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One of the realizations of recovery; sure it's nice to get back some of the "things"
we lost due to addiction. Once we have the essentials, it's time for an appreciation
for the things we have; without seeking to accumulate the trappings of excess.
There comes a certain point where we discover how essential our relationships
with family, friends and co-workers are. That is the true measure of health and wealth.
Just knowing that we can be trusted by those closest to us, is important.
Trust me, no one loves "toys" more than I do!
What I've discovered is, I now get more joy out of giving,
than I do receiving.
I guess I'm finally growing up.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Best Things in Life
Posted by Fireman John at 10:06 PM 3 comments
Monday, November 26, 2007
The Obsession's been lifted...
...but the thoughts still persist.
I often hear people speak of the moment when they "got it".
That's the point in recovery where they broke the cycle of relapse.
Some folks reach this conclusion after a year of continued sobriety.
This puzzles me somewhat, because I don't feel it is possible to make such
a claim with any certainty.
For me, the thoughts of a drink or line continue to pop up at certain times.
Whether it's a movie, commercial, or a person I drank with, those memories
of the years of social drinking still persist.
I can recall the smells, tastes and feelings of my favorite cocktail.
It's reassuring to say the obsessions' been lifted, because I'm not
consumed with the thoughts anymore.
My subconscious mind reminds me through dreams, of the various
stages of my imbibing.
It isn't upsetting at all, to have these dreams; like some folks who wake up
sweating and horrified like they relapsed.
All in all, I have come to accept the fact that the thought is normal for me.
The important facet is to prevent acting on those thoughts.
You will never hear me announce the words, "I got it..."
When I start to reminisce about "the good old days", I just look at
the picture above; and remember...
What used to turn me on; eventually turned on me.
Posted by Fireman John at 2:51 PM 2 comments
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Letting Go
What a simple, all encompassing message of acceptance.
I believe the past is history; the future a mystery...today is a gift!
that's why it's called the present!
"Stop deciding with our mind, what we want our heart to feel"
Many times it is better to resist the urge to analyze and micro-manage our life,
and just let things happen.
Letting go of the past is vital for us, to end the cycle of guilt and remorse.
Life is meant to be experienced in the here and now. Why waste mental energy
reliving the past or fretting about some future plans?
Allowing things to happen, people to act and react, can all occur without
any thought or concern from us. It can be hard at first, for the addict who
is used to trying to run the whole show. The freedom gained from letting go
can be immense. No more expectations, letdowns or resentments; what a concept!
Most AA folks know the slogan, "let go, let God"; 4 simple words with a powerful message
Posted by Fireman John at 7:08 PM 2 comments
Saturday, November 24, 2007
I Found It
Well thats no longer true after 4 years without a drink, and 7 away from cocaine.
It is fascinating to me, how the addicted brain processes information and stimuli.
I'm sure the combination of booze & coke created some distorted reasoning.
For anyone who has used the 2, that I refer to as "the match made in hell",
you can recall the discovery of a drug that allowed the ability to drink more!
The road to improved brain function has been slow, but steady.
There were no instant flashes of brilliance, I can assure you!
The whole process reminds me of the resilience of the human body.
I guess the lesson learned from my years of abuse was, drinking was not
something I got better at, the more I did it!
Finally another annoying slogan comes to mind;
we will suddenly know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
Someone told me I would get my marbles back after a few years;
I want to know "when do I get to play with them again?
Posted by Fireman John at 8:06 AM 3 comments
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
New Perspective
The great debate about the perception of something as
half empty or half full, continues to sometimes baffle me.
Recently I discovered a unique way to view the glass.
The idea is to see the glass as already broken; interesting yes?
This stems from a Buddhist teaching that life is in a constant state of change.
Everything has a beginning and an end. The glass is made and will eventually break.
The comforting twist to this is when you expect something to break,
it's not a surprise or disappointment.
This allows a measure of gratitude for the time you have had with it.
I know this sounds a bit passive, but it allows us to make peace with the way
things are. This new perspective can prevent a sense of loss, replacing it with an
appreciation of the ebb and flow of life.
Posted by Fireman John at 10:40 AM 0 comments
Monday, November 19, 2007
Not That EASY
I always got a kick out of Nancy Reagan's famous slogan; "Just say no".
Mass media would like us to believe it is all that simple.
Whether it's smoking, sex, drinking or drugging, all we have to do is
talk to children and young adults about these vices, and all will be well.
What a load of crap!
Kids are going to experiment with some or all the above, regardless of
how much education they get from parents or school.
I see it in families with solid parenting, where one child won't touch as much
as a cigarette, and the other is drinking and drugging at 15.
Much of what kids do is determined by the crowd they associate with.
Sure it's good to be open about those subjects, but it rarely acts as a deterrent.
For those who can't say no; you can caution them that 1 in 10 will become an
alcoholic or addict, and those are the statistics and the chances they take.
Posted by Fireman John at 11:04 PM 3 comments
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Just another Bozo on the Bus
I couldn't resist posting this pic about blogging.
The question I've been asking myself is, should I
include additional unrelated content in my blog?
It is getting to a point where there are only so many
recovery topics.
What I would love to see is a reality show from the
sober house. Now that would be interesting; but the
confidentiality aspect would prevent us from doing it.
Just completed another boring weekend at the Y.
It's just not challenging after owning a fitness center
back in the 80's.
Deb is recovering from major surgery; still in pain
but in good spirits. Even the dog senses her pain.
Step-daughter, hubby, Aden and newborn Logan
have been here to visit Grandma.
We had to ask one of our residents to leave; after asking him
to take a drug screen, he admitted to taking opiate painkillers.
It's never easy, especially since I was asked to leave a sober house
for drinking 7 years ago.
The reactions of folks who are caught can vary from,
sadness, anger, denial, and occasionally gratitude.
Hope you had a safe weekend(& more fun than me).
God knows how many people were injured or killed
this weekend due to alcohol and drugs.
All we can do is remain available for anyone seeking help.
Posted by Fireman John at 11:42 AM 1 comments
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A busy week
Tuesday we welcomed a baby boy into the family.
Wednesday Deb had surgery.
Dad canceled his trip to our house.
Tomorrow a new house resident will arrive.
Today's reason for not picking up a drink;
If a waiter tells me, "we have a full bar"...
I reply, "not full enough for me".
My life is good today; I have everything I need.
I don't want any more 24 hour coins.
Eleven months from now, I hope to get a 5 year coin.
I still hate the leaves on the ground; my philosophy...
God put them there...God will take them away!
Posted by Fireman John at 9:57 PM 1 comments
Monday, November 12, 2007
Article; About.com: Alcoholism
Excellent piece exploring the difference between sobriety and recovery; thanks to About.com.
The Definition of Recovery
The Definition of Recovery As a result, the panel came up with a working definition of recovery as a starting point to promote better communication, research and public understanding.
In their paper, published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, the panel defines recovery as "a voluntarily maintained lifestyle characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship."
"Recovery may be the best word to summarize all the positive benefits to physical, mental, and social health that can happen when alcohol- and other drug-dependent individuals get the help they need," the expert panel wrote in their article.
There Is More To It Than SobrietyAccording to the panel, sobriety -- complete abstinence from alcohol and all other nonprescribed drugs -- is a necessary part of recovery but not sufficient enough to consider someone in true recovery.
The panel also listed three levels of sobriety:
- Early -- one to 12 months of abstinence
- Sustained -- one to five years of abstinence
- Stable -- more than five years of sobriety (these individuals are said to be at lower risk of relapse)
Giving Back to SocietyThe panel admits that the "personal health and citizenship" portion of their definition needs refining, but that both elements are key components of recovery.
Personal health refers not only to physical and mental health, but also to social health -- participation in family and social roles. Citizenship refers to "giving back" to the community and society.
Achieving Stable RecoveryMany people are able to quit drinking or taking drugs and feel that this is all that is required to achieve recovery. The Betty Ford panel of experts believe, however, more is required to achieve a sustained, stable recovery from alcohol or drugs.
Achieving the other components of recovery -- personal health and citizenship -- affects not only the person trying to recover, but his or her family, friends and society as a whole.
Source: The Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel. "What is recovery? A working definition from the Betty Ford Institute" Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 20 September 2007.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Posted by Fireman John at 10:40 PM 6 comments
Sunday, November 11, 2007
What I've learned in Recovery
First and foremost; addiction is a brain disease
There is no spiritual cure for a physical and mental illness
Showing up is mandatory, growing up is optional
Even in sobriety people die, cats run away, and dogs get hit by cars
Financial security is not a promise merely a possibility
I am not the Pickle that can turn back into a cucumber
there are two sides to every story, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle
I came to AA to get sober; I didn't get sober just to go to AA
Addiction is a multifaceted illness; there is no single solution for me
Relationships are not recommended in early sobriety for a reason
Two sickies don't make a wellie
Alcohol is a gateway drug... to hell
I will never criticize the so-called dry drunk; if fear of the wife's rolling pin,
or the judge's gavel keeps you away from a drink that's fine with me.
Years in the program do not equate health
Relapse is part of recovery; first-time success stories are rare and lucky.
The best amends are performed, not spoken.
Character defects are not removed; but can be improved.
This may be a simple program, but successful implementation can be difficult.
There is nothing that a drink or drug can ever improve.
Patience is a virtue... encountering idiots is a guarantee.
My worst day sober is not better than my best day drinking.
My average day sober is way better than my average day drinking.
Posted by Fireman John at 3:28 PM 1 comments
Friday, November 9, 2007
life, liberty, & the pursuit of serenity
Life begins when we first put down the drink or drug.
The addictive cycle is not life at all, just merely slow living death.
Compulsive drinking and drugging became a way of avoiding people and responsibility.
Social drinkers do not have the same thought processes as alcoholics.
Most people can put the drink down without having to ponder when they can have
the next one. There are those who still use alcohol as an accessory; but for us it was an absolute necessity.
There is a sense of liberation when we begin to lose that compulsion to drink.
When I think all the physical and mental energy wasted in planning, purchasing and consuming
all that liquid courage, I am absolutely amazed.
There wasn't much energy left over for any real-life activity.
Drinking and drugging was like a ball and chain; constantly weighing me down, sapping all my reserves.
Now I have the freedom that is mentioned in the promises; the ability to think clearly, act rationally and calm the chaos in my head.
Serenity is not something that just happens. it is a process that requires honestly, action and continued effort.
I am constantly reminded that this is not always the easy path; self appraisal can be difficult for the egotistical, prideful addict.
On occasion I need to be reminded how out of control my life really was.
In addition, I have to accept on a daily basis, that I cannot pick up that next first drink.
I never know what the next day of sobriety will bring, but I am aware of the downward spiral taking a drink would cause. This may sound simplistic because it is. There is no big mystery or secret to maintaining recovery.
It is simply taking the next step forward; not forgetting the past, but vowing to never repeat it.
Posted by Fireman John at 6:46 PM 0 comments
Thursday, November 8, 2007
crossing over
I have no way of knowing when I made the transition from heavy drinker to alcoholic.
The whole process was so gradual it is impossible to pin down an exact point in time.
Social drinking was natural and normal for many years. What started as an innocent complement to parties and family gatherings, slowly and subtlety began to increase. Why wait for a party when I could get that same feeling a few times a week?
In a few years that became every day. It was becoming more normal to drink than not.
The allure of the buzz became too much to resist. I had reached a point where it was a need and not just a want.
Something in my mind had changed; I was spending way too much time planning, buying and consuming booze. My pride and ego wouldn't allow me to admit I had a problem.
How hard could it be to get the "control magic" back again?
I found out it wasn't hard... it was impossible!
That was the difficult truth to accept; and I managed to deny it for many years.
Today, I accept that you can never go back; it's like a bell that can't be on un-rung.
Posted by Fireman John at 12:20 AM 2 comments
Monday, November 5, 2007
Anyone else prone to seasonal affective disorder?
This time of year with less sunlight and colder temps, my mood and tolerance levels drop.
I just don't enjoy fall & winter like I used to.
Fortunately for me, I get to travel to Arizona every January.
I am able to stay with Deb's parents and sister Marianne. in a nice 55 & over community
complete with pool, hot tubs, and fitness room.
There is a noon meeting every day where the format is open topic discussion.
The cool part for me is being referred to as the "kid", since most of the folks
are retired and a bit older than me.
Since it's Monday, my work week ends today, until the next shift at the Y on Saturday!
Wheeee....I love retirement!
Anyone else getting spam-slammed by Micky?
He usually writes negative comments to all my posts; I read them for comic relief!
It is so ironic to claim to be a Messiah; then spew angry, unprovoked insults.
Oh well, maybe he will find a chapter in the Bible that addresses loving thy neighbor; without judging them.
Posted by Fireman John at 10:45 AM 4 comments
Saturday, November 3, 2007
A quote from Psychological Assessment Referral Treatment Services;
"Intoxication is not without its benefits. A blood alcohol level of .05 may help an inhibited person perform more effectively in social situations. On the other hand, intoxication is implicated in 65% of murders, 88% of knifings, 65% of spouse battering, 55% of violent child abuse. "
Herein lies the grand paradox of the very thing that attracts us initially; for some it may also unleash inhibited violent tendencies. I can attest to the progression from the simple mellow glow, to the angry simmering rage. That is not to say I ever acted with physical violence against anyone, but was subject to being verbally abusive.
In my previous post I stated that I hate this disease, mainly because of the widespread physical, mental, emotional and criminal consequences caused by alcohol and drugs.
I just want more folks to experience the calmness and sense of normalcy that comes with time. It's not that real life trauma will cease, it is about dealing with what life has to offer, good and bad, without reverting back to drowning or numbing our feelings.
There are times when a drink or line looks attractive to me; but I have to remember the path it leads to...fear, guilt, remorse and a total loss of all I had worked for. Is it worth it? We think not! The "quick fix" is no fix at all. I still don't have all the answers, but at least I know some of the questions. First question everyday is, do I want to stay stay sober more than I want to drink?
Posted by Fireman John at 12:19 AM 2 comments


