text:
GopherHaul Landscaping & Lawn Care Business Marketing Forum
Just starting your lawn care or landscaping business?
Introduce Yourself
> Marketing
View Full Version :
All Aspects Landscaping
Anybody out there using the sales genie system?? If so, what were your results... We've subscribed for 13 months now and its been awesome... Just wanna get some thoughts.
Nope tell me more about it
All Aspects Landscaping
Its actually pretty cool... an investment... but worth it... we decided this year that we were gonna put another truck on the road...06 we were running "a truck and a half" I had about 40 with 3 guys of maintenance, and on the other days we did landscape work... knowing that adding another full time truck would be difficult for a 4 full time employee company... We committed to the truck... then my guys start complaining about walking neighborhoods...(which I dont get cause thats the easiest money theyll make all year!!) I looking into buying mailing lists... it was 140.00 for 1200 names and addresses... got turned on to sales genie which gave me 100 free leads. then they hit me with a $400.00 contract for unlimited names and addresses... That was outrageous... I called the guy... told him I was interested and he cut the price to $150.00 a month... still a little high... but I could swing it... Best money I spent this year...we gained over 75 accounts and approximately an extra $40,000 in landscape work... thats right....$45,000.00 . I created a postcard mailer...which cost .26 cents to mail.... and we mailed 3000 postcards. The website spells everything out a little better and more detailed... Salesgenie.com. I dont know if there is a referral code or anything, but If there is please mention our name (hey, maybe I can save a few dollars!) At least go and get the 100 free names!!!
Quote[/b] ]then my guys start complaining about walking neighborhoods...(which I dont get cause thats the easiest money theyll make all year!!)
When you say walking neighborhoods, do you mean handing our door hangers?
Also is this site, sales genie a site that sells mailing lists? Or is it also a referral site as well?
All Aspects Landscaping
Quote[/b] ]When you say walking neighborhoods, do you mean handing our door hangers?
Also is this site, sales genie a site that sells mailing lists? Or is it also a referral site as well?
Yeah... doing door hangers... direct mailers are a little more expensive, but instead of paying the to walk and hand out flyers or door hangers, I can bill out my $36.00 per man hour rate while the little white truck delivers my flyers to potential customer.
Yes, sales genie is a mailing list site... actually good for any business... gives house value, household income, spending habits... nothing to do with referals though...
But speaking of that, my buddy and I are in the process of creating a referral site... Ill keep you posted..
Quote[/b] ]Yeah... doing door hangers... direct mailers are a little more expensive, but instead of paying the to walk and hand out flyers or door hangers, I can bill out my $36.00 per man hour rate while the little white truck delivers my flyers to potential customer.
LOL I am guessing you mean the post office?
Quote[/b] ]Yes, sales genie is a mailing list site... actually good for any business... gives house value, household income, spending habits... nothing to do with referals though...
Do they actually handle your mailing too or do they simply email you a mailing list? Have you ever tried any other mailing list websites?
Quote[/b] ]But speaking of that, my buddy and I are in the process of creating a referral site... Ill keep you posted..
Keep us posted, we can help promote it on here!
All Aspects Landscaping
yeah... the usps delivers them now...
Ive tried a few site for a mailing list... but for 2000 names they want close to 200 bucks... so i figure i might as well bite the bullet and commit to a monthly payment...
As far as the site were building... i dont wanna disclose too much cause i has a chance to be genius... and theres nothing I know of like it... we'll see huh... but I will take you up on the offer...
Just a little taste...first a website then a school...lol... use your imagination
I've been playing around with that Sales Genie, and they basically let you look at your search results for free, but not like I'd want to copy and paste 3,000 names onto labels in word. LOL
I'd kinda like to know how accurate thier results are, and what ROI you actually get from this.
Have you really had people say they got your postcard or door hanger and they want you to come out and give them an estimate?
I also know from a realtor friend of mine, you can call your local title company and they will give you farm reports for free for any neighboorhood or subdivision you want, but this list isn't as refined as the sales genie, but free.
All Aspects Landscaping
There is a feature where you can bulk download names... they also have a feature where you can save to contacts on their site.... Ive never used that feature... I invested in a label (i guess) making program... for instance, you type in avery 3350 and It will know the size... then it automatically plugs in the fields where they need to be... Its basically a mail merge. As far as the farm reports... Im too lazy for that plus im not familiar with what type of format you get with those. Ie - cdrom, dvd, paper? One of the big features for me is you can narrow down to the street... Say we pick up a $10,000.00 job. After signing the contract, we immediately put our sign up.. people see the name... The day we start that job, we litter the street with mailers... every house gets one. So after driving up the street, and seeing our signs for a week, then seeing our trucks for a day in the morning and afternoon, after work on the second day, they get our mailer. We picked up alot of work this way... just putting a spotlight on ourselves. Also with our maintenance side, we keep our routes tight... real tight.. at this point we will not travel more than 2 miles from site to site... if it doesnt fit in our route, we refer them elsewhere...(unless its a homerun)... There again, it helps in that regard. We track where we send our ads too, so there again we know if were seeing results from Sales Genie... Also, my secretary (ehhhmmm, my wife) asks upon initial contact... Two springs ago (lol) we averaged about 2 new calls a day 6 days a week... so about 48 new estimates a week from trucks and referrals and stuff... Last March my wife (who is #### and records every phone call and ever bit of detailed info) returned over 320 calls... just in march... no, we didnt get everything, but we did start a mailing list of our own so we can send those "no's" our quarterly ad... Ie - thatch and overseed... mums...cleanups.. Its definately work, assembling flyers, searching certain neighorhoods... blah blah blah... but it forces you to come up with a marketing plan, and also forces you to make decisions on where your company is going... I really learned how to make money this year with the help of this program. In fact, we have our hands in about three different ventures now, and we will take advantage of Sales Genie for all of them... Hope this helps in your decision and hope it answered your questions... Im tired now...lol
Quote[/b] ]Say we pick up a $10,000.00 job. After signing the contract, we immediately put our sign up.. people see the name... The day we start that job, we litter the street with mailers... every house gets one.
James that is fascinating! So if you get a job, then you use sales genie to get you the addresses of houses in the immediate area and then you send them a post card? or a letter?
How far away will you send such material when you land a job? Just a few houses away or a few blocks away?
I'm just curious how accurate these lists and searches are with Sales Genie, does it account for lets say someone owns 10 houses in a neighborhood that they rent out, I wouldn't want to waste 10 stamps on the same person, you know.
All Aspects Landscaping
Our area is surrounded by many many housing development consisting or 10 - 200 single family homes... most times we'll hit the entire development upon recieving a job... we figure a) were paying for the mailing program b) someone once told me that it takes 6 impressions (meaning advertisements, business cards, truck placards, etc.) for a person to 1. remember your company and 2. feel comfortable doing business with you. and c) our cost ratio. Example - we land say a landscape job. Say labor is 3 guys 8 hours for 3 days. Our billable labor is 2592.00.. Because we know we need to make $36.00 per man hour to cover our expenses, and we would like to market the neighborhood of 100 homes, we add (100 homes times .26 stamps plus .10 per 4x6 postcard. this equals (ironically)) $36.00. We add that to our labor and come up with $2628.00. On a five to six thousand dollar landscape job, nobody questions $36.00. So in essence, I bill Customer A to send our mailer out to the neightborhood all while showcasing our work in her yard. And of course, we upsell services while wrapping up the job. Ninety percent of the jobs we install, we use some kind of product that requires "special" pruning... whether its trimming the underneath of a jap maple, or cleaning up a tree form crepemyrtle, or cutting back the 35+ perennials we try to add to all of our landscapes (which by the way is a GREAT money maker; scrap the annuals, we get close to $30.00 for a 2 gallon perennial (various varieties) which we purchase at a nursery for $4.50)... This system has totally worked for me and we will keep doing this now for years to come. If the project goes smooth on the customers end (50% deposit, 25% payment on first day of job, and 25% upon completion) we will give them a free service on any referral which is based on the total value of the original job... usually a trimming... sometimes as much as a ten yard mulch job (considering the size of the referred job.) On another topic, this is why we stress the importance of being a business owner and focusing on the numbers of your business. Being in the field is the easy part. We can all cut grass. The hard part is the business side. Hope this answers your questions. Thanks
If anyone needs more info on figuring out you man hour rate, just drop me a private message... no one else needs to know...
Ill be on vacation from the 20th until the 28th, so if I dont get back to ya, I will by the 30th. http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
All Aspects Landscaping
Hey andy-
thats a good question, we typically download about 150 names and addresses at a shot, so we tend to see the names as they come thru... if youre placing labels, chances are you'll probably recognize the names. Plus no matter what sales leads company you are using, there are always gonna be dead leads... nature of the beast. If you were hand delivering the flyers, youd be in the same boat. Like I said... take them up on the 100 free leads... cant hurt... maybe itll give you some faith in them... also, dont jump the gun on sending them out... early is not always better...
Quote[/b] ]we will give them a free service on any referral which is based on the total value of the original job... usually a trimming... sometimes as much as a ten yard mulch job (considering the size of the referred job.)
This is fascinating! Do you promote this in your marketing material or do you just let the customer know of this referral system by word of mouth?
Do you have any advice to other lawn care operators who are trying to do something similar? Should they shoot for a certain % of the original job to come up with what they should give back to that customer who referred them? Or what would you suggest?
All Aspects Landscaping
Well, we actually try to surprise our customers at time of deposit on the next job. I'll have my wife give them a call or if it works out I try to stop at the property and catch them home... kinda a face to face thing.... and just let them know that it is just to show my appreciation... This tends to help us retain and actually add on services for the following year.
Sometimes you have to know when and who to give stuff away too... we typically give some freebees out to any residential account that spends $5000.00... We have customers that spend that annually.
It helps too that were a family run company and most of my customers know my team by name....I run the crews...my wife runs the office... and my dad actually is one of my foreman... he retired 4 years ago and needed something to do... Now hes out of the house for 50+ hours a week.
All Aspects Landscaping
It always cost you less in labor than it would be to hand them say 5%... plus they feel they are getting something for free!! Id tell these other guys to first get their numbers in order. Then they know how much (in labor) they are giving away... Plus I hate parting with money... writing out that check or handing out cash... sits better with me when I just pay my guys and the customer is happy!! I'll be back in town on the 28th to respond to this post... hope we get some interest... i look forward to the guys responses!!!
I got my 100 last night... Jason's getting his tonight and my wife's going to get her's tomorrow night....
Here's what we're doing...
We picked the 6 cities in our surrounding area that we would most like to work with and in....... I picked 2 cities, Jason 2, and Donna 2 (that way we ensure no duplicates)... We're choosing our 100 based on a couple of things.... first, obviously, is the city... second, household income (they have to make $50,000 or better)... third is home value (has to be $175,000 - $400,000). We picked these filters for a couple of reasons... the cities, like I said, were the 6 best cities for us. The home value shows that the house is worth something and the homeowner might actually be concerned with having a professional come out to maintain their lawn.... and the household income... well, if they're saying their house is worth $500,000 and their income is in the $30,000 range, something ain't right! Likewise, you probably wouldn't see someone making $150,000 and living in a house worth $150,000 either. So with the income, we try to pick someone whose income is not less than 1/4 or more than 1/2 their home value..... (on a house worth $200,000, the income would not be less than $50,000 nor more than $100,000).... It's just our guess, but it sounds like common sense.....
ANYWAY.... then, we're going to take that list and sort it by postal code... that'll give us a fairly accurate area for each house.... we're going to Google Map them (little by little), then choose the entire neighborhoods that the addresses lie within and market to the whole neighborhood. So in essence, the 100 names becomes closer to 300-500 when you figure a neighborhood typically has 30-50 houses in it.
Make sense? ....or was I just rambling? lol
Thanks for the find!! Good looking out!
All Aspects Landscaping
nah man... thats an awesome way to do it plus you get a larger sample of what they have to offer... say you hit on 5%... which isn't too much out of line, on three hundred mailers... that 15 accounts... on average, you can sell at least $1000.00 to each account over the course of the season... voila!!! makes sense in my eyes to give these guys $1800 for the year... Image what 5000 potential leads could give ya?!? I actually talked to my sales rep on friday (had to change a Credit card) and I told him that if some of these guys would listen.... and you know who you are if youre pickin up what im puttin down...they could blow up in their market... he asked me if I was happy with the service.... I told him its been one of the best investments ive made in 11 years...
if you have any other questions about them... you can call my rep. His name is:
Wade Danielson
Account Executive
Email- firstname.lastname@example.com
PS- tell him Jamie with All Aspects Landscaping sent ya... Just like him to know that Im pushing for them...
I just made a note of that, Jamie... May not do it this year, but will definately keep it in mind for next year.
All Aspects Landscaping
doesnt you mom and dad and mother in law and sister in law and father in law and you dog need 100 free sales leads??? lol... you know what I mean!!
LOL!! Yeah, they do.... but not for a while.... hehehe... 300 leads will more than keep us busy into the growing season when, hopefully, we'll be too busy to worry about it.
Do any of you have a specific place you get postcards designed and mailed for you? I've seen so many, but nothing specifically I was looking for, they tend to cater towards landscaping installation or chemical application, and not just the plain old lawn care & grounds maintenance I perform
Do you think that you would use them if it wasn't subscription based? If you could try them out one time and see how it went?
Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Jan. 20 2008,4:06)]Patrick,
Do you think that you would use them if it wasn't subscription based? If you could try them out one time and see how it went?
You mean if it was totally free? Well yeah, I'd use it when I had the chance. If it gets to the point that we "need" it, I'll definately sign my mom and dad and brother and sister and cat and dog and goldfish...... etc etc etc..... I mean, right now I don't want to spend that much time on something that I'm not sure will gain me the business ... and without that knowledge, I surely don't want to spend the money.... but we'll see how things go.
Well, I do wonder if business owners would be more inclined to try it if there wasn't a subscription. Where you can pay a one time fee and try it out and see for yourself. Maybe even if they offered a 100% refund.
I think if they offered a refund that it would probably work.... for me, I know that if it was like $20/year I'm pay, but that's an insane price.....
It makes you wonder if we are in the wrong business and should be selling mailing lists LOL
Quote[/b] ]makes sense in my eyes to give these guys $1800 for the year
Those prices are pretty high. But not much higher than running a ad. But the ad is constantly there though.
OK guys,
I'm kinda confused about all this. I've read every single reply on this post and I'm not completely understanding it. LOL http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
So you go to this website that is pretty much like a mailing list?
Then you pay postage and stuff for all the postcards? And they send them? IDK
You said that you and your partner and your wife are each getting your free 100? What do you mean?
Could you guys please help me out with this? It sounds really cool and a good idea! How do i get the most out of the "free" trial thing or whatever. http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Go to the website... enter your information... then it'll ask you to put in some information that you would like to use to narrow down your search. Pick the CLOSEST cities to you (like 2-3).... when you're all done, it'll show you a "mailing list"... you check the ones you want to download (up to 100) and voila! You've just got 100 free names to market your services to.....
All Aspects Landscaping
Yeah guys... all of the above is true... its expensive. You have to design your own flyer, pay for your postage and pay for the lists... but the only way I compare it is... If you walk into a lawnmower shop for the first time and the employee addresses you by name and shows you the exact machine you are looking for without you saying a word... it kinda makes sense to me... I have a graphic designer that I work with so he does all the designs for my print material.... I dont really get involved with that...(just approve them)... It ran about $200 for the design... then we use gotprint.com to print the postcards...4x6... then we mail em... .26 cents... Like i said before, it seems like alot of work, but well worth it... there are many online mailing list companies that you can do a one time shot with, but when its all said and done, if you do 800 names a month, youre better off doing sales genie. I spent over $600 two years ago in the month of october doing mailing lists. Then i looked into this company and just gave it a shot...like i said...numbers dont lie... my sales have increased alot.... all I can say is try it for a year... and use it!!
All Aspects Landscaping
anybody get a chance to check it out??? I started marketing yesterday and was able to download and mail out over 500 business leads within
20 miles of my shop... Ill keep ya guys posted on the results... hopefully the phone starts ringing and doesnt stop!!
vBulletin® v3.7.1, Copyright ©2000-2016, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.


