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Local Branches
Locate a GIG Branch or Generation GF Group close to you and learn more about the events taking place in your gluten-free community.
From breads and pastas to pet food and cosmetics, find out which products have been certified gluten-free by GIG.
Discover restaurants and food service establishments that are following certified procedures in an effort to maintain a gluten-free environment.
Try your hand at some of these delicious gluten-free recipes that you can make from the comforts of your own kitchen.
Gluten-Free Certification OrganizationThe Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), a program of GIG, is a leader in the verification of quality, integrity, and purity of gluten-free products. One of the top certification programs in the world, GFCO inspects products and manufacturing facilities for gluten, in an effort to maintain strict industry standards. Find out more about how you can include the recognized GF logo on your products.VISIT SITE >>
Gluten-Free Food ServicesThe Gluten-Free Food Services (GFFS) Training and Accreditation Program, a program of GIG, is designed to work with all food service establishments who wish to provide for and serve gluten-free consumers. GFFS works with experts in food preparation to develop, educate, and train service establishments to meet and adhere to the highest gluten-free standards. Learn more about the strategies that you can establish at your facility to grow the consumer confidence of your gluten-free customers.VISIT SITE >>


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Picking the right floor for your kitchen is important. The flooring you pick will have a huge impact on your kitchen's look and feel, and the options are nearly endless. So shopping for kitchen flooring can be an overwhelming task. Appearance is often the first factor that people consider when searching for the right kitchen floor. Depending on your personal style, you may want a kitchen floor that complements the fixtures or adds a bold accent to the room.
Floor Coverings International, serving Madeira and surrounding areas, can help you determine what type of flooring is best for your kitchen. We offer free in-home consultations and offer many popular styles of flooring. Madeira residents should look no further – we do the hard work so you don't have to.
Set up your Free Consultation with our quick and easy online scheduler or feel free to call us at (513) 729-7499!
Benefits to You:
- Free In-Home Design Consultation. We take the hassle out of getting beautiful new flooring. With thousands of selections to choose from, our design associates can help you narrow the choices by considering your lifestyle, personal tastes, and existing décor.
- See your flooring – in your room – before it's installed. Wonder what your room would look like with new flooring? We'll show you. Trying to decide between three shades of carpet? Let us show you how each would look. Our industry-leading InspireNet™ technology allows you to see your room and your furnishings – with the floor of your choice – and all in seconds using a digital photo.
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Set up your Free Consultation with our quick and easy online scheduler or feel free to
call us at (513) 729-7499
Current Special – Schedule a Free Online Consultation
Want to Learn More About Kitchen Flooring? We've got you covered…
Most kitchen floors receive an occasional spill, so it's important to keep water and stain-resistance in mind when you're hunting for the perfect fit. Tile and prefinished vinyl flooring repel water and grease, making them a popular choice for modern kitchens. With tile, you may have to reseal grout lines occasionally to prevent discoloration. Hardwood and stone flooring are more durable, but may stain if not properly sealed.
Budget is another important factor in choosing kitchen flooring. If you are installing new floors as part of a renovation or remodeling project, you're likely to consider the cost of flooring together with all other elements of the project such as cabinets, appliances, counter tops, plumbing, etc. For some, kitchen flooring is the center-piece of the space; for others, floors are simply utilitarian. One of our flooring design associates can walk you through the decisions and trade-offs that can help you meet your budget constraints or to meet your wildest expectations.
With so many flooring choices available, the perfect floor for your home and your budget is out there. Let the experts at Floor Coverings International help you select the kitchen floor in Madeira OH that meets your budget and style requirements. We even provide free in-home consultations. Call us today! – (513) 729-7499
Madeira is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio. The population was 8,923 as of the last census. The city has an area of 3.4 square miles. Madeira is served by its own police department and shares a fire service with the Madeira-Indian Hill district. Madeira is a suburb on Cincinnati and was voted in 2007 by Business Week as one of the "Best Places to Raise Kids For Less." For more information, visit the official website of Madeira.

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Illinois Legislators Reviewing $1.4 Billion Prison Contract
If anyone knows how to navigate their way through prison health care, it's Doris Green. She says she spent three decades working in correctional health care in Illinois with the Aids Foundation of Chicago. But then her husband, who was serving time, got sick.
"I did everything," said Green at an Illinois state house committee hearing on prison health care Thursday. "I've been involved in corrections for over 30 years and I thought I knew everybody. I had some people on speed dial that I can call to get medical help for people that's in prison, but I did not know how broke the system was until my husband was diagnosed with stage four bone cancer and prostate cancer."
Green told legislators that a doctor prescribed hormone shots for her husband and he never got those shots despite her efforts.
Legislators spent two hours hearing testimony about Wexford Health Sources, a private health care company with a $1.4 billion contract to provide care to inmates.
According to a report last year by the prison watchdog John Howard Association, no one in the state is providing oversight to ensure that inmates are getting the care paid for by taxpayers.
Illinois Public Radio station, WBEZ has also documented numerous cases of inmates who have health needs that have gone unaddressed, including Christopher Clingingsmith, a man whose jaw was broken at the East Moline prison. He told the doctor there but the doctor did nothing.
After eight weeks Clingingsmith was transferred to another prison where doctors diagnosed him as having a broken jaw. By that time Clingingsmith says he had lost 70 pounds and he had to be taken to a hospital where they performed a surgery in which his jaw was rebroken. Metal plates and screws were put into into his face.
Prison nurses also testified at Thursday's hearing. Mary Johnson spent 12 years as a registered nurse at the Graham Correctional Center about 50 miles south of Springfield, Illinois. Johnson was a state employee, though many of the other medical employees work for Wexford, the private health care company.
Johnson said Wexford unreasonably limits their medical supplies. Some issues are seemingly minor. "We routinely run out of cups for the med-line, which the vendor is to provide," said Johnson but she added, "When that happens, then the Department of Corrections has provided those cups at a cost to them." In other words, Illinois has paid Wexford to provide those cups, but when they run out the state ends up providing the cups anyway.
Johnson and other nurses say there are a lot of costs that the private company is supposed to cover but they don't. Johnson said they are often short on diapers for inmates who are incontinent. A more serious concern was when the prison's EKG machine was out of order for 9 months.
Representative Greg Harris, D-Chicago, is pushing for a third party to audit the health care being provided in the prisons. Wexford says they welcome such oversight.


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Why does your dog behave perfectly for the trainer at a class but when at home is a handful?
It only means that your dog was trained to perform in one environment and not coached to be a great part of your family in your home.
At Diablo Doggies, we take a different approach to dog care and training. Every dog and family situation is different and we know how to look at your dog as a unique and beloved part of your family.
With our holistic approach of positive reinforcement, we can coach your dog to be the best in your home and with your family.
Diablo Doggies knows how to customize our coaching to meet each client's unique needs, home situation and time limits. For us, the end goal is to tap into your dog's intelligence to develop a thinking dog that has self-control and manners while giving your family the skills to continue to foster and reinforce our dog's great new behavior. We come to your home to assess your unique situation and develop an individualized training plan to help the whole family know how to successfully integrate your dog into the household.
For each situation, we will work with the whole family teaching the importance of consistently reinforcing the good behaviors that will result in a harmonious home for all.
Copyright © 2011 Diablo Doggies LLC | (925) 389-1799 firstname.lastname@example.com


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Yankees make animal shelter trip for HOPE Week
Team surprises founder of New Beginnings Animal Rescue, look to bring awareness
NEW YORK -- In 1995, Pedro Rosario went to an animal shelter in the Bronx, looking to adopt a dog. Only he didn't leave with just a dog. He left with a job, too.
Rosario spent the next 16 years of his life working for New York City Animal Care and Control, and he's still helping animals to this day. He founded New Beginnings Animal Rescue in 2010, dedicating his life to helping dogs, cats and other animals find good homes.
On Wednesday, the Yankees surprised Rosario at his shelter as part of HOPE Week, an annual set of community outreach events the team has done since 2009.
Outfielders Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki, reliever Shawn Kelley and a group of people from the Yankees' front office, including Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, walked into the Bronx shelter at approximately 11 a.m., each carrying a bag of dog food with them.
"I was speechless. I couldn't say [anything]. I was in shock," Rosario said. "I'm still kind of in shock that they're here."
Rosario gave everyone a tour of the facility, which featured four rooms filled with rescued animals, then put his guests to work. Gardner and Steinbrenner helped give Trixie, one of Rosario's dogs, a bath outside the shelter.
The Yankees brought Rosario onto the field for batting practice, and they also opened an information booth for him to talk to anyone interested in adoption inside Gate 4 at Yankee Stadium. The booth will be open until the fifth inning of Wednesday's game.
"I'm an animal lover. I have a dog," Gardner said. "I just wanted to come out and see what Pedro has been doing for so long and come out and be a part of a great cause.
"I know what it means to have a dog be so close to you and be such an important member of your family. Hopefully we can bring a little awareness to what's going on out here and help these dogs find a home."
New Beginnings Animal Rescue currently has 35 dogs and 50 cats under its roof, and it has room to house up to 65 or 70 dogs. It also has a seagull as one of its current residents, but Rosario said it's just a shelter pet.
Four paid employees and seven volunteers work with Rosario, doing daily chores that include walking, feeding, bathing and training the animals. Many of the volunteers are local youths who have an interest in working at a shelter or become veterinarians in their futures.
Much of the money to fund the shelter comes from Rosario's kennel, NYC's Top Dog, and donations.
"It's a testament to how much he cares about these animals," Kelley said. "It's really cool. You can really tell how much passion he has for the animals."
Rosario puts prospective owners through extensive screening processes before they can adopt an animal, checking references, their ability to pay their rent and the suitability of their home. They won't approve of a new owner until Rosario feels comfortable with where the dog is going.
"I would love to have pet owners out there really take care of their animals and be responsible," Suzuki said. "They are a part of your family, and to really take care of them so things like this doesn't happen."
It's a labor of love for Rosario. He told the story of a Great Dane named King, who he found at someone's home. The dog was emaciated, and, at six-and-a-half months old, was nearly 30 pounds underweight. So Rosario brought him to the shelter and rehabilitated him for almost four months.
Now, King lives in with a "happy family" in Queens with other dogs and children.
"That's what we're all about," Rosario said. "When an animal comes, however, they come, we're able to help put them where they belong health-wise, weight-wise, issue-wise, and make sure they get the right home."
Gardner, Suzuki and Kelley all own dogs. So as soon as they heard about Rosario and his work in the Bronx, they knew they wanted to go to the Bronx and give New Beginnings Animal Rescue a little more hope for its cause.
"I love dogs, animals, and I have a couple little dogs," Kelley said. "So when I saw one of the days had to do with helping find homes for animals, and I read a little about what Pedro has done in the bio, I was like, 'Yeah, that's all me.' I signed up right away."


