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9 Ways to Cook Chicken Breasts People Will Actually Love
I used to be one of those people who ragged on boneless, skinless chicken breasts for being flavorless and dry. That was until I learned how not to overcook them.
In preparing chicken breasts, remember that they should be cooked only until the last traces of pink have vanished—and no longer. A thinnish breast subjected to high heat can be done in as little as 6 minutes, or it might take as long as 10 minutes or even a bit more—but never 20 minutes unless you are cooking the thing on a radiator.
Whatever you cook a chicken breast with is going to gain prominence, and whatever cooking method you use will have plenty of impact. This provides a good reason to keep things as simple as possible: a skillfully sautéed chicken breast with lemon juice is a beautiful thing. But gaining that skill takes some practice, and even for veterans, attention must be paid.
Here are nine of my favorite chicken recipes, all featured in The Matrix.
Cook one of these recipes this week, or share one of your own, using #MatrixChallenge. Just like last week, I'll be sharing some of your dishes, and one person will win a 12-inch cast iron skillet from Lodge.
The Changing Face of California Agriculture
This is the ninth episode of "California Matters," a series of videos about sustainable agriculture and healthy eating that I produced in collaboration with the Global Food Initiative at the University of California.
Jennifer Sowerwine's work at the University of California, Berkeley, centers on bringing largely unrepresented voices to the table for discussions around food security and food systems change. Much of her time is spent working with Hmong and Mien farmers in California's Central Valley, some of whom I visited a couple of years ago for a story I wrote about that area in The Sunday Magazine.
Many of these farmers, or their families, came to California from Southeast Asia, usually Laos, mainly as political refugees in the '70s and '80s. Sowerwine looks at how they got into small-scale farming, how they find and keep land, how they make farming economically viable, and how they're adapting and changing their practices to meet new challenges. In looking at these things — along with labor and crop diversity — she's found that these farmers have had little access to government resources.
Read the rest of this article here.
12 Fantastic Ways to Cook With Zucchini
Nobody complains about having too many cucumbers, tomatoes, or eggplants. But zucchini, the most productive vegetable (yes, I know that technically it's a fruit) of summer and early fall, does not get enough love. It's so prolific! It's so cheap! What are we going to do with all of it?
I suppose it's not just zucchini's omnipresence but also its mild flavor—and indeed, the difficulty of bringing out some of its character—that makes us feel challenged. But zucchini is a workhorse: tender enough to eat raw, and quick- cooking and amenable to all kinds of flavors. And there's something else in zucchini's favor: it maintains its firmness and freshness longer than any of the more beloved mid-summer vegetables.
When buying, look for the smallest zucchini and yellow squash; they don't have to be designated "baby," but something under 6 inches long and 1 inch or so in diameter will have better smaller, less cottony seeds. If a zucchini is tender enough, you can even eat the stem. You may also come across pattypan squash; their flying-saucer make them a bit trickier to cut up, but they can be used in any of the recipes here, as can yellow summer squash.
No doubt you have grilled and sautéed zucchini, and have probably also eaten it raw (even if it's just a bite taken while chopping it to be sautéed), but it's possible you've yet explored the wonders of zucchini in the microwave. Microwaving makes zucchini silky and tender with the push of a button. If you're without a microwave, you can move those recipes to a saucepan over medium heat.
Appreciate the zucchini. In the scope of the season's bounty, it may not steal the show, but you'll miss it when it's gone.
To learn how to cook zucchini 12 ways, read this excerpt from my new book Kitchen Matrix here.
This week, cook one of these zucchini recipes at home, or create a version of your own, and post to Instagram or Twitter using #MatrixChallenge.
I will be reposting some of my favorites, and one person will win an Inspiralizer from this week's Challenge co-host, Inspiralized.com.
A Watchful Eye on Farm Families' Health
This is the eighth episode of "California Matters," a series of videos about sustainable agriculture and healthy eating that I produced in collaboration with the Global Food Initiative at the University of California.
C.H.A.M.A.C.O.S. stands for the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas, and also means "kids"in Mexican Spanish. It's the name given by Brenda Eskenazi, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Berkeley, for a group studying the effects of exposure to agriculture chemicals on children born in Salinas Valley between 2000 and 2002. The longitudinal study has followed more than half of the research population since birth.
Eskenazi and her team have focused primarily on three aspects of health that may be affected by these exposures: neurobehavioral development, which, if disrupted, can affect a child's I.Q.; respiratory health; and growth, including weight and metabolism. This population sees higher rates of exposure to organophosphate chemicals, which are found in pesticides, than the general population, so there are possible implications of this study for farmworker communities and Californians at large.
Read the rest of this article here.
How to Cook: Chicken and Rice
Mushrooms Upon Mushrooms
Say ''mushroom mille-feuille'' to most veteran cooks and eaters, and they will most likely picture a golden mound of puff pastry filled with wild mushrooms in cream and herbs — a fine dish, if old-fashioned and increasingly rare.
This is nothing like that.
Read the rest of this column and get the recipe here.
The Roots of Organic Farming
Visiting the farm at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was a personal high point of this series, though I couldn't say exactly why. It could well have been because there's an experimental blueberry plot there, and when I went in the spring, it was raining, and the green leaves were sparkling and the wet berries were offset perfectly, and here was this glistening working farm on an otherwise more-or-less normal college campus, which just happened to be on a hill above the Pacific.
Or it could have been because the Santa Cruz campus has a series of beautiful, renowned, well-run gardens and farms, unlike on any other campus in the country.
Read the rest of this article here.
A Farewell
This is my last regular opinion column on food for The Times. I'm leaving to take a central role in a year-old food company, to do what I've been writing about these many years: to make it easier for people to eat more plants. ("Oh," say my friends, "you move to California and join a start-up." Yup. Corny as can be.) I see it as putting philosophy into action and will talk about details soon.
Read the rest of this column here.


text: Longitude (deg): -1.1. Latitude (deg): 53.3. Longitude (deg/min): 1° 10' W. Latitude (deg/min): 53° 20' N. Vice county name: South-west Yorkshire. Vice county no.: 63. Country: England. Identified by: Malcolm Storey. Comment: numerous patches on wall of gorge. Category: microscope photograph. Image scaling: magnified. Real world width(mm): 0. Photographic equipment used: Canon EOS10D digital SLR and Meiji microscope with x2.5 projection eye-piece. DPI defaulting to 72..

subset: commoncrawl


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See as nobody else, I thought I'd point out Love is coming to itunes - with 2 extra tracks. The Love mixes of Fool On The Hill and Girl. Also all Together Now movie about the production is going to be there. Pre-order now but comes out 8 Feb.
I am excited to hear the new tracks, as I thought Love was brilliant. Luckily they can be bought as individual tracks so no shelling out for whole thing again. One comment on The Beatles website says that after listening to the preview on itunes the two new tracks sound the same as the original. However I suggest that many of the tracks from Love would if you just listened to a short snippet.
More can be found here: http://thebeatles.com/#/news/LOVE_Album ... l_Together


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Contract Management is still insufficient in European companies. According to our survey, only eight percent of the companies regard their Contract Management as best practice. Main reasons for the poor results are weaknesses in organisation and processes: Only nine percent of enterprises operate the complete Contract Management centrally. Half of the companies have no key department for any related tasks at all. In addition, the enterprises see significant need for improvement in some of the most relevant contract-related processes, such as reporting and analysis options (70 percent), IT tools for support (62 percent), tracking of contract history and drafts (58 percent) or monitoring of commitments and terms (57 percent).
With the study, we would like to encourage you to think about the organisation and processes of your Contract Management to improve your business success.
The BearingPoint self-assessment tool can help you to identify what your enterprise needs to improve.


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The Oklahoma Forestry Initiative was established in FY 2013 to address the needs for conservation improvements on forest lands in Southeastern Oklahoma. The goal of this initiative is to improve the health and productivity of Oklahoma's forests while addressing existing resource concerns such as: Plant Condition, Air Quality, Streambank Erosion, and Water Quality. This project will provide landowners with financial and technical assistance to improve or establish forest land.
Through a cooperative agreement, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF) foresters will provide direct technical assistance to landowners. They will develop site-specific forest management plans. Financial Assistance will be provided through EQIP to establish and improve forests on lands with a site index of 60 or more. Only private, non-industrial forest land within the the following counties are eligible: Atoka, Choctaw, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, Pittsburg, and Pushmataha..
Environmental benefits will include carbon sequestration, sediment reduction, and improvements in the quantity and quality of forest products. Other benefits include opportunities for local landusers to implement best management practices in an affordable manner.
Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis, but only those received by the application ranking cut-off will be considered for the initial selections. Funding selections will be made exclusively from those applications received.
Applicants may apply by completing the NRCS-CPA-1200 Application Form and Appendix and submit it to their local NRCS Field Service Center.
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666 - Forest Stand Improvement
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A Pipers Guide to Music
A Highland Pipers Guide to Music
A Pipers' Guide to Music [to read this white on black click here]
One consequence of the changes that have taken place in Scottish piping in recent years is that pipers who formerly played only from music written for the Great Highland Bagpipe now find themselves being presented with music for other instruments, music which makes demands on the players which they have not met with before.
The purpose of this brief tutor is to offer pipers who have little or noexperience of the more arcane mysteries of written music some techniques for mastering these new challenges. At the same time, it offers techniques that can be adapted by players of pipes in other keys to enable them to read GHB music.
