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Its not easy being a parent to a child on the autism spectrum! Actually… It isn't that easy being a parent full stop!
Below are some dos and don't, all based around the stuff I've learnt while parenting my little man. Remember, I'm just another parent like you! No, I'm not doctor or child psychologist and what works for us may totally not work for you. But why not have a read anyway… If anything you won't feel do alone. Please, feel free to add anything within the comments sections:)
So… Here it goes…
Don't feel guilty if you failed to spot the signs at an early age.
Do remember that this is common for children diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome with many of them not gaining an actual official diagnosis, till their teenage years.
Don't be to proud to ask for help!
Do fight for it, if those who are meant to provide it, withhold it!
Don't force your child to be someone they are not!
Do show them you are proud of them for being the person they are.
Don't assume its easy!
Do remember that parenting any child can at times be challenging.
Don't feel you have to explain your child's behaviour, every single time they do something that makes others stop and stare.
But do educate those who are willing to listen! The important issue here is, not to get stressed when out and about. this only makes things more difficult for both yourself and your child. Remember its ignorance and sadly many are guilty of displaying it!
Don't restrict the activities you do as a family.
Do prepare your child for such occasions with the help of visual resources and schedules to avoid unwanted challenges on the day.
Don't forget you have a life too.
Do take time out for you, whenever the opportunity arises.
Don't assume that any two children diagnosed with Aspergers will experience the exact same traits.
But do make yourself aware of such traits, preparing yourself for what may lay ahead.
Don't assume a diagnosis is your child's ticket to the support and services they may need.
Do be prepared to battle for them, services! Yes, you'll be expected to provide evidence showing why it is the help is needed.
Don't just expect others to instantly understand your child's diagnosis
Do be prepared for ignorance & denial. Sadly many find that its friends & family who display the worst reactions to the news of a child's diagnosis. As for strangers…. I not don't even notice the states as my son displays a screaming match at the local train station. Ok its never easy, but you adjust and get used to it.
Don't freak out if your child develops an interest in something considered to be strange or unusual.
Do embrace and encourage all that your child loves regardless of its wackiness.
Don't assume your child will have learning difficulties.
Do celebrate the subjects they excel in, and offer help and support to improve in those they are not.
Don't base decisions on what you want for your child!
Do base decisions on what is best for them.
Don't beat yourself up if you lose it! Meltdowns that go on for hours are likely to make you crumble.
Do remember that your human and your child still loves you ( regardless of what they may say).
Don't be surprised if your child announces to the lady sat on the bus, that she's old, wrinkled and looks close to death.
Do play games and work on activities designed to help your child avoid social mishaps like that of the above.
Don't waste money buying your child the top branded toys, especially if they have failed to express any interest.
Do make them happy on Christmas morning if padlocks, staples and rulers were on their Christmas list.
Don't be too disheartened if your child shows no interest in making friends.
Do have hope that one day that will change!
Don't force your child to play with other children…
… But do teach them the social skills required to do so! Most children on the autism spectrum will eventually show a desire to interact and play with others.
Don't waste your time looking for cures
But do look into therapies that have been designed to help your child better develop the skills required to succeed in both child and adulthood.
Don't assume that just because your child doesn't display certain traits during childhood they won't during adulthood.
But Do remember maybes are not certainties.
Don't try to make your child fit into society!
But do mould them as you would any child so society fits with them.
Don't use complex language (metaphors and sarcasm) when talking with your child
But do try and teach them that others will to avoid miscommunications.
Don't force your child to wear certain clothing, eat certain foods or attend certain activities.
Do be sure to research sensory processing disorders as their refusal to do any of the above could be and likely is related.
Don't assume that your child with Aspergers will have the abilities to cope in a mainstream school (not all can)!
Do make sure you are open minded… Sometimes special schools are all your child needs to succeed within education.
Don't use your child's diagnosis as an excuse for unwanted behaviour.
Do remember that all children can be challenging and all are not autistic… You will learn the difference, I have!
Don't forget to be mum to everyone
Do remember that siblings of children with Asperger's syndrome may display unwanted behaviour or mimic their siblings traits as a way to gain the attention they crave.
Don't assume your child will be bullied.
But do look out for the signs as statistics have shown that it is children like yours and mine who become targets.
Don't force your child to believe in the mystical world of make believe.
Do remember that many child with Asperger's syndrome like things based upon facts, the type backed up by evidence. If you can't prove how santa gets round the world in one single night then chances are he will never believe. Just make sure he doesn't share his findings with his siblings… Like little man has tried.
Don't ask your child if you look good in a new dress unless you want blatant sharp honesty…
Do be prepared to be shown your love handles and chubby knees if you do.
Don't believe everything the books tell you.
Do remember that every child has the capability to at least try and lie… Well, at least the desire to try and do so, is usually there! Its just that children with Aspergers are not all that hot at it! Little man usually cracks within minutes.
Don't be so serious…
Do crack a smile, your child with Aspergers is more than capable of making you proud… Mine does.
Don't just assume your child will tell you if something is wrong! Aspergers is a communication disorder after all!
Do be ready to put on your investigation cap, as you try to discover just what has upset your child… Remember they will expect you to just know.
Don't feel that everything has to become a mission in life because of your child's condition.
Do be prepared to be pleasantly surprised when your child shows you that something you thought would be impossible for them… is actually totally possibly.
Don't waste time asking yourself "What If?"
Do remember that we have one life, Our own unique and special story. All children deserve to be brought up happy with stacks of love and great memories to support it. Our children will eventually grow up and fly the nest… Yes even those with Aspergers Syndrome! My point? Just enjoy your kids, never taking a single day for granted… Even those not so good ones!


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|Evans, Jay
Submitted to: Insect Molecular Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/2006
Publication Date: 11/1/2006
Citation: Peiren, N., De Graaf, D.C., Evans, J.D., Jacobs, F.J. 2006. Genomic and transcriptional analysis of protein heterogeneity of the honeybee venom allergen api m 6. Insect Molecular Biology. 15:577-582.
Interpretive Summary: Honey bees play important roles in agriculture as pollinators and food providers. If stung by honey bees, beekeepers and other members of the public can be exposed to a set of venom compounds that are allergenic in a minority of cases. Understanding these venom compounds can help in the development of desensitizing treatments for people with allergic responses, and in efforts to develop suitable antivenom treatments for people faced with an allergenic response. The recently sequenced honey bee genome helped us to determine the genetic basis of a variable venom protein ("Api m 6"), showing that variation for this trait is limited to one section of the genome. This information will be of use for medical researchers and clinicians as they work to minimize adverse effects of honey bees and other stinging insects.
Technical Abstract: Several components of honey bee venom are known to cause allergenic responses in humans and other vertebrates. One such component, the minor allergen Api m 6, has been known to show amino-acid variation but the genetic mechanism for this variation is unknown. Here we show that Api m 6 is derived from a single locus, and that substantial protein-level variation has a simple genome-level cause, without the need to invoke multiple loci or alternatively spliced exons. Api m 6 sits near a misassembled section of the honey bee genome sequence, and we propose that a substantial number of indels at and near Api m 6 might be the root cause of this misassembly. We suggest that genes such as Api m 6 with coding-region or UTR indels might have had a strong effect on the assembly of this draft of the honey bee genome.

subset: commoncrawl


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Danielle & Ross | Chicago Wedding
Danielle and Ross now reside in London, so their wedding in Chicago was a big-time homecoming. The day started out at the modern luxury Dana Hotel whirlwind preparations before a lovely traditional classic ceremony at Assumption Church. After a quick stop for lunch at one of their favorite neighborhood restaurants - J.P. Graziano it time for a whirlwind tour around Chicago by trolley with stops at the Adler Planetarium for skyline photos, the world-famous Bean at Millennium Park, and the Wrigley Building by the Chicago River, partying all the way. The day finished with an elegant reception at Osteria via Stato as Danielle and Ross danced beneath the city lights.
Congrats guys, here's a look back!


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Focus on female characters
Even though women make up over 50% of the population, all studies show they are still massively under-represented in film and television. And I would sometimes find myself questioning the roles assigned to the female characters who do actually make it to screen. In many areas of media, I think we can do better.
At the weekend, my eldest Daisy was at a party in a kid's art place. She made a rather awesome clay model of a princess in a tower. Asking her about it, she explained that the girls all had to make princesses to be rescued while the boys all had to make knights with swords to rescue the princesses. I was not exactly happy with this narrow gender-based project. Seeing this, Daisy went further and told me that they could choose to do either but all the girls chose princesses and all the boys chose knights.
I am not sure what form this choice was presented in or if indeed it was much of a choice at all. But if it was an open choice, I could well believe that most girls would choose princesses and most boys would choose knights. Because those are the gender roles assigned to them in an overwhelming amount of media and, in particular, marketing.
So you can offer the choice but, in a world that clearly pushes boys and girls into narrow gender roles with girls having fewer role models to choose from, is it really a choice?
As for me, I find myself very consciously making sure I have female characters in my shows. And this was not just a reaction to having two girls of my own. Even well before they were born, I developed Fluffy Gardens to have an equal amount of male and female characters. That was a very active choice because I wanted it to speak to children, not just boys or just girls. Children. With PLANET COSMO, the main character became a girl very early on in development because I wanted to introduce both boys and girls to all the cool stuff in space. Again, an active choice.
But a few years back, I did a little drawing-a-day project with zombies. Somewhat gruesome and not for the kids, it was just for fun. I realised when I approached the end of it that an overwhelming amount of the zombies were male. Why? Well, I wasn't really thinking about it. They just were. It's like even being so aware of female under-representation that, when I stopped thinking about it, I would fall back into the whole 'default human being male' thing.
So what does this tell me?
It tells me the only way to change this situation, to improve this, is to be active about it. Is to actively make it part of our thinking as we develop shows, games, anything. Should we force female characters in to a show if natural development has led to mostly males? In my opinion, yes. Yes we should. Because that 'natural' situation usually comes about because we are just perpetuating old media habits and conditioning and those are really hard to break without actively pushing against them. Getting female characters, varied, interesting and active should be a clear goal when developing media. Because there is a very good chance it won't happen on its own.
How could it when we ourselves are so influenced by the media around us?
If we do this and do it well (and by the way, I think many of us in preschool are actively tackling this right now), it would take just one generation to make real change. One generation later and maybe the writers won't have to think about getting strong female characters into their stories. It will just happen as it becomes normal.
And maybe kids making art will make real choices and deliver more than just princesses from the girls and knights from the boys.


