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A teenage burglar who rejected a 25-year plea deal has been jailed for 65 years after a jury found him responsible for death of one of his accomplices.
Elmore County Circuit Judge Sibley Reynolds offered Lakeith Smith, 18, a final opportunity Tuesday to take a plea deal before the first witnesses were brought to the stand – an offer he rejected.
Yesterday Smith, of Montgomery, was convicted of felony murder, burglary and theft for his part in two 2015 home break-ins in Millbrook.
On Thursday Judge Sibley Reynolds of Alabama's 19th Judicial Circuit Court handed down three sentences Smith will serve back to back.
He was sentenced to 30 years for murder, 15 years for burglary and 10 years each for two theft convictions.
Despite the drastically lengthened sentence of 65 years, Smith grinned and guffawed as the judgement was read.
Later he flashed a broad smile as he was led from the courtroom, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant district attorney.
'I don't think Mr Smith will be smiling long when he gets to prison,' Robinson told USA Today.
'We are very pleased with this sentence. Because the sentences are consecutive, it will be a long time before he comes up for even the possibility for parole, at least 20 to 25 years,' he added.
'We are very pleased with this sentence. Because the sentences are consecutive, it will be a long time before he comes up for even the possibility for parole, at least 20 to 25 years,' he added.
Smith was tried under Alabama's accomplice laws and was found responsible for the acts that led to the death of a A'Donte Washington, 16, of Montgomery.
Alabama's accomplice law states a person is legally liable for the behavior of another who commits a criminal offense if that person aids or abets the first in committing the offense.
Smith did not kill Washington, who he had taken part in thefts with, but was found responsible for his death.
Members of the group, including Washington, fired shots at Millbrook police officers who responded to a call of a burglary in February 2015.
When Washington, armed with a .38 caliber revolver, ran towards one attending officer, pointing a .38 caliber revolver in his direction, the officer fired his police-issued sidearm four times, killing the boy.
An Elmore County grand jury cleared the officer of murder and declined to release his name.
The fault for Washington's death fell in part on Smith, the court found.
'The officer shot A'donte, not Lakeith Smith,' Smith's lawyer, Jennifer Holton, said.
'Lakeith was a 15-year-old child, scared to death. He did not participate in the act that caused the death of A'donte. He never shot anybody.'
Jadarien Hardy, 22, Jhavarske Jackson, 23, and La'Anthony Washington, 22, all pleaded guilty of felony murder, burglary and theft, court records show.
They await sentencing.
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NIPSCO Executive Vice President Violet Sistovaris returned to her Alma Mater on Tuesday evening to deliver her speech, titled "Empowering and Inspiring the Region: A Female Executive's Journey," to Indiana University Northwest's campus.
"We wanted to bring in someone who was not only fantastic in terms of giving back to the community, but was also an alumni of the institution," said Jeri Pat Gabbert, who serves as the Vice Chancellor of University Advancement and External Affairs at IUN. "Violet was the first person we thought of, and after listening to her tonight, and witnessing her message to believe in yourself regardless of your identity, I think everyone in the audience can agree that we hit the jackpot."
On a night made to celebrate Women's History Month, Sistovaris shared with the audience her personal experience of climbing the corporate ladder over her 30-year career, detailing everything from her humble Greek roots to her rise up through the ranks at NIPSCO, and covering topics from gender differences, to customer interactions, to the overall importance of leadership throughout society. Amidst her seamless weaving from one topic to the next, Sistovaris managed to string together a specific theme throughout the night, one that encouraged a societal openness to acceptance and equality.
"We all need to have a beach ball perspective, because if I'm holding a beach ball in front of me just still, I'm going to see a few colors, maybe red and white and blue," said Sistovaris. "But all of us need to understand that there's more color to that beach ball; sometimes all you need to do is look up, or tilt your head, or spin the ball to see that."
Sistovaris also touched on hot societal topics, such as the Me Too movement, which initially strove to raise awareness on sexual harassment in Hollywood, but has expanded to holding individuals accountable for inappropriate behavior in every workplace throughout the United States and the rest of the world.
"We all not just deserve, but have the right to come into a work environment where we are safe from inappropriate behavior of any kind," said Sistovaris. "This social movement has really gotten all of us at the senior and administrative level to realize that it's probably more prevalent than we think, and rather than ignoring it or sticking our heads in the sand, we've decided to talk about it very openly."
"When we talk to folks who are in question regarding situations like that, nine out of ten times the response is 'I didn't mean it, that wasn't my intention,'" said Sistovaris. "What I'm reminding my employees of all the time is, it doesn't matter what you're intention is. What matters is how it impacts me, the recipient."
When prompted by a question from a member of the audience, Sistovaris gladly touched on perceived dilemmas regarding Millennials entering the workplace.
"We want the Millennials, because although they are different, I can't point to a general gap in skill," said Sistovaris, touching on how far more technologically and data savvy Millennials tend to be coming out of school, in comparison to older generations in the workforce.
"You know, we hear that stigma of Millennials want to climb to the top of the ladder in two or three years, but honestly that was me thirty years ago," said Sistovaris. "The Millennials I work with make a difference in my decision making, and they impact how the senior team functions, so I don't necessarily buy into the general negative stereotypes that come along with Millennials."
After the speech, Sistovaris seemed to feel right at home at the university's Savannah Center, making small talk amongst the audience members, and staying afterwards, just long enough so as not to miss her flight, so she could speak with students and faculty who had further questions and curiosities.
"I really appreciated what she said about how you can't just hand over experience in a binder, like you can with a degree," said Paige Smith, a junior in the dental hygiene program. "You have to work hard for something, it's not just going to fall in your lap."
Smith also connected with Sistovaris' thoughts on women in the workplace, and enjoyed listening to Sistovaris share her personal experience of seeing women taking spots in the corner of the office or being inconspicuous at meetings, while men at the same level would physically and vocally spread themselves out make sure to make their presence known.
"She learned from that, and decided that she was going to be louder and start to introduce herself with assertion," said Smith.
"Yeah, you want to stand out in the crowd," agreed Lauren Rarity, a friend of Smith who is also a junior in the dental hygiene program. "When she mentioned just being a face in the corner, as a woman, I can relate to that because I do that too, but people want to see confidence. So that was inspiring to hear."