This tutor will also lay the groundwork for a future section which will tackle the question of writing harmonies for bagpipes.
Part One Keys
This tutor assumes that pipers are familiar with reading GHB music. It will not cover details such as rhythm, time signature or note-values. If you need help with reading these elements of music notation I recommend the theory books of any of the Music Examination Boards.
Keys and Their Signatures
The majority of highland pipe music is of this format:
Figure 1 The 42nd Highlanders Farewell to Gibraltar[from Maclachlan's Piper's Assistant]
A musician other than a highland piper could read this music, but the notes they played would be rather different
Why is this?
The answer is revealed by the following images. Fig 2 shows the music that our non-GHB player would need if they were to play the same notes as the GHB player.
Fig 2
Fig 3 shows the music that represents to the non GHB player the sounds that were produced by them when playing from the GHB music in figure 1. [listen to midi 2]
Fig 3
It is clear that each of these music images show the 'same' notes; each dot is in the same position; what is more, figures 1 and 3 produce exactly the same sounds when read by a non-GHB player. However, figures 2 and 3 contain symbols which the GHB music in fig. 1 does not.
Our first task is to understand what these differences mean and why they exist.
Key Signatures
The first difference between figs 1 and 2 comes at the beginning of the music. Each figure begins the line with the 'Clef' symbol [clef ='clue']. Fig. 1 then has the time signature, [which is also common to all, and which we here take to be understood by all] and immediately after gets straight on with the music. Figures 2 and 3 however, before their time signature, have a further bunch of symbols. Together these symbols form the 'Key Signature' – they tell the non-GHB player what 'key' they are to play in, that is to say, which notes must have adjustments in pitch made to their apparent notated pitch. Fig 3 also contains additional symbols, known as 'accidentals' before certain notes which further adjust the pitch, in this case to cancel out the adjustments imposed by the key signature [seems odd? Don't worry - it will become clearer later]
Why do we need to know what key we are playing in? GHB players do not need to know; they have only nine notes and they never venture beyond them [in orthodox piping]. But other musicians have a much fuller range of choices. The key signature exists to inform them which of these choices to make. The choices themselves come in what we might call 'packages' - what music theory calls 'keys'. The key signature exists to tell players which 'package' of choices they must make to play the ensuing music as the notator intended.
Because of the limited/non-existent choices available to GHB pipers, GHB music only ever requires one package; so, the GHB piper does not need a 'key signature'. Not, that is, until they play with another musician who asks them 'what key is that in?'
Before exploring this further, let's take a similar look at another tune from Maclachlan's collection. This is Robertson's Quickstep
Fig 4
And here is the same music played by a non-GHB musician
And here is the notation of what this player is actually playing:
Fig 5
A workable tune, you might think, but definitely not what the GHB piper played. Here is how it would be notated to sound like the GHB music
Fig 6
The left hand end of fig 4, the GHB music, looks identical to that of fig 1- like most GHB music it has no key signature. But the beginning of fig 6 looks different to that of fig 2. It has a different key signature. The GHB piper was playing in a different key!
OK. Let's take just one more example from MacLachlan, this time The Stormont Lads. This is the last four bars of the second part:
Fig 7 The Stormont Lads
And here's what the non-GHB player would make of this music:
And here's the music written to sound the way the non-GHB player played it:
Fig 8
And how they'd expect to be written to replicate what the GHB piper played
Fig 9
Again, the key signature is different; the GHB piper is playing in yet another key!
As an exercise, you might try identifying the key of a range of tunes from your repertoire, or from any GHB collection.
So, what's the difference between these three keys?
Part TWO Keys and Their Scales
Here are the three key signatures:
Fig 10 [ from Fig 3]
Fig 11 [ from Fig 6]
Fig 12 [ from Fig 9]
These three key signatures are made up of symbols known as 'sharps'
Now let's look at the differences in the music the non-GHB player actually sounds when he reads the GHB no-key-signature music:
Fig 3
Fig 5
Fig 8
Notice that in each case, the player, let's call them a fiddler, has altered the notes that appear in the same position on the stave as the symbols in the key signature;
fig 3 the F, C and G
fig 5 the F and C
fig 8 the F
In GHB terms these notes are referred to as F, C and G without reference to whether they are sharp or not. The piper has no choice, and so no need to concern themselves with the matter. But when the fiddler reads the pipe music they take no notice of this convention and apply the rules of standard notation; they play the notes as F 'natural', C natural and G natural, [hence the 'natural' symbol F natural] and the notes sound a semi-tone lower.
Now the GHB player playing fig 1 plays the G's as 'naturals', having no alternative; when the fiddler plays the version that matches the GHB version, as at fig 3, they too play G naturals, despite the fact that their key signature shows three sharps, including G sharp.
This is a crucial point because it reveals a defining difference between the music of the GHB and that of almost any other instrument commonly played in
Scales, frequencies and intervals
The word scale comes from the Italian scala-ladder. Though the notes on a musical scale go up in steps, the difference between a musical scale and a ladder is that the 'rungs' on a musical scale are not necessarily all the same distance apart. There are a considerable number of musical scales, differentiated by both the number of 'rungs' and the distances between them. Here is the GHB scale as it would be notated in conventional music:
The letters assigned to the notes of a scale represent frequencies, the rate of vibration of the source producing the sound. Now clearly, the range of frequencies generally available is not only unlimited [although human hearing limits the audibility] it is unbroken; running your finger up the fingerboard of a fiddle [while bowing the string] will give a continuously rising pitch. Even within the range of human hearing there are an infinite number of possible 'notes'. It is a feature of human physiology, or of the nature of the universe, or of something mysterious, that we hear relationships between selections from this range. These relationships are defined by simple mathematical ratios. This is the fundamental structure upon which all music is built and to my mind is one of the wonders of the world.
The most fundamental of these relationships is that between a note of any chosen frequency and the note with twice that frequency – a ratio of 2 to 1. The space between notes of different frequencies is referred to as an 'interval' and the interval between these two notes is an 'octave'. Pipers are of course, familiar with this concept, since it is built into the configuration of chanter and drones.
There is a whole sequence of these intervals, each of which determines the frequency of a possible note in a scale based on the chosen starting frequency. This matter is of profound interest but I will have to defer a discussion to elsewhere. The question for now is, how do we determine the starting frequency? Basically, if we envisage the frequency range as a sloping line on a graph, we can draw a horizontal line anywhere and call the point on the sloping frequency line where the two intersect the starting point. Exactly where this line is drawn has varied considerably throughout European history and is still being adjusted today; it varies too with the instrument. But it generally involves deciding a frequency which will be designated by the letter 'A'. GHB players use this letter to name the pitch of their drones, but will be aware that the pitch of their 'A' is not the same as the 'A' of accordion players, for instance – the GHB is considerably higher. However, the current international convention rules that the note 'A' should have a frequency of 440 cycles per second [the GHB may have its 'A' around 460-469 or even more].
The important point here is that the octave interval, between say an 'A' and the note an octave higher, is so fundamental that we call this higher note by the same name. Various conventions exist for differentiating these names by adding a suffix to the letter or by changing case – hence we might have A a a' a'' spanning three octaves. The GHB chanter of course spans only one complete octave with an extra note beyond.
Let's look at what happens if we start a scale on our GHB chanter with the note D. The note names are DEF#Ga [bc#d] The bracketed notes are of course 'hypothetical' for the GHB so this may seem an odd place to start; however, due to the particular characteristics of the GHB chanter, this is the only 'octave' whose intervals match those of the most common [outside the GHB world] musical scale, usually referred to as the 'major' or 'Ionian' scale. These intervals are
D-E tone
E-F# tone
F#-G semi-tone
G-a tone
a-b tone
b-c# tone
c#-d semi-tone
The major scale will have these intervals regardless of the starting note.
We have seen that the 'octave' interval is the result of doubling the frequency of the 'root' note, the starting note, and I have mentioned that this 'doubling' relationship is the foundation of a series of relationships. To explore the structure of keys any further we must now consider the next relationship, the interval of the 'fifth' [so called from it providing the 5th note in the scale]. [1]
What happens then, if we start a major scale on the fifth note of this D major scale, a note [and hence a scale] having the closest relationship to our starting note? From D, the fifth [counting the D as 1] is A. Using the intervals above, a major scale on A [A major] will have these notes and intervals:
A–B tone
B-C# tone
C#-d semi-tone
d-e tone
e-f# tone
f#-g# tone
g#-a semi-tone
Note that to maintain the major scale intervals we must raise our seventh note by a semi-tone, in this case from g to g#.
Now, let's go back and look at the key signatures we saw in part one.
Fig 10 [ from Fig 3]
Fig 11 [ from Fig 6]
Fig 12 [ from Fig 9]
Fig 11 has the two sharps we found in our D major scale and fig 10 has the additional g# needed to generate an A major scale. We can see a pattern emerging here. But what about fig.12?
Consider the process in the opposite direction; starting with the A major scale, our D major scale is a fifth lower [again counting the first note as 1]. Counting down five from D brings us to G and a major scale on G requires the following notes:
G-A tone
A-B tone
B-C [natural] semi-tone
C-D tone
D-e tone
e-f# tone
f#=g semi-tone
We can see that the G major scale requires only the f#; hence, the key signature in fig 12 represents the scale of G major.
We thus have established the key signatures which generate the scales of G major, D major and A major; music that plays these notes and has the equivalent key signature is said to be in the 'key' of G, or D or A major.