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Police: Drunken driver hits Norman officer
Suspect, officer sustain minor injuries
A man is in jail Thursday after police say he hit a Norman police car while driving drunk.
Officers say Christopher Andrew Lumspen, 25, collided with the rear of Sgt. Jason Simpson's police car late Wednesday night resulting in extensive damage to both vehicles. Police say Simpson's vehicle, which had its emergency lights on, was blocking the southbound exit lane from Interstate 35 to Highway 77 exit due to an earlier collision near Franklin Road.
Lumspen's 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier collided with the rear of the police car about 11:30 p.m, according to police.
Officers investigating the accident arrested Lumspen and booked him in to the county jail on a charge of driving under the influence. Police say he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent following the crash.
The legal limit in Oklahoma is 0.08 percent.
Lumspen and Simpson had only minor injuries.

subset: commoncrawl


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Shop now, enjoy 20% off savings and relax on Memorial Day!* A sale like this isn't an often occurrence at Muttropolis, so don't miss your chance to stock up and save on pet essentials and must-haves for your adored four-legged family member. Our Summer Kick-off Sale starts Thursday, May 15th and ends on Monday, May 19th at midnight PST.
Our expansive, upscale assortment includes unique collars and leashes, stylish apparel, cool and captivating toys, travel accessories, at home essentials like luxury bedding and dining, and much more. With an astute buying team behind our helms, we're pleased to have become one of "the" places to shop to meet and exceed canine customers' expectations. So take a look, and enjoy the selection and savings!
As mentioned, our Summer Kick-Off Sale lasts 5 days so act fast for the best selection. You can visit any one of our Muttropolis store locations or our website to shop the sale. Online customers must use the coupon code SIZZLE at checkout to receive their 20% discount.
*Sale excludes food, treats and gift cards. Cannot be combined with other offers.


text:
All Norwood windows are built to exacting standards using the finest materials available. Choose from our extensive list of existing styles, shapes, colours and sizes, or let our custom shop build you something truly unique.Learn More
The luxurious texture of real wood, refined sensibilities of quality metal fixtures and superb craftsmanship down to the most intricate detail are sure to attract the attention of the most discriminating observer. Let the entrance of your home become the talk of your neighborhood – all for the right reasons.Learn More
Click Here to view our "Never Ordinary" video
Click here to view more videos >>


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Hi there.
I've just purchased a Raspberry Pi 2 and i've installed OpenElec onto it so that i can run Kodi.
I've succesfully set it all up and i've managed to get the USB ports working with a wireless wifi dongle and also a wireless keyboard.
I've also set kodi to see my movies folder on another NAS.
The problem i have is that kodi cannot see my external HDD which is plugged into a spare USB port. The HDD is a WD elements which has its own power supply. Its got an NTFS file system and this works on my linux machine, my Windows machine and my LGTV.
I've puttied into the openelec and typed mount but nothing is showing on /dev/sdb1
Is there anything else i should do.


text:
Looking for a Reliable Hoe Street Airport Transfers in London?
CALL US or BOOK online! now to get the best price for Hoe Street London Airport Transfers.
Our large fleet of vehicles are ready and waiting to take you on your journey from Hoe Street Airport Transfers to all the major Airports in London. We provide transfers to and from following Airports:
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- London Gatwick Airport (North and South Terminal)
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Our drivers are all fully licensed by the PCO, DBS checked, speak English. Drivers are always smartly dressed, well-groomed and have excellent customer service skills and are always ready to help you with your luggage or shopping.
Our dedicated Meet & Greet service means that we can arrange for the driver to meet you inside the terminal with your name card, when you are ready.
All of our drivers are very experienced not a typical A to B Uber driver but have a comprehensive knowledge of London and surrounding areas like:
Walthamstow, Leyton, Leytonstone, Chingford, Stratford, Higham Hill, Hackney, Dalston, Stoke Newington, Loughton and Buckhurst Hill, etc.
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All Airport Rabbit Transfers mini cabs are fully insured, PCO licensed, regularly serviced and spot checked for cleanliness and road worthiness.
Our airport transfers taxis are driven by fully licensed, trained and experienced drivers who are always courteous, helpful and on time when they drive you.
Why not hire an Executive, or 7 seater instead of our Saloon car for your journey from Hoe Street London to any London airports and travel in style?
We have a range of Extra large vehicles XL if you are travelling in a group or more than 5 people.
Hoe Street Airport Transfers
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We offer a full range of child seats from new-born to age seven to give our customers peace of mind (subject to availability) whilst travelling with children at no extra cost to your journey from Hoe Street London.
We are open 24 hours a day and have experienced local drivers and staff who have detailed knowledge of our catchment areas.
We are here to assist you with any query or quotation 24/7. Our aim is to provide you with Comfortable, Affordable and Reliable airport transfers service at all times.
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Very fast service and affordable. I was able to get from Walthamstow to Heathrow in 40 minutes. Driver was also very friendly and the person on the phone is very kind and professional. Thank you airport rabbit.
Hoe Street Airport Transfers ?
Looking for reliable Hoe Street Airport Transfers? Airport Rabbit is your local minicab and taxi. We are open 24 hour for any London Airport Transfers.