subset: commoncrawl


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Reader Interactions
I love the packaging … and yay on selling some murals! They're awesome and I think it's something that sets you apart. Best of luck with the etsy sales this year!
Love your packaging! You did a great job on it and I'm sure your customers will love recieving such beautiful packages.
I have favorited your etsy shop. I love your murals and can't wait to host a party where I can purchase one of these. I have several customer parties coming up this summer and will keep a watch on your shop for fun ideas that we can add.
Good luck!


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A recent study published in the international journal Appetite showed that college-aged women eat more restrictively when dining with men. Surprise!
My interpretation is that the results indicate that these women have been ingrained with the message to restrict their eating in order to appear attractive. Dieting, portion control, and healthy eating are seen by Westernized societies as virtuous.
Paradoxically, this restrictive behavior may actually backfire because restriction and deprivation often lead to cravings, bingeing, overeating, and guilt. I call this the eat-repent-repeat cycle.
My friend, Esther Kane, MSW, author of It's Not About the Food: A Woman's Guide to Making Peace with Food and Our Bodies agrees. Read her comments in this article on Demo Dirt, Eat, Drink, and Be Wary.
What do you think? Do you eat differently around men – and what are the consequences? Does your age matter? Does your relationship status matter?


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Guess What!
On the Beach specialises in helping you to plan the perfect getaway for yourself and your loved ones, even down to the very last detail. Get your holiday itinerary nailed. Pick up resort transfers, airport parking, airport lounges, car hire and airport hotels all in the space of a few clicks and take the stress away from your getaway.
Save £££ at On the Beach
Holiday memories with your loved ones are worth all the money in the world, but sadly, not every budget is that big. Here are our top On the Beach money-saving tips to help you bag a break away without a break in your bank account.
- Browse the On the Beach Sale: Enjoy up to 50% off some of On the Beach's incredible accommodation options all over the globe in the sale section. Pick up bargain breaks and low-cost getaways to locations like Egypt, Zante, Crete and so much more!
- Get Scrapbook Ready: The 'Scrapbook' section at On the Beach lets you make a note of your favourite holidays and destinations, keeping track of any price changes. It'll present you with recommended deals based on your specific searches, meaning you'll be able to bag your dream getaway at the perfect price.
- Consider Off-Peak Breaks: It's well worth booking an off-peak holiday if time is on your side, because you'll be able to scoop a better deal when you're browsing out of season. Steer clear of school holidays if you can and perhaps aim for a bit of winter sun instead.
As well as packing your beach towel and your next holiday read, don't forget the On the Beach voucher code that could help you to save a pretty penny.
But Wait, There's More...
On the Beach lets you book your holiday in a manner which suits you. Whether you fancy a full package deal including flights and accommodation or a hotel-only extravaganza, you'll be able to browse in the way that meets your needs.
If you've secured your accommodation elsewhere, you'll enjoy the flight-only search function which lets you pick your transport, so you can figure out how you get from A to beach.


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VSB and Nordex Commission Efficient 4.5 MW Wind Turbine
Hamburg, Pustleben, Dresden / Germany – VSB a German project developer and wind turbine manufacturer Nordex on Wedndesday (2019-09-04) commissioned the 238.5 metre high N149/4.0-4.5 turbine in Pustleben, Thuringia, Germany.
"With the support of the community, we have found an optimal solution for citizens and locations. Roads and cable routes have also been planned in such a way that is optimal for local farmers", says Katja Felkl, Project Developer at VSB Neue Energien Deutschland GmbH, looking back at the planning process. The fact, that the rotor blades of the N149/4.0-4.5 rotate on average only half as fast as those of smaller wind turbines, contributes to a harmonious landscape and assists acceptance among the local residents, as Ronny Kunath, Head of Realisation at VSB points out.
Thanks to its height, the modern turbine can use higher-yielding air layers and optimally exploit the full potential of the medium wind location in Pustleben. The N149/4.0-4.5 has a nominal output of 4.5 MW at a wind speed of 11.5 metres per second. According to Nordex, the optimal conditions for this turbine at exactly this location generate the highest possible annual energy yield, resulting in lower cost of energy production. As a result, the average electricity generation costs are falling and are therefore cheaper than those of lignite-fired power plants.
Source: IWR Online, 06 Sep 2019


