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JACKSON, Miss. — If Barack Obama is elected president on Nov. 4, it might signify that racially polarized voting no longer determines the outcome of elections.
After all, Obama would have to win a majority of white voters in many states to get to the magic number of 270 electoral votes.
If racially polarized voting is on its way toward extinction, would that have implications for the racially gerrymandered congressional districts that were created to offset such voting?
Another round of congressional redistricting will begin after the 2010 Census.
According to the National Council of State Legislatures, the Nov. 4 elections are "critical because 642 state Senators will be elected who will be in office for 2010 redistricting — the redistricting ground war starts in earnest this year."
It's a once-every-decade map-making bonanza: a chance for state lawmakers to redraw district lines to favor their party and to undermine their opponents.
What often results is gerrymandering — designing a congressional, state legislative, or other election district to maximize the power of one racial group or one political party.
Is gerrymandering still justifiable?
An Obama victory would raise the question: must legislators engage in racial gerrymandering? Is it still justifiable?
Last year, National Journal legal writer Stuart Taylor said, "As he (Obama) well knows, the racial gerrymandering that guarantees most of these (African-American House) members safe seats in black-dominated, Democratic districts, while ensuring conservative Republican dominance of neighboring districts, is a big part of the polarization problem."
Black-majority Democratic districts are mostly, but not entirely in the South. (There are also Latino-majority districts in New York and other states.)
One reason why racial gerrymandering will likely persist: there are now a significant number of black and Latino legislators in the South and elsewhere who will use the power of incumbency to protect their seats.
Other political news of note
Animated Boehner: 'There's nothing complex about the Keystone Pipeline!'
House Speaker John Boehner became animated Tuesday over the proposed Keystone Pipeline, castigating the Obama administration for not having approved the project yet.
- Budget deficits shrinking but set to grow after 2015
- Senate readies another volley on unemployment aid
- Obama faces Syria standstill
- Fluke files to run in California
- Animated Boehner: 'There's nothing complex about the Keystone Pipeline!'
In the Mississippi House of Representatives, for example, there are 37 African-American Democratic members.
History helps explain what lead to this demographic and cartographic game of political strategy.
Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, which enabled millions of African-Americans to vote for the first time.
Blacks still few in the House in 1992
But despite the Voting Rights Act, by 1992, there were only five black Democrats in the House of Representatives from the South.
This under-representation, said historians Merle and Earl Black, was due to racially polarized voting and the fact that "southern white Democrats with the power to design district lines had never constructed more than a handful of House seats that black Democrats could realistically hope to win."
This changed after the 1990 Census. In the decennial redrawing of district lines, state lawmakers constructed 12 new black-majority districts in the South. All of them were won by Democrats in the 1992 elections.
But this gerrymandering helped Republicans in the South, too.
Why? Because "compressing large numbers of black voters, the vast majority of whom always voted Democratic, into a few districts, radically reduced the number of black voters in many other districts," said Merle and Earl Black. This left those other districts with larger white populations, making them more Republican leaning.
"Packing black Democrats into ghettoized districts predictably wasted their votes and contributed to the Democrats' loss of the House of Representatives in 1994," said historian Ward E. Y. Elliott.
More than mere symbolism
The new president, whether it is Obama or John McCain, will appoint an attorney general and federal judges who'll decide how to apply the Voting Rights Act.
First Read: Battlegrounds swing to ObamaSo there's much more than mere symbolism in the Nov. 4 election; voters are choosing a president whose appointees will deal with the mechanics of how elections are conducted and districts are gerrymandered across the nation.
Morgan Kousser, a historian and redistricting expert at the California Institute of Technology, pointed to two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court which the new president and his attorney general will be forced to confront, cases that may well determine the future politics of drawing district lines according to racial lines.
One case, Bartlett v. Strickland, was argued before the justices last week.
As the Voting Rights Act has been interpreted by judicial rulings and by Justice Department lawyers, if lawmakers take what had been a black-majority district and change it into one in which blacks are only 40 percent of voting age population, that would be deemed "vote dilution," and a violation of the law.
The new district map would not get the Justice Department approval which it needs under the Voting Rights Act.
But what if a racial minority group constitutes less than 50 percent of a district's population —and yet the group still exerts enough influence to elect the candidate it prefers? Such a district is called a "coalition district" by civil rights lawyers.
Is it "vote dilution" if lawmakers reduce the district from 40 percent African-American to 30 percent?
During the oral argument in Bartlett v. Strickland, at least three justices indicated their uneasiness with judges being involved in deciding which of the less-than-50 percent minority districts must be shielded under the Voting Rights Act.
Chief Justice signals opposition
"How can you say that this brings us closer to a situation where race will not matter when it expands the number of situations in which redistricting authorities have to consider race?" Chief Justice John Roberts said to the attorney who was arguing that coalition districts need to be protected from being broken up during redistricting.
Kousser said five of the nine justices would probably rule that such districts can be broken up when legislators draw new district maps.
If the Bartlett decision goes the way Kousser predicts, he said in the states where Republican state legislators control redistricting, they would be able to "shatter any district now held by a minority-preferred candidate and they won't violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act."
If Obama were president, he said, "there would be pressure on an Obama Administration and Congress to reverse it, and they will try hard."
The justices may also decide another case next year involving a section of the Voting Rights Act which requires certain Southern states and some counties elsewhere in the country to get their voting procedures pre-approved by the Justice Department.
Getting pre-approval from the Justice Department
The case involves the Northwest Austin (Texas) Municipal Utility District Number One, NAMUDNO for short. NAMUDNO wants to bail out of the Voting Rights Act requirement that it submit changes in voting procedures to the Justice Department.
Election A to ZIt's "quite possible" that the Supreme Court will decide the NAMUDNO case during the 2008-2009 term, and that a majority will rule the pre-approval provisions of the Voting Rights Act coverage provisions unconstitutional, Kousser said.
If Obama is president and the justices use the NAMUDNO case to limit the reach of the Voting Rights Act, then, Kousser said "there will be pressure on the Obama Administration to rewrite the law, rather than to abandon it."
"Assuming that he is elected, Obama will be the first U.S. president who has taught a course on voting rights, and he will realize not only the implications for minorities of adverse Supreme Court decisions in these two cases, but the effect on the Democratic party, as well," Kousser said.
© 2013 msnbc.com Reprints


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In a Salon piece about Amazon's $1 million literary grant scheme (which is itself well worth reading) Alexander Zaitchik reveals that the Big Six publishers have shied away from Amazon's most recent contract renewal. He writes:
For the first time, the "Big Six" publishers — HarperCollins, Random House, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Macmillan — have refused to sign Amazon's latest annual contract. The main sticking point is exorbitant increases in "co-op promotional fees" for e-books that the publishers see as an illegal gouge by another name. One person familiar with the details of the proposed 2012 contracts that Amazon has submitted to major New York publishers described them as "stupifyingly draconian." In some cases, he said, Amazon has raised promotional fees by 30 times their 2011 cost.
PaidContent's Laura Hazard Owen then reported that at least two of the Big Six are definitely refusing to sign. She said that although a failure to sign "could end with their 'buy' buttons being turned off, it is more likely for now that the feud will result in less promotion of their titles on Amazon's website."
Amazon is still selling these publishers' books, Owen said, but isn't promoting them on its site the way it used to. One sticking point is the money that publishers have to pay Amazon to get their books promoted on the website. The concept of these 'co-op fees' comes from bricks-and-mortar shops which would charge publishers for the best placement in the shop. Amazon, unsurprisingly, decided to keep that model for its website. But now Amazon wants bigger discounts from publishers and higher co-op fees and the Big Six aren't happy about it.
TeleRead's Chris Meadows points out that the Independent Publishers Group, one of America's biggest independent book distributors which works with a large number of publishers large and small, also refused to agree to Amazon's renewal conditions. Said the New York Times in February:
"They decided they wanted me to change my terms," said Mark Suchomel, president of the Chicago-based I.P.G. "It wasn't reasonable. There's only so far we can go."
With each side unwilling to yield, Amazon pulled the plug, and all of I.P.G.'s books for Kindle disappeared. The physical books were not affected. A spokeswoman for Amazon declined to comment.
Of course, the Big Six aren't about to start making any decisions on Amazon's contract in a way that might look as if they've been talking about it. Apple and five of the six are already under investigation by the US Justice Department for alleged collusion over ebook pricing. The publishers and Apple agreed to use what's called the agency model, where publishers set the price of ebooks and Apple takes a 30 percent cut, rather than a wholesale model where the publishers sell titles at a discount and the bookstore adds their margin on top deciding the final price without input from the publishers. The agency model isn't illegal; the accusation is one of ebook price-fixing, which Apple and the publishers deny.
But what might happen if even just two or three major publishers decided not to renew with Amazon? Scott Turow, president of the Authors Guild, wrote in March:
Two years after the agency model came to bookselling, Amazon is losing its chokehold on the e-book market: its share has fallen from about 90% to roughly 60%. Customers are benefiting from the surprisingly innovative e-readers Barnes & Noble's investments have delivered, including a tablet device that beat Amazon to the market by fully twelve months. Brick-and-mortar bookstores are starting to compete through their partnership with Google, so loyal customers can buy e-books from them at the same price as they would from Amazon. Direct-selling authors have also benefited, as Amazon more than doubled its royalty rates in the face of competition.
If a couple of the major publishers refused to renew and pulled their ebooks from Amazon, it's seems likely that Amazon would lose even more market share. Amazon has been the 800lb gorilla in the book market for far too long, but with its share decreasing, the withdrawal of a couple publishers' catalogues might help to even the market out. Amazon, then, will have to decide whether it wants to take the publishers' terms or carry on without them.
I don't think it would be a bad thing for Amazon to no longer be the canonical source of books. We don't expect DIY stores or clothing stores to carry every single power tool or shirt available, so why do we expect online bookshops to carry every single title published? It might be more convenient for us not to have to shop around, but is it better for us, the readers, in the long term? In my opinion, no. Monopolies lead to anticompetitive behaviour, but squeezing the publishers results only in the squeezing of authors and they're the ones who end up bleeding out.
I happen to think that ebooks are hideously overpriced at the moment, but that's an issue I want to see resolved through dialogue between buyer and publisher, not through the imposition by Amazon of onerous terms and extortionate fees on the publishers. Because if Amazon controls the Big Six, what hope is there for any improvement in the way it treats self-publishers?

