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Party Recap
For our daughter's third birthday, we had a pirate party. She was really into pirates and when she brought up this idea, we were more than ecstatic! We first found some pirate type things in Target's dollar bins 75% off. We found the items six months prior to her party, so we knew there was a chance she could change her mind, but they were cheap enough, we bought them anyway. This ended up being the start of her picking out themes months, even years before her parties, and us getting to execute them. But that's another story.
After having two parties at our house, we knew the next one needed to be in a separate building. Our house was too small for a lot of guests, and even though our deck was large enough, July was far too hot to have children outside for long. (We tried that already.) I found a decent enough building in my town and it ended up being more than perfect! When you first walked in there was a a sitting area with couches and a space with tables to eat off of and an attached kitchen. Then there were two large doors off to the side (the building is L-shaped) and then that was an even larger room! This inspired me so much.
The invitations were from Oriental Trading and were the message in a bottle ones. And at the time they even had triangular stamps with ships on them and we ended up using three on each manila envelope we mailed them in.
Right at Christmastime, before I had even known we would have a pirate party, I found a Dora outdoor pirate ship for $45 on sale and had held on to it for her birthday. Wow, it ended up being perfect in so many ways! I attached a balloon to it and put the pirate ship out in the sitting area that was there when you first enter the building, and put a sign on it that said, "The Present Ship." I also put a sign on it that had a photo of my daughter dressed up in some of her pirate gear that said, "Captain Bailey's Loot." My idea was to put all the presents in there, but the kids had a better idea. To play in it before the party started! Well, that worked even better.
The dining tables varied between black and red tablecloths, and it looked like I raided Oriental Trading's pirate party supplies. (Unfortunately, they have even better ones now, all these years later!! Arrgh!) I put these little pirate ships on the tables and sprinkled plastic gold coins on the tables. The little ships were from the Target clearance stuff I had bought in advance. (Not too terrible for a quarter!) I also used some of the pirate cups and put Jolly Roger flags in them as filler, as the tables had looked a bit naked.
As for the food, we had a Buccaneer Buffet. We served a meat platter with different rolls and whatever topping we remembered to buy. My daughter's Godparents brought the baked beans (so yummy!). We also had potato salad. I think we may have had chips too. I tried out my new punch fountain (the best clearance find ever at $12.24 and I have since used it A LOT). My friend and I had some issues at first setting it up, but it ended up being gorgeous on the table! I meant to dangle necklaces off of it, but I was too worried they'd fall in and contaminate the punch. I worry about things like that. I also had found pirate apple juices boxes!
I also have a thing about little kids blowing out cake candles and spitting all over the cake that everyone else has to eat (and now you get to think about that...oops) so I made my daughter a miniature treasure chest cake using a small loaf pan and different candies as the treasure. It looked very homemade, but she didn't mind. I also had bought a pirate ship cake from Hyvee, which spared me from spending hours to make it, which I would've done. Then, me being me, I was convinced we still wouldn't have enough cake, so I also bought cupcakes from the store that were Pirates from the Caribbean. They just happened to have them there when I picked up the cake, so I grabbed them too.
I had a lot of tropical decor around, and almost all of that was leftover from our wedding reception. (We got married in Jamaica and had a tropical reception when we returned.) I ended up being glad I had saved it all! I also found these metal serving trays from the Dollar Tree, and they looked like pirate treasure pieces to me, so I used those too. I did have to buy some extra tropical decor, but only because it was cute.
On the two large doors that opened to the larger room, I placed a sign that said "No Trespassing" and something about walking the plank and pirate tape that said, "All pirates Beware!" and hung a plastic skeleton above the doors. It looked like decor, and that the room really was blocked off, so no one, especially the kids had any idea what was in the other room. Except my friend, she knew. And maybe my husband. After it looked like everyone was winding down from eating, I interrupted their conversation and announced to the kids I found a treasure map and wondered if they'd want to go on a treasure hunt with me. They all agreed and so we approached the two doors. By this time, there was a sign on the doors that said, "If you think ye a pirate, Port of Paradise is the place to be. Once you arrive there, then you will see."
We opened up the doors and started at the Port of Paradise. At the Port of Paradise was The Paradise Pirate Clothing Co. where we read a sign that said, "Get a vest, grab a hat too. Now go next door for your pirate tattoo." (I bought the vests with bandanas from Target's dollar bin clearance and the hats from Oriental Trading.) The kids each grabbed their gear and we headed to the tattoo parlor. The kids each chose their own tattoo and we then looked to the map to where to proceed.
We came to a place called Craft Cove and went to a place called "The Crafty Crab" that had a sign that said, "Here at the Crafty Crab, crabs we make. Paint and brushes; all it'll take." The kids painted little wooden crabs here and later, once they were dry, they attached eyes on the front and a magnet to the back.
We passed a scary alligator on the way to our next destination and approached "Carnival Island." A sign there read, "To find the treasure, treat it like a game. Carnival Island's the spot- ready, fire, aim."
Carnival Island had a couple games. There were two sharks and a sign that read, "Dare you to walk the plank, grab a flag and walk back, but don't fall in; I guarantee a shark will attack." The kids did that without any issues. There was also "Hook the Loot." They each won a gold necklace there. There was supposed to be a third game, but not all things work out as planned. The new inflatable pirate ship game I had bought didn't come with its plug-in, and I of course hadn't tested it before the party, but the kids didn't know about it.
After we played the carnival games, we found two ferns in an "X" shape and a sign that said, "Down is up, up is down, figure that out, and your treasure is found." We dug the treasure from under the brown tablecloth and there was a treasure chest pinata. I had a pinata stick lying next to a shovel. I handed out little black paper sacks with pirate stickers on the outside for their loot. (I found the little bags from Michael's and added stickers from their scrapbooking supplies.) Inside the pinata was loads of confetti (not my brightest idea when it came to cleanup) and chocolate gold coins, rolos, pirate fruit snacks, and I'm unsure of anything else. Then we had cake, opened presents, finally remembered my pirate music CD (not to be confused with pirated music), and sent the kids home with their loot.
Unfortunately, I can't find my picture of the treasure map, but I included as many other photos as possible.
Party Highlights
Activities / Games
Treasure hunt that led us to the pirate clothing shop, tattoo parlor, The Crafty Crab, Carnival Island games, and finding the buried treasure in the form of a pinata.
Party Favors
Their pirate vests, bandanas, hats, tattoos, crab magnet they made, gold necklace, pirate flag, and their loot bags with pinata treasure.
Best Moment
My daughter kept blowing out the candles before we had a chance to sing to her.
What People Ate
Lunch from the Buccanneer Buffet- Sandwiches made from the meat and cheese tray, potato salad, grapes, chips, and baked beans.
What People Drank
Punch, soda, and pirate apple juice boxes.
Funniest Moment
My daughter's Godparents' dog wearing a pirate hat.


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Nov. 17, 2009
Alexandria, 1953
You could think of sunlight
Glancing off the minarets,
You could think of guavas and figs
And the whole marketplace filled
With the sumptuous din of haggling,
But you could not think of Alexandria
Without the sea, or the sea,
Turquoise and shimmering, without
The white city rising before it.
Even on the back streets
You could feel it on your skin,
You could smell it in the aroma
Of dark coffee, spiced meat.
You looked at the sea and you heard
The wail of an Arab woman singing or praying.
If, as I can now, you could point
To the North Atlantic, swollen
And dark as it often is, you might say,
"Here lies Wrath," or "Truly God is great."
You could season a Puritan soul by it.
But you could fall into the Mediterranean
As though you were falling into a blue dream,
Gauzy, half unreal for its loveliness.
It was deceptively calm and luxurious.
At Stanley Bay, you could float
On your back and watch the evening sun
Color the city a faint rose.
You could drown, it was said,
Almost without knowing it.
It's the birthday of the man who created Saturday Night Live — Lorne Michaels, born in Toronto, Canada (1944). He majored in English at the University of Toronto, and then moved to Britain in the 1960s to pursue a career selling cars. His friends and acquaintances in England, who loved his sense of humor and recognized his leadership potential, quickly realized it'd be a huge waste of talent for him to sell cars all of his life.
He moved back to Canada, where he formed a comedy duo with Hart Pomerantz. In the early '70s, they had their own television variety show, "The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour," on Canadian television. They also contracted their talents to comedic acts in the United States, writing for Phyllis Diller, Lily Tomlin, Joan Rivers, and Woody Allen. They wrote for the NBC show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and then NBC asked Michaels to come up with a comedy show to replace the Johnny Carson reruns that aired Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m.
Michaels recruited talent from all sorts of places. Dan Aykroyd was a fellow Canadian, and Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner had worked on the National Lampoon show. Muppet creator Jim Henson created sketches for the show, and recent Harvard grad Al Franken was signed on as a writer. Michaels put together the first season, 1975–1976, and won an Emmy for it.
It's the birthday of a young man who became a best-selling author as a teenager, Christopher Paolini, (books by this author) born in Southern California (1983) and raised near Paradise Valley, Montana. He was homeschooled, and when he finished high school at age 15, he had a lot of time on his hands, so he decided to write a fantasy novel. He began Eragon and finished it a year later. He spent a second year revising that draft, and then gave it to his parents. They loved it, and in 2001, Eragon was self-published through the family company. The Paolini family embarked on an exhausting tour to promote Christopher's book. They went to 135 promotional events that first year, dressed in red and black medieval costumes. Paolini got offers from both Random House and Scholastic, and in August of 2003 — when Paolini was still 19 — the book was published by a division of Random House/Knopf. The book went straight to the number three spot of the New York Times Best-seller List.
On this day in 1936, Scribner's Maxwell Perkins wrote a letter to Thomas Wolfe that chronicled one of the most famous conflicts between editor and novelist in the history of American publishing. Perkins had helped to discover the young and unknown Thomas Wolfe (books by this author) (along with Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald) and helped shape Wolfe's manuscripts into book form. He sat down with Wolfe — and his first manuscript, O, Lost, written in just 20 months — and helped him cut more than 60,000 words; the finished product, published while Wolfe was in his 20s, was still 544 pages long and now entitled Look Homeward, Angel (1929), from a poem by John Milton.
The manuscript for Thomas Wolfe's second work was as lengthy as Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. Wolfe had written an epic composed of multiple volumes. Perkins insisted it would sell better if it were a manageably sized single-volume book, and he went to work with Wolfe trimming down the tome. Wolfe dedicated that completed novel, Of Time and the River (1935), to Perkins. He wrote in his diary the start of unsent letter to Maxwell Perkins that said, "In all my life, until I met you, I never had a friend." But soon after the publication of Of Time and the River, rumors began to circulate in the literary world that Wolfe's ability to shape his books into something publishable, and his success and his literary genius even, were overly dependent on Maxwell Perkins's editing. Wolfe grew resentful at Perkins for his editing and for the cuts to his manuscripts. Wolfe hinted that he was going to break ties with Scribner's.
Perkins tried to instill confidence into the self-doubting Wolfe, and to preserve their personal and business relationships. He hand-wrote a letter to Thomas Wolfe on this day in 1936 that said, "I never knew a soul with whom I felt I was in such fundamentally complete agreement as you. […] You must surely know, though, that any publisher would leap at the chance to publish you."
Despite Perkins's efforts, Wolfe broke ties with Scribner's and signed with Harper and Brothers, and he and Perkins became estranged. Wolfe died at the age of 37 from tuberculosis. On his deathbed he wrote a conciliatory letter to Perkins that concluded: "I shall always think of you and feel about you the way it was that Fourth of July day three years ago when you met me at the boat, and we went out on the cafe on the river and had a drink and later went on top of the tall building, and all the strangeness and the glory and the power of life and of the city was below."
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®

