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Full list: Food Sovereignty News
New York Times: Maine Court Fight Pits Farmers Against State and One Another
By JESS BIDGOOD
Full Article
BLUE HILL, Me. — When Dan Brown quit his job driving trucks and began to work on his wife's family homestead here about a decade ago, he was looking forward to a quiet life of farming. He began raising chickens and growing vegetables, and watched happily as a calf named Sprocket thrived. The Browns built a farm stand and began selling unpasteurized milk and eventually other products, like jam and salsa.
But a few years after the Browns began selling, state regulators saw a problem. It is legal to sell unpasteurized milk in Maine, but because Mr. Brown had never purchased a $25 milk distributors' license and had not properly labeled his milk, the state argued that his farm was breaking the rules and needed to be stopped.
On Tuesday, Mr. Brown lost an appeal he had made to the state's highest court after he fought a lawsuit filed by the State of Maine in 2011. It was a blow to a small but vocal rebellion among farmers and consumers who say that burdensome state regulations are keeping the most local form of food — which, around here, has near-religious significance — away from consumers. The case has pitted the state against some small-scale farmers and stirred a feud between new homesteaders and longtime family farmers.
"This isn't about Dan Brown or Farmer Brown anymore," Mr. Brown, 46, said on a recent morning. "They're telling you that you don't have the right to come get milk from a farmer."
Mr. Brown said he was told by a state official in 2006 that he would not need to be licensed or inspected if he sold from his farm and did not advertise. So when state regulators from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry came calling a few years later, he said, he rebuffed them (colorfully, at times), unwilling to spend money on the upgrades he would need to qualify for a milk distributors' license.
"I don't need a $40,000 milk room to produce safe, healthy milk," said Mr. Brown, who asserts that the decision to buy his milk should be left to customers who know him, not to the state.
In 2011, the State of Maine and the commissioner of its Agriculture Department filed a lawsuit against Mr. Brown, alleging that he had sold unpasteurized milk without the proper license and labeling, and operated a food establishment without a license to do so. Last year a judge agreed, ordering him to pay a fine of about $1,000 and to stop selling. Mr. Brown has since filed for bankruptcy.
"It was ridiculous, ludicrous and maddening," said Florence Reed, a neighbor who directs an organic farming nonprofit and who was a customer of Mr. Brown's. "Dan's milk is what they choose to protect us from?"
Last month, Mr. Brown went to the state's highest court, in Portland, for a hearing on his appeal. He was accompanied by a bevy of supporters who want farm-to-consumer sales to be free of state and federal regulation that, they say, is intended for supply chains that are much more complex than theirs.
In 2011, voters made nearby Sedgwick the first town in Maine to pass a so-called food sovereignty ordinance, which grants an exemption from food safety rules to farmers selling directly to consumers. Blue Hill soon followed. There are now 11 towns in Maine with such ordinances, and similar measures have popped up in states including California and Vermont. Pete Kennedy, the director of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, said this was the first litigation involving one of the ordinances, so advocates were watching closely.
"We've gotten them out of our bedrooms and our voting booths," said Betsy Garrold, the head of a group called Food for Maine's Future, before Mr. Brown's hearing. She then said they needed to get the state "out of our kitchens."
Mark Randlett, an assistant attorney general who was arguing the state's case, said Maine needed to be able to regulate food sales to protect public health. "The department really does support local food sales and these kinds of transactions between farmers and individuals," but not without rules, Mr. Randlett said last month.
Mr. Brown's lawyer, David Gary Cox, argued that the state could not change the rules on Mr. Brown, since officials had first told him he would not need a license, and invoked the Blue Hill ordinance in his defense. The judges said that public health ramifications outweighed Mr. Brown's concerns about obtaining a license and that the ordinances were pre-empted by state and federal law. Advocates of the ordinances said that they expected towns would nevertheless continue to pass them, and that they would seek to pass a state law that would create some regulatory flexibility for small-scale dairy farmers.
"We'll continue to work with the legislators who have supported us," said Heather Retberg, 40, a farmer from Penobscot, Me., who sells raw milk without a license to a private buying club. Tuesday's ruling, she said, "puts us in an uncertain spot again."
But other farmers were worried that relaxing food safety rules for small-scale farms could endanger the industry, and were frustrated by Mr. Brown's case and its supporters.
Mr. Brown had been lobstering to make ends meet but stopped so he could tend the farm when his wife, Judy, fell ill the morning after their State Supreme Court hearing. They will focus on homesteading for now, Mr. Brown said, but will pare down, and he will seek other sources of income. On Wednesday, they were planning to make pizza with mozzarella from their milk.
"The farm can change," Mr. Brown said. "We can survive; it'll just be more of a farmstead for our life, not our livelihood."
WCSH: Food sovereignty fight taken to Maine's highest court
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — A fight over local control and food sovereignty that began in the fields of Blue Hill more than two and a half years ago, spilled over into the state's highest court on Tuesday.
Justices with the Maine Judicial Supreme Court heard arguments from lawyers representing Dan Brown, a small farmer fighting against sanctions imposed by the Maine Department of Agriculture that stem from his sale of raw milk on his farm without a license.
"I can't give my neighbor a half gallon of milk. This is crazy talk," exclaimed Brown as he stood outside the Cumberland County Courthouse.
Brown says it was about ten years ago when he and his wife, Judy, decided to start a small farm operation on their land at their home in Blue Hill. They had a handful of chickens and added a couple of cows.
"I loved it. It was a way of life," said Brown.
They were producing more milk than they could consume, so Brown says he approached the state to see if they could sell the raw, unpasteurized milk, he was told he could on his farm as long as he didn't advertise he was doing it.
"I was following their directions," he explained. "I asked them what can I do? Where can I sell my milk? 'If you sell from your farm, we don't need to know you'," he says he was told.
For several years he says they're weren't any problems. His operation grew to roughly 300 chickens and eight cows. He invested money in a farm stand and started making cheese and other products along with selling vegetables. Brown says he never worked so hard in his life, or was as content working as when he was fixing things on the farm.
In 2011, an inspector with the state paid his farm a visit. Brown says he was told he needed to make numerous improvements to comply with state regulations. He estimates it would have cost between $20,000 and $60,000 to meet the requirements.
"To produce a couple gallons a day, how could you ever recoup that?" he wondered. "It is the infrastructure needed to produce the milk to fall under a commercial dairy license."
Brown closed his doors for about a week. Other farmers in the area reached out to him and told him the laws had not changed and that he should continue operating as he had been. So he reopened and was soon sued by the state.
Dan Brown says paying for the required license was never the issue, but the amount of money he would have had to invest to build the infrastructure to fall under a commercial dairy license was beyond his capabilities and something he was not interested in doing.
"This is about more than one man, milking one cow and selling its milk to his neighbor," stated State Representative Brian Jones, at a rally before Brown's hearing outside the courthouse. "We support the right of communities to determine how they will manage the production and distribution of food among themselves and the rights of individuals to determine what foods they will eat."
Jones joined Brown and roughly two dozen of Brown's supporters on the courthouse steps before his case was heard. All of them support local food sovereignty ordinances like the one passed in Blue Hill back in 2011. The ordinances seek to protect small scale food producers from having to comply with state and federal regulations and inspections.
"I am here because I believe food raised by a community, for a community, within a community should be regulated by that community," said Heather Rhetberg, who traveled to Portland from her farm in Penobscot to show her support for Brown.
Eleven Maine towns have passed food sovereignty ordinances in recent years in an effort to support their local economies and keep them in business supplying their friends and neighbors with food grown or made in their own backyards.
Gary Cox, a lawyer with the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund traveled from Ohio to Maine to represent Brown before the Supreme Court. He says if Brown is successful in his appeal it will "be a huge victory for food sovereignty".
The state, which imposed a fine of $1000 on Brown for selling raw milk without a license, believes state and federal statutes supersede local ordinances.
"The department really does support local food sales and these kinds of transactions between farmers and individuals," stated Randlett. "But, again as I pointed out, it can't be without rules."
The Maine Judicial Supreme Court is expected to issue its findings in the coming weeks.
Politico: Food Freedom movement grows with help from left
By TARINI PARTI and HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH
Full Article
Farmers should have the right to milk a cow and sell a gallon of that milk to their neighbors, argue libertarian supporters of the "food freedom" movement. They should be able to slaughter and sell the meat of the livestock they raised directly to consumers.
Consumer advocates and Big Ag have fought successfully for years to keep strong federal and state regulations on the books to block such allowances, citing serious food safety concerns. But as buying local has become all the rage and concerns about industrialized agriculture more widespread, the right-leaning food freedom cause is gaining steam and increasingly finding allies on the left.
House legislation to legalize the interstate shipment of unpasteurized milk, which is illegal to sell in about half of the country, recently attracted more Democratic co-sponsors, including Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.). In years past, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) had few allies stand with him on the same issue.
In another example of food freedom bipartisanship, Democratic Reps. Pingree and Peter Welch of Vermont teamed up with Republicans Steve Womack of Arkansas and Cory Gardner of Colorado to take on a regulation the FDA proposed under a 2011 food safety law that would impose new safety standards on spent grain, which brewers often donate or sell to livestock farms.
Small-scale producers have also had the support of Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), who gained major exemptions for them when the sweeping food safety overhaul was being considered in the Senate.
However, as the movement gains support inside and outside the Beltway, consumer advocates hope the trend to support small producers doesn't outweigh efforts to make food safer.
But supporters of the movement, including Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who sponsored the two raw milk-related bills and is looking to take a leadership role in the food freedom movement, insist the food safety argument is moot because industrialized agriculture is causing more problems.
"The food or farm freedom movement is really bipartisan," Massie said. "Many consumers care not only about the safety of their food but also how it was raised. Neither party has a monopoly on healthiness, if you will, and in general this food is healthier."
The freshman congressman, who manages his own farm where he and his wife produce grass-fed beef, grow and can fruits and vegetables and raise chickens and ducks, plans to introduce more food freedom bills in the coming months. He hopes Democrats are willing to go along for the ride.
"I sit two or three seats from the aisle in the House of Representatives because I'm always looking for Democratic co-sponsors," he quipped.
Massie and one of his Kentucky Republican compadres, Sen. Rand Paul — an especially popular figure within the food freedom movement — have expressed interest in introducing legislation to allow all meat producers the same exemption from USDA inspections provided to poultry farmers who raise less than 20,000 birds a year.
Just before Massie was elected to office in 2012, he and Paul visited the Virginia farm of Joel Salatin where they discussed potential bills that could ease regulatory burdens on small farmers.
Salatin, who runs a diverse farming operation that includes raising chickens for slaughter, is a celebrity in the food freedom movement, having been prominently featured in Michael Pollan's bestseller, "The Omnivore's Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals," and the Oscar-nominated film "Food, Inc." Salatin's own 2007 book, one of nine he's written, "Everything I want to do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front," has helped galvanize support for the cause.
Salatin said he first discovered the impact regulations had on small farms when he graduated from high school and decided to become a farmer himself.
"I realized that any time the government tries to get in between your lips and throat — that was a pretty drastic invasion of privacy and freedom," he said.
Mother Jones: 4 Foods That Could Disappear If New Food Safety Rules Pass
By Tom Philpott
Wed Nov. 6, 2013
Full Article
When President Obama signed into law an overhaul of the nation's food safety regime in early 2011, it was clear that the system needed a kick in the pants. Recent salmonella outbreaks involving a dizzying array of peanut products and a half billion eggs had revealed a dysfunctional, porous regulatory environment for the nation's increasingly concentrated food system.
The law, known as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), was a pretty modest piece of work when it came to reining in massive operations that can sicken thousands nationwide with a single day's output. No surprise, since Big Food's main lobbying group, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, notes on its web site that "GMA worked closely with legislators to craft the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act and will work closely with the FDA to develop rules and guidance to implement the provisions of this new law." (Food and Water Watch summarizes FSMA here; Elanor Starmer lists some of its limitations here.)
