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WASHINGTON -- New patients in the New Orleans Veterans Affairs System must wait an average of nearly 52 days for an appointment, according to an audit released Monday.
The waits for new patients at other Louisiana VA facilities also are far longer than the two-week goal previously established by the agency: 33.2 days in Alexandria; and 43.8 days in Shreveport, according to the audit by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
For the first time, the VA says the two-week goal is unobtainable because of the increased demand for health care services. Though officials have blamed shortages of doctors and nurses for long wait times, the audit also finds some intentional attempts to mislead the public. The VA said doing away with the 14-day goal "will eliminate incentives to engage in inappropriate scheduling practices or behaviors."
Thirteen percent of schedulers responded to a survey of personnel at 731 hospitals and outpatient clinics reported they had been told by supervisors to falsify appointment schedules to make the waits seem shorter. The audit doesn't identify where the schedulers reporting the false reporting worked.
"Incompetent administrators and those who have manipulated wait-time data should be dismissed at once," said Senate Veterans Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "Sen. (John) McCain (R-Ariz.) and I have agreed on legislation to let the VA do just that. It is equally important, however, to understand that the reason certain VA facilities around the country have long wait times is because they lack an adequate number of doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners."
In Louisiana and across the VA System nationally, waits for existing patients are shorter, according to the new VA audit. In New Orleans, the wait is 1.52 days for a primary care appointment; 45.08 days for specialty care and 3.74 days for mental health services, the audit said. For a new patient seeking mental health care in New Orleans, the wait is 27.27 days, the audit said.
The report said that over the last 10 years, 237 veterans served by the New Orleans VA had requested an appointment during the enrollment process but had not been scheduled, as of June 2. The number of veterans in that category was 400 in Alexandria; and 125 in Shreveport. Nationally, it was 64,000.
The department said that New Orleans, Alexandria and Shreveport VA health care systems all need more review, along with the VA clinic in Baton Rouge.
Amanda Jones, spokeswoman for the New Orleans VA, said "significant improvements" have been made since the audit data was collected on May 15.
"As of today, most new primary care patients are being scheduled within 30 days, unless the patient chooses a later date," Jones said in an email statement. "We've also had new staff join our team recently, and by mid-July, most vacancies in primary care will be filled. We also purchase approximately $100 million in care annually in the community for care that we cannot currently offer and also to ensure timely access for our patients."
Jones said that both the New Orleans and Baton Rouge clinics are listed for further review by the VA as it continues to review the record keeping for medical appointment waits.
"We have not yet received an audit report and only have information from what the auditors told us verbally when they were here. SE Louisiana Veterans Health Care System has historically used an 'agreed upon date' as a practice for scheduling because we want to partner with our veterans for their care. We believe scheduling patients for care requires their input and it is best done through a person to person conversation. Audit teams reviewed our agreed upon date practice and determined that in no way did it result in any harm to patients. They also noted that there was no evidence of data manipulation, nor any intent to deceive."
Shawn Cronan, founder/executive director of the Military Advocacy Project of Louisiana, said the system is suffering from a "serious shortage of providers," a situation made worse as the VA waits completion of the New Orleans VA Medical Center in 2016. The project is budgeted at $995 million for construction, with another $700 million for equipment.
"I think it's high time that we put pressure on New Orleans VA Director Julie Catellier to authorize us to receive care from private facilities -- at least until the new center is open," Cronan said. He said his wait for "urgent" specialty care at the VA is routinely two to three months.The VA, which has been operating without a hospital facility since Hurricane Katrina, hopes to open its replacement facility in 2016.
The Sanders/McCain bill includes a two-year pilot program to allow veterans to obtain private care if they have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or live more than 40 miles from a VA health facility. It also calls for the VA to spend $500 million in unobligated funds to hire more doctors and health care providers and authorizes construction of 26 new health clinics, including one each in Lafayette and Lake Charles.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., called the waiting times reported in the VA audit for Louisiana "unacceptable," and says the report has "further broken the trust of our veterans.
"It unfortunately highlights a failure of leadership at all levels of the VA and the strain our VA system has faced for a decade as veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam grow older and troops return home from Afghanistan and Iraq," Landrieu said. "I have requested a thorough review of all VA medical facilities in Louisiana and called for an investigation into any misconduct that may have occurred."
Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, Landrieu's leading Republican Senate challenger, said the audit "further confirms that the VA is broken and mismanaged. Secretary (Eric) Shinseki's resignation and this audit does nothing for the veterans in Louisiana who have been waiting nearly two months to receive care."
Added Sen. David Vitter, R-La. "This audit on wait times just proves the exact sentiments I've heard from veterans across the state, and why I requested this information in a letter to former Secretary Shinseki in May. President Obama and the VA need to take charge, lead, and stop the widespread crisis."


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HADLEY – Often academics will impose their perceptions on a community, but for Angela Labrador's dissertation on rural preservation, she wanted to learn what local people thought.
So the University of Massachusetts graduate student enlisted seven people who either live or go to school here to take pictures responding to series of prompts that look at the community's heritage and sense of the future.
The exhibit titled, "Entrusting the Commons: A Community Photography Project Exploring Hadley's Heritage," is on display at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum through the end of June and can also be viewed online.
Labrador comes from a rural town in Ohio, so the landscape in Hadley spoke to her, Labrador said. She decided to use the community as part of her research.
"It is commonly believed that historic rural landscapes are in danger of disappearing in the face of modern development pressures," she wrote in an introduction to the project. "In 2010 the World Monuments Fund listed Hadley's cultural landscape on their endangered sites list. Yet, a strong community ethic thrives in Hadley, one that values Hadley's landscapes, livelihoods, and heritage, and that supports preservation efforts."
She provided a series of six prompts to the seven photographers including, "Hadley's heritage is," "An outsider's perspective," "Hadley's future," and each photographer contemplated what that meant to him or her.
"I was so impressed by the variety and imagination that came out," Labrador said.
Eli Catlin is a 17-year-old Northampton resident who attends North Star Self Directed Learning for Teens. He said it was fun to think about the prompts and how to respond.
For his response to the town's heritage, Catlin shot a black-and-white photograph called "Katydid," which shows a katydid on a corn stock leaf. "I spent a lot of time in Hadley and remember the corn fields," Catlin said. "I always liked bugs."
Debbie Windoloski has lived in Hadley for 30 years and recently learned that her ancestors were some of the town's original settlers, which has given her an even greater appreciation for the town's heritage. To that prompt of heritage she shot a picture of farmland in the fall and titled it, "Our agricultural roots grow deep in Hadley's rich soil."
Windoloski feels proud and grateful to live here, she said.
In responding to the prompt, "Endangered," she depicted a red barn with a sign for eggs.
"I worry about those kinds of things going away as land goes away. Because the town is seeing new housing and businesses, I worry that's our future rather than the farming. The photographers met weekly to talk about what they shot in response to the prompts. It was really interesting to see the different perspectives," Windoloski said. She said she was blown away by the talent of the teens such as Catlin.
"I absolutely loved it," Windoloski said of the project.
As for Labrador and her dissertation, which is being reviewed now, "I got more than I needed and then some." Â

subset: commoncrawl


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DUNEDIN, Fla. (CP) — One day after being shelled by the Detroit Tigers, pitchers Ricky Romero and Marcus Stroman were assigned to the Toronto Blue Jays' minor-league camp.
Toronto manager John Gibbons said both pitchers needed more work.
Gibbons tried to soften the blow for Romero, saying the 29-year-old left-hander had pitched well earlier in the spring and was moving in the right direction after two troubled seasons.
Stroman, a 2012 first-round draft choice, managed just one out in Tuesday's 18-4 loss to Detroit. He gave up seven runs on six hits.
Romero, who is due to make US$7.75 million this season, walked five and threw two wild pitches in 2 2/3 innings.
Toronto hosts the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday in Grapefruit League action. J.A. Happ starts.


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In an odd confluence, neither party was eager to talk about the other, although Millsap expressed gratitude for the Blazers' courtship, which ultimately made him a multimillionaire.
"I'm really appreciative for the offer from them," Millsap said. "But everything worked out that I came back to Utah and that's where I'm at. What happened was something that happened in the summer. You can't really look back on that and say what could have or what would have been. You just have to move on and continue to play basketball."
The Blazers signed Millsap to a "toxic" front-loaded $32 million contract on July 10. But the Jazz elected to match the offer to their restricted free agent even though it pushed the franchise past the NBA's luxury tax threshold. Millsap said he never met with Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard or coach Nate McMillan and did not visit Portland.
McMillan downplayed Thursday night's meeting before tipoff, saying the Blazers' courtship of the burly 6-foot-8 forward hadn't crossed his mind in months.
"That's a done deal," McMillan said. "He's with Utah, he's been there and that was done this summer. I haven't thought about that situation at all (since the summer)."
Millsap, who is a backup to Carlos Boozer, had an off night Thursday, finishing with four points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes. He committed four turnovers and made just 1 of 5 field goals.
Millsap and the Jazz visit the Rose Garden on Tuesday night for another exhibition game and the teams will play four times during the regular season.
Rookie breakout: Rookie forward Dante Cunningham has his best performance of the exhibition season against the Jazz, reaching double figures in scoring (10 points) for the first time while revealing a hint of the versatility the Blazers coveted when they drafted him.
Cunningham registered a blocked shot, a steal, two assists and a rebound in 12 minutes. He made 5 of 6 field goals, blending power (an emphatic rebound dunk) with finesse (a nice up-and-under layup and a hook shot) and also swished a 20-foot baseline jumper.
All 10 of Cunningham's points came amid a Blazers fourth-quarter rally in which they scored 32 points and trimmed a double-digit lead down to a one-possession game before losing.
--Joe Freeman