subset: commoncrawl


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The members of Kutch Amateur Astronomers' Club planned to observe the recurrent nova T-Pyxids on the evening of 3rd May. The Nova occurred on 14th April and was detected by Mike Linnolt. I read the news from the Sky and Telescope website. I then informed Mr. Narendra Gor and told him to watch the Nova and inform the other club members about it. The charts were available from the AAVSO website.
Firstly we organized a star party on 1st May south of the Bhuj city. On that day I tried to spot the Nova but couldn't succeed due to some minor problem in my 25x100 Binos. Our club's 6-inch Newtonian was pointed toward Saturn so I couldn't use it for my purpose. I tried to spot the Nova through my 10x50s but wasn't sure whether I had seen it or not! The location of T-Pyxids was very low at that time, so I gave up.
On 3rd May we again decided to watch the Nova. I went to Mr. Narendra Gor's home carrying my 10x50 Olympus Binoculars. From his terrace we tried to spot the Nova through our club's 6-inch Newtonian. Other club members, Nishant Gor, Chandni Gor, Kartik Pomal and Amit Hedau were present and very much excited to view the Nova! It is located at RA 9h 04m 41.5 DEC -32.22' 47.4".
I started from Alpha Pyxidis and moved the scope to the E-NE direction. After using Starry Night Pro software I got its location. It was paired with a 7.8th magnitude star. The Nova T-Pyxidis was shining at around magnitudes 7 or 7.5 compared to its nearby star. This was the second Nova observation in my life!