text:
With just a little over a day to go, we've hit our goal.
THANK YOU. You made this happen.
I'll send out more updates when the campaign closes, but I'll... Read more
Home is where the salt is.
Well we are entering the final days before the July 25th deadline and its been a thrilling ride so far. I've been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reception shio has received... Read more
Cool Hunting
I knew it was coming, but I was still thrilled to see that shio wass featured on Cool Hunting's design blog this morning:
In other news: The flow regulator I... Read more
Born of the 4th of July
Shortly after midnight, amid heaps of salt dust, bubble wrap, and scraps of acrylic, and with wizened orbis looking on, a new species came in to being. Though closely related... Read more
The Temptation of OpenBeam
Once funding is secure, we will enter a pre-production stage where I prepare the nursery to be able to grow several shio at once. This means both building more growth... Read more
This is awesome.
Your support so far has been incredible, over $3000 in just three days! Pip and I are honored and thrilled to already be so close to seeing shio become reality,... Read more

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Everyday, it seems, there is a news report of a bear or bears seen strolling through someone's yard, or in a park where people are camping or even a hapless bear that has wandered into town, causing a near-panic.
Frankly, I find it hard to comprehend why folks seem to think that when they clear a patch of woods and build a house there, whatever wildlife called that place home will simply disappear. They wonder why a bear, for instance, keeps tramping around "their" property. They call the Game Commission and demand the raiding bear be removed from their premises.
Well, wild animals are just not that smart. They lived there first and they are wandering about trying to figure out what to do about the intruders who took over their habitat and now just expects them to scram.
Bear sightings in the woods or around parks etc. are to be expected. What frightens and upsets bears is the panic and screeching and excited dashing around by humans at the mere sight of them.When excited, especially a female with cubs, they go into defense mode. If given half a chance they will simply run away. Their natural defense tactic is to simply climb a tree; they know most enemies cannot follow them there.
Last year I took my blind out to some area State Game Lands and set it up on the edge of a small field, ringed by thick Russian Olive bushes. Not much was happening so as I often deliberately do, about 9 a.m. I leaned back and allowed my self to snooze. Shortly, however I woke with a start.
I heard strange snuffling, heavy-breathing sounds directly behind my blind. My instant thought was that it was a hunter so I leaned out the side window of my blind to take a look and came face to face with a black bear! Another, smaller bear shot out of the Olive brush like his tail was on fire and I realized that here was a sow and cub that had gotten much too close.
She was sniffing and snuffing, trying to figure out the strange scent in the air. It was me, of course, but my scent was covered by the copious amounts of insect repellent I had put out. When she saw me she swapped ends and beat it out of there. To me, the sight of a bear in the woods is always a thrill; having one within five yards is not so thrilling.
Now the problem really was, not that the bears had dared to invade my space, but that I had inadvertently invaded theirs. After the bears were gone I looked around and realized that in those moments before daylight when I had set up my blind, I had chosen a spot where a thick bear trail cut through the thick Russian Olive.
As I told that story to some friends I got exactly the reaction I expected. "Weren't you scared" one lady asked me. "If I saw a bear in the woods I'd be running as fast as my feet would carry me," she said. Exactly the wrong answer.
Black bears in the woods are more scared of a human than we are of them. They are elusive and seldom seen, that's why it is such a great thing to spot one in the wild.
If you do see one, you just freeze and enjoy the sight. You have no hope of outrunning a bear. Whether it is a bear or a squirrel, I do not like to have any wild creature get too close to me in the woods.
Not because they are ferocious beasts that will attack because they are not. It's because they are very frightened of human beings and if they are startled by one at very close range they just might strike out in defense. I can imagine that the bear I startled had lots of stories to tell to his den mates about the awful human that almost got him.
Bears that people deliberately bait to their back yard are another story, however. These are the bears you might want to be leery of - the ones that humans think they have "tamed", that they try to feed from their hands. This is a foolish practice in the extreme. Nothing good ever comes of wild animals being conditioned to tolerate people so they can get the food they want. Animals, especially bears, are opportunists. You put corn, apples, scraps, bird seed or whatever out behind the house and bears, squirrels, raccoons, and assorted other critters are going to come get it. They consider it theirs and they can get testy if you try to get too close or remove the food or take photos or whatever.
Which brings us to bears that come to town. Every morning this last week, local news reports were relating stories of a bear that was spotted walking through town or behind someone's garage and the panic that ensued. One such sighting prompted the closed a nearby school.
Why are black bears come to town anyway? Primarily it is because June begins the breeding season for bears. When a sow bear has cubs, she does not come into estrus again for about two years.
So at that second year, her first order of business is to chase away her now one and a half year old cubs. This is a harsh task; she chases and growls and lets them know they are no longer wanted.
The juvenile males are confused at this turn of events. Female bears will just usually wander off and find a new home not too far away but the male bears tend to start wandering to find a new territory in which to live. Their searching often takes them right through the streets of a town or behind the outbuildings of a farm.
When such young bears are spotted, if they were just left alone they would keep going until they found a suitable piece of habitat. But people seem to think that a bear comes into town looking for someone to eat. Not so. They are looking for somewhere to call home.
They may be distracted for awhile by a whiff of Fido's dish of food on a back porch or by a bird feeder, but they are not on a mission to attack a human being.
A bewildered bear, looking for a new home and encountering a crowd of hysterical onlookers scoots up a tree, a trick his mama taught him, and it cowers there feeling trapped.
Someone then calls the Game Commission, they come and administer a tranquilizer drug and transport him out to a new home far away and the officers wonder how long it will be before they have to rescue it in some other town.
If you spot a bear crossing your backyard, just give it a wide berth and let it go on. Remove from your yard things that give off an odor that pulls bears in: trash, the barbecue grill not yet clean from last night's cookout, the dog dish, the bird feeder. If nothing attracts him to your house, he won't stay around.