So can the GHB play tunes in these three different keys?
Well, as we saw in part one, yes it can, but with one crucial proviso. If we look again at fig 2 we can perhaps identify this proviso:
We now know that the music has the key signature of A major; but what are those 'accidentals' before the G's?. They are 'naturals' and they cancel out the effect of the G sharp sign in the key signature. They are not part of the A major scale surely?
Well, no. This is the characteristic of the GHB chanter mentioned earlier. If we start on A we do not get the conventional major scale pattern of tone-tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, tone, semi-tone; instead, the last two intervals are reversed [F#-g semi-tone; g-a tone]. A scale with this pattern of intervals is called 'mixolydian'; but, if the tune does not include these G's, ('Drops of Brandy' is an example) then the key may as well be taken as A major, since there's nothing to say otherwise.
For the sake of completeness, a scale starting on the G of the GHB chanter gives a scale known as the 'Lydian' mode, a rare beast indeed. Try working out the intervals yourself. Fig 7 appears to be such a thing, but since the determining note, the C#, does not appear in this tune, it is for all practical purposes, a G major tune. There are GHB tunes that include this C#, but they almost always use this note as a 'passing' note, one which plays little or no determining role in the music's character. Note that for both these non-major scales, the Mixolydian on A and the Lydian on G, the same key signature with two sharps would do to give the correct inflections to the notated notes; however, it would be more descriptive of the nature of the scale to give the major scale key signatures and apply 'accidentals' to readjust the notes where required, as in figs 2 and 7.[2]
Other chanter Keys and scales
The GHB chanter is capable of playing in other keys as well as those three we have; these scales however share their key signatures with those we have studied so far. You will be aware that some GHB tunes seem to be based around the note B, for instance. 'Brose and Butter' is an example. The scale on B has the intervals
B-C# tone
C#D semi-tone
D-E tone
E-F# tone
F#-G semi-tone
G-a tone
[a-b] tone
This scale on B is called 'B Aeolian': it shares its key signature, two sharps, with D major.
The scale on E is called 'E Dorian'; see if you can figure out its intervals.
The scales on the other chanter notes [C#, F#] are so rare as to be non-existent today; I would be fascinated to hear of a GHB tune that employed them. [Since you ask, the F# scale is 'F# Phrygian' and the C# is 'C# Locrian'.] [3]
Part Two Summary and questions:
In this part we have looked at scales, the patterns of intervals of which they are composed and the key signatures that describe them. We have also looked at the way these scales are related to each other, by the interval of the fifth.
You should now be able to write out the three major scales, A, D and G and identify their key signatures.
As a final exercise, see if you can figure out the notes, intervals and key signatures of the Aeolian scale based on the notes E, and of the Aeolian and Dorian scales based on the note A.
Part three Transposition
The cycle of fifths
If you've followed me this far you have the makings of an understanding of what key you are playing your GHB, smallpipe or border pipe chanter in. What we are going to tackle now is what happens if you decide to play on your GHB chanter music written out for instruments in other keys – D, G, C, F Bflat - fiddle music, for instance, might be in any of these or other keys. We will look at music that can be played on the GHB chanter using the process known as 'transposition'; converting the notes of one key into those of another. This music will at first look alien; we are going to explore how to come to terms with it.
First, let's go back to the key signatures we had:
Fig 10 [ from Fig 3]
Fig 11 [ from Fig 6]
Fig 12 [ from Fig 9]
And to the scales they relate to, in reverse order
D E F# G a b c# d
a b c# d etc
It is clear there is a pattern here and we have discerned above what it is; each scale is related to the one before and after by a fifth. What happens if we extend this sequence beyond the bounds of our chanter, maintaining the same major scale? [intervals of tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone]
We can do this in both directions, of course. Going down a fifth from G brings us to C.
C D E F G A B c
The F here must be 'natural' [dropping the sharp from the key signature]; the key signature is 'empty'. [note that this is what our fiddler reads when they see GHB music – hence the strange sounds they produce playing what in the hands of a GHB piper is a normal tune].
Let's stop there for a moment and go from A in the opposite direction;
A fifth up from A brings us to E; to maintain the major scale intervals we must raise the D to D#, adding a fourth sharp symbol to the key signature.
A fifth up from E is B and again to preserve the major scale intervals we must add another sharp, this time to the A.
At this point things start to get bewildering; a fifth up from B is F# and to maintain the major scale starting here we must raise the seventh note, which is E. Now, on a fixed tuning instrument, like a piano, or for that matter a bagpipe chanter, raising the E by a semitone brings us to F. However, music written in the key of F# writes E# instead. [For obscure reasons which are actually crucial to understanding bagpipe tuning, this E# is not actually the same as F, but we'll leave that aside for now]
A fifth up from F# brings us to C#; here we have the same problem as with F# major, only concerning the note B; it must be written B# [although this is nominally the equivalent of C]
This means we now have a scale with seven sharps in the key signature [pianists really do have to read such things ocassionally]. We should stop here and go back to our C major scale. What happens if we go down a fifth from C?
We are brought to the note F. Can we build a major scale on F?
Now the interval between the A and B is a tone when for a major scale it should be a semitone; we need to lower the B by a semitone which we do by using the 'flat' sign [for convenience I'm going to write this b]
Thus, where we had an 'empty' key signature for our C major scale, we now have one flat for our F major. You can probably predict how this will go – each fifth we go down, from F to Bflat, to Eflat, to Aflat, to Dflat, to Gflat to Cflat we add another flat to the key signature; You can probably write out these scales for yourself, taking care to always preserve the major scale intervals. Note that by the time we reach Dflat we have [again, nominally] reached the same scale as C# [and thus Gflat=F#, Cflat = B] [Again, piano works do exist written in Gflat, six flats].
Let's now write out the names of all these keys, starting with C#/Db:
C#/Db, F#, B, E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db/C#
In 12 steps we have returned to our starting point; this cycle is called 'the circle of fifths'.
If we were to count in fifths from a C# at the very bottom of the piano keyboard we would end up on a C# 7 octaves above where we started [most normal piano keyboards don't have that many notes]. [4]
In Fig 6 we saw a tune written out in the key of D; the notes of this tune are such that we can play it on a GHB chanter; however, here is another version of the tune which we cannot play on the GHB chanter.
Fig. 13
Our fiddle player will have no difficulty playing from this music; they will, however, be playing a fifth lower than before. For a piper to play along, they will need a different chanter, one whose 'six-finger' note is D, rather than A. A GHB piper could play this D chanter reading from the GHB music, 'pretending' they were playing in the usual way; the only difference would be that they were now playing a fifth lower.
However, the task our GHB piper has set themself is to learn to play the A chanter [or, indeed, any other pitch of chanter] from music written for some other instrument [an English bagpipe collection, say, published for chanters in D]. Fig 13 is an example, and this is another:
Fig 14
which is our first tune, only written in the key of D rather than A.
How does our piper learn to read and play this? Basically they must understand pretty well the material we covered in the previous sections, how the chanter scale relates to the key signature. Then they must tackle the manner in which the tune is built out of the scale and how this relates to the fingering of the chanter. Once the structure of the tune in one scale can be grasped, then it will become possible to transfer this structure from one scale to another.
It's worth reassuring ourselves that this task is made immensely easier because we have only nine notes to deal with in any one scale or structure; imagine having to learn how to apply this to all 12 keys and all seven octaves, as a pianist would have to do.
Before proceeding, let me just name the notes that appear in this music that GHB pipers may not have met before. I have labelled them as they appear in the second four bars of the tune;
F# E D c-natural C-natural
We are now going to analyse how a tune is built. It is done by putting together blocks of notes, blocks which themselves consist of small patterns. Pipers who have experience of playing a number of tunes will be aware that they often find themselves playing the same little patterns repeatedly in different tunes; if you have not had this experience, then you are going to get it now, because we will begin by looking at these 'blocks' as they occur in the tunes we have considered so far.
The most fundamental of these 'blocks', and among the shortest is the 'octave'. This should be no surprise, given what we have learnt so far about how music is constructed mathematically. If we understand the information contained in the key signature we can identify what this octave should be even if it does not actually appear as a 'block' in the tune.
Look at notes iv,v & vi in bar 1: [I shall not be counting the short bit of bar that often occurs at the beginning of a tune; this is called a 'pick-up'; bar 1 is the first full bar.] In this case the octave is indeed the basic one of the 'key', D major; the block is the beginning and end of the scale of D. We can consider this as the 'outer frame' of our tune's structure [although we will often step outside this outer frame].
One of the benefits of using the pipe chanter to learn this stuff is that there are only two possible octaves available; on the GHB chanter these are A-a and G-g. In our tune here they are D-d and C-c [You may find yourself wanting to play music written for an instrument that can also play an octave C#-c# - I shall not deal with that possibility now – it will cause complications which you should beware of; basically a GHB chanter cannot reproduce such music without modification.]
So, we have two octave blocks, one of which, by referring to our key signature, we have identified as forming the 'boundaries' of our scale. It so happens that in this tune we also have an example of the other octave, notes v & vi of bar three
C-c, the equivalent in the key of D to the GHB G-g octave.