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By Joe Woodard, AccountingWEB QuickBooks columnist
Restricting Changes to the Chart of Accounts
This trick prevents users from making the following changes to the chart of accounts:
- Merging Accounts
- Changing Account Types
- Changing Sub-Account/Parent Account Assignments
Reason for the Trick
In QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions you can edit user preferences to prevent users from making these specific types of changes to the Chart of Accounts. However, you may still want to use the steps in this trick to prevent the file Administrator from making these changes as well.
Tip: For all editions of QuickBooks it is best to setup a unique username for everyone who uses a QuickBooks file - including the file administrator. Then, the file administrator can login as Admin only when he/she needs to perform an administrative-related function.
In QuickBooks Pro and Premier, any user with the ability to create/modify "sensitive accounting activities" can change account numbers, account names, merge accounts, change the type of accounts, etc. In all additions of QuickBooks the administrator of the file can always make these changes to the Chart of Accounts.
The changes to the Chart of Accounts that have the most far reaching (and historical) impact on financial data are 1) merging accounts – an action that is irreversible and 2) changing the type of an account – an action that you can usually reverse if you can find the change. The Closing Date does not protect the file from these changes or track these changes, even though the changes almost always impact previous financial years. The Audit Trail does not track these changes even though QuickBooks makes changes to every transaction that includes the affected account.
How to Perform this Trick
To prevent users from making these changes in Pro and Premier you can associate every account on the chart of accounts with a 1099 form in the Company Preferences. Once you associate an account with a 1099 form, you cannot change the type of the account, merge the account with another account or change the parent/sub-account hierarchy. It is best to use a 1099 form that you do not actually create and send to third parties.
Note: Even if you select every account from the list shown below, note that some account types do not show on the list (e.g. Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable). Inactive accounts may also not show. Many of the account types that do not show on this list have restricted options. For example, you cannot add sub-accounts to Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable and you cannot change the type of the accounts for an Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable account. However, you can merge two Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable accounts so this workaround does not protect against this activity. Accounts like Undeposited Funds do not allow you to change the type, to merge or to add sub-accounts, so the inability to associate Undeposited Funds with a 1099 type is not an issue.
Warning: If there are accounts setup in other "real" 1099 lines (usually Box 7) do not add them to your workaround box (e.g. Box 13 as shown below). If you do, QuickBooks will remove them from Box 7.
Note: If you or the client create new accounts, you will need to add these new accounts to the 1099 preferences to protect them from future changes.
Requiring Account Numbers
There is no preference to require the use of account numbers – only to turn account numbering on or off. By "on" or "off" QuickBooks means "show" account numbers or "hide" account numbers. The account numbers remain in the file unless you remove them from the account using the Edit Account window.
All of that said, there is a trick that will cause QuickBooks to require account numbers and will even let you know if there are accounts on the list (active or inactive) do not have accounts numbers assigned.
How to Perform this Trick
Step 1. Select the Edit menu and then select Preferences.
Step 2. On the Accounting Company Preferences, select the option to Show Lowest Subaccount Only. This option is only active when you check the Use Account Numbers checkbox.
Step 3. If all of the existing accounts have account numbers assigned, you will see no further prompts. You can simply click OK to exit and save your change. QuickBooks will then require you to use an account number for all accounts you create in the future – and will not allow you to remove the account number from existing accounts (though users can always edit the account numbers if the user has the privileges to do so).
Step 4. If there are accounts on the chart without account numbers you will see the window shown below. You must then go to the Chart of Accounts, assign numbers to all accounts (even the inactive accounts) and then return to Accounting Company Preferences to select the "Show Lowest Subaccount Only" checkbox.
Accessing a Composite Name List
How to Perform this Trick
Step 1. Open a check transaction.
Step 2. Place your cursor in the Payee field
Step 3. Press CTRL+L to display the names list.
Step 4. With the list displayed, select the View menu and then select "Add Names List to Icon Bar." This will allow you immediate access to the names list in the future.
Missing and Duplicate Invoice Report
It is important to assign a unique Invoice number to each Invoice you send to your customers. This unique number is a control device much like a Check number that allows you to research the customer's invoice and also helps you to assign the payment from the customer to the correct account and invoice.
The Reason for this Trick
Invoice number duplications and numbering sequence gaps (missing numbers) are important for any small business to quickly locate. QuickBooks includes a report allowing you to quickly locate missing and duplicate Check numbers, but not Invoice numbers.
How to Perform this Trick
Since QuickBooks has a report programmed to show you missing and duplicate Check numbers, finding a way to modify the existing report to show missing and duplicate invoice numbers is the best way to get the information you need.
Perform the following Steps to create a Missing and Duplicate Invoice Number report.
Step 1. Create a Missing Checks report by selecting the Reports menu, selecting Banking and then selecting Missing Checks. QuickBooks displays the window shown below.
Step 2. Do not change the default bank account that appears in the Specify Account field and press OK to display the report.
Step 3. QuickBooks creates a report of Checks in numerical order and the report notes any missing and/or duplicate check numbers.
Step 4. Click the Modify Report button and then click the Filters tab to display the report filters.
Step 5. Remove the Account filter and Amount filter shown below.
Step 6. Filter by Transaction Type for "Invoices" and by Detail Level for "Summary Only."
Step 7. Edit the title of the report and memorize the report for future use.
Note: You can use the steps above to filter by other transactions types as well. Doing so will allow you to create a Missing Journal Entries report, Missing Estimates report, Missing Sales Receipt report, etc. Filtering by any transaction type where the QuickBooks user controls the document numbers would produce beneficial reporting results.
Secret Keyboard Command: Edit Paycheck Window
There is no actual window called "Edit Paycheck" of course, but there is a powerful window you can use to make comprehensive changes to any of the information that shows on the Payroll Summary or Payroll Liabilities reports.
The Reason for this Trick
The best place to adjust a payroll liability balance is through the Adjust Payroll Liabilities window. However, if you need to adjust payroll items other than those associated with liabilities (e.g. deductions, federal withholding, state withholding, etc.) you cannot do so on the Adjust Payroll Liabilities window.
How to Perform This Trick
Step 1. Select the Help drop-down menu and then select About QuickBooks.
Step 2. With the About QuickBooks splash displayed press CTRL+ALT+Y. QuickBooks displays the Enter Year to Date Amounts wizard that used to be available as the default in QuickBooks 2000 and prior. This wizard is much more flexible than the one embedded in the Setup Payroll Wizard, allowing you to enter payroll information for any date range and any employee regardless of whether the information is dated before or after the payroll start date and regardless of whether all tasks in the Payroll Setup Wizard are complete.
Step 3. Use the Enter Historical Paycheck window to increase/decrease (i.e. debit/credit) any payroll item. You can click Affect Accounts to control which accounts, if any, receive a debit or credit from the amounts you enter on the window. The window will read "Quarterly Summary" but you can enter any date range you wish in the "From" and "To" fields to restrict the impact to a single pay period, month, quarter or even calendar year.
Showing the "Real" Amount of Open Sales Orders
In QuickBooks you can generate up to three different balances for Sales Orders, depending on which report you run: Open Sales Orders by Customer, Open Sales Orders by Item or by adding an "Open Balance" column to either of the first two reports. In a way, each of these open amounts can be "correct", depending on which perspective you need – but only one of the three balances shows the "real" amount – the amount you would chart your customers if you shipped everything that is currently on order.
Open Sales Orders by Customer
The Open Sales Order by Customer report shows one line for each Sales Order and lists the Sales Order Number and Open amount. The open amount on this report is the total Sales Order amount, not the amount that is currently open. In other words, if the Sales Order is partially shipped due to backordered quantities; the open balance on this report includes the partially shipped quantities. When reporting on Sales Orders by Customer, the main issue is the current open balance, but the total balance of Sales Orders that are fully or partially open. You use this report mainly to track which Customers have open orders so you can manage your Customer relationships.
Open Sales Orders by Item
This report shows a separate line Item for each line of the Sales Order form. If a line on a sales form is fully shipped, the line does not show on this report. However, if a line is partially shipped and has backordered quantities, the line shows the total including these shipped Items. As a result, the total on the Open Sales Orders by Item report will be the same or lower than the amount on the Sales Order by Customer report since the Sales Order by Customer report includes all of the lines on open Sales Orders, even those that are fully shipped.
Open Sales Orders by Customer/Item with Open Amount Column – the "Real" Open Balance
If you add the Open Amount column to the Open Sales Orders by Customer or Open Sales Orders by Item reports, this amount is the "true" open amount in that lines that are completely fulfilled and the quantities shipped from Sales Orders lines that are partially fulfilled are not included in this balance. So, it is best to add this column to the Sales by Customer and Sales by Item reports, memorize the reports and add the reports to the Icon Bar for regular use.
Showing the "Real" Amount of Open Purchase Orders
QuickBooks includes two reports that track open Purchase Orders: Open Purchase Orders and Open Purchase Orders by Job. These reports are available in QuickBooks Pro and above. Note: QuickBooks Premier and Enterprise Solutions: Manufacturing and Wholesale Editions include a report called Open Purchase Orders by Item. However, you do not need to purchase one of these editions of QuickBooks to create this report. This workaround assumes you are using QuickBooks Pro and do not have access to the Open Purchase Orders by Item report.
The Reason for This Trick
If you receive part of a Purchase Order only (i.e. if the vendor has backordered part of the Purchase Order), QuickBooks tracks the amount that is backordered, the amount you have previously received and amount that is currently open on the Purchase Order. You can view this information at any time by opening the Purchase Order and viewing the detail. However, QuickBooks does not reflect this reduced amount on the Open Purchase Orders report. Instead, QuickBooks shows you the original balance of the Purchase Order before you received products from the vendor.
How to Perform This Trick
If the standard reports in QuickBooks do not allow you to see the real open balance of the Purchase Orders, creating a new, customized report will get you much closer to your goal. When you have done all you can do with custom report options, you need to modify the way you track backordered quantities on Purchase Orders for some, but not all, backordering situations.
Part 1: Create an Open Purchase Orders by Item or by Vendor report.
Note: If you use the Manufacturing and Wholesale or Accountant Editions you can skip part 1. However, for the Open Purchase Orders by Vendor report you will have to open the Open Purchase Orders by Item report and change the Total by field to "Vendor" if you want to create that report.
Step 1. Select the Reports menu, and then select Custom Transaction Detail report.
Step 2. On the Display tab, set the date range to "All" and select "Item Detail" from the Total by field drop down menu.
Tip: If the file is large (e.g. over 200MB in Pro/Premier or over 500MB in Enterprise Solutions), set the date field to a narrower range, perhaps to include the previous fiscal year through the end of the current fiscal year. You will have to modify the report each year to roll the dates forward because there is not dynamic date option for a two year date range.
Step 3. On the Filters Tab, filter by: Transaction Type – Purchase Orders, Posting Status – Non Posting, Received – No, and Detail Level – All Except Summary.
Step 4. Change the report columns to include the following columns only: Date, Num, Name, Item, Item Description, Qty, U/M (if applicable), Amount and Balance.
Step 5. On the Header/Footer tab rename the report",Open Purchase Orders by Item" and memorized the report for future use.
Step 6. If you use the Accountant Edition or Enterprise Solutions (any edition) you may need to remove the Debit and Credit columns and replace them with the Amount column.
Note: The amounts on the report will show as negative numbers. There is no way to prevent this except to export to Excel and make edits there. However, the amounts are still the correct numbers – just negative. If you prefer, you can edit the Fonts & Numbers tab so the amounts are in parentheses instead of preceded by a dash.
Tip: You can export the Open Purchase Orders by Item report from the Manufacturing and Wholesale or Accountant Editions and import the report into any edition of QuickBooks – Pro or above. You need to memorize the report using the Manufacturing and Wholesale or Accountant Edition in order to export it from the Memorized report list. Doing so will show you the same detail as you get from the steps above, but with positive amounts.
Note: You can create another report using the same steps to track Open Purchase Orders by Vendor with line-by-line detail. For Step 2 above, select "Vendor" instead of "Item Detail" in the Total By field drop down menu.
On the Open Purchase Orders by Item report, if any lines of the PO are completely received, the line drops from the report. In most situations, the total of this report will be less than the total of the Open Purchase Orders report, because the latter reflects every line of the Purchase Order even if the items on those lines are received.
Part 2: Modify the Purchase Orders if Necessary to Reflect Backordered Quantities on Separate Lines
The Open Purchase Orders by Item or Vendor reports get you closer to the correct Open Purchase Order amount, but there is still a weakness in the report. If a line on a Purchase Order is partially received, the entire amount of that line shows on the Purchase Orders by Item report – not the amount net of the products you have received. The only way a line will drop from the report is if all of the quantities on that line are received.
There is no report customization ability within QuickBooks to compensate for this overstatement, so you have to modify the Purchase Order to maintain accurate information on the report.
Step 1. Receive Purchase Orders normally. As you have always done, when you receive products using Purchase Order detail, you will pull all of the Purchase Order detail into an Item Receipt transaction. If the vendor did not ship all of the products on the Purchase Order, you will take two actions to reduce the amount of detail on the Item Receipt: 1) You will remove entire lines from the Items tab, or 2) You will change the quantity shown on lines in the Items tab. If you do only the first type of edit, you do not need to take any further action. If you do the second type of edit, continue with Step 2 below to ensure the accuracy of the Open Purchase Orders by Item report.
Note: You can also receive Purchase Orders directly to Bills (without using an Item Receipt), to Checks or to Credit Card Charges.
Step 2. After you save the Item Receipt, open the Purchase Order and locate any rows that contain partial shipments. This detail shows on the Purchase Order window, so you should have no problem spotting those lines.
Step 3. For each line with partially received quantities, change the quantity on the line to the amount that you received – to close the entire line.
Step 4. Create a new, separate line on the Purchase Order for only the backordered quantities.
Step 5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 above for any additional lines with partially received quantities and save the edited Purchase Order.
Note: The Purchase Order total will not change since you will include the same items and quantities. You will simply move the backordered quantities onto a separate line of the Purchase Order.
Note: You do not need to edit the Purchase Order for lines that are fully received, as stated above.
Karl Irvin has developed a tool called Job Cost Reporter that provides an Open Purchase Orders report with the true open balance without having to split out the backordered lines as described in this trick. You can purchase this tool at www.q2q.us.
About the author
Joe Woodard is an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and Intuit Solution Provider who has taught over 20,000 QuickBooks consultants across the country. Joe works with Intuit, state CPA societies, and Atlanta-area CPA firms to present advanced QuickBooks instruction to accounting professionals and software consultants. Joe has earned a unique relationship with Intuit as a trainer, consultant and author. Joe has built two successful accounting software consulting practices: the first in New Orleans, Louisiana and the second in Atlanta, Georgia – Creative Financial Software (CFS). In addition to consulting with small businesses, CFS provides advisory services to CPA firms and other QuickBooks ProAdvisors/Intuit Solution Providers across the country -- helping them to better service their clients who use Intuit products. Joe recently hosted the first annual "Scaling New Heights" QuickBooks conference in Atlanta.


