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Ten Checks to Help Avoid Common Errors
Going through the final checks below will help you avoid errors and successfully submit your application! For additional help avoiding common errors check out our Annotated Forms with field-by-field tips on completing electronic grant application forms.
Does the DUNS number on the SF424 (R&R) cover form match the DUNS used for Grants.gov & Commons registration?
The same DUNS number must be used in your System for Award Management (SAM), Grants.gov and eRA Commons registrations as is provided on the SF424 (R&R) of your application. Otherwise, you will receive a Grants.gov or eRA Commons error upon submission.
Grants.gov validates the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) submitting the application is authorized to submit on behalf of the DUNS included in the application. eRA validates the DUNS included in the application is registered in eRA Commons and the contact PD/PI is affiliated with the organization.
Did you select the correct Type of Submission, provide the Federal Identifier, and check the Type of Application information on the SF424 (R&R) cover form?
These three fields all work together – be sure to follow the application guide instructions carefully.
Did you include the eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the R&R Sr/Key Person Profile form for all PD/PIs, project leads of multi-project components and the sponsor on Fellowship applications?
Including the eRA Commons ID for the PD/PIs is an NIH requirement and is critical to our ability to post errors, warnings and the assembled application image in eRA Commons. The eRA Commons ID is also required for the project leads of multi-project components and the sponsor on Fellowship applications.
The credential field is not marked required on the federal-wide form since not all agencies that use the form need this field. NIH uses the Health and Human Services logo within the application guide to flag agency-specific instructions and clarifications for fields on federal-wide forms. Pay special attention to the HHS "birdie" or you may miss key NIH requirements.
If submitting a Multiple-PD/PI application, did you give all PIs the PD/PI role on the Sr/Key Person Profile form?
There are several roles on the form drop-down that are similar – PD/PI, Co-PD/PI and Co-Investigator. Only the PD/PI role is recognized by NIH as the correct designation for all PIs on a multiple-PD/PI application. Using the correct designation allows the system to flag the application as multiple-PD/PI and facilitates appropriate handling of the application as it flows through review and other post-submission activities. Co-PD/PI or Co-Investigator roles hold no special meaning within NIH and should never be used with a multiple-PD/PI application. They are, however, valid roles on the form and you can use them for a single-PD/PI application. You may receive a Warning indicating the role is not appropriate for Multiple-PD/PI applications, but if Multiple-PD/PI was not your intent, then no action is necessary – simply ignore the Warning.
Did you include Organization name for all Sr/Key listed on the R&R Sr/Key Person Profile form?
The Organization name for each Sr/Key is one element used to determine potential conflicts for review. For this reason, we require applicants to provide Organization information for ALL Sr/Key entries. Again, this field is not marked required on the federal-wide forms. The Organization for the Contact PD/PI is pulled from the SF424 (R&R) cover, but you're on your own for the other Sr/Key entries and will want to double-check to ensure Organization is included.
Did you include all required attachments?
Often attachments are conditionally required based on how an applicant fills out specific questions. Here are a couple of examples:
- Answering 'Yes' to the Human Subjects question on the R&R Other Project Information form makes the attachments in the Human Subjects section of the PHS 398 Research Plan required. Similarly, if you answer 'Yes' to the Vertebrate Animals question, then the Vertebrate Animals attachment is required.
- If you have more than one entry on the R&R Sr/Key Person Profile form with the role of "PD/PI," then the Multiple PD/PI Leadership Plan attachment on the PHS 398 Research Plan form is required.
Are all your attachments in PDF format?
Grants.gov will allow other document formats, but PDF is an NIH requirement. Use simple PDF-formatted files for ALL attachments. See Format Attachments.
Did you follow the page limits specified in the FOA and application guide?
Standard page limits for various programs can be found at: Table of Page Limits. Be sure to check the FOA for any opportunity-specific exceptions or additional page limit requirements.
Did you include effort > 0 for all Sr/Key listed in Section A of the R&R Budget form?
It is not necessary to list every person from the R&R Sr/Key Person Profile form in the Sr/Key section of the R&R budget form. For the entries you do list, however, you must provide measurable effort using the Calendar Months OR a combination of Academic and Summer Month categories. Too little effort information (i.e., blanks or zeros in all three month categories) or too much information (i.e., providing non-zero values in Calendar Months and any other month category) will result in an error. For information about calculating person months, see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/person_months_faqs.htm.
Did you follow all special instructions noted in Section IV. Application and Submission Information of the announcement?
The eRA validations will catch many, but not all, submission requirements. FOA-specific requirements are not typically system-enforced. NIH may withdraw from funding consideration any application that does not comply with all FOA instructions.
Two Important Points to Remember:
- Submitting early remains the best way to ensure successful submission.
- Resources to help avoid common errors should never be used in place of the Application Guide or Funding Opportunity Announcement.
Avoiding Common Warnings
Role of Co-PD/PI not used by NIH
The role of 'Co-PD/PI', indicated for Senior/Key Person on the Senior/Key Person page, is not used by NIH. For multiple Principal Investigators, use the PD/PI role. Otherwise, select another role.
No degrees submitted for PD/PI
No degrees have been submitted for the PD/PI. If you want the degrees to be displayed on the face page of the application image, you should include them on the SF 424 (R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile form.


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Six Ingredients for the New Bride (or tired mom):
My family is not loving regular pesto made with basil, so I decided to try this recipe by Giada.
Kids and adults loved it this past Shabbat lunch, including my one year old nephew, who literally – practically, devoured his plate.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto by Giada De Laurentiis
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves OR 1/4 cup of prepared basil pesto
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- toasted pine nuts (optional)
Directions for this Kosher Recipe
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper,pine nuts(optional) to taste, and basil or pre-made pesto in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan, or omit to make it pareve.
Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve with toasted pine nuts on top.
adapted from Food Network

subset: commoncrawl


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My friend, Fern who lives all the way in Australia and I had lost touch until very recently. She moved to Australia for college while I stayed behind and during the initial years we kept in touch by writing good old fashioned blue aerograms to each other. Somehow in the transition from snail mail to email we lost each other. We reconnected via Facebook (there are some advantages to giving up your privacy) and I was amused and delighted to see on Facebook the photos of the yummy looking food she cooked regularly.
She just started her own blog, To Food with Love and has been posting some pretty delicious creations. The recipe below is just one of the amazing dishes she has been cooking up.
We have not spoken for years but are now in constant touch through our shared love of food, cooking and taking photos of our food. Interestingly enough, when we were friends in high school, we never talked about food. I didn't even know she was such a foodie. Perhaps, we had more important things to discuss (Chemistry, Physics and boys!).
Fern, had we known this about each other I am sure we would have been much better friends. 🙂
Salmon with Teriyaki Glaze and Broccoli
Preheat oven to 400F
Coat the salmon with some of the marinade and stand for 10 minutes. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake in oven for about 10 minutes (depending on thickness of the salmon) or until done to your liking. Do not overcook. Baste with marinade once or twice while baking.
Place the rest of the marinade in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, and cook till reduced to a thick syrupy consistency. Drizzle over salmon and serve with Japanese sushi rice or Thai Jasmine rice.
Steam broccoli until cooked (2 min. or so). Alternatively, blanch in a pot of salted boiling water with a dash of oil added to it. Remove, drain and place in a bowl/plate.
Heat up oil in a small pan and fry garlic till light brown and crisp. Remove garlic and place on top of broccoli. Sprinkle a little salt to season.
Add the seaweed to the pan with the garlic oil and sear for a few seconds. Remove from heat and carefully add the soy sauce into the pan. Pour onto broccoli, toss lightly and serve.


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Luxury Ski Apartments in Borovets & Bansko
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NEW - Live weather reports, live ski run conditions and live lift status
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Borovets Ski Experience is run by the apartment owners in Borovets.
We are the only Borovets internet site to show realtime availability, show you exactly where your apartment is located and provide onilne confirmation of your booking.
We have selected one of the best agents within Borovets to look after you during your stay and they will cater to all your needs, from ski hire, ski lessons, snowboard hire, airport transfers to private ski or snowboard lessons.
You can now also search for the cheapest flights to Bulgaria using our online search facility. Search over 600 airlines for the best price.
Borovets Ski Experience
Borovets has got the lot and is in the top visited ski resorts in Bulgaria. It is Bulgaria's first ski resort, dating from the 19th century when it was only known to an exclusive few. Set amidst the majestic forest-clad Rila Mountains, once a hunting ground for Bulgarian Kings, Borovets is now internationally renowned. There are lots of bars and cafes, and these along with the many clubs make après-ski a real attraction. Quite rightly, skiing is its prime concern and Borovets is justly popular with all grades of skiers, with a setting that's near perfect. If you haven't discovered this ski resort yet, you're in for a treat!
Just one hour away from the capital Sofia. Semiramida Gardens is the culmination of 2 years meticulous planning and is its own purpose built ski village in the very heart of Borovets extensive ski network.
Flanked by picturesque woodland on three sides, Semiramida Gardens takes full advantage of its idyllic setting and the sympathetic design maximizes sunlight and allows all apartments generous south facing balconies opening on the dramatic landscape.
The resort's network of pistes and lifts are quite literally on the doorstep and has luxury leisure facilities including: modern spa & wellness centre, indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, sauna, Steam Room, Jacuzzi and relaxation room. The five star facilities will be complemented by an international cuisine restaurant, lobby bar, late night bar, underground parking and 24 hour security and concierge.
With the capital Sofia just an hour away, this truly 'ski-in', 'ski-out' complex is the perfect setting for a holiday.