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4 years teaching 3rd and 4th grade at a Title I school.
Whatever gets through to kids. I use a lot of technology, games, and student led learning.
Coming soon!
I got my teaching degree at TTU.
I love finding as many methods to add to the teaching bag of tricks as I can. To check out my bag of tricks head over to http://mrbrewerteacher.blogspot.com
PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Higher Education, Staff
English Language Arts, Reading, Grammar, Vocabulary, Math, Basic Operations, Numbers, Science, Reading Strategies, Mental Math, Place Value


text:
...Keyword(s) or Part #
Sorry this product is no longer available and has been discontinued.
The information listed below is for reference.
Click on any image above to enlarge.Vehicle(s) shown may vary from your specific model.
Note: Products are shipped un-polished unless otherwise indicated. Image shown may be a polished version. Tip style may vary.


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ZURICH, February 18, 2013
Neurim Pharmaceuticals announced today positive results from a phase II clinical study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Piromelatine (Neu-P11), a novel investigational multimodal sleep medicine developed for the treatment of patients with primary and co-morbid insomnia. The new results are from a recent double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, parallel group, non-confirmatory, sleep-laboratory study. The study evaluated piromelatine compared to placebo in 120 adult primary insomnia patients ages 18 years and older.
Piromelatine 20/50mg treatment for 4 weeks resulted in statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements relative to placebo in key polysomnographic (PSG) parameters including Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) (p=0.02 for both doses) and in particular WASO for the first 6 hours of sleep (WASO-6h) (p=0.0008 and p=0.04 for the 50 mg and 20 mg groups, respectively). Piromelatine 50 mg also improved Sleep Efficiency (SEF) (p=0.02), Total Sleep Time (TST) (p=0.02), Total Time Awake (TTA) (p=0.01) and time in NREM sleep (p=0.028) indicating beneficial effects on sleep maintenance. Subjective improvements relative to placebo in quality of sleep and total sleep time measured by the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Questionnaire (PSQI) were also observed, confirming the PSG findings. Piromelatine enhanced NREM sleep EEG delta power and significantly reduced beta power (p<0.05). The decrease in EEG beta activity, a marker of cortical arousal, is a physiological surrogate marker of the efficacy of Piromelatine in sleep maintenance. Piromelatine was generally safe and well tolerated, had no detrimental effects on next-day psychomotor performance (as assessed by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST)) for any dose group and no deleterious effects on sleep structure and architecture.
"Piromelatine demonstrates a good potential for the treatment of primary insomnia characterized by sleep maintenance disturbances as well as insomnia with psychiatric or medical co-morbidities" said Prof. Nava Zisapel , CSO of Neurim. The study results will be presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) -Sleep 2013 meeting in Baltimore.
About Piromelatine
Piromelatine is thought to work through a combination of MT1\MT2 (potential sleep promoting and chronobiotic effects) and 5HT1A\D (potential anxiolytic and analgesic effects) receptors agonism. All potential effects of piromelatine were demonstrated in relevant animal models. Phase-IA and IB studies of safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and sleep promoting activity of piromelatine demonstrated dose proportionality PK profile, good absorption and distribution, good safety & tolerability profile across a wide dose range and provided the first indication for a pharmacodynamic activity of Piromelatine on sleep maintenance with no detrimental effects on memory.
About Neurim Pharmaceuticals
Neurim Pharmaceuticals Ltd., founded in 1991 is a drug discovery and development company focused on the central nervous system (CNS). Its first approved drug, Circadin® – prolonged release melatonin for insomnia is commercially available in more than 40 countries around the world.


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Did you know that Wilton's Kiwanis 3rd Annual Pumpkin Sale started from last weekend at the Wilton Historical Society?
The annual Pumpkin Drive started with the unloading of pumpkins at the end of September. Sales have begun ever since then and continue through Halloween. It is a great way of celebrating the annual harvest and enjoying the beautiful weather while supporting the community.
Kiwanis helps kids around the world and Wilton Kiwanis Club has been looking out for our community.
What Kiwanis believe is that when you give a child the chance to learn, experience, dream, grow, succeed any thrive, great things can happen. So they carry on their mission by looking out for every opportunity to reach more people and acheive more to support the poor.
This Wilton Kiwanis' 3rd annual Pumpkin sale is one of many seasonal fund raising efforts where, this Pumpkin Sale is not only offering Wilton area residents the opportunity to enjoy the fresh pumpkins; but also 100% of the net proceeds are distributed by Kiwanis to dozens of local not-for-profit causes.
This not-to-be-missed event brings neighbors and their friends and your family together for any weekend in October. It is an amazing family day where memories can be made. With a panorama of spectacular fall foliage at Wilton's Historical Society on Route 7 in Wilton, not only will you be celebrating this fall picking out your own pumpkin, but also you are helping those in need, those discomforted and those suffering when you buy a pumpkin at this event organized by Kiwanis.
If you missed out this weekend , next weekend sale is waiting for you!
Come and enjoy your pumpkin day!
The most recent ranking of the nation's high schools published by U.S. News & World Report distinguished Connecticut with 11 gold medal schools, 24 silver medal schools, and 4 bronze medal schools. Of the top 10 best high schools listed, half were in the 26th district. Weston, Ridgefield, Wilton, Joel Barlow, Darien, New Canaan, and Staples High School were recognized.
This article has been written by Dagny Eason.
Feel free to call Dagny Eason to discuss this at (203) 762-1700
Dagny Eason | Broker
Direct Line: 203-762-1700
Website: www.DagnysRealEstate.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
I am hiring agents. We offer great splits, outstanding support, marketing resources, and banana bread.
I am always mobile, but right now I am near Lower Fairfield County, CT
"He who knows he has enough is rich."


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1. Kruger National Park, South Africa
There's something primal about being in a remote landscape surrounded by cheetahs, rhinos, and elephants that can be perfect for a couple looking to get back to nature. Singita Sweni Lodge, tucked into the trees of the 33,000-acre national park on the border of Mozambique, is the ideal setting to cuddle up on a safari getaway. The glass-walled suites have a luxe tree-house feel-and absolutely no screens, TV or otherwise, to ruin the view or interrupt your time together. The lodge excels at arranging swoon-worthy meals for couples. A lantern-lit dinner for two under the stars? Breakfast by the river? Then take in all the spectacular natural beauty on open-air jeep rides, where you'll be among the wildlife, including prides of lions and herds of giraffe. If that's just not intimate enough, Sweni can organize a morning of mountain biking or hiking in the bush. Then see just how close you can get.
2. The Dalmatian Coast
Follow the Adriatic coastline to find some of the best beaches and most gorgeous views in Europe. Start in Dubrovnik. When the crowds get to be too much in the main square, ditch them and slip away to Buza Bar, a cozy watering hole built high up on the southern ramparts of the medieval Old Town walls. If the calm sea below beckons you, you can dive into it from the bird's-nest perch. Spend a night or two at Hotel Bellevue, where plush suites afford views of stellar sunsets. The concierge can arrange a yacht tour of the neighboring Pelješac Peninsula. Drop by the Korta Katarina winery, where you can sip little-known vintages in the verdant countryside. After a refreshing dip in the ink-blue waters that it sits beside, sail on to the picturesque island of Korčula. Slip inside the town's 13th-century walls and leave all your modern-day distractions completely behind. Read More