So, by understanding the key signature and relating this to the notes of the tune, we have identified, first our 'six-finger' note, and then our 'seven-finger' note, as well as their relative octaves; that's four notes out of nine, nearly half-way and all we've done is look at the key signature and two notes …
Now, in our discussion of the relationship between keys we identified the interval of a fifth as being crucial, it bearing the next closest relationship to the root after the octave. Let's look for this interval in our D tune
We find it at bar 2, notes iii & iv. A-D. It is as if the A stands in the middle of the scale, between the D and the d. Between the D and the A in this sequence we find an F#. [7] The interval between the D and the A we know is called the 'fifth'; that between the D and the F# is called the 'third', since the F# is the 3rd note in the D major scale.
So these simple mathematical ratios have built us a further subdivision of our octave; we now have D-F#-A-d
Let's look again at this tune in A:
We can see here that the 'block' we have identified [bar 2, notes i- iv] is constructed from the notes A-C#-E-a, our six-finger, four-finger, two-finger and open notes. We can therefore translate this fingering into D-F#-A-d in our D major music. Together with our two octaves this gives us the knowledge to identify 6 of our nine notes.
Finally let's go back to the C-c octave and look at the first four notes of bar 4 of the 'D' version:
The notes here are C–E-G, they have the same relationship between them as the D-F#-A group has [being the 1st, 3rd and 5th of the C octave], they translate into G-B-D on the GHB chanter and they make our total of recognisable notes up to 8.
You have probably noticed that bars 3 and 4 here are 'identical' to bars 1 and 2 - 'identical' that is, in their structure, though they are a tone apart. Let's look at the last three notes in bar 1 and the first four in bar 2 [and their equivalent in bars 3 and 4]
We can recognise here our octave and 5th and 3rd; but what is that note iii? Well, it's a B, GHB pipers are familiar enough with it, though in the key of A on the GHB it plays a very different role. I am going to say little more about this note here except to observe that the sound of the notes DF#ABdBAF#D will be familiar enough to anyone who has ever listened to a 1950's rock and roll band. The B is a '6th' and is the equivalent in the key of D to the F# in the key of A.
So now we have identified all our 9 notes using the key signature and the simple intervals of 5th and 3rd.
The art of transposing
The whole art of transposing music for bagpipes can be described in two simple processes; first, to familiarise oneself with the relationship between these 'structural' intervals and the fingering that produces them and second, to identify these structural intervals in different keys.
So let's chart these structural units in each of the keys pipers are likely to meet in most instances: we will put the familiar 'key of A' set at the top and work down in fifths, and next to each we will list the 'seven-finger octave' equivalent to that which a GHB piper has on their chanter: [8]
A C# E a [ G B D g
D F# A d [ C E G c
G B d g [ F A c e
C E g c [ BbD F bb
Here are the last two notes of the first bar and the first four notes of the second bar of our tune in each of the keys we are considering, together with their associated 7-finger sequence from bars 3 & 4 [I have included the natural symbols as they would appear with the key signature appropriate for each key]: this pair of sequences contains all the notes on the GHB chanter.
And to complete the exercise, here's the original tune in each of the keys:
Try taking other short sections and playing them from each version. Same sound, different notes…
For completeness' sake, here are the other two tunes we have been considering, in all four keys: These are real challenges, since the 'original' keys involve scales that begin in different places – needs some thinking about; to help, I have ordered them so that the familiar GHB version is first
For our second tune, Robertson's Quickstep, the original is in the '3-finger' key. If French or other European pipe music is what you want to play, then you will have to master this challenge, since much of the music is written in this way. As usual, the trick here is to identify the octave interval the tune includes, and treat that as the '6-finger' note; the difference is that whilst this octave forms the 'frame of the tune, it is not the octave we should expect from looking at the key signature. Thus, the first example, our original, marked 'D', contains an A-a octave, and is thus written for an A chanter; the second example 'G' contains the octave D-d, and is written for a 'D' chanter - and so on. Notice that for a 'C' chanter this tune is written and played in F.
Robertson's Quickstep
D ['A' chanter]
G ['D' chanter]
C ['G' chanter]
F ['C' chanter]
The last tune, Stormont Lads, is even more of a challenge, since it is written in the 7-finger key; the trick here is slightly more complex, since we must identify both octaves, treating the upper one as our 6-finger note, since the top note of the upper of the two octaves will be our highest available note. One result is that on a C chanter this tune would be played in Bflat. Fortunately, pipe music in this key is rare outside of the GHB repertoire. Playing in this way does however have one unique characteristic on the GHB chanter; it provides a true 'major' scale across a full octave.
Stormont Lads
G ['A' chanter]
C ['D' chanter]
F ['G' chanter]
Bb ['C' chanter]
Part Four – Transposing Minor Keys
Earlier in this tutorial we mentioned the issue of 'keys' that share their key signature with those we have discussed so far. It is now time to look at these and the implications they have for pipers learning to transpose non-GHB music.
So far, the key signatures used have been those of 'major' keys [the 'Ionian mode'], that is, a scale with the intervals tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, tone, semi-tone. When playing this music on the GHB chanter, of course, we have to modify the written music by the use of 'natural' symbols to accommodate the fact of the 'flat 7th' of the chanter, giving us the scale tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, semi-tone, tone – the 'Mixolydian' mode.
Pipe-music, however, can be, and often is, written in other 'modes', as we have seen earlier. [9] The GHB chanter makes particular use of the 'B' scale and to a lesser extent, the 'E' scale.
Let's begin with the 'B' scale.
B C# D E F# G a [b] [the GHB chanter does not include this note, although it is well-documented that pipers in the past have played this note using various techniques]
The intervals here are tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, [tone]; this mode is named 'aeolian'. Looking at the notes included in this scale we can see that an appropriate key signature would be two sharps –
the same key signature as our D major key. How does this affect the process of transposing? Supposing, for instance we encounter the following:
'Brose and Butter'
At first glance it looks like a G tune, judging by the key signature, but when we look for the octave structure we find D-d; this, then is a tune written to be played on a D chanter. We can identity our D intervals
and we can identify what look like G intervals in the first bars of the second line but the E's in the first line are a sign that something else is involved. The issue becomes clearer when we look at a tune like the following:
'A Pretty Wench, and a tenant of my own'
Here we can clearly see the intervals of a scale based on the E:
This is an 'Aeolian' mode scale; on the D chanter, E F# G A B C d [e]
with the intervals
tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, [tone];
Both these tunes reveal however, the close link between this E mode and the G major mode; the second strain of such tunes often opens with G major intervals. In fact, in musical parlance G major is called the 'relative major' of E minor. [The use of the term 'minor' in music is a compromise that has crept in to 'art music'; traditional music has retained the rich variety of modes.]
Now consider this tune –
'Johnny Lad'
Here the key implied by the key signature is C and we have an octave C-c, both of which seem to imply a C chanter setting; but the second part has high d's which means something else is involved here; the only way a GHB-type chanter can encompass this setting is if the 6-finger note is D; the tune is in fact in a mode that starts on A [on the D chanter- equivalent of E on the 'A' chanter]]:
Since the F# does not appear, it is undecided whether this is an Aeolian mode (tone, semi-tone, tone, [tone, semi-tone, tone, tone]- A,B,C,D,[E,F,G,a]) - or a Dorian one (tone, semi-tone, tone, [tone, tone, semi-tone, tone], A,B,C,D,[E,F#,G,a]).
Appendix I - Closing the Circle of Fifths
Although, when using a piano keyboard to demonstrate the relationship between the 12 fifths and the 7 octaves, we do return to the note on which we started, 7 octaves higher, this is a fudge. The discovery that this is the case has been attributed to Pythagoras. The mathematics will reveal the true situation. An octave is produced by doubling the frequency of our root note; thus the 7th octave note will have a frequency of 27=128. The frequency of a fifth is 3/2 times that of the root; thus the 12th 'fifth' has a frequency of (3/2) 12 =129.746337890625. The difference is now known as the 'Pythagorian comma'; for Pythagoras, this 'shortcoming' was the reason why the cosmos could never be perfect and was doomed to come to an end.
[1] The ratio between the frequency of the fifth and the root is 3/2, the second term in the 'harmonic series' the items of which are related to each other by the simple mathematical series 2:1,3:2,4:3.5:4.6:5 etc. This series is one of the basic structures of nature; there is a profound secret here regarding the nature of the relationship between this series and the human sensitivities, which results in the universality of human musical enjoyment.
[2] Some editors will use two sharps plus a g natural in their key signature for A Mixolydian tunes.
[3] The GHB chanter might well be considered as playing three pentatonic [5-note] scales; starting on G, A and D. These scales all avoid determining the intervals between C/D and F/G by omitting either the lower or the upper notes of the pairs.
[4] See Appendix
[5] This is not, of course, how a tune is composed; that is a very different matter
[6] As usual, this is not true for every instance; we have seen that some types of scale share key-signatures; we will put this matter to one side for the time being and concentrate on 'major' keys.
[7] The ratio between the frequencies of the D and the F# is 4:5
[8] Although I have given three 'new' keys here, and in the following, you may find it easier if you concentrate your attention on only one of these until you have mastered it. Which you choose will depend on the music you have to hand; you will find that much English pipe music is written for a D chanter, and most French music for a G chanter;.You will only occasionally meet with music written for a C chanter. As for music written in other keys, you now have the tools to work it out for yourself!
[9] This system of analysis was not part of early 18th century Highland piping; Joseph MacDonald in his tutor divides his tunes by what he calls 'Tastes'; this is a system that composers and analysers of highland [and other] music might do well to revisit.