subset: commoncrawl


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Plant Botanical Name:
Hibiscus brackenridgei
USBG Plant Location:
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Plant Threat Level:
Hibiscus brackenridgei, the state flower of Hawaii, is an endangered plant endemic to the Hawaiian islands. Unfortunately, there are less than 60 plants in eight populations on the islands of Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii, which are protected by the Endangered Species Act. Threats that include development, overgrazing by livestock and feral animals, as well as competition from invasive weeds have contributed to the drastic reduction in wild populations. Measures being taken by conservationists and botanic gardens to protect the few remaining populations of Hibiscus brackenridgei include weed control, fencing to exclude animals, preservation of remaining intact habitat and conservation of plants and seeds in botanical gardens and seed banks.


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The Hotel
The Joule is a revitalized 1920s neo-Gothic landmark building set in the heart of Dallas' central business district.
With dramatic art installations, unique retail boutiques, a world-class spa, clever design, award-winning food and drinks and some of the best service in town, The Joule is seen as the cultural epicenter of downtown.
Adjacent to the Dallas Arts District and the flagship Neiman Marcus, the hotel is perfectly positioned when guests finally do venture out of the hotel's communal embrace.


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Bogey Time
The color of golf has traditionally been green, and no more so than during the past two decades. We're not talking grass here, we're talking money. As the American and global economies burgeoned throughout the 1990s and made it over the hump of the 2001 9/11 tragedy, the game of golf benefited prodigiously. The Tiger Woods Effect was supposed to bring untold millions of players into the game. Instead, it brought in millions upon millions of dollars. Make that billions.
While the number of players didn't increase dramatically, the amount of money coming into the game did, at all levels. The PGA Tour's purse money shot up with the trajectory of a Woods drive; private clubs with entry fees of half a million bucks or more grabbed headlines; posh resorts asked as much as $500 for a greens fee; and club companies placed $500 tags on drivers. The price of a golf ball exceeded a gallon of gas. Private club rosters were close to capacity and public courses were, for the most part, making money. Golf meccas such as Scotland and Ireland, fueled by the American longing for the links land, gleefully turned dollars into pounds sterling and euros at an exhilarating pace.
Then the economy tanked, or is that shanked? Like a lot of industries, golf isn't likely to be the same. There are no gimmes anymore.
Buick parted ways with Tiger Woods. What does that tell you? With the reeling financial and auto industries heavily involved in golf from a promotional aspect, big question marks exist about whether the level of sponsorship can be maintained. The PGA Tour lost a tournament for the 2009 season, as did the Champions Tour. The LPGA Tour lost four.
The impact at the professional tour level, however, may not be as profound as it will be, and has been, in other areas of the game. Winter golf hot spots in Florida, the Caribbean and Hawaii saw steep declines in the number of players, and in many cases the level of greens fees they could charge.
Not even the Celtic Tiger was immune. Two golf resort properties in Ireland tanked, others dangled by a thread and a number of projects in development were stopped. Several golf clubs in the New York area were reeling from the double-bogey whammy of the financial sector meltdown and the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme scandal.
What follows is Cigar Aficionado's survey of people throughout the game in America. All agree that the challenges ahead are significant, that the economic downturn is the game's most difficult up and down in decades. But they also share a common optimism, a belief that things will be better, that they will make this up and down, though it might require a 20-foot putt on the 18th hole.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, speaking at the season-opening Mercedes Championship at Kapalua, was in his best cautious-optimism mode. The trade winds on Maui were gentle while the ill winds of financial peril were rising. "It's going to be a tough go," Finchem said. "A lot of companies are cutting budgets, cutting advertising, cutting sponsorships across the country and around the globe, and it is going to make our work more challenging. But our value is still there.
"On the competitive side, there are two reasons we are excited. One is that not only do we have Tiger coming back at some point this year, but we have this great batch of really stellar performances the last few months [read that Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas] that we think are going to excite fans. "Secondly, we do like the reaction to the changes in the FedExCup this year. We think we are in a situation now where we have three levels of the FedExCup competition. . . . We know it's going to be more exciting."
Charismatic players and high-profile competitions can sell tickets, but ticket money is not the backbone of professional tour golf. Big corporations and television are the cash cows, the "Green Team," if you will. Without huge chunks of cash from corporations that provide tournaments with prize money and hospitality income, and provide television with advertising revenue, pro golf would not exist in its present form. Corporations are taking a hard look at how they will be doling out this promotional money, and Finchem invites that scrutiny.
"When we start into a downturn and companies are reducing their expenditures in advertising and marketing and sponsorship, they are going through a process of deciding what's more valuable to them, where they get the most value to the dollar spent," he said.
"In my experience, every time there was a downturn there was even more scrutiny than the last time, and there's better scrutiny. . . . We have performed very well in that regard because of our value model. In terms of spending a dollar with the PGA Tour versus spending a dollar with X sport or Y sport, we come out very well. The first step is to win that contest and come out ahead."
Larry Peck, the promotions manager for Buick and Pontiac, oversees Buick's very large commitment to golf. In the fall, Buick and Tiger Woods announced they were severing their relationship, that an endorsement contract thought to pay Woods in the neighborhood of $9 million a year was going to end prematurely. The PGA Tour credits Buick as its first corporate sponsor, in 1958, and Peck says Buick has no plans to get out of the game, but it will be cutting back. Currently, Buick sponsors the Buick Invitational in San Diego and the Buick Open in Michigan. In 2008, it had 20 official car deals with tournaments. In 2009, it will have just five. And it won't have Tiger anymore.
Ernie Els has 16 career wins in the United States.
"In the economy now more than ever we have a need to promote our new products, specifically in 2009 at the Buick Invitational and Buick Open to promote our new Lacrosse," says Peck.
"That said, we have also made a number of cuts, most notably our nine-year relationship with Tiger Woods. . . . I've got nothing to say other than great things about Tiger. We grew with him, he grew with us. You put Tiger in an ad, people tended to watch. There are 50 million—plus golf enthusiasts in the country, with strong demographics for an upscale automotive brand that wants to promote itself to that audience. The PGA Tour provides a good means to reach it."
The PGA Tour has reached out to its players, asking them to consider playing more tournaments and participating within events at those tournaments outside of showing up on the first tee and signing a few autographs by the scorer's cabin. Ernie Els, one of the most affable and savvy of players, understands the need to do more.
"These are crazy times," says Els. "[My company] is locked in, thank goodness, through 2010, with most of our sponsors. We've got to thank them again, just to be sponsoring us, all of this money we play for and there's a lot of people losing their jobs. So what we are doing, we should almost feel guilty, because it's really tough out there and we've got to be thankful for what we've got, and I think the players do realize that."
Carolyn Bivens, commissioner of the LPGA Tour, is working feverishly to remind her sponsors that the LPGA provides a quality platform for them. The LPGA Tour hasn't flourished as robustly as the PGA Tour, and Annika Sorenstam (now retired) couldn't bring the big numbers to the LPGA like Woods did to his tour. The LPGA does not have a fat domestic television rights contract to feast from, instead having to fund its own broadcasts in conjunction with its tournament sponsors. The tour will offer $55 million in prize money in 2009, about a fifth of the prize money of the PGA Tour. A third of the LPGA schedule is played outside the United States, primarily in the Pacific Rim and Europe, as officials search for sponsors wherever they can find them.
The economy cost the LPGA four tournaments on its 2009 schedule—the ADT Championship, the Fields Open and the Ginn Open and the Ginn Tribute. (The PGA Tour also lost an event sponsored by Ginn, the troubled resort and high-end residential company.)
"I'm old enough to have gone through the savings and loan issues, the other economic downturns, but I wasn't one who saw this coming," says Bivens. "We were changing the business model, trying to bring parity to the LPGA and monetize its success. I'm grateful this didn't happen two years ago. I sure wish we had had one more year. We were on a great roll. One more year and we would have gotten through our television negotiations.
"As far as LGPA official money events in 2009, we'll have 31. That's versus 34 in 2008. Given what could have been the potential economic impact on our schedule, we view this as a barometer of stability, appeal and value for our players. . . . But it's no secret that the road ahead is going to test our mettle. We face real challenges."
The PGA of America, the organization of club professionals that also jointly puts on the Ryder Cup, monitors what's going on in the private and public golf sectors and isn't alarmed—at the moment.
"In 2008, we enjoyed the definition of the new business goal, which means that flat is the new up in corporate America," says PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka. "We had less than half a percent decrease in rounds played [in 2008] and we had around a half to 1 percent increase in revenue per round. We demonstrated that even in this economy, people are looking for recreation in tough financial times. Golf provides a great escape. Golf held up very well when you look at discretionary spending."
That isn't to say that things were rosy, or at least flat, everywhere. "In drive-in markets like Ocean City, Maryland, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, you had declines of 8 to 10 percent," says Steranka. "We think facilities with high price points could be somewhat vulnerable, not so much from their core clientele, but from the standpoint of the casual traveler."
Ben Hunt has been feeling the pinch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where golf is a way of life. Hunt is a PGA professional and owner of the Grand Strand Golf Association that represents 63 clubs in the area. "There's a definite downturn here, between 10 and 15 percent, I'd say," he says. "We had lost several courses over the last few years to real estate development. Developers would come in and offer a golf course owner so much more than what he could make on the course that he would sell. But that boom went bust. We have a 54-hole facility, Bay Tree, that was sold for development. All there is now is a bunch of weeds." The private-club sector also faces some tough times, especially when people with money suddenly don't have so much.
"We are seeing some challenges in club membership, seeing some strategies for maintaining their memberships whether it is a hiatus from pay[ing] full membership dues for a year or allowing someone to go to a social membership," says Steranka. "In Palm Springs, where there was a ramp-up in high-cost private clubs, we see a ramp-up in the amount of people trying to sell memberships. We don't see the private-club model as broken. The private-club challenge seems to be regional. We've also heard from a handful of professionals who have lost their jobs because of what they said were economic conditions."
Private clubs, those bastions of American green, are feeling the blues. The Los Angeles Country Club is putting off a major renovation of its North Course, settling for some bunker and tree work. Several clubs in the New York metropolitan area are losing members and at least two clubs on Long Island have talked about merging operations.
All of which makes for uncertain times for a club manager such as Don Molitor of the Woodmere Club on Long Island, just outside of New York City. "Just like other clubs, we are looking at ways of cutting our expenses while trying to live up to expec-tations," says Molitor. "We've cut the operating hours for the restaurant, the locker room, fitness facilities. At a club like this, it's 20,000-plus dollars a year before you even stick a tee in the ground, so there is a certain level of expectations, things like having a perfectly green course and having a very good restaurant and all sorts of help. We had an organized roundtable discussion of managers, professionals and superintendents back in December. A banker spoke to us, and the words are still echoing in my head. He said we had a hell of a party the last 20 years, and now we are paying for it with a hell of a hangover."
Charles Robson is executive director of the Metropolitan PGA in New York and has his hand on the pulse of the game in this golf-blessed area.
"We are more concerned about the future of our clubs and courses, thereby our professionals," says Robson. "We've had one professional lose his job, ostensibly for financial reasons. There are several clubs that are well below full memberships. There are talks of mergers, though there are a lot of rumors flying around. I think public courses will continue to be healthy, because as members start leaving private clubs, they will still want to play golf."
Robson also raises an important question about the nature of private clubs, which also applies to high-end public facilities. "I think you will see a rollback in expectations," says Robson. "Maintenance budgets are being cut, dining budgets being cut, golf services budgets being cut. This whole idea that everything has to be five-star. Does everything have to be five-star to be golf? Can't it be four-star or three-star? The basic game is simple, and maybe this situation will make it more simple again."
It's a thought shared by David Fay, executive director of the United States Golf Association. "This quest for perfection is going to be dealt a pretty serious blow," says Fay. "My course up in Newport [founded in 1893 and one of the original members of the USGA], we don't have an irrigation system. We are sort of minimalist: no food and beverage service other than a lunch of soup and cold sandwiches. The way we maintain our course might be replicated by other clubs. Greenskeeping, facility maintenance would be a good place to cut back on." The USGA will bring the U.S. Open back to the Black Course at Bethpage State Park this June. The course, 30 miles from Manhattan on Long Island, hosted the 2002 event won by Tiger Woods. Financially, it was as wildly successful as the competition. For 2009, Fay knows that the expectations can't be that high.
"Golf benefits when the economy is strong and will be affected when it is weak," says Fay. "At our three Opens, we sell corporate hospitality. When times are tough, entertaining clients at golf tournaments is going to be one of the first places corporations are likely to cut back on. The Open at Bethpage will still be sold out, but given the large number of companies in the financial industry that participated in 2002 and you would expect to be back in 2009, I would have to believe that some would step back altogether and others might go from a large tent to a small tent."
There is still one strong selling point about professional tournament golf. The fact that tournaments are set up as nonprofits that contribute to charity makes shelling out precious dollars a little easier than, say, buying a suite at a football game or $250 tickets to a basketball game. Peter Miele, director of the PGA Tour's Barclays Classic, thinks the charity angle is key.
"People who are looking to spend their money have to be very critical," says Miele. "The fact we support local charities, I hope that is the tipping point for funds to come our way as opposed to another entertainment venue. That's what sets the PGA Tour apart and always has. I know for a fact that companies look at us differently because the money is going to local charities."
The question is, how much green is there to go around, anyway? How much money is there to continue to support clubs, public fee courses, golf travel and golf equipment sales? Fay chooses not to take a grim view of the situation, even displaying a bit of dark humor.
"You think that there will be courses that will be plowed under, and some might be," says Fay. "But given the situation in the construction-development industry, that's probably not going to happen. Somehow courses will keep going, some private ones going public, some merging operations. People are going to still play golf."