Even for many supporters of food safety reform, one persistent question has long been whether the new rules would steamroll small and midsize farms. Obviously, what would be a light burden for a multinational giant like, say, Kraft Foods, could be a crushing one for a farm that sells its produce at a farmers market. To allay fears of one-size-fits-all regulations—which swirled in sometimes-wildly paranoid forms during the FSMA debate—Congress exempted most operations with sales of less than $500,000 from most of its requirements. But the proof of is in the rule-making—the process by which federal agencies, in this case the Food and Drug Administration, translate Congressional legislation into enforceable law. Congress intended its exemption to save small farms from overly burdensome regulation, but the question remained: How would the FDA put it into action?
Finally, more than two years after Obama signed FSMA, the FDA's rule-making process appears to be nearing an end. And I'm disappointed to report that, according to decidedly nonparanoid, noncrazy observers, the proposed rules as currently written represent a significant and possibly devastating burden to small and midsize players.
If you'll excuse the gimmick, here are four foods that could go missing if the FDA sticks to the current version of its food-safety rules.
1. The local, organic carrots in your kid's school lunch program. Many farm-to-school programs are facilitated by what the US Department of Agriculture calls food hubs—operations that gather produce from small farmers and sell it, usually to buyers like schools, restaurants, and retailers. The USDA actively promotes them as "strong and sound infrastructure support to producers across the country which will also help build a stronger regional food system." The USDA lists more then 100 active food hubs nationwide.
The new rules imperil food hubs in two ways. The first is through the farms that supply them. The new law's less-than-$500,000 exemption applies only to farms that sell more than half of their produce directly to consumers. But a growing number of small farms earn a significant amount of their income selling to third-party local enterprises like food hubs and food co-ops—and if revenue from those sources exceeds half of total revenue, these farms would lose their exemption and become subject to costly requirements.
Then there's the problem that the FDA's proposed rules have not settled upon a definition of "very small business." If such a definition isn't spelled out, NSAC warns, operations like food hubs could be "regulated well beyond their risk and with compliance costs too high for them to stay in business."
2. The kohlrabi in your farm-share box. You might be annoyed by the amount of kohlrabi (a grievously underrated vegetable) in your CSA, but probably don't want it to disappear altogether. But because the current proposal doesn't narrowly define "manufacturing facilities," CSAs and other "direct farmer-to-consumer farms that do light processing activities or include produce from another farm in their boxes will be subject to inappropriate, excessive regulations designed for industrial food facilities," NSAC states.
3. The pickles peddled by your favorite hipster farmer. Small value-added operations—like artisanal pickle and salsa makers—are also endangered by these hazy definitions. Indeed, the proposed rules "treat pickles like a dangerous substance," NSAC reports. The FDA does not consider fermentation (pickling) or canning to to be "low-risk" activities, and thus operations that engage in them, no matter how small, will be subject to an onerous thing called the Preventative Control Rule—a set of requirements that make sense for a huge factory but not so much for the farm that produces your prized kimchi.
4. The local, organic spinach you're hooked on. For me, perhaps the most galling aspect of the proposed FSMA rules involves compost and manure—the lifeblood of soil fertility on organic farms. Under the USDA's organic standards for crops that come into contact with the soil, like greens, farmers can apply raw manure to soil as long as it's at least four months prior to crop harvest. Most organic farmers I know apply manure in November and plant their first cash crops in April, harvesting some of them, like salad greens, soon after. That's a five-to-six-month gap. The FDA's new rules would push the limit for all farms to nine months, making the fertility programs that drive organic farming essentially illegal, and also directly contradicting the FSMA itself, which had stipulated that the new safety safety rules should not conflict with the National Organic Program, NSAC reports.
The nation deserves a food safety regime that focuses on real threats while not imposing the same regulatory burden on, say, a CSA or a diversified vegetable farm as it does a giant peanut-paste factory. As Ariane Lotti, NSAC's assistant policy director, told me, "If the proposed regulations are finalized without changes, they will unjustifiably create barriers to sustainable and organic farming, chill the growth in local and regional food systems, and further consolidate farming into the hands of the few who can afford to comply with expensive requirements."
The FDA is accepting public comments on its proposed rules until November 15.
Farming Magazine: FSMA: One Last Chance to Comment, by Vern Grubinger
By Vern Grubinger
October 2013 Issue
Full Article
For many years, foods that pose significant safety risks if not properly handled have been highly regulated, including dairy, meat and seafood. Fruits and vegetables don't pose nearly as much risk, so growers haven't had to deal with food safety regulations aimed at fresh produce. Some growers voluntarily complied with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in order to satisfy their markets, but for the most part, the industry was left to take common-sense precautions to keep produce safe.
With Congress passing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), that situation has changed. Once implemented, this federal law will require many growers to spend a lot of time and resources on risk prevention. Even growers exempted from the law are likely to be affected, because over time food buyers will want documentation of similar food safety practices from all the farms they deal with.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 48 million Americans get sick and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases. However, little of this is due to fresh produce. For example, from 1996 to 2010, there were 131 produce-related outbreaks resulting in 14,350 illnesses and 34 deaths. Thus, fresh produce accounts for about 1 percent of all foodborne disease-related deaths. While this is tragic and growers agree that more can be done to reduce food safety risks on their farms, it should be recognized that millions of pounds of fresh produce are consumed every day with hardly any problems. That said, FSMA is now the law, and growers will have to deal with its requirements, aimed at making a small risk even smaller.
The law and the rules
The FSMA law provides the framework for new food safety regulations, called rules. These are written after a law is passed, and they provide the specifics of how it will work. FSMA put the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in charge of regulating food safety on produce farms, rather than the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has typically regulated farm practices.
There are a variety of rules associated with FSMA, but two in particular specify what will be required of growers: the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (produce safety rule); and Preventive Controls for Human Food (preventive controls rule).
The draft rules are long, complicated documents, but there are many summaries available online. A good place to start is the FDA's website: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA. For summaries of the different sections of the rule online, visit:
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: http://sustainableagriculture.net/fsma
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension: http://extension.unh.edu/Food-Safety-Modernization-Act-FSMA
New England Farmers Union: http://www.newenglandfarmersunion.org/food-safety-modernization-act
Don't miss the deadline
The deadline to submit comments to the FDA on the draft FSMA rules has been extended twice, to November 15, 2013. After that the FDA will finalize the rules, though it will be a few years before they're implemented. Take the time to learn how the rules will affect your farm, and then submit your comments online.
Below are some key concepts about the proposed rule, and I have listed some specific concerns and suggestions. These are my personal opinions, not those of any organization I work for. Take time to develop your own views on these issues.
Farm versus facility
The produce safety rule applies to farms that grow, harvest, pack or hold what is termed "covered" produce. The preventive controls rule applies to facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold human food, and those that buy and resell products grown on other farms. These facilities must register with the federal government. If you only grow, wash and trim off outer leaves, and if you only sell products you grow, then you run a farm and the preventive controls rule does not apply to you. However, if you peel, chop, combine ingredients, or buy and resell products from another farm, you run a facility or a mixed farm facility and you may be subject to this rule.
Facilities have to keep a written food safety plan, including a hazard analysis, and they will be required to keep records of preventive controls, monitoring, corrective actions and verification. There is still some confusion about what activities make a farm into a facility. Further, the scale of production that triggers designation as a facility and associated requirements is not yet set; exemptions up to $25,000 or even $500,000 have been suggested.
Many farms buy and resell products from other farms. Quite a few farms lightly process vegetables or do on-farm value-added processing. Even a minimal amount of additional paperwork will deter farms from engaging in these activities, which have been encouraged as ways to strengthen local food systems. Only farms that conduct these activities with large volumes of produce – over $1 million of sales to wholesale markets – should be regulated as facilities. Buying fresh produce in clearly labeled containers from other farms that have their own food safety plan does not increase food safety risks enough to warrant the buying farm coming under the preventive controls rule.
Covered produce
Covered produce is generally eaten raw, such as leafy greens, melons, tomatoes, etc. The produce safety rule does not apply to produce that is usually cooked, such as asparagus, beets, potatoes, pumpkins and sweet corn. It also does not apply to produce grown for personal consumption or consumption on the farm.
Buyers are not likely to distinguish between covered and noncovered produce and will want to see evidence of food safety risk management on all farms they purchase from. Further, since most farms grow, harvest and pack a mixture of covered and noncovered produce, these categories complicate the rule without providing significant regulatory relief to most farms. The rule requires careful separation of covered and noncovered produce. It would be simpler for the marketplace and diversified farms if FSMA simply applied to fresh produce.
Cost to growers
The FDA developed estimates for the cost of FSMA implementation. For farms with total food sales between $25,000 and $250,000, the cost is approximately $5,000 per year; farms with sales between $250,000 and $500,000 could spend about $13,000 per year; and for farms with sales over $500,000, the cost is estimated at $30,000 per year.
These are large expenses for small and medium-sized farms, especially when you consider that food sales include all types of food, while the costs are incurred only for covered produce, which may be a fraction of a farm's total food sales. For example, many farms in my area gross just over $500,000 in food sales, and their covered produce accounts for perhaps half of that. A $30,000 hit will take a large part of their net revenues.
These high costs, in combination with the management burden of compliance, are likely to drive many small and medium growers out of the fresh produce business. It will be simpler to not grow fruits or vegetables and just have a store that sells other farms' products. Even though many farms that sell retail or directly to retailers will be exempt from FSMA, they are likely to have similar costs if their customers or insurance agents demand analogous food safety documentation. These costs will hinder the development of local food systems that provide economic development, food security and access to fresh food for communities across the nation.
To submit comments online:
Produce safety rule: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2011-N-0921-0199
Preventive controls rule: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2011-N-0920-0188
If submitting online, write your comments ahead of time and save them on your computer. There is a time limit when using the Federal Register system, and you don't want to lose what you've written. If your comment is less than one page, you can copy and paste it into the comment box. If it is longer, write "see attached" in the box and upload a separate Word or PDF file with your comments. Be sure to click the "submit" button! You should then see a new screen with a confirmation number.
To submit comments by mail, send them to: Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Include the docket number in your comments; the produce safety rule is FDA-2011-N-0921, and the preventive controls rule is FDA-2011-N-0920. Mailed comments must arrive by the deadline, so send them a week ahead just to be sure.
The author is a vegetable and berry specialist with University of Vermont Extension based at the Brattleboro office.
Iowa Farmer Today: Proposed regs threaten local food
By Wes King
Agriculture in the United States faces a significant and potentially devastating threat from sweeping new federal food-safety regulations.
As consumer demand for locally grown produce grows and the economic and public health benefits of local food systems stack up around the country, these new proposed food-safety regulations could bring all that to a screeching halt.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed rules implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that, by the agency's own analysis, could reverse the trend of new and beginning farmers entering the industry and force many existing farms and food businesses out of operation.
Consequently, these rules could reduce the supply of fresh, nutritious, local produce and increase our nation's dependence on imported food.
The proposed produce rule establishes new burdensome regulatory standards that govern production practices on farms that produce fresh food for people, such as how they manage things like water and recordkeeping.
In the analysis accompanying the proposed rule, the new rules are estimated to cost the domestic produce industry about $460 million annually.
The rules, available for public comment in the Federal Register until Sept. 16, are estimated to cost farmers:
=Very small farm, $25,000-$250,000 in sales, about $4,700 per year
=Small farm, $250,000-$500,000 in sales, about $13,000 per year
=Large farm, more than $500,000 in sales, about $30,500 per year