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Copenhagen Food Tours
One of the most enjoyable ways to learn about a culture is through its food and drink. Copenhagen Food Tours offer visitors the chance to explore Denmark's culinary culture while on a guided tour of the city's attractive sights.
Copenhagen food tours are the perfect way to enjoy an afternoon in the cosmopolitan city. Along with trips to locations such as the Copenhagen Zoo, the food tour is just the kind of activity that will make for a memorable stay at the excellent accommodation provided at the Radisson Blu Falconer Hotel & Conference Center, Copenhagen.
Indulging the senses
The Danish capital has a rich food heritage that stretches back hundreds of years to today's vibrant, contemporary gastronomic culture which includes Noma, the restaurant often lauded as the best in the world. Copenhagen Food Tours combine this excellent legacy with the natural beauty of the city to tell a story through food.
Over the course of a Copenhagen Food Tour, visitors learn about the way that local food is made and about the colorful characters who make it. From delicious artisan chocolates to regional jams and nibbles, the food tours offer the flavor of the city accompanied by delicious local beverages.
Stylish food in a beautiful city
The Danish take their food seriously, which leads to some seriously great food. Copenhagen Food Tours offer visitors the opportunity to make the most of this food. Purity, freshness and local produce are at the heart of the area's cuisine, and these are expertly showcased during the tours.
For food lovers, the Danish capital offers a delicious range of options, and these can be explored during a Copenhagen Food Tour. In terms of accommodation in Copenhagen, the standards are just as high, and guests at the Radisson Blu Falconer Hotel & Conference Center, Copenhagen will enjoy top-class service and amenities.


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Real Name: treatrifs Joined: November 2014
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We drove up north today for an in person doctor visit as well as IV therapy. I was dreading the drive and how much it would wear me out.
My first question to my doctor was the narrative report to SSDI. He said he had to write that because that is the only language SSDI will understand. He believes I'll have a lot of improvement. Whew!
I had what's called a Myer's Cocktail. It's an intravenous vitamin mineral solution and it's awesome. The Myer's cocktail, developed by the late John Myers, MD of Baltimore, Maryland, consists of magnesium, calcium, each of the B vitamins and vitamin C. I think the IV had 10 grams of vitamin C in it. I also had a shot of glutathione which is important in immune system functioning.
Daphne said that as I was receiving the IV she could see the color in my face return and the dark circles under my eyes got better. It was expensive but worth it to feel relatively normal for a few hours.
I also had blood taken for an RNase L panel. I guess RNase L is an interferon with antiviral and apoptic activity. When high it indicates an active viral infection. This is the most reliable test availabe to determine if a virus is active. I have titers to HHV 6 and EBV that indicate reactivation but the testing isn't reliable. While the RNase L test won't point to what viruses are active it will indicate the need for antivirals. The test results will be available in about 3 weeks.
Dr. B believes that the lyme and babesia are now under control and that what remains is/are viruses. Treating viruses is difficult. The testing is unreliable and the antivirals available aren't great.
The lyme/babs were opportuntistic because my immune system is down. Part of the longer term treatment will be getting my immune system back in balance.
The subject of Valcyte came up. My doctor believes the virus has a strong hold on me. I mentioned I'd done a lot of research into Valcyte and heard a lot of horror stories. He said it's up to me. We will talk about it again once the test results are back.
The symptoms I've been having for the past 2 weeks are similar to ones I had last fall. I've had a return of neurological symptoms: brain fog, that weird anxiety, headaches, sweating, muscle aches. My doctor thinks that for whatever reason a virus has reactivated in the past 2 weeks.
It almost feels like that alligator game where an alligator head pops up. When you've bopped one alligator head another pops up. When the lyme was being treated the babesia symptoms popped up. Now that both of them have been treated the viruses have popped up.
My gallbladder is inflammed from all the antibiotics and I have candida overgrowth as well so I'll take Difulcan to treat the candida. I'll stop the Clarithromycin and Mepron which is kind of a relief.
We got petri dishes to test for mold. Because I have the multi susceptible gene if there is toxic mold that can defeat any treatment that's attempted.
I got the chance to ask my doctor two questions that have bothered me for awhile. One is that after I had surgery for the bone tumor (and then replaced with synthetic bone graft) I had my first taste of this awful anxiety. It was flat out-out of control anxiety on a daily basis with panic attacks. I'd never experienced anything like it until I started getting sick last year. I told my doctor about that experience and he said the bone graft material probably had a bug in it. Other people would have been able to clear the bug but because of my genotype my body responded differently.
The doctor also gave me a shot into the scar tissue where the surgery was. The scar is probably about 1.5-2 inches right in the distal tibia area. I happen to glance over just as the doctor was holding this big, long, fat needle up in the air. He injected the needle with some stuff into the scar tissue three times. That friggin hurt.
Until I get on an antiviral medication I'll continue to take Argentyn 23 (colloidal silver) and added Proboost: Thymic Protein A.
Updated Treatment:
Thymic Protein A
Argentyn 23 (continue)
Cell Therapy (cont)
Perque B12 (cont)
Phosphatydil Serine Complex (cont)
1/2 Intrinsi B12/Folate (cont)
1/2 Folapro (cont)
1 Neuro Health Vitamin (cont)
My brain is fried. I can't remember anything else.


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It looked like an embarrassment of riches when Georgia signed both Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall two years ago. But if Georgia had decided to stand pat with its bountiful running back class of 2012, the Bulldogs would be begging for a ball-carrier in 2013.
Georgia has been without both Gurley and Marshall for most of the last two games. Gurley, who was second in the SEC in rushing in 2012, hasn't played since spraining an ankle against LSU three weeks ago and Marshall was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered in the Tennessee game.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they signed three running backs in 2013 as well -- Brendan Douglas, A.J. Turman and J.J. Green, an athlete who could play a number of position but has landed in the backfield in Athens. Douglas and Green have gotten the majority of the work since Gurley and Marshall have been out, showing the wisdom in being indulgent in recruiting the position.
"We feel we need five or six on scholarship," Georgia coach Mark Richt said of his tailbacks. "Our recruiting goal is to have eight backs -- sometimes it's five tailbacks and three fullbacks, but more times than not we would like to have six tailbacks and a couple of fullbacks."
While Richt noted that the fullbacks are sometimes walk-ons, the tailbacks are usually all scholarship players. Bulldog fullback Quayvon Hicks joined Gurley and Marshall in Georgia's 2012 recruiting class.
Georgia's got two more tailbacks already committed in its 2014 class -- five-star Sony Michel and four-star Nick Chubb. As for this season, Richt said the Bulldogs are soldiering on. While Richt said early this week that Gurley (sprained ankle) may be ready to return Saturday against Vanderbilt, he told 247Sports' Gentry Estes on Wednesday that the Bulldogs are "preparing to play without him."
"I think everybody understands the nature of the game. Everybody knows it's a very physical game -- guys get hurt," Richt said of his team. "It's been tough to see teammates go down like that and know that they're not going to play -- a couple of them won't play again this year. ... It does provide opportunities for other guys to step into those roles and it provides an opportunity for the guys that are playing other positions and things of that nature to try to get even stronger. The guys know that if one part of the team is weakened, then another part's got to step up. That's been kind of the message and the attitude."


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ALAN BAVLEY, McClatchy Newspapers
KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- That big smile you flash on your Facebook pictures? Hey, that's good. You're probably an extrovert.
And that relaxed stance? You're showing us you are emotionally stable. That healthy glow? You've got self-esteem and, gosh darn it, people like you.
Your appearance is telling the world a lot more about you than you may think. And all it takes is a snapshot.
A new study finds that people can draw accurate conclusions about your personality -- such as how extroverted you are -- from a single photograph.
And when the picture is spontaneous and unposed, it can reveal a virtual personality profile -- how easygoing you are, how open you are to new experiences, even your political orientation and how religious you are.
The photo study was published this month in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
"I think most people's intuition is you need to get to know someone before you can tell something about their personality," said Simine Vazire, a Washington University psychologist who took part in the study.
"But I think it's pretty amazing how many traits you can pick up accurately from a photograph. You're not led in the wrong direction by physical appearance."
Vazire studies how we judge personalities -- the personalities of other people, as well as our own. Signs of our personality are everywhere, she and other researchers are finding, from obvious things like our choices in music, to how we arrange our bedrooms and even the e-mail addresses we choose.
And people often are able to pick up on these cues.
"You can look at any tiny slice of a person's life and you'll find your personality," Vazire said. "You can't outrun it."
For the photo study, Vazire and researchers at the University of Texas, University of Cambridge and University of California, Berkeley, relied on the usual guinea pigs of psychological research: college students enrolled in introductory psych classes.
The students' personalities were assessed through questionnaires that they and their friends filled out. Ten personality traits were measured.
The students weren't told in advance that they were going to get their pictures taken, so none of them primped or dressed up for the experiment. Many showed up in the usual college uniform of T-shirt and jeans. A few even arrived in pajamas.
The researchers took two full-length pictures of each student, one a standardized pose with hands by their sides and a neutral facial expression, and a second picture where the students weren't told how to stand or pose. They used pictures of 113 students.
Groups of students who didn't have their pictures taken were assigned to scrutinize the photos.
One group judged personalities from the posed pictures; a second group judged the unposed pictures. And a third described what people looked like in the spontaneous pictures, whether they were smiling, for example, or took a relaxed or tense stance.
How did the judges do?
When their assessments were pooled together, the judges often were able to tell from the posed pictures whether a student was extroverted, had high or low self-esteem, or was highly religious. They also could tell whether a student was emotionally stable or open to new experiences.
The accuracy of individual judges was much lower for the posed pictures: They were good at picking out the extroverted students but couldn't reliably assess other traits.
But judges did much better at unposed pictures. Individual judges usually could gauge the students' self-esteem, how extroverted and likable they were and how open they were to new experiences. They also were good at judging loneliness and religiosity.
When their judgments were pooled, they were right most of the time for nine of the 10 character traits. The only trait judges could never reliably nail down was conscientiousness.
"You can get almost as much information as you could by meeting them in person," Vazire said.
The researchers also looked at what aspects of the students' appearance best predicted different personality traits. Extroverted students tended to smile and take an energetic stance; they also looked stylish and healthy.
Agreeable, easy-going students were likely to smile and stand in a relaxed way. And students who were most open to new experiences tended to have a distinctive style of dress and to look away from the camera.
It's not just your picture on Facebook that gives you away.
In another new study, Vazire and other researchers looked specifically at whether people can accurately judge your personality from your Facebook page.
Again, the answer was yes. They found no evidence that people try to present an idealized version of themselves online.
"It appears to mirror real life very well," she said. "We don't seem to mislead people."
That might be hard to do in any case when your online friends are watching.
"I think your Facebook profile is limited by your real life and what your friends say about you," Vazire said. "And you can't make up photos of yourself at parties."
Even so there's always plenty of room for error in our assessments of other people, Vazire said.
"I would counsel people to be humble about their judgments," she said.
"But these things aren't random. If you expect people to be totally blind and in the dark, they're not."
People who are pretty do better in the city, study finds
Do good loooks mean a good life?
That depends on where you live, say psychologists at the University of Kansas and University of Georgia.
In a big city, where social competition can be fierce, being attractive is a definite asset, their research finds.
But if you're living in the country, where social ties are strong and there are fewer people to choose from, good looks may not matter as much.
The universities' new study in the journal Personal Relationships looked at data on 587 women nationwide who were living in rural or urban areas.
The researchers calculated the women's attractiveness by the ratio of their waist-to-hip measurements. Lower ratios have been associated with female attractiveness.
Urban women who ranked particularly high on this measure of attractiveness also scored high on making social connections and on their overall satisfaction with their lives.
But those happiness scores plummeted as waist-to-hip ratios rose.
Among rural women, attractiveness scores weren't related to making friends or feeling good about their lives.
The bottom line: Very attractive women are likely to do significantly better in the "free market" world of relationships offered by the city than they could do in rural areas, the researchers said.
But even "moderately unattractive women," they said, could do better in the country.
(c) 2009, The Kansas City Star.
Visit The Star Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.kansascity.com.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.