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Popular Buses from Rajkot to Goa
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FAQ about Buses from Rajkot to Goa
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Hotels in Goa
Popular attractions in Goa
- Calangute Beach
The Calangute Beach is one of the popular beaches in Goa and is often dubbed as the "Queen of the Beaches".
- Candolim Beach
The Candolim Beach is one of the most happening and frequented beaches in Goa that is also one of the longest beaches in the state.
- Colva Beach
The Colva Beach in Goa is one of the most secluded beaches in Goa and thus offers a tranquil ambiance making it a perfect holiday destination for the runaway couples and honeymooners.
- Shanta Durga Temple
This is the most famous temple of Goa and holds a special place in the heart of every Goan Hindu and also in Goans as a whole.


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Okay, so I got a bit excited about jars and handheld pi
es my last post. Individual desserts. Portable pies. Personal puddings. Endless
Then Saturday I found some little jars and scooped them right up.
I wanted to make a banana pudding for my mom. Similar to this one that I usually make and that she loves.
I make it. She makes it and so does my sister. It's easy and creamy. And cold. We like it cold.
I thought individual puddings would be fun to bring over on Mother's Day, but I couldn't wait to use the jars so she's getting treats early.
Not all of them. I'm keeping one or two. You know for investigative purposes.
The jars work great to contain and carry desserts and definitely make a dessert more special.
This time I changed the pudding up just a little… adding peanut butter, cookies and chocolate.
And I started with a vanilla wafer crust.
Crush cookies. Mix with sugar and butter and press in the bottom.
The next layer was a melted mixture of chocolate and peanut butter.
And the next layer … vanilla pudding combined with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping.
Fold it in to the pudding to make it light and creamy.
Then layer the pudding in the jars and fill it with banana and broken peanut butter cookie pieces. Drizzle more chocolate and add more pudding.
Looks good.
And then put a lid on it.
You can add your own custom label and make it more special. These canning jars can easily secure the label under the lid.
I love that I can carry these to my mom's and she can have her own… but so can I. Win. Win.
So what does your mom like? Are you making her anything yummy for Mother's Day?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Pudding
30 vanilla wafers
3 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 – 3.4 oz packages vanilla pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
8 oz. container COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed in refrigerator
Nutter Butters, about 16 broken in small pieces
3 medium bananas
lemon juice
4 – 1 pint glass jars with lids
- Crush the vanilla wafers in a food processor or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
- Add sugar and melted butter and stir together until crumbly.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of glass jars.
- Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave on medium. When melted, stir in the peanut butter until completely combined.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate on top of the crushed vanilla wafer base.
- To make pudding, combine pudding mixes with milk and beat with a mixer or wire whisk for two minutes.
- Slowly fold COOL WHIP Whipped Topping into the pudding. Don't over mix.
- Slice bananas and dip in lemon juice to help prevent them from turning brown too soon.
- Then layer bananas, cookies and pudding into the jar. Drizzle more chocolate and layer more pudding.
- Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Notes: You can change this up as much as you like. Eliminate the peanut butter. Don't want chocolate? Want to try a different cookie? No problem.
You can even forget about the crushed vanilla wafer base and go all pudding. But if you do want the base, you can also just use peanut butter cookies in place of wafers. I probably would have done that too, if I hadn't crushed my wafers too soon. : ) You can also just layer everything in one big dish.
Update: Mom loved them. But we both agree that the chocolate would be better if it were not layered on top of the crust. So first place some bananas, cookies or pudding and then a layer of chocolate so it won't such a hard surface to break through at the bottom.
And update 2: I didn't include the labels originally because the file crashed before I saved it. But I received several comments and emails that you would like it so I recreated it tonight for you.
Here you go: Pudding Jar Labels