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Principal: Elizabeth Weaver
Faculty: 60 Professional Staff; 75% with a Master's Degree or higher
Approximately 480 students in grades 1-5 in 2022-2023.
New Garden Elementary School is a first through fifth grade school located in Chester County, 25 miles southwest of Philadelphia and 15 miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware.
Activities offered at all of the elementary schools include:
Orchestra, Band, Chorus, Orff Ensemble, Reading Olympics, Math Olympiad, Math 24 Club, Book Fairs, Author/Illustrator Visits, Business Partnerships, Inter-generational Classroom Partnerships, Spanish Language Classes, Cultural Enrichment Programs and more. Daycare is provided before and after school hours by the local Y.M.C.A.
An active PTO holds monthly meetings with guest presenters giving talks on various topics pertaining to the elementary child. PTO activities include Book Fairs, Family Fun Night, Movie Night, Family Dance, Talent Show, Silent Auction, Bingo Night and other activities that support the home school connection.
Elementary School Years
The elementary years are a time when students begin to develop their academic self-concept and their feelings of competence and confidence as learners. They are beginning to develop decision-making, communication and life skills, as well as character values. It is also a time when students develop and acquire attitudes toward school self, peers, social groups, and family.
Kindergarten and elementary teachers play a vital role in the development process. What children learn and experience during their early years can shape their views of themselves and the world and can affect their later success or failure in school, work, and their personal lives.
Student Services
Student services at all of the Kennett Consolidated School District's elementary schools include guidance, nurse, occupational therapy, physical therapy, hearing, speech, instructional support, reading support, English as a Second Language, special education, and academically talented.
Each of the Kennett Consolidated School District's three elementary schools follow a standards-based curriculum in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Core goals and curriculum maps have been developed for all subject areas (available at kcsd.org). Additionally, elementary students receive instruction in music, art, physical education, and health weekly. All teachers utilize a variety of instructional strategies to address the needs of our diverse student population.


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Here's a very nice video about how to improve DPS after you have the basics (gear, gemming, rotation) down. It's by a hunter, Kripparrian, from the guild Exodus:
Direct Link
I think the best point is to think 2 or 3 abilities ahead. So you aren't reacting, but executing a plan.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
4 comments:
video doesnt seem to be thereReplyDelete
Well, it's showing up for me. I added a direct link to Youtube just in case other people can't see it.ReplyDelete
adblock was blocking it >.<ReplyDelete
sorry about that
- Anonymous2:58 AM, January 08, 2010
Nice video. I would love to use a G15 to spam a key (as recommended by this video), so as to increase my dps and avoid finger-strain from having to do this manually, but my understanding is that this is banned by Blizzard. See the quotes here: http://elitistjerks.com/f32/t25906-autohotkey_thread/ReplyDelete
Is this right that it is banned?
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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communities, community, crisis, democracy, disenchantment, Ed Miliband, Facebook, fair, future, government, hard work, inequality, job, Labour, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, people, politics, Queen's speech, reward, share, UKIP, Vox Political, wealth
Hopefully the naysayers among Vox Political's readership will have a little more respect for Mr Miliband after today.
He is the first – and so far, the only – leader of a mainstream British political party to have correctly identified the biggest problem facing our democracy at this time:
The fact that people aren't bothering to vote.
Here's what he said, in his response to the Queen's Speech:
"The custom of these debates is to address our opponents across the despatch box in this House, but today on its own that would be inadequate to the challenge we face.
"There is an even bigger opponent to address in this Queen's Speech debate – the belief among many members of the public that this House cannot achieve anything at all. Any party in it.
"About 10 per cent of people entitled to vote, voted for UKIP in the recent elections. But – as significant – over 60 per cent did not vote at all.
"And whatever side we sit on, we will all have heard it on the doorstep: 'You're all the same, you're in it for yourself, it doesn't matter who I vote for.'
"Of course, that's not new, but there is a depth and a scale of disenchantment which we ignore at our peril – disenchantment that goes beyond one party, beyond one government.
"There is no bigger issue for our country and our democracy.
"So, the test for this legislative programme, the last before the general election, is to show that it responds – to the scale of the discontent and the need for answers.
"In this election, we heard concerns about the way the EU works and the need for reform. We heard deep-rooted concerns about immigration and the need to make changes. But I believe there is an even deeper reason for this discontent.
"Fundamentally, too many people in our country feel Britain doesn't work for them and hasn't done so for a long time:
"In the jobs they do and whether their hard work is rewarded.
"In the prospects for their children and whether they will lead a better life than their parents, including whether they will be able to afford a home of their own.
"And in the pressures communities face.
"Above all, whether the work and effort people put in is reflected in them sharing fairly in the wealth of this country.
"The Governor of the Bank of England gave a remarkable speech last week saying inequality was now one of the biggest challenges in our country. We should all be judged on how we respond to this question, right as well as left.
"There are measures we support in this Queen's Speech including tackling modern slavery, an Ombudsman for our Armed Forces and recall.
"But the big question for this Queen's Speech is whether it just offers more of the same or whether it offers a new direction, so we can genuinely say it works for all and not just a few at the top."
Yes – exactly. Yes!
Within the last couple of days, I was saying on the Vox Facebook page that Labour needs to recognise the threat posed by UKIP in the context of disenchantment with democracy: With so few people voting, the door is thrown open to loony extremist right-wing parties.
The only solution is for the mainstream parties to ensure they know exactly what the people will support and offer the electorate what we want, rather than what they want to push on us.
With this speech, Mr Miliband has made it clear that he gets it, and that he is listening.
As the only leader who does – and is – this should put him well ahead by next May.
All he has to do is deliver what he has promised.
Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike
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Please be advised that WordPress includes advertisements on this site; they are not selected by the publisher
** Severe weather report included **
At least 6 dead, winter storms close interstates across Midwest, US
Deadly floods hit Huanuco and San Martin, Peru
New strain of Dengue outbreak kills 120 in Sri Lanka, incessant rain a cause
Severe floods hit Johor, Malaysia
Widespread floods continue in Uganda
Heavy rain/hailstorm hits Rajasthan, India
Massive floods hit 22 areas in South Trinidad
Heavy rains trigger landslide, giant hole swallows four cars, Brasilia, Brazil
This is a fulfillment of prophecy (see the Record-breaking Rains prophecy: https://signswonders.home.blog/2019/03/27/3-27-19-update/)
Cyclone Genoa brings rain, heavy snow across Central Mediterranean
Windstorm kills 2, leaves 400,000 homes without power in Southern France
Code Red issued for extreme heatwave in Australia
Fires continue in New South Wales, Australia
This is a fulfillment of prophecy (see the Record Fires prophecy: https://signswonders.home.blog/2019/07/01/7-1-19-update/)
Source: The Watchers
Screen shot: USGS
A major 6.9 earthquake hit Mindanao, Philippines, on December 15, 2019, at 0612 UTC, at a depth of 53 km / 33 mi, reported the NWS PTWC.
The NWS PTWC issued a Tsunami Information Statement on December 15, 2019, at 0620 UTC.
Screen shot: NWS PTWC
Screen shot: USGS
A major 6.0 earthquake hit the Vanuatu Islands on December 14, 2019, at 04:57:44 UTC, reported LDEO.
Screen shot: LDEO
1,223 major (6.0+) to super (8.0+) earthquakes hit various places worldwide over the last 2,473 days. Among these were 130 7.0+ and 14 8.0+ magnitude quakes. (Sources: EMSC-CSEM; Geoscience Australia; USGS; National Weather Service [NWS]; NWS National Tsunami Warning Service; Pacific Tsunami Warning Center [PTWC]; NOAA/United States Tsunami Warning System [NOAA/USTWS]; China Earthquake Networks Center; GEOFON; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory [LDEO] of Columbia University; BMKG [Indonesia]; Japan Meteorological Agency [JMA])
Jesus said these signs would appear before He returns,
"Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places" Matthew 24:7
"Great earthquakes shall be in diverse places and famines and pestilences, and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven" Luke 21:11
Jesus also said,
"There shall be signs in the sun, in the moon and the stars (we have seen this with the blood moon tetrad in 2014-15 on Israel's feast days, with a solar eclipse; the Star of Bethlehem and the Virgo and Leo lineup of stars over Jerusalem on September 23, 2017) and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring (tsunamis)" Luke 21:25
"Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when He comes, will find watching" Luke 12:37
Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled and those remaining shall surely come to pass. Are you prepared to stand before God and give an account of the life you have lived on this earth (Revelation 20:12-15)? If not, salvation is only a prayer away. Please visit the How Can I Be Saved page – your eternal destiny depends on it. God bless you.
All written publications on this site may be copied and shared for evangelistic and educational purposes.
God bless you with the Light of the world.
* Please provide attribution to this site via link. *