text:
By Martin Smith
Essex (243-2) v Hampshire
Specsavers County Championship division one
Day one
Alastair Cook and Tom Westley both posted centuries for Essex as Hampshire endured a day of toil in the field on a rain-shortened first day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Chelmsford.
The pair put on a record 243 runs for the second wicket against Hampshire after Nick Browne departed to the fifth ball of a day shorn by 17 overs because of the weather.
Westley beat Cook to three-figures by seven balls in the late evening as both played patient, sensible innings to grind out the platform for what should be a big first-innings total after being asked to bat.
Cook had 114 at the close, which came four balls early when Westley was bowled by Kyle Abbott for 111.
For Cook, in particular, the statistics keep mounting.
He went past 800 in all cricket this summer - 300 of them in the Championship.
This was also his eighth score upwards of 50 in the two competitions contested to date, his fourth ton of the season and 19th career century for Essex.
Westley has been in and out of form this season, but has still amassed 600 runs across the Championship and Royal London Cup.
This was his second century of the season, and Hampshire will be sick of the sight of him: he had already taken 93 off their attack in the earlier white-ball game at the same ground.
Westley said: "It's good to get that first score out of the way – that first (Championship) hundred of the season is always nice.
"It was tough going, but it's pleasing to get some runs.
"What's most pleasing is the position we're in after the conditions this morning and being put in to bat. To be 243 for two is a good position for us.
"We would have wanted to bowl first, too.
"It did nip around in the first hour and a half. It's been nipping all through the day.
"It's a good cricketing wicket, but there is definitely a bit in it for the bowlers, but also if they miss their length you feel you score.
"I don't think Cookie will mind me say that we both played and missed a lot and on another day you can nick them and we can be 100 for three or four.
"But sometimes you have to ride the luck and hopefully it's your day.
"But special mention to Cookie: that was a chanceless hundred.
"They bowled well at him, so it wasn't easy going.
"It's great having Cookie at the other end: he just loves scoring runs.
"He's a huge asset for the club."
The day's play had already been reduced from 96 overs to 92 when it finally started 45 minutes late after overnight rain.
Just three overs were possible in the morning session – for the loss of Browne's wicket – before the rain returned and an early lunch taken.
By then the day's allocation had been reduced to 79 overs.
Hampshire looked at the conditions at 11.15am and went for an uncontested toss and were rewarded when Browne clipped Fidel Edwards off his legs straight to Mason Crane at square leg without scoring.
Westley survived a first-ball appeal for a catch behind, but then went from strength to strength.
The ball seamed and swung around alarmingly for the batsmen in the early afternoon.
Abbott almost cut Westley in half with a late inswinger, and much later had him tucked up with one that jumped into his midriff.
Gareth Berg had Cook in some discomfort for a couple of overs, but Westley responded by hitting the South African for successive boundaries.
The first was hammered off the back-foot through the covers to bring up the fifty partnership in 19 overs.
The second fifty was quicker, taking just a further ten overs.
For a spell, runs were hard to come by on a slow outfield, and Cook had to run three for a well-timed drive through the offside that would normally have gone for four.
Westley, though, outscored his partner in mid-innings, and found the ropes with greater regularity.
Westley's ninth four, an angled shot past third slip off Berg, brought up his fifty from 75 balls.
Cook followed him with his fifth four, a drive square on the offside off Edwards.
His fifty had taken 113 balls.
The earlier storm clouds gave way to a brighter evening, metaphorically and meteorologically, as Hampshire used seven bowlers to try and find a way of breaking the partnership, which went past 150 in the 46th over. Westley was becalmed for the first seven overs after tea before finding a gap through the covers for boundary number 13.
He went past his previous highest Championship score of the summer – the 86 not out against Somerset – with a four and two from successive balls by Liam Dawson.
Essex claimed only their third batting point of the season in the 63rd over, at the same time as the partnership past 200.
Westley was first to three-figures when he whipped Sean Ervine through the covers for his 15th boundary in 178 balls.
In the next over, Cook stroked Crane through the offside for a 222-ball century that included 12 fours Westley went to the final ball of the day, though.
He added: "That is the huge frustration that you bat all day.
"It was a decent ball, it's been nipping around all day, it's nipped back and I've got an inside edge and taken leg-stump.
"But you have to accept it, "It is a huge frustration as we'd laid such a good platform and you'd like to think with Fidel Edwards injured their seamers are going to tire.
"I had some fortune during my innings so it's probably fair that I get an inside edge."


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Kaman Awarded $53 M Composites Contract From Bell Helicopter(Bloomfield, Conn., September 10, 2009) -- Kaman Corporation (Nasdaq: KAMN) announced that the Helicopters Division of its subsidiary, Kaman Aerospace Corporation has been awarded a five-year contract with a potential value of $53 million to build composite helicopter blade skins and skin core assemblies for Bell Helicopters. Under the terms of the contract, Kaman will provide 18 different assemblies for H1, 406, 407, 412, 427, 429, 430 and BA609 aircraft. All work will be performed at the Kaman HeliworX(TM) full-service aerospace innovation and manufacturing support center in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Initial deliveries to Bell's Hurst, Texas, facility will begin in late 2009.
"We are delighted by this opportunity to work with Bell Helicopter in producing world-class rotorcraft," said Neal J. Keating, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kaman Corporation. "This is further evidence of our ability to leverage our OEM capabilities in support of other helicopter manufacturers."
Related Research on ASDReports.com:
Global Military and Government Helicopter Market Forecast to 2023
Global Military and Government Helicopter Market Forecast to 2023
"Kaman has the skills and competitiveness we require in the composite blade-manufacturing arena," said Mary Simmerman, Senior VP Supply Chain Management at Bell. "We expect this to be a positive agreement for both companies."
Source : Kaman Corp.
Military Flight Training Eastern Europe Conference
Dec 12 - 14, 2017 - Budapest, Hungary


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year ago i softmodded my wii
and was all ok until recently it all went wrong and wont load via hdd anymore
i think drive is at fault
but i have a few issues i want to resolve
1. when booting i get bootmii then i get priiloader then menu . i have an sd card in , if i remove card all i get is 4.2 eur in bottom corner??? so wii wont work?
what have i done?
2.resolution is poor as in not very clear at all almost fuzzy
3. my external hdd is recognised using wbfs manager and in neogamma but wont load any games or windows wont recognise and says needs formatting.
i cant remember how/what i did all those years ago - please some one help me
I moved your post to a new thread of its own instead of letting you reply to a 3-year-old thread.
Windows won't know what to do with a WBFS-formatted hard drive, so it asking you to format is normal. We don't suggest people use WBFS anymore as USB loaders have known how to use FAT32 and NTFS for many years. We have guides for FAT32 and NTFS to show recommended methods of formatting your hard drive along with methods to install games to them.
If your system has been modded "years ago", then it is likely out of date and you are using loader apps that are no longer current. I'd suggest you go through Softmod Any Wii guide to re-mod your system to get it current and get current versions of the apps.
Links to all guides mentioned are in my signature.
Click Below for recommended Links
Download the latest:
Latest Loaders CFG v70r65 GX r1226 WiiFlow 4.2.1 Other downloads DM/DML 2.11


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2011 FIFA Women's World Cup: Why the WWC Was a Huge Success for Team USAJuly 20, 2011
The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup was supposed to be the USA's tournament. The No. 1 ranked team in the world was supposed to win it all and bring home the country's third World Cup trophy. Anything less would be a disappointment for a team that thrives on dealing with the pressure of an entire nation.
Pressure made them, but character defined them. Never has a second place team received so much attention and fanfare than the 2011 US Women's National Team. They won over the hearts of millions of Americans and have managed to make their way into households around the nation because of their heroic performances throughout the tournament.
Think losing to Japan in the finals after leading on two different occasions was a failure? Think again. Success and failure goes far beyond the pristine green grass of the soccer field and far beyond any trophies that come along with winning a World Cup final.
Success is winning over millions of Americans who never watched a women's soccer game in their life. Success is making a name for yourself after no one knew who you were a month before. It's getting thousands to flood the streets of Times Square and scream at the top of their lungs whenever your team scores a goal. Most importantly, success is inspiring people into making them believe that anything in this world is possible even if it may seem impossible.
It is not about soccer. This unbelievable support from Americans wouldn't be like it is today if USA had beaten Brazil 2-0 in regulation time or if USA had easily qualified for this tournament after trouncing teams, 5-0, each and every game. The struggles that this team has overcome has made them stronger and a team that all of us can relate to.
What made this team successful was how 21 women from all walks of this country embodied an entire American population by never giving up and showing the world what true American spirit is all about.
With their backs against the wall playing a woman down, victim to some horrendous calls by the referees, and while playing against the clock and the gamesmanship of the Brazilians, USA never once gave up. Never once did they keep their heads down. They kept fighting on and persevered, winning in most improbable fashion against one of the world's best teams.
It didn't matter what Abby Wambach and the US team would do after this game. They already caught the attention of everyone back home in America and they became the story of the summer. No loss to France in the semifinals or loss to Japan in the finals would ever take away from what these women did in the quarterfinals.
It is easy to look at the Japan game as a disappointment. But the short term can take a seat to the impact that this team has had on the future athletes in this country.
Much like the 1999 USA team inspired players like Alex Morgan and Heather O'Reilly to play at a young age, the 2011 team unquestionably inspired a whole new generation of young women to want to play in a World Cup when they get older. In turn, this new generation of athletes will carry on the tradition left by its predecessors.
Some might still have a sour taste in their mouths after witnessing heartbreak in the championship game, but there is so much to look forward to in the near future. This team is surely not done competing. You can bet they will be a favorite to win the 2012 Olympics in London, which take place in just a year. Young stars have emerged, providing USA with the opportunity to remain a world power for years to come.
Take a look at what this US team has done for the Women's Professional Soccer league. Fox Soccer Channel recently received thousands of requests to show more WPS games, and it has delivered to fans who can't get enough of this group of soccer players. The first game played after the final between Alex Morgan's Western NY Flash and Abby Wambach's MagicJack sold out with over 13,000 tickets being gobbled up by people who caught World Cup fever.
The league will certainly benefit from the United States' showing in the World Cup, and it could be the jump start that WPS needed to become what many believed it had the potential of becoming. What makes this league different from MLS is the fact that the best players on our national team play in our domestic league.
So if you want to see Hope Solo, Morgan, Wambach and the rest of the women's team, WPS is the place to go. All of our heroines are spread out across six different teams from Boca Raton, Florida all the way up to Rochester, New York. The more attention WPS receives, the more it translates to success for the USA's national team.
Just to leave you with something to think about: the US-Japan game drew 13,458,000 viewers, making it the second-most-watched women's game in US television history. The final beat out the MLB Home Run Derby and the British Open and broke a record for Tweets sent per second with 7,196. Solo and Morgan have gained more than 100,000 new followers on Twitter after virtually no one knew who they were a month before.
The team arrived to thousands of loud fans in New York City, they have been all over ESPN, Good Morning America, the Today Show, the Rachel Maddow Show and the Letterman Show, and they have been talked about on virtually every channel and radio station.
President Obama sent the team a message via Twitter, Hilary Clinton called the team up before the Japan game, and Senator Chuck Schumer made a speech about Wambach's goal while on the Senate floor.
It wasn't only politicians who wished Team USA luck. Actors, actresses, musicians, artists, and celebrities were all a part of the World Cup buzz and enjoyed the show that their team put on for them. The US women made soccer cool, and because of them, soccer is more popular than ever right now.
From almost not qualifying for the World Cup to accomplishing what this team has accomplished is truly remarkable. They took us on a roller coaster ride and gave us so many great moments that we will always remember.
So do you still think the silver medal was a failure? It certainly doesn't seem that way.