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Clara Bergs may have difficulty with her words and face learning challenges at school, but when she puts on her tutu and twirls around the room, she charms the world.
The 10-year-old who has autism and a genetic disorder called DiGeorge Syndrome spun into the spotlight after a YouTube video of her dancing along to a 19th-century ballet delighted Internet audiences around the globe.
For Clara's mother, what was truly touching about the reaction to her daughter's performance, was the response from other families with special needs kids.
"They just said 'Clara is an inspiration to us,'" says Lisa Anderson.
"Clara in her own little way, through her dancing in a little place in Toronto, has touched people around the world and, to me, that is phenomenal."
The clip – which has been viewed more than half a million times – shows a smiling Clara dancing step-by-step to the Coppelia comic ballet in her family's living room. She circles a footstool and, at one point, holds onto a cabinet for balance as she kicks her legs in the air. A small window at the bottom of the screen simultaneously shows a professional ballerina performing the dance and it's soon clear that Clara has all the steps memorized.
For the little girl, ballet is now a key part of how she expresses herself.
"I like to go up on the stage. I like to do Coppelia," she says excitedly when asked why she loves to dance. "I'm so happy."
What's remarkable is just how far Clara has come.
She spent her first 16 months in hospital going through multiple surgeries. Before she turned two, her parents noticed she had trouble connecting with people. She couldn't walk until she was four and didn't speak until she was six.
"She made no connection with people. Basically she tuned them out. You could scream in her ear and she wouldn't look at you," Anderson says.
"Now, she makes eye contact… She'll see somebody and she'll go over and give them a hug. She's excited to be alive, she wakes up happy, puts on her ballet clothes, goes downstairs and dances until breakfast is ready."
Amidst the many responsibilities that come with being a parent and caring for a special needs child, Anderson says the positive feedback generated by the ballet video has given the entire family a boost.
"It has brought some meaning to why we do it everyday, and why I fought for Clara so hard when she was a baby and didn't give up when the doctors said there's no hope for this child," says Anderson.
The video, which was first posted online in September, spread like wildfire after Clara's therapists told friends in Australia and Asia about the clip. Clara's dancing was soon reported by media in Europe, the U.S. and Canada.
At one point, while on a family vacation in Florida this fall, Anderson recalls a smiling hotel bellboy saying he recognized Clara from her video.
"It was really uncanny that this guy in Florida knew who she was... That was really touching to us."
The video was originally posted in an effort to encourage donations to fund Clara's therapy – a program called Intensive Multi-Treatment Intervention that isn't funded by the Ontario government. She enrolled in the program while waiting for another form of treatment paid for by the province, for which she has since been approved. Because she's been doing so well with the IMTI program, however, her family has decided to continue it for now, despite the $3,000 monthly cost.
While the popularity of the YouTube video prompted enough donations to cover the cost of a few months of therapy, Clara's family is constantly grappling with how to raise more.
"We'll still be on this constant search for funding," says Anderson, who hopes to approach more private donors in the new year.
She is also considering lobbying the government to give families the choice to pick an autism therapy program that's best for their child.
"The more you as a parent can help your child as they're younger, the better off they do as an adult," she says.
"Clara's prognosis was so poor, yet she has accomplished so much, in my opinion, in the 10 years she's been alive. What can she accomplish in the next 10 years?"


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However, we will offer refunds for unshipped orders only after DECEMBER 27TH. Please check your order confimation email for estimated shipping dates. Placing an order means that you agree to these terms and this will be used for payment claims.
This unforgettable headband is inspired by UK edition of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. Both the UK and US editions are so swoon-worthy both needed to be represented! The quote "I remember you" is featured on both. Black and gold constellations dance on the US version. Blue and golden lines with flowers flow across the band for the UK version. Designed by the talented @azura.arts this headband will leave you unforgettable.
Fablebands are a perfect way to add some color to your wardrobe! Wear them to work, school, date-night and of course, rock them at the book club, library or book store! These headbands are super soft, stretchy, and sweat absorbing, making them the perfect bookish accessory for any book lover!!! Made out of a modern jersey fabric that allows stretch for a comfy fit, these headbands are approximately 3" wide and have a 20.5" long circumference. One size fits all.
HEADBAND TYPE: Faux knot headband.
SIZE: 3 inches wide, 20.5" long circumference, ages 8+
FABRIC: Modern Jersey
CONTENTS: 95% Polyester, 5% Spandex
BENEFITS: Headache-free and hair dent-free, perfect for reading time!
FEATURES: Wear backwards or forwards, change the look with you outfit.
HAIR TYPE: All hair types.
CARE: Wash on normal or delicate setting, use low-medium heat to dry
ORIGIN: Proudly made in Miami, Florida, USA. Pattern placement varies from headband to headband.
The art for this fabric was done exclusively for Fablebands by the ever so talented @azura.arts. Go check her Instagram account to see all her amazing work!
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text: Seeking a full time veterinarian in Clearwater, FL, to join our 2 doctor practice team. Our modern facility has digital radiograph, digital dental radiograph, ultrasound, in house laboratory, as well as surgical and therapeutic lasers. Team player with excellent communication skills with good customer service is a must. Compensation (base + production) is based on experience.


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The mainstream media keeps trying to make Sarah Palin irrelevant and within the NYC-Washington Corridor she is exactly that. But the highbrow mainstream media might want to put down their lattes and New York Times and embrace the concept that Palin is still relevant. Her words and endorsements will matter in the 2014 Midterms. And beyond? Who knows.
David Brody | The Brody File
My friend with the Mexican mustache, savvy art collector and former Mike Gravel campaign strategist, José Rodriguez, could not contain his glee that he had gotten another whiff of the Sarah Palin meme, and so rushed right in to let me know how beneficial to the nation she would be should she stretch her wings to fly right at the old bastards who are in cahoots in destroying the economical sustainability of this nation in the long run, just one of their many political sins, "Cruz Palin 2016! Please help make the GOP irrelevant."
I had to capitalize and punctuate his words to meet the standards of this punk rock blog. You must understand, I have always been a grammar Nazi, having fought at least two underqualified English teachers in junior and senior highschool right straight to the revolt of the class when they tried unsuccessfully to assert their ignorance over what I knew to be true. I would walk away with a F in Comportment and a visit to the principal's office on my final day of Eighth Grade with an A in scholarship. That story I tell elsewhere, so I'll just flash my hall pass to get on with this one. So. Later, in the Tenth Grade, I refused to reread Huck Finn as I had read that book silly a dozen times as a grade schooler on summer break on my own, instead cutting up in class, clown and resident know it all, but was woefully prepared for the more sophisticated written essays of the highschool finals, so to my surprise I turned in an empty page. Still, Miss Harris, whose fiancée, was just starting out on the PGA tour, and who had only come to Glynn Academy as a sub after Christmas holidays to replace the beautiful young but tough Mrs. Mayhew who took a leave of absence to have the baby she'd been carrying long before the first September bell of the school year 1970-71. Mrs. Mayhew was also my first Negro teacher. I liked her. She was deliberate, adjudicated, serious, temporate, friendly, charming, but when analyzed as a complete package suggesting woman in charge who knew her place she was as tough as nails, as I said.
I recall the class had mostly been rote memorization at that point, no essays, just spelling and a rehash of grammar studies we were forced to memorize year after since since we were first taken from group tables and put into individual desks like the big kids we would become.
Yo Rodriguez. Palin's not running for anything, but Cruz will take a bite out of that left-wing biscuit of you'rn...or put another way, I'm sure he'll step right up to announce without a drop of insincerity, "I'll be your Huckleberry. Seems I recall a chief strategist, a mutual friend of ours I'll just call Paul, declaring on the same night he announced he was considering a run on the Green ticket for Governor of New York state as we were all sweating over dinner at the 14th Street Busboy's & Poets in the summer of '08, that destroying the Democratic Party was at hand, and favorable. What a tangled web...and what strong, large memories some of us have. While yes, some just have large mammaries. And others, not that it matters on the golf course have neither."
Funny, as a ballplayer, I was often diagnosed as an over-achiever, capable of great moments, and of carrying a lackluster team far beyond its means only to crash at the last moment. Second place, not third, or last, or in the middle but second place was the recurring theme of my competitive life. Second most econonomic cab driver after just a few weeks on the job. Second most productive and accurate surveyor after being given my shot at party chief with my own crew. Race through dominating the regular season only to lose in the playoff finals to a team we'd slammed by large margins several times already. This was my luck, my meme, my path to the stars. Never quite the top dog, always stuck in the doghouse at number two, and I don't like the way that sounds.However, after turning in a blank sheet of paper in response to twelve analytical questions, no multiple choice here, sitting in the same desk in the same classroom where I had achieved a rare A only to get a B in effort, you could have knocked me over with a feather when a few days after that school year had ended, and the final report cards were mailed, and I opened that envelope with great trepidation, I discovered to my amusement that Miss Harris had capitulated to my commanding spirit,and had given me straight A's across the board, including the course final. Deportment, Effort, Scholarship. All A's.
If Mrs. Mayhem's intuition had presaged the Miss Harris teacher-student debacle, the Miss Harris scourge would presage the coming generations, although let's face it, student punks were a dime a dozen at least since the times of the Greeks. Did I mention I later ran for Senior Class President at another school from which I in two years would graduate, on the platform to bring a junk food canteen to campus? An idea that has become the contemporary norm but is now frowned upon just like it was back then at the front of the caloric revolution, an idea of freedom of choice, of brief respite, of the mouth-watering zest that sometimes is just a little bit more satisfying and attention-grabbing than the traditional wares of zealotry, an idea I also picked up at Glynn Academy, an historical school founded in 1788, had sported the first "rest area" I had ever seen (although I'm sure large urban highschools in other warped regions of the country were even back then in the very first year of forced integration in the south), an entirely different breed of failure and excess freedom running rampart apart from my own small town observations, aptitude, and media-crunching misapplications. But as I learned somewhere in the finer thills of Huckleberry Finn via the aristocratic airs of the cinematic flair that a tuberculosis sickened Doc Holliday, who hailed from Valdosta GA we should not forget, one should first write about what one knows as long as you include lots of links because the following generations will know nothing about any history that preceded them until it affects them more than a poorly formed sentence from the gangrened mouth of their hanging judge.
The world is a very strange place. Not unlike the movie Tombstone.