text:
July 6, 1998
Andrew Walgamott/staff photo
Jim Katica
by Andrew Walgamott
Staff reporter
WOODINVILLE--The Woodinville City Council went in-house when it chose an interim city manager last week. Jim Katica, the city's finance director, was named to the post while a search for a permanent city manager is conducted over the next few months. Katica had been appointed acting city manager the previous week.
The moves were prompted by a 4-3 council vote to remove former chief administrator Roy Rainey from office in late June.
Katica, 49, has been with the city five years, serving as clerk/treasurer as well as acting manager when needed. "My main task will be to keep the city operating and in good order until a permanent city manager can be hired," he said.
The City Council was confident with Katica who gave them a commitment to serve through November.
"I respect Jim and I think he can steer us through this time," said Councilman Randy Ransom. He gave Katica a fortune from a fortune cookie that read, "You'll be showered with good luck." The council had had Chinese food for a dinner meeting with the Parks and Recreation Commission.
The council unanimously chose Katica after considering whether to hire a firm to provide an interim manager. Councilman Bob Miller argued that the city didn't have the time or resources to train two managers, one being a stand-in and the other permanent.
Katica, who was the City of Snohomish's finance director for eight years before coming to Woodinville, is married and has a 14-year-old son.
Previous to his appointment, he could sometimes be seen in his usual natty attire delivering letters and bank statements by bicycle around town. He said those days could be over now. "I may need those extra few minutes to keep up on things," he said. In his off time, he enjoys fishing and duck hunting.
"Luckily this will happen in a year where there's hardly any opportunity to fish for salmon," he said.
Councilwoman Barbara Solberg suggested the council consider additional compensation for Katica as he swaps his department director hat for city boss. He will be on duty through the development of the 1999 budget.
As for the search for a permanent manager, the council will consider proposals from Waldron Resources, Hulbert Associates, Inc., Jensen and Cooper, and Phil Kushlan and Associates this Monday night, July 6.
Kushlan forwarded Rainey to the city last year, but after a five month search the firm came back with five candidates on which the council could not agree.


text:
Style File: Hand-Crafted Creations
The perfect summer outfit featuring designer Liya Kebede's new LemLem colelction. All LemLem products are handmade in Ethiopia from natural cotton. Pair this unique blouse with a handmade accessory from A Peace Treaty, which is all inspired by hand-crafted cultures of the middle East, Asia, South America and Africa.
LemLem Bella Bouse, $207; Kikori Neckalce, $345; MaxRich shorts, $115
Available at Spindle & Canister


text:
By John Russell
July 14, 2008 | On September 18, 2006, AstraZeneca U.S. Regulatory Affairs submitted the first electronic original 356h form (Application to Market a New Drug, Biologic, or an Antibiotic Drug for Human Use) to the FDA. By using SAFE signatures and the FDA Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG), AstraZeneca completed a landmark milestone and earned an IT and Informatics Best Practices award. (see Best Practices) No paper original of the 356h exists.
Playing it safe isn't generally thought of as leadership but in this instance, AstraZeneca led the industry with its effort to start taming paper-ridden processes that invite error, add cost, and slow down industry and FDA efforts to deliver safe, effective drugs.
The 2006 submission was the successful culmination of joint project by AstraZeneca U.S. Regulatory Affairs and AstraZeneca IT staffs to implement FDA's Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG) digital signature based on the Signatures and Authentication for Everyone standard.
AstraZeneca is a founder member of the SAFE-BioPharma Association working to streamline secure communications within the industry. Joe Waldron, executive director, U.S. Region, global drug development information services for AstraZeneca, says "Anywhere we do wet ink signatures today is a place where we can be leveraging SAFE digital signatures tomorrow, and begin to reduce the burden associated with managing paper."
As is often the case the ESG project (AZ regulatory group) and SAFE project (AZ IT group) began as independent efforts. In May 2006, the two efforts were joined in order to have a completely electronic submission; eliminate the overhead activities to create, sign, store, and maintain paper originals; and provide faster availability to clinical data. In doing so, AstraZeneca gained flexibility as employees could apply SAFE digital signatures to documents from anywhere with an Internet connection.
The teams faced a tight time schedule, starting in April 2006 with a delivery date in early fall. Business challenges included developing operating procedures, managing credential ownership, defining system ownership, and ensuring organizational buy-in. Technical challenges included enabling an application, selecting a credential issuer, performing internal validation, planning for support, and delivering credentials to users.
The result was a Windows 2000 client implementation of SAFE digital signatures which used the following: Adobe Acrobat Professional; ARCOT Systems' SAFE digital signature plugin for Acrobat; and SafeNet secure USB tokens. Additionally, a process was developed to register AstraZeneca employees for SAFE tokens that minimized the amount of time required to complete the registration process.
The teams identified some of the key elements of project success as business leaders as champions for the project; department-level scope for SOPs, training, and support activities; limited number of users (80) to be provided with SAFE credentials and training; delivery focused on SAFE signatures, not on company-wide identity management; and leveraging experiences, tools, and templates from SAFE, other members, and consultants. All of these elements combined for a successful on-time and on-budget delivery.
"Utilization of the FDA ESG, along with SAFE Digital Signatures, provides a critical link in enabling AstraZeneca to transition to a fully electronic environment," says Tony Rogers, VP, U.S. regulatory affairs.
Success is now driving expansion of the program. "Due to the enthusiastic response from users signing regulatory documents, we are looking for opportunities to leverage the existing solution for digitally signing documents in other areas," says Rich Ware, one of the project team leaders. "By the end of this year we expect to have employees within Clinical Development signing documents with SAFE credentials, in addition to those in Regulatory Affairs."
This article appeared in Bio-IT World Magazine.
Subscriptions are free for qualifying individuals. Apply Today.
250 First Avenue, Suite 300
Needham, MA 02494
E: email@example.com
Life Science Portals
Biological Therapeutic Products
Biomarkers & Diagnostics
Biopharma Strategy
Bioprocess & Manufacturing
Clinical Trials &
Translational Medicine
Drug & Device Safety
Drug Discovery & Development
Drug Targets
IT & Informatics
Technology & Tools For
Life Science
Therapeutic Indications
CHI Divisions
Reports & Market Research
Barnett Educational Services
News & Advertising
Knowledge Foundation
Professional Services
Corporate Information
Cambridge Innovation Institute
Executive Team
Mailing List
Request Information
Privacy Policy


text:
Celestial Baby Names
The beautiful daughter of Cassiopeia who, like her mother, literally became a star--the constellation that bears her name. Andromeda makes a dramatic and adventurous choice in a time when... Read More
Ariel is a biblical name, seen there as the messenger of Ezra, and also used as a symbolic name for the city of Jerusalem, while Shakespeare used it for a (male) sprite in The Tempest. ... Read More
Better than Capricorn or Cancer, not as usable as Leo. Read More
Previously thought too powerful for a baby boy--who would have to be strong enough to carry the sky on his shoulders--Atlas has joined the pantheon of Greek and Roman god and goddess names now in... Read More
A star in the constellation Triangulum Australe, also the name of a publishing imprint and an assisted living corporation, probably because it has that streamlined corporate I-could-be-a-car-name... Read More
J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming, but this appellation of one of the stars of Orion, used for the evil character played by Helena Bonham Carter, is not one you'd want to use for your child.Read More
Recent User Lists
- Cowboy / Western Names (BOYS)
- Skyrim Girl Names
- Boys Names that Sound Both Strong and Smart
- Classic, but Uncommon Names
- my top Hyphen girl Names
This hyper-rhythmic name has two evocative references. In Greek mythology, she was an island nymph, a daughter of Atlas, who delayed Odysseus from returning home. It is also a genre of West... Read More
Cassiopeia, the name of a mythological mother who became a stellar constellation, is challenging but intriguing, and has all those softening Cass nicknames available. With the rise of other... Read More
Celestia is a heavenly name that sounds more ethereal than Celeste, Celestia might make a distinctive, feminine choice if your taste runs toward names like Angelina and Seraphina. ... Read More
You might also like these lists:
- Cool Girl Names from Ancient Cultures Includes: Aurelia
- Baby Names That Mean Luck Includes: Asher
- Space Baby Names Includes: Aurora
- Italian Word Names Includes: Aurora
- Names Girls Love Having Includes: Ariel
- 1900s Baby Names Includes: Arthur
- Belles of the Ball Includes: Annabel, Arabella
- Unisex Baby Names Includes: Avery
- Antique Baby Names Ready for Restoration Includes: Adeline, Amos, Atticus
- Literary Names for Girls Includes: Arabella, Aurora