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DiS is very pleased to premiere Majke Voss Romme aka Broken Twin's new video.
'Glimpse of Time' is taken from the Danish songwriter's forthcoming debut album, entitled May (pre-order your copy), which somewhat confusingly comes at the end of April (the 29th to be precise), via the reliably brilliant Anti- label.
As the above track and the shadow-play in the video may suggest, May is a self-produced record that serves up a special kind of sadness. It's easy to throw around soundbites and speak of 'a maudlin sprawl of shadows' or 'cascading flurry of melancholy' or 'a new Cat Power playing piano at dawn' but Broken Twin has found a dark place in which to dwell. Much like Elliott Smith's Roman Candle or some of her label-mates like Waits, Cave and Neko Case's more heartbreakingly sombre moments, she's ridden the undertow and managed to turn the monochrome ache that comes from living into something with subtle flickers of colour, and in doing so she's created her own twilight world that's enchanting and unexpectedly uplifting.
This definitely isn't the work of some doomed goth, marinating in her misery. Of the album title, Majke says "it represents a time of year that seems to fit the songs. Spring is a time when everything is changing. It's a hopeful season." Following a european tour with Daughter, and a great record in the bag, a blossoming future awaits.
Just to underscore this, here's a live version of my favourite track from the album:
Upcoming Live Dates
4-May – Salford - Sounds From The Other City (UK)
5-May – Paris - PIAS Night at La Fleche D'Or (FR)
7-May – London - St John on Bethnal Green (UK)
8-May – Ramsgate - Ramsgate Music Hall (UK)
9-May – Brighton - The Great Escape (UK)
15-May – Hamburg - III70 (DE)
16-May – Berlin – FluxBau (DE)
17-May – Cologne - Studio 672 (DE)
19- May – Heidelberg - Karlstorbahnhof (DE)
20-May – Brussels, Les Nuits Botanique (BE)
21-May – Amsterdam - Amstelkerk
22-May – Luxembourg – Rockhal
23-May- Laval - Les 3 Elephants Festival
Photo by Mie Brinkman.


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February Knitting News
Shimmering Yarn, more reversible cables, Norwegian knits, circular tubes and the Knitting Song!
Happy February everyone! Hope your knitting is keeping you warm.
This week we have feasts for both the eyes and ears. You'll be able to listen to Bill Oddie singing the "Knitting Song" while you browse through shimmering colors and textures.
It's one of those sad realities of life that we can't knit everything! Fortunately, it is often as satisfying to look and feel all the wonderful creations. Praise to Youtube and beautiful books and magazines to help us feast our eyes! I find that my best ideas are compilations of things I see, so I always love to look.
The Knitting Song
What a great find from Youtube! Bill Oddie singing "The Knitting Song." This is so funny with everything that can rhyme with "knit" and sung instructions on how to pull the loop.
- Click here for The Knitting Song
More Reversible Cables
Beautiful stitches for scarves are rare, because both sides of scarves will show while wearing. Both sides don't have to be exactly the same, but they do have to look great! From Youtube, this week, we have a truly reversible cable pattern that looks the same on both sides.
- Click here for Reversible Cables
Norwegian Mittens & Gloves
I have loved Norwegian patterns since I was a little girl.I had an old Norwegian knit book from the 20's and slowly tried to knit through them all. I love the way the colors form under my hands and how perfectly it all comes out!
So you can imagine how excited I was to find a book full of Norwegian mittens and gloves. Click on the "Look Inside" link on Amazon.com. They are very generous with free pages from this book and beautiful photographs.
- Click here for Norwegian Mittens & Gloves
Shimmering Yarn
I love those fluffy yarns that grow the more you wear them. Lion Brand has a lovely eyelash yarn that is very cool. We are featuring a lovely rust color… but that is nothing compared to Beaded Mohair and Sequins yarn from the Impressionist Collection! Get ready to shine!
- Click here for Eyelash Yarn
- Click here for Beaded Mohair & Sequins
-or- if you have an urge to make your own… Here is a book on spinning your own fancy yarns:
- Click here for Handspinner's Workbook: Fancy Yarns
Circular Tubes
Some people hate to knit with double pointed needles. I don't know why, because they never seem all that hard to me. But I grew up with double pointed needles and experience always makes things easier.
One great technique that has come along to help avoid the double pointed needles, and still knit small tubes, is done with two double pointed needles. We have a great video showing how it is done.
- Click here for Tubes with Circular Needles
Till We Meet Again…
I can't get everything done that I want, but fortunately the life of knitting is soft and rhythmic. I think the real moral of knitting, and of handspinning too, is goes slow; it takes a completely different pace than the rest of our lives.
So here's to the next stitch, and as the Knitting Song says, "But me, I'm gonna just sit down and knit!"
Happy Knitting!
Connie Delaney
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- Elizabeth Bell on Knitting Tips : How to Knit a Baby Blanket
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Eagle County's senior sensations
BEAVER CREEK, Colorado – If fun is the meaning of life, and it is, local seniors have the definition down dead solid perfect.
Seniors from around Eagle County got together Monday to laugh and sing and engage in general fun-having.
Oralia Archibeque, Ted's mom, was in the room grinning from ear to ear, as was everyone else, including the Park Hyatt staff.
Robert Purdy is starting his third winter as the Park Hyatt's general manager. Three years ago he started work just before the annual seniors luncheon.
"It's something the Park Hyatt looks forward to each year," Purdy said. "We love to give back to our community and what better way to give back than to host people who've served this community their entire lives."
Local jazz legends Tony Gulizia and Allan Finney provided the music, performing jazz renditions of Christmas classics. The music started upbeat and stayed that way.
The room was packed with seniors – laughing, singing, and doing the Chicken Dance when Helmut Fricker when Gulizia and Finney cranked it up. Gulizia not only plays keyboards, but also the accordion. Who knew?
There's none of this fashionably-late business. The seniors showed up early because they can't wait to get the party started – and, it's a great party.
Eagle County has three senior centers, Eagle, Minturn and Basalt, and this is one of their only opportunities to get together. Some ride the bus, some drive. They get there any way they can with the possible exception of parachuting in.
"Everyone looks forward to this," said John Bade, a senior enjoying his seventh Park Hyatt senior luncheon. "They're so gracious here. They treat us like family."
Several from the Park Hyatt's senior management staff serve and bus tables. They're good, not as good as their banquet staff, but good.
Scott Gubrud is the Park Hyatt's sales and marketing director. Monday he was filling water glasses and other assorted duties.
Beverly Kunkel, 94, was this year's winner as the oldest.
"I have three sons in their 60s," Beverly said, ticking off the names of David, Jim and Greg, and talking about how proud she is.
She's been coming to these for years and loves it, she said.
She and Paul Kunkel were married 69 years when he died.
The secret to staying married that long?
"The secret is to always agree with your partner," she said, adding that she and Paul rarely disagreed.
Beverly was extolling the glories of her daughters-in-law when she paused, looked around the smiled.
"I'm very, very lucky," she said. "I have a good family and good friends. What more could I ask of life?"
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Vail Resorts' cancellation of cloud seeding this winter could mean less water in streams
Due to budget shortfalls, Vail Resorts has pulled this winter's funding for its cloud seeding program — the longest-running in the state at 44 years — potentially reducing the amount of water flowing down the…