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We still don't know who is joining Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, but a new theory has an intriguing idea about which classic story director Shane Black might be adapting... and which famous Marvel character might be the villain.
Plus Zoe Saldana lies about Kirk and Spock's relationship in the Star Trek sequel.
Man of Steel casts another character from Superman's youth.
Chronicle director Josh Trank doesn't know anything about those Fantastic Four rumors.
Plus lots of hints for Fringe, The River, The Vampire Diaries, and Russell T. Davies's new show Aliens vs. Wizards!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Hobbit.
Man of Steel
This is just coming from a cast listing IMDB, so massive grains of salt all around, but young actor Robert Gerdisch has reportedly been cast as a character called Whitney Fordham. The character may or may not be based on the Smallville character Whitney Fordman, who was Lana Lang's boyfriend. There are also unconfirmed reports that Jack Foley has been cast as a 13-year-old Pete Ross, Superman's childhood best friend. [Superman Supersite]
Iron Man 3
This sounds like a pretty classic case of adding two and two together to get a thousand, but there's a new theory that the villain of the latest Iron Man film will be Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. The main pieces of evidence appear to be the fact that the movie's North Carolina filming studios have a giant water tank, that there were maybe some very minor Atlantis-related Easter Eggs in Iron Man 2, and that it's been speculated — I'm not even sure I'd say it's been rumored — that the movie will adapt the classic "Demon in a Bottle" story, which features Namor. Honestly, it's all pretty shaky, and it seems to fly right in the face of director Shane Black's repeated statements that this will be a grittier, more grounded take on Iron Man, which seems to preclude a mutant, Atlantean villain. The one heavily qualified thing that I will grant is that the basic idea of Namor showing up in a Marvel movie, perhaps even initially as a villain, is far from impossible. However, I wouldn't say this is the argument that even remotely proves that's going to happen. Of course, you can judge for yourself at the link. [ComicBook.com]
The Amazing Spider-Man
Sony is planning on holding special sneak peek events for the movie — and it's rumored that new footage will be featured — on February 6 in the cities of Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, New York City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Seoul, Sydney, and Tokyo. It's being advertised as "The Untold Story Begins", so they're apparently going pretty hard with the whole "this Spider-Man movie isn't a completely redundant reboot" angle. There's more info at the link. [The Untold Story Begins]
Star Trek 2
When asked to lie about the Star Trek sequel, Uhura actress Zoe Saldana offered this fibs:
It's going to be boring. There's no conflict between Kirk and Spock, they agree on everything! They're beer buddies. And there are no bad guys. We're just cruising in space.
Since it sounds like she's saying the opposite of the truth in general, it looks like Kirk and Spock won't be totally over their conflicts from the first movie. [The Playlist]
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Here's a ton of promo photos for the new Ghost Rider movie from Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and America's greatest living acting madman, Nicolas Cage. You can check out some more at the link. [Coming Soon]
Fantastic Four Reboot
Chronicle director Josh Trank is being reported as the number one choice to take on Fox's reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. This is news to at least one person — specifically, Chronicle director Josh Trank:
"I know as much as you guys know. I'm totally serious. I know as much as you. I saw that leak online and I was like, 'Um, okay, I'm trying to finish Chronicle right now.' This is weird. There's nothing to say, Chronicle is exactly the kind of superhero movie that I wanted to make and, going forward, I want to have some original ideas and different things I'm working on."
This could all be a smokescreen, of course, but the fact that he has pretty much completely ruled out the possibility of directing a Fantastic Four movie makes that seem relatively unlikely. [Superhero Hype]
The Hobbit
Here's another promo photo of Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions. Specifically, that's William Kircher as Bifur, Graham McTavish as Dwalin, James Nesbitt as Bofur, and John Callen as Óin, plus Martin Freeman as Bilbo. [Coming Soon]
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Scott Pilgrim's Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, discusses this vampire-killing take on the Great Emancipator. She calls it "a very unique take" on the Lincoln story, which, gee, ya think? Anyway, here's how Mary Todd fits in:
"I'm kind of on the sidelines, but I'm very suspicious of my husband's [actions] and what's going on in his life. I know that he's hiding something from me. You sort of see me piecing things together."
She also echoes what the other cast members have been saying, which is that this movie is going to look like nothing we've seen before:
"I honestly have no idea what to expect, even though I'm in the movie. It's really hard to promote in a way because I haven't seen it, but I know it's going to be just mind-blowing. It's not something I can really visualize myself, because it's so unique to him visually."
Paradise Lost
The Hangover's Bradley Cooper, who is set to play Lucifer in Alex Proyas's adaptation of John Milton's legendary poem, says the project is still happening, despite reports that Warner Bros. recently decided to halt production due to budgetary concerns:
"We're going to hopefully start in June. Everything's going great. I mean, nothing's done until we're up and shooting."
Rarely has a final sentence so skillfully undercut the two preceding it, but still — the movie is back on. Probably. [The Playlist]
Here's another trailer for this movie, in which Memento's Guy Pearce, wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn't commit, has to save the president's daughter from an inmate riot in a space prison. Also, Fargo's Peter Stormare is in it. Goodness, there is nothing about those sentences I don't like.
Here's a promo and a sneak peek for episode eleven, "Making Angels", which airs this Friday.
And here's a promo photo. [SpoilerTV]
Here's a short description for next week's episode twelve, "Welcome to Westfield":
Peter, Olivia and Walter are trapped in a town from which there is no escape during a mysterious Fringe event.
[TV Guide]
And here's a slightly longer synopsis for episode thirteen, "A Better Human Being", which airs February 17 and apparently also involves Peter, Olivia, and Walter getting trapped somewhere:
THE FRINGE TEAM GETS TRAPPED - As the Fringe team investigates a mentally ill patient who appears to be connected to a series of murders, frightening clues and connections are uncovered that lead Olivia to some shocking revelations.
According to a new interview with creator Russell T. Davies, the show has most likely come to an end. [The Guardian]
For what it's worth, star Eve Myles is still sort of hopeful there will be a movie:
"Nothing's going to happen in 2012, I know that much for sure. But who knows what will happen in 2013? Maybe a movie, to kinda draw a line under it. We've got such an outstanding loyal fan base. They deserve Torchwood to go ahead with something else to draw a line under it, for the fans to have a bit of closure."
Here's the description for the sixth episode, "Paxton Petty", which airs February 13:
A CONVICTED BOMBER REAPPEARS - When our unlikely trio tracks former inmate Paxton Petty (James Pizzinato), a sick landmine bomber who has returned only to place bombs throughout populated areas of San Francisco, methods of the past are applied to the present.
Person of Interest
Here's the promo for episode thirteen, "Root Cause", which airs this Thursday.
Friday Night Lights actor Matt Lauria will reportedly guest star in episode sixteen as the latest person of interest, described as "a sharp, young trader at a major investment bank." [TV Line]
The River
Here's the official description for the third episode, "Los Ciegos", of Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli's supernatural found footage series. It airs on February 14, because when I think unimaginable horror, my first thought is "Valentine's Day." You know, that started as a joke, but now that I think about it...
When the whole crew of the Magus goes blind due to spores from a tree, lone holdout AJ will have to overcome his most paralyzing fear to find a cure before the blindness becomes permanent. Meanwhile, the local Morcego tribe stalks the crew and judges whether they are worthy to stay in the jungle. If they are deemed unworthy, the consequences could be fatal.
And here's a new sneak peek clip.
Here are two casting calls for episode four, "Undiscovered Countries":
[FARMER] In his 40s, Latino, with a great character face, he is smiling, friendly man, used to the white folks who visit the area. He later comes to a terrible end when the river is covered by a swarm of cockroaches. Co-star. (1) MUST SPEAK SPANISH
[TRIBAL ELDERS] In their 70s - 80s, these African tribesmen perform a death ritual for one of their fellow elders at his funeral. The tone of the funeral is sadly beautiful. Co-stars. No lines, 2 scenes. (15)
And here's a couple of casting calls for episode five, the rather non-terrifyingly titled "Peaches":
[RUSS LANDRY] Male, Caucasian, Late 40s to Early 50s. One of the last cowboys. Gruff. Adventurous. Weathered. Stoic. Solid. More comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, not the showman that Emmet (Bruce Greenwood) is. The kind of guy you want watching your back. But emotions aren't his forte. He says more in his silence than he does with words. More comfortable around a campfire, than the living room sofa. The father of Lena (Eloise Mumford), he is devoted to his daughter but has sacrificed his life for his adventure on the Amazon as Emmet Cole's cameraman. Guest star. Two episode arc.
[PATRICK] 50s, "Jimmy Buffett with biceps," a bit of a hippie (could have long hair), happy-go-lucky, affable, peaceful, we immediately trust him. Patrick is the leader of a small crew of eco-activists roaming the Amazon on their boat, the Exodus, to take on some of the illegal logging vessels that have been encroaching on the rainforest. Patrick and his three comrades meet up with the injured Magus, promising help and some much-needed outside companionship for the troubled Magus group. Unfortunately, Patrick is not what he seems to be, and his genial bonhomie conceals an other-worldly menace. Guest star. (17)
There's three more here. [IMDB Boards]
Aliens vs. Wizards
Doctor Who's Russell T. Davies explains the basic premise of his upcoming CBBC show:
"Magic and science fiction are never combined. For example, the only thing that could make Harry Potter better, in my view, would be if a big spaceship arrives at the door of Hogwarts, but it never does. It does in ours, in episode one."
Here's some additional info on the show from The Guardian's article:
The new drama [focuses] on two 16-year-olds, Tom and Benny, one secretly in possession of magical powers, the other a super-bright scientific brain, who does not believe in magic. They combine their skills to battle a tribe of aliens, called the Nekross, to save the world. From the dark side of the moon, the Nekross set up a base to scan the earth, looking for magical skills to buttress their power and, naturally, destroying anything that stands in their way.The idea was quickly turned into a first script, then an order for 26 episodes. At the core is an ideological clash as the two boys argue over the separate worlds of magic and science, such as the existence of spells versus, say, laser technology.
There's a bit more at the link. [The Guardian]
The Vampire Diaries
Here's a promo and sneak peek for episode thirteen, "Bringing Out the Dead", which airs this Thursday.
Here's another round of promo photos for episode fourteen, "Dangerous Liaisons", which airs February 9. [TV Line]
The Secret Circle
Here's a pair of sneak peeks for this Thursday's episode, "Medallion."
Additional reporting by Marykate Jasper and Charlie Jane Anders.