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Image credit: 22 BLOGGERS WITH ADVICE FOR RESEARCHERS AND EVALUATORS, ILLUSTRATED
I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check this out. After correcting send me the URL for your site meter and I can correct the information in the database.
Similarly, if your blog data in this list seems out of whack, please check your site meter. Usually, the problem is that for some reason your site meter is no longer working.
Sitemeter is no longer working so the total number of NZ blogs in this list has been drastically reduced. I recommend anyone with Sitemeter consider transferring to one of the other meters. See NZ Blog Rankings FAQ.
This list is compiled automatically from the data in the various site meters used. If you feel the data in this list is wrong could you check to make sure the problem is not with your own site meter? I am of course happy to correct any mistakes that occur in the automatic transfer of data to this list but cannot be responsible for the site meters themselves. They do play up.
Every month I get queries from people wanting their own blog included. I encourage and am happy to respond to queries but have prepared a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) people can check out. Have a look at NZ Blog Rankings FAQ. This is particularly helpful to those wondering how to set up sitemeters. Please note, the system is automatic and relies on blogs having sitemeters which allow public access to the stats.
Here are the rankings of New Zealand blogs with publicly available statistics for August 2019. Ranking is by visit numbers. I have listed the blogs in the table below, together with monthly visits and page view numbers. Meanwhile, I am still keen to hear of any other blogs with publicly available sitemeter or visitor stats that I have missed. Contact me if you know of any or wish help adding publicly available stats to your bog.
You can see data for previous months at Blog Ranks
Subscribe to NZ Blog Rankings Subscribe to NZ blog rankings by Email Find out how to get Subscription & email updates