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The 2007 Chrysler Aspen is a big, traditional sport utility. Representing a new nameplate, the Aspen is a full-size SUV based on the Dodge Durango. Aspen shares Durango's size and mechanicals; the main differences being styling, interior and tuning. Both use truck chassis and engineering. So the Aspen offers the advantages of a cavernous interior and the ability to tow moderate trailer loads. It's in the same class as the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Ford Expedition.
Aspen is an attractive package with a competitive line of engines, including a 235-horsepower, flex-fuel V8 that runs on either regular gasoline or E85 (a blend of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol) and a 335-hp, 5.7-liter V8 with a system that conserves fuel by shutting off half the cylinders when the engine is running under a light load. Buyers can choose between rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive with either engine.
Styling is pure Chrysler, with a traditional-but-subdued, egg-crate grille; mildly curvaceous bodylines vaguely reminiscent of the smaller, but genetically related Durango; and an attractively sculpted tailgate. Tires and wheels properly fill wheel wells, with good-looking, 20-inch, chrome rims adding bling to the uplevel model.
Aspen accommodates six, seven or eight passengers, depending on seat configuration. Three rows of seats are standard, starting with front buckets, a second-row bench and a third-row bench. Buckets are optional for the second row.
The interior blends elegant-looking, satin-finish metallic accents with wood-grain trim on the dash and center console. Standard upholstery is Chrysler's trademarked fabric that resists stains and odors. The requisite leather trim that's standard on the up-level Aspen is optional on the base model. All the usual power and personalization features are available.
Once past the initial impression, signs of cost cutting, inattention to detail or both begin to emerge, however. Interior finishes look better and more expensive than they feel. Stylists, or the people who pay their bills, seem to have scrimped on such subtle things as thickness of padding on armrests and bin covers.
A few critical ergonomic decisions, too, show an imbalance between looks and function. For example, that the steering wheel, a luxurious-looking combination of woodgrain and leather, comes standard with a tilt adjustment is appreciated. And that power adjustable pedals are offered as an option is also a plus. Only problem is, with the standard, fixed pedals, it's difficult if not impossible for short-stature drivers to position the seat where they can reach the pedals and still maintain the 10-inch safety zone drivers that should maintain between their upper body and the steering wheel's airbag. Optional power-adjustable pedals are designed to address this.
The Aspen receives better and more consistent marks on the technology front. Both powertrains earn decent fuel economy ratings by the federal government, either matching the competition or at worst giving up no more than one or two miles per gallon, even in the new, revised system the EPA will use for the 2008 model year. And the Aspen's standard electronic stability control system incorporates a new and so far exclusive feature that controls the dreaded and eerily destabilizing trailer sway.
The Chrysler Aspen 4X2 ($30,745) and 4X4 ($33,520) come standard with the 4.7-liter V8. Standard features include Yes anti-stain and odor-resistant fabric upholstery; air conditioning, cruise control, AM/FM/CD stereo with four speakers and steering wheel-mounted audio controls; power windows, heated-and-fold-away outside mirrors and keyless-remote central locking; tilt steering wheel; eight-way power driver's seat (with manual lumbar); 40/20/40 second-row seats; third-row seat; Vehicle Information Center with compass heading, ambient temperature, trip computer readouts, tire pressure warning and driver personalization settings; programmable, universal garage/gate remote; 115-volt auxiliary power outlet; Interior Convenience Group with overhead console, illuminated visor mirrors, automatic headlamps, rear seat courtesy/reading lamps and front center console floodlamp; fog lamps; and P265/60R18 on-/off-road tires on aluminum wheels.
Options start with the 5.7-liter V8 ($995). When the 5.7-liter engine is ordered with the 4X4 ($1,190), the single-speed transfer case is standard (accounting for the price difference), the two-speed transfer case is optional ($195). The stereo can be upgraded with eight Alpine speakers accompanied by a 276-watt amplifier ($395) and an in-dash, six-disc CD/MP3 changer ($300). Other audio-electronic options consist of a DVD-based, GPS navigation system with a six-disc changer ($1,595); a rear-seat entertainment system with wireless headphones ($1,200); Sirius satellite radio ($195), including a one-year subscription; and Chrysler's UConnect Hands-Free Communication system, with Bluetooth capability and auto-dim rearview mirror ($360).
Other options include leather-trimmed front bucket and second-row, folding bench seats ($905); leather-trimmed, second-row bucket seats ($700); heated front seats ($250); heated second-row seats ($250); three-passenger, 60/40 split, third-row seat ($300); power adjustable pedals ($120); a Power Convenience Group comprising rear park assist and power liftgate ($655); power sunroof ($850); laminated front and rear door glass ($300); and front and rear floor mats ($30). On the hardware side are a trailer-tow group, with seven and four pin pre-wiring, transmission cooler, heavy duty engine cooling, power steering cooler, Class IV hitch, 160-amp alternator and 750 cold cranking amp battery ($455); engine block heater ($35); a low, 3.92 rear axle ratio ($40); accent-color running boards ($445); remote start ($185); and on the 4X4 a skid plate group, with tow hooks and plates for the fuel tank and transfer case ($170).
Limited 4X2 ($37,190) and 4X4 ($38,510) come standard with the 5.7-liter V8. The single-speed transfer case is standard on the 4x4, the two-speed case not offered. Other upgrades include dual-zone, automatic climate control; the leather-trimmed front bucket and second-row, reclining bench seats; the heated front seats; two memory settings for the outside mirrors, power adjustable pedals, eight-way power driver's seat, audio and climate control; a four-way power front passenger seat; the 60/40-split, third-row seat; the Alpine speakers with amp; the in-dash CD/MP3 changer; the one-year Sirius service; the Power Convenience Group; the accent-color running boards; the floor mats; the laminated door glass; and P265/50R20 BSW all-season tires on chrome-clad aluminum wheels with locking lug nuts. Beyond these upgrades, the same options are offered as on the base model, including the navigation system ($1,295).
Safety features include roof-mounted, full-coverage (all three rows of seats) side-curtain airbags that protect the head from injury in side impact and roll-over crashes, along with the mandatory dual, multi-stage frontal airbags. All seating positions are fitted with three-point belts and adjustable head restraints. Missing, however, are front seat-mounted side airbags that protect the upper body in side crashes, a feature increasingly co
The Chrysler Aspen looks like a lot of other full-size SUVs, but we found it attracted admiring looks and inquiries. Chrysler styling cues set the Aspen apart from its sibling, the Dodge Durango.
The grille, with bold crossbars and classic Chrysler medallion, attempts to stake a claim for the Aspen at the top of the brand's pyramid. Strangely un-prepossessing, low-key headlamp units diminish the claim, which isn't helped either by the bland bumper and generic fog lamps. Embossed strakes in the hood running back to the windshield carry on the newest Chrysler-brand styling motif, seemingly inspired by the jewel-like cap on the famous Chrysler Building in New York City and appearing first on the Crossfire then on the new Sebring.
The side view is an uninspired take on standard SUV proportions and features. This isn't to bad mouth the Aspen's styling, only to recognize the difficulty in finding a new, fresh presentation of a look that's been around for, well, more than half a century. After all, what is an SUV but a closed-in, short-bed pickup with four doors? Full-round door handles make for ease of use in bad weather and are kind to fingernails. The swept-back windshield looks sleek and shows homage to aerodynamics. The optional running boards do a better job of dirtying the backsides of trouser legs and long skirts than serving as truly functional steps. Mildly creased, visually pleasant blisters circle the wheel wells. A chrome-topped, overstated molding strip pulls double duty, breaking up the expanse of metal between the front and rear wheel wells while insulating the doors against parking lot dings. Side mirrors proudly perch on brackets extending from the base of the A-pillars (the side frames of the windshield). A slight ridge defining the beltline (where the side windows meet the lower body panels) extends beyond the base of the D-pillar, accenting the graceful outline of the rear quarter window. A short front overhang and tucked-up lower hindquarters invite thoughts of venturing off the highway to explore an unpaved track on the occasional weekend outing.
It's the rear aspect of the Aspen that has the most presence, the view most will have of it in traffic. A strong rear bumper with a deep, non-skid clad step cups the one-piece liftgate. Chrome-like trim on the bumper's end caps tie into the side molding strip. The medallion-and-wing treatment from the grille repeats above the stylized license plate recess. Gently bowed sides and rounded top give the back end a smaller, less massive look than the rest of the vehicle. A conservatively sized notch centered in the bumper's lower edge makes room for the optional hitch receiver and junction box.
On first impression, the interior looks classy in its material selection, presentation and packaging. On closer examination, however, and after some quality time spent experiencing its quirks and nuances, some of that initial luster fades.
The satin-finish metal accents and wood-like trim give the interior an elegant touch, as does the silver-ringed, old-fashioned style clock tucked into a recess in the top-center of the dash. The woodgrain looks better than it feels, however, as do the expanses of textured plastic panels, which are hard to the touch and replete with seams that pose threats of squeaks and buzzes as the miles rack up. Where there's padding, it's noticeably thin. The symmetry of shapes and simplicity of features and controls for stereo, air conditioning and navigation system are pluses that partially counter some of the questionable elements.
Front seats are supportive, with adequate bottom and side bolsters for the Aspen's intended use. The fabric upholstery is more comfortable than the somewhat stiff leather. The pivot point for the front seatbacks' recline is positioned above the seat bottom, much like the seats on those regional commuter jets, where to recline in the seat requires sliding one's posterior forward on the bottom cushion, which effectively shortens the seat bottom and reduces thigh support.
The laid-back windshield pushes the dash and with it the steering wheel close enough to the driver that the adjustable pedals are strongly recommended to permit a short-stature driver to sit far enough from the steering wheel to maintain the minimum, safety-related, recommended distance between the driver's chest and the steering wheel airbag. And the dead pedal against which drivers might want to brace their left foot while navigating sharp turns is somewhere up near the front bumper and useless for anybody not as tall as, say, Lebron James.
The low roofline limits visibility from the inside. The tinted rear glass enhances the image on the rear-seat entertainment system's drop-down video screen, but limits the driver's view somewhat. When deployed, the rear-seat video screen reduces visibility through the rearview mirror.
The steering wheel and gas pedal transmit an irritating buzz to the driver's hands and right foot. Something in the underpinnings sends vibrations up through the floor. And at any setting above the lowest, the air conditioning fan emits a coarse noise that gnaws at the edges of the stereo's otherwise quite impressive sounds.
Second-row legroom is limited and trails the competition (Ford Expedition, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Nissan Armada, Toyota Sequoia) by one to four inches. Knee room for back-seat riders is cramped when the front seat is comfortably positioned for a 6-foot driver. Getting in and out of the second row is easy. The back doors swing open a welcoming 84 degrees and leave space enough in their lower reaches for all but NBA-size shoes.
The third-row seats compare well with the competition. The flop-and-flip second-row seats make access to the third row easy. In headroom, the Aspen's back row tops all but the Sequoia. Its legroom handily bests all but the Expedition. Hiproom and foot room in the third row is relatively tight, however, especially in the center position, the automotive equivalent to the center seat in the back of a plane.
Cargo space is aplenty. With the third row folded, the Aspen's 68.4 cu. ft. of cargo tops the competition. Fold and flip everything behind the front seat and the Aspen's 102.4 cu. ft. is average when compared with the other full-size SUVs.
Cubby storage is about par for the class. Each row of seats gets at least two cup holders. The front doors have fixed, hard plastic map pockets. The backside of the driver's seat has a pouch for magazines. The glove box is adequate, but the undamped door can crack the shins of an unwary front passenger. The front center console li
The Chrysler Aspen rewards the driver with hearty mechanical sounds from the engine compartment, prompt throttle response, solid gear shifts and thoroughly competent brakes.
Ride and handling attributes are more mediocre than marvelous, however. The reason: It's tall, heavy and narrow. The ride tends to the springy end of the scale, and the Aspen loses composure around curves. The up-level Aspen's 20-inch wheels with fatter tires stick better than the base model's taller tires and 18-inch wheels at the price of a slightly harsher, but no less bouncy ride.
The top-level engine, the vaunted, 5.7-liter Hemi, runs out of breath on the far side of 80 miles per hour. However, the torque rating promises it can pull a four-ton-plus trailer.
If towing is not a required use, the 4.7-liter V8 is the preferred choice, and made even more attractive by the availability of the two-speed transfer case.
Towing trailers long distances should be eased by a promising new feature Chrysler calls Trailer Sway Control. This system senses trailer sway and employs the electronic stability control to apply tiny amounts of brake pressure selectively to individual wheels and to reduce engine torque to counter trailer-induced yaw. We haven't hooked a trailer to an Aspen, but the concept is logical and impressive and we'd assume it works as intended.
As for fuel efficiency, the Aspen is equal to the competition.
The 2007 Chrysler Aspen is a competent full-size SUV that offers the hauling and towing capability of a truck. In snapshot comparisons with the competition, the Expedition feels roomier, the Tahoe/Yukon rides and handles better, the Armada feels, and is, heavier, and the Sequoia feels better put together.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Palm Springs, California.