text:
Will Microsoft turn around?
Image: Lucas Jackson / Reuters
icrosoft is facing some very, very serious problems. The last 10 years have not been a financial success in terms of creating that 'must have' product. It is trying to be a little bit of everything. It is competing with Google with Bing, which is a financial disaster. It is trying to compete in the area of smartphones. It is trying to compete in the area of video games. It is competing against virtually every tech company out there. For the most part, with the exception of video games, it is being beaten. It has the next big chance to show it can meet the needs of consumers and attract business.
Already, we are starting to see some issues. Windows Phone, by all accounts, is a great product but it's not selling all that well. And then you have Windows 8, which has had a lot of controversies. There are people who are complaining about the absence of the old Windows graphic format, the Start button and the rest. The combination of the touchscreen graphic interface and the traditional keyboard interface together has proven to be confusing. As of this morning [December 2], Windows 8 computer sales are 21 percent below what Windows computer sales were last year at this point. With the introduction of a new product, you probably expect something better. I think Windows is suffering from the overhang of the Vista problem, the operating system Microsoft introduced in 2007 that proved to be disaster, and people who switched over had a lot of trouble. The reviews of Windows 8 say there are problems—so it doesn't surprise me that a lot of users are waiting.
You have the introduction of its tablet and the knock on is that it's overpriced. When you are up against a monster like the iPad, you cannot come in and say 'I will compete at the same level'. Companies like Amazon have come in with devices that they have decided are going to be loss leaders for a while, that they will lose money in order to obtain some market share. Microsoft is going in with a relatively high-priced product, a price you could buy an iPad with. And Microsoft doesn't have that cachet that Apple has built up over the last few years.
The Last to Cool
It's the same sort of problem that Microsoft has had for a long time. Its philosophy a decade ago, as CEO Steve Ballmer spelt it, was "the last to cool and first to profit", meaning there was somebody else to introduce a product first and then Microsoft will use its greater financial power to develop real market once it comes in with its own version. That works when you are up against a bunch of financially struggling companies like Netscape. When you are up against companies like Google and Apple, it doesn't work. Apple has demonstrated that 'first to cool' is the way to get dedicated market share. People who have already bought an iPad will not turn around and buy a Microsoft tablet. When you have an iPhone that interacts with an iPad that interacts with an iMac that interacts with a MacBook Pro, and once you are a customer in that circle, you are not going to bust out. They will remain Apple customers. So, Microsoft really doesn't have an easy step here.
Think about it. What's the most recent product that Apple introduced? iPad Mini. What has Microsoft introduced? Windows 8, server, games, an update of Bing…. It is trying to be everything to everybody, and the result is it is not really being anything to anybody. I think it's a very challenging year for Microsoft and I also think it's a make-or-break year for Steve Ballmer. He has been on the job for a decade. The stock price hasn't moved. If this doesn't work, it's really time they take up somebody else who can do it.
You can never count Microsoft out. There is a possibility that Microsoft will turn things around. But, the problem is, in the past decade you could afford to stumble on first introduction. You had the ability to put something out there that still needed some work, some traction. Nowadays, when there are so many options—there are operating systems that are free, Google tried to get into the operating systems business—Microsoft can't be a company that's coming out with stuff and then say 'Oh wait, we need to have a Start button, because people don't like this'. It should be right off the bat. Apple is having its issues right now. But, you are not hearing customers say they are uncomfortable with its product and you are hearing a lot about customers being uncomfortable about Windows 8.
Somebody smarter than me was arguing that it might be smart to introduce an alternative, a Windows 8 Classic, meaning you get out of a pile of configurations and into the old visual interface of Windows. That's a possibility. But look at the words we are using. Classic, old. Those are not the kind of words that will attract a lot people.
the author plus the readers need to have an open mindset towards the changes that take place, an optimist would definitely see the changes in Microsoft as the reforms that would truly change the world of computing, and a pessimist the other way round (like the author's views).
I am now switched to Microsoft products to a larger extent, using windows 8, sky-drive, internet explorer, skype, X-box games and ofcourse the Microsoft OFFICE. It is all a great experience with the new user interface, completely hassle free. Plus, I don't feel the need for Start Button, one can easily search things from the search box that is avialable at any damn app/screen......Microsoft is good to go for now....Wishing Luck for Ballmer....
Also, it's a quirk that all software companies want to enter hardware, and the hardware companies want to get into software. I dont blame MS for wanting to enter devices market, which is where the growth is now, not in static servers, desktops etc.
I believe MS's recent financial troubles originate from a lag between understanding customer needs and actually addressing them. As an example, there is nothing much wrong with Windows 8, except that it's USP - a consistent interface between handheld and desktop is not delivered. With Android -entrenched on smartphones, few customers swapping their laptops/desktops with new ones post the GFC, limited Windows 8 phones and no Windows 8 for smartphones running android currently, customers are not getting the benefit.
So rather than saying MS needs to overhaul it's strategy, I'd say MS needs to focus more on the synergy rather than just product launches which may be good, but do not enable customers to realize the benefits.
For example, how about a stripped-down Windows 8 which can run on older hardware? Or a Zune which does not require me to install a 100 MB program on my computer to load songs I own (I love my ipod, but hate itunes with all my heart), just a cloud connectivity? If MS plays it's card right and in time, there is no reason it cant hit the ground running in Asia - the growth markets now.
- The Biggest Questions Of 2013
- Too few college classes for Billionaires
- Will online freedom of speech decrease even further?
- Lessons From The Dark Side Of Capitalism: How Pirates Help To Shape New Ind...
- Jerry Yang builds bridges with innovative community in Silicon Valley


text:
Dawnstar Sanctuary
Edit Page Last Edit: 4 years 9 months ago
The Dawnstar Sanctuary is a hidden sanctuary for The Dark Brotherhood. It's located just North of Dawnstar.
After the quest Hail Sithis!, you have the option to furnish the sanctuary by buying items from Delvin Mallory in Riften. This will all be available for the quest Where You Hang Your Enemy's Head... He will sell you the following items:
- New banners. (1,000 gold)
- Poisoner's nook. (5,000 gold)
- Torture chamber. (5,000 gold)
- Secret entrance. (5,000 gold)
- Master bedroom. (3,000 gold)
Top Wiki Contributors
Edits: 2,941
Hardcore Hector
Edits: 2,374
Edits: 796
Edits: 771
Wiki Help
Need assistance with editing this wiki? Check out these resources:
What Links Here
Frequently Asked Questions | Skill Books | The Cure For Madness | Hail Sithis! | Followers | Houses | Dawnstar | Map Locations | Map Locations - Alphabetical | Jester's Armor Set
Expand Navigation


text:
WOODSTOWN – Michael Maley, a recent graduate of Woodstown
High School, was named Woodstown Rotary Club Youth of the Month for June.
Maley was a member of the school's tennis team and assisted with freshmen orientation for introduction to technology.
He previously played on the soccer team and was a member of the Spanish Club and Environmental Club.
He also participated in roadside clean-ups as part of his involvement in Boy Scouts.
He was part of a missions trip to New Orleans and to the Dominican Republic.
Locally, he participates in service projects with the Woodstown Presbyterian Youth Group.
The son of Michael and Barbara Maley, he plans to attend Widener University and major in mechanical engineering.


text:
It's scary to join an open source project | Opensource.com
It's scary to join an open source project
Think of the last time you walked up to a complete stranger, stuck out your hand and said, "Hi, my name is …" Depending on how often you do that, it was probably a scary moment. Before you walked up to the person, you had to steel your nerves, decide what you were going to say, and then approach them.
Joining an open source software project is a bit like that. You have to send a mail to a huge list of random people. Or file a bugzilla bug that goes to a ton of random people.
And then imagine the immediate response is "WONTFIX" with no comments. That's like if the person you got up the nerve to introduce yourself to said, "Not interested."
I once spent weeks convincing a friend she should help out on an open source software project. She did. And she sent in her work to the mailing list and the first response was full of harsh critique. None of the follow up messages made up for that first message. I never did convince her to push her work forward. Nor to participate in open source again. (She does know exactly what she'd say to that first critic if she ever met him in person!)
What can we do to make sure people trying to shake our hands get a better reception?
2 Comments
Most people involved in OSS projects are developers and they probably don't think at the problems a newcomer is facing because they are focused on the code.
Maybe some flag in Bugzilla showing that the person is a newbie (is filing their first bug, is sending in their first patch) could help the developers to focus a bit away from the code and more towards the person submitting their contribution. Forums do that by showing how many posts one wrote and how "proficient" one is in that specific forum, wikipedia does it by personally welcoming new contributors on their own discussion page, etc...
You hear articles often refer to OSS and Linux communities as being "welcoming" and friendly. People who write this sort of thing have either been lucky, or not recently found themselves to be "new" to something.
Anyone new to technology "A" and wants support will simply get told to go read up on this or that. The interest is great for providing a "collarge" of information, but it is mostly poorly constructed, badly presented and much of it is out of date.
If you come up with an idea and share it with others, they will slaughter you, because they can not understand your vision or concept. But learn from history, the most creative people in this world are introverts, Jobs, steve wozniak, Gates, the creators of any filesharing and social media tool you use today are mostly done by bedroom programmers.
Stick to your guns, but try to keep it to a close circle rather than involve a bunch of unknowns over the web.