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What happens when you try to feed 5,000 hungry bloggers at once?
Lunch at BlogHer was insane. We arrived early (before they even opened the doors) and raced in to grab a table before getting food. It's a good thing we did too, because all the tables filled up quickly and everyone who grabbed food first was struggling to find seats. We waited (or tried to wait) for the lines to die down, but even after 15 minutes, the lines still wrapped around the second floor of the hotel. Luckily there were enough food stations where the lines moved quickly.
Kudos to the hotel catering staff for trying to feed all 5,000 attendees at once. I can't even imagine how big of a challenge that was. They were refilling food as soon as it ran out (which happened quickly), and I think the two folks who were wheeling the dessert carts out were almost trampled as various bloggers raced after them for mini cakes. I mean, I wasn't one of them. Obviously. 😉
The food was pretty good. I grabbed a delicious roasted veggie sandwich, cous cous, and roasted vegetables.
Alright, I lied. I was totally one of the bloggers tracking down the dessert cart. I <3 mini desserts!
Martha Stewart was our lunch time key note speaker yesterday.
I've always been a fan of Martha, but I think I'm an even bigger fan now. She's just so real and personable and she seems to really get the strength behind social media and bloggers. She writes her own blog at www.themarthablog.com, which she started in the early 2000s. And, no, her staff doesn't write it for her – it's all her own voice and words and one of her favorite things. Love.
After lunch I headed to a couple of sessions.
First up, Strategic Content Development Across Multiple Media with Issa Rae, Franchesca Ramsey, Luvvie Ajayi, and Dr. Goddess.
The panel was mainly made up of YouTube heavy bloggers. They were hilarious and spoke about what inspired their content (friends, family, trends, etc.) and reminded us not to be afraid to put stuff out there. If no one took risks, then the internet would be a very boring place.
Second, Media Training for Bloggers with Elaine Wu and Julie Crabill.
This was more of a PR bootcamp for bloggers. What I really took away from it, were the notes on finding your own voice and sticking with. They reiterated to have confidence in your niche "expertise," don't give the answer you think people want to hear – give the answer you truly believe in, and don't struggle to come up with an answer if you don't have it – admit that you don't know.
Both sessions were pretty inspiring. I can't wait to see what the sessions bring today.
After the last session we grabbed a cab across town and headed to Physique57 for a special class with Well and Good NYC.
A couple of years ago I received the Physique57 DVD (review HERE). The DVD was great, but it wasn't interesting enough to keep me going back to it. I think I maybe did it two or three times before I set it on my on my DVD rack and never touched it again. I think my problem was A) not having someone there personally showing me what to do and correcting me along the way and B) it was easy to take mini breaks when I should have kept going. It's one thing to do the DVD all-out – including the million straight leg lifts -but, let's face it, it's 10 times harder to stick to it when your in your living room and no one is staring your down. The classroom setting is always better.
When Ashley began to set-up the Physique57 event with Well and Good NYC, I was curious to really discover the difference between the DVD and the class.
The class was led by Physique57 co-founder Tanya Becker. Tanya just had twins (!!) 4 months ago and was so cute and so full of energy, it was hard not to instantly fall in love with her. We started with free weights, then moved to the bar and did moves that incorporated the ball, mats, bands, and, of course, the bar. I've taken a few other barre method classes in the last couple of years, and I have to stay that this was the hardest of all the barre method classes I've ever taken. I stuck to my guns and tried not to give up when my body started to shake, and I could really feel it in my legs and arms.
Tanya was amazing. She never got mean, and instead kept the encouragement up by making us laugh and telling us we could do this. I also loved the one-on-one corrections taking place. I think that's what I was really missing with the DVD. You can be doing a move as simple as lifting your leg up and down while leaning on the bar and not feel a thing, but she would come up behind you and turn your knee a certain way and BAM you could feel it. Burn, baby, burn.
My only regret with the class was wearing running shorts – big mistake! If you take a barre method class be sure to wear leggings or tight-fitting shorts or pants. Apparently I missed that memo and I apologize to any of my fellow class mates I may have accidentally flashed during class. Whoops. Good thing we're all friends.
Did you know Chobani opened a yogurt bar store front in NYC? A whole store dedicated to greek yogurt. You pick your yogurt, pick your toppings, and enjoy. Pretty cool. We had a few creations waiting for us to try after class. I had a plain yogurt with pistachio, mint, chocolate chips, and orange slices , yum.
Thank you Well and Good NYC and Physique57 for hosting a great class!
Our group took advantage of the free showers at Physique57 and freshened up before heading out to dinner at Agave.
I had the Rosita, a spicy strawberry margarita. I love spicy drinks – this was fabulous.
Left to right: Gina, Me, Sabrina, Ashley, Theodora, Caitlin, Erica, and Cat.
We started with guacamole
And I ordered the chicken enchiladas.
They were delicious, but super heavy. 🙂
We sat for dinner at 7:00, but didn't leave our table until close to 11:00. We couldn't stop talking, the conversation just flowed and flowed. This is a group of amazing ladies and I love and respect everyone of them.
We walked home and I immediately crashed. It was a long, but exciting day.
I can't wait for day 2!


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Key Features:
- Operating voltage: VDD = 1.8 to 5.5 V
- Max. frequency: 20 MHz
- ROM capacities: 64 KB to 128 KB
- RAM capacities: 4 KB to 7 KB
- Package: 80-pin, 100-pin, 128-pin plastic LQFP package
- Minimum instruction execution time can be changed from high speed (0.05 μs: @ 20 MHz operation with highspeed system clock) to ultra low-speed (61 μs: @ 32.768 kHz operation with subsystem clock)
- General-purpose register: 8 bits x 32 registers (8 bits x 8 registers x 4 banks)
- On-chip internal high-speed oscillation clock
- 8 MHz internal high-speed s oscillation clock: 8 MHz ± 2 %
- 1 MHz internal high-speed s oscillation clock: 1 MHz ± 13 %
- On-chip single-power-supply flash memory (with prohibition of chip erase/block erase/writing function)
- Self-programming (with boot swap function/flash shield window function)
- On-chip debug function
- On-chip power-on-clear (POC) circuit and low-voltage detector (LVI)
- On-chip watchdog timer (can operate on dedicated internal low-speed oscillation clock)
- On-chip multiplier/divider (16 bits x 16 bits, 32 bits / 32 bits)
- On-chip key interrupt function
- On-chip clock output/buzzer output controller (output: 2)
- On-chip BCD adjustment
- I/O ports:
- 51 : 80-pin products
- 67 (N-ch open drain: 2) : 100-pin products
- 83 (N-ch open drain: 2) : 128-pin products
- Serial interface:
- CSI: 2 channels/UART: 1 channel
- CSI: 1 channel/UART: 1 channel/simplified I2C: 1 channel
- CSI: 1 channel/UART: 1 channel/simplified I2C: 1 channel
- UART (LIN-bus supported): 1 channel
- Multimaster I2C: 1 channel
- 10-bit resolution A/D converter: 8/12 channels(μPD78F151xA only)
- 12-bit resolution A/D converter: 8/12 channels(μPD78F150xA only)
- 12-bit resolution D/A converter: 2 channels(μPD78F150xA only)
- Operational amplifier: 2/3 channels(μPD78F150xA only)
- On-chip voltage reference (2.0 V/2.5 V)(μPD78F150xA only)
- LCD controller/driver (Internal voltage boosting method, capacitor split method, and external resistance division method are switchable)
- DMA controller: 2 channels
- Operating ambient temperature: TA = -40 to +85°C
Pin Count / Memory Size Lineup:
Below you will find information to support the development of your application.
You can find an explanation of orderable part numbers here.
Resources for Software and Hardware
|My Renesas
|Create a My Renesas account to use our tool download services, receive e-newsletter/update notifications, and take advantage of our other services.
|Information for studying and learning about microcontrollers and microprocessors.
|Frequently asked questions and useful hints for development.
|A forum and community site to share technical information, questions and opinions with others who use Renesas products.
|Watch videos related to this product.
Software Design Support
|An integrated development environment that can be used for coding, assembling/compiling, and simulation. (Also included with Renesas Starter Kits.)
|A standard Renesas on-chip debugging emulator that enables users to carry out ample debugging for real development at low cost. (Also included with starter kits.)
Hardware Design Support
|Characteristics data
|Information on observed values. Please use this as reference data when developing your set.
The information contained herein has been provided by a member of Renesas Partners. This information is provided on the Renesas website provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Renesas is not responsible for the contents of this page or any changes or updates to the information posted on this page. Certain links provided herein permit you to leave this site and enter non-Renesas sites. These linked sites are not under control of Renesas. Renesas is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any changes or updates to such sites. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Renesas of any linked site.
Renesas's Publication of information regarding third-party products or services does not constitute an endorsement regarding the suitability of such products or services or a warranty, representation or endorsement of such products or services either alone or in combination with any of Renesas's product or service.