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Photo: LASHKARGAH, Jan. 30, 2010
30 Jan 2010
LASHKARGAH, Jan. 30, 2010: A view of an under construction building where six militants armed with suicide vests and machine guns were holed up targeting a UN and government buildings and then killed in clashes with security forces. The six-storey building in the Haji Adam Market is situated near the Governor's House, ANA military barracks and some government departments. The clash lasted eight hours. PAJHWOK/Zainullah Astanakzai


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Totally with you Krom!Quote:
Originally Posted by Krom;3840380;
Printable View
Totally with you Krom!Quote:
Originally Posted by Krom;3840380;
That is too bad that Janelle got eliminated. She has a nice voice but picked the wrong song.
What in the world went wrong? She was one of my early faves--I feel guilty because I didn't vote for her. She should've had another chance!
Hard to believe:: Janelle has much more to offer, that's for sure. :ohnoQuote:
Originally Posted by Unklescott;3840386;
i hope that she sings this well this time....
Its a show, it is casted.... every year we have the same stereotypes, its not to say real talent comes out, but so many people were overlooked adn this is what they gave us.
And now we get a quick reminder of why this girl shouldn't be here.
Although comparatively it still should have been Haeley, who brought suck to a whole new level.
Not really. :lolQuote:
Originally Posted by ebonyashley;3840395;
I would much rather listen to her than Haeley any day of the week :tongueQuote:
Originally Posted by Krom;3840397;
:yay Allison is coming up! :jumpy


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Shawn Patterson Baker gets bored quickly. As vice president of a busy medical communications company in Toronto, she doesn't have time to deal with things that don't make her happy. She's also a mom, complete with the cargo that children bring along for any drive.
"I was a 'minivan mom' for almost 10 years," Shawn explains. "When the last lease on my Dodge expired, I swore I'd never be one again. While it was a good fit for getting hockey equipment around, I'm just sick of them."
When it came time to start shopping for her next car, her decision wasn't easy. "My mother was always an import driver – mainly Honda. That didn't interest me. My dad used to move between GMC and Ford. He's actually back in an F-150 now. I absolutely love the F-150." (She really does, as she's even designed her ideal F-150 dual cab!) "But for downtown Toronto it just wasn't economically practical for us. I also didn't want a car. Maybe that's my love for trucks, but I want to be high up."
So where to go? Shawn already had a pretty high opinion of Fords, so with a family referral, she visited a smaller dealership north of the city to try an Escape. "For all the cars I looked at, the Escape was clearly the best value. The dealership people were amazing as well. No pressure at all. It was like sitting with a neighbour talking about cars. That's when I was sold."
So after two years, how does she still feel? "I love it. I even find myself recommending Fords to my friends. There's some great features inside, like SYNC – I love not having to press any buttons. And it has amazing 'get up and go.' But my favourite feature has always been simplicity. My Escape has everything where I need it, and nothing else. I feel like I'm in a truck, and that's all I wanted!"
Note: We do not compensate owners for sharing their owner stories. Our team puts out a general request for owners to share their stories on Facebook and Twitter and then interviews respondents, reporting on the feedback provided by owners without modifying their testimonial. If you are interested in having our team reach out to hear your owner story, please send us a Tweet or post on our Facebook wall and we will reach out.


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Favorite Rapper?
View Single Post
High School Varsity 6th Man
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Los Angeles area
Posts: 746
Re: Favorite Rapper?
I posted these on another message board, and I'll put them here too...
Best rappers I've ever heard...
2Pac (pre-Death Row; I still believe to this day that if it wasn't for Suge Knight, he'd still probably be alive)
DMX (when he isn't acting like Ron Artest)
Snoop Dogg (I liked his eariler stuff better; he kinda lost me when he joined up with that God-awful Master P)
Biggie (I agree with another poster, Jay-Z and a lot of New York-area rappers of today owe their careers to him)
Eazy-E (lyrically, he had other people write his rhymes, but his energy and delivery was up there among the best; plus, he was the one who brought hardcore rap to the West Coast)
Outkast (their earlier stuff was a lot better than their current ****, I go back to their first album in '93--Southernplayalisticcadillacmusik--a classic)
Wu Tang (what like about them is they're most different than most other rappers, not the same bull**** you hear from the rest of these copycats)
DJ Quik (very good rapper, but he's probably a much better producer and musician--he's one of the few in rap that can play his own instruments)
Ice Cube (just always been steady and consistent)
Now, for worst rappers I've heard...
Pretty much every Southern rapper, except for Outkast, Scarface, Ludacris (who I can barely tolerlate), and maybe Juvenile
Everybody from G-Unit, outside of maybe 50 Cent (when 50 is you're best rapper--and he's OK at best--you got problems)
Daz Dillenger (just because he's Snoop's real-life cousin doesn't mean he can flow, and Kurupt carried him for years)
Ja-Rule (OK rapper, just ****ty songs)
Most overrated...
Jay-Z (I've always heard from many how's he the greatest of all time, but from the many songs I've heard over the years, he's not all that special, but to each his own)
Dr. Dre (OK rapper, again just like Eazy, other people wrote his rhymes, but that's not my issue...it's his production. From what I've read and heard, he actually doesn't really do half of the production on the songs he produces, but gets all the credit, and plus he takes forever to finish songs)
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Turn your photos into remarkable art.
Make yourself stand out among nature photographers by adding a new dimension to your images. Painterly techniques draw attention to the delicate patterns, lines, textures and designs that we often overlook in the natural world.
Kathleen Clemons is an experienced nature photographer, known for her creative techniques and her unique, stunning compositions. Join Kathleen for this class, and you'll learn:
- How to achieve the painterly look in camera with slow shutter, selective focus, Lensbaby, and multiple exposures.
- How to evoke the painterly look in Photoshop with panning.
- How to use Topaz Impression and NIK software to make painterly photos.


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Defense Lawyer: Teen Murder Suspect Suffers From 'Acute' Mental Problem
Mother of alleged killer of lawyer holds press conference, extends condolences to victim's family.
The mother of the teenager suspected in the 2006 >murder of a Ramat Hasharon lawyer said on Monday that her son confessed to the killing in her presence.
The 17-year-old high school student from the wealthy suburb of Tel Aviv has been apprehended by police and reenacted the murder. Also, a DNA sample that was found on the murder scene matches his own. On Friday, the Tel Aviv Youth Court extended his remand.
During a press conference she held in her home, the suspect's mother described their meeting in police custody: "They let me into his room, and told me they want me to see him and encourage him, that he has something to tell me. He sat down and told me: Mommy, did I do it two years ago? For two years I've been trying to say something. My behavior, that everybody thinks I don't know what I'm doing, is something that?It wasn't me. I heard a voice telling me: Go get money.'"
The mother told reporters how he recounted the night of the murder.
Late on April 10, 2006, he knocked on the door of the Ramat Hasharon home of attorney Anat Pliner, 42. When she opened the door, he asked her for money. When Pliner refused and started shouting, he stabbed her and fled the scene. She collapsed and later died en route to hospital.
"I would like to extend my condolences to the family and express my sympathy," the suspect's mother said. "The victim's children did not deserve to lose their mother. I'm really sorry for them."
She said she had had no recollection of the night of the murder, until her son reminded her of his unusual behavior that night: "He returned home in panic. We didn't know what was wrong. We asked him, and he told us he was being chased. We calmed him down and gave him something to drink. He didn't have blood on his clothes or anything that might have made me suspicious."
The suspect's defense lawyer, Moshe Meroz, said after meeting him on Monday that the teen suffers from an acute mental problem.
"I spoke to him, and he describes a very unusual situation without being aware to its serious implications. I think this will be our line of defense," Meroz said.
He also said he had asked the court to order a psychiatric evaluation of the defendant.
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There are many more atheists and agnostics in the country than is generally recognized. For instance, we atheists and agnostics are as numerous as Southern Baptists, and we are also the fastest growing category–-faster even than the Mormons and the evangelicals.
Why, then, are we atheists in general so unnoticed, and why is this changing? Since atheists, in general, think there are much more important and interesting topics to discuss than whether or not God — which God? — exists, we seldom raise the issue.
But recent trends in America have suggested to many of us that this diplomatic reticence has been exploited by sectarian ideologues, evangelists, politicians, and others intent on maintaining the illusion that we are a negligible fringe community, so we are encouraging those who agree with us to come out of the closet .
I use the idiom advisedly. A few decades ago, homosexuality was looked upon as so shameful that few dared declare themselves, and as a result, most homosexuals had to lie their way through life, for fear of losing their jobs, their reputations, their friends and family.
How times have changed — and for the better! It is now possible for homosexuals to be elected to Congress, to star in television shows, to be honored for their accomplishments and treasured by their friends. Could an atheist be elected to Congress? Probably not now, but if we can just raise the consciousness of Americans to the fact that some of their best friends are atheists, this will change.
In July, 2003, I wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times entitled "The Bright Stuff", where I drew attention to a budding movement among atheists intent on copying an idea from the homosexuals' excellent campaign: the hijacking of a perfectly good word with an established meaning, gay, and putting it to use with a new meaning, as a consciousness-raiser.
The term "bright" was chosen by two brights in Sacramento — Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell — who thought we freethinkers (atheists, agnostics, et al — needed a fresh name. In the aftermath of my op-ed piece, I've read quite a few articles and thousands of messages about the term "bright."
Most people who bother writing don't like the term — including many brights (as I persist in calling them). It's rude, disrespectful, antagonizing, they say. In other words, it's just like "gay" (hey, you heteros, how do you like the implication that you're glum and gloomy?).
I am still not convinced that it was a mistake to go with bright. These things take time. Had Geisert and Futrell chosen some bland, mealymouthed term most would have forgotten it by now. The "in your face" quality of the term is, in my opinion, a piquant, but mild, antidote to the prevailing practice of hyper-deference paid to religions but to no other institution in the country. And I have reminded those who find the term objectionable that just as the antonym of gay isn't glum, but straight — another happy word — they are free to choose a peppy antonym for bright. I recommend super, since, unlike us brights, they believe in the supernatural.
Of course when gay was first promoted in its current use, many in the gay community loathed the term, and some still do. But eventually it won, and it created a way of talking that was vivid and healthy. Gay pride. Gay rights. Gays were encouraged to come out of the closet, and the nation was amazed to discover how many of its favorite sons and daughters were gay. That changed everything. It's probably impossible to gauge how big a role the term played in the benign revolution in American attitudes towards homosexuality, but it certainly didn't hurt.
Whether or not the term bright catches on over the years, I think the movement to encourage brights to identify themselves (in whatever terms they like) is on a roll. Young people and old people write to me about their joy and relief when they discover that they are not alone.
It is still too early, probably, to elect a bright to Congress. Candidates will continue to grit their teeth and tell their fibs about their "faith" in order to get elected, and many who see through this but recognize a good candidate when they see one will continue to button their lips and vote for these tellers of white lies — including many who are themselves deeply religious but don't believe you have to be religious to be good!
It would be better if we could simply wade through all this hypocrisy and acknowledge that there is simply no truth at all in the standard myth that without religion a person cannot be a good and honest citizen. We have discovered that Catholics and Jews (and gays and lesbians) can be excellent guardians of the public trust, and in due course we will recognize that not only are brights electable but that we have already elected, and honored, many thousands of closeted brights to high office — including the Presidency — in our past.
In my op-ed piece, I included some advice:
"If you're a bright, what can you do? First, we can be a powerful force in American political life if we simply identify ourselves. (The founding brights maintain a Web site on which you can stand up and be counted.) I appreciate, however, that while coming out of the closet was easy for an academic like me — or for my colleague Richard Dawkins, who has issued a similar call in England — in some parts of the country admitting you're a bright could lead to social calamity. So please: no 'outing.' "
I do think this is very important. I have received many anguished messages from brights living in red states who believe (correctly, I surmise, but I don't know) that if they were to come out of the closet, they would be driven out of business if not out of town. So we must be patient, and gentle, and let people keep their faith — or lack of it — to themselves.
In the meantime, can we public atheists have productive conversations with believers? Certainly. We can discuss every issue under the sun, and particularly the great questions of ethics and public policy, respecting each other as citizens with honest disagreements about fundamental matters that can be subjected to reasonable, open inquiry and mutual persuasion. As I said in my first posting to On Faith, we all need to agree to live by the principles of rational discourse. That, and common courtesy, is the only rule we need — just as in science.
As long as those who are believers will acknowledge that their allegiance gives them no privilege, no direct line to the absolute truth, no advantage in moral insight, we should be able to get along just fine.
Lead image courtesy of Jeff Ruane.