For many farmers who are currently growing produce and for beginning farmers who are interested in growing produce for local direct or wholesale markets, the cost of compliance will be too steep.
The FDA's analysis says "the rate of entry of very small and small [farm] businesses will decrease" as a result of the produce rules.
Former USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said in a recent speech the FSMA rules have the potential to "destroy some operations."
A bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators, in a May 28 letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, noted rising consumer demand for organic and locally produced farm goods has led to increased economic opportunity, often aided by substantial public investments in infrastructure.
The letter noted "the proposed FSMA rules threaten to undermine those investments."
In passing the FSMA, Congress included many provisions intended to protect local food production and distribution from inappropriate and costly regulations.
Congress included directives for modified risk and scale appropriate requirements for farms and entrepreneurs with short supply chains and sales below $500,000.
The $500,000 sales threshold, however, applies to all food produced by the farm, not just the fresh produce that is regulated by FSMA. Corn, soybeans, cattle, pigs and eggs sold by a farm all count towards this threshold.
This means if a farm with 500 acres of field corn and around $500,000 in annual sales also has a few acres planted in mixed vegetables to sell at a local farmers market or plants a field of pumpkins for an October farm stand, those few acres would be covered by the full produce rule even if their total sales only amounted to $50,000 or less.
This would subject farmers to thousands of dollars in annual compliance costs — even if the majority of their crop (field corn) isn't subject to the new rules.
Please submit your comments by Sept. 16 at www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/04/26/2013-09761/standards-for-the-growing-harvesting-packing-and-holding-of-produce-for-human-consumption-extension.
To learn more about the FSMA and the potential effects of the proposed produce rule, the federal comment period and what you can do to protect diversified family farms and local food visit: http://sustainableagriculture.net/fsma/.
AlterNet: Should You Be Able to Buy Food Directly From Farmers? Regulators Don't Think So
Farmers are distributing food via private contracts like herd shares and leasing arrangements, which fall outside the regulatory system of state and local retail licenses and inspections that govern public food sales.
By David E. Gumpert
Full Article
Around the country, local farmers are selling meat, dairy products, and other dinner table staples directly to neighbors, who are increasingly flocking to the farms in search of wholesome food.
This would seem to embody the USDA's advisory, "Know your farmer, know your food," right? Not exactly.
For the USDA and its sister food regulator, the FDA, there's a problem: many of the farmers are distributing the food via private contracts like herd shares and leasing arrangements, which fall outside the regulatory system of state and local retail licenses and inspections that govern public food sales.
In response, federal and state regulators are seeking legal sanctions against farmers in Maine, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California, among others. These sanctions include injunctions, fines, and even prison sentences. Food sold by unlicensed and uninspected farmers is potentially dangerous say the regulators, since it can carry pathogens like salmonella, campylobacter, and E.coli O157:H7, leading to mild or even serious illness.
Most recently, Wisconsin's attorney general appointed a special prosecutor to file criminal misdemeanor charges against an Amish farmer for alleged failure to have retail and dairy licenses, and the proceedings turned into a high-profile jury trial in late May that highlighted the depth of conflict: following five days of intense proceedings, the 12-person jury acquitted the farmer, Vernon Hershberger, on all the licensing charges, while convicting him of violating a 2010 holding order on his food, which he had publicly admitted.
Why are hard-working normally law-abiding farmers aligning with urban and suburban consumers to flaunt well-established food safety regulations and statutes? Why are parents, who want only the best for their children, seeking out food that regulators say could be dangerous? And, why are regulators and prosecutors feeling so threatened by this trend?
Members of these private food groups often buy from local farmers because they want food from animals that are treated humanely, allowed to roam on pasture, and not treated with antibiotics. "I really want food that is full of nutrients and the animals to be happy and content," says Jenny DeLoney, a Madison, WI, mother of three young children who buys from Hershberger.
To these individuals, many of whom are parents, safety means not only food free of pathogens, but food free of pesticides, antibiotic residues, and excessive processing.
These consumers are clearly interpreting "safety" differently than the regulators. Some of these consumers are going further than claiming contract rights—they are pushing their towns and cities to legitimize private farmer-consumer arrangements. In Maine, residents of ten coastal towns have approved so-called "food sovereignty" ordinances that legalize unregulated food sales; towns in other states, including Massachusetts and Vermont, and as far away as Santa Cruz, CA, have passed similar ordinances.
The new legal offensive isn't going over well with regulators anywhere. Aside from the Hershberger action in Wisconsin, and a similar one in Minnesota, Maine's Department of Agriculture filed suit against a two-cow farmer, Dan Brown, in one of the food-sovereignty towns, Blue Hill, seeking fines and, in effect, to invalidate all the Maine ordinances. In April, a state court ruled against the farmer, and in effect against the towns; sentencing is due within several weeks, and the case could well be appealed.
Bangor Daily News: Blue Hill raw milk ruling deals blow to local food sovereignty movement
May 04, 2013
By Mario Moretto
Full Article
BLUE HILL, Maine — A Superior Court ruling against a Blue Hill farmer who has been selling unlabeled, unlicensed raw milk will have farmers in several Maine towns wondering about the future of local "food sovereignty" ordinances that seek to exempt them from state oversight.
Dan Brown, of Gravelwood Farm, lost a civil case on April 27, in which he was accused of violating three Maine laws: selling milk without a license, selling unpasteurized, or "raw," milk without marking it as such and operating a food establishment without a license.
Since 2006, Brown has been selling raw milk from a farm stand located on his property. An 8- by 11-inch sign states that the milk is raw. Brown also sold his products at farmers markets after Blue Hill adopted its Local Food and Community Self Governance Ordinance in 2011.
Brown said his sales were legal under the ordinance, which exempts local food vendors from state licensure and inspection, provided they sell their products directly to consumers.
Eight other Maine towns — Appleton, Brooksville, Hope, Livermore, Penobscot, Plymouth, Sedgwick and Trenton — have also passed local food ordinances with the same or similar language.
In her order, Hancock Superior Court Justice Ann Murray ruled that Brown was not protected under the Blue Hill ordinance. It was a major boost for the argument from the Maine Department of Agriculture, who filed the lawsuit against Brown in 2011, that towns cannot simply opt out of state law.
The ruling could have an effect on the other towns with similar rules. If the state were to pursue civil action against other farmers operating without a license, their attempt to seek protection under local food rules would likely fail.
Brown sought shelter under the so-called Home Rule of the Maine Constitution, which permits a municipality to enact its own regulation when permitted to do so by the Legislature, so long as the regulation "is not denied expressly or by clear implication."
While the Legislature has carved out an exception for small farmers who sell produce at farm stands and farmers markets, the state excluded milk products, making clear "the legislative intent that milk products be subject to stricter regulations than other products," Murray wrote.
"It is axiomatic that a municipality may only add to the requirements of the statute, it may not take away from those requirements unless permitted to do so otherwise," she wrote.
While the decision sets a clear precedent in Hancock County, home to five of the nine towns with local food rules, Lourie said the decision's effect on other county courts would depend on how persuasive the presiding judge found Murray's legal analysis.
Lourie said Murray could have ordered the town to strike the ordinance from the books, but since she didn't, Blue Hill is under no obligation to backpedal on its assertion of a right to Home Rule. In the meantime, Brown hopes ultimately to win the case on appeal.
"Obviously this will have some effect, but to put it into perspective, this is not a final ruling," Brown said. "Until the Superior Court makes a final ruling, I think there's still some wiggle room."
Jim Schatz, a selectman in Blue Hill who has supported the local food rules in town and at the State House, where several proposed laws would bolster local food sovereignty efforts, said he doesn't anticipate conversations among selectmen about repealing the ordinance.
The ruling "shows the kind of work that needs to be done at the legislative level," he said Friday.
Schatz stressed that selectmen are merely administrators. The ordinance was put forward by residents and approved at a Blue Hill town meeting. In towns such as Blue Hill, voters are the legislative body.
"It may be that the people interested in this ordinance come and ask for some refinement of it, but that's not a process the selectmen would initiate," he said. "We're mere tools of the legislative body, which is a good place to be."
There are bills being discussed at the committee level that would exempt local food ordinances from being pre-empted by state law, as well as a proposal to allow for direct-to-consumer sales without state oversight throughout Maine.
"We're carefully monitoring the progress of those bills, because at this point it's a policy question," he said Friday.
Regardless, Lourie urged caution for farmers selling their products without licenses under the assumption their towns protect them from state law.
"The law can remain on the books, but it won't be regarded as a defense [against civil lawsuits from the state]," he said. "Anyone who relies on it does so at their own risk. The town probably ought to repeal the ordinance because it leads people down the primrose path thinking they're protected when they're not."
Brown is scheduled for a civil penalty hearing on May 16 in Hancock County Superior Court, where Murray will rule on what penalties will be levied for each of his three violations.
Times Argus Op-Ed: Monsanto attacking democracy in Vermont
April 21,2013
By Ronnie Cummins and Katherine Paul
Full Article
Monsanto's lobbyists are out in force in Vermont, lobbying politicians in the hope of scuttling H.112, Vermont's labeling law, which would require mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
They're repeating ad nauseum their propaganda claims that GE foods and crops are perfectly safe and therefore need no labeling, that transgenics are environment- and climate-friendly, and that genetically modified crops are necessary to feed the world.
But as consumers become wiser, Monsanto has had to resort to attacking democracy instead of merely trying to defend its indefensible products.
One of Monsanto's major propaganda points, designed to discourage state officials from passing GMO labeling laws, is that state GMO labeling is unconstitutional. Last year, the company threatened to sue the state of Vermont if lawmakers passed a GMO labeling law.
Biotech industry lawyers claim federal courts will strike down mandatory state GMO labeling for three reasons:
1) Because federal law, in this case FDA regulations, pre-empts state law.
2) Because commercial free speech allows corporations to remain silent on whether or not their products are genetically engineered.
3) Because GMO labeling would interfere with interstate commerce.
These claims simply don't hold up. State GMO labeling, and other food safety and food labeling laws, are constitutional. Federal law, upheld for decades by federal court legal decisions, allows states to pass laws relating to food safety or food labels when the FDA has no prior regulations or prohibitions in place.
There is currently no federal law or FDA regulation on GMO labeling, except for a guidance statement on voluntary labeling, nor is there any federal prohibition on state GMO or other food safety labeling laws.
In fact, there are more than 200 state food labeling laws in effect right now in the U.S., including a GMO fish labeling law in Alaska, laws on labeling wild rice, maple syrup, dairy quality, kosher products, and laws on labeling dairy products as rBGH-free.
It is very unlikely that any federal court will want to make a sweeping ruling that would nullify 200 pre-existing state laws.
U.S. case law does indicate that commercial free speech in certain instances allows corporations to remain silent about what's in their products. However, federal courts have consistently ruled that when there are compelling state interests — health, environment, economic — states can require corporations to divulge what's in their products or how they were produced.
When it comes to GMOs, states can clearly make the case for compelling state interests, according to Consumer Union's senior scientist, Michael Hansen. He says: "There is a compelling state interest in labeling of genetically engineered foods and that is due to the potential human health and environmental impacts of genetically engineered foods."
Hansen also argues that Codex Alimentarius, a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety, guarantees nations the right to implement mandatory labeling of GMO foods. The standards support the argument that GMO labels do not constitute a restriction of free trade, as long as they are applied to both domestic and international producers.
Similarly state GMO labels, as long as they do not discriminate against particular producers, but rather apply to all producers — state, national, and international — do not constitute a restriction of interstate commerce.
States and localities have the right and the power to pass their own legislation, especially when the federal government fails or refuses to act on matters of compelling interest. Although large corporations now control the federal government, we still have room to organize and govern ourselves, especially at the local level.
Vermonters are engaged in a fundamental battle, for the right to know what's in our food, the right to choose what we buy and eat, and the right to regulate out-of-control corporations that are threatening our environment, our health and future climate stability.
Without bio-democracy there can be no democracy. Without a balance of powers between the federal government, states and local home rule, there is no republic, but rather a corporatocracy, an unholy alliance between indentured politicians and profit-at-any-cost corporations.
The battle for food sovereignty, beginning here in Vermont, is a battle we cannot afford to lose.