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Great flyer for events this Candy, Buy it, great design!
- PSD - Size 4×7" with 0.25" bleeds - CMYK 300DPI - Layer organized
Name font: Pasifico
The photos are not included in this file, used only for illustrative purposes. More information for the photo used in this flyer, in the text document to download the file


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Not all of us have the latest and greatest hardware, and some us are even still stuck in G4 land. Despite this fact, we can't help but indulge ourselves in some of the "less" expensive Apple garb; iPods and Apple TVs. There is one problem with this: if you want to encode any content to H.264, the process will grind your machine to a halt and set you back several hours of production depending on the size of the file and the quality you are encoding to. So what is a Mac user supposed to do besides drop a ton of cash on some fancy new hardware? The answer, at least according to the Register, is to purchase Elgato's Turbo H.264.
In the Register's review, their findings were pretty much in line with Elgato's claims: the device cut the encoding process anywhere from 1/2 to 1/3 the time as compared to the 1.83GHz MacBook used during the tests. Judging by the sample images, there is a small difference in the quality of the final products, but the review claims that when watched on an iPod or AppleTV, the differences turn out to be nominal. While the Register finds the lack of advanced settings on the software that accompanies the hardware annoying, they generally have positive things to say.
Routing any intensive CPU process to dedicated hardware is never really a bad thing (unless it puts a strain on your wallet). For $100, it seems like a hard thing to argue against if you do much encoding. The time saved through faster encoding almost makes the $100 seem paltry.


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The VAF draws scholars and professionals from across complementary disciplines who approach the everyday built environment as a window into history, life, and culture. Become a part of this active community of architectural historians, urban planners, preservationists, historians, art historians, landscape historians, geographers, curators, folklorists, archeologists, and designers by joining the VAF today.
Benefits include:
You can pay by credit card (via PayPal) or a PayPal account, which will activate your account immediately.
Mailed payments can be sent with invoice to:
Once we receive the payment we will update the status of your membership.
Vernacular Architecture Forum
Claudia R. Brown, VAF Treasurer
1800 Eastwood Rd., Unit #160
Wilmington, NC 28403


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Portia Iverson and Jon Shestack learned their first child, Dov, had severe autism in 1995, when he was almost three years old.
"I just remember sitting by his crib and just crying and crying," says Portia. "He was slipping away, every minute."
Like all parents, they wanted to know what to do.
"So, we said, 'OK. What's there in medicine?' There wasn't anything in medicine," recalls Jon. "And then we said, 'Well, they must be doing research.' But there was no 'They.' There just wasn't."
Autism had long been neglected. So Portia, an accomplished set designer, and Jon, a successful movie producer, formed a parents' organization called Cure Autism Now.
When NBC News first visited them in 1999, they were lobbying Congress for money and attention. But more important, Jon and Portia were learning the scientific details so parents could push the research.
Today the organization can share credit for a new blood bank where researchers look for genes that might cause autism. Scientists say the group has brought increasing focus to autism in many labs.
"It has directly changed the scene of autism research in the United States," says Dr. Michael Merzenich at the University California, San Francisco.
"I've never seen more effective parent involvement in any disorder," agrees Dr. Daniel Geschwind, a genetics researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles.
How does it feel for Jon and Portia to know they can move science and politics like that?
"People told us in the beginning you can't hurry science," laughs Portia. "Well, you can. You really can. You can treat it like a low-budget movie and make it go fast. And that's what we've done."
But of course it is never fast enough. Dov, now 13, remains profoundly affected. And while autism is getting more attention, it still receives far less money than any disorder that affects as many people.
So is Cure Autism Now an ambitious name for their organization?
"It will always be [a] real good idea until it is done," says Jon. "And then when it's done, we'll be happy to retire the name."


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Venezuela Prison Riot Kills Dozens: Report
A jail riot in southwestern Venezuela killed dozens of people on Friday, local media reported, the latest incident in the ongoing crisis in the South American nation's crowded prisons.
Violence broke out after news of an inspection to confiscate weapons at the Centro Occidental jail, Prisons Minister Iris Varela said in a statement, without providing a death toll.
Local media reports say between 26 and 54 people were killed and dozens wounded.
A prisons ministry source told Reuters that "many" had been killed, including one national guard officer, but declined to offer more details. The source said the ministry would hold a news conference on Saturday with details.
The violence involved both a struggle between rival gangs for control of the jail and a confrontation between inmates and troops called in to calm the situation, Varela said.
Venezuelan prisons are controlled by armed gangs that have rioted repeatedly over the last several years due to disputes with jail authorities or prison leaders.
"Who is going to be blamed for this new massacre in one of our country's jails? Incompetent and irresponsible government," tweeted opposition leader Henrique Capriles.
The South American nation's 34 prisons were designed to hold around a third of the 50,000 inmates now in them, according to local prison advocacy groups. Many of the prisoners are armed and hundreds are killed each year in riots and gang fights.
A month-long siege occurred in 2011 at El Rodeo prison, just outside the capital of Caracas, when 22 died before some 5,000 soldiers restored order.


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Standard Shipping for U.S. Orders
You may receive your order anywhere from 5-10 business days from the date that it is shipped out, not necessarily from the date that it is ordered. After your payment is authorized and verified, it can still take up to 3-5 business days to process your order. FedEx Shipping is limited to the 48 contiguous United States. Shipping addresses in Hawaii, Alaska, and US Territories will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail. You will receive a shipping notification email that will notify you of the carrier we've used to ship your order, and the different tracking options available for it.
Free standard shipping is valid for orders of $75 or more shipping to one US destination only, contiguous United States.
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Special Offer!
ADT®-Monitored Home Security in Lawrence
PLUS, get $850 in Security Equipment including:
*With $99 installation with purchase of 36/24 mo. monitoring contract. Termination fee applies. New customers only. See offer details below.
Special Offer!
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PLUS, get $850 in Security Equipment including:
*With $99 installation with purchase of 36/24 mo. monitoring contract.
Termination fee applies. New customers only. See offer details below.
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Home Security in Lawrence, Michigan
According to jsu.edu, each year there are over 2.2 million burglaries in the US, which means that every 15 seconds, a burglary is committed
Your Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Burglary in Lawrence, MI
No one likes thinking about potentially becoming a victim of crime in Michigan, but every single day in the US a break-in happens every 4 seconds. It's easy to say "it won't happen to me" but 2.2 million families fall victim of burglaries each year in the US. Don't let your home in Lawrence become part of those statistics. Installing a new home security system and along with monitoring from ADT your home could be protected and your family safer.
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ADT monitoring is a leader in monitored home security, but it also offers important services such as Emergency Alert Monitoring, Flood Monitoring, and Fire and Smoke Monitoring.
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ADT is so confident in the quality of their monitoring services, that if your home is broken into while your system is armed, ADT will pay up to $500 of your homeowners insurance deductible (certain restrictions may apply).
Burglaries Cost More than You Think
Being the victim of a home burglary can be a very distressing experience. Stress may become compounded once the financial impact of a burglary becomes apparent. According to the FBI, burglary victims in 2011 faced, on average, nearly $2,200 in property loss. This number doesn't take into consideration additional expenses in the form of lost wages, insurance deductibles, and various other costs. Residents of some cities were victims of as many as 109101 property crimes and 27459 burglaries in 2011. Several of these burglaries could have been prevented had homeowners installed home security systems, which can deter potential intruders from breaking into a residence.
Why Michigan Homeowners Choose ADT Monitoring Systems
There are many different reasons Michigan residents choose ADT Security Monitoring to help protect their home & family from burglary and other disasters. But we thought we'd list just a few reasons for choosing SafeStreets USA and ADT.
Multiple types of protection. ADT monitored security systems not only help protect against burglaries and home invasion, but also helps against fire and even carbon monoxide poisoning. An alarm can help wake your family in case of smoke and fire. A panic button can also help contact police or fire department during an emergency, perhaps even saving your life.
Security equipment that's easy to use. With just a push of a button you can easily arm and disarm your system. And with the panic button your family can quickly alert emergency response such as police or the need of an ambulance.
Dependable equipment and confident monitoring your home security system is monitored 24 hours a day and 365 days per year by trained staff at the ready. ADT provides great redundancy with 6 US monitoring centers your home is never unprotected. If one center is down then another automatically starts monitoring your home.
Quick deployment of first responders. At any time your alarm is triggered or you push the panic button, ADT's monitoring centers will quickly try and verify your situation. If you are having an actual emergency ADT will immediately notify police or fire responders with your exact location and details.
Tip of the week: Home Office Safety Tips
Plan for the Worst
You may not want to think about life's dangers but things like fires can affect anyone at any time. Even if the likelihood of an emergency in your home office is small, it's important to plan for the worst and be prepared.
We recommend thinking of a list of possible dangers in your own office and items that you would need should this become a reality. We've suggested the essentials.
Home Office Safety Solutions
- Smoke Alarms – You will already have these in your home but why not install another in your office due to the large amount of electricals? Remember to check the batteries regularly.
- Fire Extinguishers – Make sure you are confident with using one before you do so. Be aware that there are various types for different types of fire. Keep a cool head if a fire occurs and make sure you use the right type.
- Carbon Monoxide Detectors – You might put your headache down to your heavy workload but what if you're actually being poisoned? Installing a detector is easy and necessary safety solution.
- First Aid Kit – Even if you do not recognize an immediate risk, accidents can and do happen. An easy to access first aid kit means you can quickly fix up your injury and get back to work.
- Liquids and Electrical Equipment – Don't store any liquids next to anything electrical. The smallest spill could easily lead to a fire.
- Water – It sounds obvious but without a designated lunch break, you might forget to keep hydrated. Look after yourself by drinking regularly and give yourself time to eat. Just keep any drinks away from electronics.
Cord Clutter
We strongly recommend investing in power cord ties. Leaving numerous cords strewn across your office makes you vulnerable to fires and falls. It's quick and easy to minimize the risks with this simple accessory.
Other simple tidy safety solution tips for your home office include having a designated coaster location for drinks to minimize risk of spills and an indoor trash can to prevent any buildup of litter.
Prevent Theft of all Types
As a remote worker, you are likely to have a large amount of valuable belongings – as well as data – stored in your home office.
To protect your data, you can practice good computer security by installing virus software, having strong passwords and backing up your files. Consider using a password manager as an extra level of security.
It's important to look after your physical belongings as well. You may be well-protected against virtual threats but you need to prevent real intruders too. The amount of sensitive files in your office put you at risk of identity and data theft.
There is also the danger of burglary. If your equipment was stolen, you would suffer financially as this can stop you from working. Consider installing a burglar alarm to safeguard your office space. You should always protect your home office in the same way a shop owner would protect their stock.
Security Safety Solutions for Your Home Office
- Motion Sensors – These will monitor movement so that you can be alerted if there is suspicious activity in your home office.
- Video Surveillance – Home surveillance is very useful for crime reporting as well as prevention due to its use as a deterrent. You can also use it for reassurance thanks to our Interactive Video service so you can see live video of your home office wherever you are.
- Remote Access – It's not just video surveillance you can access on your smartphone but also your door locks, thermostats and lights as well as alert systems. There's no need to worry about whether you've locked up or not as you can do it all from the palm of your hand. You can also turn the lights on when you're out to deter would-be burglars away.
Remember, your home office is your workplace and you're the boss. Look after it!