text:
As you can probably tell from my posts, I like to read (or listen to) books on philosophy, happiness, psychology, self-improvement and other, similar media (YouTube videos, songs, movies). As a psychologist, I find myself a bit obsessed by finding out "Truths" about how to live better, more fulfilling lives. I really enjoy listening to …Read More
Making Life Changes Through Books
Dec 15, 2010
An Alternative to Reading: Audiobooks
Jun 13, 2009
Maybe you are not like me and you are able to blaze through book after book without a hitch. At times and my life, I have done this. Since having kids, it has become more challenging though. I can definitely buy books faster than I can read them! Well, I've come across a solution for …Read More
Feb 8, 2009
First, I have to let you know that I'm not getting paid in any way to say this, but I really love my iPod. I have a number of podcasts that I listen to (such as Radiolab, which I posted about previously). Lately, I have been getting into audiobooks, which can be downloaded from iTunes …Read More
Using Tech to Pass the Time
Jul 3, 2008
I really like iTunes, my iPod, podcasts, and all of the options that they bring. Name a topic, and there are some free podcasts available for download through iTunes and countless other ways. What I'm finding particularly enjoyable is to get my iPod, an interesting podcast, and listen while I do household chores like folding …Read More


text:
In 22 games (nine starts) for Fresno, Wylie was 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA and two saves. In 66.0 innings pitched, Wylie allowed 68 hits and 36 runs (33 earned) while walking 15 and striking out 58.
The Davenport, Iowa native was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the eighth round of the June 1998 Free Agent Draft and spent seven years in their farm system.
Additionally, two players the Mets left unprotected were selected by other clubs in the Rule V Draft. Shortstop David Bacani went to the Boston Red Sox, while right-handed pitcher Celso Rondon was taken by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Bacani, 26, spent most of 2005 with Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League, where he batted .294 with five home runs and 42 RBI in 90 games.
A 22nd round draft selection in the June 2001 Free Agent Draft, Bacani played nine games at Triple-A Norfolk last season, going 3-for-24 (.125). He is a .280 hitter in 1,293 minor league at-bats, spanning 435 contests.
Rondon, 21, did not pitch in 2005 after splitting the previous season between Brooklyn (A) and Capital City (A).
A non-drafted free agent who signed with the Mets in June 2001, Rondon has a record of 13-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 95 career minor league games (nine starts), walking 80 and striking out 211 in 179.1 innings pitched.


text:
Published April 24, 2014
Two business ideas for smartphone apps took first place and a prize of $1,000 each in UB's second annual Elevator Pitch Competition.
Undergraduate computer science students Joel Little and Robert Barber took one of the first-place prizes for their idea for Ethos Studios, which would produce customized, mobile video games for business marketing. Undergraduate accounting student Brittany Popovski was the other first-place winner for ULock, an app that would lock students out of their cell phones so they can focus on studying.
The winners stood out among nearly 60 UB undergraduate and graduate students who pitched business ideas with novel solutions to real-world challenges. They had just 90 seconds to convince a panel of expert judges without the use of notes, slides or other visual aids.
Second-place prizes of $500 each were awarded for pitches from Andrew Harris, Fred Lee, Anish Paul Anthony and David Murphy-Longhini.
Third-place winners Prince Joseph, Geoffrey Gallson, Hosein Kerdar, Evan Cerasani and Thiru Vikram Suresh each received a prize of $200.
"The pitch competition is part of a growing effort at UB to promote entrepreneurship, to realize the promise of UB 2020 and to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Western New York," says Yong Li, academic director of UB's Entrepreneurship Academy and associate professor of operations management and strategy in the School of Management.
The competition, which took place on April 16, was sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Academy, the School of Management and the Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR). Prizes were supported by the Bruce Holm Memorial Catalyst Fund.
Judges for the competition were Andrew Shaevel, founder and CEO of Bobalew Ventures; Oded Spindel, senior venture analyst at Excell Partners; Robert Shaw, president of Superior Constructors Inc.; Diane McMahon, entrepreneurial services lead in the National Grid Program at UB's New York State Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; and Neil Arnold, angel investor at Western New York Venture Association.


text:
Bus drivers are our greatest resource. Of that, there's no doubt. Over the past decade, however, they've been forced to jump through a tangle of bureaucratic hoops (CDL, drug and alcohol testing, criminal background checks and, in some states, physical performance tests) to qualify for a job that few "normal people" would accept even if offered to them with a string of pearls.
But I'm glad that the standards are high and the screening is thorough. My granddaughter will soon be riding the bus to school, and I feel more confident about her safety knowing that her bus driver has been rigorously qualified for a position that embraces such tremendous responsibility.
CDL program shakeup
Now the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed revisions to the CDL program (as mandated by the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999) that would expand the screening process, strengthen the licensing requirements and toughen the sanctions associated with traffic violations.
These are laudable objectives, but they need careful examination. Some of the proposals strike me as peculiar. For example, CDL holders who are caught driving their commercial vehicles without their license would be guilty of a "serious traffic violation," equivalent to driving without having obtained a license. Even odder, the CDL holder can nullify the violation by showing proof of his CDL before the court date. Why, then, make this a serious violation? (For more information on the proposed rulemaking, see news story in this issue).
But I'm getting sidetracked here. What I want to discuss is FMCSA's proposal to create a school bus driver endorsement as part of its revised CDL program.
This is where it gets tricky.
On the plus side, a school bus endorsement would help to create a more relevant testing program. A chief complaint about the existing CDL process is that it doesn't measure school bus-specific knowledge and skills. There's really no practical use in determining whether a prospective school bus driver can back a truck into a loading dock or knows how to lash down cargo properly (no, I'm not referring to children).
The school bus endorsement proposed in the rulemaking would require applicants to pass a knowledge test that includes topics such as passenger loading and unloading, operation of safety equipment like stop arms and mirror systems, emergency evacuation and rail crossing safety. It would also require a skills test in a school bus of the same vehicle group as the applicant would drive on the job.
What we really need
Even more helpful to the school transportation industry, however, would be the development of a school bus-restricted CDL. This idea has been kicked around for several years, if not decades, and some states, like Connecticut, have implemented CDLs that restrict the holder to school bus operation only.
The point, of course, is to discourage people from using the CDL test preparation offered free by most school districts and contractors as a springboard to a higher-paying job as a truck or transit or motorcoach bus driver. It's not only unethical on the part of the driver applicant; it also drains the school bus operation hundreds of dollars in training costs.
It's not entirely clear from the proposed rulemaking if the school bus endorsement would achieve this goal. It does not specifically say whether CDL holders who've obtained school bus endorsements and want to switch to driving transit buses would have to pass a skills test in a transit bus. Adding such a restriction could help to reduce the number of people trying to "work the system" for free CDL training.
Get the latest news and most popular articles from SBF delivered straight to your inbox. Stay on top of the school bus industry and don't miss a thing!