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The Rosebuds video for "Woods"
We had the chance to check out The Rosebuds last night in Atlanta alongside Other Lives as they continue to support the recently released Loud Planes Fly Low. The show was amazing, and it being Kelly's birthday, they even brought her out a cake just before midnight!
The band will be switching gears next month as they will be the opening support for Bon Iver's national tour.
Loud Planes Fly Low, the band's fifth release is full of some amazing tracks, especially the album's first single "Woods". The video for this track was directed by Steve Choo, and was released today. We've included it below, as well as The Rosebuds headlining summer dates before their stint with Bon Iver.
The Rosebuds – Woods from Merge Records on Vimeo.
06.17 • Proud Larry's (Oxford, MS)
06.18 • The Bottletree (Birmingham, AL)
06.19 • Sticky Fingerz Rock 'N' Roll Chicken Shack (Little Rock, AR)
06.21 • Spanish Moon (Baton Rouge, LA)
06.23 • Club DaDa (Dallas, TX)
06.24 • The Parish (Austin, TX)
06.25 • Fitzgerald's Downstairs (Houston, TX)
06.28 • Santa Fe Brewing Company (Santa Fe, NM)
06.29 • Solar Culture (Tucson, AZ)
06.30 • The Casbah (San Diego, CA)
07.01 • The Satellite (Los Angeles, CA)
07.02 • Cellar Door (Visalia, CA)
07.05 • SoHo Music Club (Santa Barbara, CA)
07.06 • The Independent (San Francisco, CA)
07.08 • Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR)
07.09 • Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA)
07.10 • The Shakedown (Bellingham, WA)
07.12 • Media Club (Vancouver, BC)
07.14 • The Neurolux (Boise, ID)
07.15 • Urban Lounge (Salt Lake City, UT)
07.16 • Hi-Dive (Denver, CO)
07.19 • 7th Street Entry (Minneapolis, MN)
07.20 • House of Rock (Eau Claire, WI)
07.21 • UW Union Terrace (Madison, WI)


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Energy efficiency programs are operated under contract by the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU), which is focused on lowering energy use and peak demand, increasing renewable energy generation, and promoting green jobs among District residents and businesses. In 2018, the SEU released its 2017 Annual Report, blowing passed benchmark goals— with enough electricity savings to power 9,300 homes for an entire year. DCSEU initiatives in 2017 savings 2,117,166 therms in natural gas consumption and 93,958 MWh of electricity consumption.
The District's Department of Energy and Environment has been a leading force for innovation in the buildings sector, working closely with the DC Sustainable Energy Utility. Energy efficiency is a core part of the District's Sustainable DC Task Force Report.
In 2016, the District released its Climate and Energy Plan. The plan includes an extensive commitment to energy efficiency and provies concrete recommendations for increasing savings attributable to the Sustainable Energy Utility.
D.C. has also entered the grid modernization arena, with its Investigation into Modernizing the Energy Delivery System for Increased Sustainability (MEDSIS)(Case No. 1130). Most recently, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) has been selected as the technical consultant to advise the commission on MEDSIS. SEPA has announced phase 1 of MEDSIS, a technical conference at the end of June 2018. The goals of the technical conference are to (1) determine the scope and appropriateness of a system assessment of D.C.'s energy delivery system and (2) identify the working groups needed to proceed with Phase 2. In Phase 2, these working groups will create a framework and guidelines for implementing MEDSIS Pilot Projects, which will be financed through the $21.5 million fund established as a condition of the Pepco-Exelon merger. Potential working groups include Pilot Projects, Non-Wire Alternatives (NWAs), Utility Distribution Integration Resource Planning (DIRP), Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and Consumer Protections.
Complementary Policies
Policy & Program Information
Jurisdictional Office
|District Department of Environment, Energy Administration
Program Administrator
|Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU)
Additional Resources
|The Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008
|Energy Smart DC
|Energy Smart DC Plan Overview
|SEU Advisory Board
|State Documents and Key Info- District of Columbia
|U.S. Department of Energy
|SEE Action
Washington D.C. at a Glance
|Direct Jobs in Energy Efficiency
|Electric Program Expenditures
|$13.4 million
|Gas Program Expenditures
|$4.97 million
|Per Capita Expenditures
|Electric Savings
|Electric Savings as Percent of Retail Sales
|Gas Savings
|1,034,229 therms
|Gas Savings as Percent of Retail Sales


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(Bloomberg) — Investors are losing their nerve in the stock market amid selling that has sent some industries down the most since 2008. In the past, that's been a signal to buy.
Global money managers raised cash holdings to a two-year high this month and say America is the worst place to invest, a Bank of America Corp. survey published last week shows. Investors have pulled about $10 billion from funds that buy U.S. equity this month, set for the biggest outflows since August, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and the Investment Company Institute.
After embracing stocks last year for the first time since the bull market began, individuals are showing signs of reverting to the skepticism that led them to pull more than $400 billion from mutual funds from 2009 through 2012. While hedge fund manager David Tepper says caution is appropriate now, others consider the lack of exuberance a healthy sign that sets the stage for more gains.
"Walls of worry are everywhere," Robert Doll, who helps oversee $118 billion as chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management in Chicago, told Tom Keene and Michael McKee on Bloomberg Radio's "Surveillance" on May 14. "This is the least believed bull market that I've ever seen. From here it's earnings, it's fundamentals, it's can the economy grow? And my guess is the answer to that question is yes."
Money Flows
Since 2000, there had been 12 instances when money flows to equity funds turned negative following at least three months of deposits. On average, the S&P 500 was 2.2 percent higher 60 days later, compared with a mean increase of 0.6 percent for all comparable periods, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The S&P 500 was little changed last week after reaching an all-time high of 1,897.45 on May 13. Since early March, the Russell 2000 Index of smaller shares has fallen 8.8 percent and the Nasdaq Internet Index is down 18 percent as investors exited stocks with the highest valuations.
The S&P 500 added 0.1 percent to 1,879.91 at 9:50 a.m. in New York today.
The Internet gauge has slipped 1.2 percent in May, poised for a third month of declines, the longest stretch since 2008. About one-fifth of Nasdaq-listed shares, including Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. and Whole Foods Market Inc. in Austin, Texas, dropped more than 20 percent this year. "People are a little bit concerned that something could be on the horizon," Eric Schoenstein, co-manager of the $5.3 billion Jensen Quality Growth Fund in Portland, Oregon, said by phone on May 15, referring to a potential market crash similar to those that began in 2000 and 2007. "Investors are skittish and that probably makes sense because it lengthens the bull market."
Holding Cash
Tepper, founder of $20 billion hedge-fund firm Appaloosa Management LP, urged investors last week to hold some cash and focus on avoiding losses rather than making profits. The U.S. economy isn't expanding at a sufficient pace and financial markets are "dangerous," he said at the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference in Las Vegas on May 14.
The concern was echoed by Bank of America's survey of 218 global money managers, who cut U.S. equities in the past month and boosted cash holdings to the highest level since June 2012. Funds held an average 5 percent in cash, according to the survey, which was conducted during the week through May 8.
"When you see this type of downdraft in very visible names, people's risk averse attitude tends to take over," Margie Patel, who oversees about $1.4 billion at Wells Capital Management in Boston, said by phone on May 15. "After the economic crisis, a lot of investors were traumatized. People are more looking at preserving their assets."
Least Attractive
The proportion of respondents citing the U.S. as the least attractive destination for investments doubled to 18 percent in May from a month ago, Bank of America's survey found.
Investors prefer Europe, saying their stocks are undervalued, according to the survey. The S&P 500 is trading at 16 times estimated profits, compared with the multiple of 15 for the Stoxx Europe 600 Index, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Besides lower valuations, European stocks get more support from the central bank, according to Hayes Miller, the Boston- based head of multi-asset allocation in North America at Baring Asset Management Inc. While the Federal Reserve has cut its economic stimulus for a third time in a row this year, the European Central Bank may increase monetary easing, he said. The ECB "is likely to be looser for longer, and that's going to help drive earnings growth profiles to positive surprises going forward," Miller said by phone on May 15. His firm oversees about $57 billion and favors Europe over the U.S. "We don't have much to go on" in the U.S., he said.
Equity ETFs
Investors pulled $7.7 billion out of U.S. equity ETFs in the first half of May, data compiled by Bloomberg show. They withdrew almost $2 billion from mutual funds during the week through May 7, according to an estimate by ICI. In the previous three months, deposits totaled $35 billion.
Reversals like this preceded stock gains nine out of the 12 times since 2000, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The last time fund flows turned negative in January, the S&P 500 advanced 5 percent over the next two months.
Individuals weren't convinced that stocks are safe to buy until the S&P 500 more than doubled from its 2009 low. They added more than $150 billion to equities in 2013, after withdrawing $260 billion in the previous four years, data compiled by ICI and Bloomberg show. With their return, the S&P 500 jumped 30 percent, the most since 1997.
Today's bearish investors are tomorrow's bulls, according to Chris Bouffard, chief investment officer at the Mutual Fund Store in Overland Park, Kansas. Sentiment will improve once the economy rebounds from a weather-related slowdown, he said.
U.S. Economy
U.S. gross domestic product grew 0.1 percent in the first quarter for the lowest pace in a year as severe winter weather hurt housing to retail sales. The economy will expand 2.5 percent this year and accelerate to 3.1 percent in 2015, according to the median of 94 economists' estimates in a Bloomberg survey.
"There is a solid foundation for an advancing market," Bouffard said by phone on May 15. His firm oversees $9 billion. "We certainly see that cautious stance among pockets of our clients. It's not because there is any impending sense of doom. It's people taking money off the table and playing defensive. There is some inherent buying power."
See also:
Wall Street bond trading, allocation draws scrutiny
Reach Gen Y investors with social media
Investors increasing allocations of alternative assets