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All questions unanswered answered most popular
Hell's Kitchen Q&A :
Dining room/Kitchen Toggle?
Posted: jan 22, 2012 10:25 pm
In the wii version of this game, you can push left or right to instantly toggle between the kitchen and the dining room. I can't find one in the pc version. Does anyone know of one?
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Los Angeles, CA � March 17, 2008 -- TV Land announced today that it has greenlit four pilots as part of its ongoing original programming agenda, it was announced today by Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land. The channel, which recently rolled out "High School Reunion" to double digit ratings increases, will continue to rev-up production on programming designed to appeal specifically to viewers in their 40's.
The pilots unveiled by TV Land include:
"First Love, Second Chance" -- gives long-lost sweethearts an opportunity to rekindle their romance -- years later. Whether it is unrequited love or a relationship that ended badly, the couples decide if there's still a romantic link after all these years. "First Love, Second Chance" is produced for TV Land by Granada America Entertainment ("Celeb Fit Club" and "Hell's Kitchen"). Paul Buccieri, Drew Hoegl and Andrew Singer serve as executive producers. (60 Minutes)
"Now or Never" -- Empty nesters are given the chance of a lifetime to open a new chapter in their lives by pursuing careers that they always dreamed of�but never dared to pursue. In each installment, couples try out their dream jobs, a new place to live and a whole new social scene before making the gut-wrenching decision of which path to follow. "Now or Never" is produced for TV Land by RDF USA ("Wife Swap"). Chris Coelen, Charles Tremayne and Stef Wagstaffe serve as executive producers. (60 Minutes)
"Make My Day" � provides a window into one day in the life of an unsuspecting participant. Hidden cameras capture the action as contestants are put through a series of weird coincidences, extraordinary situations and surprise appearances. "Make My Day" is produced for TV Land by Embassy Row ("Power of Ten" and "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"), Monkey Kingdom and Sony Pictures Television. Michael Davies serves as the executive producer. (30 Minutes)
"What's In The Box?" � TV Land's first game show in which individual contestants square off in the ultimate, fast-paced 20 question competition. Through a series of pointed yes or no answers to questions like "Does it move?" or "Is it man-made?," the players must figure out what's in the box without giving their opponent the upper-hand � all for a cash jackpot and a chance to win a fabulous grand prize. "What's In The Box?" is produced for TV Land by Bunim-Murray Productions ("Real World," "Road Rules" and "The Simple Life") with Jon Murray serving as the executive producer. (30 Minutes)
"This latest crop of originals reflects the motivation of people in their 40's to tune-in to see programming that is fun, upbeat, uplifting and entertaining and that most of all -- puts them first," stated Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land. "These shows are a perfect complement to our existing slate of originals and continue to underscore our commitment to entertain this underserved audience."
In addition to these pilots, the following is a list of premiere dates for other previously announced original programs.
"The Big 4-0" � TV Land viewers are invited to celebrate the festivities surrounding one of life's major milestones � turning the Big 4-0. From bull-riding to sky-diving, "Big 4-0" gives a glimpse into the exhilaration of the quintessential events of those who are cart-wheeling into a new life-stage -- their 40's. The "Big 4-0" is produced for TV Land by 3Ball Productions ("Beauty and the Geek" and "The Biggest Loser"). Keith Cox serves as executive producer for TV Land. (30 Minutes) Premieres on April 16, 2008 at 10:00PM ET/PT.
"She's Got The Look" � For the first time, TV Land and acclaimed modeling powerhouse Wilhelmina team up to search the country to find the greatest undiscovered models age 35 and older. The aspirants will be flown to New York City to live in a house together where they will face various challenges such as photo shoots and tests on their fashion acumen. Eliminations will occur weekly until the ultimate winner is crowned. Fashion icon and supermodel Kim Alexis is the host. Celebrity stylist Robert Verdi, Wilhelmina president Sean Patterson, and supermodel Beverly Johnson are judges of this six-episode series. "She's Got The Look" is an Allison Grodner Production with Allison Grodner ("Big Brother") serving as executive producer. Sean Patterson and Corey Preston are the executive producers for Wilhelmina. Keith Cox and Sal Maniaci are executive producers for TV Land and Marco Bresaz serves as Executive in Charge of Production for TV Land. Premieres on June 4, 2008 at 10:00PM ET/PT.
"Family Foreman" � In this six episode series, TV Land gives viewers an intimate look at George Foreman, the former heavyweight boxing champ who reinvented himself as a successful businessman and pitchman. Viewers will get a rare glimpse into his home life as a minister and father to ten children, five of whom are also named George Edward Foreman. Family Foreman is produced for TV Land in partnership with New Line Television. The executive producers are George Foreman Sr., George Foreman Jr., George Foreman III, Jim Rosenthal and Jon Kroll. Premieres on July 16, 2008 at 10:00PM ET/PT.
"The 6th Annual TV Land Awards" is the network's annual salute to all things television from classic stars to future classics � all whose work will endure the true test of time. Several awards will be bestowed upon some of television's luminaries from the past and present. The announcements of award categories and the host are expected in early spring 2008. The 6th Annual TV Land Awards is produced by Chloe Productions. Michael Levitt ("Billboard Music Awards"), Larry W. Jones and Sal Maniaci serve as executive producers of the 6th Annual TV Land Awards. Premieres in summer 2008.
About TV Land
TV Land continues to build the ultimate entertainment brand on all platforms for consumers in their 40's and 50's. Armed with a slate of original programming, newly acquired classic and contemporary TV, hit movies and its redesigned website -- TVLand.com -- the network is uniquely positioned to superserve the first generation of Americans who grew up alongside television. The network's program mix features original programming, popular dramas, sitcoms and westerns in a fun-filled, pop culture environment featuring a roster of popular shows including All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Andy Griffith Show and Just Shoot Me!, which joined TV Land in January, 2008. In the coming months, the network will roll out a slate of new original series' such as High School Reunion, She's Got The Look, Family Foreman and The Big 4-0. TVLand.com, the network's Emmy Award-winning Web site, is devoted to all aspects of entertainment including TV, music and movies and features full-length episodes, a movie trailer database and over a dozen radio stations. TV Land is now seen in over 90 million U.S. homes.
About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.


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The trades are reporting that Community producers/directors Joe and Anthony Russo are reportedly in "final negotiations" to direct Captain America 2 for Marvel.
According to our earlier interview with Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, this next movie will be all about Steve's journey in the modern world. He's going to stay with S.H.I.E.L.D., for now.
Chris Evans was also quoted telling the foreign press these details about his characters future, "I think they're going to try and push it in the direction of a political thriller. It picks up where we leave off with The Avengers. And Captain Rogers goes back to working for S.H.I.E.L.D. That's all he knows. He understands the military, he understands serving his country, so he goes back to serving his country with S.H.I.E.L.D. But we've got some good new characters in there. I probably can't tell you too much more or I'll get in trouble."
Great news for people who like to see Community's creators succeeding, post-Dan Harmon. Let's hope they find a way to slip Magnitude in there somehow.
[via Variety]


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Marquette beats New Hampshire
Chris Otule and Todd Mayo each scored 16 points to help No. 25 Marquette withstand a scare from New Hampshire in a 58-53 victory Thursday night.
Jamil Wilson added nine points, three steals and two blocks for the Golden Eagles (3-1), who shot just 32.7 percent (17 of 52) from the floor, including 13.6 percent (3 for 22) from 3-point range.
Patrick Konan had 14 points and 10 rebounds for New Hampshire (2-2). Chris Pelcher, the reigning America East player of the week, managed only six points and fouled out with 9:41 left.
It was the first meeting between the schools and the first game for Marquette since shooting 18.9 percent Saturday in a 52-35 loss to Ohio State that snapped the Golden Eagles' home winning streak at 27 games -- the longest active streak in the country at the time.