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Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) As the Affordable Care Act allows more people to see a regular doctor, some free healthcare clinics are rethinking the way they do their work.
When Charlotte Kennedy lost her job several years ago, she depended on a free clinic for help when she got sick.
"If there wasn't a free clinic at the time, I probably would have ended up at the hospital with pneumonia or something like that," said Kennedy.
For the more than 40 million uninsured Americans across the nation, free clinics have been a way to get care when in need.
But with the new healthcare law set to provide a chance to see a regular doctor, some are asking what role free clinics will play.
Lenore Boris, an associate dean at Upstate Medical University in Binghamton, oversees the Dr. Garabed A. Fattal Community Free Clinic.
She says the new healthcare law will help insure more than 30 million people, but the current health system may have trouble handling the increased demand.
"Free clinics have really been seeing a lot of people," said Boris, "And that somehow we have to take into consideration how those patients are going to be able to continue to get healthcare."
That's why the Affordable Care Act provides $11 billion in aid to help create and bolster current community health centers.
Centers that can keep the uninsured out of the emergency room.
In 2006, the government found that one in five people who went to the emergency room were uninsured, leaving the bill for hospitals, insurers, and taxpayers.
"Free clinics have tried to address the primary care needs of their patient population so those patients don't end up having to go to the emergency room," said Boris.
And now at the Fattal Community Clinic, they help patients find if their eligible for insurance under the new law.
Other clinics are even developing systems to let patients who become insured to keep coming back.
The landscape is changing but the usefulness of free clinics is not.
Something Kennedy, now on Medicaid, is thankful for.
"When your in that situation, it's very helpful, there's no other resource," she said.


text:
Neoseeker : lonewolveshardt : Collections : Armored Core: Formula Front
Seems like there's no activity started yet! Why not make the first one?
Community feeds
- "aint as good as i thought! dont like the arena based combat flat out it fries me! id rather play AC on the playstation ArmoredCoreFormulaFront"Lightice Feb 2, 10 11:15pm
- "hard as, annoying game couldve done alot better but they made a shitty arena based, cant wait for AC3 portable ArmoredCoreFormulaFront"Lightice Dec 13, 09 12:13pm
- "Fun stuff, little lacking in the story line though. ArmoredCoreFormulaFront"Dragoonchild Dec 20, 08 4:55pm
- "Used ArmoredCoreFormulaFront"Bleeding Thumbs Dec 5, 08 3:15am
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Lt. L.G. Owens said Aboubakar Doumbia, 34, Shaquandra Alford, 31 , and Chiquta Roundtree, 26, are being held on $100,000 bond each after they were arrested Tuesday. They have been charged with possession of a forged instrument.
Owens said the three bought $373.16 in cigarettes from Charlie's Tobacco Outlet on U.S. 78. The store had previously seen similar crimes, so the clerk became suspicious when the buyer used several gift cards to make the purchase.
Then one of the cards was flagged as stolen on the store's credit card machine. At this point, the three ran out of the store with the cigarettes, Owens said.
Owens said the department has received assistance from the U.S. Secret Service's Birmingham Field Office in the investigation.


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David Pollak's Fast Track to LiftTopics covered at LIFT-01-01
This Fast Track to Lift course by David Pollak (creator of Lift), taught by Franz Bettag, introduces Scala developers to the Lift Web Framework. You will learn how to create dynamic, interactive, secure web sites using Lift.
This course covers creating a basic Lift project, dynamic content with Snippets, site navigation and access control via SiteMap, forms including multi-page Wizards, and creating real-time, scalable sites with Lift's Comet support.
Upon completion of this Lift course, you will be able to create secure, dynamic Lift based sites. Franz will take student questions, write live code, and tailor the day to the needs of the students.
Learn how to:
In this Lift course you will gain an understanding of Lift's core features. Come along and learn
- How to create, configure and build a Lift application
- About Lift's View-First architecture and how it allows for creating interactive web sites.
- Lift's security model which allows the developer to get things right by default.
- How to use Lift's Wiring and Comet support to create an amazingly interactive web site.
Lift Basics
- Setting up, building and updating your application
- Booting your app: configuration in code
- LiftRules: run-time parameters
- View-First: the view defines the page
- Snippets: transforming the template to dynamic content
- Menus, SiteMap and access control
- Basic HTML-style forms
- Secure forms
- Stateful forms
- Screen & Wizard: declarative forms with validation
- Ajax forms
- Wizard and Ajax
- Dynamic Pages
- Wiring: declare the relationships and Lift does the updates
- Ajax and Comet (server push) made easy
- Building a multi-user shopping cart
REST/Web Services
- Lift's declarative REST support
- Using Scala's pattern matching to define REST routes
If you build web sites for sports betting or real-time financial trading then this course is ideal for you.
The hands-on and interactive style will allow you to take the course in the direction that best suits your needs. Everyone will be expected to code and the finished code samples will be available after the course.
To benefit from this Lift course, you will need intermediate web development skills (HTML, Html5, CSS, Ajax, HTTP) prior to attending.
If you are coming from a Scala background - you should also have attended Typesafe's Fast Track to Scala course or have the equivalent skills or you have read chapters 1-6 of David Pollak's Beginning Scala.
If you come from a Java background, you should have solid Java programming experience prior to attending. If you are coming from a Java background you will need intermediate Java skills.
Bring your own hardware
Delegates are requested to bring their own laptop for this course. If you are unable to bring a laptop for the course, please contact us on +44 20 7183 9040, or email us.
A full installation guide for the course software will be provided with your course joining instructions.


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Scott Hiscox
William Scott Hiscox, 62, of Norwood passed away early Wednesday morning, August 27, 2014.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00AM, Saturday, August 30, 2014 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Albemarle. Father Peter Fitzgibbons will officiate. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00, Friday evening, August 29, 2014 at Edwards Funeral Home in Norwood. A Rosary will be held at 5:30pm in Edwards Chapel.
Scott was born February 23, 1952 in Salem, Ohio to the late William Thomas Hiscox and Shirley Rae McDevitt Hiscox. He was an Eagle Scout and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was an active member of Wheeling Sportsman Club where he participated in many outdoor activities. Scott was a member of Annunciation Catholic Church where he served with the Knights of Columbus and was former president of St. Ann's Parish Council in Sebring, OH and was a retired salesman. Scott and his wife, Glenda were both natives of Lisbon, OH. Scott will be remembered for his kind and caring personality. He easily made friends and never met a stranger.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his father and mother in law, Glen and Felicia F. Gallo.
Scott is survived by his loving wife, Glenda Gallo Hiscox of the home; daughters, Melissa Anne Hiscox of Albemarle, Emily Hiscox Smith and husband, Jeremy of Norwood and Alicia Hiscox Parisi and husband, Christoper of Bath; seven grandchildren, Luke, Grace and Jack Smith, Sophie and Stella Shahan, Mollie Eanes and Liam Parisi; sisters, Julianne Little of Lisbon, OH, Kimberly Hiscox and companion, Linda Kyser of Prattsville, AL and Kelly Hampson and husband Rev. Keith Hampson of LaFollette, TN; one brother, Kevin Hiscox and wife, Tammy of Lisbon, OH.
Memorials may be made to: NWTF Attn: Sawtooth Oak Hunt, BRS, P. O. Box 456, Richfield, NC 28137 or to charity of the donor's choice.
Online condolences: edwardsfuneralhomes.com