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All of the outdoor markets have wrapped up for the season. Never fear, you can find draft kombucha and Ocean Ave fresh fruit pops at a handful of indoor winter markets!
Tuesdays, Newton Winter Farmers Market, 1:30pm-6pm, Hyde Community Center, 90 Lincoln Street, Newton, MA 02461.
Saturdays, Somerville Winter Farmers Market, 9:30am-2pm, Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143.
Saturdays, (Starting Jan 5th) Cambridge Winter Farmers Market, 10am-2pm, Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139


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Dinosaurs in Literature, Art & History
There Were Giants In The Earth in Those Days
Those Sophisticated "Cave Men"
Salvation. What Must You Do To Be Saved?
The monster of the Mariana trench: Experiment in the Pacific attracted unknown animal:
The deepest portion of the Pacific Ocean, the Challenger Deep, is located in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific.
Recently, Japanese researchers have conducted an interesting experiment in the Suruga Bay, not far from the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot in the World Ocean.
The researchers put a container with some smelly bait on the bay bottom. A special video camera was attached to the wall of the container. The researchers peered into monitors to see what would happen with the container and the bait.
The smell of the bait attracted a shoal of deep-water sharks. But then the researchers saw something incredible that left them speechless. Suddenly the sharks scattered in all directions and researchers saw an incredibly huge monster on the screens of their monitors.
The giant slowly soared before the video camera at a depth of about 1.5 kilometers. The length of the sea Goliath was over 60 meters (more than 180 feet). It was not clear what the giant was in fact.
Researchers failed to answer the question, just made conjectures concerning what the creature may be. They said that might be a sleeping shark, the largest shark . Even now people know just few facts about these sharks.
They have been hiding in the dark ocean deeps for millions of years. People have never seen live sleeping sharks as well as giant squids. Only once, in 1964, a bulk of a dead sleeping shark was cast ashore in Indonesia; it was just a very young shark judging by its size of 26 meters. ..PRAVDA 9/20/03
"Scientists still do not know what they saw, registered and filmed and not a single frame has been released. If it was a giant shark Megalodon is a good candidate, even though this monster is thought to have died out 170 million years ago; see our features Megalodon the Monster Shark and New Evidence for Megalodon.
If it was a classical sea serpent it´s easy to understand why the Japanese scientist´s are cautious and would like to analyze the video footage very careful before releasing it to the world.
"...Original Source:PRAVDA
What's Bigger Than A Whale and Goes: Bloop?
Scientists Mystified by Monster Sound in Deep Sea
June 13, 2002
LONDON, England -- Scientists have revealed a mysterious recording that they say could be the sound of a giant beast lurking in the depths of the ocean.
Researchers have nicknamed the strange unidentified sound picked up by undersea microphones "Bloop."
While it bears the varying frequency hallmark of marine animals, it is far more powerful than the calls made by any creature known on Earth, Britain's New Scientist reported on Thursday.
It is too big for a whale and one theory is that it is a deep sea monster, possibly a many-tentacled giant squid.
In 1997, Bloop was detected by U.S. Navy "spy" sensors 3,000 miles apart that had been put there to detect the movement of Soviet submarines, the magazine reports.
The frequency of the sound meant it had to be much louder than any recognised animal noise, including that produced by the largest whales.
So is it a huge octopus? Although dead giant squid have been washed up on beaches, and tell-tale sucker marks have been seen on whales, there has never been a confirmed sighting of one of the elusive cephalopods in the wild.
The largest dead squid on record measured about 60ft including the length of its tentacles, but no one knows how big the creatures might grow.
For years sailors have told tales of monsters of the deep including the huge, many-tentacled kraken that could reach as high as a ship's mainmast and sink the biggest ships.
However Phil Lobel, a marine biologist at Boston University, Massachusetts, doubts that giant squid are the source of Bloop.
"Cephalopods have no gas-filled sac, so they have no way to make that type of noise," he said. "Though you can never rule anything out completely, I doubt it."
Scientists from the U.S.'s NOAA have been baffled by the "Bloop" sound Nevertheless he agrees that the sound is most likely to be biological in origin.
The system picking up Bloop and other strange noises from the deep is a military relic of the Cold War.
In the 1960s the U.S. Navy set up an array of underwater microphones, or hydrophones, around the globe to track Soviet submarines. The network was known as SOSUS, short for Sound Surveillance System.
The listening stations lie hundreds of yards below the ocean surface, at a depth where sound waves become trapped in a layer of water known as the "deep sound channel".
Here temperature and pressure cause sound waves to keep travelling without being scattered by the ocean surface or bottom.
Most of the sounds detected obviously emanate from whales, ships or earthquakes, but some very low frequency noises have proved baffling.
Scientist Christopher Fox of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Acoustic Monitoring Project at Portland, Oregon, has given the signals names such as Train, Whistle, Slowdown, Upsweep and even Gregorian Chant.
He told New Scientist that most can be explained by ocean currents, volcanic activity -- Upsweep was tracked to an undersea South Pacific mountain that had not been identified as "live."
"The sound waves are almost like voice prints. You're able to look at the characteristics of the sound and say: 'There's a blue whale, there's a fin whale, there's a boat, there's a humpback whale and here comes and earchquake," he says.
But some sounds remain a mystery he says. Like Bloop -- monster of the deep?
Listen to Bloop here: The Deep Sounds of Bloop


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Emily Bazelon: The best reason Larry Summers' Fed bid failed
The financial markets are delighted that Larry Summers has withdrawn from consideration as chair of the Federal Reserve. "Call it the Yellen rally," Neil Irwin writes in The Washington Post, referring of course to Janet Yellen, the current vice chair of the Fed, whom President Barack Obama "awkwardly" will probably choose, now that Summers has pulled out. Maybe the traders and their clients are pleased because there's a real difference in monetary policy between Yellen and Summers, and she would keep interest rates lower for longer. Or maybe there's not much disagreement between them, and the markets are up because Yellen will have a smoother ride to confirmation than Summers would have, avoiding a bout of uncertainty.
I haven't been rallying for Yellen, but I'm glad Summers is out because I don't see why closeness to Obama should determine who gets to be Fed chair. The most important reason Summers was the front-runner seems to have been his longtime working relationship with the president. But chair of the Fed is a lasting position in an institution outside the White House. Being Fed chair is more like being Supreme Court justice than being a White House adviser: You're supposed to be independent. President Obama didn't choose Sonia Sotomayor because they were pals, and he shouldn't insist on personal affinity in making this choice either.
When the White House was pushing for Summers, they framed the president's preference in terms of trust. Their "bond" was "forged in the crucible of the financial crisis," Obama strategist David Axelrod said. An anonymous White House official told The New York Times, "It's like the attachment you feel for your heart surgeon after he performs a quadruple bypass." Another one turned to a mixed military metaphor. "We were sort of in a foxhole together, and he was a stand-up dude" (very dangerous in a foxhole!).
The "dude" word choice was unfortunate given the retro claims from the right that Yellen's ascension threatened to impose an era of "The Female Dollar," whatever that means. The objection from The New York Sun, bearer of that headline, and The Wall Street Journal editorial page was that Yellen was about to get the nod because she's a woman, a triumph for the gender police. Gender didn't come up when the names of any male candidates were floated, as The Washington Post's Ezra Klein pointed out. It's only accused of driving a president's choice when he goes in the female direction.
More interesting than the knee-jerk sexism is the question whether it's still easier to be the dude in the Obama foxhole if you're actually a dude. There's a list of administration names that serve as retorts: Valerie Jarrett, Susan Rice, Samantha Power, to pick three. But on the apparent short list for the Fed, along with Summers and Yellen, was former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who was told the job was his if he wanted it. (He doesn't.) Geithner, of course, is another trusted insider, and of course another guy.
My point isn't that Obama should pick Yellen because he owes it to women. But I do think that for plenty of other male leaders, putting a high premium on personal comfort level and bonding tends to favor the male candidate over the equally qualified woman. If you think gender is irrelevant to the question of who would be the best next Fed chair, then Obama should look beyond his inner circle.
And he should do that anyway. The next Fed chair will outlast the president in office. Their working relationship isn't what matters most. And he or she shouldn't decide when to raise the interest rate out of loyalty to the White House.
Emily Bazelon is a Slate senior editor and writes about law, family, and kids. She is also the Truman Capote Fellow at Yale Law School and a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine.