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Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by an impaired ability to produce or properly utilize insulin. It occurs in many animals including dogs, cats, and… Read More ▶
Dogs today live longer than ever before but with this increase in longevity comes more health issues. Luckily these 7 supplements have been found to… Read More ▶
Demodex Canis Demodex canis is an external microscopic mite commonly known to infect cats and dogs. These mites are natural in limited number to all… Read More ▶
Atophy not to be confused with atrophy is the condition of having an allergic reaction due to the inhaling of certain products from the air.… Read More ▶
There are many tips out there to sort through for the removal of ticks from your dog. An attached tick can easily transmit diseases from… Read More ▶
Hip dysplasia is a condition in which a dog s hip joint develops abnormally, so that the ball and socket don t fit together well.… Read More ▶
An inactive state characterized by drowsiness inactivity or indifference lethargy in dogs can be a problem and can lead to other health problems sometimes severe… Read More ▶
What is Hip Dysplasia? Dysplasia actually means malformed hip. Hip dysplasia in dogs known as canine hip dysplasia CHD is a genetically inherited condition. Hip… Read More ▶
Hair loss is a fairly common occurrence in pets and can be caused by any number of illnesses both physical and emotional. Listed below are… Read More ▶
Just like their human companions, dogs can become depressed. Here you'll find a guide to identify symptoms of depression in your dog and tips for… Read More ▶
Having your dog diagnosed with diabetes can be a bit frightening. You may be asking yourself Can my dog still have an enjoyable life? What… Read More ▶
Dogs chew. It 's just a part of life for them. But knowing what to chew on may not always be as obvious. That 's… Read More ▶
As a flea bites into a dog s flesh it leaves behind saliva. Some dogs will have an allergic reaction to the salivary deposit and… Read More ▶
Dog Hair Loss As a pet owner it s hard to see your dog suffer any kind of wound or illness. Their physical pain affects… Read More ▶
There are two types of diabetes in dogs diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mellitus is the most common and associated with an insulin deficiency.… Read More ▶
As suburbia is ever expanding and houses now occupy once-wooded areas people are more likely to encounter ticks in their own backyard. Ticks are not… Read More ▶
For many dogs, diabetes is an unavoidable condition due to abnormal pancreas function, so it's important to manage it with a healthy diet. Read More ▶
Canine diabetes insipidus is a metabolic disorder in dogs caused either by insufficient production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) in the brain, or the kidneys inability… Read More ▶
Dogs seem to be highly in tune with their human owners. From sitting at the door waiting for their owner s arrival to lending a… Read More ▶
First of all don t panic. Being diagnosed with diabetes is not a death sentence. Rather view it as a call to action to live… Read More ▶
Roughly one in three dogs suffers from storm anxiety. These dogs become fearful when a storm approaches and remain agitated until well after the storm… Read More ▶


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LSU plays Auburn this week, so if you're interested, here is my LSU/Auburn Rivalry blog.
1 Auburn 1
2 Florida St. 3
3 Alabama 5
4 Oregon 4
5 Oklahoma 2
6 Miss. St. 10
10 Nebraska 23
11 Ole Miss 8
12 Notre Dame 12
13 Ga. Tech 17
15 Arizona 22
16 E. Carolina 14
17 Baylor —
18 Georgia 15
19 S. Carolina 9
20 Louisville —
21 Okie St. 20
22 NC State 24
24 Marshall —
25 Missouri —
Full computer rankings 1-128 (as I will explain, these are not in agreement with the top 25 given above)
Out of rankings: (11) Penn St., (18) Rutgers, (19) Arkansas. (21) Washington, (25) Virginia
Explanation and future rankings
As I mentioned last week, this is my transition week into adopting all or most of my computer rankings.
I would have liked to have kept Arkansas, after its very good game against Texas A&M, and Virginia, which lost to two top-10 teams above and beat a top-20 team. I didn't keep them because they were not in the top 35, and I didn't want to deviate more than 10 spots.
The team where I deviated the most was East Carolina. I couldn't justify putting them behind a Baylor team whose best win is Iowa St. Georgia has one win over an ACC team, but East Carolina has two.
South Carolina is the only two-loss team that made it, but the Gamecocks did so on the strength of their wins. Virginia's just weren't strong enough to merit consideration.
I don't like ranking Missouri, but they have three wins over FBS teams. Obviously one of them is a very good win. I consider Indiana a bad loss, but it will take some time for them to show up that way even if the Hoosiers are in fact bad. Indiana is 2-2, including an FCS win; but the FCS team they beat is Indiana St., who is otherwise undefeated and has a win over an FBS team. So for right now it's just sort of a mediocre loss. I do have Missouri a few spots below where the computer put them though.
I certainly didn't want to put USC (the loss to Boston College isn't looking so good) or Minnesota (who was destroyed by TCU) in the top 25 even though the computer had them there.
The only other team I was really reluctant to rank was Marshall, but they're undefeated, and I couldn't justify putting anyone else ahead of them.
I tried with Michigan St. and Ohio St., because I certainly think either would beat Marshall; but there just isn't a good argument being that I'm trying to transition into the objective system. Michigan St. was the best available team; but they were 10 spots lower than Marshall, so there was really no way to justify bridging that gap. Ohio St. was even lower.
Michigan St.'s only wins are Jacksonville St., Eastern Michigan, and Wyoming, so I don't think that's good enough. At least Marshall beat Akron (who beat Pittsburgh). I know that isn't much to go on, but it's more than Michigan St. has; and again, the formula is something to go on as well.
It's also more than Ohio St. has to go on. Navy and Cincinnati are just not looking like good wins right now. Cincinnati only beat Miami U. and Toledo, and Navy now has three losses after losing to Western Kentucky. Even if the Buckeyes do have better wins than Marshall does, that still doesn't address the loss to Virginia Tech, whose only other wins are William and Mary and Western Michigan.
Cincinnati travels to U. Miami (the one in Florida) in a couple of weeks and also plays East Carolina in November, so if they win a string of games, that will help Ohio St. of course. Two byes and two wins over MAC teams (with two FBS wins between them) doesn't help much right now though.
Ohio St. and Michigan St. both have decent opportunities to join the top 25 next week.
I moved the top 25 teams an average of four spots each. There are only four teams that I moved 7 or more spots up or down. I moved Arizona down 8, North Carolina St. down 7, East Carolina up 10, and Louisville up 7. I am trying to avoid any larger jumps next week.
Note that I still moved East Carolina down two spots compared to last week, I still moved Arizona up 7 spots as compared to last week, and I moved North Carolina St. up two spots as compared to last week despite a loss.
I want to go back to the teams I skipped over for a second, I'll have no problem ranking USC if they beat Arizona St. next week and are still in the computer top 25. I just think they need that additional quality win in light of Boston College losing to Colorado St.
Minnesota has a bye week, so they'll probably fall slightly on their own. If their past opponents are still good enough for them to stay in the top 25, I will probably still put them there. TCU plays Oklahoma, and Michigan travels to Rutgers, so we shall see. The Gophers are 22nd in the computer formula right now, so if they stay 22nd, that won't bother me anyway.
I'm not 100% sure that next week won't be another transition week, but I'm leaning toward going to the computers exclusively or almost exclusively (sometimes I slightly rearrange the very top teams in early October) next week. I take serious issue with a relatively small number of the results for this point in the season.
I predict I will stick to the computer rankings in full after the games of October 18. Alabama plays Texas A&M that day. Auburn is idle, but in the two weekends before their bye (i.e., this coming weekend and the following weekend) they play LSU and Mississippi St. Mississippi St. is idle the week of the 18th as well, but not before playing Texas A&M and Auburn. Florida St. plays Notre Dame on the 18th. Oregon plays UCLA on the 11th (which could also make or keep UCLA #1), followed by Washington on the 18th.
Nebraska plays Michigan St. this Saturday, but I doubt they can get enough points in the next three weeks under any combination of wins and losses by the other teams I mentioned. The Huskers are idle on the 11th and play Northwestern on the 18th.
Oklahoma is back at #10, but they have a decent combination of games in the next three weeks: TCU, Texas, and Kansas St.