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Celebrate Purim At The Bake Shop With Chabad Of Roosevelt Island - You Donut Want To Miss This!
The Chabad of Roosevelt Island invite you to Celebrate Purim at The Bake Shop on Thursday, March 21:
Don't Be Flaky And Rise To The Occasion. Join Chabad Of Roosevelt Island For The Annual Purim Celebration. Purim at the Bake Shop. Whisking You A Happy Purim. You Donut Want To Miss This!
Please RSVP here.
Rabbi Zalman and Nechama Duchman add:
Let the joy begin! Purim is a fun and exciting Yom Tov with a lot focused around children, however, Esther and Mordechai, the heroes of the story, personally requested that we celebrate the victory in four specific ways (not multiple choice but all of the below). Therefore....According to the Huffington Post:
Tomorrow, Wednesday night (3.20.19), hear the Megillah - read from a scroll in its original text (we will be reading the Megillah at 8:00pm - 425 Main Street #6A)
Thursday (3.21.19), in between sunrise (6:58am) and sunset (7:09pm), make sure to do the following:
1. Mishloach Manot - send two ready-to-eat food items to another Jewish person (this is to enhance camaraderie within the celebration of Purim, not gifts to the poor, it can be something as simple as an apple and orange).
2. Matanot La'evyonim - gifts to the poor - give at least one coin to two different needy people. If you don't know a person that falls into this category, one can give money to an organization that distributes it specifically on Purim and for Purim. If you would like, you can send it to us and we will distribute it appropriately.
3. Partake in a Yom Tov (holiday) meal.
4. Hear the Megillah - a second time.
One can fulfill these four Mitzvot on their own or at Thursday's Purim @ the Bake Shop.
Purim is a spring holiday that commemorates the Jewish community's narrow escape from collective destruction in the ancient Persian Empire. The word itself, purim, comes from the Persian word for "lots" and is a reference to the fact that the date set for the Jews' annihilation was chosen by casting lots.The Maccabeats celebrate and explain Purim too.
There are several major components of the Purim holiday, including public readings of the Book of Esther (k'riat megillah), giving charity to the poor (matanot la'evyonim) and delivering gifts to friends (mishloach manot). But Purim is most obviously characterized by a boisterous feast (se'udah) during which participants dress in costumes and drink to excess....
Click here to RSVP for Chabad of Roosevelt Island Purim At The Bake Shop.


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Free agent Hunter meets with Tigers in Detroit
A day after Hunter told MLB Network that he knows who he wants to play for, he spent Tuesday meeting with Tigers officials in Detroit. Sources confirmed Hunter's visit, first reported by FOXSports.com.
The Tigers have an organizational policy of not publicly commenting on free agents.
It's not necessarily a sign of an imminent deal for Hunter, who is believed to be weighing a visit with at least one other club and supposedly didn't go to Detroit with an offer in hand. Still, it surely doesn't hurt Detroit's chances.
Given Hunter's prediction on MLB Network that his courtship wouldn't be drawn out, possibly decided by Thanksgiving, it looks particularly good.
"It's going to be quick," Hunter told MLB Network on Monday. "I'm not going to wait it out. I know who I want to play for."
Hunter arguably has as much knowledge of the Tigers and Detroit as any active player who has never worn a Detroit uniform. Only Paul Konerko has more at-bats at Comerica Park among players who have never been Tigers, according to STATS.
Hunter has played the equivalent of an entire season's home schedule in Detroit, 81 career games, with a .262 (80-for-305) average, seven home runs and 44 RBIs.
Hunter has seen the Tigers move out of the American League's historic cellar to become a perennial contender. In the process, he has watched, advised and admired multiple generations of Detroit outfielders, from Curtis Granderson to Craig Monroe to now Austin Jackson, of whom he spoke glowingly in August.
Manager Jim Leyland and other team decision-makers were already scheduled to be in town for organizational meetings with scouts, so the timing worked out perfectly once talks grew serious with Hunter and his agent, Larry Reynolds.
At least 10 teams are believed to be in the running for Hunter, but his choice could come down to the Tigers and Texas Rangers. While Detroit is a few hours drive from Notre Dame, where his son is set to attend school on a football scholarship, the Rangers would allow Hunter to play in his hometown.
Both teams would give Hunter the chance to contend for a World Series next season.
It's expected to take a multi-year deal to sign Hunter, which would take him through his 39th birthday. The Tigers have a recent history of concerns with outfielders in their late 30s, from Magglio Ordonez to Gary Sheffield to Carlos Guillen.
In Hunter's case, at least, the age concern could be lessened due to his recent history of durability, having played 140 or more games in six of the past seven seasons.
Hunter just finished up a five-year contract with the Angels that he signed right before Thanksgiving Day in 2007. The Tigers have shown a history of moving quickly when they have a chance to sign a player they've targeted, from their free-agent deals with Victor Martinez and Joaquin Benoit in November '10, to their trades for Edgar Renteria the day after the '07 World Series and Sheffield two weeks after the Tigers lost the '06 Fall Classic.