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This last week has been a revelation to me.
I discovered that I love to cook. I know you must be wondering … what is she talking about? Of course she loves to cook … doesn't she write this blog and bake just about every night?
But that's the thing. I bake. I've pretty much completely stopped cooking anything more difficult than a poached egg on vegetables. I don't know when I stopped loving pottering away in the kitchen … but at some point in the last 3 years, I have.
And no matter how much I love the look of a recipe … I just haven't been able to get myself excited enough to want to get all the ingredients and start the process of cooking.
Ever feel that way?
And then … about 10 days ago, I got an offer I couldn't refuse.
Jeff Heaton, the owner of ChefX sent me an email asking if I'd be interested in testing out the first official week of their program. They would provide me with a free sample box: 2 chef inspired meals, recipe cards, all the ingredients (save the staples: oil, salt, pepper, eggs), enough food for 2 people … with leftovers. In exchange, I'd blog about it.
I figured … it was kind of a win-win. I mean, I'd have to cook again, but I was willing to do that in order to give it a shot.
Last week's box featured both Marysol Foucault's (Edgar) lemony leek lamb with sautéed zucchini and yoghurt, and The Urban Element's pan-seared chicken breast with tomato caper vinaigrette and celeriac mash.
Both sounded pretty darn delicious. The question remained … would I be able to re-create these dishes?
The answer. A simple yes.
The beauty of ChefX is that you not only have a large cooler delivered with all the necessary ingredients, you're also provided with a recipe card – bright colours, clear instructions, pictures of mis-en-place and ingredients to demonstrate what you will need and what steps to follow when cooking.
As you can see, the recipe cards are broken down into level of difficulty, estimated time, and kitchen tools required.
I made the Urban Element's pan-seared chicken breast dish after work on Monday. A very relaxed 45 minutes after I started cooking, the man-friend and I sat down to probably the tastiest chicken I have ever cooked. We both liked the celeriac mash, but it was the tomato caper vinaigrette that really brought the dish to another level. It was the perfect level of acidity and sweetness and thickened perfectly. It was a dish that the man-friend and I would happily make again. Heck – I have some chicken breasts in the freezer I can't wait to pan-sear.
I waited until Wednesday to make Marysol's lemony leek lamb with sautéed zucchini and yoghurt. I will admit that it took me longer than the estimated 55 minutes to make this one – but within 65 minutes the man-friend and I tucked into rich meatballs (which according to the recipe should have yielded 8 – I got 13), perfectly sautéed zucchini, a spicy gremolata, and a lemony greek yoghurt. I can honestly say this is probably a recipe I wouldn't have made otherwise (lamb isn't my to-go ingredient), but I'm glad I did. It reminded me that I love the mixing of ingredients and flavours. It also showed me a few new simple tricks to create something delicious without any stress.
Now you might wonder … why should you consider ChefX.
1. If you love to eat out, but don't love what it does to your wallet (or your waistline).
2. If you love to cook, but are stuck in a rut.
3. If you like to watch what you eat, but still want to eat well. .
4. If you hate wasted food. You get what you need. Seriously – they packed me a small pack of sugar.
5. It allows you to see what inspires some of the best chefs in our city.
6. You love to cook, but are famished when you get home. It's quick and painless.
Oh … and in case you're wondering … I enjoyed my experience so much I signed up for this week. The Wellington Gastropub has created a salmon dish that sounds just about right … and The Urban Element's roasted squash soup is sure to warm me right up!
A little Q & A with Jeff … aka. additional information:
The cost per week for 2 meals in portions for 2 people is $59 (taxes and delivery costs included). Bigger family? No problem! ChefX is still an option. Cost for 4 people is $99, and the cost for 6 people is $139 per week.
Portion sizes are large enough that there should be leftovers.
Wondering how quickly you need to cook these meals right? Generally you can count on a shelf life of 5 days for the vacuum packaged meats. Cook the more perishable ingredients (eg. seafood) sooner to be safe. Or you can freeze the meat if you're worried. All that to say – you basically have until Thursday to cook your meals. Not bad for delivery!
The boxes are delivered every Sunday between 1 pm and 9 pm. Not home? No problem. I wasn't home last Sunday and so they left my box in the entrance of my apartment building (note: make sure you can trust your neighbours before making those arrangements!) … I got there and everything was still chilled. All I had to do was put it away and wait until Monday night to start cooking!
The service is subscription based. Once you sign up, you'll automatically be charged week by week. HOWEVER … if a menu doesn't sound quite right, you're going away, or you just don't feel like it – you can pause or cancel your subscription.
You get a cooler every week. Which means … you store it for the week (ice packs can be left inside it) and come the following Sunday, return it to your delivery spot. They will swap in the new, filled cooler for the old empty one.
What chefs are participating? Every week one of the following chefs will create a dish. Steve Wall, Supply & Demand. Chris Deraiche, Wellington Gastropub. Marysol Foucault, Edgar. Chloe Berlanga, Whalesbone Oyster House & Elmdale Tavern. Marc Lepine, Atelier. Steve Mitton, Murray Street. Marc Dorion, Town. Patricia Larkin, Black Cat Bistro. Chris Lord, Union Local 613. Matthew Shepheard, Marisposa Farm.
The Urban Element will be creating the second dish.
ps. Sign up before 11:59pm Monday night and you can get a ChefX cooler Sunday November 3rd. It's never too late to give it a try ….


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Welcome to CowManagement
A magazine that is always packed full of interesting and useful information that helps UK dairy producers to manage their herds and run their businesses more efficiently.
CowManagement prides itself on being different to other dairy magazines. The articles are fresh and interesting and focus on new ideas and technological developments. CowManagement is published eight times a year.
The magazine is produced by CRV together with four UK partners whose businesses are integral to the UK dairy industry.


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The New York Red Bulls boast one of the strongest youth programs not just in MLS, but across the country. In addition to finding and developing local players that keep the academy teams near the top of the national rankings, the Red Bulls have demonstrated their commitment to the future of youth soccer in New York and New Jersey. The organization maintains partnerships with over 100 youth soccer programs, providing camps, clinics and in-house training from certified and professional Red Bull youth coaches.
Each month, NewYorkRedBulls.com and RedBullsAcademy.com will feature one of these partners in our Red Bulls Youth Partner Program Spotlight.
Levittown Soccer Club
Levittown Soccer Club (LSC) is a non-profit organization that looks to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of members through soccer at all levels from ages 3-19. Founded in 1976 by Luigi Pelini, the club serves Levittown, N.Y., and the surrounding towns in Nassau County on Long Island. Current President Jerry Marinan has overseen the growth of the club for the past decade and been a big supporter of using the Red Bulls as their training organization.
The club currently have 171 players in their Snoopy Program for children 3-5 years old, 520 players in intramurals which ranges from U6-U15 and 440 travel players on 30 teams from U9-U18.
LSC have two full-time trainers and a summer camp run by New York Red Bulls, and many of their players have even enjoyed Red Bulls match experiences. The Levittown players have escorted the Red Bulls onto the field and played at halftime on numerous occasions. LSC also have three former club players in the Red Bulls Academy system and eight in the Regional Development School (RDS).
"Our long term player development partnership with Levittown Soccer Club has allowed us to help them structure their programs to be more player-centric and focused on the holistic development of all of their youth players," Training Programs Regional Manager Jerome Vivona said. "We work across many age groups and address the needs of their absolute beginners all the way up to and including the numerous players that have been identified for the Red Bulls Academy."
"They understand the value of creating a fun, challenging and supportive environment where children have an opportunity to learn. We are proud to be a resource in helping them achieve their youth development goals."
The partnership has allowed players to develop their technical skills from an earlier age, while helping volunteer coaches get a better understanding of how to run training sessions. The coaches' portal, which contains many age-appropriate drills, has been utilized by the majority of coaches within the club.
"Training never ends," Travel Director Kristopher Tung said. "By having the Red Bulls as a part of our program, this simple statement holds true, whether it's on the field or in life."
LSC is very involved in community service projects and fundraising. For the past four years, the club has run Kick it to Cancer, a program featuring jerseys designed for kids and pink ribbon socks for players and parents to wear to matches during the month of October to support the fight against breast cancer. The club, along with a benefactor, donated the total cost of all goods and profits to Pink Promises. They raised $4,000 the first year, followed by $10,000 in 2013, $15,000 in 2014 and $17,500 this year.
They also hold the annual Friends of Renz Annual tournament in August which celebrates the life of Lorenzo Fernandez, a LSC player who lost his battle with liver cancer at 12-years old. The club donates all the proceeds to Hope and Heroes foundation in his honor.
For more information about Levittown Soccer Club, visit their website, LevittownSoccerClub.org, or Like them on Facebook at Levittown Soccer Club. For further inquiries, contact Kristopher Tung at email@example.com.