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It has been a grey damp day here in London. Glad to be tucked in working from home with the cat on my lap and a fresh pot of the black stuff. I have been beavering away on a pile of image data for Magica Levantina, a University of Cologne project on magical texts from the ancient Near East. Although I am a Research Associate at the Cologne Center for eHumanities, I have spent a good portion of my time working in museum collections far beyond Cologne, including the Princeton, Philadelphia, Paris, Naples, and soon (all being well) Jerusalem. But for now I have been working at the British Museum, which happily is not far from home and is giving me a bit of a break from the travel.
This week I have been conducting Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) on inscribed tablets fragments in the Department of Greece and Rome. The tablet fragments are made of selenite (gypsum), and were found at the site of Amathus and date to between 100 CE-300 CE.
The almost complete tablet above bears a curse written in alphabetic Greek. However, the technique used to make the inscription, combined with its small size and the translucence of the material, make it very challenging to read or discern other potentially significant physical features.
BM staff very kindly took the tablet off display* yesterday so I could image it using RTI. The detail to the right does not really do justice to the results I processed today since it is not possible in this context to have the relighting and other functionality of the RTIViewer. Nevertheless, the text is now vastly more readable.
Thanks to the magic of modern tablets, this ancient one, or at least its visual surrogate, is currently making its way through the ether to my colleagues in Cologne.
* The tablet was put promptly back on display today I am told (Room G72/2), so do pop down to the British Museum and take a closer look.


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Greenguard Certifies Kydex Full Line of Thermoplastic Sheets and Panels
KYDEX, LLC, the manufacturer of KYDEX® thermoplastic sheet, is proud to announce that its full product line is now GREENGUARD® Certified by the GREENGUARD® Children & Schools℠ Certification Program.
Full KYDEX® Product Line Earns GREENGUARD® Certification
KYDEX, LLC, the manufacturer of KYDEX® thermoplastic sheet, is proud to announce that its full product line is now GREENGUARD® Certified by the GREENGUARD® Children & Schools℠ Certification Program. GREENGUARD® Certified products contribute to good indoor air quality, helping to limit chemical exposure and improve health.
"We are extremely proud of our GREENGUARD® Certification. As a global leader in plastic sheet manufacturing, we are pleased to learn that we are contributing to good indoor air quality while producing the highest quality sheet," commented Jim Medalie, president of KYDEX.
To become GREENGUARD® Certified, KYDEX® sheet was tested to identify potentially harmful chemical emissions to confirm that levels are within allowable limits, selected from existing third-party standards and guidelines, by the GREENGUARD® Environmental Institute (GEI), an industry-independent, third-party organization. As part of this process, KYDEX® sheet was screened for more than 10,000 individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs), using risk levels or guidelines from proven health standards, to ensure the product emits the fewest possible chemicals into the indoor environment.
By using products bearing the GREENGUARD® Certification mark, architects, designers, and specifiers can be assured these products have been independently verified to meet some of the most rigorous chemical emission standards in the world. In addition, numerous global, federal, state, and local authorities recognize the value and specify GREENGUARD® Certified products in their green building codes and purchase specifications.
The GREENGUARD® Children & Schools℠ Certification Program focuses on building products and materials used in schools, daycare, and healthcare facilities. Recognizing that children are more sensitive to chemicals and that schools are different than commercial buildings, GEI developed this program using the most stringent product emission criteria in the market. By qualifying for this Certification, the full KYDEX® product line also meets all standards for the GREENGUARD® Indoor Air Quality Certification Program.
As a GREENGUARD® Certified product, KYDEX® sheet will undergo periodic verification processes to remain certified.
About KYDEX, LLC
KYDEX, LLC, is a U.S.-based manufacturer of proprietary thermoplastic sheet products marketed worldwide under the trademark KYDEX®. The company's headquarters, major manufacturing operation, customer service, and R&D facilities in Bloomsburg, PA, USA, are certified to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system and the ISO 14001 environmental management system. Technical service, customer service, and sales representatives provide technical advice on designing and manufacturing components with KYDEX® sheet products.
About GREENGUARD® Environmental Institute (GEI)
Founded in 2001, GEI is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD® Certification Program℠. The Institute's mission is to protect human health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air that people breathe. As an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Authorized Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for building materials, interior products, furnishings, electronic equipment, indoor environments and buildings. The more than 200,000 GREENGUARD® Certified products must meet stringent, third-party standards for low chemical emissions based on established health standards and undergo rigorous testing and verification processes on a regular basis. GREENGUARD® Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by a number of "green" building programs, including the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program.
About the GREENGUARD® Children & Schools℠ Certification Program
The GREENGUARD® Children & Schools℠ Certification Program certifies products that meet the testing and performance criteria of the California Department of Health Services (CA DHS) Standard Practice (CA Section 01350). Certified products are recognized and specified by the nation's leading organizations focused on sustainability, including the USGBC's LEED® program.


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NBA 2K13 breaks franchise sales records
NBA 2K13 sold 49% more in its first week than the previous record holder, NBA 2K11, according to 2K Sports.
To quote an elder statesman of the basketball genre, NBA 2K13 is on fire. 2K Sports announced today that the the game broke franchise sales records in its first week, toppling the previous franchise record-holder NBA 2K11.
According to 2K, 2K13 sold 49% more than 2K11 did. The company credits the global market for this, since the international sales of the game were 66% higher than 2K11. The company also boasts that online users doubled from last year's installment, and the number of online games increased 127%.
2K is getting more of a foothold in the basketball market, which will make for an interesting battle next year. EA recently canceled NBA Live 13, the third time in a row the company nixed one of its basketball titles. It claims to be aiming for next year, but after so long of going unopposed, 2K may have a competitive edge in the market. And Jay-Z.
Steve Watts posted a new article, NBA 2K13 breaks franchise sales records.
NBA 2K13 sold 49% more in its first week than the previous record holder, NBA 2K11, according to 2K Sports.


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slav.georgiev.3 - Tuesday 20/11/2012, 12:54
Hey, guys! I started playing the game about two weeks ago, and even though I am starting to grasp the basics of the game, I am still a bloody rookie.
I am most interested in ELO Mode but I struggle with it. My highest ELO so far is 1102 with a mono Bangers deck. But I am not sure I like the Bangers that much, they seem a little shaky.
So, what I am looking for here is for experienced players--people who regularly get over the 1,300 ELO mark, to give me some advice on how to build a competitive deck for ELO.
Now, before you all jump at me, I'd like to point out that:
1. I understand that the specifics of the meta game make it very difficult to lay out a perfect set of rules;
2. I know that between mono- and half-decks, probably at least 15 of the 22 available clans enjoy regular success on a weekly basis and different strategies can be equally viable;
3. I also know that the same one deck can do wonders in the hands of one experienced player, and then perform sub-par in the hands of an equally experienced player with different preferences and tactical approach.
So, what I am basically looking for is general input from experienced deckbuilders that can show me the ropes in regards to the specific requirements of the ELO mode: the rules of thumb on how to create a solid deck that will perform well once I master it, how to tell a good 2*, 3*, 4* or 5* star card from a bad one, how to pick which abilities to favor, etc.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is how you do it.
ELO points degrade by a cumulative 2 pts per consecutive day of inactivity. So, if you miss 3 consecutive days, you lose 10 pts total.
I usually stop at 1200 and get 500-750 clintz based on weekly participation. 1300 is more time consuming.
Generally speaking, later in the week when more players have scored, it becomes easier to move up.
A couple underused card/deck thoughts:
When he rolls around again, get your Futoshi LD. FPC is not extremely popular in ELO but Futoshi and Shifou together are the strongest set of equalizers from any non-SoB clan. They fear no bonus AND have equal or higher power than most everything else.
Hilly Billy is more or less a cheap, ELO legal Kolos. Even vs SoA he still deals 7. Matched with Dagg and Deea(or Atk clan) you create a this or THAT conundrum for your opponent.
slav.georgiev.3 - Saturday 01/12/2012, 13:10
RaW_Shanks, I see your point, and as soon as I was able to purchase Lola, I tried her out and she is definitely better than Rudy. Lafoote, thanks a lot for the info mate! I will take that into account when playing. As for Futoshi Ld, I am disappointed in Fang Pi Clang and I dropped them. They are powerful when played against some generic setup, but they are never played against a generic setup in ELO or in Survivor. They suck against power manipulation, attack manipulation, SoA, SoB, and DR, and there is no single deck that doesn't run at least three decent cards with some of these abilities in every possible hand. So...
After struggling to get to 4 wins in Survivor ELO and 1060 points in ELO, I replaced Fang Pi Clang and I am now running the following setup:
Elvis, Kawamashi, Lola, Melanie, Flanagan, Gibson, Qubik, Tremorh.
I prefer a 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 4 - 4 - 4 setup because I consistently draw excelent hands with it. Hence the reason I won't use Hilly Billy.
slav.georgiev.3 - Tuesday 04/12/2012, 17:14
Yet another disappointment. I did bad with that deck in ELO and in Survivor, switched to Jungo, got my arse handed to me, switched to deleted and eased up to 1100 ELO and 10 wins in Survivor in one afternoon.
Saveroftime - Tuesday 11/12/2012, 09:19
I hate elo Look at my score.. Darn it can anyone give me a elo deck suggetion which cost only 5k ? B**** Elo