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Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Year's Day in Ukraine
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 23:08 Links to this post
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
We are multiplying!
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 09:55 Links to this post
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
A long-awaited book has been published
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 21:24 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: Swedish
Sunday, December 27, 2009
A unique footage that was filmed in Poltava in 1909 now is available on YOUTUBE.COM
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 21:33 0 comments Links to this post
Friday, December 25, 2009
Ivan the Warrior Church in Moscow
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 20:23 0 comments Links to this post
Thursday, December 24, 2009
President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov called upon Russia "to eliminate" Georgia and Ukraine
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 16:02 Links to this post
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The stamp that never been issued.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 12:39 0 comments Links to this post
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Positive and negative impressions of prominent politicians have been published by USAID recently
Kyiv, Ukraine. Not to be outdone by Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's embattled president, Viktor Yushchenko, has indicated that Ukrainian "Democrats" may consider nomination of a single presidential candidate. As about Yushchenko's support rating, it has slumped to a low 3.5% and a recent survey conducted by U.S.-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems and financed by the United States Agency for International Development lists Yushchenko with the highest negative rating (83%) of all candidates. The report in the media gives rise that Yushchenko, with only 4 weeks remaining, may be seeking an exit plan, a way to pull out of the election before he faces total embarrassment and humiliation by losing in the first round of the election.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 21:53 Links to this post
Ukraine's main New Year tree has been installed
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 21:45 Links to this post
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Ukraine strikes $2.4 billion arms deal with Iraq
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 11:34 Links to this post
Friday, December 18, 2009
Vegetables and cannon balls
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 21:33 Links to this post
Will get it or will not get it? That is a question!
"The next three months are crucial," Hryhoriy Nemyria, Ukraine's deputy prime minister, told the Financial Times one day after returning from a mission to the IMF's headquarters in Washington.
"Wait and see is not an option. The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of action and may aggravate the situation in the wider region."
Mr Nemyria's warning seems aimed at putting public pressure on the IMF, the US and the European Union at a difficult time in financial markets. Concern about the stability of emerging economies has been aggravated by the turmoil surrounding Dubai, following Dubai World's surprise decision to seek a debt restructuring.
Brussels is also worried about the security of EU natural gas imports from Russia, following last winter's Moscow-Kiev dispute and supply disruption.
Mr Nemyria declined to say whether Ukraine would be forced into default without immediate fresh IMF support. But he said it would be "extremely difficult" for the government to pay state salaries and pensions or to cover foreign obligations, including, crucially, monthly payments to Russia.
"It would be a fatal mistake if we recreate the risk of destabilising the situation," he said.
Ukraine is Europe's most troubled large economy, with gross domestic product contracting 15 per cent this year. It has been in economic turmoil since mid-2008, when the global economic crisis struck, forcing the country to turn to the IMF and European Union for support.
The Fund has paid out $11bn of a $16.4bn programme, keeping Kiev financially afloat, but two months ago it suspended a fourth $3.8bn disbursement after Ukraine failed to implement key economic reforms, including a tough 2010 budget.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 14:56 Links to this post
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Heavy snowfall and wind hit Ukrainian port Odessa
Heavy snowfall and wind hit Odessa on Wednesday. Icy roads forced numerous school closings. There were several reports of traffic accidents throughout the region, including a number of rollover accidents. No serious injuries have been reported. There were no reports of road closings, but traffic was reduced to a crawl. The city of Odessa did close some underpasses for a short time. The Interstate roads No10 and 20 were snowpacked and icy. About six inches of snow fell on the famous Ukrainian resort on the Black Sea cost.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 14:40 Links to this post
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Aren't they are nice?
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 21:41 Links to this post
History of Mazepa's time. The Tempora Publishing House produces a unique two-volume edition
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 10:34 Links to this post
Monday, December 14, 2009
The site of the former Swedish fortress Nyenskans is in danger!
Motståndet mot exploateringen av området och byggandet av Ochta Centr har på senare tid tilltagit och det har inletts en process som, om den samlar tillräckligt stöd, kommer att utmynna i en folkomröstning om områdets öde. UNESCO har hotat att stryka S:t Petersburg från världsarvslistan om projektet genomförs, analogt med vad som hände med floddalen vid Dresden efter byggandet av en ny, fyrfilig bro. För inte länge sedan ifrågasattes lokaliseringen t.o.m. av talmannen i ryska duman Boris Gryzlov, en av premiärminister Putins förtrogna.
Det för en utomstående egendomliga är dock att arbetet på platsen fortgår, trots kvarstående såväl politiska som juridiska frågetecken. Det har redan genomförts ett par s.k. provgjutningar och fler är planerade under december månad. Enligt vad en av de ledande arkeologerna i S:t Petersburg skriver på sin blogg kommer detta i praktiken att leda till lämningarna förstörs.
Onekligen framstår det som ganska egendomligt att den historiska staden S:t Petersburg ska "prydas" av ett 400 meter högt glasmonster. Ur svenskt perspektiv är det förstås extra sorgligt när detta kombineras med en förstörelse av lokala svenskminnen.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 19:40 Links to this post
Ukrainian pistol Fort 12
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 13:06 Links to this post
Top 10 most strange promises of candidates to President's post
2. Inna Bogoslovska: "Ukraine will make "Kyiv initiative" concerning carrying out in Kyiv the negotiations of the world community on new world order topic".
3. Volodymyr Lytvyn: "Key task – is providing correlation of minimal and maximum wage in proportion 1 to 5".
4. Petro Symonenko: " The minimum share of salaries in the product prime cost will be set at 60%.
5. Victor Yushchenko: "A hryvnia will become the only payment means in Ukraine. There will be no foreign currency transactions and prices in the home market".
6. Oleg Tyagnybok: "European Ukrainian-centrism – strategic course of the government".
7. Anatoliy Hrytsenko: "I will make an official to speak with people in the language, he/she is addressed".
8. Oleksandr Pabat: "The state monopoly on main land resources will be renewed and the state will take the land on long-term lease".
9. Yulia Tymoshenko: "Immediately after the crisis we will resume a long term housing mortgage loans at 2-4% per annum for 10-30 years".
10. Lyudmyla Suprun: "The schools will turn to multimedia scientific-cultural centers of education and development of personality".
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 12:37 Links to this post
Friday, December 11, 2009
Oh, those Russians...
Calls flooded in to radio stations and air-traffic control towers. Astronomers were baffled. Extra-terrestrial enthusiasts got on their blogs. "It looked like a rocket that spun around and around and then went diagonally across the heavens," said Totto Eriksen, who saw the display while driving his daughter to school. And when an explanation finally came, he wasn't far wrong. It turned out to be a failed Russian nuclear-capable missile test launch.
The new Bulava missile was fired from the nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoi, the Russian defence ministry confirmed. The White Sea, close to Norway's Arctic region, is Russia's standard missile-testing site. This one failed at the third stage.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 08:59 Links to this post
Poroshenko and Clinton discussed strategic partnership issues of Ukraine and USA
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 08:53 Links to this post
Thursday, December 10, 2009
President Yuschenko is not interested in the position of the Ukrainian prime minister
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 14:43 Links to this post
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Russia attempts to meddle in the process of election of the president of Ukraine
The head of state believes this to humiliate the Ukrainian people. At the same time Yuschenko emphasised, Russia's position cannot have much influence on the progress and outcome of the presidential ballot. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Yuschenko is September said he anticipated Russia's attempts to meddle in the process of election of the president of Ukraine. Ukraine is electing its president on January 17, 2010.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 14:50 Links to this post
Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine has arrived in Kyiv
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 11:12 Links to this post
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Ukraine will remain NATO's reliable partner
In his words, this year was of a particular importance for relations between the Alliance and Ukraine, because NATO foreign ministers decided last December to open a new format of bilateral relations. Thanks to this decision, Ukraine launched the development of her annual target plan, and certain results of this work have been already summed up. "Implementation of the 2009 target program conformed to expectations of the Alliance. And we want to thank you for this. This result is also satisfactory to us. The annual target plan helped step up reforms in the military and civil areas, make relations with the Alliance more intensive," Poroshenko said. He pointed out that the decision of the Bucharest summit and the following decisions by the NATO foreign ministers' meeting on Ukraine's future membership were correct and profitable for relations between NATO and Ukraine. On December 12 the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine decided to triple the strength of the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 12:38 Links to this post
Monday, December 7, 2009
The autumn 2009 conscription campaign in Ukraine is finished
The last groups of young conscripts were sent from the collecting stations of regional military commissariats to the armed forces and other military formations, the press service said.
A total of 19,500 people were sent to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is 500 less compared to this spring, 5,700 to the interior troops of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, and 1,250 to the state special transport service. A total of UAH 3.267 million was allocated from the state budget under a government decision to hold the conscription campaign.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 10:35 Links to this post
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Ukraine, Brazil may sign deal about Oplot tanks supply by spring 2010
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 17:48 Links to this post
A new accident in Russia
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 17:08 Links to this post
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Izhevsky armament plant
Presently the company produces:
- military firearms;
- sporting-hunting weapons;
- aircraft automatic guns;
- guided artillery gunning complexes;
- test vehicles for maintenance and repair of tank armaments;
- new models of bikes;
- cars;
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 13:23 Links to this post
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The exhibition in the Moscow Kremlin
Some of them are really very impressive.
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 11:51 Links to this post
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tula Arms Plant
Posted by Oleg Bezverkhnii at 08:44 Links to this post