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1940 Ford Coupe - Moonshiner's Dream
A Lot of Good 'Ol Boys Would Have Never Been Caught if They'd Had Runners Like This.
Related Video
Whether you call it bush whiskey, white lightning, bathtub gin, mountain dew, corn liquor, hillbilly pop, stumphole, or just plain old 'shine, when you're down in Habersham County, Georgia, you're deep into Appalachian moonshine country. And when you're talking about moonshine country, you're talking about more than just corn squeezin's; it was a way of life.
When the young U.S. government took control of the alcohol trade and levied excise taxes to help recoup the expense of the Revolutionary War, it inadvertently fueled an underground culture that revolved around the production and sale of illegal liquor. Once those farmers ground their corn mash and distilled their spirits-often under the cover of night with only the shine of the moon to see by (Get it?)-if they didn't have a buyer, it was the bootlegger's job to transport and sell the 'shine. (Just for clarification, a bootlegger, or tripper, is the guy who transports and/or sells illegal whiskey, while a moonshiner is the one with the still.)
Back before the days of running liquor across state lines at high speed, the original bootleggers were American colonists who concealed the bottles in the top of their boots and pulled their pant legs down to cover them-so the term bootlegger was born. The bootleggers we're all familiar with, though, are the rowdy bunch of drivers that rip-roared through backroads in souped-up coupes. While NHRA can trace its roots back to the dry lakes of Southern California, NASCAR can do the same with those bootleggers and the effective backwoods engineering they concocted to outrun and outdrive the revenuers.
To this day, Appalachia remains a fiercely independent region with a great deal of cultural pride, including in its illicit activities. Though the stills have long since dried and most of the 'shiners and runners have long since moved on to more legitimate forms of business, there's still a local fondness for the car most identified with the moonshine culture: the '40 Ford coupe. But don't take our word for it; just ask Willie Clay Call or Junior Johnson about that. Willie still has 14 of 'em. Type in moonshine at HOTROD.com if you missed the story "White Lightning" in the Oct. '05 issue.
They may not be runnin' 'em like they used to, but to many Appalachian inhabitants, a '40 Ford with a souped-up engine and a distinct rake is the definition of a hot rod. The Moonshiner Festival in Dawson, Georgia, started by reformed moonshiner Fred Goswick back in the '60s, regularly boasts 100-plus '40 Fords.
There's never been a distillery in his backyard or 100 gallons of rotgut in his trunk, but Jim Blackburn is one of those Appalachian residents who feels a certain historical attachment to the '40 Ford. Though he's restored and rebuilt a dozen cars over the years, Jim had never gotten his hands on what he refers to as his "favorite car of all time."
"You just don't see many '40 Fords that are chopped up or customized, because Henry's design was excellent as it was," Jim tells us. "I searched for years and years and just never ran across the right car." Luckily, a friend who had a '40 business coupe stowed away with intentions to restore it decided he had too many projects and offered the car to Jim. Finally, he could build his dream car.
As a purist for the aesthetics of the '40, Jim knew he'd be keeping the body largely stock. In the grand moonshiner's tradition, he wanted something hot under the hood but also something to make it unique in a sea of '40s at a local show. He had a few ideas brewing-maybe an Olds Rocket or big Caddy engine-but they were all brushed away by one ride in an '03 Mustang Cobra. The smooth, linear acceleration and wail of the supercharged 32-valve 4.6L were exactly what he was looking for-and he'd never seen one in a '40 Ford before. Jim was soon to find out why.
After taking some measurements, Jim could see he would have his work cut out for him to get the wide mod motor twixt the fenders. Right away, he saw he would have to rethink the location of some of the accessories as well as redesign the air intake. As Jim salivated over the thought of driving a Cobra-equipped '40 while looking the car over and taking notes on the things that needed to be modified, he began to realize the original chassis and suspension just weren't going to let him take full advantage of the available power.
Following more careful measuring, Jim sat down, put pen to paper, and laid down the chassis design he had in mind. To translate the sketch into steel, Jim called up T.C. Carver, an experienced chassis builder who'd worked for Bill Elliot Racing. After all, who would be more appropriate to design the ultimate tripper car chassis than a NASCAR fabricator?
Starting with a custom set of rails ordered through Vision Rods and Customs in Cleveland, Georgia, T.C. bent up the rest and grafted in a Heidt's Superide independent front and rear suspension. Jim wanted to avoid buying a new crate engine, but Cobra engines aren't exactly easy to run across in salvage yards. A little digging around turned up a dealer that had one that was purportedly a Ford dyno test mule. Sounds like something we'd avoid like a bottle of ginger jake, but the deal was right and pickin's were slim, so Jim decided to chance it and had the engine shipped to T.C.
A traditional bootlegging tripper car would have had a stripped interior, but since he intended to drive the '40, Jim went the opposite way with plush leather and a full DVD and satellite radio system. "I have to confess to ya, though," Jim says, "I don't turn it on much because I'm just in love with the sound of the engine. That wail is good music. I could show it a lot more, but it's such a delight to drive. There's no telling how fast it will run, but there's comfort in knowing it responds as needed, stops quickly, and it handles the curves so well that it's hard to make it lean. The old moonshiners around here love it and really appreciate the honoring of the '40 Ford. They just wish they had something back then that accelerated and handled like this car." One thing's for sure, the revenuers woulda never seen it comin'.
Quick Inspection: '40 Ford business coupeJim Blackburn * Clarksville, GAPowertrainEngine: The '03 4.6L Mustang Cobra long-block was rebuilt to factory stock specs by Tim Matherly of MV Performance in Statham, Georgia. The Eaton supercharger was ported and given a stock Ford Lightning supercharger pulley to make 16 psi. Bassani mufflers and an cross-pipe give it a raspy sound.
Power: It's untested to date, but judging by similarly modified Mustangs, it should be in the neighborhood of 475 hp.
Transmission: An '01 Mustang AODE is controlled by a Baumannator trans computer from Baumann Electronic Controls.
Rearend: The Heidt's Superide IRS houses 4.11 gears with a limited-slip diff.
ChassisFrame: Starting with a set of rails ordered through Vision Rods and Customs in Cleveland, Georgia, T.C. Carver fabricated the rest of the chassis from scratch using Jim's sketch as a guideline.
Suspension: Heidt's Superide independent front suspension uses 500-pound Aldan coilover shocks with a 3/4-inch sway bar. The rear Superide uses Aldan coilovers rated at 550 pounds to keep things from bottoming out if the trunk is loaded down.
Brakes: Dual-piston Wilwood discs take up all four corners. The front rotors are 12-inchers, while the rear are 11. A Flaming River proportioning valve sets the braking balance.
Wheels: The wheels are 16-inch steel gennies from Wheel Vintiques.Tires: Pirelli tires measure 215/70R16 in the front and 235/70R16 in the rear.
StyleBody: It is mostly as it left the Ford factory, but the decklid was shaved to clean up the rear. The bumpers were shortened slightly front and rear to tuck them closer to the body.
Paint: Pewter Metallic is the name of the House of Kolors basecoat/clear sprayed by Jimmie Meeks of Cleveland, Georgia.Interior: The comfy and supportive seats are also from an '03 Cobra, but without the headrests. The Vintage Air install, custom panels, and carpet were handled by the legendary Bobby Griffey of Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Employers trying to continue offering affordable health and welfare benefits amid the expanding costs and regulations enacted under the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA) often are encouraged by some consultants and brokers to consider offering coverage options pursuant to a "private exchange" offering employees the options to get reimbursement for individual health coverage from a health reimbursement account (HRA) (collectively the "agencies") or other choice optand cions.
While these options sound attractive, not all of these options work for all employers. The consumer driven health care and other private exchange lingo used to describe these arrangements often means different things to different people. Some "private exchanges" are little more than high-tech online cafeteria enrollment arrangements. See, e.g. A 'Cynical' Look at Private Exchanges Employers need to carefully scrutinize these proposals both for their compliance and other legal risks, affordability and cost, and other suitability.
When considering a private exchange or other arrangement, it is important to understand clearly the proposal, its design, operation, participating vendors, the charges, what is excluded or costs extra, and who is responsible for delivering what. Assuming an employer views the cost and operations merit considering the option, it also needs to carefully evaluate the legal compliance and risks of the arrangements.
The agencies have issued a long stream of guidance cautioning employers about the use of arrangements where the employer provides pre- or after-tax dollars to pay for or reimburse premiums for individual policies, and employers from paying or reimbursing employees for the cost of enrolling in coverage under a public health insurance exchange or both. See, e.g., DOL Technical Release 2013-03; IRS Notice 2013-54; Insurance Standards Bulletin, Application of Affordable Care Act Provisions to Certain Healthcare Arrangement; IRS May 13, 2014 FAQs available here. Most recently, for instance, the new FAQS About Affordable Care Act Implementation (XXII) (FAQ XXII) published by the agencies on November 6, 2014 reiterates previous agency guidance indicating that tax basis for purchasing individual coverage in lieu of group health plan coverage. FAQ XXII, among other things, states
- HRAS, health flexible spending arrangements (health FSAs) and certain other employer and union health care arrangements where the employer promises to reimburse health care costs: are considered group health plans subject to the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) § 2711 annual limits, PHS Act § 2713 preventive care with no cost-sharing and other group market reform provisions of PHS Act §§ 2711-2719 and incorporated by reference into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (Code) but
- HRA or other premium reimbursement arrangements do not violate these market reform provisions when integrated with a group health plan that complies with such provisions. However, an employer health care arrangement cannot be integrated with individual market policies to satisfy the market reforms. Consequently, such an arrangement may be subject to penalties, including excise taxes under section 4980D of the Internal Revenue Code (Code).
FAQ XXII reaffirms and reinforces this prior guidance, stating "Such employer health care arrangements cannot be integrated with individual market policies to satisfy the market reforms and, therefore, will violate PHS Act sections 2711 and 2713, among other provisions, which can trigger penalties such as excise taxes under section 4980D of the Code. Under the Departments' prior published guidance, the cash arrangement fails to comply with the market reforms because the cash payment cannot be integrated with an individual market policy."
Another potential arises under the various tax and non-discrimination rules of the Code and other federal laws. For instance, Code sections 105, 125 and other Code provisions prohibitions against discrimination in favor of highly compensated or key employees could arise based on the availability of options or enrollment participation. Historically many have assumed that these concerns could be managed by treating the premiums or value of discriminatory coverage as provided after-tax for highly compensated or key employees. However IRS and Treasury leaders over the past year have made statements in various public meetings suggesting that the IRS does not view this as a solution. Of course, FAQ XXII also highlights the potential risks of underwriting or other practices of offering individual or other coverage in a manner that discriminates against disabled, elderly or other employees protected against federal employment discrimination, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans or other federal employment or related laws.
In addition to confirming that the arrangement itself doesn't violate specific Code or other requirements, employers and others responsible for structuring these arrangements also should exercise care to critically evaluate and document their analysis that the options offered are suitable. Like other employee benefit arrangements, ERISA generally requires that individual or group products offered by employers, unions or both be prudently selected and managed. Employers sponsoring or considering sponsoring these arrangements should expect that the DOL will expect that each product or benefit option offered be prudently selected in accordance with ERISA's rules. Compensation arrangements for the brokers and consultants offering these arrangements also should be reviewed for prudence, as well as to ensure that the arrangements don't violate ERISA's prohibited transaction rules. Eligibility and other enrollment and related administrative systems and information sharing also should be critically evaluated under ERISA, as well as to manage exposures under the privacy and security rules of the Health Insurance & Portability Act (HIPAA) and other laws.
As a part of this analysis, employers and others contemplating involvement in these arrangements also will want to critically review the vendor contracts and operating systems of the vendors that will participate in the program both for legal compliance, prudence for inclusion, prohibited transactions, and other legal compliance, as well as to ensure that the contract by its terms holds the vendor responsible for delivering on service and other expectations created in the sales pitch. In reviewing the contract, special attention should be given to fiduciary allocations, indemnification and standards of performance, business associate or other privacy and data security assurances required to comply with HIPAA and other confidentiality and data security requirements and the like. As HHS discovered with the rollout of the Healthcare.gov exchange, unctionality also plays a big role in the value proposition justified, the contractual commitments from the vendor also should cover expected operational performance and reliability as well as legal compliance and risk management.
About Author Cynthia Marcotte Stamer
If you need help evaluating or monitoring the implications of these developments or reviewing or updating your health benefit program for compliance or with any other employment, employee benefit, compensation or internal controls matter, please contact the author of this article, attorney Cynthia Marcotte Stamer.
A Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Council, immediate past-Chair and current Welfare Benefit Committee Co-Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) RPPT Employee Benefits & Other Compensation Arrangements, an ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits Council Representative, the ABA TIPS Employee Benefit Plan Committee Vice Chair, former ABA Health Law Section Managed Care & Insurance Interest Group Chair, past Southwest Benefits Association Board Member, Employee Benefit News Editorial Advisory Board Member, and a widely published speaker and author, Ms. Stamer has more than 24 years experience advising businesses, plans, fiduciaries, insurers. plan administrators and other services providers, and governments on health care, retirement, employment, insurance, and tax program design, administration, defense and policy. Nationally and internationally known for her creative and highly pragmatic knowledge and work on health benefit and insurance programs, Ms. Stamer's experience includes extensive involvement in advising and representing these and other clients on ACA and other health care legislation, regulation, enforcement and administration.
Widely published on health benefit and other related matters, Ms. Stamer's insights and articles have been published by the HealthLeaders, Modern Health Care, Managed Care Executive, the Bureau of National Affairs, Aspen Publishers, Business Insurance, Employee Benefit News, the Wall Street Journal, the American Bar Association, Aspen Publishers, World At Work, Spencer Publications, SHRM, the International Foundation, Solutions Law Press and many others.
For additional information about Ms. Stamer and her experience, see www.CynthiaStamer.com.
For Added Information and Other Resources
If you found this update of interest, you also may be interested in reviewing some of the other updates and publications authored by Ms. Stamer available including:
- Tell Senate To Pass Fix To ACA's Full-Time Employee Definition
- HHS Delays Deadline To Submit ACA Reinsurance Program Enrollment Counts To 12/5
- Check Out Updated Kaiser Calculator For 2015 Zip Code-Specific Premium and Tax Credit Estimates for Health Marketplace Coverage Coverage
- Ebola Scare & New OCR Privacy Guidance Reminder To Prepare For Pandemic & Other Emergencies
- Stamer Kicks Off Dallas HR 2015 Monthly Lunch Series With 2015 Federal Legislative, Regulatory & Enforcement Update
- New DOL, IRS & HHS FAQ Confirms Employers Can't Pay, Use HRAs to Reimburse Employees For Individual Policy Premiums
- Review Health Plans With Reference-Based Reimbursement Designs Under New Agency FAQ Guidance
- IRS Raises Health FSA Contribution Limit For 2015
- IRS Guidance Raises Concerns For Many Employers Offering "Skinny" & Other Limited Coverage Health Plans
- Supreme Court Delays Deciding Availabilities of ACA Subsidies For Coverage Purchased On Federal Exchange
- HHS Delays Enforcement Of HIPAA HPID Requirements
- Plan's Purchase of Company Stock Triggers $6.48 Million Judgment Against ESOP Sponsor, Shareholder, Board Members & Trustees
- Government Contractors Get More Time To Comment On Burdens Of OFCCP Proposed Compensation Transparency Disclosure Regs
- IRS Announces Employee Plan Cost-Of-Living Adjustments
- Encourage Workers To Review Withholding As Part Of Annual Enrollment
- OFCCP FAQs On Veteran Hiring & Telework Rules
- New EEOC Lawsuit Challenges Orion Energy Systems Employee Benefit Program Under ADA
- Shell Oil/Motiva Enterprises $4.5M FLSA Overtime Backpay Settlement Reminder To Pay Workers Properly
- OFCCP Proposes Compensation Transparency Mandates For Government Contractors
- Labor Department Adds State Unemployment Insurance To War Against Worker Misclassification
- EBSA Invites Input By November 19 On Need for More Regulation Of Investment Windows
- House Hearings Consider Authorizing House Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of Obama's Health Care Reform Actions
- Review & Update HR & Benefit Practices For DOL Proposed Change In FMLA Regs, Other Rules Treating Some Same-Sex Couples As Spouses
- Employee & Other Whistleblower Complaints Common Source of HIPAA Privacy & Other Complaints
- Consider Fiduciary & Other Risk Management When Planning For ACA Transitional Reinsurance Costs, Other Plan Design Changes
- HHS Claims Average $69/Month Cost for Subsidized Coverage Shows ACA Success Challenged
- HIPAA Compliance & Breach Data Shares Helpful Lessons For Health Plans, Providers and Business Associates
- Review & Update Health Plan Notices, Language & Process For New Guidance On COBRA, Other Key Health Plan Rules
- EEOC Suit Against Pipe Fitting Business Shows Disability Discrimination Risks For Employers Hiring Vets With PTSD
- Businesses Face Rising Disability Discrimination Enforcement Risks
- EEOC Finalizes Updates To Disability Regulations In Response to ADA Amendments Act: Employers Should Manage Risks
- NLRB Settlement Shows Care Necessary When Employers Use Social Networking & Other Policies Restricting Employee Communications
- Wage & Hour Law Settlements Highlight Rising Wage & Hour Risks of U.S. Employers
- OCR Requires Rhode Island DHS To Provide Translation, Other Services For Limited English, Other Language Impaired Accommodations
For Help Or More Information
If you need assistance in auditing or assessing, updating or defending your organization's compliance, risk manage or other internal controls practices or actions, please contact the author of this update, attorney Cynthia Marcotte Stamer here or at (469)767-8872.
Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, management attorney and consultant Ms. Stamer is nationally and internationally recognized for more than 24 years of work helping employers and other management; employee benefit plans and their sponsors, administrators, fiduciaries; employee leasing, recruiting, staffing and other professional employment organizations; and others design, administer and defend innovative workforce, compensation, employee benefit and management policies and practices. Her experience includes extensive work helping employers implement, audit, manage and defend union-management relations, wage and hour, discrimination and other labor and employment laws, privacy and data security, internal investigation and discipline and other workforce and internal controls policies, procedures and actions. The Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) RPTE Employee Benefits & Other Compensation Committee, a Council Representative on the ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, Government Affairs Committee Legislative Chair for the Dallas Human Resources Management Association, and past Chair of the ABA Health Law Section Managed Care & Insurance Interest Group, Ms. Stamer works, publishes and speaks extensively on management, re-engineering, investigations, human resources and workforce, employee benefits, compensation, internal controls and risk management, federal sentencing guideline and other enforcement resolution actions, and related matters. She also is recognized for her publications, industry leadership, workshops and presentations on these and other human resources concerns and regularly speaks and conducts training on these matters.Her insights on these and other matters appear in the Bureau of National Affairs, Spencer Publications, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Business Journal, the Houston Business Journal, and many other national and local publications. For additional information about Ms. Stamer and her experience or to get access to other publications by Ms. Stamer see hereor contact Ms. Stamer directly.
About Solutions Law Press
Solutions Law Press™ provides business risk management, legal compliance, management effectiveness and other resources, training and education on human resources, employee benefits, data security and privacy, insurance, health care and other key compliance, risk management, internal controls and operational concerns. If you find this of interest, you also be interested reviewing some of our other Solutions Law Press resources at www.solutionslawpress.com.
If you or someone else you know would like to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns, please be sure that we have your current contact information – including your preferred e-mail – by creating or updating your profile at here or e-mailing this information here.
©2014 Cynthia Marcotte Stamer. Non-exclusive right to republish granted to Solutions Law Press. All other rights reserved.