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It's weird where people pull inspiration from, me included. Let me confess something… Sunday night is my TV night. I watch all the shows on Bravo (Yes, I'm a housewives junkie) and then I finish my night with Dexter on Showtime. I love the opening sequence where they use breakfast food and make it look like a murder scene. As I was watching this past Sunday night, I thought "it's clever of them to use blood oranges, but why didn't they use cherries?" Then my mind floated away into breakfast ideas using cherries. This is my first cherry breakfast since then, I actually made it Tuesday morning…. Pecan Cherry Pancakes ala Dexter!
Pecan Cherry Pancakes 1 of 8
I can practically bite my screen... I may have to make these pancakes again tomorrow.
1/4 Cup 2 of 8
Lightly butter pan and pour 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan.
Cherry Stains 3 of 8
You know where in the inspiration for this photo came from.... Cherry juice stains and chopped pecans.
Cherry Bombs 4 of 8
Drop cherry halves into the pancake.
Sprinkle With Pecans 5 of 8
The pecans add such a delicious crunch, you'll want to eat this hotcakes as many times as possible.
A Piece Of Art 6 of 8
So pretty almost looks like a piece of art. Fluttering butterflies in the snow or Wild flowers in December or California Summer or 3 hearts that beat as one? What does it remind you of?
Flipped 7 of 8
Perfect on this side. Let it cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Getting Stacked 8 of 8
One pancake is too lonely.... start building your stack!
Ingredients For Pecan Cherry Pancakes:
- 1 1/2 – cups flour
- 2 – teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 – teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 – teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 – tablespoons sugar
- 2 – eggs
- 1 1/2 – cups buttermilk
- 1 – cup milk
- 3 1/2 – tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)
- 1/2 – teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 – cup chopped pecans
- 15 – cherries (pitted and cut in half) (I use Melissa's Produce)
- butter or nonstick spray
- maple syrup
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Give it a good whisk.
- In a separate bowl combine eggs, buttermilk, milk, butter, and vanilla, then mix really well.
- Then add the flour mixture to the milk mixture. Mix together until combined. You don't want your mixture to be perfectly smooth. Leave some lumps in there.
- In a large frying pan lightly brush with melted butter or mist with a non stick cooking spray and place over a medium flame. Allow pan to get hot then take 1/4 cup of batter and pour into pan…. the batter will spread slightly then top with a 3 cherry halves and a pinch of pecans.
- Cook for 5 minutes or until the batter starts to have little holes in it. Some will even pop.
- Flip pancake and cook on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from flame and spread butter on top and drizzle with syrup.
- Enjoy!
For more recipes from Nicole Presley click over to her blog: Presley's Pantry
Follow Nicole on Twitter and Facebook.
Nicole loves pinning. Follow her on Pinterest.


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What Is The One Word 2 Gay Dads Never Want to Hear Their Child Say?
[flv:http://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs/2010/03/modfam.mommy_.mp4 http://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs/2010/03/modfammommyboard.jpg 650 450]
If you are not watching ABC's Modern Family, you are probably such a terrible person the government put you on a no-fly list. Because Cam and Mitchell are the best gay parents television has to offer. Especially given last night's episode, where their daughter Lily's first word was "every gay father's worst nightmare."
(If you're unfamiliar, the woman holding Lily is her pediatrician, invited over for brunch.)
Geoff M
LOVE Cam & Mitchell!Mar 4, 2010 at 1:52 pm · @Reply ·
I love this show !! Seriously if you don't watch it you must be a hermit.
Awesome show. The other awesome part is Haley leaping out of the car with it still in drive, forcing the tester to slam on the emergency brake.
I've only been able to catch a few show, but what I've seen I love.
physiologically it is easier for a child to say mommy than daddy
one of my favorite shows these days!
This show is such a breath of fresh air after all the reality crap! I vote for a Cam fan club. I'm prezzie.
"I collect antique fountain pens, I'm quite adept at Japanese flower arranging- Ikibana- oh, and I was also the starting offensive tackle at Illinois…..Surprise!"
a great show
Absolutley one of the top ten show on the TVs ever!!
These Guys deserve there own show..
Video won't play on my connection. What's the word?
@Hyhybt: The word is "Mommy" which they thought the baby was directing towards the female pedatrician. Yet the story had a "happy ending" it was actually a doll a Lesbian couple had given Lilly which uttered the word.
And again if you have not checked out this show you really should…it is excellent The writers bob and weave around topics with a light touch so as not to raise the battle cries of the PC police. The Asian peditracian told them how she had fought her Mother to avoid the sterotype of being the obident Asian stay at home mom and wanted to "break" the typical stereotypes of Asian people. Then as she pulls out of the driveway she runs over garbage cans and clips Cam and Mitchell's car……………….
Thanks for the recommendation… but I spend so much time on the computer I hardly ever watch TV anymore. Only thing I've even recorded lately is "Life After People," and I'm a couple weeks behind watching even that.
@terrwill: Once again, you have me rolling my ass off laughing on the floorboards. Did the doll really say Mommy? Did the Pediatrician really have a "driving incident?"
What right minded person would give the child of two gay men a doll that says anything like "Mama"? Is there a doll that says "Jesus died for our Sins?" too?
Have not seen the show. I watch so little TV that my guy just yells "HERE, NOW" when something's really good, otherwise I just sit there and quietly read my academic sex research journals!
LOL! That was hilarious. "Mommy!" (cough) "Did she just say-" (woman shakes here head hastily)
haha : D


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The Riverside Rebels easily took care of Miller-McCoy in its season opener, defeating the Lions 92-36 thanks to an all-around team effort.
The Rebels had six players score in double figures Wednesday night with Malik Crowfield and Cory Costanza leading the way with 18 and 17. Jordan Andrews and Kalea Turner followed with 14 a piece and Darien Cook and Timmy Perrilloux scored 13 and 10.
I. Jacob led the way for the Lions with 10. Miller-McCoy now stands at 1-1 after defeating J.S. Clark Monday night 40-38.
Riverside will play its second of four straight home games to open the season Tuesday night against Sophie B. Wright at 7:00 p.m.


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I heard a really catchy song on a car commercial. It's been bothering me that I cant find the stupid song title to it! I really can't type out the lyrics, but I'll do my best. It goes something like "Why yihy the lye lye lye oo lye! A tell me on a tell me on a"
Something like that, but its really obscure. Please help me, this song has been eating away at my life!