text:
Respectful Cooking (recipe: Biscuit Pudding with Bourbon Sauce)
Biscuit Pudding is a vintage recipe created to use leftover biscuits. Simply pour a vanilla custard over crumbled biscuits and bake. My first encounter with Biscuit Pudding was in my Granny's kitchen. She used a no-nonsense method of mixing, baking and serving in the same baking dish. Bread Pudding is popular on the menu of upscale restaurants. Folks pay a lot of money for a dish whose humble origin was born out of a way to use leftovers with simple, basic ingredients.
My grandmother's cooking style was as straight-forward as she. Granny rarely measured her ingredients and she used as few dishes and cooking utensils as possible. Her kitchen efficiency wasn't necessarily by choice. It was a necessity because she only had a few kitchen items. One dish cooking is a common theme among many vintage recipes. I'm committed to returning to a more efficient way of cooking. Why mess up a dish if you don't have to?
For Biscuit Pudding, she crumbled biscuits in the pan and let them soak up some milk. Then, she sprinkled on the sugar and started adding the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. Some cinnamon and vanilla extract was mixed with more milk and poured over the biscuit mixture. Lastly , the top was dotted with butter and baked until the custard was set. The closest I came to getting a recipe from her was that you need two eggs for every cup of milk that you use. Of course, the amount of milk that you need is "owing to how many biscuits ya got, Shug." She didn't make a sauce for the Biscuit Pudding either. If she had been inclined to do so, it certainly wouldn't have been bourbon sauce like I've chosen to make. My grandparents were devout Southern Baptist and teetotalers despite the fact that Granny took cough medicine with an alcohol content that may have been higher than table wine. That mess would burn the fool out of your throat.
Raisins are popular in bread puddings. Granny didn't usually have raisins on hand. To keep the recipe authentic , they're not added to this dish. Cocoa powder could be mixed with the custard mix for Chocolate Biscuit Pudding or chocolate chips could be added.
Out of respect for my grandparents, I would never cook with alcohol if they were around. I would also forego my occasional glass of wine. Even the tiny bit of Bourbon in this sauce would not be seen as acceptable in their eyes. Abstinence from alcohol was one of their strong beliefs as it is with a lot of people. However, with the diversity of Southern culture, you'll find moonshiners, teetotalers and everything in between. We're not a boring group of people by the stretch of anybody's imagination.
While the Biscuit Pudding is a recipe out of my Granny's kitchen, it seemed somewhat disrespectful to make a sauce to go with her dish that she would have frowned upon. Never mind that both of my grandparents have been gone for a long time. Never mind that I'm an adult well into my fifties. Be respectful is just part of my raising. Now that the deed's been done, I think the Bourbon Sauce is a good idea after all. I feel a slight cold *cough, cough* coming on.
Y'all come see us.
Biscuit Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
For biscuit pudding:
4 or 5 leftover biscuits
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, diced
Crumble biscuits in greased baking dish. I used a 9 X 9 glass dish.
Pour 1 cup of milk over the biscuits.
After the biscuits have soaked up enough milk to become soft, add the sugar. Next, add eggs one at a time mixing after each one.
Mix remaining milk with vanilla extract and cinnamon. Pour into dish and dot with butter.
Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is firm. The custard will still jiggle but not slosh. Remove from oven. It's normal for the pudding to deflate.
Serve warm with warm Bourbon Sauce.
For bourbon sauce:
Adapted from about.com Southern food
I substituted brown sugar for white because wanted a rich, butterscotch-y flavor. I omitted the corn syrup, also. This sauce would be great served warm over vanilla ice cream. If you want to omit the bourbon, you'll still have a great tasting sauce. Bourbon adds smoothness and richness.
1 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Bourbon (I used Jim Beam)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil stirring frequently. Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Serve warm.
- September 9, 2011 1:27 pm
Mama made bread pudding that way, too. I never cared for it because its too dense. Give me a lighter bread pudding with nuts and a good sauce, though, and I'm in heaven. Glacier Brew Pub in Anchorage makes one to die for!!!
- September 9, 2011 1:58 pm
If you don't try this pudding, you MUST try the sauce. It's heavenly. 🙂
- Ann permalinkSeptember 9, 2011 1:39 pm
Jackie – this looks like something I will definitely try!! I've never had it with biscuits before but your granny sure sounds like mine!! Waste not, want not – use everything up. Also the part about the teetotalers is true of mine also – and while I do partake occasionally, I, like you, would never do it in front of my grandparents out of respect for them – that is so sweet – and I can tell you were "raised right" – LOL Hope your "cold" gets better soon.
- September 9, 2011 1:57 pm
My "cold" is feeling better already! 🙂
- Mary Raymundo permalinkSeptember 9, 2011 1:42 pm
I would have never thought to use leftover biscuits as bread pudding. What a treat. Now, my grandmother is a different story. She would throw the biscuits out to the birds and drink the bourbon. And you never mix bourbon with anything but water. LOL
- September 9, 2011 1:56 pm
I just about fell out of my chair laughing about "throw the biscuits out to the birds and drink the bourbon". I didn't just laugh out loud. I hooted and hollered. How funny!! Thanks for the laugh, Miss Mary. 🙂
- Jean permalinkSeptember 9, 2011 2:02 pm
Could you shove me a little..no big dish of that thru this computer? My grandmother Evans made biscuit pudding. That was it. She would mash the biscuits up with the milk after they were softened so there were no lumps. I have her bowl she baked the pudding in….and occasionally it gets used for that very thing!
- September 9, 2011 2:14 pm
Mine doesn't have lumps either. In fact, you really can't tell that the whole thing started with biscuits. How special it is that you have your grandmother's dish! I wish I could see a picture of it. 🙂
- Jean permalinkSeptember 10, 2011 9:22 am
Jackie…its a cream colored bowl with a little green vine decoration on the side. I have seen another one in an antique store and this one had a top on it with more of the little green vines on it and its ovenproof. I guess Granny broke hers and I never knew it didn't have a top until the antique store. Its crazed and stained but it remains in my kitchen cabinet and I think of Granny every time I see it. Are you that way….when something belonged to your parents or grandparents…is it still their stuff? I always say that. Habit I guess.
- September 10, 2011 9:29 am
I still consider things to be "Granny's bowl" or "Granddaddy's table" or "Mama's desk" no matter how long I've had them. Part of that is to teach my children and grandchildren the history. Absolutely! I know exactly what you mean. I think I know which dish you're talking about. I don't have one but I'm think I've seen similar ones in antique stores. I love vintage dishes. Shoot, who am I kidding?? I love vintage EVERYTHING!
- September 9, 2011 2:46 pm
What a wonderful recipe. I think my cold will get better as soon as I make this. My grandmother cooked the same. Thanks!
- September 9, 2011 3:23 pm
It's good for what ails you! 🙂
- September 9, 2011 3:21 pm
My grandparents lived in a "dry" county in Texas. As a kid I remember that we always had to stop before entering Grayson County to pick up a bottle of Mogan David wine for Grandma, that she drank "for medicinal purposes only."
- September 9, 2011 3:23 pm
How funny! The county that my grandparents lived in stayed dry until just this year. Thanks for sharing your memory! 🙂
- September 9, 2011 3:31 pm
Looks divine, Jackie. I may have to make some biscuits just so I'll have some leftover!
- September 9, 2011 4:03 pm
I hope you give it a try. The Bourbon sauce is sooooooo good with it. 🙂
- Julia permalinkSeptember 10, 2011 2:17 am
This recipe brings back so many pleasant memories. My Mother was
also from Alabama, was Southern Baptist and a tee-tottler, and she
made her Bread Pudding with leftover biscuits the same way you
outline here. I could tell almost to the day when Mother was going
to make her wonderful Bread Pudding too, just by the number of
leftover biscuiits were in the bag in the refrigerator.
Unless it was in the planning stages of a big family dinner with all
the aunts, uncles and cousins joining us at which time Mother would
be butchering one of her fat lazy hens who'd quit laying eggs and
then we'd be eating baked chicken with cornbread and biscuit dressing.
There just isn't any stuffing or dressing in the world that's as good
as when made using the leftover cornbread and biscuits.
Sometimes, Mother used brown sugar in her Bread Pudding, and if she
didn't have it, then she'd use a big glop of Alabama-Georgia Cane
Syrup which back when I was a kid came in a gallon can with a lid
that came off just like paint cans do today.
Because I adored raisins, she almost always had them because they
were my "candy" and rarely did I see any other candy except at
Christmas when Daddy would buy some beautiful ribbon hard candy and
maybe some peppermint buttons which are the same as Starlight Mints
of today. We just didn't have fancy names for everything back in
the late 30's.
Names of things might change, but good food, prepared and shared
with love still can't be beat. I'd just love to meet you one day.
I have an idea neither of us would get much done outside the kitchen.
Thank you for another wonderful read Jackie.
- September 10, 2011 9:35 am
I would love to meet you, too! We would have a grand time, no doubt! Here's a recipe the I shared on FB but it didn't go out to email subscribers. I bet you've had something similar to this. http://wp.me/P1lazE-OJ
Granny just didn't keep raisins around. I don't even remember her putting raisins in rice pudding. She may have but I don't remember. As I mixed up the Biscuit Pudding , I thought about how good cane syrup would be in it. This recipe I wanted to make an authentic version of her Biscuit Pudding. I'm going to make it with cane syrup sooner or later.
Thanks for being such an inspiration and blessing, Julia! God bless you. 🙂
- Belinda Y. Hughes permalinkSeptember 10, 2011 12:49 pm
I'm a Southern Baptist-raised GRIT, too, y'all. I don't remember bread puddings, but I do love this one. For some reason, we always got my great grandmother's "tonic" at the liquor store before we left home to go visit her. And oh, how I miss those paint cans of super-thick ribbon cane syrup. We generally got ours at country gas stations, which sold them for the farmers. I never put anything else on my aunts' and grandmother's homemade biscuits and bacon. The stuff they sell in stores these days just ain't the same a'tall. It's downright painful remembering that and not having any right this minute!
- September 10, 2011 3:01 pm
Such good, good memories. That's what Syrup and Biscuits is all about. We hope you visit us often. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
- September 11, 2011 12:58 pm
Yum! Pretty much nothing goes to waste around this house but it's more a matter of economics and good sense to me. We are on a very limited income so we make do and use it up! That looks wonderful Jackie!
- September 11, 2011 2:40 pm
Thanks, Mary! It's one of those recipes that I don't cook often but has such special meaning to me. I remember standing along slide my beloved Granny while she was making this.
- Brenda permalinkSeptember 13, 2011 7:43 am
Jackie, I had three biscuits in my frig and your recipe called my name. I made it last night (with quantity alterations) and it was wonderful! Keep up the good work of great recipes on your blog!
Brenda Turner
- September 13, 2011 8:08 am
I'm so happy it turned out for you. You really can't mess this recipe up. The ratio of custard to biscuits will affect the cooking time but not the taste. Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed the recipe. I'm glad you found Syrup and Biscuits! We love having you here. 🙂
- Jackie King permalinkJanuary 19, 2013 9:13 am
I love that line "that mess would burn the fool outta your throat!" My Dad, who was also a teetotaler, and a Baptist, used to heavily hit the cough syrup every evening in his later years. For medicinal purposes only, of course 😉 I had forgotten that saying that something could "burn the fool" out of you! Priceless memories! Love the fact you share your sweet heritage with your readers! You always bring back a chuckle or a tear to my eye with the memories you share!
- Virginia permalinkOctober 14, 2013 6:56 pm
My mom made biscuit pudding much the same way only it was a smoother batter when it was put into an tube pan and cooked. Loved it; husband doesn't, so I don't bake it. This brings back good memories. And no bourbon sauce for this Baptist either.
- October 14, 2013 8:59 pm
What a wonderful tribute to your Granny, Jackie. I've never heard of using biscuits in bread pudding, but why not…sounds even better than the normal breads used! Cheers to the bourbon sauce!
- October 15, 2013 7:04 am
This looks outstanding!
This reminds me of one of my grandfather's specialty's. He couldn't boil water, but he could make an outrageous 'Plum Pudding' with a brandy hard sauce. It was off the charts!
- Cynthia Bailey permalinkOctober 15, 2013 9:46 am
I make bread pudding a couple times a week. I always use buttermilk in mine. I also make buttermilk buiscuts. What a great idea. Next time I am using buiscuts for sure. Thanks for the tip
- phyllis g permalinkOctober 15, 2013 9:53 am
oh wow i would love some biscuit pudding i love your website
- March 31, 2014 9:01 am
lol I love this site! now the bourbon sauce sounds very good! but ladies, the ahem sauce will not have any alcohol, cause cooking it will kill the alcohol! I'm gonna make a pan of biscuits just so I'll have some for the recipe! Thanks for another great recipe and memory, Jackie! Hugs!
- Sharon Albert Gibson permalinkMarch 31, 2014 7:36 pm
Well, guess I'm gonna have to make biscuits just so I can make this recipe. I've never had biscuit pudding, so I guess I've missed part of my education. I have to tell ya Jackie, I've giggled the whole way thru this post. I just downright laughed out loud when you made the comment about "burning the fool outta your throat". I haven't heard that in awhile, but I heard it all the time as a kid. I love reading your blogs. You are definitely one of the bright spots in my day!! Glad you're here!!
- September 8, 2014 11:30 pm
I made this recipe except used Heavy Whipping cream instead of straight milk. It was WONDERFUL!!! My family really enjoyed it. Thanks for the sharing.