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Serendipitea makes a rose earl grey tea -- they also make a lavender, which I have had before. I would LOVE to see adagio carry these flowery earl greys. After all the years of drinking different kinds of tea, earl grey will always be my hands-down favorite...I'd love to see people do more with it.
Any earl grey suggestions, feel free to let me know!


text:
there are 3 apps for the monthly grant and one for the quarterly.
Anything else for the agenda?
James wrote:money - why does grants and evs make it complicated?
stephengoodall wrote:Behind the scenes 18/12/2008
AP Mike to start thread to try to begin collating info in one play for tech stuff- though as some of this needs to be kept secure, should maybe not be posted to public access fora.
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U.S. Women Advance to Montreux Finals
Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: email@example.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 12, 2010) – Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) scored a team-high 14 points in leading the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team to a 25-18, 25-23, 29-27 victory over NORCECA-rival Cuba in the semifinal round on Saturday evening at the Montreux Volley Masters in Switzerland.
Team USA will play China in the Montreux Volley Masters gold-medal match on June 13 at 4 p.m. local time (7 a.m. PT) to conclude the Montreux event. Earlier in the day China defeated Pool A winner Russia 19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23 in the first semifinal.
In other matches today, Poland handled Japan 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16 and Netherlands beat Germany 25-20, 25-16, 17-25, 25-19. Poland and Netherlands will play each other on June 13 for fifth place, while Japan and Germany's tournament concludes with the respective losses. The U.S. was the only team from Pool A to win a cross-over classification match.
The U.S. reached the semifinal round by finishing second in Pool A with a 2-1 record, while Cuba won Pool B with an undefeated record.
The U.S. grabbed an early 8-3 advantage in the opening set, then withstood a Cuban charge that closed the gap to 17-16 before closing out the set 25-18 on a 5-2 scoring run. Team USA overcame a 3-0 deficit to start the second set to win 25-23 after the lead exchanged hands six times with 11 ties along the way. The Americans overcame a 19-15 deficit in the third set and withstood three Cuba set points to claim a 29-27 victory.
Hodge, who scored the final point of the match with a block on Team USA's second match-point opportunity, tallied 11 kills, two blocks and an ace in the victory. Ogonna Nnamani (Bloomington, Ill.) chipped in 10 kills and a block for 11 points. Cynthia Barboza (Long Beach, Calif.) charted nine points via eight kills and a block. Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) scored three kills and match-high five blocks for eight points. Jennifer Tamas (Milpitas, Calif.) scored all three of her points off blocks, while Nicole Fawcett (Zanesfield, Ohio) provided three kills off the bench. Courtney Thompson (Kent, Wash.) and Nellie Spicer (Barrington, Ill.) rounded out the scoring with a point each.
Team USA held a 33-22 dig advantage as Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.) provided a team-leading 16 digs. Spicer added eight digs, while Barboza chipped in seven digs.
The U.S. out-blocked Cuba 12-5 for the match and used 29 Cuban errors to its advantage. Cuba maintained advantages of 41-36 in kills and 3-2 in aces. Cuba possessed a 73 positive reception percent for the match to the American's 56 percent. However, the U.S. still converted 45 percent of its attacks into kills with a .267 hitting efficiency. Cuba managed just a 40 kill percent and .168 hitting efficiency.
U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand) started Tamas and Harmotto at middle blocker, Hodge and Barboza at outside hitter, Nnamani at opposite and Spicer at setter. Davis was the designated libero for the match. Tamari Miyashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) was a back-row sub in all three sets, while Thompson and Fawcett were used on double switches all three sets.
Kenia Carcaces Opon led Cuba with a match-high 17 points with 15 kills and two blocks, while Ana Yilian Cleger Abel added 10 points in the loss.
Last, Cuba defeated the U.S. twice at the NORCECA Continental Championship, rallying from a two-set deficit both times. The Americans are now 90-50 against their NORCECA rivals since 1983.
The 26th Annual Montreux Volley Masters, a yearly event held in Montreux, Switzerland, is an eight-team event. For updated tournament host information, visit www.volleymasters.ch/program.php.
Additional information on the U.S. Women's National Team competing in Montreux can be found by clicking here, while the press kit is available by clicking here.
Following the Montreux Volley Masters, the U.S. Women's National Team will travel to Tijuana, Mexico, to compete in the Ninth Pan American Cup slated for June 18-26. In July, the team will have two Red vs. Blue exhibition matches. The first exhibition is scheduled for Irvine Valley College (5500 Irvine Center Dr, Irvine, Calif.) on July 17 at 7 p.m. PT. The second exhibition is scheduled for St. Margaret's Episcopal School (31641 LaNovia Avenue, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) on July 24 at 7 p.m. PT. Tickets are $5 at the door.
The U.S. built a 6-3 lead in the opening set after four straight Cuban errors. Hodge added a block and overpass kill to give the Americans their sixth straight point leading 8-3 at the first technical timeout. Cuba cut the deficit to 10-8 with three straight points capped with an ace down the line. Tamas put up a block and Barboza slammed a kill off the block after a Cuban service error to lift the U.S. in front 13-8. Cuba served its second ace of the set to narrow the gap to 13-10. Team USA returned to a five-point cushion at 15-10 on a Barboza kill and Cuban error. Cuba sliced the gap down to one point at 17-16 with four unanswered points. Fawcett downed a kill on an out-of-system ball and Hodge scored on ace on a serve that trickle off the net at 20-17. The U.S. added two more points to the run with a Cuban error and Harmotto block at 22-17. Harmotto cut a shot around the block and Cuba hit consecutive errors to close the set at 25-18. Barboza and Hodge collected five points apiece in the first set, while the U.S. out-blocked Cuba 3-1 and took advantage of nine Cuban errors.
Cuba scored the first three points of the second set, but Nnamani and Hodge slammed kills from the left side to cut the gap to 3-2. The U.S. took a 5-4 lead with a Hodge kill and consecutive Cuban attacks outside the antenna. Cuba promptly scored the next three points to regain a 7-5 advantage. Harmotto scored a kill and block out of the technical timeout to tie the set at 8-all. The U.S. went in front 11-10 on a Cuban error and Hodge back-row kill. Team USA extended its advantage to 13-11 on back-to-back kills from Barboza and Nnamani leading to a Cuba timeout. Hodge hammered a kill and Harmotto put up a block to send the U.S. into the second technical timeout leading 16-13. Cuba scored three straight points out of the break to tie the set at 16-all. Cuba put up a block at 20-19 to take the lead again. Nnamani blasted a kill from the left side and Cuba followed with an error at 21-20 USA to change lead for the sixth time of the second set. Out of a Cuban timeout, Tamas put up a block and Nnamani collected an ace on the right side to extend the U.S. lead to 23-20. Cuba saved two set points, including a block at 24-23. Hodge finished off the set with a kill at 25-23 after Cuba had three attack opportunities to tie the set. Nnamani scored six points in the second set and the U.S. benefited from nine Cuban errors in the victory.
The U.S. picked up the first two points of the third set with a Nnamani kill and Tamas block, but Cuba came back to take the lead at 3-2 on three straight points. Cuban stretched its lead to 8-4 with four unanswered points going into the first technical timeout. The U.S. sliced the deficit in half a Cuban service error and block from Barboza at 9-7. Harmotto and Tamas put up consecutive blocks to close the gap down to a single point, 10-9, leading to a Cuban timeout. Three consecutive USA errors allowed Cuba to regain a four-point cushion at 13-9. A Spicer kill, Cuban error and Nnamani kill narrowed the deficit to 13-12. Tamas followed a Cuban service error with a block to tie the set at 14-all. Cuba went into the second technical timeout with back-to-back points and a 16-14 advantage. Cuba increased its lead to 18-14 after two U.S. errors out of the break. Thompson provided a service winner after a Hodge kill to cut the deficit to 19-17. Fawcett added a kill off the block to move the U.S. to within one at 19-18. Out of Cuba's second timeout, Harmotto stuffed a Cuban attack to tie the set at 19-all and Thompson followed with a service ace to move the U.S. in front 20-19. Cuba came back with two points of its own to switch the lead to its favor at 21-20. Cuba extended its advantage to 23-21 after winning a long rally. Barboza slammed a kill and Cuba hit wide to tie the set for the eighth time at 23-all. Nnamani powered down a kill after a Cuban service error to give the U.S. a 25-24 lead. Cuba saved the match point and earned its second set point at 26-25. The U.S. went in front 28-27 after a Hodge kill and Cuba error. On its second match point opportunity, Hodge put up a block to win the set 29-27. Hodge provided six points in the set while the U.S. out-blocked Cuba 6-1 in the stanza.
U.S. Women's National Team Roster for Montreux Volley Masters
# - Name (Pos, Ht, Hometown, College)
1 - Ogonna Nnamani (OH, 6-1, Bloomington, Ill., Stanford)
2 - Kristin Richards (OH, 6-1, Orem, Utah, Stanford)
3 - Christa Harmotto (MB, 6-2, Aliquippa, Pa., Penn State)
4 - Angie Pressey (OH, 5-8, Lake Mary, Fla., California-Berkeley)
5 - Tamari Miyashiro (L, 5-7, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Washington)
6 - Nicole Davis (L, 5-4, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
7 - Jill Collymore (OPP/OH, 5-10, Seattle, Wash., Washington)
8 - Cynthia Barboza (OH, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Stanford)
9 - Jennifer Tamas (MB, 6-4, Milpitas, Calif., Pacific)
13 - Alexis Crimes (MB, 6-3, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Long Beach State)
14 - Nicole Fawcett (OPP, 6-4, Zanesfield, Ohio, Penn State)
15 - Courtney Thompson (S, 5-8, Kent, Wash., Washington)
17 - Mary (Nellie) Spicer (S, 5-9, Barrington, Ill., UCLA)
18 - Megan Hodge (OH, 6-3, Durham, N.C., Penn State)
Head Coach: Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Assistant Coach: Paula Weishoff (Irvine, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Jamie Morrison (Dana Point, Calif.)