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Brad Minear
Brad Minear has been involved in Real Estate since 1999. He started his career as a Sales Associate representing Ideal Suburban Homes. Brad became a Broker in 2005. Since then he has achieved his goal of starting his own Real Estate Company, Minear Real Estate, LLC in the spring of 2010. In 2010 & 2011 he was voted #1 Realtor in Whitley County by the Post and Mail's Readers Poll. Brad is striving to make Minear Real Estate, LLC the most advanced Real Estate Company to better serve his clients in both buying & selling. He places a great emphasis on marketing to get your property the best exposure possible, and is very experienced in both existing & new home construction. Brad takes pride in running a strong company centered around his clients.
Nora Ferrell
Nora Ferrell is a Real Estate broker that began her Real Estate career in April of 1999. She first started working with ODM as well as a representative for Ideal Suburban Homes. Brad and Nora have been working together since the beginning of their Real Estate careers and in March of 2010, they made the move from Orizon Real Estate to Minear Real Estate, LLC together. Nora is qualified in both existing homes as well as new construction homes, making her an excellent choice for all of your Real Estate needs.
Danielle Minear Genth
Danielle "Minear" Genth was born and raised in Columbia City and has the utmost respect for this community. As Brad Minear's sister, she considers working with family a great priveledge. Prior to real estate she worked as a Dental Assistant here in Columbia City with further education in Expanded Functions Dental Assisting. Danielle became a Real Estate Agent to fulfill her passion of working with people. As a Real Estate agent, Danielle applies her values to her work and wants all of her clients to feel like they are working with a friend. She loves to make the process of buying or selling a home a great experience and takes great pride in representing her clients. Call Danielle today and together we will take the idea of your dream home and make it a reality.
Kelley Stetler
Kelley Stetler joined Minear Real Estate after getting her Sales Person license in September of 2011 and continued her education by receiving her Broker designation in April of 2013. Prior to becoming a realtor, Kelley received her Bachelor's of Science in Management from Indiana Wesleyan, while growing her professional career in orthopedics and raising a family. She prides herself in going the extra mile to address your housing needs because she understands you have more going on in life than moving to a new home. Besides Real Estate, Kelley enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She understands exactly what hard work is and looks forward to using her skills to help you find a home that will meet your families needs.
Jenny Ferrell
Jenny is a lifelong and active member of the Whitley County community and has been involved in the housing market for the past 15 years. Jenny received her real estate license in 2008 and is also a Home Staging Professional. Staging is a relatively new concept in the residential resale market. She will guide you through the process of preparing your home to stand out and look better than other comparable homes for sale by showing off your home's best features and minimizing flaws. Staging also depersonalize the home so buyers can visualize themselves living in the space. Jenny's passion for real estate and providing honest, reliable service to her clients fits well into Minear Real Estate's philosophy. Whether you are selling or searching for your dream home, she will give you her full attention to make sure that all of your real estate needs are met.
Brandon Ferrell
"The best "MOVE" you'll ever make… Brandon Ferrell is a young, energetic salesperson who strives to show perfection in the Real Estate process. He is a Columbia City native with a bachelor's degree in business marketing from Ball State University. Prior to graduation, he spent just under two years as a leasing consultant at an apartment complex in Muncie, Indiana. In the start of his professional career, he was a property manager for a local apartment complex and then accepted an offer to work as the Marketing Director for the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce. Brandon is an active alumni member in Leadership Whitley County and serves on three board of directors: Whitley County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Whitley County and Junior Achievement of Whitley County. Brandon is extremely excited to work for most advanced Real Estate Company in Whitley County. He is sure to market your property as a "showcase" in the competitive real estate industry. Brandon is committed in making results that are sure to move you from one place to another. His Business Marketing degree as well as his strong personal relations skills makes him the perfect candidate to take on this position. This role has kept Brandon up to date on all the newest Real Estate trends, guidelines and information. Call or Text Brandon today!"
Rebecca Coldren
"Rebecca is an Indianapolis native, growing up in Fishers, Indiana. She began her career in pursuit of acting at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and transferred to Ball State University to complete her Associate of Arts in 2004. She received her first taste of the housing market as a Sales Associate for a national homebuilder, Ryland Homes. As the market crash became apparent, she returned to Ball State University in 2008 to complete her Bachelor's Degree in Interpersonal Communication. She moved to Fort Wayne shortly upon graduation to sell radio advertising for 92.3FM 'The Fort,' a classic rock station. In October of 2013 she began her role as a part-time Realtor for Gerig Realty Group. She recently married Jay Coldren in April and became a proud stepmother of two boys, Camden and Pierce. She is excited to be on board as a full-time agent with Minear Real Estate. If you can't find her selling houses, she can be found creating a new craft, assumedly discovered on Pinterest or involved in local theatre around the Fort Wayne area."
Brad LeMay
"Brad LeMay is a Real Estate Broker that has been involved in Real Estate since 1995. Prior to moving to the area in 2012, Brad spent the previous 19 years working at one of the largest Real Estate companies in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. As the creative manager for Stiles Realty, Brad was in charge of all the marketing for over 6 million square feet of curent listings. With an Associate's of Science in Advertising Design, a Bachelor's of Science in Marketing and Business Management, and almost 20 years experience in the Real Estate industry, Brad has the experience and tools to get results for his clients. Real Estate investors are always looking for a broker that understands their side of the business, with Brad's experience in wholesaling and rehabbing Real Estate, investors can count on him to understand their needs. So, if you're looking to sell your home or you are ready to buy a home that fits all your needs give Brad a call!"
Shelly Gaff
"Shelly Gaff started her Real Estate career in 1987. Her love of Real Estate came much earlier as her late Father and Mother were founders of a successful local real estate company in the 70's. Growing up in Churubusco, she continues to work and focus on Whitley, Noble and Allen Counties. She has earned her CRS and ABR designations and has been a multi million dollar producer for decades. She is hardworking, knowledgeable and extremely dedicated to her clients. She will go the extra mile to make working with her a pleasurable experience! A loving wife and mother of 2 Sons and 3 grandchildren. She enjoys outdoor activities, staying fit, as well as cooking, decorating and traveling. Shelly is very excited and looking forward to working with this Power House Company!"
Tami Plew
"Tami Plew is joining Minear Real Estate! She has sold Real Estate since 1988. She loves selling Real Estate and loves helping others find their new homes. Tami has been a life long resident of Whitley County and is vastly familiar with the surrounding areas, making her a fantastic choice for people wanting direction and guidance in their home buying process. Minear is also involved with new home construction and Tami believes she will be an asset to the company in that field as well. In addition to selling Real Estate Tami has also enjoyed teaching baton twirling. She was also a co-owner with her mother of Corn Crib antiques and enjoyed meeting new people that way as well. Call Tami today with any of your Real Estate needs!"
Derek Crosson
"Derek Crosson was born in Los Angeles, CA but has been a resident of Columbia City, IN since the age of 7. He knows the area well and is excited about helping people find the home that best fits each individual situation. Being a "people person" has helped Derek climb to the top of his occupational ladder as an Information Technologist for the last 15 years. While he enjoys working with computers he has a passion for working with and helping others. Derek loves to get to know each client and help them find a house they can call home. So in June of 2016 Derek obtained his Real Estate Brokers license and has hit the ground running! He is skilled in computer technology and works for companies such as Minear Real Estate and Union Home Mortgage advancing their websites to the best of his ability. Derek will strive to make sure your listing has the best marketing showcase available. In addition to his exceptional personal and technical skills Derek also knows the importance of family. Derek has a loving wife and three beautiful children that center him. If you are ready to buy or sell make a fantastic choice in having Derek represent you and your family in the world of Real Estate!"
Sean Ewing
"Sean is a young and new Realtor. He grew up in the Columbia City area and throughout high school worked at the Columbia City High School Radio Station and at Andy's Car Wash. Both while also Running for the Cross-Country and Track teams, Swimming for the high school and the CC Stingrays and playing on the high school soccer team. Also, he loved computers and other techy devices. After graduating, Sean made the choice to take online college courses and also pursued his broker's license. In June of 2016, Sean became a broker for Minear Real Estate. If you don't find Sean in the office you will probably find him out Running, helping out at Andy's Car Wash, or helping someone with their computer problems. Sean is gaining experience in existing and new home construction. He is hard working and dedicated to finding you your new home and helping you sell your old one, call or text Sean today!"
Danielle Arnold
"Danielle Arnold moved to Columbia city at the age of 12. After high school graduation she began taking classes at Ivy Tech Community College with a focus on business management. In 2006, Danielle began working at Lincoln Financial Group as a financial processor. After 5 years at Lincoln, she left to raise a family. Danielle is married to her high school sweetheart, Justin, and together they have three beautiful girls. While taking the time to raise a family, Danielle enjoyed volunteering for Whitley County Relay for Life. In 2016, Danielle decided it was time to pursue her dream of becoming a real estate agent. She attended Troyer's School of real estate and received her real estate broker license. Danielle is eager and excited to be assisting clients in every step of the home buying and selling process."


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Cornerback Jerraud Powers has had a rookie season to remember.
After leaving Auburn a season early, he defied doubters by being drafted in the third round and then winning a starting job on one of the league's best teams.
Today, he is celebrating a trip to the Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts.
Powers didn't play yesterday against the New York Jets because of a foot injury, but initial reports suggest he will be ready to go in two weeks in Miami.
The New Orleans Saints have no Auburn players on their roster, so Powers will be the Tigers' lone representative. (UPDATE: Actually, Heath Evans is on the Saints roster. Thanks to an alert poster. Heath was a fullback at Auburn through 2000 and was picked in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in October).
A native of Decatur, Powers was a solid citizen and a team leader during his time at Auburn. If there had been a good guy award back then, Powers probably would have won it.
He surprised many by leaving college a year early, but his logic was sound. He figured he had reached his peak as an NFL draft prospect and another year in college could do nothing to boost his stock. To put it another way, his main liability was his height and he wasn't going to get any taller.
Listed at 5-foot-9 in college and 5-10 in the pros, Powers always had doubters because of his small stature. But from high school to college and now the NFL, he proved them wrong.
At Auburn, he redshirted in 2005, was a member of the all-freshman team in 2006 and started every game of 2007. He fought through a hamstring injury in 2008 but helped hold the defense together as the season teetered on the brink of ruin.
"I think anytime Jerraud Powers isn't on the field, it hurts you," said former Auburn coordinator Paul Rhoads, now Iowa State's head coach. "Jerraud is one of our finest leaders as well as one of our most productive football players."
In two weeks, Auburn fans will be able to watch him in football's biggest game.


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London development pipeline
We have a strong momentum behind our developments which are being delivered into the right market conditions. We are securing good lettings and residential sales. These are either on site, with planning consent, or in design. We have made excellent progress on our development pipeline and increased our focus on the West End. Our work in Victoria, SW1 is set to transform the area into one of central London's most desirable places to work, live, shop and invest.
Completed in April 2015, 1 & 2 New Ludgate, EC4 comprises two distinct buildings united by a new public piazza. Together they comprise 355,000 sq ft of office accommodation and 26,000 sq ft of restaurant and retail facilities.
Mizuho, Ropes & Gray
The Rafael Viñoly-designed 525 ft tall City tower incorporates premier office accommodation, a café and a unique publicly accessible Sky Garden with three bespoke catering offers - the highest public park in London. 50% owned JV with Canary Wharf Group.
Markel, Kiln, Liberty Mutual, Liberty Syndicates, RSA, DWF, CNA, Allied World
This mixed-use development provides 260,000 sq ft of offices, together with street level shops and restaurants in the heart of Victoria.
Schlumberger, Kerring, Rolls Royce, World Fuel Services, OMV
The Zig Zag Building offers 188,000 sq ft of high-end commercial office space on an island site surrounded by restaurants, retail and an imaginative new public realm.
Jupiter Asset Management, Deutsche Bank
Building on the success of New Street Square, with its striking architecture and high profile business occupiers, One New Street Square will be the final jewel in the crown of the landmark development. The building was pre-let in its entirety to Deloitte LLP more than 12 months ahead of completion.
In February 2012, Land Securities formed a 50:50 joint venture with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ("CPPIB") to own and develop Nova, Victoria. Construction of Nova, Victoria started in June 2013. The 727,000 sq ft first phase, comprising 480,000 sq ft of offices, 80,000 sq ft of retail and 170 luxury modern apartments within three landmark buildings is due for completion in July 2016.
BHP Billiton, Advent International, Egon Zehnder, Shake Shack, D&D, Will Ricker
A joint venture with Frogmore Real Estate Partners. Set up in 2007, the Partnership owns prominent consolidated holdings on the north west corner of the junction of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road.
Primark, Schuh, Sketchers, Hawes & Curtis, Kiko Milano
20 Eastbourne Terrace is the final phase of a transformative regeneration project next to Paddington underground and Crossrail station. When complete, the 18-storey tower will provide 93,000 sq ft of Grade A office space offering unrivalled views London.
Where the property is not 100% owned, floor areas shown above represent the full scheme whereas all other figures represent our proportionate share. Letting % is measured by ERV and shows letting status at 30 September 2012. Trading property development schemes (e.g. Wellington House, SW1) are excluded from the development pipeline.
Planning status for proposed developments
PR – Planning Received
Total development cost (£m)
Total development cost refers to the book value of the land at the commencement of the project, the estimated capital expenditure required to develop the scheme from the start of the financial year in which the property is added to our development programme, together with capitalised interest, being the Group's borrowing costs associated with direct expenditure on the property under development. Interest is also capitalised on the purchase cost of land or property where it is acquired specifically for redevelopment. Of the properties in the development pipeline at 30 September 2012, there were no properties on which interest was capitalised on the land cost. The figures for total development costs include £152.0m for the residential elements of Kings Gate, SW1.
Net income/ERV
Net income/ERV represents headline annual rent on let units plus ERV at 30 September 2012 on unlet units.