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Review; Helen Valk Varavin Aphrodite Set
Today's review is Aphrodite set from Helen Valk Varavin ; I got paper cut games from newspapers when I was a
Today's review is Aphrodite set from Helen Valk Varavin ; I got paper cut games from newspapers when I was a
Today's review is Toto Bralette from Waking Up With Venus. Super easy to wear. You can adjust the straps for your
Fl*sh you&me is a Latvian lingerie and underwear brand that is known for its sensual women's lingerie, the bondage-inspired harnesses, as well
British designer Stephanie Ann Woolven has just launched her debut 'Hammer through the Daisies' collection. In addition, her latest collection
Let It Be Intimate is a fine underwear brand that translates those intimate moments in our lives into lace, bows
At JBC Lingerie we like to think that we offer an alternative intimates experience for women; a different option to
Following up its western inspired lookbook for L'Agent, lingerie brand Agent Provocateur has launched its fall-winter 2015 campaign for its
Agent Provocateur's diffusion brand, L'Agent, goes western style for its fall-winter 2015 lookbook photographed by Liz Collins. The lingerie designs
Fox and Willow Lingerie is founded and designed by Foxsunn; handmade in Australia's top end. My mind is rich of


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Hello my name is Marine and I am a secret procrastinator.
There I said it. By secret I mean people who are not in my close circle would not necessarily notice this about me. In my work life I meet deadlines without a problem, but when it comes to my personal life, sometimes (okay most of the times) I give myself a good excuse and think it can wait until tomorrow (or maybe the day after?).
Life admin for me is a synonym of boredom. Ironing my clothes? I'll wake up on the day, panic as to what to wear and usually will try and remove the creases of my outfit, brushing my teeth at the same time which inevitably means I'll walk around with toothpaste stains on for the rest of the day. Remembering birthdays? I actually put reminders on my phone up to two weeks before to make sure I don't forget to send my friends or family a card. And don't get me started on remembering to book medical appointments. I start lists I never tick off, I have epiphanies in the shower that I always forget about as soon as I turn off the water and my inbox on average is filled with 100 unread emails.
So what do you do when you feel like you need to inject some #girlboss attitude into your life?
You dress like one.
I have an ever-growing love for blazers. I buy some most seasons and every time I feel like I need some good dose of motivation, I put one on. They are just so versatile and I love the masculine vibe they give to any outfit. Also…. pockets?!! Do I need to say more?
If I was to pick one blazer to buy as your first one, I would say forget about the black number that may make you feel like the headmistress of a primary school and go for the white version instead. Yes it might be dangerous if like me you enjoy wearing red lipstick and eating too many raspberries. But the style credentials a white blazer will give you outweigh the risks of a couple of stains.
I really enjoyed wearing mine with these silver silky pants that I picked up at the end of the Zara summer sale. I know it looks like I could have borrowed them from the Genie in Aladdin, but hey he was a boss too in his own rights so I'm okay with that.
Blazer + a take on the smart trouser= the perfect outfit to kick some ass!
Photography: Iamwilldube.com
Outfit details:
White blazer: Link to shop H&M White Blazer
Pants: Zara (sale).
Silver Brogues: Office (old collection). Similar ones here: Asos Silver Brogues


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When walking to the airport exit, direct yourself to the right channel according to your case.
- Green Channel is for passengers possessing no goods or only goods which can be admitted free of customs, duties and taxes by stating that you have "Nothing to declare".
- Red Channel is for passengers who bring along dutiable goods, any prohibited or restricted goods by proclaiming that you have "Goods to declare".
Note: Customs officers may conduct a random check on passengers at both channels.
Penalties and/or fines are imposed on passengers, who intentionally use the Green Channel by not declaring the carry on dutiable, restricted and/or prohibited goods.