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Five Random Links from our Blogroll:
Movable Feast
World Foodie Guide
Y Travel Blog
Heather On Her Travels
|Travel by the numbers:
|Days traveled:
|Countries visited:
|Flights taken:
|Miles traveled:
|Rainy days:
|Pictures taken:
|Puppies missed:
|Amazing restaurants:
|Weight gained:
|not telling
|Updated on April 20, 2010
We have split up our year-long itinerary and will return home to be with Chewy and Abby for a few weeks in between each leg (because Patrick and I suffer from a little-known disease where we shrivel up into grumpy little balls if we don't receive sufficient puppy kisses). Flip through the flash map above to see where we have been and where we are going or check out our itinerary below:
- Australia: Sept. 21 - Oct. 26, 2009
- New Zealand: Oct. 26 - Nov. 23, 2009
- Chennai, India: Jan. 7 - Jan. 17, 2010 (to visit family)
- Thailand: Jan. 17 - Feb. 15, 2010
- Cambodia: Feb. 15 - March 6, 2010
- Japan: May 25 - June 20, 2010
- South Korea: June 20 - June 27, 2010
- China: June 27 - July 29, 2010
- South Africa: Aug. 22 - Sept. 26, 2010
- Namibia: Sept. 26 - Oct. 21, 2010 (overland trek)
- Botswana (overland trek)
- Zambia/Zimbabwe (overland trek)
- United States: Oct. 21, 2010 - July 27, 2011
- France
- Switzerland
- Italy
- Croatia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
If you are interested in the logistics of planning a crazy adventure like this, you can read about how we decided to travel round the world, why we planned our trip, my pre-trip freak out, mid-trip giddiness, and all the nifty gear we take with us (including packing lists). Recently, our trip changed from a one year adventure to a three year extravaganza involving us, our dogs, and our car trekking across the ocean to Europe in July 2011.
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Although I mainly write short stories, the idea is for all of my writings to form a more or less unified whole. They all explore aspects of the life and times of Severus Snape, and together they make for what I hope is a complex and nuanced portrait of the Potions master, true to canon.
Expect the darker sides of human nature, individual motivations, irony, and everything serious seasoned with dashes of humour...
All stories are HBP-compatible, apart fromThe Return of the Prodigal Son, Mirror Mirror and A Lesson in Darkness and Light, which were written after OotP.
New stories are in the works...
I am proud to reveal that I am an official guild member of S.I.C.K. (Snape Is Cuter in a Kilt) and shipmate on board of Potions & Pineapple! If you wonder why I'm so enthousiastic about this, read the fics that started it all: Vocalion's...
Look for my art at ArtisticAlley (Niffled!) or SH Illusions.
Professor Snape's Address has been nominated for the Multifaceted Awards in the category Best Snapefic
The Dark Night of the Soul has been nominated in the category Tears
Snape, an OFC and an R-rating? No thanks, I'd rather avoid it - I would have said until stumbling on "The Essence of Susan Jones". Goody, you certainly know how to tell a story! It's mysterious (murder! rhyme! brewing people!), dark, eloquent, inventive and enthralling, and it boasts an excellent Snape, which is, let us admit it, a rare phenomenon. I read all chapters in one go (too impatient to review each - my apologies), and can't wait to see what's next... All hail to you, EllieK!
Author's Response: Thank you, Sigune! Coming from you it is high praise indeed. I look forward to your continued feedback. I hope that I shall not disappoint.