text:
This Week: This week, we have two special guests: founder of the La Ventana Classic Kite Race and owner of Palapas Ventana, Tim Halter, and Kent Forrest, the event emcee and volunteer. They will be joining the ASnews.net and The ...Read More »
Author Archives: Marina
ASNews: Live Interviews Return This Week with SS's John Doyle
This Week: John Doyle, head chief of board design for Slingshot Sports. John joins host Ryan Riccitelli on this week's ASNews.net and The Kiteboarder Magazine podcast to tell us about how his time at Lear Jet working with composites has ...Read More »
60 Mile Jupiter to Ft. Lauderdale Race 2007 Dec 8
Well it's that time of year again, windy in Florida. Time to ride, compete and race. So far this season on the East coast has been epic with many days above 25 and some swells that have been second to ...Read More »
Sage Advice for Baja Travelers
Photo by Drew B as posted on nwkite.com There is a great post on nwkite.com from a well-seasoned Baja traveler. Below is an excerpt. For the complete info, see here November 21, 2007 Violence in Baja California (Norte) BajaInsiderThere are ...Read More »
ASNews.net Interviews F-One's Raphael Salles This Week
This Week: This week, our guest on the ASNews.net and The Kiteboarder podcast is kiteboarding pioneer and the founder of F-One, Raphael Salles. A former pro windsurfer, Raphael saw the light when kiteboarding was in its infancy and started one ...Read More »
Bullets Over Baja – Be Careful When Driving Into Mexico!
Pat retells his story beside the smashed window in his RV. BULLETS OVER BAJA: Attack Yields Grave Consequences by Scott Bass On Tuesday, October 23 Pat Weber, a 48-year-old San Diego surfer and his girlfriend (name withheld) were robbed at ...Read More »
Cabrinha hiring marketing coordinator/office manager
Want to work in Maui and think you got you what it takes to help run the office and coordinate Cabrinha's marketing initiatives ? Click here for complete info on this full-time position opening at Cabrinha Kites. Good luck!Read More »
ASnews.net podcast interview with Pete Cabrinha this week
This Week: This week, host Ryan Riccitelli interviews all around waterman and founder of Cabrinha Kiteboarding, Pete Cabrinha. Due to travel schedules, this week's The Kiteboarder Magazine and Asnews.net show will be pre-recorded and there is no opportunity to ask ...Read More »
Pod of Dolphins Save Surfer from Great White
Surfer Todd Endris needed a miracle. The shark — a monster great white that came out of nowhere — had hit him three times, peeling the skin off his back and mauling his right leg to the bone. That's when ...Read More »
Board Tips for Racing
Former Olympic windsurfer and head of sales and marketing for Adventure Sports (distributor of Cabrinha in US), Kent Marinkovic, is really into racing. Kent has been experimenting with different race boards for the last few years and offers some great ...Read More »
La Ventana Classic Race and KiteXpo Demo Event January 25-28, 2008
A great event just got even better! For the past two years, Red Bull, Palapas Ventana and Baja Joe's have sponsored the La Ventana Classic in Baja, Mexico, a 10.5 mile race whose proceeds benefit the local schools. For 2008, ...Read More »
ASNews.net: A Day at Maverick's and The Making of "Something Stronger"
Podcast #95: This week, we are doing things a bit differently! We have two special guests joining us for the ASNews.net and The Kiteboarder Magazine podcast. Bay Area kiteboarder Jeff Kafka will join us live Thursday night to talk to ...Read More »
The Kiteboarder Dec07 Issue Now Shipping
We hope you'll be stoked on our final issue of the year, packed with new gear info, travel, instructional, news and amazing images from around the world. The Dec07 cover features Naish team rider Reo Stevens in Indo on a wave ...Read More »
Asnews.net: Live Interview with Lou Wainman this Thursday!
This Week: Lou has always walked his own path and for various reasons, stepped away from the mainstream kiteboarding scene a few years ago. While maintaining a low profile, this didn't stop Lou from continuing to develop his unique riding ...Read More »
ASNews.net Interviews The Dutch Destroyer, Ruben Lenten
This Week: This week, our guest on the ASNews.net and The Kiteboarder podcast is Slingshot team rider, Ruben Lenten. Dubbed "The Dutch Destroyer" by the PKRA, the name perfectly suits Ruben's 'balls to the wall' approach toward riding, competition and ...Read More »


text:
The latest version of Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video.
Please click on the link below to download the latest version. Thanks!
Judge Sonia Sotomayor is President Obama's pick to be the next Supreme Court Justice. Her life story is compelling but what will she be like as a judge?
Supreme Court nominations have a history of being rough and tumble at times and it seems Sotomayor knows all about that.
Humble Beginnings
Growing up in a Puerto Rican family in the south Bronx of New York she's had a front row seat to hardship. Her father died when she was nine. She was raised by her hard-working single mom in the poor Bronxdale housing projects. She was also diagnosed with diabetes as a child, but found solace in books. Her mom had the only encyclopedia set in the projects.
Education was extremely important to Sotomayor's mom, so she sent her to Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, about 15 minutes north of the projects. It's a Roman Catholic high school complete with nuns and priests walking the halls, Mass in the morning and an opportunity for forgiveness of sin.
In the main school office there are signs of pride. Sotomayor studied hard and made the most of her education. Jeri Faulkner went to school with her.
"She's the American dream," he said. "Start small, work hard and success is yours."
At Cardinal Spellman, Sotomayor received a heavy dose of Catholic worship and religious teaching.
"You had to take religion. That was part of the academic program as it still is today," said former classmate Bob Anderson. "There were Masses at various times during the year. There were opportunities to receive the Sacrament of Penance so a very religious atmosphere."
"There was a strong religious presence. I use that in the technical sense," said Father Trevor Nicholls, president of Cardinal Spellman. "There were brothers and sisters here and there were priests here in rather more numbers than there are now."
Empathy in Justice?
After Princeton and Yale Law School, Sotomayor went from prosecutor to corporate litigator to judge in 30 years.
Being introduced as the first Hispanic woman Supreme Court nominee, this upcoming confirmation process will most likely center on empathy. The president wants that quality in a judge.
"I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles, as an essential ingredient for arriving as just decisions and outcomes," Obama said.
Chief Justice John Roberts had a much different view of a judge's responsibilities during his confirmation hearing.
"I will remember that it's my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat," he said.
It is setting up a philosophical debate. What is the role of a judge?
"The president, in unusual fashion, has opened up a can of worms by suggesting that his nominee will display empathy for particular party litigants," said Manuel Miranda of the Third Branch Conference. "We've come to believe that justice is blind."
Tom Goldstein has argued 21 cases before the Supreme Court.
"I think what Barack Obama was saying there is that he wants judges to understand really including from personal experience what the effect of their decisions is and so they're not cold and calculating, but understand that there is a human component to the law," he said.
"This is a very real and perhaps the first opportunity for America to have a genuine debate about the things that divide Democrats and Republicans and to have a light to shine upon the president and what he stands for," Miranda added.
The Issue of Hispanic Voters
But this is a popular president and nominating a Hispanic woman puts Republicans in a bind politically. The GOP has been losing Hispanic voters at an alarming rate since most took a hard line on immigration. But Miranda, who's also a fellow Hispanic, says the GOP shouldn't shrink away just because she's Hispanic.
"To not give Sonia Sotomayor full scrutiny would be an insult. It would ghettoize her as a Latino," he said.
At the center of the full scrutiny will be comments she made during a law conference, now circulating on YouTube.
"Court of appeals is where policy is made," Sotomayor said. "And I know, I know that this is on tape, and I should never say that. Because we don't 'make law.' I know."
Conservatives say that type of talk is code for judicial activist and it's at the core of their argument against her.
"She is very comfortable in that elitist conversation that jokes about policy making from the bench so while it may not be the perfect smoking gun, it certainly is an insight into where her background truly lies," Miranda said.
Conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh says it goes even deeper.
"She is about making policy from an extreme radical left wing position," he said. Obama talks about we need people with empathy. This is not about empathy folks, this is just cover. He just wants one of own on the court to do his dirty work."
She'll definitely be under the microscope to explain the comments, but SCOTUS blogger Tom Goldstein thinks she can do so easily.
"Descriptively what she's saying there is that in courts of appeals where there's lots of ambiguities in the law that get resolved inevitably the judges are making policy on some level," he said.
Sotomayor on the Issues
So where is Sotomayor on some of the issues?
On the big one of abortion the jury is still out due to a lack of rulings in the area. pro-lifers don't trust her because they feel fairly cerrtain that obama wouldn't nominate someone who didn't fall in line with his views. white house press secretary robert gibbs hinted at that in the last week.
"he left very comfortable with her interpretation of the constitution being similar to that of his."
But pro-choicers are nervous because in the two abortion related cases she did rule on, she came down in favor of pro-lifers, though it wasn't on the merits as much as it was on legal precedent.
"You just don't have a track record that's sufficiently out of the box, liberal, ideological to cause real concern," Goldstein explained.
But there is one lurking intangible.
"This nomination could be derailed by the nominee herself," Miranda said.
He says the wild card during the hearing may be Sotomayor's temperament.
"The best comparison is to Robert Bork who presented himself in such a way, perhaps showing a certain amount of hubris, arrogance aggressiveness in the hearings themselves," Miranda said. "I have a feeling that Sonia Sotomayor, from what I read, will not be the mild mannered John Roberts or Sam Alito that everyone came to love."
If, in the end, Sotomayor is seated on the Supreme Court, many have said that it will simply be replacing the liberal David Souter with another liberal-- No huge deal. But there will be ramifications.
"The replacement of an older liberal with a younger liberal may mean that some of the cases that Americans care about and might want to have reviewed and overturned they might not see that happening in their lifetime," Miranda said.
The stakes are high as Sotomayor gets ready for her ultimate close-up.
*Originally Published June 2, 2009
Debate Continues over Sotomayor's Impartiality
Firefighter Discrimination: Obstacle for Sotomayor?
Sotomayor's Abortion Views Raise Concerns
Sotomayor Nomination Heats Political Debate
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting? Are you facing a difficult situation?
Find peace with God, discover more about God or send us your prayer request.
Call The 700 Club Prayer Center at 1 (800) 823-6053, 24 hours a day.
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
CBN News Chief Political Correspondent
David Brody is an Emmy Award-winning veteran news journalist who has interviewed many prominent national figures during his career of nearly 25 years. Currently, David covers the White House and interviews national newsmakers across the country. Follow David on Twitter @TheBrodyFile and "like" him at Facebook.com/TheBrodyFile.
More Info


text:
From the main Fignition website
FIGnition is a £20 educational DIY computer which works like an 8-bit home Micro: outputting to composite video and ready to be interactively programmed from the moment you switch it on. It has 8Kb of RAM; 384Kb of storage; an 8-key keypad and runs a variant of FIG-Forth. It uses USB for power; firmware upgrades and program downloads.
So for £20 I could buy a mini electronics project to build over the Christmas holidays that, instead of doing some slightly boring LED flashing would give me some sort of functioning computer? Well that sounded like a great idea!
The Fignition website has detailed instructions on how to build, how to program and how to buy one, so instead of recreating that information here are some photos and comments about my build process.
Being a totally through-hole design assembly is very easy for anyone with moderately competent soldering skills. If you follow the instructions and have breaks when suggested the whole build goes smoothly with no mistakes. Then all you need is a TV that accepts composite input, and a spare USB power source. Plug them all together, it turns on and is instantly ready for use – just like 8bit micros used to be.
The keyboard input is kind of fiddly to use, but it's not too cumbersome if you have a printout of the various key chords required. It runs Forth which is a language I've never programmed in before, so since there appears to be a lack of software for the Fignition I might have a go at converting some simple 8Bit micro BASIC "games" into Forth and running them on the machine. It's based on an era where "High resolution graphics" means you can address pixels on the screen rather than character squares so some ZX81 style BASIC might translate well.
If you're curious, or want some sort of electronics project to have a go with, you won't go wrong with a Fignition. It's somehow more interesting than plugging bits of Arduino together, I think this is because it becomes totally self contained and outputs an image on a TV set. Once built and the firmware updated the only connections required are power and a TV.