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I put up a poll on my blog but figured Id get more responses this way. I'm trying to decide between 4 different styles. Two of which Ive done (Stout, Lager) and two I haven't (Sour, German Altbier). Has anyone brewed an Altbier before? Any tips you can give? What's a good example I might be able to pick u[p at the store? I've done really well with Stouts and folks seem to really enjoy them, but I've done quite a few at this point. Only done one Lager and it turned out pretty good. And being as its cold now its much easier to control the temp. If you want go vote or just leave a response if you have the time. As always, I appreciate the input and knowledge of all fellow brewers. CHEERS!
An alt would be perfect! A sour too, as it'll take a year for the sour to be ready, but start with the alt! I did the Kaiser's alt a while back, and loved it! 8 lbs 9.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 88.90 % 15.5 oz Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 10.07 % 1.6 oz Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 1.03 % 2.00 oz Spalter [2.60 %] (60 min) Hops 18.1 IBU 0.50 oz Tettnang [4.00 %] (60 min) Hops 6.9 IBU 1 Pkgs German Ale (Wyeast Labs #1007) Yeast-Ale 20 min Protein rest Add 9.63 qt of water at 145.6 F 131.0 F 45 min Saccrification Rest Add 4.82 qt of water at 197.7 F 150.0 F 10 min Mash Out Decoct 5.58 qt of mash and boil it 169.0 F (2 step infusion with decoction mash-out: protein rest : 54 *C (131 *F) for 20 min saccrification rest : 65.5 *C (150 *F) for 45 min mash-out : 76 *C) Kai's recipe called for 27 IBUS of spalter, but I was short (only 2.6%AA) so .5 ounce tettnang was added. You definitely don't need two different kids of bittering hops!
Is there another beer that is similar to this? I don't think they have that in my area. I haven't seen it at least. I do like the look of this recipe though.
Oh and Im a big Eagles fan and have to say your profile picture is scary as hell. That man is a beast. I was unfortunate enough to be at the playoff game last year. As far as you know, does GB plan on loosing a game this year? Its almost not fair right now.
I will have to go on a beer adventure this evening. We have some real good beer stores around here. Seems like ever since Dogfish head has really taken off there has been an influx of good micros. Dogfish Brewery is 45 mins away. I've spent many a day there. I was going more with the Clay Matthews is a human wrecking ball angle, but to each their own.
Hey, I'm as shallow as they come. Don't doubt it for one second.