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Betty White voted AP entertainer of the year for 2010
Betty White: After a year remarkable for a star of any age, White has been voted the Entertainer of the Year by members of The Associated Press.
What Betty White did in 2010 doesn't usually happen: an 88-year-old actress with more than six decades in Hollywood suddenly became the object of adulation of the Facebook-connected masses, which campaigned for her to host "Saturday Night Live," boosting the show's ratings and helping her set ratings records for her own show.
After a year remarkable for a star of any age, White has been voted the Entertainer of the Year by members of The Associated Press.
"It's ridiculous," White says of the honor, in an interview from her home in Los Angeles. "They haven't caught on to me, and I hope they never do."
But more than acclaim, her unlikely, age-defying success resonated deeply with people who saw in her a spirited, hilarious aberration, a woman not dimmed by age but enhanced by it: The genuine article in a pop culture awash in imitators.
There were 102 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. Voters were asked to cast their ballots for who had the most influence on the entertainment world and culture in 2010. Previous winners include Taylor Swift, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.
The final tally was close: White's 20 votes beat the cast of "Glee," Fox's hit musical, by only two votes. Tied for third with 13 votes were Conan O'Brien, James Cameron and Apple's iPad. Jon Stewart closely followed with a dozen votes.
White's 2010 began with her acceptance in January of a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild. Her speech, in which she thanked SAG "from the bottom of my bottom," reminded many of her talent — showcased for years on "The Golden Girls" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" — for a sharp comedy cloaked by warm charm.
Gesturing at presenter Sandra Bullock she asked, "Isn't it heartening how far a girl as plain as she is can go?"
The appearance led to a fan-created Facebook campaign urging "SNL" to make her a guest host. After White's award-winning Snickers Super Bowl ad, more than 500,000 were supporting her on the social networking site.
It wasn't a new idea to the NBC sketch program, though. White says that she had turned down "SNL" three times before.
"I thought I was so Californian and it's so New York-oriented that I would be like a fish out of water," she says. "This time, my agent said, 'No, you've got to do it.' ... But I was scared to death."
"It was the insecurity, I think, that had me scared," she says, noting that she can't stand using cue cards, a necessity for a live show that's revised until minutes before broadcast. A tip to focus on the cue cards instead of her fellow actors helped, but she still had to adjust. "I thought, 'How do you not look at Tina Fey when you're standing right next to her?'"
But the show came off incredibly. Airing on Mother's Day weekend in May, most of the recent female "SNL" alum returned for the show, including Fey, Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch. White appeared in every sketch and the episode was watched by 12.1 million viewers, one of the show's biggest audiences in years. The appearance also won White her seventh Emmy, for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series.
Will Forte, a longtime cast member who has since left the show, wasn't alone in describing it as the best show he had ever done.
"Each week is not always super fun," said Forte. "From every step of the way, (that week) was just a joy. There was this energy about her that was so wonderful."
For those who didn't know White, she was a breath of fresh air. For others, they were seeing her anew.
"She re-entered the hearts of all ages in 2010," said Mark Vasche, editor and vice president of the Modesto Bee in California, "from parents and grandparents who watched her on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'The Golden Girls,' to their kids and grandkids who discovered her spunky octogenarian style in film and used the Internet to petition for her 'Saturday Night Live' appearance."
All the feting has come as a surprise to White.
"It's been phenomenal, but everybody keeps congratulating me on my resurgence and my big comeback," she says. "I haven't been away, guys. I've been working steadily for the last 63 years."
So what changed?
"I don't know," she says. "I've had my own following all that time. If they want me to go away, if they get tired of me, just stop asking me because I keep saying, 'Yes.'"
Thanks to her eagerness, White was everywhere in 2010. She guest starred on "Community" and "The Middle," and co-starred in the movie "You Again."
Though she had initially signed up for only the pilot to TV Land's comedy "Hot in Cleveland," she stuck around for its 10-episode first season and is currently filming its 20-episode second season. The show's first episode set a record for TV Land with nearly 5 million viewers.
"How do you walk away from something that's that much fun?" says White of the show, which also stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick. "It's the happiest set in the world."
"My sales resistance is not very good," says White. "I have the backbone of a jellyfish."
The season debut on Jan. 19 will guest star White's old friend, Moore. White has plenty else going on, too, including an upcoming Hallmark "Hall of Fame" movie, "The Lost Valentine," and two books due out: "If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)" and a photograph book of animals from the Los Angeles Zoo.
Animal welfare is an ardent passion for White, who is a trustee of the Morris Animal Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. During a recent interview, her golden retriever, Pontiac, could be heard in the background: "I like to think of him as the Indian chief, not the car," she says.
Next month, White will return to the SAG Awards, where she's nominated for best actress in a comedy series. "Hot in Cleveland" is also up for best comedy ensemble.
Says White: "It's just been a lovely year, I must admit."