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"AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL" � (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)
"The Girl Who Is Afraid of Heights" (CONTENT RATING TBD)
"HIGH" FASHION � Benny Ninja gives the girls a lesson on how to pose with movement. The models must pose in the air while jumping on a trampoline, some girls rise while others flop. Later, the girls participate in a challenge where they have to pose in the air while being hoisted up by an ice skater in the rink and when the challenge winner is announced some girls become jealous. Finally, the girls participate in a photo shoot on top of a building where they must pose as fashion gargoyles. The special guests are, Lloyd Eisler, the Olympic pair skating medalist, cycle 6 winner Dani Evans, editor of Seventeen magazine Ann Shoket and photographer Mike Rosenthal (#905).


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NEWS- Avoid petting zoos!
The summer guide had some great suggestions, but you did readers a disservice by failing to mention the very real health hazards of petting zoos ("Fit for a queen: HRH Elizabeth II decrees a great summer," May 24). Petting zoos are hotbeds of E. coli bacteria, and numerous children have been infected with potentially deadly diseases after visiting such displays. Infections can spread through direct animal contact or simply by touching the surroundings near an animal exhibit.
These displays are bad for animals, too. Since they are forced to interact with constant streams of excited and sometimes careless children, animals in petting zoos can be stressed and afraid. They have little control over any aspect of their lives because their eating, sleeping, socializing, roaming, grazing, and mating habits are controlled by their keepers.
The last thing any parent wants is their child getting sick; avoiding petting zoos is one simple way parents can ensure their kid's health and well-being. Readers can learn more at WildlifePimps.com
Jennifer O'Connor
Animals in Entertainment Campaign Writer
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals