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And let me tell you, this is not an easy task. I made it my New Year's resolution to free our fridge and cupboards from anything that contained corn, high fructose corn syrup and any meats that were from corn-fed animals. I decided that this was in the best interest of my family, humanity, and the earth after I listened to THIS program on NPR.
Believe me, I SO knew this would not be an easy task … especially given that my husband's favorite meals are Frosted Flakes and Salsa on Tortilla Chips. But, he has conceded that in the best interest of our son, he will have to eat those meals by himself – out of my son's sight (sorry Daddy). And I am sure we can do this.
And now, after a couple weeks of searching, I am so glad to report that I have found a new breakfast cereal that is not only corn-free (try to find one and see how hard it is) but is also organic! And – get this – it tastes so good! And if all that weren't good enough … the box also contains the picture of one of my son's favorite tv characters… Clifford Crunch. Have I hit the jackpot or what ??!!
There is a down side though, and that is cost. These 12.25 oz boxes go for about $4.50 each. But, I have also found a way around that as well. I went to Ebay and purchased 20 $1 off coupons for $3 … thus saving me $17 on the 20 boxes I am now going to stock up on. Not bad.
Now, if you are still wondering why I would even care to take on this task of freeing our lives of corn, I offer you the following videos to check out:
FOOD NEWS: A Conversation with 'King Corn' Filmmaker
FOOD NEWS: A Conversation with 'King Corn' Filmmaker: 2
FOOD NEWS: A Conversation with King Corn Filmmaker: 3


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Cat Burns: All Fired Up
2nd October 2018
Emerging London-based, singer/songwriter Cat Burns is making a name and flame for herself in the music circuit, and we couldn't resist inviting her in for a chat and gifting sesh.
You attended the illustrious BRIT school – how was that, and what stories do you have?
It's so crazy I get asked so many questions about my time at BRIT, I had a good time! It grew my confidence massively being around so many creative people, plus I like healthy competition so seeing other people doing stuff pushed me to put myself out there even more. One thing that would happen a lot though would be during the lunch and break times, the theatre students would stand on the tables and do a scene as part of their course! And for someone who just wanted to eat their lunch, I did not enjoy people screaming at me whilst I was eating haha!
In your new single Sober you bite back at a guy for only contacting you when he's drunk and late at night – what's your finest shut downs?
One of my finest shutdowns would have to be my classic 'one sec'. If a guy wants to talk to me in the club and I'm not interested I just say 'One sec I'm just gonna go to the bar quickly', and NEVER come back.
What's Cat Burns' does and don'ts for an exquisite first date in London?
Definitely do not take me to a fancy dinner place, I'll most probably always want a Nando's or Wagamama so I can eat what I like. And those fancy food places just put a handful of rice or meat on the plate and then top it off with a leaf, so you're really paying £30 for air when you can pay £10 for a cheeky Nando's.
The opposite of Sober is Drunk – if you were a cocktail what ingredients would make up Cat Burns the artist?
Probably a strawberry margarita, because I'm sweet!?
Your best career moment to date, and what's on your music-bizz-bucket-list?
My best career moment to date would have to be releasing my first single 'Sober', it honestly felt like Christmas or my birthday! A truly amazing day. My music bucket list would be to definitely place (or ideally win) the BBC Sound Of Music, to have my music in the charts, to be able to play at massive festivals and venues, and to 100% keep working with clothing brands like Superdry etc, It's so much fun!
You've got an epic personal sense of style – how would you best describe your killer image?
I love very simple sportswear/tom boy items, but still feminine looks that show off my body well because I'm so tall!
You recently visited our Regent Street flagship for gifting, and we loved having you here. What did you make of Superdry's New Season collection, and what did you pick out?
I thought the new season clothes were AMAZING! My favourite pieces would have to be the green sporty tracksuit jacket, It's so cool and I've been wearing it almost every day! I also LOVE the white puffer jacket – it's very me and I love how it fits!
Watch Cat Burns new single Sober HERE!
Follow Cat Burns on Instagram HERE!


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RFP: Designated Non-Profit Status at the Greater Androscoggin Pet Expo
Greater Andro Pet Expo – Designated Non Profit Status Form
Proposal Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in being the designated non-profit for our upcoming show!
Please complete our Request for Proposal Form to help us in our decision-making.
Applications are due on June 14, 2013 with a decision made by June 28, 2013.
This allows us nearly three months of marketing & public relations regarding the winning organization – and we expect that you will use this time to market your role in the event, and the event itself.
The Designated Non-Profit receives the following:
- A free exhibit booth in a prime location
- Name & logo on all promotional materials including most tickets
- Press releases specific to your organization
- Free entry for up to six members of your organization
- Wewill encourage donations from all attendees at the door of the show (advertised in advance). You tell us what you need.
- A 3 minute introduction of your organization from the podium each show day.
Your completed one-page proposal must reach What a Great Event! no later than 06/14/2013.
You can fax it to us at 207 / 784.3950, email it to firstname.lastname@example.com or send it via snail mail.
Just complete the attached form (click on the link above) but hurry – you don't want to miss the deadline!
And Good Luck!
If you love animals the way we love animals, we hope you'll get involved with The Maine Pet Expos.
This year (2013), we will produce two pet shows, the Greater Androscoggin Pet Expo on September 21-22 (note new dates!) at the Lewiston Armory on Central Avenue and the Greater Bangor Pet Expo on October 19-20 at the new Cross Insurance Conference Center in the old Bass Park Complex.
FMI: Please join our discussion group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/MainePetExpos, and "like" our page: https://www.facebook.com/themainepetexpos.
For exhibit booth, sponsorship, show program advertising, workshops, Designated Non-Profit, and volunteer information, please contact Linda at LSnyder (at) regroupbiz (dot) com. You can also find information on these two sites: http://andropetexpoexhibitors.eventbrite.com and http://bangorpetexpoexhibitors.eventbrite.com
We're also working on a non-profit to raise funds for animal rescues – AARF – Animal Activist and Resource Fund. You can read more about AARF at https://www.facebook.com/AARF.AnimalActivistResourceFund.
We foster dogs through two rescue organizations (Maine Lab Rescue and The Pixel Fund), and collect donations for several rescues. For more information on either of these efforts, please contact Linda at LSnyder (at) regroupbiz (dot) com.
Welcome to our world!