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Billionaire financier George Soros said that Germany must either lead the eurozone through its current crisis or get out of the way, and that its insistence on austerity measures, if not checked and replaced by growth strategies, will push the region into a depression.
Reuters reported Saturday that Soros made the assessment of Germany's current stance in a television interview in Vienna, in which he also said the eurozone would be better off without Germany and its Bundesbank's insistence on an austerity-only strategy for weaker nations in the bloc.
Soros was quoted saying, "Germany should either lead in developing a growth policy, political union and burden-sharing, accept the cost of leadership, or leave through an amicable arrangement."
If Berlin continued to insist on strict austerity instead of providing more options to grow weaker economies, he said, Europe would be plunged into an extended depression and the joint currency would fail in a scenario fraught with bad feeling. However, a German departure could leave the eurozone more competitive in exports and able to find lower borrowing costs with a weaker, France-led "Latin" euro.
Germany has thus far supported the European Central Bank's (ECB) newly announced policy of unlimited purchases of short-maturity bonds to shore up weaker countries like Spain and Italy, which have been battling rising yields that threaten their survival. However, Germany's Bundesbank has not, and has been outspoken on the subject.
Others in Germany have also voiced their opposition to any leniency in dealing with what they see as "slacker" nations, and on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported, the country's Constitutional Court will decide a challenge to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), including a fast-tracked request for an injunction against it by Peter Gauweiler, a Bavarian lawmaker in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition.
Gauweiler's website said the ECB's new bond-buying pledge has "fundamentally changed" the situation and the ECB must withdraw its "undemocratic, self-appointed right" to become Europe's "hyper-rescue fund."
Soros, for his part, seems to approve of the plan, saying, "It's a more dramatic move," and that it would probably buy Europe "a longer period than previous measures that were taken." But it didn't go far enough; instead, what Europe really needs is some kind of common eurozone bond, which Germany opposes. He added, "You need a growth program, and that is again not what Germany is imposing on Europe."
Soros compared the present austerity obsession to the financial crisis of 1982. Lenders pushed austerity on debtor countries then, too. "It was the lost decade for Latin America and something very similar is happening now in the euro situation, where Germany is actually playing the same role within the euro as the IMF did within the global financial system," he said in the report.
He added, "This policy is pushing Europe into a depression which is going to last 5 or 10 years." This would intensify the slowing of global economic growth, he said, adding, "I think this whole process is reinforcing the deflationary tendencies in the world, so Germany itself is slowing down and will stop growing. China is actually destined for a hard landing, which will reinforce the global tendency towards depression."


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Digitizing Customer Relationships
Value will be determined more by the number and quality of customer relationships than the number and size of product or service transactions. The lines between products and services will blur, and for some, disappear. While the changes have already been far-reaching, the seamless customer experience is still in its adolescent years.


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Join the BCGEU/NUPGE www.cantaffordchildcare.ca where families can petition the government and the official opposition to commit to implementing $10 a day childcare.
Vancouver (11 Feb. 2013) - Over 3,000 B.C. families marked the province's first family day holiday by urging the government to commit to implementing a new $10 a day childcare system.
"On B.C.'s first family day holiday, the government should recognize that young families are financially squeezed. Paying for childcare – when it's even available - is like having to pay for housing twice," says Darryl Walker, President of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE). Childcare costs an average of $9,000 per year for a two year old; in Vancouver it's $14,000. Even so, there is only one licensed childcare space for every five children in B.C.
"B.C. has a childcare crisis: exorbitant fees, not enough spaces and poor working conditions in the sector. We have a solution: a community plan to cap childcare fees to $10 a day and improve early childhood education," says Walker. High fees and lack of childcare spaces means that B.C. mothers with children under 15 have the lowest labour force participation rate in the whole country. Both the Surrey and Burnaby Boards of Trade have endorsed the $10 a day childcare plan.
In communities across the province, child care workers have collected over 3000 signed postcards from B.C. families asking the government to commit to implementing a community plan that proposes a new system of affordable, accessible, publicly funded early care and learning. Municipalities, boards of education, and labour unions – including the BCGEU/NUPGE - also support the $10 a day childcare plan.
The BCGEU/NUPGE is the leading childcare union in British Columbia, representing over 1,500 early childhood educators in 150 bargaining units, ranging from small not-for-profit daycare societies to large institutional childcare centres at UBC, SFU and the YMCA.
More information:


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COVID19 - Deliveries are guaranteed - Art can be discovered and bought online too
Initiated at a young age in the mysteries of colour by his grandfather, David cannot remember a single day of his life without painting. He sold his first paintings at the age of twelve, already proud to continue the family tradition. The artistic career of his ancestors is indeed rich with numerous awards. David prefer to give free rein to his impulses, sweep away the codes and celebrate his independence. Ignited by the limitless possibilities of art, he gives of his whole being in each of his paintings. By his own admission, painting is as n…
All artworks presented by Carré d'artistes are unique, signed by the artist and come with a certificate of authenticity.


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First FY08 NEA Grants Announced (12/11/07)
Orchestras in 11 communities will provide performances, workshops, festivals and master classes with the support of $10,000 grants recently awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The first FY08 NEA grant awards were announced on November 15 through the Challenge America Fast Track Review grant category, including $110,000 in awards to orchestras.
The NEA also announced on December 4 grant awards in the FY08 Access to Artistic Excellence, Part One category, which includes $1,502,000 in grants to orchestras providing educational activities, concerts, festivals, professional development, and residencies through 61 distinct projects serving communities across the country.
The League has compiled the project descriptions for grants to orchestras and grants related to the orchestra field. Complete lists of grant amounts and project descriptions for the 115 Challenge America grants and 866 Access to Artistic Excellence, Part One grants awarded in all disciplines and may be found on the NEA web site. Future FY08 grants will be announced in the categories of Learning in the Arts for Children & Youth and Access to Artistic Excellence, Part Two.
View Orchestra Project Descriptions
The League is a member of the Performing Arts Alliance, a coalition of national performing arts service organizations dedicated to advocating for national policies that recognize, enhance, and foster the contributions the performing arts make to America.