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Taste Test: The Best Italian Combo Sandwich in Little Italy
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.
What's the greatest icon of Italian American cuisine in New York?
Pizza's so beloved it's gotten a culinary green card. Pasta and meatballs? You could make a case for it, but you could make the same case for it anywhere in the U.S. that you'll find Italians.
No, if I were to name an ambassador of New York's Italian American food culture, it'd be the hero. It's a gutbusting, cheap, and portable working lunch for a city on the move, and you can fill it with anything, from chicken parm to broccoli rabe to ham and salami, a form as diverse and colorful as New York's Italian community. And if we're talking about the hero's connection to the city, I think Ed said it best in his 2003 New York Times article on the sandwich:
We are a city of heroes. The rest of the country may clamor for po' boys and hoagies, grinders, subs, wedges or torpedoes, but New York knows what really constitutes a gigantic sandwich, and what raises the hero above those pretenders; what makes it gastronomic royalty.
Now the hero comes in countless forms, but when you're talking about deli sandwiches, nothing beats the Italian combo, a mix of cured meats with cheese, some combination of lettuce, peppers, and, tomato, and an oil-vinegar dressing. The meats are typically Genoa salami, prosciutto, and capicola; the cheese is most often provolone.
The Serious Eats office is dead in the thick of New York's Italian American culture—at least what used to be. It's no secret to anyone who calls New York home that today's Little Italy is as Italian as Mario the plumber. But still, with the thousands of tourists that pass through daily, you'd expect some places to do the Italian combo justice.
By our count there are four sandwich shops to get a classic hero in Little Italy. Two are new school—Parm and the resurrected Italian Food Center—and two are as old school as they come—Parisi Bakery and the century-old Alleva dairy. Prices ranged from $8.50 to $12, with sizes from gargantuan to dainty. Our thoughts in the full rundown below.
The Narrow Winner: Italian Food Center ($10)
A little history: the Italian Food Center used to be one of Little Italy's last old school delis until it closed a couple years ago. What's emerged in its place is new in all but the name: a cavernous, industrial-ish restaurant clearly aimed at tourists, with sandwiches, pizza, and pasta on the menu.
But we're quite happy with the sandwiches, and this is no exception. There's plenty of meat, thinly sliced, the porkiest in our tasting. Iceberg lettuce comes finely shredded—is there any better lettuce for a sandwich, and any better way to prep it?
The inclusion of a sneaky but assertive pepper jam is what won us over in the end, an unorthodox but smart addition to the sandwich's fruity, tangy, and meaty flavors. That and the price tag: we ranked this one very closely to its runner up, but at $2 less for a comparably sized filling-but-not-huge sandwich, it inches ahead to a photo finish.
The Close Second: Parm ($12)
Parm's Italian combo runs a close second, and were it a couple bucks cheaper you could call it an even race. It hits every element of a classic Italian combo: excellent ham, mortadella, and soppressata, all paper-thin; crunchy lettuce and ripe-ish tomato; sesame seed-topped hero with a nice toastiness (probably the best bread of our tasting); a whisp of oil and vinegar. It's a balanced sandwich, not too heavy despite its ample stuffing. Hey, tired of us talking up Parm? When other Italian sandwich shops pay the same attention to ingredient quality and proportions, we will.
The Surprise Success: Alleva ($8.50)
Alleva's sandwich was the largest and cheapest in our tasting. But it looks plain wrong: thick, unwieldy clumps of meat, an absence of vegetables save a couple strips of pickled red pepper, and a slip of balsamic vinegar that soaks right into the bread. It looks unimpressive, but we were surprised at how often we came back to it. Though thinly sliced meats make for an easier to eat sandwich, the chewy thick slices of salami here gave a pleasant resistance to the teeth, and the hero bread, though standard, holds up to its fillings well. The meager peppers and balsamic add more brightness than you expect, enough to keep this monster of a sandwich relatively interesting from start to finish. Though we'd be hard pressed to finish one by ourselves.
The Flunk: Parisi Bakery ($10)
We're big fans of Parisi for their great bread, filling sandwiches, and oh-so-New-York attitude (I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when a group of 20 Mormon tourists walked in for lunch). But this sandwich left us wanting. It took a couple tries to even get an Italian combo; our first attempt resulted in some cured meat and fresh mozzarella on bread, unadorned. When we finally made our requests clear, we got sloppy slices of meat, whole leaves of lettuce, and fat tails of red pepper with a sweet brine that decked out every flavor it came across.
What's Your Favorite?
We've just scratched the surface on the world of New York's Italian combos, and no doubt the going gets even better the farther you get from Mulberry Street. So tell us: where's your favorite Italian combo in New York?
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Paul receives more support from U.S. military than all Republican candidates combined
Paul Joseph Watson
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Despite numerous Republican candidates attacking Ron Paul over his "dangerous" foreign policy, Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer praised Paul for being the "most accurate" out of all the GOP contenders when it came to his perspective on Iran.
"I think Ron Paul's perspective or policy on Iran is probably the most accurate of the current GOP candidates," said Shaffer during an appearance on Fox News, adding that Iran probably already has a nuclear weapon.
As Shaffer points out in the clip, Iran would be committing suicide if it decided to create any kind of pretext for a US/Israeli attack by targeting US military assets in the region. The Iranian economy would almost certainly collapse and Iran would be completely outnumbered and outgunned.
Indeed, as this illustration highlights, Iran is completely surrounded by US military bases. The characterization of Iran as an immediate and deadly threat to the security interests of the United States is nothing less than fearmongering propaganda that has been used by numerous GOP candidates to pose as tough leaders. It is their foreign policy of pre-emptive war that represents the greatest 'danger' to US security interests.
While the likes of Rick Santorum and John Huntsman have openly declared they wouldn't hesitate to bomb Iran, Ron Paul has consistently pointed out that pre-emptive wars against countries that pose no threat to the United States have bankrupted the country.
Paul was attacked yet again following the Iowa caucuses by Newt Gingrich, who in the midst of an angry rant said Paul's foreign policy was "stunningly dangerous" to the U.S. Paul responded by pointing out that Gingrich is a chickenhawk.
"You know, when Newt Gingrich was called to service in the 1960s during the Vietnam era, guess what he thought about danger? He chickened out on that, he got deferments and didn't even go," said Paul.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
- {openx:74}
The true popularity of Paul's foreign policy can be judged by the amount of money he receives from the U.S. military.
Ron Paul has has received more money in donations from active duty military personnel than all of the other Republican candidates combined and more than Barack Obama himself.
"Paul's military-connected contributions for the three months more than double such contributions to all the other Republican presidential candidates—and they also exceed Obama's," confirms Politifact.
In the three months from April through June, Paul received "more than $25,000 from individuals who listed their employer as a branch of the military" (the campaign itself puts the figure closer to $35,000).
So if Paul's views on how the U.S. military should be used throughout the world are so "dangerous," as Gingrich and others have charged, why are his foreign policy positions backed by the very people tasked with fulfilling that role?
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


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Dog Games
Cat Game
Replacement Parts
GAMES for people to play with people, DOGS and CATS!
It's a howl to watch players try to get their dogs or cats to shake, roll over or say something.
AND NOW! iPod iPhone Apps!
Check out iPottyTrain and iWalkDog!
FUNAGLE is the BOARD GAME people and their dogs play. Friends and family huddle around a board game giggling while they match wits trying to get their dogs to "Moonwalk" or "Do the Wave". Collect the most tags and win!
DO YOU MIND is the DICE GAME people and their dogs play together. Roll the paw print dice, pick a matching paw print card, get your dog to do the activity, enter your score on the score pad. You and your dog will have SO MUCH FUN!
CATFEATS is the new DICE GAME people and CATS play together. You won't believe what you can get your cat to do. Play it alone or with your family. A great new way to pay more attention to Kitty!


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I thought it was time to play catch up on all that has been going on here at The Old Vicarage. We've been working hard to put our own HenHouse-style stamp on our new home and we're gradually working our magic. One of the first rooms we tackled was the guest room. We then wasted no time into moving into it ourselves so we could decorate the master bedroom! Now we have a pretty and peaceful room to welcome our guests to Smiling Somerset.
Before we started, it was a sad little room. Although it was decorated in neutral colours, it was only once the room was empty of the previous owners' belongings that we could see just how dirty and shabby it had become. Living in the country, everything does seem to get a lot dirtier and dusty more quickly and this room was long overdue for some TLC.
As with the rest of our fine Victorian home, though, this room had good bones. A fair size, nice and quiet being on the back of the house and with some original features such as the corner cupboard, cast iron fireplace, doors and architraving.
Somebody had added a nasty turquoise stencil to one wall and a "distressed" light fitting. The carpet was dirty and moth eaten, the interior of the cupboard neglected and unloved!
The door was home to a strange selection of hooks.
The original fireplace had been painted over. The previous owners of the house have painted absolutely everything in the one shade of cream. I'm all for neutrals as a good base but it was just too bland.
The room has good sized Victorian sash windows but they needed overhauling and the room was made unnecessarily dark by a couple of trees outside the window, one of them an enormous ugly conifer.
We pondered whether to strip the Victorian pine boards back to their former glory but it took the Mr a very long time to refurbish the floor in the downstairs sitting room which we weren't that keen to repeat and we decided that we quite liked the cosy feel of carpet in the bedrooms. It was a no to the wooden floorboards then.
A painstaking job was removing the paint from the fireplace. We didn't feel the cream paint did justice to the casting and in any case, it had been badly applied and was peeling off. Hats off to Mr HenHouse who undertook the donkey work in this room.
Me? I'm not much help when it comes to the heavy work because of my joints but of course, there was a whole decorative scheme to plan. I was in my element, of course.
We settled on a wool carpet from a British company which would act as a warm but neutral background. I chose a pretty Cabbages and Roses fabric, Constance Rose, for the window treatment and some fresh paints from Farrow & Ball for the walls and woodwork. Wimborne White is a perennial favourite and my go-to colour for walls.
Of course, we all know that the key to a successful decorating scheme is in the finishing touches. This is where I like to put my crafty skills to good use and give our home a look that is individual to us. It meant I had to go out and find fabrics and pretty trims, of course, which was such a hardship!
After a few months of hard work (we're slow but thorough these days), we were really pleased with the results of our labours. Our pretty faded floral country house-style guest room emerged. Our style these days is a little different from our house in London but we feel it suits The Old Vicarage and its surroundings. It's nice to have a bit of a change too, of course.
We didn't need to source much in the way of furniture for this room, as we already had the bed (though we did get a fabulous new mattress in the sale). The old chippy painted chest of drawers with the porcelain knobs we rescued cheaply from a tumbledown old unit of a place selling furniture and bric-a-brac near to our home. I just gave it a good scrub, lined the drawers with scented paper and left it as it is. The mirror, lamp and radio we already had. I've re-homed the lovely tapestry-covered stool at the foot of the bed from the cottage (as we have put something sturdier in there) and was pleased to see it fitted in here rather nicely. The gorgeous old chandelier was a bargain from a little shop in Bridport. I was not short of eidys of course, when it came to choosing one for the foot of the bed.
The French bedside tables came from the Shepton Antiques Fair, the lamps from the "bric-a-brac" unit (I made the shades using old frames and vintage fabric from my stash) and of course, I was responsible for the soft furnishings.
I loved making the patchwork cushions from old scraps of precious old French and English floral fabrics and I made the little quilt, too.
I whiled away many an evening most enjoyably with a little English Paper Piecing (hand sewing) these hexagons from my stash of pretty vintage fabrics. I bought the old frame for £10, had new glass fitted and it was perfect for my little piece of stitchyness to go above the bed.
Mr HenHouse having worked his magic, the fireplace was restored to its former glory. We bought the mirror rather thriftily in Bridport and touched up the frame a little with some gold paint. The fender was a cheap flea market find made pretty again by the Mr. He's a handy chap to have around, I can tell you! The old hat boxes are vintage finds, the handmade velvet cushion houses some of my growing collection of old paste brooches (I am a self-confessed magpie), the pretty antique chair with its handprinted rose design was £15 from the bric-a-brac unit and I made the cushion. There's a lot of the Mr and of me invested in this here room!
Ove in the far corner, my beautiful Cabbages and Roses curtains are just framing the shot. I had these made by a local company as I am not keen on curtain making! I found the gorgeous vintage velvet tiebacks in a local vintage shop, the little wall shelf unit came from the "bric-a-brac" barn for a song and had a little chalk paint treatment before becoming home to some of my little thrifty treasures. One day in Frome, I spotted the French iron cot and having wanted one for quite some time, home it came. I made a little mattress for it with ticking fabric (stuffed with old duvets!) and hand-tufted it. It's the perfect spot for my handmade cushions and quilts and vintage floral eidys, of course.
I made little snowy rabbit by hand and she is quite happy there, in her cosy cot bed. I LOVE that vintage eidy. It was a recent flea market find. How could I leave it behind for a measly £10? Reader, you'll be relieved to hear I rescued it immediately!
Let me show you another of my little bargains. As you know, I am partial to a bit of pink. One day after visiting a vintage textiles fair in Dorset, we found our way to an antiques centre. Well, that is what it called itself but it was possibly the worst of its type I had ever been to! Rescue came in the form of this old chair I found hidden away in one of the aisles. It has a gorgeous original chippy paint finish and at a measly £7, into the boot it went. Love! I made the little cushion from a vintage quilt block.
I've collected all sorts of pretty bits and pieces for this room from the many vintage fairs and flea markets we go to. I love that all the items are inexpensive but all unique and that they tell a story; both hints of their past life and the story of how and where we acquired them. For example, the crystal beaded necklace I have had for many years and once belonged to my grandmother. The dinky beaded bag came from Bridport's street market one Saturday morning.
The real crowning glory of this room? It's the view. From the back of The Old Vicarage, it's fair to say we have views to-die-for of the stunning surrounding countryside. Our village is situated quite high up and beyond us, we can see right out across the Levels.
It wasn't a particularly fine day weatherise today when I took these shots but on any day, it's still mesmerising. It is lovely to watch the landscape change with the seasons. Nature is so amazing. You can see what a difference it has made, having that whopping great ugly conifer taken down. It has been sawn into logs and is seasoning nicely for burning on the fires next Winter so that's a winning story all round.
In the other direction, there's a view across our paddock and of the HenHouse girls, of course. They're always busy going about their run and are such fun to watch. We don't have a cockerel so lie-ins are still on the agenda but the girls do like to make a bit of a racket to let you know when they've laid their egg each morning!
I hope you've enjoyed a little peak around our first renovation project. X
Note: Please make sure you properly credit any pinned images back to this blog. Thank you very much.