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" Brand: Co-Op / Type: Dark "
In my opinion the Co-op own brand dark chocolate is one of the best and most delicious dark chocolates available. And I've tasted a lot of dark chocolate.
Their range includes a few varieties. There's 70% cocoa solids, and 86%. There's also one with little pieces of hazelnut and one with orange oil in.
The 70% is delicious and my husband's all time favourite chocolate.
The 86% is good but I'll take the slightly sweeter 70% over it on most days. When the 70% is sold out I'll definitely buy and enjoy this though.
They nutty one is my favourite, I love the texture and extra crunch.
The orange wild card option is lovely too.
Their packaging is nice and simple in dark elegant colours and design. It has a cardboard outer sleeve with a foil inner sheet for freshness.
The chocolate is flavoursome and creamy. All the above chocolates are suitable for vegans which is good news for me. I like my chocolate to be cruelty-free.
They come in 150g bars and I've seen the orange one in a smaller size too. It has nice large squares to break off that are fairly thin.
The price is around £1.50 which is on a par with Tesco own brand and I would definitely prefer to eat this chocolate over the Tesco Finest range. It has lots more flavour and seems of superior quality.
The Co-op varies in what they stock from store to store so it's good to stock up on these if you're lucky enough to see them for sale.
I purchased this bar from my local Co-Op which cost me approximately 60pThe bar comes in a dark brown paper wrapper which is quite thick. On the front in a silver box it states the item is part of the Truly Irresistible range. It also states that the chocolate is fair-trade and is 85% Cocoa. This is a small bar and contains 40g of Ghanaian dark chocolate. On the back on the wrapper you can find nutritional information, ingredients, advice, contact information and how to dispose of the wrapper. When wrapped the chocolate measures 11cm long and is 5cm wide, so although this is a small bar there's plenty of chocolate there, especially as dark chocolate can be very sickly. I opened one of the flaps of paper wrapper on the bottom of the bar and this opened easily to reveal a silver embossed type foil, which was also wrapped round the chocolate. The foil was embossed with lines and made the chocolate look quite expensive than it would if they have used thin, plain foil.
The following is per bar which is 40g:
* Calories - 235
* Fat - 20.3g (23% GDA)
* Saturates - 12.8g (64% GDA)
* Sugars - 5.5g (7% GDA)
* Salt - Trace (<1% GDA)
Product may contain nuts, gluten and wheat.
Not suitable for milk allergy sufferers because it may contain milk
As soon as I opened the paper and foil wrapper, I could smell the chocolate. The smell of the chocolate was quite strong and a little sickly; how-ever this didn't put me off. The chocolate is split into 10 small squares, each embossed with lines going different ways. The chocolate is about 0.6cm thick and breaks easily using the grooved lines which separate each chunk of chocolate. I put the first piece of chocolate into my mouth and this soon started to melt against my tongue. The taste of the chocolate was quite bitter to start off with. The chocolate melted slowly in my mouth against my tongue and the chocolate felt smooth in my mouth. As the chocolate melted, the bitter taste started to disappear and I could taste the chocolate more. Although the chocolate tasted bitter at first I enjoyed the overall taste of the chocolate as it did taste quite sweet as well. I only ate 4 chunks of the bar as it does contain a lot of fat, so I decided I would eat the other chunks next week. After eating the chocolate there was a bitter after taste in my mouth and I felt very thirsty. How-ever after drinking a glass of water the bitter taste soon disappeared.
I'm a fan of dark chocolate anyway, so I knew this wasn't going to be too bitter for me and I knew that I would like the taste of the chocolate. For other's who are used to milk chocolate, I think they would find this very bitter, especially if you have never tried dark chocolate before. I tend to have dark chocolate as it cures my sugar cravings for longer, without me having to snack on about 3 different chocolate bars a week. For the price I don't think the chocolate bad is too pricey, as I would probably pay at least 50-60p for a standard chocolate bar anyway. The good thing about the chocolate is because it's a little sickly and so sweet, there's no way you could eat the whole bar in one day, as you would feel too bloated and a little sick. Therefore the bar is good for keeping and eating over a few weeks. I wrapped my bar back in the foil and paper wrapper and store it in the fridge and it tastes just as good as when I first purchased it. If you like dark chocolate, give this bar a go.
(review may also appear on ciao)
Following on from a generally successful experience with the Co-op's "Co-operative" Fairtrade milk chocolate, I'm now looking at the dark variety in the same range. This comes in the same compact, chunky type of wrapper that the milk chocolate does, the bar I tried costing 48p and weighing in at 45 grams. (There are also larger 150g bars for around £1.40, but I haven't yet tried those.) I would hope that it's obvious that this particular bar is only available at Co-op stores!
The packet is dark brown and red - not, I think, an entirely successful marriage of colours - and reasonably enough makes much of its Fairtrade certification. 93% of the ingredients are Fairtrade, which covers the cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar; the other ingredients presumably come from the developed world and so are not eligible for Fairtrade status anyway. (The bar itself is made in Germany, a piece of information which surprised me a little bit when I first read it.)
One bar of this chocolate will cost you 230 kcal, which equates to a reasonably average figure of 515 kcal per 100g. As you would expect from chocolate, it's also high in sugars (18.3g per bar) and fat (16.4g per bar), though the Co-op gets a mark for placing these highlights (or lowlights!) prominently on the *front* of the pack, something almost no other chocolate maker is prepared to do. The bar is vegetarian, but I'm afraid that the presence of butter oil prevents it from being vegan.
Inside, you get six very chunky-looking pieces, each decorated with a simple pattern of scored lines. The smell is surprisingly cocoa-ish for a bar with such a relatively modest cocoa content, and makes it feel a bit more of an upmarket product than it actually is. It also requires quite a bit of force to break off each chunk, and when you do there's a satisfying (if not terribly loud) snap to it. 45g may not sound much, but you don't feel short-changed here.
The taste is good, with the chocolate melting slowly but surely in your mouth and then slipping down your throat in an appropriately smooth way. It's quite mild for dark chocolate, and I could imagine at least older children being happy to eat this bar, which isn't always the case for those with higher cocoa levels. I don't think it's quite up to the standard of the milk chocolate bar, however, as it does rather lack sparkle: it's a good bar, but little more.
There isn't a lot more to say about this bar, and I'm not going to ramble on for another thousand words in the pretence that there is. It's nice without being exceptional, and you'll get a warm feeling inside from supporting Fairtrade products, but on strict taste grounds I don't think it's the best dark chocolate around. 51% cocoa is a little bit low, too: Bournville apart, I prefer a higher cocoa content. That said, this is very cheap for a Fairtrade dark chocolate bar, so it gets a cautious recommendation.
Not sure what to write a review on whilst relaxing at my stepdads I fancied some dark chocolate. I then decided I could write a review on the yummy dark chocolate that he buys. So here we go!
**The look and ingredients of the chocolate**
The chocolate comes in a 150g bar which is 8 x 4 inch sized squares, the chocolate is easily broke apart and has decoration of little lines on it. I would describe the colour of the chocolate as lighter than Bournville but quite a bit darker than milk chocolate. Ingredients: Fairtrade Cocoa Mass, Fairtrade Sugar, Butter Oil, Fairtrade Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier (Letchins (Soya)). The Dark chocolate contains cocoa solids 51% minium. 93% Fairtrade ingredients certified to international Fairtraide standards. The Allergy advice is: Contains milk and soya and may contain traces of nutsm gluten and wheat.
**Nutritional Information**
per 100g
Energy 2140 kj/515 kcal
Protein 5.6g
Carbohydrate 41.2g
Of which sugars 40.7g (which is classed as high)
Fat: 36.4g (which is classed as high)
Of which saturates: 22.9g (which is classed as high)
Fibre: 9.1g
Sodium: Trace
Salt: Trace
The chocolate is wrapped in gold paper, it the has a paper wrapper round it. The wrapper has the fairtrade logo on which say 'Guarantees a better deal for Third World Producers'. The description is 'The co-operative Fairtrade dark chocolate' At the top of the front is a photo of a cocoa farmer and the bottom there is a photo of pieces of the dark chocolate. Between the photos is a red banner which says 'Celebrating the first 5 years of our Fairtrade partnership with the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative in Ghana. The packaging is very obviously aimed at adults and the wrapper makes the chocolate look luxurious and the Fairtrade appeals to your conscience.
On the reverse of the pack is the Nutrition information, the ingredients, the origin (the chocolate is actually made in Germany), the packaging contents, a contact us section and advice about brushing your teeth regularly (maybe this is due to the high sugar content!) And the Best Before End date, the chocolate normally has around 11 months shelf life.
Dark chocolate is my favourite type of chocolate and I'm quite particuar about it! I prefer dark chocolate which has a cocoa content of 70% or above. This chocolate has a cocoa content of at least 53% so lower than I usually eat. This, I was really impressed with the chocolate, it does taste slightly milky like lower cocoa content dark chocolate does. There is still a rich chocolatey taste which you get with high quality chocolate and if I'm honest, without looking I would have thought the chocolate content was nearer to 70%
I asked my stepdad how much this chocolate cost to which I got "Why do you want to know that?" To which I said "Oh I'm reviewing it!" I was given a very puzzled look and the response "About a £1 I think." So I think this chocolate cost a £1 if I'm in the Co-op anytime soon I will verify this.
**My Opinion**
This chocolate has impressed me, bearing in mind that it has a relatively low cocoa content for dark chocolate, it still tastes of a high quality and rich it just has a slight milkiness to it which wouldn't be a bad thing for some as certain people find dark chocolate quite bitter! If your after a treat and haven't tried this I recommend you do, plus the chocolate being Fairtrade means you'd be doing your little bit for the world.
While waiting for several of my suggestions to be processed, I find myself at a bit of a loose end review wise. Fancying some chocolate at lunch yesterday, I bought some dark chocolate from the Co-Op near where I work. The following is a relatively brief review, and perhaps an experiment to see if the chocolate can actually pay for itself via the medium of these words!
Please note that I'm reviewing the 85% cocoa version. This category seems a bit generic and so I wanted to clarify this.
The fairtrade mark on this bar denotes that international fairtrade standards have been met, meaning that opportunities have been created for producers and workers in the developing world. As I intepret this, it means that the producers have been paid a fair price for the goods and the workers a fair wage for their labour. So a noble cause, with any luck. This product is made with 99% fairtrade goods, from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative in Ghana.
Apparently the Cop-op sell more fairtrade chocolate that all the other supermarkeys put together, a credible claim judging by what I see stocked on their shelves.
The chocolate comes in a sturdy cardboard carton which encloses a foil covered paper wrapper, so it's quite easy to keep the bar fresh after opening. 10 large chunks of chocolate are enclosed, each divided diagonally by a line where one diagonal is smooth and the other slighly textured which is quite pleasing to the eye. Each chunk can be snapped easily in half, and there is a real snap to this, showing it's a nice, solid bar.
The carton is cardboard and so can easily be recycled. The wrapper is composite material. In my opinion they've copped out a bit here, as they don't explicitly say what can be recycled and what can't, but give a web address to find you local recycling centre (www.wasteconnect.co.uk) so I suppose that's something. The inside carton details the story of the co-operative in Ghana that produces this, which is quite interesting.
The smell is actually quite mild, though pleasantly of cocoa, unsuprisingly. The texture is pleasantly smooth as you chew and the solid form melts into a gooey concoction in your mouth. The taste is actually quite bitter; at 85% cocoa solids, this shouldn't be so much of a surprise, but I found myself being quite suprised by this. I had to have some tea with it to neutralise the taste and I actually found having bit of banana between each chunk balanced the bitterness out with some sweetness. There is an element of bitter aftertaste too, opinions of which may vary according to taste. For me it wasn't the best sensation.
I'll stick to what your really need to know. Per 100g, there are 56- kcal. The fat content is per 50.8g per 100g, 32.0g of which is saturates.
I guess this depends on how bitter you like your chocolate. I thought I actually did but it turns out this is too hardcore for me. I think it's nice if you balance out its flavour with something sweet though. Perhaps it would be a good ingredient for some kind of dessert.
The Co-operative Group
Customer Relations
Freepost MR9473
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website : http://www.co-operative.coop/
Freephone : 0800 0686 727
150g. Rich and smooth plain chocolate.