subset: commoncrawl


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If you are a heavy metal fan, Motörhead's live show is one of those pinnacle "must-haves." While Lemmy and his cohorts continue to insist that they are nothing more than a rock and roll band, seeing Motörhead live is watching a living oral history of the genesis of heavy metal.
Okay, here's a brief, inside look at the life of a music reviewer (dare I call myself a music journalist?) You get inundated with music. Positively deluged. So much so that you realize early on you won't be able to get to it all, even if you have a staff of twenty writers. So, one of the skills you need to develop early on is the ability to discern what projects are worth the time you're going to spend on them.
Throughout human history, whenever a cultural force rises to prominence, there is inevitably a counter-movement that rises to meet it. The Roman Empire had the numerous Gothic tribes, Persia was met by the Mongols, the British Empire squared off with various revolutionaries over the centuries, and the New England Patriots are seemingly opposed (and thankfully stymied,) by the New York Giants. Such is the irresistible yin and yang of the universe, the powerful but delicate balancing act of nature.
Fame out of nowhere. All-girl rock group Cherri Bomb has gone from the fringe to the main stage through their association with acts like Filter, Rise Against and Billy Corgan. Continuing the trend, the band has attached their single "Shake the Ground" with the biggest movie event in a couple of summers, landing on the soundtrack of Marvel's blockbuster "Avengers." I sat down with Julia Pierce and Miranda Miller to talk about their music, gaining fame early, and being in an all-girl band.
An awful lot of noise. That's the first gut reaction to "Bloodstreams," the new full-length album from Australian do-it-all duo DZ Deathrays. For just two people, this is a full-bore effort, ripped from the core of punk's heart and rock and roll's soul.
Somewhere between the rock and roll of the White Stripes, the distorted two-beat fuzz of Nine Inch Nails' last album "The Slip," and the cadences of the Gorillaz lies the "No Sleep" EP from upstart Australian power duo DZ Deathrays. Now, let's not get carried away too early. While the EP contains elements, that doesn't mean it is equal to the sum of all of them. Rather, the DZ Deathrays pick and choose their moments on this five-cut sampling of their talent
Zeroking touts itself as an all-out rock and roll band, but there's more going on here than just that. Based in West Virginia, the band is heavily influenced by the rock and roll ideal of the West Coast, and uses that as a base to launch their curious and devil-may-care mix of rock, piano and brass (or a close facsimile to them,) and down home country twang.
Approximately 11 trillion words have already been written in anticipation of, and response to, Van Halen's new album, "A Different Kind of Truth." Those words have ranged between an instant haranguing under the guise of the album being far too late, and an automatic sterling review as a revival of one of the signature bands of rock and roll's arguably best era.
The dichotomy of Hank Williams III can't be denied. He is both living legacy and self-made musician, an ambitious talent who refuses to be penned in by the conventions of any single genre or idiom. Hank 3 is a man who takes joy in his music, and more than anything else, enjoys sharing it with both his friends and his fans. I had the distinct privilege of getting some time to talk to Hank about music, recording and a host of other subjects.
Travel with me to a place less soaked with entrails and not nearly as dominated by despair. This place is full of legendary legacies and the tenets of breezy, feel-good rock and roll. This latter Elysiam is the easy going land of Ringo Starr.


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The Family Room Blog
New Infant-Toddler Training and Technical Assistance Projects
Office of Child Care and Office of Head Start focus on improving quality.
Supporting Children of Incarcerated Parents
Parents deserve a second chance to get a job and support their kids once they leave prison.
What Early Care and Education Providers and Families Should Know About Enterovirus D68
Infecting about 10 to 15 million Americans each year, enteroviruses are very common, especially during the summer and fall months.
Joan's Story
"I thought that my being pregnant would change him, but that was not the case."
Emily's Story
"I felt like everyone was looking at me, even though I had carefully caked on make-up to cover the bruises."
Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Applications Under Review
Innovative models work together to serve young children in poverty.
New Adoption Public Service Advertisements Debut Featuring Characters from "The Boxtrolls"
"The Boxtrolls" help recruit adoptive parents for the 102,000 children in foster care awaiting permanency in an adoptive home.
I'm Covered Stories: A Healthy Respect for a 'Complicated' Family
The Affordable Care Act makes it easier for all Americans, including LGBT individuals, to access health coverage through the Marketplace and Medicaid. Open enrollment begins again on Nov. 15.
Christina's Story
"Dad would strike mom. She would cry and apologize and I would hide. That was my job, when things got ugly I was to be invisible."
Amanda's Story
"In March 2010, I incorporated my 'safety plan' and left my husband."


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On facebook, I'm part of an organization for concealed carry on campus. I was just reading on there and saw this announcement:
Should I participate. I want to get the word out, but have to admit I'm a little apprehensive about doing this. Plus I don't have an OWB holster yetStudents for Concealed Carry on Campus will hold its third national collegiate Empty Holster Protest during the week of April 20-24, 2009. Thousands of college students throughout the United States, organized under the banner of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC), will attend classes wearing empty holsters, in protest of state laws and school policies that stack the odds in favor of dangerous criminals and armed killers by disarming law abiding citizens licensed to carry concealed handguns virtually everywhere else.
The protest will focus on sharing the facts of concealed carry with students and faculty who may not be aware that concealed carry laws exist or that those laws differ on college campuses from most other locations.


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esquire magazine e-paper cover October 2008.
curiouslee added this photo to his favorites. (79 months ago)
Interesting. I always imagined these as more regular and as a one-capsule-per-pixel deal.
It's possible that for "pixel addressable" displays (unlike these) the capsules are in a grid. What's more likely is that the capsules are smaller than one "pixel" so that there are multiple capsules per "pixel".
wow... looks like polystyrene beads
yep, it really does. i thought the exact same thing.


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HomeTagsDaytime Confidential InterviewsRob Bogue and Mandy Bruno, Reel Life vs. Real Life Melodie March 31, 2009 Daytime Confidential Interviews 1 Comment Real life couple Rob Bogue and Mandy Bruno spent some fun in the sun swimming with dolphins and visiting with their fans during the Guiding Light location shoot, at Universal Orlando. They took some extra time to visit with me about Mallet and Marina's relationship, the adoption of their character's new son Henry Cooper Camalletti and if a reunion between Cyrus and Marina or Mallet and Dinah might be possible. Daytime Confidential: What do y'all think about what's going on with Mallet and Marina right now? I mean they just adopted a baby and that's huge. Rob Bogue: I think I can sum it all up in once sentence: They're happy, so look out. Mandy Bruno: I agree. I mean I think that's the best way to say it. Every time everything falls into place it becomes ultimately boring and you have completely to explode it. DC: I've been waiting for it to happen with Mallet and Marina because they've been happy for a minute. MB: It's coming, It's coming. I mean, Mallet and Marina are trying as hard as they can to keep it that way (being happy) but this is a soap. RB: "Don't touch my baby." MB: Yeah, it's amazing how much you change as a human being when there's a little one around. Drama definitely does come up. I mean you turn into a momma bear on the playground if someone comes messin with your child. So, happy go lucky people can become very protective and do things that we may not expect them to do in order to protect their young. So, there's some drama. DC: So can y'all give any scoop about what's coming up for them. MB: We really don't know. RB: I like to play things not knowing. Some people like to know and I don't. It's kinda like life, you can't really control it. MB: It's been fun to try and figure it out. We know that once you get this happy something has to go wrong. It's like every script you get, you start looking around and it's kind of like real life. You always have someone around you that you may not be able to trust. You don't know anymore. It's very dramatic and it's been fun. We've had fun playing some light fluffy stuff but I think now we're ready for some drama. DC: Ok, so I have to ask this for me, Cyrus and Marina, Mallet and Dinah, is there a chance? Is there hope? RB: I think so, sure. MB: Sure, and don't forget you have Shayne back in town. RB: Cyrus and Marina, Mallet and Dinah. Shayne, Cyrus, Cyrus, Mallet. I think it's definite possibility. MB: Oh yeah. There's always possibilities. But then again, I don't think any couple could truly live happily ever after. I mean that couple is Josh and Reva ,and look at them now. Not that they can't ultimately be happy, but then again this is soap opera. Drama happens and there is canvas of people we can work with and… RB: "Don't touch my baby. Don't touch my girl." MB: I mean it's like life. Sometimes we run into old friends again and they make sense in that moment. But who knows. We honestly have no idea. But we love working together and as long as they want to write us that way, it's fun. Related: Rob Bogue Kissed a Dolphin and Like It | More Dolphin Love with Bogue and Bruno One Response THEBEST March 31, 2009 They seem like really cool people. The writing has definitely made Mallet & Marina tolerable as a (temporary) couple. Log in to Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply You must be logged in to post a comment.
THEBEST March 31, 2009 They seem like really cool people. The writing has definitely made Mallet & Marina tolerable as a (temporary) couple. Log in to Reply


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Partick 1-0 Airdrie Utd: Match Report
Partick 1-0 Airdrie Utd: Match Report - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game as it happened.
Volley good from Erskine
Christopher Erskine's volley saw Partick extend their unbeaten run to five games with a 1-0 win over Airdrie.
The best chance of a scrappy first half fell to Jags midfielder Erskine, whose long-range effort in the 38th minute did not trouble Robbie Thomson in Airdrie's goal.
The hosts came out all guns blazing in the second period and almost went in front when forward Kris Doolan's effort from 10 yards was parried to safety by Thomson.
Partick continued to push and eventually took the lead in the 76th minute when Erskine's superb 30-yard strike flew into the top corner.
Erskine tried his luck from a similar distance four minutes later but this time his effort was gobbled up by Thomson.
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Kevin Bruner, Telltale co-founder and president, is a big fan of James Bond – he's just not happy with how most video games portray the British MI6 agent. When asked by OXM which dream license he'd like his studio to adapt, Bruner's mind went directly to 007.
"I'm a giant James Bond fan and I'm always frustrated by games that make him a mass murderer," Bruner explained to OXM. "He's a super-spy, and that's a different skillset. The films make him less of a mass murderer, and there's not much killing in the books - more spying and intrigue." The last game to star James Bond, 007 Legends from Eurocom, certainly contributed to that mass murderer image.
Even if Telltale somehow acquired the Bond license, we imagine it'd be tough to immediately start production on a game. Telltale is quite busy working on the next episode of The Wolf Among Us' debut season along with the next episode in The Walking Dead's second season. On top of those, there are new announced projects in Tales from the Borderlands and Game of Thrones due this year.
Featured Stories
Off the Grid: The Witcher Adventure Game and Star Wars Imperial Assault
Posted on Feb 3rd 2015 2:15PM