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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Qualifying for the Australian Open got underway after the air quality improved from "hazardous" in the early morning to "very poor" before noon.
Smoke haze and poor air quality from wildfires has caused problems for players in practice and qualifying for the Australian Open, leading Slovenia's Dalila Jakupovic to withdraw.
She was leading when she retired from from her first-round qualifier on Tuesday because of breathing difficulties.
She described not being able to breathe during the match.
"... So I just went down because I couldn't stand up to be to be straight because I just couldn't breathe. I couldn't have a deep breath. So after that, I also got a panic attack because I couldn't get some air. So was was very, very hard, I have to say, was one of the hardest matches I had, actually," Jakupovic said.
Tennis Australia said further decisions on the state of play at Melbourne Park would be made in consultation with its medical team and scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency.
At the Kooyong Classic, former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova struggled in the heat and smoke and her match against Laura Siegemund before it was called off. Officials decided to stop play at 5-5 in the second set. Siegemund won the first set.
Players complained about the health impacts of playing in the haze that has enveloped Melbourne.
Winds have push the smoke from devastating wildfires over the southeast of the country. Climate experts recommend playing the tournament indoors or delaying it.
Conditions are expected to improve before the first tennis major of the season starts on Monday. But scientists are warning this could be the new normal for Australia, and urged organizers to consider alternative plans.
World No. 5 Elina Svitolina took to Twitter, asking "Why do we need to wait for something bad to happen to do an action."
Copyright 2020 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Gray Media Group, Inc., contributed to this report.


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General Motors Pulls Advertising From Facebook [REPORT]
In a big vote of no confidence before Facebook's IPO, General Motors is pulling its ads from the platform, calling them "ineffective," according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The automaker determined that its ads on the platform "had little impact on consumers," according to the report, which cites "people familiar with the matter." GM will continue to market via Facebook's brand Pages, which, of course, are free.
The article quotes GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick as saying GM "is definitely reassessing our advertising on Facebook, although the content is effective and important." Ewanick's use of "content" in this case refers to Facebook brand Pages.
Ewanick, concerned about the low response for GM's Facebook ads, met with Facebook managers earlier this year, according to the report. But the execs failed to convince him that advertising on the social network made sense, according to the article.
GM released the following statement on the matter:
We regularly review our overall media spend and make adjustments as needed. This happens as a regular course of business and it's not unusual for us to move our spending around various media outlets - especially with the growth of social and digital media outlets.
In terms of Facebook specifically, we are reassessing our advertising, but remain committed to an aggressive content strategy with all of our products and brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers.
The automaker spends about $40 million marketing on Facebook, but only about a quarter goes to advertising. The rest funds content creation for the site, according to the report. GM spends about $1.8 billion globally on advertising per year.
GM's not the only critic of Facebook's ads. Forrester Research Analyst Nate Elliott wrote a blog post on Monday questioning the efficacy of the social network's advertising. "Somehow Facebook still hasn't stumbled upon a model that's proven consistently successful for marketers, or that brings in the massive revenues to match the site's massive user base," wrote Elliott. "One global consumer goods company told us recently that Facebook was getting worse, rather than better, at helping marketers succeed. And companies in industries from consumer electronics to financial services tell us they're no longer sure Facebook is the best place to dedicate their social marketing budget – a shocking fact given the site's dominance among users."
Facebook posted revenues of $3.7 billion in 2011, the vast majority of which came from advertising. However, Facebook's first-quarter revenues fell from the previous quarter and Facebook's amended S-1 form, filed on May 10, cited the transition to mobile as a worrisome sign for ad revenues.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, blackred


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By Tallahassee Community College Sports Information
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 17, 2012) – FCSAA No. 9 Tallahassee Community College enjoyed a ten-point halftime lead and rode it to a 64-46 win over Daytona State College on Saturday afternoon.
Tallahassee wrapped up its four-game road trip with three straight victories to improve to 4-2 on the season heading into the annual TCC Basketball Thanksgiving Classic presented by G&G Caribbean Restaurant on Wednesday and Thursday, November 21 and 22.
On Saturday, Tallahassee took a 33-23 lead to the locker room then limited the Falcons to another 23-point half after the intermission.
Curtis Diamond matched his scoring output from Friday's win over St. Petersburg College with another 17-point effort to lead the Eagles. Jonathan Hood hit 4-of-7 three-pointers en route to a 14-point afternoon and C.J. Washington scored 10 points.
The Thanksgiving Classic will feature an afternoon session with games at 1 and 3 p.m. and a Tallahassee doubleheader in the evening session with games at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Tallahassee will host Broward College in the 5:30 p.m. women's game followed by Tallahassee and Marion (Ala.) Military Institute in the 7:30 p.m. men's game.
TCC Athletics is supporting Toys for Tots on Wednesday evening, as fans who bring an unwrapped toy will receive free admission.


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There are a number of culinary schools in New York that foodies can enroll in. When it comes to choosing a school one should assess the institution and pick one which they think will help them to become great chefs. In these times, cooking isn't just a mere hobby but rather it is seen as an art. And a lot of individuals are getting hooked on cooking. For this reason, culinary schools have become quite popular not just for those people who want to get into the art of cooking as a means of living but even to those who want to cook for the fun of it.
Institute of Culinary Education
The Institute of Culinary Education is one of New York City's largest centers of culinary education. It was established by Peter Kump in 1975 and offer career training programs for seven to twelve months. The institute has a number of programs including Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking, Culinary Management and Hospitality Management. It has been recognized by the International Association of Culinary Professionals and was the recipient of the Awards of Excellence for Culinary Schools in new york. The institute also offers a number of recreational classes including cooking classes, baking classes, and a course on wine & beverages.
French Culinary Institute
As the name suggests, the French Culinary Institute will teach individuals how to master the French cuisine. Unlike the other culinary schools in new york, the great thing with the FCI is that individuals are given access to a more flexible schedule. For instance, aspiring cooks do not have to wait that long to enroll in a course because culinary classes start every six weeks cutting the waiting period. At the same time, the FCI campus is nestled in the heart of SoHo which boasts of the best restaurants that the city has to offer. Each class will only have an average of 12 students to be supervised by one teacher. For this reason, students will be guided closely and the student-teacher ratio will make the learning process a lot easier. And lastly, students will be able to cook at the Zagat and Michelin rated on-campus restaurant, L'Ecole.
Miette Culinary Studio
The Miette Culinary Studio is located in Greenwich Village and offers cooking courses not just to adults but also to children. At the same time, the cooking school caters to private culinary events as well as corporate team building events. Private cooking lessons are also available and the student even gets to choose the menu together with the chef. Private cooking lessons are great for people who want to learn how to cook but are not comfortable being in large groups. The cooking school is great for people who are very particular about organic food products. The culinary school offers different classes including American Classics, Cooking in Less Than Thirty Minutes and Thanksgiving Favorites. There are less than 12 students for every class and the cooking school is able to accommodate everyone regardless of their knowledge of cooking. Classes end with a sit-down dinner and each student will get a glass of wine at each class. This is a great way to train at some of the best culinary schools in New York