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Oh yes, it's that time again.
For years now, crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have been hotbeds of innovative puzzle and game design, and I'm always happy to spread the word about worthy projects that I think will delight and intrigue my fellow PuzzleNationers.
So let's take a look at some projects that are currently seeking funding and see if any pique your interest! (This time around, we've got twice as many recommendations as usual! So much puzzly potential!)
The first is a project by Fireball Crosswords and Fireball Newsflash Crosswords constructor Peter Gordon, entitled A-to-Z Crosswords Volume 2: More Petite Pangram Puzzles.
The project is easy to explain, but mindblowing to think about. Every single day for 24 WEEKS, you get a 9×11 crossword puzzle that contains all 26 letters. The puzzles range from easy to medium in difficulty, arrive by email, and are constructed by Gordon and professional puzzler Frank Longo.
This is a very cool project that deserves your support — they're a little more than a third of the way there, with 9 days to go — and you should definitely check it out!
The next project is Puzzle Postcards: Season Two by the Enigma Emporium.
Last year, Wish You Were Here was part of our Holiday Puzzly Gift Guide, and it's fantastic to see that the Enigma Emporium is Kickstarting another puzzle postcard mystery this year.
Essentially, an entire mystery is concealed within a handful of postcards, challenging you to mine them for every scrap of information as you uncover a series of coded messages. It's spycraft in an envelope, very clever stuff.
Already funded with 12 days to go — and carrying a solid track record of previous successful Kickstarter projects behind them — I cannot recommend this one highly enough. I loved Wish You Were Here, as well as the follow-up series.
For a change of pace, our next project is The Fuzzies.
Basically, this is a Jenga-style dexterity game, but made out of little fuzzy balls instead of pieces of wood. And instead of choosing which piece you remove and place on top, that is determined by a deck of cards instead.
I don't know how it works — actually staying upright in the first place — but apparently it does.
This family-friendly game has already tripled its funding goal with 29 days to go, so it might be right up your alley.
The next project we're sharing today is the ENIGMAS deck of puzzle playing cards.
David Kwong — constructor, magician, and all-around puzzly fellow — has masterminded a puzzle mystery and a series of hidden messages and ciphers, all contained within a deck of cards.
ENIGMAS marries some of the ideas from his Enigmatist show — specifically the historical aspects — with an ingenious puzzle hunt to create an intriguing solving situation. Plus, once you've cracked all the puzzly elements, you've still got a beautiful deck of cards to enjoy.
This project has blasted well past its funding goal, and with 9 days to go, they've added a special limited-run deck of red cards (to compliment the standard blue deck) that will only be offered to Kickstarter backers and never sold in stores. With a pedigree like David's, you can't go wrong!
Our next project is bigger and no less ambitious. It's Sherlock's Mysteries: An Interactive Puzzle Adventure (not to be confused with another Sherlock-based Kickstarter running right now).
Combining board game and escape room elements, this project contains 10 mysteries (described as chapters) that combine into one interwoven narrative where you try to save the life of Sherlock Holmes!
By combining murder mystery-style solving with puzzles like ciphers and deduction puzzles, this project definitely tries to encapsulate the experience of being the Great Detective from the comfort of your own home.
About halfway to its goal with 21 days left, this project isn't a lock (given the price tag of $135 to experience the entire story), but it's definitely worth a look. (I'm especially intrigued by the fact that certain levels offer "refill kits" that allow the experience to be played more than once!)
For something just as puzzly but more immersive from a roleplaying point of view, there's The Shivers.
In this game, someone has gone missing in the house owned by the Shivers family, and you play one of the family members trying to solve the mystery and defeat dangerous foes at work in various sinister and creepy scenarios.
This gameplay is bolstered by pop-up 3-D models of the various rooms of the house, bringing the setting and different stories to life right before your eyes.
This is a very clever combination of puzzle hunt, roleplaying game, and pop-up book that I've never really seen before, and like some of these other projects, it has blown past its funding goal with strong support from interested gamers and puzzlers.
Following the escape room/puzzle mystery at home template, Legacy: Quest for a Family Treasure is our next project to discuss.
You receive a black box in the mail, and inside, you discover in your estranged father's will that there is a family treasure hidden somewhere in Europe. And you'll have to unravel secrets of the past in order to secure your future.
This immersive mystery involves audio and video clues, physical evidence to pore over, and even incorporates Internet searching into the gameplay. I've been thoroughly impressed with the level of depth and attention to detail in this one, and clearly I'm not the only one, as the project has already met and surpassed its funding goal with 10 days to go.
The familial element adds a neat twist to the mystery-at-home genre, and I suspect this project will do very well.
The last project we'll be sharing today is The Labyrinth: An Immersive Multi-Platform Puzzle Challenge.
There's a lot of stuff included in this one: puzzle boxes, ciphers, maps, tools. They're sending you a CRATE full of material here. The goal is to move through the various chambers of a labyrinth, solving puzzles as you go.
With 55 puzzles included — and an expected solve time of 8-10 hours — this is a breathtaking amount of puzzly paraphernalia. So there's cost to consider here. The full puzzle costs $195 (there's even a more expensive deluxe edition), so although that easily makes it the priciest project we're discussing today, but also one of the most visually impressive.
And yet, with 14 days to go, they've already passed their funding goal nine times over. Check it out and see what you think of the expansive puzzle selection offered here.
Have any of these games or projects hooked you? Tell us which ones you're supporting in the comments section below! And if there are any campaigns you're supporting that we missed, let us know!
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You can also share your pictures with us on Instagram, friend us on Facebook, check us out on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, and explore the always-expanding library of PuzzleNation apps and games on our website!


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Food. It's the first thing most people think about in a survival situation. "I've got to find something to eat!"
Maybe it's because we're so accustomed to eating regularly throughout the day and our stomachs remind us when it's getting close to mealtime. Maybe it's a comfort activity; something that can be done to preserve a sense of normalcy in a situation that seems beyond our control. Whatever the reason, food is the first thing that most people think about in survival.
In reality, there are much more important things to worry about. If you recall the Rule of Three you know that air, shelter, water come first.
Nevertheless, you've got to eat sometime so carrying a lightweight, nutritious meal with you that can provide a bit of warmth on the inside is a good idea. It'll help give you boost of energy and lift the spirits.
Instant Oatmeal: It's All Good
You heard the axiom "Store what you eat and eat what you store." They are words to prep by. That's why one of the items I like to carry with me in my 72 hour kits is instant oatmeal.
- Lightweight. With some foods, you're carrying around a lot of extra weight in the form of liquid. Not with instant oatmeal. It's lightweight and easy to carry.
- Nutritious. One packet of instant oatmeal contains 20% of most of the FDA's Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, Iron, and Folic Acid. (Not that I put a lot of stock in the FDA's recommendations, but that's another story.)
- Servings. Since instant oatmeal is packaged in individual servings, it's easy to carry and use only what you need.
- Preparation. It's easy to make instant oatmeal. If you can boil water, you can make instant oatmeal.
- Packaging. The packaging is flammable. That can come in handy when you are trying to start a fire in the wilderness.
I typically carry my instant oatmeal in a homemade MRE (Meal Ready to Eat). The MRE contains 2 packages of instant oatmeal, a granola bar, a teabag, a paper towel, and a plastic spoon. It's all vacuum sealed so it should stay fresh for a long time.
Although I haven't actually tried it, I suspect that I may be able to boil water in the plastic vacuum seal bag. I'll give that a try sometime and let you know in another post about homemade MREs.
A Caveat
In a true survival situation, you'll burn a lot of calories just trying to stay alive. Making a shelter, gathering firewood, searching for water, all take energy.
Instant oatmeal, when prepared with water, only contains around 130 calories per serving. That's not a lot. It is high in carbohydrates, though. But you'll need to supplement your instant oatmeal with other sources of calories if you're going to be stranded for quite some time.
So, what about you? What do you carry for survival food?


text: Almost all of the world's bigest cities are situated next to large water areas. Thinking of increasing population, decline of usable public space and extensively built infrastructure, an important question to be answered is what role can water areas play in our future dynamic cities? A solution is Swarmscape – an intelligent, interactive and floating landscape which will bring new qualities to the valuable water areas. Initially designed to manage huge crowds of the future World Expo at a candidate city of Rotterdam in 2025, project's potential reaches beyond that. A tested and developed product could be easily shipped and implemented on any other major world city situated next to water areas. As future mobility is currently an important topic for discussion, Swarmscape addresses a solution to provide new infrastucture over the water without any roboust and large construction. Furthermore, it's a new urban space, new meeting point and attraction which enriches city's vibrant life in an information driven era.


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Dell and EMC intend to finalize the transaction whereby Dell acquires EMC on September 7, 2016. Under the terms of the acquisition, Dell and its owners Michael Dell, MSD Partners and Silver Lake, will acquire EMC Corporation. Meanwhile, EMC spin-off VMware will continue as a publicly traded company. The announcement to finalize Dell's acquisition of EMC comes head on the heels of the receipt of regulatory approval for the transaction by China's Ministry of Commerce after 98% of EMC shareholders approved the transaction on July 19. As a result of the merger of the two companies, EMC shareholders stand to receive $24.05 per share in addition to a tracking stock that represents their equity in VMware. The newly created company, Dell Technologies, will operate immediately after the transaction is finalized. Dell's acquisition of EMC signals the emergence of the "largest privately-controlled, integrated technology company" as noted in a press release. The confluence of Dell's expertise in hardware and technology solutions for small businesses to mid-size organizations with EMC's experience with enterprise customers, cloud computing solutions and security solutions means that Dell Technologies stands poised to benefit from the complementary synergies specific to the union of the two companies. The union of Dell and EMC promises to offer customers of Dell Technologies a rich portfolio of private cloud and big data solutions that draws upon an EMC corporate umbrella that includes Pivotal, Virtustream and VMware.
Expect the convergence of Dell's experience with hardware and its relationship to small to mid-market companies, in conjunction with EMC's storage, networking, cloud computing, big data and security solutions to enable Dell Technologies to offer enterprise-grade private cloud solutions geared toward the needs of small to mid-tier organizations as well as enterprises. Given EMC's ownership of Pivotal and its concomitant specialties in big data analytics and the internet of things, the Dell-EMC merger has the potential to reshape the cloud computing landscape by giving Dell Technologies leadership in the hybrid cloud space while claiming Pivotal's specialties in big data analytics and RSA's suite of security solutions as further, notable feathers in its cap. Overall, the landscape for hybrid cloud computing stands to gain another significant player that has the means to tap into Dell's relationships with small to mid-size companies that are increasingly ramping up their transition to the hybrid cloud. Moreover, with Pivotal under its wing, Dell Technologies promises to democratize big data and internet of things analytics by spearheading big adoption and developing progressively turnkey approaches to big data analysis. The implications of the Dell-EMC merger for the cloud computing landscape are huge, particularly in light of Rackspace's recent acquisition by Apollo Global Management and the subsequent opportunity created in the private cloud market while Apollo Global Management and Rackspace recalibrate their long-term strategy.