Athletic Trainer/Medical Support: Jill Wosmek (Silver Lake, Minn.)
Technical Coordinator: Jennifer Hirneisen
Team Leader: Jim McLaughlin
Team Doctor: Dr. William Stetson
Final Montreux Pool Standings
Pool A
Russia 3-0
Japan 1-2
Germany 0-3
Pool B
Cuba 3-0
China 2-1
Netherlands 1-2
Poland 0-3
Montreux Schedule
June 8
Cuba def. Netherlands 25-18, 25-22, 17-25, 25-23
USA def. Japan 25-23, 25-23, 25-21(Unofficial DataVolley Stats)
China def. Poland 25-17, 25-23, 25-17
June 9
USA def. Germany 19-25, 35-33, 25-20, 25-22 (Unofficial DataVolley Stats)
China def. Netherlands 25-19, 25-20, 25-19
Russia def. Japan 25-16, 25-19, 25-21
June 10
Netherlands def. Poland 25-23, 16-25, 25-16, 25-23
Russia def. Germany 25-21, 25-21, 25-21
Cuba def. China 28-26, 22-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-8
June 11
Japan def. Germany 26-24, 24-26, 25-19, 25-16
Cuba def. Poland 25-22, 25-21, 25-22
Russia def. USA 22-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-18 (Unofficial DataVolley Stats)
June 12: Pool Crossover
Poland (4B) def. Japan (3A) 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16
Netherlands (3B) def. Germany (4A) 25-20, 25-16, 17-25, 25-19
China (2B) def. Russia (1A) 19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23
USA (2A) def. Cuba (1B) 25-18, 25-23, 29-27 (Unofficial DataVolley Stats)
June 13: Medal Round Matches
Match for 5th Place: Poland vs. Netherland, 11 a.m. (2 a.m. PT)
Bronze Medal Match: Russia vs. Cuba, 1:30 p.m. (4:30 a.m. PT)
Gold Medal Match: USA vs. China, 4 p.m. (7 a.m. PT)


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NPR's Planet Money blog explores the economics of boozing. Boozenomics?
One thought on "What America Spends on Booze"
Did NPR say if the overall consumption per capita gone up / down? I am curious if we are drinking more at bars or less at home- or just more at bars and restaurants….


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I can't resist stories like this: The Catholic Voice in Oakland, Calif., profiles a local student who was this year's winner of "Kids' Week" on the popular TV game show "Jeopardy." Ten-year-old Rachel Millena "devours American history the way some kids inhale fast foods and sodas," the paper reports. Here's the link.
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Custom Tablecloth
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Instantly refresh the look of your kitchen or dining room with our Custom Tablecloth. This mitered tablecloth offers a smooth drop with elegant pleats at the corners of your table. Choose your favorite fabric, then mix and match with our other custom fabric items.
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Microsoft Trademarks & LogosWhen referring to Microsoft trademarks and the names of Microsoft software, products, and services on packaging, promotional materials, advertising, Web sites, and other collateral, follow the General Microsoft Trademark Guidelines. These guidelines set the basic rules for using Microsoft trademarks and Microsoft software, product, and service names. View the Microsoft Corporate Logo Guidelines for guidelines on using the Microsoft Corporate logo.
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Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Treasure Coast Avionics Founder Dies
Lawrence Holland, the founder of avionics repair company Treasure Coast Avionics, passed away last week after a long illness. He was was 69.
Holland had been in the aviation industry for nearly five decades, starting his career in 1964 with Bevan Rabell in Wichita, Kan. He also managed an avionics shop in Savannah, Ga., and worked as a field service technical representative for EdoAire Mitchell radios and autopilots in Valdosta, Ga., before establishing Treasure Coast Avionics in 1990. Some of the highlights of his career in avionics include working on the LoPresti Swift Fury, designing accessories such as dimmers and audio interface boxes for many experimental aircraft, working on the Micco Aircraft avionics design and working on avionics in antique aircraft.
Treasure Coast Avionics, located at St. Lucie County International Airport in Fort Pierce, Fla., specializes in the installation and maintenance of avionics for general aviation aircraft, including experimental and light sport aircraft.
Holland's daughter, Cathy, is now the owner of the company. For more information, visit http://treasurecoastavionics.com/


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Here's how RW members rated this race in the past (56 votes).
In short: painfully enjoyable ;)In full: having run over 250 races over 7 years this race is right up there with the best of them. having just recovered from ITB and having pulled a muscle in my lower back the day before the race i couldnt give it a 100% but i enjoyed every bit of it, location was brilliant, starting in waves was very well organised, other runners seemed to help each other on the tougher obstacles, all in all a excellent race. if it had one downside it was the unsupervised baggage area we were all encouraged to travel by train/tube/bus as there was no parking and if you cant park and get changed by your car then you have to bring a bag and with 7000 runners thats a lot of bags.Date of review: November 13, 2011
In short: Awesome ChallengeIn full: Great race really challenging your need to be more than a good runner to complete it. Only thing that let it down was poor map of course for both spectators and runners.Date of review: November 13, 2011
In short: Upper body strength required.In full: Actually quite good fun, the obstacles really take it out of you. Good atmosphere, well organised and marshalled.Date of review: November 12, 2011
In short: Oodles of funIn full: Totally different from any other race I've done before. Enjoyed most of the obstacles...needed a bit of help over the wall (thank you to the marshall) and not sure I enjoyed the freezing cold water (twice!) about halfway round. Didn't mind the bottlenecking as gave me a bit of a breather :) wish I'd done this as part of a team as think it would have been a good laugh-not so much fun solo! Really wasn't necessary for an ultra competitive guy to push me over with his enthusiasm to get past, if you want to race it then don't start in wave 11!! Def needed water at the end. But all in all a fun day out..I probably won't trek 3 hours to Nottingham again but have signed up for the new London one next week so it cant have been that bad!! Date of review: November 5, 2011
In short: Nottingham 12K not 10KDate of review: October 11, 2011
In short: well worth doing, the obstacles were good and had a good lol Date of review: October 8, 2011
In short: Great race, lots of fun and camaraderie from other runners! A good tip is not to wear the UA T-shirt during the race, as it will never look the same after! Wear an old one of your own, and have the UA 1 to wear with pride after!Date of review: May 17, 2011
Date of review: February 20, 2011
In short: Fantastic experience, definitely do it again & great under armour Tee!Date of review: October 26, 2010
In short: my first attempt - very challenging, but do-ableDate of review: October 20, 2010
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The Penn State Office of Physical Plant Energy Website
This Energy Website offers you information on the University's effort on energy, including:
We are currently making improvements to the PSU OPP Energy Website. You have reached the new location, but we are still under construction. Please contact us if you need any information.


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Delsumma (exkl. moms)
Beräknad fraktkostnad
Beräknas i kassan
Adobe Central Output Server family
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Adobe Central Pro Output Server software dynamically generates electronic documents — such as purchase orders, invoices, and checks — that you can deliver via PDF, on the web, or in print. Merge data from legacy, line-of-business, ERP, or CRM applications with an electronic document template and output high-volume distributed printing or PDF file generation for web delivery.
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Local man gets jail term for hate-crime assault
SARANAC LAKE – A local man was sentenced to six months in jail this week for his role in a racially charged assault outside a Saranac Lake bar last fall.
Monroe Gladd III, 36, was indicted in March on a charge of third-degree assault as a hate crime, a felony. He pleaded guilty to the charge in April, and on Monday, Franklin County Court Judge Robert G. Main Jr. sentenced Gladd to 180 days in the county jail and five years of probation.
Gladd was one of two people village police arrested for being involved in a melee in the early morning hours of Oct. 28 on Bloomingdale Avenue outside Romano's Saranac Lanes.
The Enterprise published two letters from eyewitnesses to the incident, including Jeffrey Brown, a Romano's employee at the time. He said one man involved in the incident directed racial slurs at another person and threatened to go home, get his AK-47 and "blow all of these (N-word)s away."
Another writer, Rikelmy Williams, said in separate letter that her husband, who is African-American, was jumped by a "group of guys and was hurt to the point of going to the hospital and getting five stitches on his face." She also mentioned the racial slurs and the death threat. Williams was upset that police, at that point, hadn't made any arrests.
On Nov. 11, police arrested Bernard McCormick of Vermontville and charged him with third-degree assault as a hate crime. Gladd was arrested on the same charge the following day.
After Gladd was indicted, he initially pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. He could have faced a maximum of two to four years in state prison. At a pre-trial conference, however, the prosecution offered to accept Gladd's plea to the felony charge in return for six months in jail and five years of probation.
"When the court committed to that, he pleaded guilty," Assistant District Attorney David Hayes said Wednesday.
Hayes said the prosecution was comfortable with the shorter jail term because Gladd will have to abide by the conditions of his probation and because, until this incident, he had kept out of trouble for a roughly 12-year period.