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I appreciate the human interest side of your report on the Koetsu room at RMAF, but any report on this room would be lacking if it did not mention the Koetsu Coralstone that was set up on a DaVinci arm on the Montegiro Lusso turntable. A second SME V arm on that same table sported the venerable and widely-lauded Koetsu Onyx Platinum ($8,500). In A-B comparisons (made easy by the Aesthetix Rhea phono pre with switchable inputs at the push of a button) the Coralstone TROUNCED the Onyx. It's detail, transparency, dynamics, and accuracy took you deeper into the music than you could have imagined. This despite a pretty poorly set up room, with no acoustic treatments. The only downside is the Coralstone will set you back $14,000. But to have heard it is to carry a musical memory that will last a lifetime.
Koetsu USA
Hiram Toro explained that he took the reigns of Koetsu USA when his close friend and Koetsu importer Ronnie Caplan unexpectedly passed away. Before Ronnie succumbed to complications following a heart attack, Hiram had promised his friend that he would take care of everything, fully expecting that Ronnie would recover from his illnesses. Hiram kept his promise and has maintained the Koetsu presence in the US market for the past two years. When he decided that that wasn't enough fun, he added Chario loudspeakers and Montegiro turntables to the roster.
From left to right: Hiram Toro, his son Gabriel Toro, and good friend Carlo Vincenzetto, sales director for Chario.


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My son is TOTALLY into music right now. He loves singing (and is quite excellent, if I do say so myself), playing the piano, drums, triangle, and he really, really wants a trumpet. That's right, a trumpet. As if our house weren't loud enough! :)
There is a free dress rehearsal by the Portland Chamber Orchestra open to children and their families. Led by Conductor and Music Director Yaacov Bergman, the musical program weaves together story telling, visual imagery, and orchestral music from the 1801 ballet score "The Creatures of Prometheus" by Beethoven. Bring children earlier at 9:30 a.m. for concert related activities.
This event would be perfect for us, were it not my husband's birthday. So you, dear readers, must go in our place. If you or your kids have any interest in music whatsoever, I think this is a fantastic opportunity to nurture that interest. Plus, it's a great time of day for kids to be out & about trying something new.
Saturday, May 24th
10:00 am
Reed College
Kaul Auditorium
3203 SE Woodstock Blvd
www.portlandchamberorchestra.org or 503-771-3250.


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Sioux City's Professional Firefighters Association and the International Association of Firefighters are spreading some holiday cheer.
They've donated $3,500 to the June E. Nylen Cancer Center.
All of the proceeds were raised from the sale of pink t-shirts in their "Care Enough to Wear Pink" campaign.
It's part of a campaign organized by firefighters across the country.
The shirts were sold in October in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The money will provide services such as free mammogram screenings at the cancer center.
"It is a whole new experience when you find out that either you have cancer or a loved one has cancer. You'll never forget that day. So if we can help alleviate a little bit of that... I think we've accomplished it," said George Glass with Sioux City Fire Rescue.
"Having a cancer diagnosis is very overwhelming. It can create a lot of havoc in one's life naturally. Especially if they're not able to work or they don't have insurance. It's very rewarding to be able to help people because of donations like this," said Pat Hubbard from the June E. Nylen Cancer Center.
A few shirts are still available and can be picked up at Sioux City's Fire Station Number 5 on Singing Hills Boulevard.


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Great read: The Light Between Oceans
The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman, Random House, $32.95.
There was an international bidding war for this debut novel by Australian author Margot Stedman and while the plotline is solid, it is the mesmerising quality of the writing that has caused the much deserved commotion.
Stedman's descriptions are superb: vivid and accessible without being overblown.
Set for the most part in the 1920s, this is the story of quiet, reliable but enigmatic Tom Sherbourne who, desperate to escape the painful memories of his feted actions in World War I, happily signs up for banishment to the uninhabited island of Janus Rock, off the coast of Western Australia, to work as a lighthouse keeper and find much-needed peace.
Here, like Tom, we fall in love with the isolation, the power of nature and the rhythms of a simple and ordered life.
"It seemed his lungs could never be large enough to breathe in this much air, his eyes could never see this much space, nor could he hear the full extent of the rolling, roaring ocean. For the briefest moment, he had no edges."
The sense of freedom is intense and invigorating, and when Tom brings his new wife, Isobel, to share his oblivion, the pair set about trying to expand their family.
Despite her attachment to Tom, Izzy — who, to be honest, is a little wet — is crippled with loneliness and aches to have a child, but she is plagued with miscarriages.
So when a baby and a dead body are washed ashore in a dingy, it seems as if God is handing them a lifeline which Izzy, engulfed with a needy mother's love, grabs with both hands.
What follows is, at times, predictable and many of the characters are stuck in two dimensions, but the sheer passion and poetry of Stedman's prose carries us on a wave of emotion and heartbreak, as we teeter on a tightrope between right and wrong.
Destined for book club discussions around the globe.
About the author
Margot Stedman was born and raised in Perth, and although she now lives in London, Perth is "still definitely home".
Margot decided she wanted to write in 1997, but didn't start until 2008.
"I never plan what I write. I usually start with a picture in my imagination, or a sentence, or the sound of a voice. The Light Between Oceans started when I closed my eyes to imagine a scene and a lighthouse turned up.
"I could see a woman and, later, a man, who I worked out was the lightkeeper, and I gradually realised it was his story."
In 30 words or less, tell us what is great about a book you are reading at the moment. The best critique will win The AWW Cooking School cookbook, valued at $74.95, and be printed in the July issue of The Weekly. Simply visit aww.com.au/bookclub, or email firstname.lastname@example.com, or write to The Great Read, GPO Box 4178, Sydney, NSW 2001.


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Welcome back to Baby Breakerdom! This week, we find venture capitalists (VCs) diving into the deep waters of Medicare reform, a slice of Tokyo here in the U.S., and quite possibly the largest multibagger we've ever witnessed here at the Fool.
Let's start with Medicare. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the system's fee-for-service program recorded $20.8 billion in overpayments last year. It's unclear if that total is at all related to accusations of fraud facing hospital operator Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC ) . But $20.8 billion is still an astoundingly high number. Budding Baby Breaker HealthDataInsights believes it can be reduced. The company's software analyzes paid medical claims to identify and recover overpayments resulting from error, fraud, or abuse. And that has investors interested; VentureWire reports that HealthDataInsights received $13.2 million in its first round of funding.
Next, we turn east. Far East. Foolish colleague Nate Parmelee, a former resident of Tokyo, has sometimes regaled us with stories of how the Japanese -- especially Japanese teens -- use their cell phones as fashion accessories and gaming platforms. Privately held Blue Frog Mobile believes that experience could be replicated here on our shores and is developing custom mobile entertainment content to start the movement. VCs agree. They've handed $16 million to the firm, according to VentureWire. Will Nokia (NYSE: NOK ) and Motorola (NYSE: MOT ) pick up on the idea, too?
Finally, we have to touch on telecom rebel Skype and its $2.6 billion-plus buyout by eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY ) . There's been plenty of analysis regarding whether this deal is a winner or not for the Internet auction king. We'll know for sure in time. But we need not wait to declare Bessemer Venture Partners and fellow A round investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Index Ventures, and Mangrove Capital Partners huge winners from the deal. For its part, Bessemer says it made more than 100 timesits initial investment. Wow. I'm jealous, yet also strangely encouraged, since that's exactly the kind of multibagger return that we seek at Motley Fool Rule Breakers (click here for a risk-free trial). It's nice to know they're still out there.
Once again, there's nothing new to report in public offerings. But, as always, we'll keep looking. See you back here next week.
For more Rule-Breaking Foolishness:
- Value vs. growth. It's still the ultimate investing question.
- Would you go "all in" with your portfolio? Maybe you should.
- Is JetBlue (Nasdaq: JBLU ) still among the Rule-Breaking jet set? You tell us.
Netflix.Marvel. AOL. Starbucks. Find out how David Gardner landed these and other multibaggers by taking arisk-free trialtoMotley Fool Rule Breakerstoday. Your portfolio will thank you.
eBay and JetBlue are Motley Fool Stock Advisor picks.
Fool contributor Tim Beyers owns shares of Nokia. You can find out what else is in his portfolio by checking Tim's Fool profile, which is here. The Motley Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy.