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Home » Appliances » 15cm slimline wine cooler
Product code: FWC153BL
The FWC153BL is a freestanding, under counter slimline wine cooler with capabilities that exceed its size. It comes with 6 integral supports, with the capacity to hold 7 Bordeaux bottles, electronic temperature control, a UV protected smoked toughened glass door and a temperature alarm and memory function to maintain optimum conditions for the safe storage of your wine; this is the perfect addition to any functional kitchen design.
5 year parts & 2 year labour warranty with this CDA product.
All CDA appliances come with a 5 year parts guarantee covering mechanical and electrical parts (subject to registration), plus a full parts and labour guarantee in the first 2 years.
CDA also offers the option to purchase additional labour cover.
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Viterra Provides Major Funding Support to Junior Hockey Across Western Canada - Canada
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News Release
null Viterra Provides Major Funding Support to Junior Hockey Across Western Canada
REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN--(Marketwired - Sept. 10, 2014) - Viterra Inc. ("Viterra"), Canada's grain industry leader, is pleased to announce its partnership with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) for the 2014-15 season. The company's sponsorship will support all 40 teams across multiple communities in Western Canada.
Kyle Jeworski, Viterra's President and CEO for North America said, "Viterra sponsored the SJHL through the Viterra Division last year, which was a great success and factored into our decision to expand our support to the AJHL and MJHL. Our support of junior hockey illustrates the value we place on teamwork, determination, integrity and high performance - the same values that guide our employees in delivering superior service and advice to our customers."
As part of its sponsorship, Viterra will receive recognition through various channels including division naming rights and other promotional activities. The company also plans to host various employee and customer appreciation events throughout the season in connection with its sponsorship, and to further help promote local hockey across Western Canada.
About Viterra
Viterra is Canada's grain industry leader, supported by the expertise of its people, a superior network of assets, and unrivalled connections to world markets. Headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan, our commitment to agriculture goes back over 100 years, partnering with farmers to market and move their crops to areas of need around the world. Our continued focus on operational excellence throughout North America allows us to efficiently handle, process, distribute and transport grains and oilseeds. We provide further value to our partners through a wide variety of contracting and risk management tools to help them realize the full potential of their crops. For more information on Viterra in North America, please visit www.viterra.com. Viterra is part of the Agricultural Business Segment of Glencore.
Viterra Inc.
Peter Flengeris
(306) 569-4810


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First Look: Modern Southwestern at Chavez in Austin
Note: First Looks give previews of new dishes, drinks, and menus we're curious about. Since they are arranged photo shoots and interviews with restaurants, we do not make critical evaluations or recommendations.
Shawn Cirkiel, the chef and owner of Austin's Parkside, Backspace, and Olive & June, launched his latest venture, Chavez, earlier this month. In an unusual turn of events, the restaurant is in the former TGI Friday's space in the downtown Radisson hotel, causing Austinites who've long disregarded the location to take note of the revamped poolside digs once again.
How did Cirkiel end up in there? A few years ago, the hotel approached the chef with a restaurant project in mind, granting him total creative freedom. Cirkiel teamed up with Michael Hsu's architecture firm, describing their vision for the space as "fresh, bright, very clean, and utilizing the great views to embrace our location." The view of the Congress Avenue Bridge (aka the Bat Bridge) from the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows during sunset is stunning against the red-walled, wood-paneled dining room. A polished bar with white plush seats overlooks the pool.
Cirkiel describes the menu as "food that makes sense for Austin," inspired by Texas and the Mexican border, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, in addition to an all-day bar menu and room service. The raw bar is a passion of Cirkiel's —"I very much like simple dressed fishes, ceviche, shrimp cocktail, oysters," he says. "It's a natural evolution from what we do at Parkside and Olive & June." The drink menu is still evolving, with a focus on Texas-centric ingredients, like Tito's vodka and a touch of smoke in the smoked cherry margarita.
Click the slideshow to check out Chavez's space and some of their dishes and drinks.
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We recover and recycle valuable resources such as metals from the waste stream that would otherwise end up in landfills
We use local waste materials as a fuel to produce electricity and steam, reducing dependence on landfills
Every 1 ton of waste converted to energy = 1 ton of carbon dioxide avoided
Here in our waste-to-energy plants, we weigh post-recycled waste delivered from residential, commercial, and special waste customers before transporting it to the tipping floor. Material is visually inspected before being pushed into the fuel bunker. This waste material can vary widely in moisture content and thermal value, so it's continually managed in the bunker to ensure consistency.
Our facilities use local fuel—everyday household and business waste—to generate clean, local energy for our communities
We offer commercial and industrial customers one-on-one staff support to ensure their zero waste goals are achieved and each delivery is executed effortlessly
We are trained in handling sensitive materials such as non-hazardous waste that requires special treatment or handling like assured destruction
Overhead cranes then transfer the trash into a feed hopper to the boiler. Inside each boiler, an inclined, reciprocating, metal grate slowly moves the trash through a thermal (heating) process, where temperatures exceed 2000°F.
As we process post-recycled waste, we reduce waste volumes by 90 percent, conserving valuable landfill space
Temperatures exceed 2000°F
Air is continually drawn from waste storage areas into the boiler, creating a constant negative pressure that prevents the escape of dust and odors
Hot combustion gases pass by a series of boiler tubes filled with water, creating high-pressure steam. The steam is used to drive turbine generators and produce electricity for sale to local utilities. The steam also can be sold to drive industrial processes or for district heating & cooling. We condense the remaining steam into purified water and return it to the system for more renewable energy production.
Heat from the combustion process heats water in boiler tubes to create high-pressure steam
Thermal energy in the form of high-pressure steam is used to drive turbine generators
Plant turbines generate electricity that is sold to local utilities to power communities
As we process post-recycled waste, we reduce waste volumes by 90 percent, conserving valuable landfill space and reducing greenhouse gases. Prior to safely landfilling the inert ash, we remove ferrous metals such as iron and steel, and non-ferrous metals, such as copper and aluminum, from the ash residue and send it to recycling facilities. The remaining 10 percent is ash residue. In the UK, the ash residue is either processed on-site or transported to an offsite facility where metals are recovered for recycling before the remaining ash is used as an aggregate by the construction industry.
We recover and recycle metals such as iron, steel, copper and aluminum that would have otherwise gone into a landfill
After heat in the combustion gas is absorbed in the boiler to produce steam, the gas exits the boiler and powdered activated carbon is injected to remove mercury and trace organic compounds. The gas then enters a spray dryer absorber where lime is combined with the gas to neutralize acid gases, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride. The gas then passes through a fabric filter where particulates are removed. The cleaned gas exits through the stack after a series of continuous emissions monitors analyze and record levels.
Gas is treated with carbon and lime to remove mercury and trace organic compounds, and to neutralize acid gases
Gas passes through a fabric filter where particulates and remaining pollutants are removed
Cleaned gas exits through the stack after a series of continuous emissions monitors analyze nd record levels, which are closely monitored by plant engineers


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OSHA launches investigation into Baraboo mental health facility
The federal government watchdog for worker safety has launched an investigation into the Baraboo mental health facility where a client has injured at least 10 employees.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration started the investigation Thursday after seeing the injury reports from Baraboo Police.
Jeremy Felix, 26, is the mentally disabled client staying at the home. In 2010, Felix was convicted of attempting to strangle and suffocate a care worker at a Wisconsin Rapids facility, and police said his violence has continued against workers in Baraboo.
"We consider (launching an investigation) a big deal," said Scott Allen, a Chicago-based spokesman for OSHA. "We'll start investigating the company and talking with the employer, employees, potential witnesses, in trying to determine exactly what happened at this facility."
Compliance officers from the federal agency's Madison office will likely visit the home multiple times to collect information, Allen said. He said the case may take months.
OSHA has the power to fine companies for not complying with worker safety standards.OSHA launches investigation into Baraboo mental health facility
The facility, 616 Sauk Avenue in Baraboo, is owned and operated by mental health care provider Dungarvin Wisconsin LLC.
A Dungarvin spokeswoman referred WISC-TV to the state contractor in charge of Felix's case, Care Wisconsin.
Cathy Lanser, a Care Wisconsin spokeswoman, declined to answer questions and later didn't respond to a request seeking comment about the OSHA investigation.