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Following the Money - Canadian food funders and their current priorities
By Susan Alexander and Salma Khalil
Who funds the Canadian food movement? What does their research on the current national food landscape reveal? What do these funding organizations identify as future granting priorities? Stakeholders from the academic, agriculture, government, non-profit and private sectors contributed to Sustainable Food Systems: A Landscape Assessment for Canadian Philanthropy, a new report that seeks to answer these questions and others.
Food Secure Canada particularly welcomes the key recommendations that speak to the need for long-term financing of policy and advocacy work, including a national food policy, and collective action towards a more cohesive Canadian food movement.
The report by the emerging Canadian food funders group provides a very useful guide for Food Secure Canada members and others seeking philanthropic support.
Who funds what?
Nineteen individual funder profiles summarize the resources, sectoral interests and geographical focus of private, public and community foundations, networks of grant makers, and credit unions across Canada. They range from the Vancity co-operative credit union with billions of dollars in assets to smaller private foundations.
The researchers aggregate the total assets and food-specific granting behavior of those funders willing or able to provide information, while acknowledging the big gaps in the data. They identify a total of $16.5 million allocated to food funding annually. A survey of what has been financed by these donors over the past five years charts the most popular areas:
For groups seeking funding, the profiles section (pages 23 – 41) could help to identify new potential funders and their specific interests, while the wider report could aid in situating individual requests within broader thematic priorities.
Ideally, the Canadian food funders group will continue and deepen such research, since a snapshot of a single year cannot show trends in funding behavior. An understanding of the quantitative and qualitative shifts in donor performance would inform and guide the future lobbying efforts of Food Secure Canada and others, both nationally and locally.
The Canadian food landscape
Fifteen interviewees, including Food Secure Canada Executive Director Diana Bronson, participated. The objective was not to find consensus but to illuminate complexity, entry points, levers and broad issues across all aspects of the Canadian food system, notwithstanding the relatively small size of the group.
The report synthesizes the state of play in terms of Issue and Opportunities across six thematic areas, ranging from Policy and Advocacy to Indigenous Food Security and Climate Change.
Among many insights and recommendations, a cluster of thinking emerges across the themes towards the need for long-term strategic financing of initiatives (like Food Secure Canada) that promote national cohesion and advocate at the federal level. As the report notes:
"In terms of specific windows of opportunity for policy development, some respondents suggested that the renewal of the Health Accord as well as the review of the Canadian Agriculture Policy Framework–in addition to the aforementioned establishment of a National Food Policy–are of critical importance to the vision of a sustainable food future in Canada. If created or revised using principles of sustainability and an integrated approach, [these] would represent significant wins for the food system".
Indeed, with the Trudeau government's announced commitment to develop a new National Food Policy, FSC is developing an ambitious and participatory public engagement strategy. Opportunities to discuss and shape how Canadian food policy develops will be woven into the upcoming FSC 9th National Assembly in Toronto.
What's next?
The report concludes with some recommendations for how funders themselves should continue to learn and collaborate, strengthening the nascent Canadian food funders group.
Although not directly referenced, this Canadian assessment mirrors an international publication from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food - Global Sustainable Food And Agriculture: A Philanthropic Landscape Assessment (2015).
Another national perspective on Canada's food movement comes from the Vital Signs reporting platform of the Community Foundations of Canada. Fertile Ground: Sowing the seeds of change in Canada's food system (2013) provides international and national context to introduce local community foundation supported activities. Taking the pulse of community foundation food activity across Canada (2015) surveys what community foundations do and why.
Read the full report:
Sustainable Food Systems: A Landscape Assessment for Canadian Philanthropy
This report explores the current Canadian food system and highlights key opportunities for funders to support work to drive significant and systemic impact in this field.
- Susan Alexander is a communications specialist, currently putting down roots in the Montreal food movement.
- Salma Khalil is a recent graduate in microbiology and food science who is passionate about the growing food movement in Canada.


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- City homicide detectives are hoping the release of surveillance images will trigger leads in an unsolved killing from last year.
- Investigators have had no luck solving the slaying of Harsimran Singh Birdi, the 20-year-old Calgary man found dead in an alley near Harvest Hills Link N.E. on the morning of April 7, 2016. Reporters described a bloody scene, with the victim seen suffering significant injuries to his head.
- Police say Birdi's death was targeted. Before the discovery of Birdi's body, residents told Postmedia they'd heard a commotion in the alley and saw vehicles fleeing the scene at high speed.On Tuesday, investigators released CCTV images of a man they believe has information on Birdi's death.
He's described as a 135-pound man of Middle Eastern descent, about 5-foot-8 in height with dark brown hair.
He's connected to a 1995 to 2004 grey Nissan Pathfinder with significant front-end damage.
Police are also looking for a second vehicle, believed to be a brown 2002 to 2004 Chevrolet Venture minivan.
"We believe that there are people who have information in relation to this homicide that have not come forward to the police for whatever reason, but we would encourage them to come forward and provide any information that they have," said Staff Sgt. Colin Chisholm of the Calgary police homicide unit.
Anybody with information is asked to call the homicide unit's tip line at 403-428-8877, the CPS non-emergency number at 403-266-1234, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume