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Lawmakers: Zohydro poses threat of abuse
ATLANTA, Ga. — Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, knew that everyone in the 1,100-person audience wanted to hear her agency's reasoning for approving Zohydro, a powerful opiate painkiller said to be five times more powerful than Vicodin.
"We believe patients will benefit from a new effective option to manage severe pain and for which alternative treatments are inadequate," Hamburg said during the April 22 opening general session of the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit.
Hamburg also said Zohydro is not as toxic to the liver as most other opioids, and she added that she was optimistic that accurate labeling will warn patients and prescribers about the possible addictive nature of the drug. She also said much of the public debate over Zohydro has failed to note that Zohydro's top dose is less potent than that of other opiate medications such as Oxycontin. Hamburg also said she did not expect Zohydro to increase the number of people receiving prescriptions for opiates.
Hamburg's remarks were met with skepticism as dozens of conference attendees were heard groaning during her presentation. In subsequent panel discussions, several speakers — including Congressman Bill Keating of Massachusetts — said the FDA had made a serious mistake in approving a new opiate drug that officials across the country fear will cause a new wave of abuse, addiction and fatal overdoses.
"The FDA pulled the trigger too quickly on Zohydro," Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said during a discussion on cracking down on unlawful prescription drug marketing.
Twenty-eight states' attorneys general have written letters protesting the FDA's decision to approve Zohydro, which contains up to five times the amount of narcotic hydrocodone previously available in pills. U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky told summit attendees that he requested U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder investigate the matter. Keating said lawmakers have also called for an inspector general's investigation. He noted that the FDA approved Zohydro despite its clinical advisory board voting 11-2 against doing so.
"Is money from pharmaceutical companies influencing this? We need an answer to that," Keating said.
On April 22, Gov. Deval Patrick implemented new restrictions on Zohydro that include a Board of Registration in Medicine requirement that providers complete a risk assessment and pain management treatment agreement with their patients before prescribing the drug.
Despite vouching for its medical value, Hamburg conceded that Zohydro is "a powerful drug that needs to be prescribed with management and concern."
"We do understand why these concerns have arisen, and I assure you that we will continue to monitor the drug," Hamburg said.


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Boxing's entertainment value can be augmented when humanity joins violence on stage. It was perhaps with this pairing in mind that Casey Guerrero's triumph over Leukemia was written into the backdrop of husband Robert Guerrero's foray into the welterweight division last Saturday. Guerrero's challenge of Selcuk Aydin was intended as a showcase for the fighter out of Gilroy, California, an opportunity to gain the diluted decoration of "titlist", and announce Guerrero's arrival in the lucrative division. Showtime's pre-fight vignette, however, focused not on the fighter, but on his wife.
To be fair, Guerrero's story as a fighter is inextricable from his role as husband: Casey Guerrero's battle with Leukemia helps explain her husband's successes and stumbles as a prizefighter. And so it should. The potential loss of a loved one—especially a loss that thwarts traditional chronology and ruptures a family—is liable to have a resounding impact on all facets of a person's life. Casey Guerrero's recovery is indeed cause for celebration. The question is whether this deeply personal and private event should serve as bedrock for the Guerrero public relations strategy.
In drawing more of Guerrero's personal life into the spotlight, those in the Guerrero business have recourse to a seemingly unassailable explanation for the odd progression of his career; an explanation that resonates not only with boxing fans, but with those who have endured similar ordeals. People enjoy both the feeling of empathy and the recognition that they are capable of it, they enjoy finding an opportunity to explore their own hardships through others, and they enjoy the miraculous (even if the miraculous is just the unlikely, romanticized). The Guerrero story then, is liable to touch even the most calloused observer. Moreover, it is a vehicle for bringing awareness to Leukemia, and Leukemia sufferers: a recent press release from Guerrero's publicist, Mario Serrano, closes with an exhortation from the fighter that people register for the national Marrow Donor Program and donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There is value in this awareness that extends beyond the sport. Still, Guerrero would be wise to shift the focus of his public relations to his ring exploits.
Admittedly, a shift in focus would have been difficult to do in the build up to Guerrero's fight with Aydin. Having spent 15 months away from live fire—and having his rotator cuff repaired during this absence—there was little momentum for Guerrero to build on. This lack of momentum was exacerbated by the fact that a knockdown at the hands of aged Cuban Joel Casamayor comprised perhaps the most striking moment in Guerrero's recent fights. The story of Casey Guerrero, a foolproof angle for generating interest and support, was employed to help combat the doldrums in her husband's career. The efficacy of such a tactic in this instance cannot be questioned.
However, if Guerrero is indeed pursuing a fight with Floyd Mayweather (and he has stated as much), the only relevant lobbying occurs between the ropes. Only if he is a compelling fighter does Guerrero's chimerical pursuit retain any possibility; and it is only as a threat (however minimal) to Mayweather, or as the pick of a dwindling litter, that people will care to see these two men meet. Boxing is a business—perhaps no active fighter understands this better than Floyd Mayweather—and Guerrero has yet to make business sense as an opponent.
There are other reasons to take the spotlight off the Guerreros' personal lives. In resorting to the personal too often, Guerrero runs the risk of cheapening the experience in question. The sacrosanct may become hackneyed, the emotive become meagre. One wonders whether commodifying their personal lives will affect the family's perception of what happened, if the language with which it is recounted will not lose some of its import when repetition begets a script.
A similar shift could occur among viewers. How do we feel about a fighter resorting to personal tragedy because professional intrigue is absent? If we are again invited to connect to the fighter and not the fight—which can be an implicit request to temper expectations of violence or competition—will we become cauterized to the Guerreros' story? How might the Guerreros feel if their story becomes threadbare in the eyes of desensitized viewers?
Perhaps it is best to leave questions of psychology aside, but the window for such inquiry remains open as long as Guerrero fails to distract with his fists. This may be unfair, but to his credit, what is "unfair" has yet to undo Robert Guerrero.