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Today I collaborated on a poem with my mom. How is that possible, you ask, since she died several years ago? No, I didn't hold a seance. As I was putting together the content for this posting, I came across a manuscript of hers she'd written in 1998, a poem she'd intended to submit to Cricket. It was in a rough, unfinished state, and somehow I just felt like working on it. I used most of her poem, revising many of the lines, and built a new poem around it. It tripled in length, but I maintained the spirit of what she was doing — now it sounds like both of us. I'm sure she'd approve; we did this sort of thing all the time while she was alive, so why stop now, huh? I believe I will try submitting it to Cricket. I've never had any luck selling a poem to them, but if they'd accept this one, it would mean Mom would have a by-line in Cricket at last.
Since I'm submitting it, I can't publish it here — but I will if they reject it. (Don't be disappointed — something of Mom's is coming up here as soon as I'm done with my rambling report!)
As far as I can tell, the RSS feeds I tried to set up are working. One more time, to be sure you know what I'm talking about: when you first arrive for the day at this page, there's a calendar and a lot of stuff in blue letters over at the right, right? Scroll down, and under all those Tag words in various sizes, there are two big buttons that say "RSS-Posts" and "RSS-Comments." I tried clicking on the one for posts, and it took me right to a way to set up an RSS feed for this blog. (I didn't go to the final step, because I don't want notification when I post a new post: I'd rather not know. . . .) So I believe anyone who wants to be automatically notified when a new post is up can be.
Next: Nicholas Ozment, who appeared in an interview here a few weeks ago, has expanded on part of what he said about flash fiction, and you can read more from him on the topic at http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/killing-darlings.
Okay, here's a true story: The following caption appeared under a photo in my hometown's newspaper recently:
"Part of a tree was broken off on the courthouse lawn by the Abe Lincoln statue."
[Shudder!] I knew there was something sinister about that statue! Apparently it comes alive in the dead of night and breaks municipal trees. There's no horror like small-town horror.
There it is, the courthouse lawn, where the sinister statue lurks. (Ooh, didn't Vachel Lindsay have a poem called "Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight"? [!!!] Strangely prophetic!) This was taken from the opposite corner to where the statue is. What you don't see is usually scarier (in movies) than what you do see. . . .
Sure, we still have plenty of trees, but I'm certain you'd agree this can't go on. I hope the Taylorville police are being issued bronze-piercing bullets.
All right, getting serious now (grroink!):
I want to be absolutely sure no one missed the last few comments on the post before this one. Please go back there and read them. You all who read the blog — thank you so much for being here. Just reading it is fine — you're very welcome to do that. But when you take the time to comment, everyone benefits. What we have here is a fully-interactive salon for those who love stories, for those who love friends, and for those who love life. And like a college dormitory or a World Fantasy Convention, it goes on 24/7. We live in different time zones, different hemispheres, so you never know when something will pop up, when someone will have pulled a chair up to the fire and be ready for some merry company.
Anyway, in those last couple comments, Shieldmaiden and Marquee Movies were talking about the end of The Hobbit, how it's one of the best endings in any book out there. And they were discussing those wonderful places we gather, the places we spend time doing things we love, perhaps with the people we love. (I won't repeat them here, but I mean it — go back and read those comments!)
What places in stories would you add to the list? Places of comfort and peace, good cheer, replenishment, and comradery. . . . I think that's where we want to go in our communal reminiscing this week. Tell us the places you love in books, stories, and/or movies where the characters gather — those best, unforgettable, infinitely inviting places that you wish you could go and live in.
And — you're also encouraged to tell us about actual places that you love to spend time — either now, or at some previous stage of your life.
Who can forget Doc Graham in Field of Dreams, sitting Ray Kinsella down in his office on that magical night and saying, "This is my special place. When you find your own special place, the wind never blows so cold again"? And in the same film, Ray answering Shoeless Joe's question "Is this Heaven?" with "No; it's Iowa." And then later glancing from the miraculous baseball field he's carved out of a cornfield — gazing up to where his wife and daughter are sitting on the porch swing, and realizing that it really is a part of Heaven, after all — the place where dreams come true.
By the way, I've actually been to the Field of Dreams, the one where the movie was filmed. The baseball field, the farmhouse, and the cornfield are still maintained, just as they appear in the movie, in Dyersville, Iowa. You can still see, carved into one seat on the bleachers, "Ray Loves Annie" inside a heart. Marquee Movies and I went there together and spent an afternoon I will never forget, playing catch with a baseball, lounging on the bleachers, and venturing into the cornfield, where you can almost hear the whispers of Shoeless Joe and his teammates. Also, I ran the bases. And Marquee Movies walloped a ball way out into center field. You can go there, too, if you're ever in Iowa. I totally recommend it.
The serendipitousness of this topic is that it segues perfectly into what I was already planning for this post's main event. I'm going to take you back to 1991, to a pair of essays written by my mom and dad about their special places.
Here we go, then. Ladies first: these are the words of my mother, Mary Anne Durbin.
When Joe and I first married, our kitchen table was small because the kitchen was small.
After our son Fred was born, we added first a bassinet, then a low "play table" and finally a high-chair off to the side, so our son could learn what to do about food and books.
Then we doubled the size of the kitchen, so that meant a larger table.
We went shopping, which consisted of attending auctions until we found a wooden table to our liking. Somehow chrome and Formica can't make a proper kitchen table. This one was perfect — a long harvester's table that can sit four on each side and two on each end.
As I sit at the kitchen table, the stove and refrigerator are behind me. When a meal is ready, I tell Joe and Fred (if he's home), and they come with books in hand to enjoy a good repast.
Something from the garden is at almost every meal throughout the year. In season, and especially in the springtime, flowers from the yard also have a place on the table.
I fill the plates from the stove, and pass them to Joe and Fred, along with the proper utensils for the meal.
In the center of the table is my German grandmother's "spoon jar," in case they need a teaspoon.
I have never mastered the art of reading and eating at the same time, but it is fun to hear the comments and views of what is current with Joe and Fred, or to hear an occasional passage read aloud.
When a meal is not in progress, the table is mine!
Upon arising, the little Bible and daily devotions at the table set a proper direction for the day.
At my left elbow is the "slush pile" of incoming mail. We subscribe to a few good magazines and contribute to a few good charities, so there is plenty of mail each day.
The Smithsonian goes directly into the bathroom for serious reading; others go onto the slush pile to be read as time permits. When I have finished with something, I pass it across the table where Joe has a similar pile at his right elbow.
Also on my slush pile are blank backs of junk mail for creative composition. The telephone is at my right elbow. In front of it are letters to answer and small pieces of blank-backed paper for taking notes.
A chair to my right holds my purse — the filing case for letters to mail, coupons to use, papers to take to town, and bills to pay.
Beyond the phone, on the far corner of the table, are the phonebook, writing tablets, papers to file in other locations throughout the house, and papers to recycle.
My dining room table is reserved for more exacting work — treasurer's reports, income tax preparation, and newsletter mailings.
A final professional polish is put on all our creative work at the word processor on my desk in my office.
But it is the kitchen table, with all its mess of creativity, that is my favorite spot. Life is a prayer to be lived, and at my table are nourishment for the body, mind, and soul. Here is the stuff of true freedom — to worship God, to serve a husband, to nurture a child, to welcome friends, and to truly fulfill oneself.
There you have it. All my deepest conversations with Mom took place, usually late at night, at that table. That's where we'd sit when relatives came to visit: Dad's side of the family are living-room sitters; Mom's side are kitchen-table sitters. And I always had better luck writing at the kitchen table than at any desk I ever set up. There's something homey and approachable and forgiving about a kitchen table. You're under no pressure there.
Moving along, then, here's Dad. The following essay is by Joseph Durbin, summer 1991:
My little pond, located on the southeast corner of our 10-acre plot, is the place dearest to my heart at my home.
My wife, Mary Anne, and I had the pond dug when our son Fred was 11 years old. That was in June 1977. He and his friends spent many happy hours there growing from children into young men and women.
In addition to being the site of much swimming, fishing, boating, and camping, it also was the premier locale for my son's many home movies, and later, video films.
He had a passion for writing his own scripts and then enlisting his friends to act them out for the camera. Many times I was drafted to perform at the video camera when the script called for my son to appear in the production.
I was part of the gang, accepted by the group. I can remember the day when the boys had me film them as they rode their bicycles, one by one, down the hill and into the pond, reciting poetry all the way. It was hilarious! The short, bumpy ride, the brief airborne phase, and later, the huge splash!
The pond is an enchanted place because in most people's eyes it would appear to be no more than a mere mud hole. That is because they see only with their visual senses. If they could see with their hearts, they would view an ever-changing panorama of life. The pond itself changes in size and content of life depending on rainfall or the lack thereof.
In the drought of 1988, Fred and I grasped the opportunity of low water to build a concrete retaining wall across the base of the earthen dam. Fred had never worked with concrete, but as a child had seen me pour sidewalks around our home. After I explained the process to him of the proper proportion of sand, gravel, cement, and water, he was great.
I was able to work on building the forms and putting them into place. And he kept the concrete coming to me. It seemed as if we could read each other's thoughts.
Later Fred journeyed to Japan to teach English as a second language. In addition to his classes of school children, he also had a group of about a dozen housewives as students. Fred must have told them many wondrous tales about the "enchanted pond," because one of his students, Michiko, and her two small sons, came to the United States in August 1990 for a visit with us. They just had to see all the places that Furedo-san had talked about in his classes. Needless to say, they also became enchanted with our pond.
As to the future of the pond? If I were younger, I would build a "yellow brick road" around the perimeter. At various places along the path, I would have figures of fairy-tale characters hidden in the grass or beneath the trees. I would have a footbridge across the shallow end, and also several little waterfalls to slow the water down as it entered the pond from the fields.
On the pond itself, I would float replicas of Viking dragon ships for the boys to ride on, and for the girls, perhaps swan boats.
But, alas, I'm getting too old, and the task is beyond me. But I can dream, and that is what the "enchanted pond" is all about.
And that's Dad. You can see why I love that little piece of land so much. I have the best memories of summer twilights, the fireflies winking all around, sometimes a startled deer fleeing before us from the water's edge as we approached. Dad would sit beside the water, smoking a cigarette, basking in the serenity. The purple woods marched away to the south and east. I would sit and read Stephen R. Donaldson, or Stephen King, or Clark Ashton Smith, or Lord Dunsany (those are some specific "pond books" I remember). Down there, I've encountered a wild fox red as fire. And once, I was stalked by a bobcat while camping with the reader of this blog whose icon is a brown snowflake! Wonderful place. Wonderful time.
Wonderful parents!
So, tell us your stories! Places? From your own experience, from stories . . . places in the heart.
Oh, yes — I stole that title from a beautiful movie starring Sally Field, Danny Glover, and John Malkovich. You should definitely see it!
Okay, we'll close with a few pictures from the actual movie-location Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.


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