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Remember Orioles magic (2012 edition)?
A mere two months ago, local fans embraced a young Orioles team for their resiliency in finding ways to win, consistency in extra-inning games, and how these ballplayers exemplified the word team.
Resilient, consistent, and team are all words used to describe the 2012 Baltimore Orioles. Well, the same can apply for this Baltimore Ravens squad.
The major issue is the same things people praised the Orioles for don't seem to be good enough when it comes to the football team. Frankly, it doesn't make sense given that the Ravens possess an 8-2 record and a two-game lead on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.
Let's break it down a little bit, shall we?
How many times were the Orioles counted out last season? If I remember correctly, it was before the first pitch was even thrown. How many times did doubt end in 25 men jumping in unison around home plate celebrating another walk-off win and a subsequent pie to the face?
The American Leage East division took 181 games to decide and unfortunately for the Orioles, they ended up finishing in second – a feat anyone would have been happy with prior to seeing the team depart Sarasota, Fl. from Spring Training.
What the Orioles did in 2012 was nothing short of magical and there is nothing anyone could possibly complain about given the expectations placed on that team.
Well, speaking of resiliency…
This season, the Ravens have accomplished their own resilient feats. A last-second field goal to beat the Patriots with a rookie kicker…a special-teams emergence from a unit that struggled mightily in previous years.
Two particularly resilient feats were the team pulling out victories over the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers virtually without an offense on the field. Regardless of who gets the finger pointed at them for the offensive hiatus, the team somehow found a way to win – that is resilient.
The only thing consistent about the Orioles as a unit the past 15 seasons was losing. This past season, consistency took a turn for the positive, as the Orioles, when leading after seven innings, had a 74-0 regular-season record. They were also winners of 16-straight extra-inning games at one point.
Are the Ravens consistent?
In the NFL, the Ravens and John Harbaugh are the epitome of consistency. In 2008, they began a streak of four consecutive playoff appearances (best in the NFL) with a rookie head coach and quarterback. That streak looks well on its way to extending to five straight.
No team can have the success the Ravens have unless they've been dominant in their division and conference. The Ravens are tied with the Patriots for the most wins (40) against their conference since 2008 and own a 12-game winning streak against the AFC North.
Home is where the heart is for this team as well; they've won 15-straight games at M&T Bank Stadium (best in the NFL at home) and have a streak of 69 consecutive games without falling below .500.
No one could preach consistency in Baltimore without mentioning Cal Ripken Jr. and his 2,632 consecutive games played but you can't ignore the how much the Ravens helped distract people from the losing ways of the Orioles.
You've heard it said before, "no one man is greater than a team;" however, Ray Lewis is the closest exception to that rule.
Lewis is the glue that holds the squad together and with many superstars like Lewis aging and becoming battered and bruised, making team the focal point of the Ravens motto this season is a perfect choice.
Achieving a 7-1 record without Terrell Suggs, having a 3-1 record since Lewis and Lardarius Webb got injured…this team has shown the ability to overcome devastating blows by having younger and inexperienced players step up to fill those voids left by superstars.
In football, that's a team.
The defense is looking better – they've given up 15, 20 and 10 points respectively since the bye week.
The bond between the Oriole teammates allowed the fans to latch onto them and legitimately care about the emotions of the players. Between multiple shaving-cream pies to the face, lip synched scoreboard sing-alongs and crazy bullpen antics led by Louis Ayala, you couldn't help but root for these guys because they felt more like your friends than just a group of highly-paid athletes.
Additionally, the collective embrace of both of Baltimore's professional teams for each other was the biggest win of all. Seeing Ravens at Orioles games and the ovation for the Orioles players from 70,000 at M&T Bank Stadium is something many won't forget.
What the Orioles did in this past season was extraordinary and nothing short of remarkable. Given the parity in the NFL, the feats and accomplishments the Ravens have been able to put together over a longer period of time is even more admirable.
However, preseason expectations aside, there is just no way that someone should praise the Orioles for what they were able to accomplish last season but criticize the Ravens like they're 2-8 when they are 8-2.


text:
The Boston Red Sox look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and at the same time play spoilers as they take on the New York Yankees tonight in the first game of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.
This evening's game will start at 7:05 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game can be seen in the Yankees television market on YES. If you don't live in either market you are in luck as the game will also be shown on the MLB Network. If you can't catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.
Josh Beckett looks to improve his string of consecutive quality starts to six in his 20th start of 2010. In his previous 19 starts, Beckett is 5-5 with a 5.71 ERA. He hasn't had much success against the Yankees in 2010 as he is 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA in four starts. Beckett has made 21 career regular season starts against the Bronx Bombers and is 9-7 with a 6.23 ERA. He's made ten career start in the Bronx and is 5-3 with a 5.49 ERA.
Andy Pettitte makes his second start since returning from the DL as he looks to keep his team on top in the AL East. Pettitte has made 19 starts this season and sports a record of 11-2 with a 2.81 ERA. He's made only one start against the Red Sox in 2010 back on April 7th where he received a no decision after allowing one run in six innings. He's made 37 career appearances (35 starts) against the Red Sox in his career and is 18-9 with a 3.68 ERA.
If you're on the home page, click the read more button below for the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and pregame links.
|1. Marco Scutaro
|1. Derek Jeter
|2. J.D. Drew
|2. Nick Swisher
|3. Victor Martinez
|3. Mark Teixeira
|4. Adrian Beltre
|4. Alex Rodriguez
|5. David Ortiz
|5. Robinson Cano
|6. Mike Lowell
|6. Lance Berkman
|7. Jed Lowrie
|7. Jorge Posada
|8. Bill Hall
|8. Curtis Granderson
|9. Darnell McDonald
|9. Brett Gardner
|Josh Beckett
|Andy Pettitte
And here is how hitters have fared against this evening's starting pitchers:
Check back often or refresh the page as more links will be added if/when they become available up to game time.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Red Sox' Saltalamacchia out for rest of season [CSN New England]
Send a birthday greeting to Johnny Pesky [ESPN Boston]
Will Red Sox play the spoiler to Yankees? [ESPN Boston]
Beckett, Dice-K look to reverse trends [ESPN Boston]
Two old rivals pretty much even [Extra Bases]
Yankees bump Hughes, will start Moseley [Extra Bases]
David Ortiz won't feel 'comfortable' with one-year deal [Full Count]
Can Josh Beckett Deliver 20-Win Season Again? [NESN.com]
Heidi Watney Lights Up Camera During Red Sox Games [NESN.com]
Jon Lester Eyes Career Year Even as Playoff Hopes Dwindle [NESN.com]
Report: CC Sabathia Doesn't Think Victor Martinez Will Remain With Red Sox [NESN.com]


text:
James K. Sebenius
|Format: PDF
|Also Available In:
|English Hardcopy Black & White
|List Price: $7.46
|Source: Harvard Business Review
|Publication Date: Apr 1, 2001
|Product #: R0104E-PDF-ENG
|Discipline: Negotiation
|Length: 12 p, English PDF
Most executives know the basics of negotiation; some are spectacularly adept. Yet even experienced negotiators routinely leave money on the table, end up in deadlock, damage relationships, or allow conflicts to spiral. They fall prey to common mistakes that keep them from solving the right negotiation problem. In any negotiation, each side ultimately chooses between two options: accepting a deal or taking its best no-deal option--that is, the course of action if a deal were not possible. As a negotiator, you seek to advance your interests by persuading the other side to say yes to a proposal that meets your interests better than your best no-deal option. Because the other side will say yes only to a proposal that meets its own interests better than its best no-deal option, you must understand and shape your counterpart's decision so that it chooses in its own interest what you want. Far from being exercises in manipulation, understanding your counterpart's interests and shaping the decision so that the other side agrees to a proposal for its own reasons are the keys to jointly creating and claiming sustainable value from a negotiation. In this article, James Sebenius compares good negotiating practice with bad, providing examples from the business world and insights from 50 years of research and analysis on negotiation. The author describes six common mistakes that result in merely effective negotiation: neglecting your counterpart's problem, letting price bulldoze other interests, letting positions drive out interests, searching too hard for common ground, neglecting no-deal alternatives, and failing to correct for skewed vision.
To identify and avoid six common mistakes that can hamper business negotiations and damage working relationships among bargainers.
BATNA; Management skills; Negotiation; Relationship management


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GOP fissures hurt Pa. Senate hopes
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Be careful what you wish for, Pennsylvania Republicans. The party finally has a slate of legitimate Senate candidates and a fighting chance at unseating first-term Democrat Bob Casey. But the influx of contenders means the GOP has a looming tea party vs. establishment wrestling match on its hands.
As many as eight hopefuls are suddenly set to vie for the nomination to take on Casey, after the party struggled for months to recruit candidates. Chief among them are two establishment-friendly, wealthy young businessmen, a tea party stalwart with a devoted following among the grass roots and another wealthy businessman who hopes to straddle the tea-party-establishment divide.
Story Continued Below
They aren't the top-tier candidates Republican leaders had hoped to recruit from the ranks of House members — and many top party officials still cling to the slim hope that one of those members will have a change of heart. But with President Barack Obama's approval ratings continuing to slide in the state, GOP leaders believe that even Casey, the likable, anti-abortion son and namesake of a popular governor, is finally vulnerable.
"It got crowded. But it's still early. There's still plenty of time, and the primary is wide open now," state GOP Chairman Rob Gleason told POLITICO. "Obama continues to get worse, and the worse that Obama gets, the more vulnerable Casey gets."
The downside for the Republican Party, voiced in interviews at its fall meeting here last weekend: The crowded field, a restless activist base and a GOP leadership still skeptical of the tea party movement threaten to leave the party divided when there's little margin for error. When party committee members meet again in February to vote on an endorsement, it's possible that no candidate will garner the majority needed, a terrifying prospect to leaders and strategists unaligned in the race.
"There's a real danger of a split within the party here, and it's already starting to happen," a top Republican operative said. "With all these candidates, you could definitely see a nonendorsement. That's unprecedented. It'll create a free-for-all, and that scares the hell out of me."
Party leaders cannot even agree on who has the early edge. Steve Welch, a biotech entrepreneur from the vote-rich Philadelphia suburbs, and Tim Burns, a former software executive from western Pennsylvania, are the favorites to divvy up support from top-level party operatives and officials. Sam Rohrer, a former state lawmaker and local tea party favorite who ran an insurgent primary campaign for governor last year, promises to be a thorn in the GOP's side again. And Tom Smith, a wealthy former coal executive and rural Pennsylvania tea party leader, is putting together a team and strategy that he hopes will bring together establishment and tea party figures that have often been at loggerheads.
Four underdogs, including former Rick Santorum aide Marc Scaringi, are also running.
Burns and Welch both have unsuccessful congressional runs under their belts: Welch twice abandoned runs in two different suburban districts last year when more viable candidates entered the mix, and Burns was the party's nominee in the closely watched special election to succeed the late Democratic Rep. John Murtha. The two met recently in the hopes that only one of them would run, but neither came away persuaded to stay out.
"I've been battle-tested, I know what campaigning is about," Burns, who's being advised by prominent party hand Ray Zaborney, told POLITICO. "I've got name recognition in two of the state's media markets" — Pittsburgh and Johnstown — he said.
Welch has hired top GOP strategist John Brabender, who's close to Gov. Tom Corbett, and he's also signed up a former Pat Toomey political director. Welch says he's called every state committee member.