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By Paul T Hogan – Vice President, John R Oishei Foundation:
So art is pretty and inspiring and all that, but let's cut to the chase: Why should the community of taxpayers who are not directly involved in the arts support them?
A prevailing viewpoint is that public funds should be dedicated primarily to costs related to the maintenance and improvement of a region's infrastructure – roads, bridges, waste management, emergency services and the like – and secondarily to attracting or retaining businesses, jobs, people, and generating new external funding. Within that view, how does support of the arts contribute?
First, while the arts are 'not-for-profit,' they are not revenue-neutral. They are revenue-positive in the same way any (most) for-profit businesses are: They generate paychecks, purchase supplies and materials and services from other businesses, and like any sports venue, they generate revenue for many other adjacent businesses, like restaurants, bars, and parking lots. When they work together, as in the Allentown Art Festival, or First Friday Gallery Walk, or Beyond/In Western New York, the economic impact on ALL the businesses in each respective region is positive. Their activity, week in and week out, means revenue for businesses that could not have generated it otherwise, and they have expanded with it, and they have come to count heavily on it.
Arts activity consistently brings people to places in ways that make fertile ground for subsequent business development. Perhaps the most significant (forgotten) example of this is the Tri-Main Center on Main St. In that huge hulk of a building, nothing generated interest through foot traffic more than Buffalo Arts Studio – a deliberate first major tenant for developer Elgin Wolfe, who used the 'arts first' approach successfully in Canada – which was subsequently joined by Hallwalls, and then Just Buffalo Literary Center. Thousands of people were brought there at little or no cost to Mr. Wolfe, which he clearly understood, and within a comparatively short time, the building was filled with all manner of tenants, bringing jobs and all the benefits of a building which remains full today.
There is no question at all that the approach of 'leading with the arts' is also demonstrating enormous success at Canalside, which recently announced that fully three times the number of people visited there than did a short three years ago – from 150,000 to nearly 500,000. And beyond some minor infrastructure improvement, no significant building has taken place. No retail development, no matter how large, or with whatever cache, could have made that kind of progress that quickly.
What is critical to any business considering opening in Buffalo at Canalside is that hundreds of thousands of people already go there – there's no need for them to promote themselves to nearly the extent they would have in the absence of the arts activity. It's fertile ground now, wide open, well-travelled, and with endless potential. Primarily because of the activity of arts organizations that are only partially supported by public funds.
It is cliché that young people are leaving Buffalo in droves. While the truth behind the numbers is much more subtle than that, the fact is that in national study after national study, and in city study after city study, cultural opportunities for young people is right behind job opportunities as a reason for staying in or moving to a region. Music, art, performance, public space to participate in these, all are critical considerations to people when deciding on a place to live. Because of the historic public support of the arts over the years, Western New York has an incredible array of offerings, which has been noted in a variety of national business and travel magazines – and which are read and used by businesspeople in decision-making roles regarding moving into or expanding within a region. Why should major national business magazines care about the arts offerings of cities around the country? Because it matters to a company's bottom line.
Finally, the arts are not, and should never be, limited to artists and 'arts lovers.' Creativity exists in everything that people do. It takes huge amounts of imagination and critical thinking to run a business (I grew up in a family business), or to create and manage a manufacturing process, or design a new widget, or promote different living environments. Art and creative thought is sought and appreciated by people who must turn thinking into action, and action into profit. The creative thinker – Steve Jobs, for example, and a thousand others like him – is the one who succeeds where others don't, who expand when others stay static, and who drive change toward the new, and the untried, and the next best thing – or the next best place. And the key — perhaps the only — place where creativity, business, art, education, youth, and experience come together is the public library. It is my absolute conviction that the Central Library should be rapidly developed in this regard. Its funding is critical to the cross-sector interactions that will continue to drive Buffalo's reimagining.
Support for the arts is not simply support for strange poetry readings (I'm a poet), or inscrutable plays, or art that 'my kid could have done.' It is support for creative thinking – done by all sectors and all people (even politicians) – and forward motion. In my view, it is no more optional than funding roads and bridges. And the taxpayer doesn't need to 'use' the arts any more than he or she needs to use every road or bridge or park supported by their taxes. The arts are equally integral to place, and can't — shouldn't — be separated from it.
Lead image: ECHDC
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Welcome to The Snuggle Buddies
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The Best Soft and Fluffy Honey Dinner Rolls
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The Best Soft and Fluffy Honey Dinner Rolls are lightly sweetened from honey in the dough and are then brushed with honey-butter prior to baking, which lends both a golden color to the rolls and infuses them with a subtle sweetness.
There's something about soft, warm, fresh dinner rolls that makes them nearly impossible to resist.
They're so irresistible that I could happily and easily make a dinner out of dinner rolls.
Until these rolls, I had never made dinner rolls, but they turned out to be the best dinner rolls I've ever had. They're going to be a very tough act to beat and even though my search for the perfect end-all-be-all chocolate chip cookie recipe isn't over, I think my dinner roll recipe search is. Rarely does recipe karma strike so perfectly that the first attempt at a recipe is the one I want to live with forever, but in this case, I struck dinner roll gold.
Recipes for dinner rolls are like chocolate chip cookies. There are so many and they all promise to be the best. In chocolate chip cookies, among other variables, the ratios of brown and granulated sugars, butter, flour, baking soda or powder, dough chilling, baking times and temperatures all vary from recipe to recipe.
In dinner rolls, making the dough with water or milk, using butter or oil, including an egg or not, sweetening the dough and to what degree and with sugar or honey, kneading or no-knead recipes, are among the many wild cards.
Before making these, I read dinner roll, honey dinner roll, honey wheat dinner roll, and Parkerhouse dinner roll recipes like it was my job. Having a slightly sweet dinner roll was a priority, and one sweetened with honey was even better. Honey is used twice in these golden puffballs, both in the dough and it's brushed on top of the rolls just before baking them using a honey and melted butter mixture.
The resulting rolls are slightly sweet and the flavor of the honey is present and discernible. Sometimes when I bake with honey it gets lost, but not in these. The final sweeps of honey-butter brushed on the rolls before their stint in the oven goes a long way to enhance the overall honey-butter punch. As a bonus, whatever mixture pools in the bottom of the pan creates a slightly caramelized and chewy honey-butter crust on the base of the rolls. If could pick off just those golden sticky bases from all the rolls in the pan, I would, just like I pick off muffin tops.
I used oil in the dough rather than butter. In my mind, butter-based doughs are reserved for pie crust, brioche, or decadent cinnamon rolls and even though I wanted a buttery, soft, tender roll, butter wasn't the way to that goal; oil was. In doing research about bread-making, I've learned that oil keeps bread dough softer and more pliable than butter, much like using oil instead of butter in cakes keeps them moister and more tender, too.
The rolls are soft, tender, supple, moist and the glorious honey-butter mixture brushed on the rolls before baking provides plenty of buttery flavor.
The rolls are light, but not feather-light, and retain enough density for some hearty chewing. Bread flour, rather than all-purpose flour, is used exclusively, and because of it's higher gluten and protein content, it creates marvelous chewy texture. It's always better to chew your food rather than just inhaling it, and these have just the right amount chew-factor; enough so that you don't mindlessly inhale three in three minutes as is the case with feather light, flaky croissants.
It's rare for me to say, but the rolls are fabulous plain and don't actually need butter. But twist my arm, cinnamon sugar-butter or honey butter won't hurt. Scott is a major bagel-and-cream cheese guy, and with cream cheese smeared on them, the dinner rolls have an almost bagel-like aura.
If you've never made bread using yeast before, these are not hard at all. The rolls can be made, from start to finish, in about three hours. Making the dough is a snap and it comes together in just minutes, about the same time as it takes to make cookie dough. Using a stand mixer is easier, but making without is completely viable.
After making and kneading the dough, it's placed in a bowl and allowed to rise for about 90 minutes. Because the dough is made exclusively with white bread flour, and because I used Red Star Platinum yeast, there is almost no way to screw up the rising with this recipe. In fact, my dough rose so well it almost blew the plasticwrap off the top of my bowl. When canning, the sound of a sealing jar is music to my ears and in bread-making, a big bowl of high rising dough is one of the most beautiful sights ever. Not worrying that the dough didn't want to rise is a moot point with this recipe.
After the first rise and the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and knead it gently for a minute or two. Then, allow it to rest for ten minutes, which makes shaping the dough into rolls easier because it gives the gluten a chance to relax a bit. Then, from the big wad of pillowy dough, form one dozen rolls and place them in a pan and allow them to rise for about thirty minutes. Immediately before baking, brush the rolls with honey-butter and bake for fifteen minutes.
They bake up very fast and are baked in a very hot oven because that blast of really hot oven air helps contribute to them rising well, known as oven spring. Because of the high heat in conjunction with the honey and the butter, they can also burn as the baking time draws to a close. I recommend hanging out in the kitchen while these bake because things can change quickly and you don't want burnt buns.
Just think about what a star you'll be when you place a basket of these on the Thanksgiving dinner table, and they can be made in advance. As is the case with most any bread, you can make a batch of the rolls from start to finish, freeze them, and then on the big day or on any day for breakfast, a snack, or to eat with dinner, just pull out one or four or two dozen, and allow them to thaw. Warming them gently in a low oven immediately prior to serving them gives them that just-baked quality, with zero work on the day-of, which is my kind of recipe for Thanksgiving or on a busy Monday night for dinner. Effortless and stress-free at crunch time keeps the cook, and everyone around her, much happier.
Although I haven't tried it, I would also venture to guess that after the first rise of ninety minutes, and after the dough has been shaped into rolls and placed in the pan, you could cover the pan and refrigerate it overnight, and bake the rolls off the next morning; a loose interpretation of the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day principles. I have a recipe from that book coming later this week. It's been carb-tastic here.
These dinner rolls are every single thing I could ever want in a white dinner roll recipe. Light and fluffy balanced with chewy and hearty. Moist, soft, and tender and the slightly caramelized crust that forms on the base from the honey-butter is dreamy. They're generously sized, too. One is probably all you need, but needs and wants can vary when the sweet smell of bread baking has been tantalizing you.
Scott is a white carb freak, from potatoes to rice to pasta to bagels and bread, and he said these were the best dinner rolls he's ever had. I agree.
The Best Soft and Fluffy Honey Dinner Rolls
Time investment includes the first rise of 2 hours, the punch down and resting time for 10 minutes, the second rise for 30 minutes, and the baking time is 15 minutes. From start to finish, you can knock these out in 3 hours. They are worth every minute - consider making a double batch and freezing half for later.The rolls can be made ahead of time - make a batch from start to finish, freeze the rolls, and pull them out as needed for dinner, brunch, snacks, a special meal, or holiday gathering, allowing them to unthaw and gently reheating in a low oven immediately prior to serving if desired - also see notes below.These are the best dinner rolls I've ever had. They are lightly sweetened from honey in the dough and are then brushed with honey-butter prior to baking, which lends both a golden color to the rolls and infuses them with a subtle sweetness. They are light and fluffy, yet have enough density, chewiness, and richness to be satisfying and hearty. They are not difficult to make and are a 5-gold stars recipe that I know I will make over and over, for years to come.
- 1 cup water, warmed to 120 to 130F for Red Star Platinum yeast (or 105 to 115F for most other yeast, or according to package directions)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 3 3/4 cups bread flour King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Add water to a glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power to warm it, about 30 seconds. Testing with a thermometer is highly recommended, but if testing with your finger, water should feel warm but not hot.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the water and sprinkle the yeast on top of it. Beat on low speed for about 10 seconds, just to combine; let mixture stand for 10 minutes.
- Add the egg, 1/4 cup honey, oil, salt, and mix until well-combined, about 2 minutes on low to medium-low speed. Add 3 cups flour and beat until a sloppy, wet, loose dough forms. Scrape off any dough bits stuck to the paddle, remove the paddle attachment, and put on the dough hook.
- With the dough hook attached, turn mixer on low speed, and slowly sprinkle in remaining 3/4 cup flour. If necessary to obtain soft, smooth, non-sticky dough, sprinkle in the full 1 cup flour that remains (for a total of 4 cups flour, rather than 3 3/4 cups, noting that the more flour used, the denser the finished rolls will be). Knead dough for about 8 minutes. It will be firm, smooth, not sticky, and elastic. Turn dough out onto a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or floured work surface and knead dough by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, just to get into the nooks and crannies with your fingers the dough hook may have missed and make sure dough is very smooth and uniform in texture. Place mounded ball of dough in a cooking sprayed or lightly greased large bowl and cover with plasticwrap. Place bowl in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours. Tip - Preheating your oven for 1 minute to 400F, then shutting it off (make sure you shut it off), and quickly sliding the bowl in so the hot air doesn't escape is one way to create a warm environment; think 85 or 90F summer day warm environment. A cooler environment simply means dough will take longer to rise.
- After dough has risen and doubled, punch it down to release the air bubbles, and turn it out onto a Silpat or floured work surface. Knead for about 1 minute. Mound dough into a ball, place it back into the bowl, cover it, and allow it to rest and relax for about 10 minutes, making it easier to shape into rolls.
- Prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place dough on Silpat or floured work surface, and using your hands, roll it into a long cylinder shape, about 12 to 15 inches in length, and it will about 3 to 4 inches in girth. Divide the log into 12 uniformly-sized pieces with a dough cutter or sharp knife. Roll each piece into a ball, creating surface tension on the top of the ball by stretching the dough over itself a bit and pinch off the bottom, tucking the dough into itself. Place each piece into the prepared pan, seam side down, uniformly spaced, four rows by three. (Dough may also be rolled into just a simple 'plain ball', without pulling on the top surface of dough to create tension and not bothering to pinch off the bottom a bit, but I find they rise better and are fluffier if they're pinched off rather than just round dough globes)
- After all pieces are in the pan, cover it with plasticwrap and allow to dough to rise for about 30 minutes. While dough rises, preheat oven to 400F. A good place for this rise is placing baking pan on the stovetop while oven is preheating for the carryover warmth.
- Prepare honey-butter mixture by melting butter in a microwave-safe bowl on high power, about 1 minute. To the melted butter, add 2 tablespoons honey and stir to combine; set aside. After the rolls have risen and before baking, brush tops and sides of dough with the honey-butter mixture, getting into the sides and crevices and with a pastry brush. Bake rolls for about 15 minutes or until golden; they bake up very fast and watch them closely so the honey-butter mixture doesn't burn in this very hot oven. Allow rolls to cool before serving. Serve with Honey Butter or Cinnamon-Sugar Butter
- Rolls may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 4 days. Rolls also freeze very well and can be made from start to finish, cooled, and placed in a freezer-safe airtight container or a ziplock for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, unthaw them and if desired, immediately prior to serving warm them in a low oven (~175 to 200F) for a few minutes and just until warmed.
I highly recommend Red Star Platinum Yeast and King Arthur Bread Flour because they gave great results.
The recipe can be made by hand and kneaded by hand, it will just take you a bit longer. I am unsure if this recipe can be made in a bread machine as I don't have one. I suspect the dough could also be baked in loaf pans; I'd use two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans, but I have not tried it.
The rolls can be made ahead of time, making them from start to finish, freezing the finished rolls, and can be unthawed prior to needing them, and if preferred warming them gently and briefly in a low oven for that just-baked taste is nice. Although I haven't tried it, I would guess that after the first rise of ninety minutes, and after the dough has been shaped into rolls and placed in the pan, you could cover the pan and refrigerate it overnight, and bake the rolls off the next morning.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 243Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 97mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 6g
Related Recipes
Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Butter – If you've never made bread before, this is a goofproof, foolproof, no-knead recipe that's perfect for the first-time bread maker. You'll never have a need for storebought English muffins again, especially because this bread is spiked with cinnamon-sugar and raisins
Outback Steakhouse Wheat Bread {Copycat Recipe} (vegan) – This recipe is based on my love of Outback's bread and makes two small loaves of hearty, dense, wheat bread. The bread is ever-so-slightly sweetened and is infused with subtle hints of molasses, and a dead-ringer in the flavor department. Serve with honey butter for even more authenticity
Cinnamon Swirl Bread – As close to a cinnamon roll as a bread can get and still be called bread rather than dessert. Rich, sweet, and light. This bread is for the cinnamon lover's and is abundantly flavored with cinnamon, which is used twice in the bread recipe, and again in the cinnamon-sugar butter I serve it with
Banana Bread with Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze – This banana bread recipe is the equivalent to the new dinner roll recipe; everything I could ask for in banana bread and is the one I will turn to, likely forever. For the vanilla fanatics, it's used four times in the recipe
Cinnamon Bun Pie – Best cinnamon rolls I've ever made (to date) and they're ready from start to finish in less than 30 minutes because they use a shortcut. I'm working on yeast-based cinnamon rolls next
Do you have a favorite dinner roll or dinner roll recipe?
Feel free to link up your favorites. Like chocolate chip cookies, there are zillions of recipes for white dinner rolls, honey dinner rolls, honey wheat rolls, Parkerhouse rolls, and endless combinations on a similar theme.
I feel like my search for white honey dinner rolls is over because these were an ultimate success right out of the gate and a huge hit with the family. I love the recipe so much that I already tweaked it and used it as a jumping off point for another (whole-grain) dinner roll.
Thanks for the An Edible Mosaic Cookbook Giveaway and Special K Gift Basket Giveaway entries
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Inspired by Mitt Romney's low tax rate, Matt Yglesias defends the principle of taxing investment income more indulgently than labor income. To make the argument, Yglesias spins a morality tale about two well-paid doctors, one a profligates who eats fancily and travels the globe, the other a prudent sort who builds buildings and hires people to work in them. It's only fair, concludes our Slate pseudo-contrarian, that the prudent doc deserves a break from the tax code, since he's doing so many other people favors.
Leaving aside the fact that the profligate supports an army of chefs and flight attendants, this is not how investment works in the world we actually live in. Most investments are in previously existing financial instruments. As Alan Abelson used to say in the old Barron's ad, someone buys a stock because he thinks it's going to go up—but the person he buys it from thinks it's going to go down. Almost all corporate investment in real things like buildings and machinery is financed internally, through profits. For the last few decades, corporations have been generating more money than they know what to do with, so they've been shoveling out to shareholders. (See here for more.) In Romney's case, Bain largely invested in existing corporations—turning some of them around (mostly with other people's money) and bleeding others dry (at great profit to Bain partners).
Really, Matt, you didn't know this?