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Benefits and market opportunity
Slimaluma® is a standardized extract of Caralluma Fimbriata.
Slimaluma is Gencor's proprietary and patented Caralluma Fimbriata extract. Caralluma Fimbriata is a cactus-like plant with long-standing use as food in India. The cactus was often eaten by local tribes-people to ward off hunger while hunting in the forests. Its appetite suppressing qualities make it an ideal addition to modern diets. Gencor has developed a patented process for extracting the key constituents of the whole plant associated with appetite suppression and healthy weight management without chemically altering those constituents. This process has allowed Gencor to develop an effective, safe, an easy-to-use ingredient that helps adults of all ages maintain a healthy weight with diet and exercise.*
Weight management approach*
Slimaluma has properties useful in weight management, the most significant being hunger control.* This appetite suppression leaves Slimaluma uniquely positioned to support the body's weight management needs.*
Appetite suppression: When adults exercise and burn more calories, they often need to guard against the hunger-induced consumption of extra calories. Slimaluma helps suppress appetite, providing adults with the ability to maintain a consistent caloric intake.*
In addition to being shown to be an effective weight management aid,* Slimaluma has also been:
- Affirmed safe by six toxicity studies
- FDA GRAS Notified (GRN 000500)
- Certified Kosher and Halal
- Shown to be 90% water soluble (in its free-flowing powder form)
- Shown to be stable at high heat
Incorporate Slimaluma in product formulations designed to support healthy weight management.
Clinical research
Several clinical studies have been conducted on the effectiveness and safety of Slimaluma®.
In-Vitro and Animal Studies
Study results for In-Vitro Study: The in-vitro study showed that when a mouse 3T3 pre-adipocyte cell line was treated with Slimaluma, researchers were able to promote a reduction in pre-adipocyte cell division.*
Citation: S. Kamalakkannan, R. Rajendran, R. Venkatesh, P. Clayton and M. Akbarsha, 2011. Effect of Caralluma Fimbriata Extract on 3T3-L1 Pre-Adipocyte Cell Division. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2, 329-336.
Study results for In-Vivo Animal Study: In-vivo animal study showed a statistically significant reduction in hunger in animals supplemented with Caralluma Fimbriata extract.*
Citation: Kamalakkannan S, et al., 2010.Antiobesigenic and antiatherosclerotic properties of Caralluma fimbriata extract. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2010, Article ID 285301.
Safety studies
The safety of Slimaluma has been tested in six separate toxicity trials.*
- Acute Toxicity Study at St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, India. An acute toxicity study on was done under OECD guidelines. No toxicity was observed.
- Subchronic Oral Toxicity Study at Bombay College of Pharmacy, India. A Subchronic Toxicity Study was done under OECD guidelines. No toxicity was observed.
- Mutagenicity Study at Intox Pvt. Ltd., India. Mutagenicity Study by Salmonella Typhimurium reverse mutation test was carried out as per the OECD guidelines. It was concluded that the product was non-Mutagenic in all the 5 strains of Salmonella Typhimurium.
- Chromosomal Aberration Study at Intox Pvt. Ltd., India. In-Vitro Chromosomal Aberration Study was carried out on the product as per the OECD guidelines, under GLP conditions. It was concluded that the product was non-Clastogenic in the in-vitro chromosomal aberration test.
- Teratogenicity Study at Intox Pvt. Ltd., India. Teratogencity Study [Prenatal Developmental Toxicity Study] was carried out on the product as per OECD guidelines, under GLP conditions. It was concluded that the product is non-Teratogenic in nature.
- Chronic Toxicity Study at Intox Pvt. Ltd., India. Chronic Toxicity Study was conducted on the product to determine toxicity over long term usage, as per OECD guidelines, under GLP conditions. The study showed that the NOEL [No Observed Effect Level] for the product, following oral administration for six months was greater than 1000 mg/kg body weight, demonstrating strong safety.
Human Clinical Study in India
Study results for clinical trial at St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, India:
A 60 day, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted using Slimaluma on 50 subjects. The study showed significant results for:
- Waist circumference*
- Hunger level*
The study also showed a trend of support for decreasing body weight, BMI, hip circumference, body fat and energy intake between assessment time points, but these were not significant.*
Citation: Kuriyan R, et al., 2007. Effect of Caralluma Fimbriata extract on appetite, food intake and anthropometry in adult Indian men and women. Appetite, 48, 338-344.
Human Clinical Study in Australia
Study results for a clinical trial at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia:
A 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 43 obese and overweight subjects. The study measured the effect of Slimaluma on waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, among other factors. The study showed statistically significant results for:
- Waist circumference (positively correlated with a reduction in abdominal fat)*
- Waist-to-hip ratio decline*
- Significant decline in palatability of test meal and reduced sodium intake*
when combined with healthy diet and exercise.*
Citation: Astell, Katie J., et al. A pilot study investigating the effect of Caralluma fimbriata extract on the risk factors of metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese subjects: a randomized controlled clinical trial. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.004.


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Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration
Baby Ruby's Fanciful, Fun Los Angeles Nursery
Baby Ruby's Fanciful, Fun Los Angeles Nursery
Oh joy! We're thrilled to share 5-month-old baby Ruby's fanciful, fun nursery with you today. Ruby's mom is the wonderfully talented Joy Deangdeelert Cho, the founder of the aptly named blog and creative/business consulting service Oh Joy! She designs textiles, packaging, and branding collateral for her clients, so needless to say, when it came to Ruby's nursery, attention was paid to every last detail. Check out the eye candy and Joy's commentary on how the whole thing came together. Enjoy the tour!
Photography by: Bonnie Tsang


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Railroad Revival Tour Featuring Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson Canceled
It's the end of the railroad. Fans who were eagerly awaiting to see Willie Nelson and Jamey Johnson, along with Band of Horses and John C. Reilly, perform on the 2012 Railroad Revival Tour will surely be disappointed, as the tour has been canceled by its organizers.
"The decision to do so was a difficult one, but it was determined that certain complications would not permit us to host the shows in the manner intended, and that the bands and fans deserved," the event's organizers said in a statement posted on the tour's official website.
The idea behind the tour was to have artists board 16 1940s rail cars and perform in open-air venues close to the train stops. The tour was slated to run from Oct. 20, starting in Duluth, Ga. through Oct. 28, ending in Oakland, Calif.
The inaugural Railroad Revival Tour in 2011 boasted artists including Old Crow Medicine Show, Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.


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Martellus Bennett seems like a lot of fun. On Tuesday, Jay Cutler's new favorite target went on the radio and compared his head coach to Willy Wonka. Specifically, he said Marc Trestman reminded him of Gene Wilder's Wonka, not version 17 of the Depp-Burton-face-powder collabo.
"I always say Coach Trestman reminds me of the first Willy Wonka. Not the Johnny Depp one. The Johnny Depp one was really cool, but the first one before that, the 1943 version."
Actually, the adaptation Bennett referred to is the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" starring Gene Wilder. Depp starred in another adaptation of the movie in 2005.
"He's a genius," Bennett said of Trestman. "A lot of times when you're around really, really smart people, you don't really understand them.
"I thought Willy Wonka was brilliant. He had all kinds of candy. Who doesn't like chocolate and candies? Everybody wanted a Gobstopper. I just think he's brilliant."
I...completely understand this point. Who doesn't want chocolate and candies? It is genius. Trestman—or should I say Slugworth—doesn't really get the compliment, though, only recognizing Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory as a Johnny Depp film.
Apart from that bit of pop culture recall, Trestman actually said "[b]ut I don't have any comment." No comment on being compared to a fictional chocolatier. Got it, coach. Anything else? "[Bennett] loves football and he wants to get better every day, and who could ask for more?"
Augustus Gloop, that's who—ah, forget it.
Photo credit: Getty
Bennett: Trestman like Willy Wonka [ESPN Chicago]


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The 20 best electronic albums in the past decade
Hi all
Time to sum up the past ten years and list the 20 best / most important electronic, electro, EBM and synth albums that has been released. This is of course a tricky quest and will most likely create some debate. Numerous of good albums has been released and I have certainly not listened to all of them, but still someone needs to make a statement :-). The albums are listed in order of importance, but may not be absolute, in the sense that – if they are rated as number 6, they could easily be argued to have place number 7 instead etc, but still…
Number 1:
Kraftwerk – Tour de france soundtrack
Number 2:
The Knife – Silent Shout
Number 3:
Goldfrapp – Black Cherry
Number 4:
Covenant – Skyshaper
Number 5:
Colder – Again
Number 7:
Daft Punk – Discovery
Number 8:
Felix! – Kittenz and thee glitz
Number 9:
Welle: Erdball – Die wunderwelt der technik
Number 10:
Suicide – American supreme
Number 11:
DAF – Fünfzehn neue D.A.F-Lieder
Number 12:
VNV Nation – Futureperfect
Number 13:
Röyksopp – Melody A.M.
Number 14:
Rammstein – Mutter
Number 15:
Vive la fete – Republique populaire
Number 16:
And One – Agressor
Number 17:
Jeans Team – Musik von oben
Number 18:
Recloose – Cardiology
Number 19:
Melotron – Sternenstaub
Number 20/21:
Télépopmusik – Genetic world
System – Self organizing


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Enhancing Employee Well -being and Emotional Intelligence16 March, 2012 | (01 hr)
Sign In to access this Webcast
Stress imposes significant costs on employee health and organization performance. Worryingly, these costs are escalating. For example , in the UK, stress related mental health problems cost business £ 28 billion per year (50 times the cost of strikes!). In the US stress related costs to business are estimated at $ 300 billion per year.
The causes of stress lie not only inside the organization but also outside it, in the external environment. Business becomes constantly more competitive. The economy becomes less predictable and more volatile. Employee's personal lives also contribute to stress. Indeed the causes of stress are many, complex and not possible to control. So what should we be doing about this as leaders?
We must focus on building employee stress resilience. This is a far more rewarding and realistic strategy than attempting to eliminate the causes of stress. Employees free of damaging stress help avoid the costs of stress related illness. Even more importantly , employees in a relaxed yet acutely alert state of mind demonstrate enhanced emotional intelligence . This reflects in improved teamwork, creativity and customer service , just what we need to propel growth in the business.
- How stress affects employee and organization performance.
- Building employee stress resilience through mindfulness training.
- How the skills acquired enhance teamwork, creativity, customer service.
Who should attend
CEOs, Presidents of Businesses, Sales Directors , Marketing Directors ,HR Directors , executives in Organization Development, Leadership Development ,the Training function , executives dealing with employee health issues and costs., executives looking to self-development to enhance own wellbeing and productivity.
Naren Nanda
Naren is Director of Enen Ltd , an organisation devoted to executive coaching which he set up in 2003.He coaches senior executives in companies in the UK and Netherlands and also in Asia, with a special emphasis on India. He works across 'work' and 'life' issues, hel...Full Bio
Sara Murray
Sara Murray is the Executive Director of Centers at The Conference Board–Europe. She leads the EU Human Capital Center as well as the EU Marketing & Communications Center. She is responsible for peer learning networks, executive events, and webcasts.
In addition, Sara is respons...Full Bio


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Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. said its fiscal third-quarter profit soared 77% as the retailer benefited from a strong holiday shopping season, and revenue crushed market expectations.
Michael Kors US:KORS once again raised its outlook for the year. It expects per-share earnings of $3.07 to $3.09 on revenue of $3.18 billion to $3.19 billion. The company had previously raised its guidance in November, expecting per-share earnings of $2.77 to $2.81 on revenue of $2.9 billion to $3 billion.
For the current quarter, the handbag maker and retailer expects per-share earnings of 63 cents to 65 cents on revenue of $790 million to $800 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had been calling for earnings of 65 cents and $790 million in revenue. Michael Kors is also assuming a same-store sales increase of 15% to 20%.
Shares surged nearly 15% premarket on the better-than-expected results and outlook. Through Monday's close, the stock was up 2.5% in the last three months.
The fashion retailer, which has reported robust bottom-line growth recently as demand in its retail and wholesale merchandise grows, replaced NYSE Euronext in the S&P 500 index in November.
For the quarter ended Dec. 28, Michael Kors reported earnings of $229.6 million, or $1.11 a share, up from $130 million, or 64 cents a share, in the prior year. Revenue rose 59% to $1.01 billion. The company had forecast per-share earnings of 83 cents to 85 cents on revenue of $845 million to $855 million.