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Books and Literature
News about Books and Literature, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Chronology of Coverage
Feb. 26, 2015
Janet Maslin reviews book Frog by Mo Yan. MORE
Feb. 26, 2015
Carmela Ciuraru reviews books Get in Trouble: Stories by Kelly Link, I Regret Everything: A Love Story by Seth Greenland; After Birth by Elisa Albert, A History of Loneliness by John Boyne, My Documents by Alejandro Zambra and Making Nice by Matt Sumell. MORE
Feb. 24, 2015
Michiko Kakutani reviews book The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. MORE
Feb. 24, 2015
Photographer Xu Yong insists that his latest book Negatives, which features images he shot during 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing and has since kept hidden, is only meant to be art, not political commentary; publication of book is risky move, as many Chinese have recently been detained for sharing pictures of or even discussing 1989 protests. MORE
Feb. 24, 2015
Dr Abigail Zuger reviews book He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him by Mimi Baird. MORE
Unexpected Lessons From 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
A hit movie has a lot to say about franchises adapted from literary sources.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON BOOKS AND LITERATURE AND: Movies
Fifty Shades of Grey (Movie)
Books and Literature
Harry Potter (Book)
The Hunger Games (Book)
Twilight (Movie)
Kazuo Ishiguro's 'The Buried Giant'
Neil Gaiman reviews Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Buried Giant," a quest narrative set in a mythical time of ogres, sprites and dragons.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
Letters: The Doctor Is On
Readers respond to a review of Eric Topol's "The Patient Will See You Now."
March 1, 2015, Sunday
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Kim Gordon: By the Book
The musician and author of the memoir "Girl in a Band" is a fan of Joan Didion: "How cool is it that Céline chose her for their new ad campaign? I want those sunglasses."
March 1, 2015, Sunday
'Welcome to Braggsville,' by T. Geronimo Johnson
College students head South to stage a misbegotten intervention in this darkly comic novel.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
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'Anonymous Soldiers,' by Bruce Hoffman
An American scholar asks whether the Jews or the Arabs forced the British to leave Palestine.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON BOOKS AND LITERATURE AND: Hoffman, Bruce
Books and Literature
James Baldwin Denounced Richard Wright's 'Native Son' As a 'Protest Novel.' Was He Right?
Ayana Mathis and Pankaj Mishra discuss Baldwin's indictment of "Native Son," which was published 75 years ago.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
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Writing and Writers
Baldwin, James (1924-87)
Wright, Richard
'Moth Orchids'
Poem selected by Natasha Trethewey.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
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Poetry and Poets
Privy to the Plot
Discovering classical literature — and a life's work — in the unlikeliest of places.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON BOOKS AND LITERATURE AND: Books and Literature
Bringing a Daughter Back From the Brink With Poems
A mother's project helps remind her teenager that life is worth living.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON BOOKS AND LITERATURE AND: Poetry and Poets
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Suicides and Suicide Attempts
Times Insider: By the Book
A conversation with Pamela Paul, editor of The New York Times Book Review, and some of the authors from her new collection, "By the Book."
Tales of the Founders
New picture books include "Gingerbread for Liberty" and "Dear Mr. Washington."
Tony Robbins Reveals His Secret
In a November 2014 interview, the life coach and motivational speaker Tony Robbins spoke with Andrew Ross Sorkin about his new book and the secret behind the Robbins brand.
Bookshelf: Snow Days
New picture books include Peter McCarty's "First Snow" and Deirdre Gill's "Outside."
Magical Creatures
New picture books include "Julia's House for Lost Creatures" and "Night Sky Dragons."
Bookshelf: Can't Sleep
New picture books include "Naptime," "A Bed for Kitty" and "Goodnight Already!"
The Best Book Covers of 2014
The best book-cover designs of the year, as chosen by the art director of The New York Times Book Review.
Bookshelf: The Classics Reissued
New picture books include "The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night," illustrated by Peter Spier.
Pop-Up and Interactive Children's Books
"Is There a Dog in This Book?" by Viviane Schwarz, and more.
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New picture books include Salina Yoon's "Penguin and Pumpkin."
George W. Bush on His Father and 9/11
Former President George W. Bush talked to his former chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., about his book on his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and mentioned talking to his parents on 9/11.
Bookshelf: Lives of the Artists
New picture books include "Matisse's Garden," "Mr. Cornell's Dream Boxes" and "Edward Hopper Paints His World."
Bookshelf: Misbehavior
New picture books include Lisa Charrier's "Oh My, Oh No!" and Steve Antony's "Betty Goes Bananas."
Bookshelf: Sea Creatures
New picture books include Chris Raschka's "Clammy Clam" and Carron Brown's "Secrets of the Seashore."
First Editions, Second Thoughts
The authors Robert A. Caro, Paul Auster and Jane Smiley, whose annotated first editions will be auctioned off at Christie's, reflect on the process of revisiting their past works.
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Droid ultra message error. Motorola droid ultra user guide for verizon wireless | boeboer, Motorola droid ultra user guide for verizon wireless resume. want to redecorate the home screen of motorola droid ultra. learn how to use search, touchless control?Reports of droid maxx/ultra kit kat update bricking phones, On december 19, verizon announced that the droid maxx, ultra, and mini were all ready to receive their updates to android 4.4 "kit kat." initially, aLg g2 vs. motorola droid ultra – youtube, Lg g2 vs. motorola droid ultra facebook: http://www.facebook.com/phonedog twitter: http://www.twitter.com/phonedog google+: http://gplus.to/phonedog vote
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Mobile phones – motorola us, ©2014 . motorola mobility llc. all rights reserved motorola and the stylized m logo are registered trademarks of motorola trademark holdings, llc The official motorola blog, What better way to kick off the download—a regular feature that gives you the scoop on the many software updates we are rapidly cranking out.


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Amazing place surrounded by nature and beauty! Rooms are charming, silent and furnished with style. The owners make you feel like you are part of the the family while offering a professional and elegant service.The food was delicious and genuine. We enjoyed the outdoor swimming pool and the magnificent indoor infinity-pool overlooking the valley. Perfect location for day trips to... More
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- Also Known As:
- Fattoria Di Vibio Hotel Monte Castello Di Vibio
- Fattoria Di Vibio Monte Castello Di Vibio, Italy - Umbria