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Shades? Check. Gray shirt? Right. Artfully touseled hair? Yes!
Has Eclipse fresh face Xavier Samuel fallen under the spell of a charismatic vampire?
Sure, his character Riley gets drawn into Victoria's crusade against Bella, but judging from his casually sexy look here, the Aussie actor could be channeling the fashion choices of Robert Pattinson, aka Edward Cullen.
Not a bad choice, consider…
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While Criteria 1 through 5 mostly describe biophysical conditions in our Nation's forested ecosystems, Criterion 6 covers a broad range of factors associated with social and economic benefits that are closely linked to forested ecosystems, their health and their management. The criterion includes 20 indicators divided into five subcriteria. These are:
- Production and consumption
- Investment in the forest sector
- Employment and community needs
- Recreation and tourism
- Cultural, social, and spiritual needs and values
Each will be summarized in turn below.
Production and consumption. Indicators in this subcriterion track changes in the provision of traditional wood and paper products, nonwood forest products, and, various ecosystem services.
Information on traditional wood products is largely available from the U.S. Department of Commerce, including the Census Bureau's periodic Economic Census and annual Survey of Manufacturers, which provide periodic or annual data sometimes at the State level.
Nontimber forest products, on the other hand, encompass a broad array of forest herbs, mushrooms, and related products that are not tracked in standard industrial reporting statistics— with the exception of some trade statistics—and are not always fully integrated into the cash economy. Reporting in this category is significantly more challenging. Nevertheless, through the compilation of data not available to the 2003 report, we have substantially improved our reporting for products in this category.
A new indicator (Indicator 6.27) tracks revenue derived from ecosystem services such as water quality enhancement, carbon storage, or the provision of green-space. The work presented in relation to this indicator lays the foundation for future reporting by defining terms, identifying sources of quantifiable data, and explicitly recognizing activities that are not captured by these data.
The indicators covering timber and wood products (Indicators 6.25, 6.28, 6.30, 6.32, and 6.33) show that both timber harvest and wood products production are down slightly relative to 2003. At a little more than 20 billion cubic feet, consumption has remained relatively stable, although levels dropped off in 2006 when the housing construction market slowed. More severe effects reflecting the recent crises in the housing market can be expected, but it is unclear whether these changes will manifest themselves simply in a temporary downturn or in a long-term shift in consumption and production patterns.32 The long-term impact of the recession will be something to watch for in the next iteration of this report, anticipated in 2015.
The difference between production and consumption has been filled increasingly by imports, which now total 5.4 billion cubic feet, or 26 percent of total consumption. The recovery of recycled paper products has also increased its contribution to fiber supply in the United States. The total volume of recovered fiber now equals about one-half of total domestic paper consumption. A growing proportion of recycled paper is exported, however, so domestic use of recycled fiber in paper products has remained stable at about 38 percent for the past decade. Most of the developments described here follow long-term trends established in the last decades of the past century.
Production and trade figures for nontimber forest products (Indicators 6.26, 6.29, and 6.31) present a more complicated picture. Although the total value of production in this category is down 30 percent relative to 1998, exports are up 38 percent since 2003. Much of this may be related to difficulties in measurement and the dominant role of specific products (e.g., fuelwood in the case of production and pecans in the case of exports). In any case, the values reported for these indicators in 2007 are substantial, with a total estimated retail value of production of $1.4 billion and exports exceeding $450 million.
Payments for environmental services are also substantial. The indicator identifies payments of $553 million for ecosystem services in 2007 from public and private entities, but it also stresses the fact that these estimates are incomplete. While Federal payments have been relatively stable, payments from private entities in the form of carbon offset purchases, conservation easements and outright land purchases for conservation objectives are growing rapidly, increasing 38 percent in the past 3 years alone and now accounting for more than one-third of total payments identified in this report.
Investments in forestry and the forest sector. This subcriterion contains two indicators that call for measures of investments in forest-related economic sectors, and in research and education, respectively. These indicators point to investments whose effects will play out over many years, and, consequently, they constitute two of the most forward-looking indicators in the entire Montréal Process indicator set.
Indicator 6.34 includes both private sector and public sector investments in productive capacity (e.g., buildings and machinery) and forest management activities. Private sector capital investments in the wood products industry are extremely volatile, following both broad market cycle fluctuations and developments specific to the wood products sector. Investments in the wood products and pulp and paper sectors totaled $10.9 billion in 2006, up from $7.5 billion in 2003 but still substantial lower than the $13.6 billion reported for 1997 (all figures are in constant 2005 dollars). Indicator 6.34 also tracks substantial investments in silviculture, forest management, and recreation management on the part of public agencies like the Forest Service. These public investments are driven by the political process and have been much more stable than the private sector investments listed above.
Investments in research, extension services, and education (Indicator 6.35) rely primarily on public sources for their funding. Forest Service research expenditures and academic research funding from Federal sources are the primary investment streams reported for this indicator. Overall, research funding in these categories totaled $608 million in 2006, an increase of 18 percent in inflation adjusted terms since 2000. These expenditures, however, are only one piece of a larger pie involving State, local and private investments in research and extension.
The number of baccalaureate and post-graduate degrees are a measure of investment in human capital, and, in contrast to research funding, these numbers have declined from 2,263 to 1,810 degrees in the 2001-to-2006 time period, but this may represent a shift to environmental studies and similar programs rather than an absolute reduction in scholarship and training related to forest resource management. The sustainable management of forests can benefit from both areas of training. The decline in forestry-specific degrees, however, may carry important implications for future management of forests for timber production.
Employment and community needs. The indicators in this subcriterion track economic and social developments that directly affect individuals and communities that depend on forests for their livelihood and important aspects of their quality of life. They include economic measures such as employment and income in the forest sector, which are generally available from standard statistical reporting sources, but they also include more complex indicators involving concepts of community resiliency, wealth distribution, and the amount of resources available to support subsistence activities.
Employment in the forest sector, measured in Indicator 6.36, includes a broad range of activities. Major categories covered in this report include public agencies engaged in forest management activities at the Federal and State levels (data for counties and municipalities, although certainly important, was not available for this report), employees in the solid wood products and paper products sectors, and workers in the forest-based recreation sector. Forest products industry employment, which currently stands at 1.3 million employees, decreased by about 15 percent since 1997, with much of the drop concentrated in the pulp and paper sector. This decline reflects stable to slightly declining production levels (see Indicator 6.25) in combination with increasing labor productivity requiring fewer workers to produce the same quantity of goods. Once again, the recent recession has no doubt exacerbated these declines. Public sector forest management employment is about one-tenth of that in the forest products sector and has been relatively stable with the notable exception of the Forest Service, which has declined to around 23,000 employees from a recent peak of 31,000 in 1991. The 2003 report estimated that forest-based recreation directly generated 1.1 million jobs, and it is assumed that this number has grown along with recreation participation in the intervening years.
Private sector wages in these major employment categories (Indicator 6.37) have generally been increasing, but at a relatively slow rate, especially in the lumber and wood products sector, where wages are currently well below the United States average for all manufacturing. Public sector wages have fared better in recent years. Injury rates in the wood products industry have continued a long-term decline with the exception of the furniture industry, which has experienced an uptick in the past few years—a development that bears watching.
Indicator 6.38 addresses the resilience of forest-dependent communities and is the only indicator that directly assesses community conditions and well-being. This complex indicator requires considerable effort both in conceptual development and in practical application. In 2003, we used county level census and employment data to develop indexes for vitality and adaptability. Although this was a logical and cost-effective approach, it was widely deemed inadequate for capturing the many dimensions that characterize the well-being of forest-dependent communities. Also, counties proved to be a poor surrogate for communities. For the revised indicator (the concept of resiliency has been substituted for vitality and adaptability in the indicator title), the 2010 report has taken a different tack, relying on survey and community assessment techniques to characterize the resiliency of individual communities. The work presented in this report is a pilot effort, and, although survey and analysis protocols have been developed, only five sample community assessments were available for inclusion in this report.
The remaining two indicators in this subcriteria address the area of forests devoted to subsistence use and the distribution of forest-derived revenues (Indicators 6.39 and 6.40, respectively). Subsistence use of the forest typically includes hunting, fishing, and gathering for personal consumption, but for many users, particularly in the Native American community, it also denotes a lifestyle involving a deep connection to nature and cultural traditions. This is in addition to tangible economic benefits in terms of foregone purchases of food and similar items. As with several of the other MP indicators that call for measures of forest land devoted to specific activities, providing quantified measures for the subsistence indicator is complicated by the fact that much of the Nation's public access forest lands are designated for multiple use, including, but not restricted to, subsistence activities.
Indicator 6.40, the distribution of forest-derived revenue, is a new indicator. In this report, we identify the major revenue sources as coming from wood products industry activity and from the sale of "stumpage," or standing timber. Major recipients of forest-derived revenue include industry (via profits), labor (wages), government (taxes), and landowners (stumpage receipts). Payments to labor and nonindustrial landowners comprise most of revenues and come from the wood products industries and stumpage sales respectively.
Recreation and tourism. Recreation and tourism is a major and increasing use for the Nation's forests. It provides direct benefits to citizens, contributes to a diverse and growing industry, and fosters appreciation for the importance of conservation and sound stewardship. The two indicators in this subcriterion track the availability of forest land for recreation activities (Indicator 6.41) and the number and type of these activities (Indicator 6.42).
Almost all U.S. public forest lands are available for a broad range of recreational activities, with some restrictions on uses that adversely impact the environment or the experiences of other users. Currently, 44 percent of forest land is in public ownership, much of it in Federal custody in the Western States. The remainder is in private hands, where family and individual ownerships predominate. Indicator 6.41 estimates that only about 15 percent of family forests are available to the public for recreation, and this number has been falling for at least the past two decades. Although the area of public forest lands have increased to a very slight degree since 2003, the falling percentage of private lands that are accessible for recreation use points to an overall decline in forest land available to recreation. This is increasingly important in the Eastern United States, where private forest lands predominate and large population centers mean higher demands for outdoor recreation activity.
At the same time that available lands for recreation are decreasing, recreation use has been rapidly increasing. As shown in Indicator 6.44, the number of recreational activity days has increased by 25 percent since 2000 and currently stands at 83 billion days. The number of people participating in these activities has increased at a slower pace—4.4 percent. An estimated 217 million people have participated in forest-based recreation activities in 2007 (both of these measures have specific definitions that need to be considered when comparing them with other measures—see the data report for details). Walking for pleasure and nature viewing are the most popular activities, and most of these occur on public lands.
Chapter 1 of Part I noted a growing alienation of urban populations, particularly the young, from forests and forest-based activities as one of the underlying forces driving forest policy and sustainability. The recreation numbers presented here do not provide explicit evidence of this shift, but major changes related to population demographics and cultural values take a long time to occur. Many of the indicators in Criterion 6, and the recreation indicators in particular, will provide an initial indication of the effects these potential changes will have on forest management and use.
Cultural, social, and spiritual needs and values. While the other subcriteria and respective indicators in Criterion 6 mostly measure specific outputs, values, and activities associated with forest ecosystems, the two indicators in this subcriteria seek to address the more intangible values and attachments people have to forests.
Indicator 6.43 calls for the measurement of land area protected specifically for cultural, social, and spiritual values. In this report, however, it simply measures the total amount of forest land in protected status of all types in the United States. The logical connection between protected status and cultural, social, and spiritual values lies in the fact that many people view natural landscapes as a source of spiritual renewal and their conservation as a transcendental goal. The indicator shows only a slight increase in protected public lands since 2003, but it also notes the rapid increase in protected private lands through mechanisms such as conservation easements and outright purchase (see Indicator 1.02 for additional information).
Indicator 6.44, a new indicator, seeks to measure the importance of forests to people. It involves considerable challenges both in conceptual development and in actual measurement. The pilot approach explored in this report relies on survey techniques to assess the various dimensions of people's relationship to forests and the importance they attach to them. Because of the difficulty in obtaining a truly representative sample, the team tasked with addressing Indicator 6.44 opted for a focus group approach, and has conducted some 30 focus groups as of this writing. Results highlight the diversity of feelings people have for forests, and the fact that these are largely determined by cultural background.