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In my previous entry, I blogged about the latest attempt in my years-long desperate journey of trying to make baguettes, as closest as possible to the real thing, only using a mixture of various flours easily available in UK (without having to buy real Type 55/65 in bulk to save P & P and risk of all the bags get infested by flour bugs, again).
The result was not too satisfactory; the crumb was nice and light but too soft-ish and fluffy to my liking and not enough random large holes, though it had a lovely crisp crust and quite agreeable flavour. We had one of them (less of a looker) for dinner on that day and I froze the other one. This frozen one had much better grigne and more volume, so I was hoping the inside would be better than her ugly sister.
Today, I defrosted and sliced it horizontally to make sandwiches for lunch. The inside had slightly more open texture and a bit more large holes than the other one......
(…nor the holes evenly spread through the crumb. Blame my handling not the flour…)
……but not that much more as to send me to the baguetty-heaven. No. However, the crust remained very crisp even after it's defrosted (@ room temperature for 1 1/2 hrs), much crispier than my regular baguettes would be when defrosted. This was a happy surprise…..No.1.
Today's filling was Parma ham and watercress with generous dollops of French mayonnaise by Maille, with a hint of Dijon mustard, naturally. Then came the second happy surprise. I'd really want my baguettes to have lots of large, random holes all over, but the problem with this kind of 'superior' baguette is it's not really a good disign as a recipient of spread when you make a sandwich with it. Butter, mayonnaise, mustard or whatever you spread on it tends to disappear into those huge abyss and, as the result, you end up eating too much spread which often overwhelms the filling. But, because this one didn't have so many large holes at all, spreading the mayonnaise was a piece of ca…….bread.
But those two happy surprises was nothing to compared to what I discovered next. The softish airy crumb and its subtle sweetness, which I'm usually not keen on to find in baguettes, was actually very good vehicle for sandwiches, complimenting the fillings very well, without that unmistakable self-assertiveness a very good baguette tends to have ("Eat me! I'm here! I am GOOD!!"). ……I think I might find a new raison d'etre for this flour in my kitchen. Not quite Cinderella, but still it's a nice discovery that even a humble pumpkin can be a reliable carriage.
So…..my long journey in search for a formula of perfect home-made baguettes will still continue….
As I've mentioned in a few posts , until I can find a magic and perfect solution for preventing a large stock of flours infested with flour bugs, I've got to make do with whatever flour I can find in local shops/supermarkets to make baguettes and other French breads instead of using proper Type 55 or Type 65 flour. So I've been experimenting on combinations of various flours for a while now since I experienced the invasion and empire building by flour bugs some years ago and stopped ordering lovely flour from Shipton Mill which I still miss. For larger loaves, like pain de campagne-type breads, I think I've more or less found out a reasonably good, reliable combinations of flours to achieve what I want to achieve, but for baguettes I'm still in the thick of experiments; eternal state of purgatory, between many illusions of possible heaven in sight and crashing down to hell. (Yes, I know...it's only just flours, but my handling skill as well.....)
A couple of weeks ago, my regular Typo 00 flour for pasta making (Organic. Imported from Italy. Can't remember the name…) was out of stock at my local Waitrose, so in desperation I bought Dove's Farm Organic Pasta Flour from another supermarket. The pasta I made with it wasn't very successful. It produced much softer dough with not much 'bite' to speak of, compared to my regular one. So I was left with a half-empty bag of pasta flour with which I don't want to use for making my pasta again….. I used a part of remaining flour for focaccia one day and it turned out quite alright, got a feel of how it'd behave as 'bread flour.' Still really soft, but it had a nice flavour and quite appealing delicate shade of creamy colour to the crumb. So a few days later, I mixed it with strong flour to make my regular Petit Pain Rustique with Poolish (based on Hamelman's formula with a bit of twist…or two), replacing my usual plain flour. It worked alright; more airy and lighter than plain+strong combination, though the crumb structure was a bit too uniform to my liking; more even small holes than random large holes. But it was acceptable enough, and more importantly, it tasted good.
So yesterday I decided I'd try this on my regular baguettes recipe and see how it'd work. And this is how I made it...
Poolish Baguettes - Spiked with Pasta Flour
(makes 2 x 40cm mini-baguettes)
117g Waitrose Organic Strong flour
8g Becheldre Stoneground Rye flour
125g water
0.1g Instant yeast
- Mix all the ingredients, cover and leave at room temperature overnight (12-16 hrs, or maybe shorter or longer, depending upon your room temperature)
Final Dough
All of above poolish. at its peak
75g Waitrose Organic Strong flour
60g Dove's Farm Pasta flour
Scant 1 tbls wheat germ
Instant yeast 0.7g
5g good quality sea salt (Sal de Gris, if I have. If not Maldon's)
60g water
(Hope you're all kind enough not to notice the ragged scoring on the baguette in the back ...)
A vertical shot….
From slightly different angle....
.....and lastly and more importantly....this is how the crumb looked like.
Hmmmmm……well, it's not as randomly-holey-airy as I would like, and the crumb was a bit too fluffy and soft to my liking (I like my baguette moderately chewy with a slight bite), but the crust was very crisp and lovely and the taste of both crumb and crust were quite agreeable. This is the crumb shot for the uglier looking one (wanted it to disappear from the surface of Earth quicker). I froze the other one, so I'm hoping I'll find slightly more open crumb when I slice into it in a few days time, because it gained more in volume during baking. But there's no guarantee.....
