, with performance criteria, in-person or via telephone/video conference
|The PHFA provides all required criteria and additional services and topics for face-to-face counseling
|Face-to-face counseling tailored to clients' needs using a variety of interactive techniques
|Expected outcomes
|Must adhere to grant work plan; must counsel at least 30 clients annually
|Sessions last at least 60 minutes and cover specified criteria
|Sessions last at least 30 minutes; must give client an understanding of diverse topics
|Maintain records for three years after client termination and maintain separate, confidential files for each client
|Monthly invoices with documentation; compliance monitored remotely and through on-site audits
|Collect and maintain information in accordance with laws and funder requirements
|Reports up to every quarter; the OHCD requires use of CounselorMax; annual audit for recipients with >$500,000/year of federal funding
|Report all activity using Home Counselor Online
|Use an electronic client management system for data collection and reporting
|Ethics and conduct
|Staff may not engage in activities with a conflict of interest
|Sign and adopt PHFA Ethics and Conduct form
|Sign National Industry Code of Ethics and Conduct form
In order to identify and quantify the critical challenges facing the industry, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia conducted a survey of the executive directors or, where applicable, housing directors of the 30 agencies conducting foreclosure counseling in the city. The questions, listed in full in Appendix 2, addressed challenges in staffing, service delivery and monitoring, finances, and investment priorities. The survey was administered online, between September 6 and September 17, 2012, and had a 50 percent response rate. To protect the confidentiality of the responding agencies, all results are reported in aggregated form only.
The agencies surveyed typically have a very limited number of counselors: On average there are fewer than three full-time counselors per agency, and only three agencies reported employing any part-time counselors. Compounding the issue is turnover; an average of about one-half of a full-time counselor joined and left each agency in the past year, resulting in a turnover rate of just over 21 percent. Although the average number of departed counselors was slightly greater than the average for those joining, only one agency reported a net loss of full-time counselors across the past 12 months (see Table 5).
The caseload for each counselor, measured as clients counseled per month, is high and slightly weighted toward foreclosure work. Almost all the agencies reported offering both foreclosure and nonforeclosure counseling; moreover, there are almost as many agencies that reported more nonforeclosure counseling as there were that reported more foreclosure counseling. A notably larger maximum number of clients were served for foreclosure work (80) than for nonforeclosure (60), and two-thirds of the agencies have more than 20 foreclosure clients per counselor per month. This comes to a mean of about 29 foreclosure clients per counselor per month, which, added to a mean of about 22 for nonforeclosure clients, puts the average caseload at around 50. This varies dramatically by agency, however, with the total caseload ranging from 9 to 130 (see Table 6).
|Currently Employed
|Joined Agency in Past 12 Months
|Left Agency in Past 12 Months
|Full-time counselors
|Part-time counselors
In line with the traditional model of homeownership counseling, virtually all of the responding agencies reported offering face-to-face counseling, and just under half have the capability of providing service outside of their offices. Adoption of technology to make foreclosure counseling more efficient is limited, which is indicated by the findings that less than a quarter of agencies offer foreclosure counseling over the telephone and just one is able to offer counseling via videoconferencing or webinars. These alternative formats come with hardware and service costs for both the agencies and their clients but could provide benefits in the form of reduced travel time and costs and more flexible scheduling of counseling sessions (see Figure 1).
All the agencies surveyed monitor the outcomes of their counseling, but there is not a universal standard for how that is done. Loan modification is the most common outcome, tracked by 85 percent of agencies, followed by any final resolution within a given time frame (77 percent) and then by homeowners becoming current on their mortgage (69 percent). Less than half of the agencies track whether or not the client was still in his or her home after a certain period of time (see Figure 2).
The industry is heavily reliant on funding from government sources. All responding agencies reported receiving OHCD funding, almost two-thirds also received money from the PHFA, and just under a half listed HUD as a funding source (see Figure 3). Just over one-third cited other sources of income from the private sector. The PHFA, HUD, and other sources each contributed a median of around one-quarter of total funding.
The OHCD, on the other hand, was responsible for half of the total funding, by median. This reliance on public support during a period of slow economic growth and rising concerns over budget deficits puts the industry in a precarious position, and in need of additional funding streams to counteract the potential loss of government funding.
The financial outlook for the next year is weak. A majority of respondents expect funding to stay roughly the same while expenses increase, but almost one-quarter of respondents anticipate a reduction in funding (see Figure 4). Just one respondent expects a funding increase, and another an expenses decrease. With relatively few counselors employed at present, there is little room for curtailing service offerings, so tightening budgets may be very difficult for many of the smaller agencies to achieve. Given the diversity in the agencies' missions and the fact that housing counseling is typically just one of many services offered, the merging of agencies to Agencies' Funding Expectations for the Next Fiscal Year provide financial stability is unlikely to be a viable option in most cases.
Respondents were asked to rate their agency's need for additional funding in different areas on a 5-point scale, where 1 is no need and 5 is urgent need (see Figure 5). Measures to retain staff registered as the greatest area of need, with just one respondent rating the need as less than four. By the mean score, staff size is the second most important area for investment, and only one agency indicated no need for any extra staff. Most respondents saw a need for investment in staff training, but only one agency considered this urgent. With staff turnover and the requirements for a The numbers are rounded; therefore, they do not add up to 100. continuing training and education, it is to be expected that training will remain an area of ongoing concern sources of income from the private sector. The PHFA, HUD, and other sources each contributed a median of around one-quarter of total funding. The OHCD, on the other hand, was responsible for half of the total funding, by median. This reliance on public support during a period in the future. Ratings for facilities were the most divided, with three respondents citing urgent need and two indicating no need at all.
None of the respondents considered technology to be in urgent need of investment, despite the somewhat low rates of technology usage in counseling delivery. This is the only area in which the mean need score is below the midpoint of three.
Respondents were also asked to identify the critical issues facing the industry. Many took the opportunity to elucidate their answers to other questions pertaining to agency needs. Thus, there were references to inadequate salaries for counselors, staff shortages, and burdensome training requirements. Other issues that were raised included the need to improve outreach and identify clients before their homes went into foreclosure, at which point it may be too late to provide effective help. It was suggested that better financial literacy would go a long way toward keeping the number of foreclosures down and relieving some of the strain on the agencies' resources. The time-consuming data entry and reporting processes required by funders were also cited as a significant problem. Finally, one respondent noted that there were a rising number of young clients, many of whom defaulted on their mortgages as a result of unemployment or medical issues, which raises the possibility of finding new ways to stem the flow of foreclosures by addressing the sources of the problems that precipitate mortgage default.
Foreclosure counseling in Philadelphia is in high demand, but the city's housing counseling agencies have limited resources with which to meet that need. There is a high degree of reliance on public funding for operations, which is particularly problematic in the current environment of increased concern over budget deficits and public debt. Counselors are being asked to provide services to numerous clients, and agencies have to meet multiple sets of requirements to access and to maintain funding from the primary funding sources. In recent years, these pressures have led to a reduction in the number of agencies offering such counseling in Philadelphia and may continue that trend without new sources of funding to bolster service provision.
This paper has provided an overview of the nonprofit foreclosure counseling industry in Philadelphia by outlining the system and its challenges. However, additional considerations need to be evaluated in order to fully assess the industry's needs for the future. Possible areas for future research include:


text: Annoying distortion: Sansa Clip+ w/ Rockbox 2011-01-22 13:52:25 After reading several positive posts around here, I replaced my venerable iPod G5 Video with a little Sansa Clip+ and a 16GB flash card. Missing AAC support was a deal breaker, but Rockbox was reported to run fine.I must say, compared to the absolutely flawless experience with my last iPod, I'm quite dissatisfied. It started with a bug of Rockbox 3.7.1 that large SD cards are sometimes not initialized properly (and thus don't appear in the menu), which affected my Transcend model. An upgrade to the latest daily build fixed this.An issue, that I can't fix with whatever build, is annoying CPU noise. At the beginning of tracks and during rebuffering of longer tracks there is a short humming sound (like a bumblebee) mixed with a fast sequence of random high frequency tones. The sound differs as a function of data format and content. It is very homogeneous with WAV tracks (only humming) and different with lossy and lossless codecs. The same file encoded with FLAC and AAC leads to different short distortions. It is only audible for tracks with initial silence or very dynamic content, for example classical music with quiet passages or audio books. The original firmware does not show this behavior. It is probably a throttling issue. Rockbox just reads and decodes the file in a regular loop as fast as the CPU can deliver it. Due to cheap hardware design this leads to audible inference on the output. The original firmware probably works around this by some form of flow control and doesn't read the data any faster than required. But, as I've said, due to missing AAC support the original firmware is not an option.The phenomenon is only audible with my headphones. The Creative EP-630 have a rather large sensitivity of 106 dB. I tried to record the distortion over a line-input and it is non-existent there. That made me think about the common practice of shutting people up with RMAA results or telling them that what they hear must be placebo. High-impedance, line-level inputs do not necessarily capture the same as what a sensitive headphone outputs.Can anyone, who also owns sensitive earphones, recommend a comparable player (no video, real buttons) with flawless output? It would be nice if I could re-use the SD-card. Last Edit: 2011-01-22 13:53:40 by googlebot


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1865 baseball card found at Maine yard sale to be sold at auction; only 2 known to exist
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) � An auction house expects six-figure bids when it sells a rare 148-year-old baseball card discovered at a yard sale in rural Maine.
Saco River Auction Co. in Biddeford says a man found the card by chance in a photo album he bought in Baileyville, on the Canadian border.
It's not the same as a modern baseball card. Instead, it's a photograph of the Brooklyn Atlantics amateur baseball club mounted on a card. Saco River manager Troy Thibodeau says he's aware of only two such cards in existence, the other at the Library of Congress.
Saco River sold a rare 1888 card of Hall of Fame baseball player Michael "King" Kelly last summer for $72,000. Thibodeau expects the Brooklyn Atlantics card to fetch at least $100,000 at its Feb. 6 auction.


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Arkansas unemployment rate up to 7.2 percent
State officials say Arkansas' unemployment rate increased by one tenth of a percentage point to 7.2 percent in January.
The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services says the state's civilian labor force decreased by 3,300 in January. Officials say the drop in employment mirrors the national rate, which increased to 7.9 percent in January.
All eleven major industries reported job losses in January in Arkansas. Government jobs saw the largest drop, at 6,100. The state attributes most of the decrease to a holiday break at public schools.
Trade, transportation and utilities jobs decreased by 5,800 - with most of the drop coming in retail trade linked to the end of the holiday shopping season.
Construction jobs dropped by 2,700 and professional and business services jobs decreased by 1,900.