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Results: 1 to 20 of 43
Gasthof Feldl
Gasthof Feldl
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Dachau (1.1km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
A regional restaurant and elegant accommodation with free WiFi access are offered by this family-run guest house. Located in Günding, Gasthof Feldl is a 5-minute drive from Dachau and 24 km from central Munich. Gasthof Feldl features bright and spacious rooms and studios decorated with contemporary or classic-style furnishings. Each is complete with a flat-screen TV and en suite bathroom. Breakfast is included in the price at Gasthof Feldl. Gue
Prices from EUR 80
Hotel Forelle Garni
Hotel Forelle Garni
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Günding (1.8km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Just 650 metres from Dachau Palace, this stylish hotel is set in the heart of the Old Town. It offers modern accommodation with free WI-Fi, a childrens playground and garden. Decorated in a contemporary colour scheme, rooms at the Hotel Forelle Garni feature modern interiors and colourful artwork. Each room is equipped with a TV, washing machine and complimentary toiletries. A hearty buffet breakfast is provided each morning in the sunny dini
Prices from EUR 78
Altstadt-Hotel Zieglerbräu
Altstadt-Hotel Zieglerbräu
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Dachau (2.7km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Located in the heart of Dachau´s old town, the historic and family-run Altstadt-Hotel Zieglerbräu offers guests free Wi-Fi, a terrace and views of the rolling Bavarian countryside. All rooms are colourfully decorated and fully equipped with a TV, a sofa and a desk. Some rooms boast sofa beds, separate living areas and unique period features. In the rustic-style restaurant, guests can enjoy the breakfast buffet provided daily, as well as traditi
Prices from EUR 74
Hotel DAH-Inn
Hotel DAH-Inn
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Dachau (2.8km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This family-run hotel is 250 metres from Dachau Castle and the Dachau New Gallery. It offers modern rooms with free Wi-Fi and a country-style restaurant serving Bavarian specialities. All rooms at Hotel DAH-Inn feature a flat-screen TV with international satellite channels and a private bathroom with shower. Some rooms are located in the annex, 150 metres away. Guests can enjoy a daily buffet breakfast each morning, served at Karlsberg 18. The
Prices from EUR 60
Hotel Gasthof Groß
Hotel Gasthof Groß
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Bergkirchen (3.0km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This family-run hotel enjoys a quiet location in Bergkirchen, a 30-minute drive north of Munich city centre. Gasthof Groß features a traditional restaurant serving Bavarian and international cuisine. The country-style rooms at Hotel Gasthof Groß feature satellite TV, Wi-Fi internet and a bathroom. A buffet breakfast is served each morning at Gasthof Groß Bergkirchen. The Bavarian-style restaurant features wooden interiors and a bar. Hoftheate
Prices from EUR 63.75
Hotel Burgmeier
Hotel Burgmeier
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Dachau (3.1km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Offering a large garden with terrace, rich buffet breakfasts featuring homemade meat products, and free Wi-Fi, this family-run, 3-star hotel is just a 5-minute walk from Dachau Stadt Train Station. The quietly located Hotel Burgmeier has contemporary-style rooms with elegant wooden furniture, a TV, and a desk. Each bathroom includes a cosmetic mirror. Guests can have breakfast in the Burgmeiers traditional Bavarian Gaststube lounge. Some of th
Prices from EUR 79
Hotel Central Dachau
Hotel Central Dachau
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Dachau (3.4km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
The Hotel Central Dachau is a peaceful and cosy hotel situated close to the castle and the main railway station in the centre of Dachau. The city centre of Munich can be reached in just 15 minutes via the nearby S-Bahn station.
Prices from EUR 81
Hotel Fischer
Hotel Fischer
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Dachau (3.5km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This welcoming hotel enjoys a central location in Dachau. From here, S-Bahn trains to Munich depart every 10 minutes. In addition to well-kept guest rooms, the hotel also offers a restaurant and a bar.
Prices from EUR 84
Hotel Drei Löwen
Hotel Drei Löwen
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Dachau (3.6km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Offering free Wi-Fi internet, this family-run, quiet hotel is just 1 km from Dachau City Rail Station and a 20 minutes' drive from Munich Airport. It offers free parking. The Hotel-Gasthof Drei Löwen has spacious rooms renovated in 2013 with light wooden furniture, Pay TV, and a private bathroom. A rich buffet breakfast is prepared at the Drei Löwen every day. Dachau Palace is only a 20-minute walk from the hotel. From Drei Löwen Hotel, the Da
Prices from EUR 50
Internationales Jugendgästehaus Dachau
Internationales Jugendgästehaus Dachau
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Dachau (3.9km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Featuring a shared living area and free Wi-Fi, this hostel in the woodlands of Dachau offers luggage storage, a bistro bar, and spacious canteen. Dachau Old Town is a 20-minute drive away. Internationales Jugendgästehaus Dachau offers a variety of heated, simply furnished rooms. Guests can choose between rooms with private or shared bathrooms. As well as a freshly prepared breakfast buffet each morning, visitors at the Jugendgästehaus can enjoy
Prices from EUR 62
Hotel Gasthof Lachner
Hotel Gasthof Lachner
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Stetten (3.9km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Situated in the rural village of Stetten in Upper Bavaria, this traditional hotel enjoys peaceful surroundings, just 20 km northwest of Munich. The Gasthof Lachner offers Bavarian hospitality, comfortable rooms and a country-style restaurant. This is the ideal option for holidaymakers and business travellers alike. The historic city of Munich is just a short drive away, as are several popular attractions and sightseeing options.
Prices from EUR 48
Pension Mair
Pension Mair
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Stetten (3.9km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This guest house enjoys a quiet location in Stetten, 6 km from Dachau. Pension Mair offers free Wi-Fi, free parking and a rustic-style restaurant serving Bavarian specialities. The bright and spacious rooms at Pension Mair are simply furnished and include a TV. Shared bathrooms and showers are located in the hallway. A full breakfast buffet is served between 05:45 and 11:00 each morning in Pension Mairs large restaurant, which features traditi
Prices from EUR 0
Gasthaus und Hotel Göttler Josef
Gasthaus und Hotel Göttler Josef
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Rumeltshausen (4.1km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This family-run hotel is located in Rumeltshausen, 6 km north-west of Dachau. It offers country-style rooms with a flat-screen TV and free wired internet. On-site parking is free. All rooms at the Gasthaus und Hotel Göttler Josef include a safe, hairdryer and private bathroom with toiletries. A buffet breakfast is provided each morning at the Gasthaus Göttler. The restaurant serves international meals and Bavarian specialities. The Gasthaus G
Prices from EUR 42
Augustenfelder Hof
Augustenfelder Hof
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Dachau (4.2km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This privately-run hotel is located in central Dachau, a 15-minute walk from Dachau Train Station. It offers modern rooms, a Bavarian restaurant and free parking. The elegant rooms at Augustenfelder Hof are equipped with a flat-screen TV. All rooms have an en suite bathroom. Hearty Bavarian cuisine is served in Augustenfelders traditional restaurant, and breakfast is provided here every morning. The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site is
Prices from EUR 40
Hotel Huber garni
Hotel Huber garni
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Dachau (4.2km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Peacefully located in the eastern district of Dachau, this charming 3-star hotel offers a relaxing getaway, just 20 km north-west of the world-famous city of Munich. As a guest at the Hotel Huber Garni, you will enjoy modern rooms, a comprehensive daily breakfast buffet and free Wi-Fi internet access. Drivers will also benefit from free parking spaces. Historic sights close to the hotel include the Dachau Concentration Camp memorial site and th
Prices from EUR 72
Hotel Palazzio
Hotel Palazzio
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Dachau (4.7km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This 3-star hotel on the outskirts of Dachau offers free WiFi internet and free parking. It lies 2 km from Dachau Stadt Train Station and a 20-minute train journey from Munich. The rooms of the family-run Hotel Palazzio come with a TV and private bathroom. A rich breakfast buffet is available each morning. The Palazzio's Italian restaurant serves a variety of Italian specialities and home-made ice cream. During the summer, guests are welcome t
Prices from EUR 54
Tulip Inn Alp Style Dachau Munich
Tulip Inn Alp Style Dachau Munich
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Dachau (5.3km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
This hotel is located in Dachau, on the outskirts of Munich. Tulip Inn Alp Style Dachau Munich offers free WiFi in all areas and a gym. All rooms are air-conditioned and feature an Alpine-style design. Every room includes satellite TV, a desk and a private bathroom with shower, hairdryer and toiletries. At Tulip Inn Alp Style Dachau Munich you will find a 24-hour reception and a bar. It also offers a shared lounge and luggage storage. A range
Prices from EUR 59
Bavaria Safari Hotel
Bavaria Safari Hotel
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Dachau (5.5km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Bavaria Safari is a unique, family-run 3-star theme hotel on the outskirts of Munich. The bright colour schemes and warm furnishings offer a sense of African flair. Bavaria Hotel Dachau combines the best elements of Bavarian and African hospitality. The rooms are individually decorated and all contain comfortable amenities, including complimentary wireless internet access. Wake up in the morning to a delicious buffet breakfast in the colourful
Prices from EUR 70
Gasthof Zur Post
Gasthof Zur Post
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Schwabhausen bei Dachau (5.7km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Set in the heart of the Bavarian countryside, this country-style guest house is centrally located in Schwabhausen. It offers a restaurant, beer garden and spacious rooms. Rooms at Gasthof zur Post are classically decorated in neutral colours and feature solid pinewood furniture and soft lighting. Complimentary toiletries are provided in the private bathroom. Guests can sample traditional Bavarian dishes prepared with locally sourced ingredients
Prices from EUR 38
MyHome München
MyHome München
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Olching (6.6km from town centre)
Guest Rating: N/A
Peacefully located in the Olching district of Munich, these apartments offer kitchenettes with dishwashers, balconies, and free WiFi. MyHome München also provides free parking. These modern, recently renovated apartments feature wooden flooring and colourful décor. Each apartment has a private bathroom and a flat-screen TV. Guests are free to relax on the outdoor terrace. There is a vending machine, a shared lounge and a mini-market is located
Prices from EUR 52.5
Results: 1 to 20 of 43
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text:
Import prices in February
March 15, 2002
The U.S. Import Price Index decreased 0.1 percent in February 2002. The decline followed a 0.4-percent increase in January and was attributable to a decline in nonpetroleum prices.
In February, prices for imported goods resumed a long-term downward trend, as the 0.1-percent decline marked the eighth decrease in the past nine months. The February drop was the result of falling nonpetroleum prices, which outweighed petroleum price gains. Prices for nonpetroleum imports resumed a downward trend in February, falling 0.5 percent after edging up 0.1 percent in January.
The nonpetroleum index had dropped in each of the prior 11 months and was down 5.0 percent during the year ended in February. Petroleum prices rose for the second straight month, increasing 2.9 percent in February after rising 5.3 percent in January. Despite the recent increases, petroleum prices fell 30.4 percent over the February 2001-2002 period. Overall import prices also fell for the year ended in February, down 8.2 percent.
These data are a product of the BLS International Price program. Learn more in "U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes - February 2002," news release USDL 02-130. Note: import price data are subject to revision in each of the three months after original publication.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Import prices in February on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2002/mar/wk2/art05.htm (visited March 06, 2015).
Three recent editions of Spotlight on Statistics
Housing: before, during, and after the Great Recession
looks at consumer expenditures on household items, employment in residential construction, prices for household items, and injuries in occupations involved in building and maintaining our homes. -
Women veterans in the labor force examines the demographic, employment, and unemployment characteristics of women veterans.
BLS Statistics by Occupation provides an overview of occupational employment and wages with an emphasis on STEM jobs and occupational data by typical entry-level education required.


text:
"One of the best authors [FULL STOP]"
Vonnegut was one of the best authors this country every produced. This collection of short stories does not disappoint. My favorite stories within have to be Welcome to the Monkey House and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Tony Roberts is the best of the group of narrators, but they are all great story tellers. Worth the money/credit


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We understand that choosing the right location is important to you. Our CareLine is ready to assist you in making the right decision for care needed.
En Español (Spanish Version)
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists http://www.acog.org
The International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc. http://www.inciid.org
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada http://www.sogc.org
Women's Health Matters http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca
Fibroids. Healthy Women website. Available at: http://www.healthywomen.org/condition/fibroids. Updated August 9, 2011. Accessed October 30, 2014.
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). RadiologyInfo.org website. Available at: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ufe. Updated August 5, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2014.
Uterine leiomyoma. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/. Updated August 27, 2014. Accessed October 30, 2014.
Only show results from the selected categories.
This surgery involves removing fibroids from the wall of the uterus (womb). Fibroids are noncancerous tumors in the muscle of the uterus....
Not Sure What Service You Need? Click Here to Request Additional Information from our Care Experts


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Stay Tuned! Our Spring/Summer 2015 Collection soon in stores
Welcome to Bonage social Universe!, Follow us in Instagram to be updated with all the news that Bonage Collection have for you this season.
Fits specially designed with our Push Up technology to meet the needs of the diversity of the female body and enhance their silhouette naturally