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After what seems like a year of tying down American news programs with constant coverage of the Republican leadership race, probably very few people are interested in contemporary politics at the moment.
That interest may drop further when we consider that we are allegedly a short time away from new and uncorrupted political administrations coming to power in many countries.
It has been said that President Barack Obama will be leading the U.S. into the New Age and so it seems a good idea to check in with our sources and see whether they still support the President.
Many insider commentators currently say that he reports to "Daddy" Bush, has illegally amassed a fortune, debased himself by acceding to the defense authorization bill, and so on. What do the celestials, ascended masters, and galactics that we listen to say about him these days?
Matthew Ward devoted a great deal of space to the subject of the President in his Jan. 2012 message. He began by affirming the high regard the President is held in and then turned his attention to the defense authorization bill.
"Some doubt that Barack Obama is the highly evolved light being that we and other messengers in high stations have told you he is, and he is perceived as following in the footsteps of the Illuminati. You will see for yourselves the truth of what we have said, but because his role in your world is of paramount importance, we shall speak about his position vs the Illuminati agenda.
"First, though, my mother has been inundated with emails from people who expressed grave concerns about the ominous-sounding defense authorization bill, so we shall address this issue. Obama signed the bill not because he favors it, but because he knows it will not be in effect long enough to have much, if any, application."
"We have mentioned in several messages that all enacted or proposed laws in any country that were devised with dark purpose will be stricken. Nullifying all unjust and injurious laws, regulations and policies and ending all harmful systems and practices are integral aspects of clearing the way for Earth's Golden Age." (1)
Why would anyone lacking knowledge of the coming Golden Age believe that there are no grounds to worry about the efforts of the cabal at the moment to incarcerate Americans or extend Internet surveillance? Most people are deeply concerned about these trends and relatively few read Matthew Ward.
Matthew tells us that "at one time Obama had the staunch backing of some individuals in one of the two factions within the Rockefeller group of the Illuminati." He says that Barack Obama could not have become President without the backing of the Illuminati.
"Without the power of any Illuminati behind him, Obama could not have risen to become the Democratic party's nominee, the essential first step to his election as president, and this was known to the master planners of Earth's Golden Age. The soul who embodied as Barack Obama, the souls who would back him many years later, and all of you who clamored to participate in Earth's ascension process knew that too, but none remembers." (2)
Matthew told us before now that the President is obliged to play along with the Illuminati for now. Here he is in October of 2008 on the subject:
"As for Obama's supporting the 'economic bailout,' it is incumbent upon him to maintain the appearance of being in agreement with the Illuminati faction members who thrust him from relative obscurity into the presidential candidacy; once in office, his actions will show where his heart and soul truly are, and that is not with perpetuating the corruption and deception that some feel he is aligned with. To those who cannot see the light in Obama, we say, 'Be patient; you will.'" (3)
In his August 2011 message, Matthew revealed what a price President Obama had paid for playing his role.
"President Obama has been up against the darkest of the dark ones ever since he took office, and even though his light has not diminished one iota, the stress of relentless opposition to what he wants to accomplish for Earth and all of peoples has noticeably taken its toll." (4)
He sent a private message to Austrian lightworker Russ Michael saying that too many people believe the lies about Obama.
"Repeatedly I have described Obama's highly-evolved soul status, spiritual and moral integrity, purpose and intention to help create a peaceful world, and both Hatonn and I have spoken about the powerful and relentless forces Obama has been up against all along.
"With the light intensity in this energy plane Earth has reached, people who are light-receptive know which information about him is the truth and which isn't; people who have not responded to the light will believe the lies and won't be convinced otherwise by any additional comments from either Hatonn or me." (5)
Geoff West, co-host of An Hour with an Angel, asked Archangel Michael for a reading on the President and this exchange followed:
Geoffrey West: I know we've talked about this before. I think there are some lightworkers who still have some reservations about President Obama, so I don't want to spend a lot of time on this. But could maybe you affirm once more for some of our listeners, is Obama still aware and aligned with his divine plan, at this time?
Archangel Michael: Yes, he is.
GW: Okay, that's great.
AAM: I will not spend a great deal of time [on the subject]. One of the things that you are all practicing is forgiveness and tolerance. When we say that people are aligned – and particularly this one – it does not mean that he does not ever get sidetracked. It does not mean that he never missteps. But he is your star brother, and we suggest that you trust him. There is a bigger plan afoot." (6)
Sidetracks include joining in the ruse that Osama bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan in 2011 when the most likely situation was that Osama was killed back in 2001.
SaLuSa also expressed support for the President on March 9, 2012. He said:
"Presently we are occupied with the confrontations in the Middle East, and although it is threatening to lead to war, we state again that it will not be allowed to happen. The New World Order will not be allowed to take advantage of any situation that might lead to one, as we can in any event disable weapons if we so wish. You could say that by our very actions, peace has been declared and an end to war in this cycle.
"It would delight us if your leaders would acknowledge this development, and announce it to the world. President Obama is probably the first one to make a major announcement that clearly indicates his place as a peacekeeper. He is much maligned and blamed for activities beyond his control, but that will all change very soon." (7)
I wonder if people get that practically any other leader of a Western nation, put under the same spotlight as Obama, would probably not receive the support of the ascended masters, galactics and celestials – but President Obama does. In this the President stands out among world leaders today.
Suzy Ward wrote me last November and said that the President was "totally aware" of the ET presence, but has been asked by the galactics to wait a while longer before acknowledging them so they can clear out the Illuminati from behind a screen of anonymity. This fact should be kept in mind when appraising his government's response to our petitions.
"If you saw Matthew's last message, you know that Obama is totally aware of the presence of ETs. He can't announce this because of the 'power bloc,' but it's also ET advice to wait a bit longer so those on the planet can continue to dismantle the Illuminati anonymously." (8)
Thus the need to continue the work of dismantling the Illuminati edifice is the reason why the President does not acknowledge the ET presence and he takes that course of action at the request of the galactics. Does that not suggest how little we may know of what is happening behind the scenes and how necessary it is to withhold judgment?
So while large numbers of terrestrials have abandoned the President, no one among the Company of Heaven has. Now we are in the accountability phase and the corrupted are being rounded up. On Nov. 14, 2011, SaLuSa advised us that the President could be expected to begin asserting himself soon.
"Dear Ones, you are wonderfully loyal to those you respect and we are pleased that many still hold President Obama in high regard. That is in spite of continual attempts by the dark Ones or those who do not understand his position, to show him in a bad light. Be aware that he is a great Being of Light, who is having to play a role that requires him to 'play' along with the dictates of those who advise him. He has achieved a degree of success even although he has faced opposition all along. He needs your continued support and love, and you will see him blossom and take charge once he can fully implement his own policies without interference." (9)
SaLuSa repeated that prediction on Jan. 5, 2012.
"President Obama is surrounded by the dark Ones but nevertheless able to make some progress, and will continue to lay down the foundation for his final years of office. His best work is still to come and he is well aware of his destiny to lead the people out of the darkness. He is a highly spiritual soul, and will with our help and protection work with us to speedily transform your experiences, into ones of happiness and release from the draconian laws that rule your lives." (10)
With the fall of the Illuminati now occurring, that time may not be far off.
Thus, the President had had to endure Illuminati pressure and even deny the existence of the galactics to serve what Archangel Michael called "bigger plans." He can be expected to throw off Illuminati constraints once the cabal is rounded up and begin to bring in his actual agenda.
(1) Matthew's Message, Jan. 4, 2012, at https://www.matthewbooks.com/mattsmessage.htm
(2) Loc. cit.
(3) Matthew's Messages, 22 Oct. 2008.
(4) Matthew's Message, Aug. 11, 2011.
(5) Matthew Ward through Suzy Ward to Russ Michael, June 28, 2011.
(6) Archangel Michael in An Hour with an Angel, March 5, 2012, at https://goldenageofgaia.com/world-disclosure-day/what-role-are-the-angels-playing/a-renaissance-of-integrity-transcript-of-archangel-michael-in-an-hour-with-an-angel-march-5-2012-2/
(7) SaLuSa, March 9, 2012, at https://www.treeofthegoldenlight.com/First_Contact/Channeled_Messages_by_Mike_Quinsey.htm
(8) Suzy Ward to Steve Beckow, Nov. 8, 2011.
(9) SaLuSa, Nov. 14, 2011.
(10) SaLuSa, Jan. 5, 2011.


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Dram Diaries
with Keith Trusler
Sit back, pour yourself a dram and join us on a phenomenal flavour journey as Keith Trusler, Canadian Brand Ambassador, relives an exceptional whisky weekend in Whistler.
Epiphanies sometimes come in unexpected guises. Mine came in the form of a bread pudding.
It wasn't any old bread pudding. It was a Pemberton cauliflower and rye bread pudding with Alpindon cheese, black truffle jam and thyme. Paired with The Glenlivet 18 Year Old.
The epiphany occurred during a sumptuous six-course whisky pairing dinner in Whistler. Once a year we take a small group of single malt lovers up to this beautiful resort town. Whistler is in the mountains about two hours away from us here in Vancouver. We spend a couple of days there fly fishing for pink salmon from the crystal-clear waters of British Columbia and indulging in fine food and even finer drink.
The highlight of the trip is the final The Glenlivet whisky pairing dinner. The talented Nick Cassettari, executive chef of Whistler hotspot Alta Bistro, creates the menu and does the cooking. Nick specialises in using the best local and seasonal ingredients.
Just like classic pairings with wine – Champagne and caviar, Chablis and oysters, Bordeaux and lamb – whisky has its own successful matches. Rich, sweet single malts with smoked salmon, for example, and peaty drams with dark chocolate. These are tried and trusted pairings that work all around the world.
Nick and I wanted to go one step further and pair The Glenlivet with regional ingredients. Whistler has great farms with sustainably reared livestock and wonderful vegetables. Nick was thrilled at the challenge. It was the second time he had come offsite from his bistro to cook for us and he felt he could let his imagination run wild.
He experimented and taste-tested, sometimes being blown away by the great results, other times going back to the drawing board to start again. Finally, he settled on his dishes.
For the starter, we paired roasted smoked sable fish with parsnip and vanilla cream, whiskey gelée, maple and orange with The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve. The dish beautifully picked up the key flavours in Founder's Reserve: vanilla and orange. Everyone at dinner thought these two flavours were a perfect match for the lovely oily fish, lifting it with a clean, citrusy tang and the sweet, woody perfume of vanilla. It was a sumptuous start to the evening. Everyone was excited to see what would follow.
Next up we served a charcuterie board with some local delights, such as duck sausage and cured meats. We paired this with The Glenlivet 15 Year Old. The sweet fruit notes and spiciness of the whisky worked brilliantly with the beefy, gamey flavours. This pairing proved that the 15YO is a single malt that can really stand up to the strongest flavours.
Next came the bread pudding and The Glenlivet 18 Year Old, the source of my epiphany. After a forkful of the pudding, my sip of 18YO suddenly tasted different. It was the thyme in the dish; it had brought to life the peppery, woody flavours in the 18YO that I had not picked up before. I looked around me and everyone else at the table was equally silenced. The dish had unlocked savoury notes that none of us – all accomplished bartenders and foodies who know flavour – even knew were there. The pairing changed how everyone perceived this classic expression. It was a revelation.
The feedback we got was that it was the best whisky dinner the guests had ever had and one of their best dinners ever. Period.
I think that chefs sometimes surprise even themselves when they take chances and it works. Instead of the food taking a backseat to the whisky – as can happen in whisky pairing dinners – this meal showcased both Nick's and Master Distiller Alan Winchester's talents brilliantly.
The weekend was a great success. We all learned a lot, which is one of the most exciting things about whisky – there's always something new to learn. I can't wait to see what new epiphanies this year's trip to Whistler will bring.