The agreement also required Gladd to testify for the prosecution during last month's trial of Nancy Nixon, who was ultimately acquitted of charges that she set fire to a Park Avenue apartment building.
"He testified about seeing Ms. Nixon that night with (two other people) at the Rusty Nail (bar)," Hayes said.
At the time of Gladd's initial arrest in November, police said he was a Saranac Lake resident. When he was indicted, the district attorney's office listed him as a resident of Bloomingdale. A court summary provided this week by the DA's office said Gladd is living in Lake Placid.
Hayes said McCormick, who was indicted on the same charge as Gladd and has pleaded not guilty, is scheduled to go to trial in August.
Contact Chris Knight at 518-891-2600 ext. 24 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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>Runner's World - My Event Ratings>
In short: A tarmac treat up and down quiet country lanesIn full: A big thanks to the race director for letting us run when the race was full, I cannot thank him enough because we were all running for Cancer Research. My two kids both beginners thoroughly enjoyed the experience as did I having done very little running over the last few years. We all loved the glass we got at the end, and I enjoyed the beer, a nice touch to finish with. Date of review: September 8, 2015
In short: A great workoutIn full: Holding any road race in suburbia without any road closures is a big call, so well done to WG&EL for putting this race together.Terrible weather, but I was only out in it for just over 90 mins, unlike the marshalls, who probably did close on double that, and had all the hassle of directing the traffic too.A big big thanks to themDate of review: March 1, 2010
In short: A great way to start the weekendIn full: My only gripe about this race was the closed barriers on the way round. There was a real bottle neck at the first one after 500m with 250 runners trying to squeeze through a gap to the side of only about 6 foot. I must have lost 5-10 secs trying to get past this point on the course.Surely there must be some way the organisers can get the keys for these barriers, and have them temporarily opened for the duration of the race, even if it's only for the first barrier.Date of review: July 21, 2009
In short: Third time I've run this one, and it seems to get better each time.In full: Great goodie bag, and well stocked drinks stations.I think the sponges were new this year, and most welcome.Nice medal but the same type they gave out in 2007. Sadly despite passing her 4 times I failed to notice the woman atthe bottom of the hill at mile 4, I'll look out for her next time.Date of review: April 2, 2009
In short: I wont be doing this one again, unless they move Witham closer to North LondonIn full: Over 100 mile round trip to get there but well worth the effort. Loved the anniversary T shirt. Conditions weren't perfect but you have to be grateful, as it could well have been worse, with it being Winter. In short a surprisingly well organised/marshalled race for a smallish Essex club.Date of review: January 7, 2009
In short: Not a scenic course but very fastIn full: Moaned to myself as I went through the first mile. Typical I thought, the first marker is in the wrong place. By the time I'd reached the running track finish, I'd shut up. Could all the markers be in the wrong place, or had I just taken 30 secs off my PB?Whatever the answer, I'm keeping tight lipped. Might sneek back next year for this one.Date of review: December 9, 2008
In short: Good PB course. Possibly the best in London.Date of review: November 3, 2008
In short: Too tough for meIn full: Set off at training run pace, and pleased I did. The hill at 8 miles was a total shocker.Pleased I did it, but I'm a flat tarmac boy, so I wont be back.Date of review: November 3, 2008
In short: Just glad to see it backDate of review: November 3, 2008
In short: Being a lover of fast flat courses, there's not much I could say against this one.In full: Didn't get a PB but the course has a great 800m straight finish, which I enjoyed belting down. The stretches outside the airfield, were on quiet roads. Couldn't ask for more. Well organised with a drinks station at HW, and with kilometer markers in the right places.My kids loved the fun run, but that was possibly because it was just 1k long. Far too short for them. Get them to suffer and make them run at least 2k.Date of review: September 1, 2008
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As winter loosens its grip and spring arrives, a similar thawing process is taking place in the heretofore frozen tundra that the used-aircraft market had become. Trading has increased because sellers have accepted the new price territory that has been established-or is being established, depending on what model we're discussing.
April 1, 2010
February 1, 2010
The business jet finance field is unique because business jets are unique. For one thing, they move around-fast. A Gulfstream G550 that's in Zurich this morning could be in Tehran tonight.
February 1, 2010
After used aircraft inventory reached an all-time high last July, the market sustained a month-over-month decrease in supply, falling 8 percent below its peak of 3,100-plus.
December 1, 2009
If you own an aircraft and lease it out, can you be liable for damages caused when the lessee is operating it? The answer reminds me of a joke my securities law professor, Louis Loss, used to tell about a client wanting to hire a one-handed lawyer so the lawyer couldn't say: "Well, on the one hand...but on the other hand."
December 1, 2009
WHEN 2009 BEGAN, the preowned market was like a punch-drunk boxer trying to regain his footing. Down but not out throughout the year, the industry struggled to build strength and stability after absorbing an uppercut delivered by an economic near-catastrophe and then a barrage of power-of-the-pen jabs thrown by often-sensationalistic journalists.
October 1, 2009
I recently was invited to the Los Angeles Dodgers' Sports Camp, or "fantasy camp" as some call it. Unlike most of the events I attend, this one was unique in that I was the only aircraft broker present. At lunchtime-after we'd spent the morning trying to look our best hacking at the fastballs and changeups that zipped our way-we were asked to recount our business experiences.
October 1, 2009
If the experts are right, business aviation insurance rates could be on the rise soon. A recent spate of accidents will inevitably drive rates higher for airlines, according to a report by insurance broker AON. Because business aviation insurance rates have traditionally tracked those for airlines fairly closely, price hikes are likely.
September 1, 2009
Granted, President Obama's use of a private, albeit publicly owned, jet for a New York date night in May might have done more to fulfill a campaign promise to his wife than it did to support our industry. Still, it was a show of support.
August 1, 2009
You may have heard that is almost impossible to secure business jet financing these days, but to paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of its demise are greatly exaggerated. Though the feeding frenzy among aircraft lenders is over, you can still find financing if you know where to look.
August 1, 2009
On a purchase-satisfaction scale of one to 10, aviation insurance fails to register even a one for most buyers. And no wonder. There's simply nothing sexy about buying a stack of papers that promise to pay for a loss you hope won't occur and which, in fact, is highly unlikely to ever happen.
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-airline passenger Mike Feinberg, who was recently shocked to learn why his first-class seat was soaking wet
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The absolute best rolltop sock on the market. Great for running, golf, tennis, and just around the house. Superb durability, comfort and price.
I love my Thorlo socks. I wear dress shoes Mon-Fri and I love coming home and wearing my Thorlos around the house and when I don't wear dress shoes. The are very comfortable, warm and they last 5 times longer than other socks. I had my last pairs for well over a year and actually wore holes in the heels before I threw them away and ordered the new ones from Footwear Etc. The only bad thing is that Thorlos are very expensive, but they are worth it.
I loved the socks when I put them on-they felt like I was wearing shoes! The padding was wonderful!! After a week of wearing them to work and then wearing them during my workout (1 hour a day on the elliptical) I noticed that my toes were bruising each other from being scrunched together too tightly in these socks! I wear the MBT shoes with a large toebox both to work and for my workouts-so I KNOW it is not the shoes! The minute I quit wearing them, my bruises went away-problem solved! If you want to wear them to bed they would probably be fine...
I love Thorlo socks for the cushioning, but socks that slip down into your shoes and wrinkle up under your feet are useless, in my opinion. I would not buy this style again, but would continue to buy Thorlos for other styles of sock.
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Lifesaving Program
CZM Chrysalis Group
S.A.I.L. Group
Dallas Margarita Society
Cozumel Volunteer Connection
Turtle Salvation Program
Cozumel Community Blood Donor Registry
Cozumel Volunteer Connection in partnership with the
Quintana Roo State Health Services
Volunteer Connection
is presently working with our community blood bank located in Centro de Salud in three important areas that will benefit all of Cozumel:
Establish a viable donor registry comprised of both American and Mexican residents that can be accessed 24/7 in emergency situations.
Identify a pool of potential donors who will be available when the Centro de Salud blood bank has a specific need.
Work with the medical community to launch a campaign that will educate island residents about the need for altruistic donors and dispel myths about donating blood.
Who benefits?
When you donate blood you give that gift of life. You and your family, friends, and neighbors will all benefit from this important community resource.
How can I register to be a potential blood donor?
The simplest way is by completing our online form. If you would like to register personally, you can stop by the
Volunteer Connection
office, located at 602-B Rafael Melgar, upper level.
Click on the "Register" button to register as a Cozumel Blood Donor! If you are already a donor you can use the same form to view or update your information.
Register NOW as a Cozumel Blood Donor ->
What is our current situation in Cozumel?
In January of 2003, Quintana Roo Health Services and the State Center for Medical Transfusion established the island's first and only blood bank. The blood bank serves three state-funded medical facilities and two private clinics here on the island that have elected to participate in the program. The facility's goal is to consistently maintain a blood supply that includes all types.
Donated whole blood is sent directly to the State's Cancun laboratories where it is analyzed, processed, and then returned to the island and stored in the Cozumel blood bank, which is located in Centro de Salud.
When blood is required by any of the five participating medical facilities, a withdrawal is made from the bank and in exchange the patient or their family are requested to re-deposit blood in the future by donating two units for every unit used.