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STATISTICA Successes Presented at Predictive Analytics World in New York, October 16-21, 2011
Robert Wood of Cox Communications and Zubair Shams of Accident Fund Insurance will present case studies highlighting the benefits of using STATISTICA.
(PRWEB) September 30, 2011
StatSoft, makers of the STATISTICA software platform and one of the largest producers of enterprise predictive analytics software solutions, is sponsoring the Predictive & Text Analytics World in New York on October 16-21, 2011. Talks at the event will focus on Predictive Analytics and Text Mining. StatSoftâs customers, Cox Communications and Accident Fund Insurance, will present case studies about their use of STATISTICA.
Robert Wood, Director of Marketing Science for Cox Communications, forecasts future demand by product line. This forecasting has become an essential business function to direct and regulate operational, marketing, and sales resources. The case study that Mr. Wood will present will focus transformation of the forecasting process for Cox's Central Region. In the past, forecasting results were generated, modified by analysts, and delivered via Excel. This report was transformed to a fully automated system using STATISTICA. Additionally, errors are now captured and monitored using a re-purposed statistical process that provides notifications of inaccuracy or consistency.
Zubair Shams, Director of Product Development leads the predictive modeling department at Accident Fund Insurance Company. Mr. Shams focuses on providing leadership in the delivery of complex modeling projects while leveraging his foundation in modeling expertise. At the upcoming Text Analytics World Mr. Shams will present a case study of text mining to accurately segment workersâ compensation injuries. In this case study he will present lessons learned from handing challenges presented by free form adjuster notes that include developing synonyms, handling negation logic, handling large data quantities, and validating the performance of the algorithm.
For additional information about STATISTICA software solutions, please visit our website at http://www.statsoft.com.
About StatSoft, Inc:
StatSoft, Inc. was founded in 1984, is one of the largest producers of enterprise and desktop software for Data Analysis, Data Mining, Quality Control/Six Sigma, and Web-based Analytics. Its products are used worldwide at most major universities, corporations, and government agencies and are supported with training and consulting services by a worldwide network of StatSoft offices in 29 countries on all continents.
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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/9/prweb8842819.htm


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The Washington County Library system offers an exciting series of programming for children and teens. Look below for a list of our upcoming programs!
Fall Story Time--"Where Is Your House?"
September 2-December 18, 2014
These educational, interactive programs will help children ages 3 and up learn about places where people and animals make their homes. Families, daycares, and school groups are welcome! Library programs are offered without charge and registration is not required.
Grades 5 and up-Booktalkers Book Club
January Schedule
These club meetings are designed to provide kids in grades 5 and up a chance to learn about new books, express their opinions about books they have read, and enjoy time with their friends. Meetings are free to the public and no registration is required. Monthly meetings are from 4-5 p.m. For more information, contact your librarian.


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Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks (after being water-boarded 3 times a day for 138 days), will remain in military detention without trial because Obama said so even though it violates our law. Who does this remind you of?
Thanks for the propaganda HuffPo. U stink.


text: Why Stemmons Is So Congested Posted in Local News. Mar 25, 2014 at 10:59 am by Tim Rogers 23 comments I was just talking to the internet, and it told me that Stemmons is the widest freeway in North Texas. It also says that Stemmons is one of the most congested roads in the country. See the relationship? I think this guy put it best. Next Post Previous Post


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Brazil v Spain: 1986 Revisited
With Brazil and Spain clashing at the Maracana in tomorrow night's big match, I've dipped into my back catalogue to check out a previous meeting between the nations. Back in the summer of 1986, Rangers fans were looking forward to new boss Graeme Souness getting his feet under the table at Ibrox. Hardly a day passed without one big name or another being tipped to be Ibrox-bound - Rummenigge, Falcao, Rush, Shilton and Lineker were all supposedly on our manager's shopping list - but first he was committed to skippering Scotland in the World Cup in Mexico where the Confederations Cup finalists Spain last met in a competitive fixture. Guadalajara has always been Brazil's spiritual home in Mexico. In 1970 they played all three group games, their quarter-final and semi-final at the Jalisco Stadium before heading to Mexico City for their memorable World Cup Final destruction of Italy. And when grouped alongside Spain, Algeria and Northern Ireland for the 1986 competition it was no surprise to find the Brazilians again based in the city, with their campaign opening against the Spaniards. Both were clear favourites to qualify from Group D, which they duly did, and it was widely speculated that the fixture schedule had done Spain a big favour in pairing them with Brazil in the first game, before they had a chance to build up anything resembling a head of steam. After all, this Spanish team had been beaten finalists in Euro84 in France, being rather unlucky to lose 2-0 to the all-conquering host nation in the final. And while Brazil still had all the star names who had shone in the 1982 World Cup in Spain, they were all four years older, four years slower, said to be four years past their sell-by date. Junior, Socrates, Falcao and Zico were still world-renowned stars and were in the squad but Spain had established players like Camacho, Victor, Macedo and Julio Alberto in their side, with young guns Julio Salinas and Butragueno ready to make the big breakthrough. In many ways 1986 offered up a classic role reversal from the present situation, with Brazil being the established power while the Spanish were a promising 'work in progress'. Just 24 hours after the tournament had opened with a 1-1 draw between holders Italy and Bulgaria, Group D kicked off in Guadalajara and I remember cutting my Sunday afternoon bevvy session short to get home in time for Brazil v Spain. The first talking point was that ITV had lost the sound-link to the Jalisco Stadium so, while the picture and the background noise from the crowd came through loud and clear, commentary team Peter Brackley and Ron Atkinson were chuntering away into their microphones but nobody in the UK heard a single word. It was left to Brain Moore and Brian Clough, both no doubt running a critical eye over the Confederations Cup from that great commentary box in the sky, to talk viewers through the action from the TV studio in London. Brian Moore stressed that it was not ITV's problem, pointing out that nowhere in the world was getting sound from the stadium, adding the think-yourself-lucky line that in Brazil they were not even receiving television pictures. I'll bet that went down well in Rio!!! The game kicked off at 12.00 noon local time so the oppressive heat which had such an effect on the Spain v Italy game on Thursday night was a major factor in Guadalajara. Both teams started out at a sedate pace, feeling each other out, rather than going for the jugular. Long range free-kicks from Julio Cesar, Socrates (twice) and Junior whistled wide of the Spanish goal, while at the other end Brazil's Art Garfunkel lookalike goalkeeper Carlos had to be quick off his line to thwart Butragueno. Fully 37 minutes had elapsed before we saw a shot on target. Brazilian midfield man Elzo fired in a 25-yarder which forced a good save from Zubizarreta and just before half-time Careca got on to the end of a Junior free-kick but sent his header wide of the target. The game picked up after the interval and controversy erupted in the 52nd minute when a 20-yard shot from Macedo crashed off the underside of the Brazilian crossbar and was scrambled away. Television footage clearly showed the ball to have crossed the line but Australian referee Chris Bambridge - a native of Kettering who, we were told, once trained with Ron Atkinson! - waved play on. All of which was the perfect cue for the TV experts to prattle on about the similarity between this incident and England's third goal in the 1966 World Cup Final when, in truth, the only similarity was that the referee got it wrong on both occasions. Thankfully, common sense has prevailed and there will be no such controversy in the Confederations Cup. Goal-line technology has been introduced for the first time but it has yet to be tested. It would be good to see the system applied before the competition ends on Sunday night. The scare got a response from Brazil. Socrates climbed to turn a Junior corner into the net but, three weeks before Maradona had discovered the 'hand of God', the goal was disallowed for handling. Chants of 'Zico...Zico...' echoed all around the ground as the fans urged coach Tele Santana to get the legend off the subs' bench but their concerns turned to cheers when Socrates broke the deadlock in the 61st minute. Junior fed Careca in the box, he turned and crashed a powerful shot off the underside of the crossbar and Socrates followed up to head into the gaping net from no more than two yards. Tele Santana resisted the calls to push Zico into the fray. Muller was sent on and quickly caught the eye, forcing Zubizarreta to dive to turn a shot round the post, then sending a low drive just wide of goal. Brazil had now taken a tight grip on the game. Careca came close and Alemao shot over the top as it began to look like Spain, having been robbed of a perfectly good goal, had resigned themselves to accepting a 1-0 defeat. With Northern Ireland and Algeria still to play, their focus switched to taking maximum points from those games to stay in the competition. The Spaniards did mount a late flurry, with a Michel shot being smothered by Carlos and the keeper making a good save from a Camacho header, but they were always in danger of being caught on the break, with Muller getting in behind the defence but firing his shot across the face of the goal. So Socrates' goal gave Brazil a 1-0 win, they and Spain progressed in the competition but both fell at the quarter-final stage, going out on penalties, Brazil to France and Spain to the 1986 surprise packages Belgium. For all you fellow anoraks out there, both teams lined up in a 4-4-2 formation as follows: BRAZIL: Carlos; Edson, Julio Cesar, Edinho, Branco; Elzo, Junior, Socrates, Alemao; Casagrande, Careca. Subs: Muller (for Casagrande 65 mins), Falcao (for Junior 78). SPAIN: Zubizarreta; Tomas, Goicoechea, Maceda, Camacho; Michel, Victor, Francisco, Julio Alberto; Julio Salinas, Butragueno. Sub: Senor (for Francisco 81 mins). One final point about the 1986 encounter between the Confederations Cup Finalists. I hope tomorrow night's game is a helluva lot better. Fingers crossed.
Source: FollowFollow.com
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Catherine Fox
Gender mix a measure of improvement
PUBLISHED: 01 Aug 2012 00:03:00 | UPDATED: 01 Aug 2012 00:47:49PUBLISHED: 01 Aug 2012 PRINT EDITION: 01 Aug 2012The adage that what gets measured gets done has been particularly pertinent when it comes to making sure there's some improvement in the gender mix in business. .
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