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Conservative columnist Ann Coulter was less than complimentary in a recent piece when she criticized Dr. Kent Brantly, the American doctor who contracted Ebola in Liberia.
Apparently, his altruism didn�t measure up to Coulter�s brand of superior morality.
�Why did Dr. Brantly have to go to Africa? The very first �risk factor� listed by the Mayo Clinic for Ebola � an incurable disease with a 90 percent fatality rate � is: �Travel to Africa.�
�Can�t anyone serve Christ in America anymore?
�No � because we�re doing just fine. America, the most powerful, influential nation on Earth, is merely in a pitched battle for its soul.�
I will agree with Coulter on one point � the good doctor knew the risks. But that same argument can be used with anyone who goes overseas to help those who can�t help themselves. Whether you are a soldier, a doctor, a missionary or a teacher, there are risks when you go to a third-world country where war and disease are rampant.
Do we berate soldiers coming home from war?
Of course not.
Why does the Right feel compelled to attack a man who followed the mandate of Christ, �So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets� (Matthew 7:12).
But an indignant Christian such as Coulter who can use the words �serving Christ� and write the following in the same piece should seriously question her theology.
�Not only that, but it�s our country. Your country is like your family. We�re supposed to take care of our own first.
�The same Bible that commands us to �go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel� also says: �For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, �You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.���
The latter verse, which she conveniently doesn�t cite, is Deuteronomy 15:11 in the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible.
Here is the next verse: �If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you� (Deuteronomy 15:12).
Followed by, �And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed� (Deuteronomy 15:13).
Context matters.
What�s worse, there are so many conservative leaders who use the clever talking point �America is a Christian nation� to garner a base, when in fact, we don�t act like it.
�You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it� (Deuteronomy 23:19-20).
Are we opening our hands to our brother? Banks earn billions of dollars in interest revenue annually.
Many of their shareholders are in church every Sunday, but how many of them have ever been to Liberia? And how many are giving of themselves without a tax write-off?
Let�s look at the so-called Moral Majority.
Rev. Jerry Falwell, following the Sept. 11 attacks, blamed �the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America.�
�I point the finger in their face and say �you helped this happen,�� he said on �The 700 Club.�
The Rev. John Hagee said Hurricane Katrina was sent by God to stop a gay pride event called �Southern Decadence Day.�
�I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are � were � recipients of the judgment of God for that.�
After the devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti that caused the death of more than 100,000 people, Pat Robertson said on his show �The 700 Club� that the disaster was the result of a �pact to the devil.�
�[The Haitians] were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever...
�And they got together and swore a pact to the devil.
�They said, �We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.�
�True story. And so, the devil said, �OK, it�s a deal.�
�You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.�
You can�t make this stuff up.
HBO Talk Show host Bill Maher had a good point when he said, �If you belonged to a political party or a social club that was tied to as much bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, violence and sheer ignorance as religion is, you�d resign in protest.�
This is not a blanket statement for all believers, but we seem to forget that we are in this together.
When we picture Uncle Sam in the clouds when we imagine God looking down on us, we are in big trouble. The capricious God we have created in America is not the loving Christ we read about in the gospels. He is not a politician, and I seriously doubt He cares about presidential elections or corporate bottom lines.
Our so-called religious leaders need to stop rewriting the Gospels for political clout and realize that demonizing Americans is adding to the moral decay of America.
They have the cart before the horse.
Who wants to submit to a God who, according to the men in the pulpits, doesn�t want them unless they are flawless?
When I was a child, I used to sing a song in church. To this day, this song gives me a chill up my spine, because it reminds me that the Creator of the Universe loves all of us.
Here are a couple of verses.
Just as I am - without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
-O Lamb of God, I come!
Just as I am - and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
-O Lamb of God, I come!
Regardless of Ms. Coulter�s angry rant, when the New Testament says �go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel,� the message of love in �Just As I Am� is what we are supposed to carry.
It is hard to argue that America in many ways is �in a pitched battle for its soul� as Coulter says, but criticizing a doctor who risks his life for the sick and dying seems like the act of someone who needs to do some soul-searching.
Ponder that!
Jim Brock is managing editor of the Nebraska City News-Press.
Jim Brock: The Gospels rewritten
Conservative columnist Ann Coulter was less than complimentary in a recent piece when she criticized Dr. Kent Brantly, the American doctor who contracted Ebola in Liberia.


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One thing working with watercolor is teaching me: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. (and Repeat, as needed.)
I was trying for a companion to the two landscape sketches I posted a couple of days ago, but with a bit of a brighter sky. It was not to be. I took a blogging friend's advice (thanks, Ruth) and rinsed the entire painting several times and retried…..and finally gave in and let the thing be what it wanted to be. Splattered it a bunch of times to vent my frustration (which was great fun) … and it looked kinda cool in the morning. Maybe the painting fairies came in during the night. I should leave milk and cookies out for them. Like, every night! Maybe they'll visit more often. 🙂
I will try again, on the flip side of this one, and see what happens. I've learned with watercolor that it's best to go in with no expectations, and hope for a pleasant surprise. It's best, but I don't always make it to the Land of No Expectations. Edited to Add: Thanks to Kirkistan for the title suggestion! Love it.
Happy Friday Eve to all. Paint splatters and big smiles all 'round!


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Michael C. Hall says he's being treated for cancer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Dexter" star Michael C. Hall says he was diagnosed with cancer and is on the road to the successful completion of treatment.
In a statement Wednesday, Hall said he was fortunate to be diagnosed with a "treatable and curable condition," Hodgkin's lymphoma, and thanked his doctors and nurses for their expertise. The name of the Los Angeles area health facility where he has undergone treatment was not released.
Craig Bankey, a spokesman for the actor, said the disease is in complete remission and Hall's treatment will continue as planned.
The 38-year-old Hall plans to attend Sunday's Golden Globe awards with his wife, actress Jennifer Carpenter, and the upcoming Screen Actors Guild ceremony. He's a nominee at both awards shows for his role as a serial killer in Showtime's "Dexter."
Bankey said Hall will return to production on the drama's fifth season later this year.


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Oct-30-08 DCA & HMFA Welcome Atlantic City to Live Where You Work Homebuyer Program
DCA & HMFA Welcome Atlantic City to Live Where You Work Homebuyer Program
Atlantic City is Fifth Municipality to Partner with Agencies on Program
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Atlantic City Mayor Scott K. Evans joined representatives from the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) at Proceida Homes, located at 724 Baltic Avenue, to announce that Atlantic City is the newest member of the Live Where You Work Program. Atlantic City is the fifth municipality to partner with HMFA on the program.
"Live Where You Work is a key component in Governor Corzine's efforts to provide work force housing to the residents of New Jersey," said Department of Community Affairs Commissioner (DCA) Joseph Doria. "Mayor Evans and Atlantic City should be commended for their commitment to the residents of this city and I encourage more municipalities to join the program."
The Live Where You Work Program is a work force housing initiative that provides low-interest mortgage loans to homebuyers purchasing homes in towns where they are employed. Other benefits include down payment and closing cost assistance for the purchase of a home within Smart Growth Areas and flexible underwriting criteria for the loan qualification process. Homes must be located in a municipality that has become a Live Where You Work partner with HMFA. The Live Where You Work initiative further enhances Governor Corzine's efforts to revitalize and build sustainable communities that will provide a greener environment, access to transportation and affordable housing opportunities for residents.
"This is a program that makes so much sense in today's market and economy," said Marge DellaVecchia, Executive Director of the HMFA. "Now, Live Where You Work makes it even more affordable and compelling. It is a way to save money, cut down on commuting time, strengthen our communities, increase community involvement through home ownership and get an affordable and reliable mortgage. It is the perfect mix!"
As a result of this partnership, people working in Atlantic City who are interested in buying a home in the City will be able to take advantage of the Live Where You Work program incentives. Live Where You Work is administered by the HMFA, a DCA affiliate. Trenton, Jersey City, Woodbridge and Elizabeth are all taking part in the program.
"We are very pleased to have the opportunity to offer a program to the people who work in our city," said Mayor Evans. "They deserve the right and ability to obtain comfortable, safe, well maintained and readily accessible housing in close proximity to their jobs. We are working towards a greener approach to making the City of Atlantic City a better place not only for our present residents, but also for those who will relocate here as a result of this innovative new program."
To learn about how to get a Live Where You Work mortgage, please call 1-800-NJHOUSE. For more information about how municipalities can join Live Where You Work, please call 609-278-7478. Or, you can visit the Live Where You Work website at www.livewhereyouwork.nj.gov.


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The official trailer is out for "Haywire," an upcoming film starring Strikeforce fighter Gina Carano.
The movie, directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh, hits theaters in January 2012.
In addition to Carano, who makes her silver-screen debut, the film also features notables such as Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton and Channing Tatum.
"Haywire" focuses on freelance covert operative Mallory Kane (Carano), who is double-crossed by her handlers. She then must allude an international manhunt and return to the U.S. to protect her family and enact her revenge.
The project famously delayed Carano's once-thriving fighting career. One of the biggest names in women's MMA, the 29-year-old now hasn't fought since an August 2009 loss to Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos that ended her undefeated run in the sport.
Following filming, Carano, of course, had been booked to fight Sarah D'Alelio in April during a Strikeforce show in Houston. But the fight, which would have been the first female bout under Strikeforce since the UFC acquired it earlier this year, was scratched when (despite clearance from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation) Carano's doctor wouldn't allow her to compete for undisclosed reasons.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, though, said she eventually will return to the cage.
In the meantime, Carano recently attended Comic-Con in San Diego to begin promoting "Haywire."
Check out the full trailer with the embedded clip.


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14 Aug, 2012
Thinspiration Camp: Where Calories Go To Die
It's been a hot minute since I've been here…. The last time I was here I weighed 216, I got down to 210 and then went through some shit and now I'm back at 226. I've started Synthroid and I tried out for a work related "The Biggest Loser" program called Slimpossible. I was not […]
Tags: injury, thispiration camp, Triathlon, weight gain, weight loss