text:
A zoo near Adelaide in Australia announced the birth of five cheetah cubs recently. The cubs were born at Monarto Zoo and zookeepers say the playful cubs are spending a lot of time jumping on their mother and grooming each other.
Published at 2:53 AM GMT on Jan 16, 2013


text:
The conference theme is "Building a Better Future through African Spirituality" with an emphasis on "Building a Better Tomorrow through Youth of Today" "Chrismation – The formal rite of passage from childhood to adulthood". On Sun 8/24/08 the focus will be on the Healing properties from the Earth with ancient herbs for healing the mind, body and spirit. Some of the events include Drum Blessing of the Day, Building a Better Tomorrow through the Youth of Today, A Tribute to Chief Babalawo Bisiriyu Adeyela Adelekan, Continuing Education: Traditional Alternative Medicine, Bridging the Gap: A dialogue between law enforcement/government officials and the clergy of African based religion
Please contact George Ware Tel. 215.455.0815/ 215.276.3633 – firstname.lastname@example.com - Chrismation – A Formal Rite of Passage, visit www.chrismation.net.


text:
Where will PSU go bowling?
MADISON, Wis. - The Nittany Lions now have to play the waiting game to see which bowl will want them, warts and all.
At 9-3 with a great tradition and large traveling fan base, Penn State typically would be a shoo-in for a good bowl game. But with the Jerry Sandusky scandal looming over the school and program, some bowls may not want to deal with that type of bad publicity and could opt not to invite the Lions.
Bowl matchups will be finalized next Sunday, although PSU could learn its fate before then.
"This team, these people right here had nothing to do with the reason why people wouldn't want us to go to a bowl," PSU safety Drew Astorino said. "If they want to punish these 125 players for one guy's actions 10 years ago, then we can't do anything about it."
The Capital One Bowl and Outback Bowl appear to be out of the question for the Lions, which leaves the Insight Bowl (Dec. 30 in Tempe, Ariz.) picking next. That bowl is run by the same people who run the Fiesta Bowl, which is dealing with its own scandal for financial issues and may not want the added burden of the Penn State scandal.
Next in the selection process is the Gator Bowl (Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla.), which reportedly wants a matchup between Florida and Ohio State (6-6), if the Buckeyes indeed hire Urban Meyer as their next coach. Meyer wouldn't necessarily coach the team in the bowl game but likely would be present and therefore a big draw in Florida against his former team.
If the Insight and Gator pass on the Lions, next up would be the Meineke Car Care Bowl (Dec. 31 in Houston) against a Big 12 team. Beyond that, the TicketCity Bowl (Jan. 2 in Dallas against a possible Conference USA team) and the Little Caesars Bowl (Dec. 27 in Detroit against MAC team) round out the Big Ten tie-in games.
The players, Astorino said, deserve an opportunity to continue to represent Penn State with class in a bowl game.
"We handled the situation great and kept playing football at the same time," he said of the ongoing scandal.
Millen: 'We'll survive'
ESPN broadcaster Matt Millen, a former Penn State All-American in 1978, addressed the Nittany Lions after watching a midweek practice in State College last week.
Millen downplayed any motivational role, saying only, "I talked to them and reminded them who they represent" in the wake of the scandal that brought felony charges of child abuse against former Lion defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and led to the firing of Joe Paterno.
Millen said Todd Blackledge, who led Penn State to the 1982 national championship, "did the same thing a week before" when Blackledge was the TV analyst for the Ohio State game.
Millen said he's confident the Penn State program will push forward.
"I hope people don't lose sight of all the good that has gone on and continues to go on," he said. "It's just right now, you're down, [and] they want to kick you when you're down ... I've been through that before [as general manager of the Detroit Lions]. We'll survive."
Still takes on Millen
Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still must have been told about some of Millen's comments during the broadcast and apparently didn't care for them.
"Matt Millen obv knows nothing about fb," Still tweeted after the game.
Still then tweeted, "Woulda thought he was a wisconsin alum...clown."
Still was held in check for the second straight week as he had only two tackles (and 1/2 sack) after recording no tackles against Ohio State. He said he had been playing with the flu last week and, when asked if he was playing injured Saturday, said he was not.
Badger duo impressive
Wisconsin's Montee Ball had four touchdowns Saturday and now has 34 for the season, second most in NCAA history behind Barry Sanders' 39 in 1988.
"It will be a really good day if I'll get there, but I'm not really looking forward to that," said Ball, who had 156 yards on 25 carries.
Quarterback Russell Wilson had another efficient day in charge of the Badger offense, completing 19-of-29 passes for 186 yards and two TDs. He tied an NCAA record by throwing a touchdown in his 36th consecutive game.
"We have a lot of talent on offense, and Coach [Paul] Chryst does a great job of exposing the defense," Wilson said. "No matter what it is, running the football or throwing it, we can do a lot of different things."
The Badgers now get a rematch against Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. The Spartans beat Wisconsin on a Hail Mary, 37-31, on Oct. 22.
"Obviously this is the first time in Big Ten history where you get rematches," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "When this whole format came up, everybody knew it would be a possibility. Even leaving the field against Michigan State, I think probably a lot of the guys thought to that moment [of a potential rematch]."
McGloin angry at ref's call
Matt McGloin was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he fired the ball to the ground after a false start penalty early in the second quarter.
"I've been doing that for two years now," McGloin said. "It's a ridiculous call to make in a situation like that. I'm not going to stand there with the ball in case a defender doesn't hear and he ends up clocking me. They threw a flag, I stepped back, I just spiked the ball, it's an incomplete pass. Like I said, I've been doing it for two years, and somehow it's unsportsmanlike conduct."
Asked if he said anything to the official, McGloin replied, "I said, 'I don't know if you guys watch TV or not, but I've seen other college kids do it, I've seen it on Sundays.'"
Looking ahead for Lions
The players will get a week off with no mandatory workouts so they can get away from football and clear their heads, interim coach Tom Bradley said.
Bradley also said he will go out recruiting but noted he will give the assistant coaches the option of whether to do that or not. All of the assistants face uncertain futures in the wake of the scandal, and Bradley wants to give them time if they desire to figure out what's next for them.
News and notes
PSU RB Brandon Beachum was in a wheelchair following the game with an ankle injury. ... Penn State's best play of the day and perhaps of the season was an 89-yard run by Stephfon Green in the third quarter. But it was called back because of a chop block on tight end Kevin Haplea. ... Wisconsin LB Ethan Armstrong suffered a hip injury covering a kickoff early in the second quarter and had to be taken off the field in an ambulance. ... Wisconsin WR Nick Toon usually wears No. 1 but wore No. 87 Saturday to honor his father, Al. That was Al's number for the Badgers, and he was on hand for his son's senior day. ... There was no pregame meeting between players on both teams at midfield, as there had been the past two weeks against Nebraska and Ohio State. There was simply a coin toss at midfield with the captains.


text:
Authored by Sep 13, 2012-
This week, I have had several calls from clients that have just sold their home and need to have the sale this week end or next. I was able to offer some solutions on short notice but not the best.
There are two key issues with short notice sales, the best companies are always booked 3 or 4 weeks in advance and it takes prep time for a successful sale. The most important factor is to make a market and generate demand and excitement for the sale. So advertising with short notice may not generate the best turnout and result in poor sales.
In certain circumstances, the real value is in the real estate and not the stuff, so in those circumstances, it may make sense to use some pickers, keep high value items like gold, jewlery and silver (to deal with on your timeline) and use an estate clean out service. The price of selling the home on time almost always is more value to the family than the house stuff.
So where do you start:
First, everything the family wants to have should be removed or shipped out of the home.
Second, trash is trash, get the real trash out of the home.
Third, identify the items into 3 catagories, low, medium, high value. Eeryone has a diffenet opinion of value, just use what you are comfortable with like under $20.00 or over $100.00 That will then help you decide if a sale makes sense or a cleanout is best.
Need more info, visit our DIY site at http://www.diy.estatestogo.com


text:
It's easy to send money to your friends and family - 24/7, almost anywhere in the world.
Sending money to an inmate?
Western Union is always nearby to help you
Call Western Union to send money 24/7.
Pick up cash at an agent location near you.
You can have your money transfer loaded on one of our prepaid cards.
Pay your mortgage, auto, credit card, insurance or other bills quickly and easily.
Visit a Western Union location to make payments
Call Western Union to send a Payment 24/7.
The Western Union® Reloadable Prepaid Cards are a great way to pay every day! Use to shop in-store or online.
Reload your prepaid card or mobile phone today.
Manage your current prepaid card online.
Investor Relations
Email us
Read our latest press releases. They're all available to you. Or you can check the archives for our past news releases dating back to 2008.
Connect with us:
By submitting your email address you are agreeing with the Western Union Online Privacy Statement and Terms & Conditions.