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Last fall, my sister-in-law and BFF recommended a book that her book club was reading titled, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. She thought that I would enjoy it because of my relationship with Rose, the lady that basically raised me and was so important to our family.
It was the first book I downloaded to my Kindle app on my new iPad. As I began to read the story about early 1960's Jackson, Mississippi and the struggles of black maids working for white families, pangs of familiarity began to churn in my gut. It wasn't so much the dreadfulness of Civil Rights' indignities of the day — I am all too familiar with the effects of those days — as it was the stories of the women who were charged with white parents' most precious possession (their children), but were not allowed to use the restroom inside the lily white homes of these Southern hypocrites.
I was captivated by the historical context and of course, by the personal story of Skeeter Phelan, who sets out to write a book about stories of "the help" — both good and bad. Yes, there were some good stories about relationships between the races, even though very few see the light of day. I read it in two days and was touched in a way I hadn't been since I read The Horse Whisperer many years ago.
Perhaps the story resonated so deeply with me because of Rose. Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, Rose was a constant except for the year or so that she and my mother had a falling out…but more on that later.
My parents were married in May, 1952 and my father moved into my grandparents' home with my mother so they could save up to build a house of their own. They had my sister nine months after they were married and starting building their house "in the country" about six miles from "town". My father owned a plant nursery with his father right around the corner from their new homestead. Once the house was finished, they prepared to move their small family into the home that they would occupy for the next 40 years.
My parents were not rich folks, but it had been decided that my mother would need "help" as she only had the use of her right arm, her left arm paralyzed from polio when she was two. Additionally, they had just found out that their daughter was deaf. My father employed alot of field hands at the nursery and was particularly close to his foreman, nicknamed Shawee (which, incidentally, means racoon in french). Shawee's wife, Rose, also worked at the nursery. They had a growing family and some of the older kids helped out at the nursery in the summer. My father arranged a meeting between my mother and Rose to see if she would be a good fit to "help" my mother in the house. They immediately hit it off and Rose became a fixture in our house and synonymous with our family for the rest of her life.
A short while later, my brother was born and became Rose's child. He called her "Mamma Rose" and followed her everywhere. He spent most of his days with Rose as my mother was taking my sister to speech therapy and classes each day, trying to prepare her for school. Rose's kids often spent time with our family and were fantastic playmates.
Rose had nick names for everyone, particularly her kids. Pictured above is Gros Bay Bay (meaning Big Baby in French). There was also Tougi, Tee-an, Sis, and Teeny. The twins would come later…but, more of that later. She also was instrumental in assigning my brother's moniker as she called him a "chip" off the old block. Since he was a Jr., the name stuck — Chip, or Chippo as she preferred.
Nine years after my brother….surprise, surprise, my mother was pregnant. My sister was off at school in Baton Rouge and came home most weekends, but the house had basically been my brother's domain with Rose attending to his every need. Rose indicated that this new baby would be a girl and decided upon Suzy-Q as an appropriate name. Rose's youngest son, Teeny, was a toddler, but she hadn't had a little girl to spoil in a long time. So, when I was born in the fall of '64, Rose was in her glory. Many nights, she and one of her daughters would spend the night and baby sit, dressing me up like a little doll and of course, spoiling me rotten.
We loved that lady. I mean truly loved her. Then, when I was about five, Rose was gone. I don't remember anyone saying why or what happened, I only knew that she was gone and another lady was there to "help". She was nice enough, but she was no Rose. I missed Rose so much, but I didn't know where she was. Then, almost magically, she returned when I was starting 2nd grade. It was like she never left. I was soooo happy to have her back. It appears that I had acted out pretty severely at the new lady and looking back, I'm sure I saw her as an impostor and wanted the real deal.
I would find out, years later, that Rose and my mother had a falling out around Rose taking up with a new man after she and Shawee divorced. Not that it was her business, but my mother was concerned for Rose and her children so she applied some kind of tough love and basically told her not to come back if she was going to continue living with the man. So Rose quit or Mamma fired her. After a few months, Rose's older daughter, Sis, let Mamma know that Rose was pregnant, with twins. My mother was NOT happy and I'm sure she let it be known. She was pissed at Rose because she knew how hard her life was already and now she was supporting a man and two babies and dragging young Teeny through it all. To my mother's credit, she finally came to her senses and asked Rose to come back. I don't know if she felt sorry for Rose and wanted to help or if she really just missed her best friend, but I was happy as pigs in shit that Rose was BACK!!
My mother and Rose had an unusual relationship for black and white women in the South in the '60s. But, then again, southwest Louisiana was a little different in terms of tolerance. Not that there wasn't racism, but there were more accounts of close relationships between black and white families. My parents demanded our respect for Rose. If we talked back, we were punished just as if we had disrespected one of them. My mother trusted Rose with her most intimate secrets and as a true confidant. Rose knew and understood all our family dynamics and she was often the sounding board for problems, cheerleader for accomplishments and overall, just an objective observer of our lives.
I learned so much from her. Friendship, loyalty, humbleness, integrity, compassion, faith and love, not to mention how to cook the perfect round steak. Probably the most touching part of the story of The Help was the maid, Aibileen, trying to instill confidence into Mae Mobley, the toddler in her care and whose mother was a bit "detached". Each morning when Aibi arrived and took the little girl from her crib or when she read her story books, she had Mae Mobley repeat: "You is kind, you is smart, you is important."
Rose did the same kinds of things, making us feel good about ourselves and setting her expectations high for us, even though she was always right there and helping to pick up the pieces when we stumbled. Rose died the week of Thanksgiving, 1993 on the same day and hour that my brother's daughter was born. It was such a bittersweet day in our family, but we knew that this new baby was likely kissed and blessed with Rose's spirit. A few days later, I delivered the eulogy at her funeral…it was such an honor. Her headstone reads: "In Loving Memory from ALL her children" and lists her name as "Mama Rose", a tribute from all of her children.
I tell this story because there's so much talk about racism, bigotry and inequality, but little about love and mutual respect between the races. When little children find a caring, loving and trusted friend who instills self-confidence, the color of their skin or the differences in their cultures fade away. There is only love…and loyalty…and remembrance. So, when I read the book and found out that the movie was being made, I made a promise to watch the movie, alone with Rose. Since I couldn't have her next to me, live and in person, I brought along this picture of her from my grandmother's 90th birthday party and of course, her spirit. I laughed and I cried at familiar and compelling parts, knowing that Rose was laughing and crying right along with me.
So, needless to say, I highly recommend going to see The Help. And, when you do, consider the relationships of those women with those children and what an integral part they were in forming these children and giving them such a strong foundation — some who grew up to be priests, teachers, businessmen, doctors, authors and others who are simply "good" people, in part, from the values and teachings of the "help".