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All News Releases By Date
Grant Will Help Community Participation in Peterson/Puritan Superfund Site in R.I.
Release Date: 12/17/2010
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017
(Boston, Mass. – Dec. 17, 2010) – EPA has awarded the Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone (BRWC/FOB) a $50,000 Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) for oversight of cleanup activities at the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Superfund Site (Site). This Site encompasses over two miles of mixed industrial and residential property within the Blackstone River valley located in the towns of Cumberland and Lincoln, R.I.
Recognizing the importance of community involvement and the need for citizens living near a Superfund site to be well informed, Technical Assistance Grants provide funds for qualified citizen groups affected by a Superfund site to hire independent technical advisors to help them understand existing information about the site or information developed during the Superfund cleanup process.
"Through the efforts of the BRWC/FOB, EPA now has a mechanism to better engage and empower the local citizens living in the Blackstone Valley," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "We look forward to working closely with members of the Council and the local community as work progresses at the site, and we applaud the Council for stepping forward to be the conduit for citizen interaction with EPA and others involved in the Superfund cleanup."
Having received the award, the Council plans to use its TAG money to hire a technical advisor and plans to disseminate information at public meetings, newsletters and through its various connections with watershed advocates and partners. The Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community based organization which holds monthly meetings the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Amica Mutual Insurance Company located at 100 Amica Way, Lincoln, Rhode Island. In 2008, the Council received the President's Volunteer Service Award for its engaging capacity to make improvements and restoration happen along this historic urban river.
The Site is situated in the north-central portion of Rhode Island along the Blackstone River and includes a portion of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor between the Ashton Dam to the north, and the Pratt Dam to the south along the river's course. In order to efficiently address the various environmental issues, the Site is broken into sub-areas which are currently defined as Operable Unit (OU) 1 (Primary Source Area) and OU 2 (J. M. Mills Landfill and associated parcels) and a potential OU 3 area (which is currently being addressed through the Rhode Island Brownfields program and other actions). The Site also includes the 26 acre Quinnville Wellfield (Lincoln, RI) and the Lenox Street municipal well (Cumberland, RI). These wells were used by the towns of Lincoln and Cumberland as a municipal water supply until 1979 when they were closed by the Rhode Island Department of Health due to the presence of volatile organic contaminants found in the water. EPA included the Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Site on the Superfund National Priorities List on September 8, 1983. Currently, response actions at the Site are progressing at OU 1 to control and restore groundwater contaminated by past industrial operations at OU 1. In addition, an investigation into the nature and extent of contamination at OU 2 is expected to be completed in 2011. Following the completion of this study, cleanup alternatives will be developed and a proposed cleanup plan will be presented to the public.
More information about the Peterson/Puritan Superfund site (https://www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/peterson)
# # #
Follow EPA New England on Twitter: http://twitter.com/epanewengland
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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CH-Beverly Hills
TERANOSTRA Collection Cup Necklace Holder Small
Regular price $14.50
|CHC-Beverly Hills TERANOSTRA, High End Cup Necklace Holders Crushed Brown and Beige Ribbon Small
Beverage Can Necklace Holder; Beer Can; Small; Elastic Sewn on Top to better Hold; Keep Your Hands Free; Keep your beverage cold temperature impact, Soda Necklace Holder; Be Safe have your Drink by Your side; 36" Satin Ribbon Sewn in & Cut w/ Hot Knife; All Laser Cut, In a wide variety of Colors & Designs.
Party Time; Original; Practical; Stylish; Match Your outfit; Fashion Statement; Chic; Designer Collection; Designer Collection; 320 Unique Designs; Rich Fabrics.
Beverage Necklace Holder; Reusable Necklace Holder; Have Fun; Wine Tasting.
Gift CHC-Beverly Hills; 5 sizes of Necklace Holders; Decoration for Kitchen; Be Unique; Hand Wash with Cold water.
Made in the USA


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BENEFITING: Maasai Wilderness Conservation
GROW YOUR YOGA is an off-the-mat challenge taking place May 1st – 30th, 2013 that brings together the entire Global Moksha Yoga community as we deepen our yoga practice. Moksha is founded on 7 Pillars, a set of ideas and philosophies that we try to live by, and these form the basis of 4 weekly off-the-mat challenges:
Be Heathly, Be Peace, Be Accessible, Reach Out
The challenges encourage participants to eat well, seek peace, communicate kindly with others, and reach out to support their communities. Each year, GROW YOUR YOGA supports a different organization, and for 2013, our goal is to raise $100,000 for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization that creates sustainable economic benefits for the Maasai people by preserving regional ecosystems and cultural heritage.
So reach out, GROW YOUR YOGA, and change the world!
Moksha Yoga is a holistic form of hot yoga which mixes elements from several styles of yoga including Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga. Practiced in a heated room to stimulate detoxification, the Moksha series features forty therapeutic postures that focus on gentle strengthening, mindful breathing, and positive intentions. The Moksha lifestyle runs much deeper than just a set of postures though. Based on our Seven Pillars -- seven core philosophies that serve as the framework for a life of mindful and compassionate living -- Moksha provides a welcoming community for those continuing to make positive changes both on and off the mat.
The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) works to protect the legendary ecosystems and astounding biodiversity of East Africa through conservation that directly benefits local Maasai communities.
MWCT's efforts are focused on the Maasai communities and landscapes of Kenya's Chyulu Hills, within the world-famous Amboseli-Tsavo Ecosystem. These are Hemingway's "Green Hills of Africa," covered by deep cloud forests that loom over the savannah, teeming with wildlife, and with Mt. Kilimanjaro rising out of the plains. The Maasai communities of this area own all of the land between the protected National Parks, and within their land lie critical wildlife migration corridors and habitat reserves, forests that are carbon sinks and rivers and springs that supply the fresh water not only to this ecosystem but to more than 7 million people in Kenya, including the 2nd largest city, Mombasa.
MWCT funds and operates programs that promote sustainable economic benefits through conserving this ecosystem. Lease payments for conservancy zones, carbon credits, payments for watershed protection, sustainable eco-tourism, wildlife monitoring and security, conservation and tourism employment — these are just some of the ways the organization is creating a cutting edge model of successful community-based conservation. And these benefits go where the community needs them most: education and health programs.
Click Here for all the contest rules.


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Hi All,
I believe I found the perfect compressor for my Ibeam active. I wasn't looking (though I was looking hard a year ago) but found it by surprise.
What works for me is the Aphex 1404 Punch Factory Optical Compressor. Got it initially for my electric guitar but the Aphex advertisement on the box said for use with electric, acoustic and bass instruments. I was intrigued but didn't expect much. So I tried it out, rented a studio for an hour and did tests at home. I was blown away. I think the secret is the frequency range of the unit, 10hz to 30khz. Set it just right, you can't tell its there but it is there. Its very unobtrusive and no "suck". No tone degradation or change as far as I can tell.
A con? One. Using my acoustic (Ibeam active) into the Aphex, into the Venue DI, DI out to the board. When turning on the stomp, there is a pop. No big deal for me, I can turn on the Venue's Tuner/Mute first before switching the Aphex on, no prob, also I plan to use the Aphex on all the time anyway.
I have now ordered one more unit, dedicated to my acoustic.
How about for every one else? What compressors do you use?


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Los Angeles
This route follows the large corner up the middle of the wall to the large roofs at half height. From here it continues leftwards, shares a belay with Thriller and Balbic and continues up slabs and cracks between the two. The first section up the corner is magnificent but beware of seepage after rain.
From Cortina drive towards Dobbiaco along the SS51. After the small village Fiames turn left off the main road (signposted Val di Fanes - Trevenanzes). Park the car at the entrance to the park and continue on foot. Follow signs for Fanes, over several bridges and along the forest road. After a few bends the path straightens out and continues along the valley floor, past the Taé walls on the right, and then on to the Spalti di Col Becchei. The path forks at this point; go right over a small bridge onto the other side of the valley floor towards the Spalti. A cairn indicates a small path leading off rightwards through the wood steeply up to the rock face. To reach Illusione Ottica and Thriller scramble up the scree, traverse leftwards along an exposed section beneath a band of rock, and then return rightwards. The other routes are reached more easily by walking directly up to the base of the crag. Taé's routes are reached by crossing the bridge and briefly following the road, to then ascend the gully on the right. Reach the pine trees and then scramble up the ramp rightwards to the base of the wall.
Start beneath the corner.
As for Illusione Ottica and Thriller.
Although bolts and pegs protect the harder sections, bring a set of wires and friends for the easier pitches. Bring medium and large friends for the corner crack.