The majority of the Mexican population remains uneducated about donating blood and many believe that if they give blood, they may become anemic or contract some other debilitating disease. As a result, family members almost never reciprocate as blood donors, and there is sometimes no blood available when emergencies arise. .
Is it safe to give blood?
Yes, it's very safe. Each needle used in the procedure is sterile and is disposed of after a single use.
Who can donate blood?
Healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 65 whom
Weigh more than 50 kilos/110 pounds
Are not pregnant or menstruating
Have not consumed alcohol within 48 hours
Have fasted for 8 hours
What is the procedure for donating blood?
A doctor will give you a brief exam and check your vital signs.
You will be asked a series of standard questions (including sexual history and drug use) used to prescreen blood before it submitted for analysis.
If the medical staff determines that you are a viable donor, blood will be collected and sent to the Cancun laboratory. If an in-depth analysis indicates that the blood is safe, it will be processed, returned to Cozumel, and stored in the blood bank for future need.
Is the inventory in the blood bank safe?
All donated blood is subject to the very same kinds of analyses procedures used in the United States, including screening for hepatitis and HIV. Once the donated blood is determined to be safe, it is returned to Cozumel inside a special refrigeration system and then stored at the proper temperature until it is needed. State Health Services staff carefully monitors expiration dates.
How long can the blood remain in the bank?
Donated blood can last up to 42 days at which time it is no longer viable for transfusions and must be disposed of. Cozumel's staff is diligent about monitoring dates and supplies nearing expiration are sent to Cancun where it has a greater likelihood of being used.
What happens when the blood bank's limited supply is depleted and there is a medical emergency?
Hospitals and clinics must revert to the old system where the patient's family begins a desperate search for a particular blood type. Once that person has been located, precious hours may be lost while the donor's blood is analyzed for compatibility and safety -- a wait that sometimes results in the patient losing his or her life.
Copyright © 2000-2016 Sherri Davis, All Rights Reserved. All website content is the property of Cozumel Insider unless otherwise attributed and cannot be used, displayed or reproduced without express written permission from Cozumel Insider. Contributors retain the copyright to their work where applicable; please do not take art or words without permission. Other graphics and reference materials are used and attributed as per the Fair Use Provision of The Copyright Act and individual terms of use.
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Cecil West was honored at the KCTCS Annual Student Achievement Awards Luncheon with SCC's Student Achievement Award.
After reading about the diesel program on the SCC website he decided to give it a shot. "I think that the small class sizes contributed the most in choosing SCC," says West. "The campus is also close to home. This is a plus because I am married and have kids," he adds.
Cecil is 27 years old and from Monticello where he attended Wayne Co. High. After he graduated in 2003 he immediately shipped out to Marine Corps boot camp. During his four years in the Marine Corps he was deployed once to Iraq. After returning home from service he worked as a logger for two years, spending most of that time trying to keep the equipment running. He discovered he enjoyed turning wrenches more than operating machinery.
West credits his instructors, Jake McPheron and Ricky Harris, with making his SCC experience rewarding. "Their experience and drive to teach, coupled with their thirst for new information made school an easy part of my life." "They were both vital to my success as a student," he adds. West currently runs his own agricultural equipment repair business, repairig farm tractors and other off-road equipment.
He will graduate in Fall 2011, with diesel and welding certificates in addition to a diploma and a degree. You can learn more about the Diesel program at SCC contact Jake McPheron at 606 451-6821. To learn about the Welding program contact Daniel Burnett at 606 451-6749.


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The Speckled Monster: A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox
Jennifer Lee Carrell
Dutton, $24.95
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In these dire days, when fear of epidemic is great, it seems peculiar to have found pleasure in reading a book about smallpox in the 18th century, early attempts at inoculation and two heroic figures who were both survivors of this terrifying disease.
The Speckled Monster: A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox by Smithsonian contributor Jennifer Lee Carrell is the highly engrossing story of an English aristocrat, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and a Boston physician, Zabdiel Boylston, whose scarred faces showed they had survived the disease. Neither one invented inoculation—a precursor to vaccination that used active smallpox cells to invoke a milder strain of the disease—but they were crucial catalysts in a time when European medicine was helpless against the disease but loath to admit it.
The book illuminates the lives of the two pioneers who were both determined to prove that methods of inoculation could work. Hidden in the unrecorded history of folk medicine of the Middle East, the Caucasus and Africa were vital clues to successful precautions taken by the local people to defeat smallpox. Oral accounts came to the attention of Lady Mary, once a great beauty, who wore a silken veil to hide her pitted face, and the stubborn and courageous American doctor. Both had their own children inoculated, knowing the risks involved.
Carrell eloquently evokes the world inhabited by these two brave figures. There are descriptions of flowers, dresses, neighborhoods, menus and superstitions. She even found out what curses would have been hurled against the doctor in Boston. "Raw Head and Bloody Bones," a mob howled outside the Boylston house, throwing pebbles, rotten fruit and eggs. They thought his inoculations were demonic and called him a murderer. Another Boston doctor called him "illiterate, ignorant, confused, rash, mischievous, negligent, inconsiderate." Boylston had successfully inoculated his little son Tommy and two slaves. One of the myths about inoculation was that it did not produce a true smallpox in the patient but a spurious case of chicken pox. Zabdiel knew better.
To inoculate, Dr. Boylston first pricked a pustule on the body of a smallpox victim and deposited the fluid in a vial he carried around his neck. After lightly cutting the skin of a patient he mixed a drop of blood with a drop of the fluid, which he applied with the point of a quill. The wound was bandaged and the patient then showed symptoms of the disease before recovering, usually without scars.
The book begins with the life of the privileged and intelligent Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. During her illness, surgeons arrived to "bleed" her in the belief this would clean the poison in her blood. When at last she looked at her face in a mirror, it was not recognizable.
After her husband was appointed British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, a new, happier life began for Lady Mary. She studied Turkish poetry, music, cookery and the language. She learned how Turks protected themselves from smallpox. The process was called engrafting. On March 18, 1718, the chief Inoculatress of Constantinople, veiled from head to toe in black, inoculated Lady Mary's small son Edward, who recovered nicely.
It was Edward Jenner, an Englishman, who would, in 1796, use cowpox to inoculate against smallpox. The word "vaccination" is from vaccinnia, the Latin term for the cowpox virus. "It was as if an angel's trumpet had sounded over the earth," an admirer said. In this splendid book we learn how two people fought ignorance by taking enormous risks. Carrell tells this gripping story with ardor and skill.
Reviewer Gloria Emerson's most recent book is the novel Loving Graham Greene.


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BEIJING — In the first case of its kind involving foreigners, a British citizen and his American wife go on trial in Shanghai on Friday on charges of conducting an illegal investigation for GlaxoSmithKline in connection with allegations of bribery by the British pharmaceutical giant to boost sales in China.
In an interview Monday with USA TODAY, Harvey Humphrey, the son of Peter Humphrey, 58, and Yu Yingzeng, 61, said he is "cautiously optimistic" that his parents would receive a light sentence and be released next month after more than a year in detention.
The company said it hired the couple in April 2013 to investigate a security breach concerning a former employee's suspected e-mails that alleged widespread bribery at GSK, and circulation of a sex tape of GSK's former top China executive, Mark Reilly, with his girlfriend.
Humphrey and Yu were formally arrested last August and indicted last month on charges of conducting an illegal investigation. Their Shanghai-based consultancy, ChinaWhys, "illegally trafficked a huge amount of personal information on Chinese citizens" from 2009 to 2013, according to city prosecutors, as quoted by Xinhua, the state news agency.
After a 10-month investigation, Chinese police have also accused GSK of corruption on a huge scale, offering bribes to boost its China sales and inflating drug prices to offset the bribery expenses, Xinhua said. Reilly, 52, a married father of two, voluntarily returned to China last summer to cooperate with authorities and was subsequently detained.
In a statement issued last month, GSK said that after investigations into the allegations, "some fraudulent behavior relating to expense claims was identified, and this resulted in employee dismissals and further changes to our monitoring procedures in China."
"However, this investigation did not find evidence to substantiate the specific allegations made in the whistle-blower e-mails," the company said.
GSK added that it hired ChinaWhys to investigate "a serious breach of privacy and security related to the company's China general manager. They were not hired to investigate the substance of the allegations of misconduct made by the whistle-blower."
"We have zero tolerance for any kind of corruption in our business, and we have many policies, procedures and controls in place to monitor this and take action against any breaches," the company statement said.
Harvey Humphrey, 19, the accused couple's only child, was allowed to visit his parents last Friday for the first time in more than a year. Humphrey, who was born in Boston and has dual U.S-United Kingdom citizenship, said their health appeared "mediocre" but "stable."
Humphrey said he expects a guilty plea, "as that usually works best in China," and hopes for a light sentence that could see them released as soon as September.
The "best-case scenario would be the number of days they have served plus a few more days," he told USA TODAY in Beijing. After initial concern that authorities would hold a closed trial, as is common in China, Humphrey will be allowed to attend, along with consular officers from the USA and U.K., he said. Foreign media are unlikely to be given access to the trial.
When they are released, Humphrey said he expects his parents, who had intended to retire this summer, will move to the U.K., where he will start college this fall. Humphrey has delayed his planned mechanical engineering studies for a year to help his parents.
A near-fluent Mandarin speaker who has spent his whole life in mainland China or Hong Kong and calls Beijing home, Humphrey said he would still consider a career in China, despite his parents' ordeal.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard in London