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DENVILLE — A Denville man accused of killing his ex-wife by stabbing her 84 times, then fleeing the state is applying for representation by a public defender.
Appearing before Superior Court Judge David Ironson today, Anthony Novellino, 63, said he hasn't hired an attorney even though a month has passed since his wife, Judith, was killed. He told the court he would seek a public defender.
Authorities have said the motive for the killing was the couple's nasty divorce that left Novellino so angry over the drain on his finances that he killed his wife when he found her removing her belongings from the couple's marital home.
Novellino, who is being held at the Morris County jail on $2 million bail, must meet financial guidelines to qualify for a public defender. Divorce papers show he earned about $50,000 a year and had a net worth of $800,000, although his wife stated he did not pay his share of household bills. People who knew him said he was working in the security field.
Judith Novellino, 62, a teacher at Morris Catholic High School in Denville, was found June 19 in the bathroom of her former marital home in Denville's Indian Lake neighborhood. She had been stabbed 84 times. Neighbors said she had moved out of the house a week earlier, but had returned several times to collect her belongings.
Novellino was arrested in Washington state five days after his wife's body was found.
Previous Coverage:
• Ex-husband of slain Denville teacher arrives in N.J. after extradition
• Five-day manhunt leads authorities to capture ex-husband of slain Denville teacher as a 'person of interest'
• Local tip leads authorities to find ex-husband of slain Denville woman in Washington state
• Ex-husband of Denville teacher stabbed 80 times is arrested near Seattle, Wash.
• Slain Denville teacher went through a bitter divorce, records show


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HUNTSVILLE, AL -- City Councilwoman Sandra Moon on Monday called for the resignation of all those who decided to place permanent public housing in south Huntsville.
Facing about 1,000 homeowners and residents, many agitated and unruly, Moon was among the last to speak at Monday's town meeting.
"I think this is a public trust issue," she said, referring to lack of public notice before the Huntsville Housing Authority bought the 50 units of Stone Manor Apartments in south Huntsville in February. "I have asked for the mayor to ask for the resignation of the authority board members."
Read the full story here and leave your thoughts.
See also:
No change to Stone Manor plans
Does public housing mean there goes the neighborhood?
Huntsville Times opinion: Spreading housing


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Open Water
Release Date: August 6th, 2004
R|1 hr. 19 min.
Plot Summary
Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) embark on a tropical vacation with their scuba-diving certifications in tow. During a group dive, the two separate themselves from the others to dive a little deeper. An incorrect head-count suggests the entire group has returned, so the boat departs. When the pair surfaces, they make out a vessel in the distance, but it does not immediately set in that they have been left behind. With sharks lurking beneath, their survival chances grow smaller.
Cast: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Estelle Lau, Michael E. Williamson, Cristina Zenaro, Jon Charles, Steve Lemme
Director: Chris Kentis
Genres: Thriller
Distributor: Lionsgate Films


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Published on August 12, 2014
Andy Hammermeister, director of Dalhousie Agricultural Campus's Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada in Bible Hill, is thrilled a large financial donation has been made by the federal government for continued research projects in the organic industry. Monique Chiasson – Truro Daily News
Published on August 12, 2014
About 40 people gathered at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus in Bible Hill on Tuesday to hear a federal funding announcement. Eight million dollars will be given to the organic industry throughout Canada. Monique Chiasson – Truro Daily News
Published on August 12, 2014
Agriculture Minsiter Gerry Ritz
Published on August 12, 2014
Chris Cutler
Dal AC assisting with science-based initiatives
BIBLE HILL – Dalhousie Agricultural Campus officials get excited when they think about the future of organics, even more so thanks to a large government funding announcement.
About 40 people gathered at Dal AC's amphitheatre in Bible Hill on Wednesday afternoon for the announcement that $8 million will be invested in the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) to lead an organic science cluster that will help the sector respond to market demand and create new opportunities in the industry. Dal AC's Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada took a lead in the initiative.
Representatives from Dal AC told the Truro Daily News overall $10.7 million is being invested in the organic industry Canada-wide and hundreds of thousands of dollars of the $8 million will go toward the Dal AC centre.
Chris Cutler, Dal AC professor and researcher, said local funding will go into projects such as using oil extracts from plants for pest control as well continued research and with students' travel to field sites.
"People don't appreciate all that happens … the college has a rich history in teaching but 50 per cent of the work done is cutting-edge, world-class research," said Cutler. "This work is relevant for the economy of Canada, developing new products and environmental aspects."
Andy Hammermeister, professor and director of the centre at Dal AC, said the financial assistance will make a huge difference.
"This industry is growing rapidly … the domestic supply is not meeting domestic demand," he said during the announcement.
Hammermeister said more than two years of work, including screening, applications, research and networking with partners, has gone into five main areas – field crops, horticulture, pest control, livestock and value adding, which is using raw products to end products.
"There's been 37 activities and 200 researchers come together on this," he said, adding federal funding – which will include 85 researchers receiving funds – will also assist with initiatives such as managing pest control, crop breeding, and improved greenhouse technology to extend growing seasons.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who made the funding announcement, said industry focus has been on research, competitiveness, market potential, adaptability and sustainability.
Recent work has centred on activities focusing on expanding organic production for hops, sprouts, ornamental potted plants and poultry. Continued work will embrace crop breeding for improved cultivars, new reduced tillage systems for organic crops, soil improvement and plant health and pest management.
Ritz said the industry is advancing quickly.
"Fifty-eight per cent of Canadians are buying organic products every week (and) there are 4,000 organic farms in Canada," he said, adding Canada has the fourth-largest organic market in the world.
"We are working on levelling the playing field," Ritz said.
Twitter: tdnMonique


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Peanut Butter Chip Cake
Kim Biegacki
Wow, this is one amazing cake and believe it or not has sauerkraut in it. Yes, you heard me right, sauerkraut; a whole cup to be exact. I enjoyed making this cake today because I was determined to trick my husband into eating some "kraut" (which he hates, by the way) the scent alone of peanut butter baking had him drooling. The aroma just lingered all through the house. Well, when I brought him a piece and he tasted it...he said "Wow, this is amazing!" ....hehe...took me 4X to tell him the secret ingredient before he believed me! Kept saying, "you did not!" ROFL
Got him and got him good!!!
Got him and got him good!!!
2 1/2 dozen or more
15 Min
30 Min
- 2 c
- all-purpose flour
- 1 c
- granulated sugar
- 3/4 c
- dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp
- salt
- 1 tsp
- baking soda
- 1/2 c
- butter, room temp.
- 1/2 c
- extra-crunchy, super chunk peanut butter
- 4 large
- eggs
- 1 tsp
- vanilla
- 1 c
- sauerkraut, rinsed, well-drained and finely chopped
- 1/2 c
- semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1/2 c
- or so of salted, dry-roasted peanuts for topping
- 2 c
- powdered sugar
- 1/3 c
- regular peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp
- butter, room temp.
- 1/2 tsp
- vanilla
- 6 Tbsp
- boiling water
Directions Step-By-Step
1In a large bowl, add all your ingredients except the chocolate chips. Beat with an electric mixer till well blended. (This batter is thick) Once mixed fold in the 1/2 of mini chocolate chips.
Next spread your mixture into a well greased and floured 10 X 15 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
2Let cake cool for 1/2 hour or longer before frosting.
Prepare your frosting and spread over the top of cake. It will make just enough frosting.
4Slice into squares and serve.
Oh, ran out of room in the story telling part but this is not my recipe. I found it on the internet and printed it out. I thought I saved the link but didn't. When I search and find it again, I will post the site where I got it. Whoever, came up with this recipe did an outstanding job!!!
Oh, and this is more of a dense cake and holds it own. It serves up like a brownie and chewy like it has coconut in it. The peanut butter flavor is incredible and the little mini chips are a must. They really bring something to it. I didn't have the peanuts to put on top but I am sure they will add yet more depth to this wonderful cake. I really hope you try it. :-)
About this Recipe
Course/Dish: Cakes, Chocolate, Other Desserts
Main Ingredient: Vegetable
Regional Style: American
Collection: Butter is Better!
Other Tags: Quick & Easy, For Kids
Hashtags: #peanuts, #sauerkraut, #Peanut butter, #autumn, #Fall, #Oktoberfest, #butter is better