I think I can explore more possibilities in using this pasta flour for bread making, but I'm pretty sure my desperate journey of the quest for a baguette with improvised flours will still continue for some time….
As I said in my first blog entry, I made a new WW sourdough for the friend, this time with CORRECT amount of salt. And this is how it came out.
…..with a better ear…..
I also baked two other breads; cocoa flavoured sourdough with cranberry and walnuts (top right) and my friend's favourite sourdough (top left).
Today, I'd like to share the recipe for the cocoa sourdough with you.
Cocoa Flavoured Sourdough with Cranberry and Walnut
(For 2 loaves)
Very active S/D (75% hydration) 120g
Strong Flour 300g*(See 'Note1' below)
Plain Flour 150g*(see 'Note1' below)
WW Flour 50g
Instant active dried yeast 1/4tsp
Skimmed Milk Powder 2tbls
Cocoa powder 25-30g
Salt 9g
Clear honey 1tbls (or more if you like it sweeter)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 1/2 tbls
Water (Filtered or bottled) 370 - 380g
Filling … Dried cranberry and walnuts *(See 'Note2' below) total 120 – 150g
Note 1 : I think US TFLers can use 450g AP flour instead of the combination of strong & plain flours like me.
Note 2 : I usually dry-roast walnuts in a frying pan before I use it to improve the flavour, but it's optional.
Here's a close-up pic of the bread.
I sprinkle quite a generous amount of rice flour into a banetton, as you can guess from this picture. It's partly to prevent cranberries from staining the banetton and partly to prevent the surface from becoming too dark and sometimes too bitter during baking because of high fat content of cocoa powder.
This loaf was for the friend so obviously I don't have the crumb shot, but I made another loaf for ourselves a couple of days ago (of which I forgot to take picture, of course…) and I miraculously remembered this morning to take some pictures of the very last few slices (phew….).
(Excume me for the blurred picture. It was very early in the morning...)
This bread has a really lovely deep flavour thanks to cocoa powder and, of course, you can enjoy many variations by changing the fillings; another friend's children love chocolate chips (milk chocolate for them) in it while their mum likes only with walnuts. White chocolate works very well to contrast the not-sweet-cocoa-flavoured crumb, and a combination of dark chocolate chips and almond is rather good, too. In other words, the world is your oyster, you mix-in whatever filling you fancy! :)
Will post the recipe for the other bread (the friend's favourite sourdough) in a few days time.
Happy Baking!....with correct amount of ingredients.:p
So here's my first blog entry here at TFL. After lurking and secretly stealing and borrowing brilliant recipes and ideas from wonderful TFLers for a few years, only contributing very occasionally to the community with odd comments here and there, I decided (nudged by my fellow Essex TFLer, maxwellion) it's 'bout time I should pay back my long-overdue debt with some humble offerings of my recipes and what I've learned from not-always-perfect bread making experiences.
Yesterday, I baked my regular WW sourdough loaves, one for my friend and the other for ourselves. This is a favourite of another friend of mine who's kind enough to buy my breads every week, so I've baked this many, many times before and it always turns out quite nice. Very reliable recipe…..except for yesterday. I contemplated for a long time whether this should be my first blog entry or should I wait until I get more satisfactory (=less embarrassing) result. But, heck, if I start from a bottom, the only way is UP!
(Excuse my English. It's not my first language….Been using this excuse for about a million years now….)
Here's the basic recipe and method for this bread.
Ingredients (for one loaf )
200g Wholemeal flour
90g White strong flour
10g Rye flour
1 tbls toasted wheat germ
125g active sourdough (75% hydration) *see the note below
210-220g Water
1/8 tsp or less instant dried yeast (optional)
6g Sea salt
2 tsp-1 tbls good quality olive oil (optional, for slightly improved keeping quality)
*Note - Apologies for unusual hydration level. Most of my bread I make are 70-75% hydration, so this is how I've been keeping the hydration of my sourdough to make adaptation of new recipes easy for me. I believe Shiao-ping used to keep hers at this level, too. I always feed SD twice before I use it to make sure it's active.
Feed the sourdough twice in 10-14 hrs before you use it.
Mix all the flour and instant dried yeast (if using) in a large bowl.
In a separate small bowl, put water and sourdough (cut in to small pieces) and mix a little to loosen the sourdough.
Pour the sourdough water mix into the bowl with flour and yeast, mix into shaggy mess until there's no dry flour. Autolyse for 40 minutes.
After autolyse, sprinkle sea salt and S&F in a bowl (8-10 strokes, turning the bowl gradually as you S&F). Cover and rest for 40-45 minutes.
Do another 2-3 sets of S&F every 40-45 minutes, adding olive oil before the second S&F, if using.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cold retard in a fridge for 12-16 hrs.
When cold retard is done (I've been using a few, large air-bubbles on the surface of dough as the sign when it's done), leave it at room temperature for 30 minute-1hr and pre-shape and shape into whatever shape you desire, put it in a banneton and final-proof at room temperature for how-long-it-may-need-to-take.
Pre-heat oven to 240C with a lidded pot (Dutch oven/cast iron pot/Pyrex casserole/whatever you have) in it.
When the dough is ready (finger-poke test!), turn it out to a sheet of baking parchment (cut to a slightly larger size than your baking pot), slash the top and transfer it to the heated pot with the parchment.
Bake 20 minutes, covered, remove the lid/cover, lower the temperature to 210-220C and bake another 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat but leaving the bread inside the oven for 10 minutes with a door open ajar.
Easy enough. It works fine everytime without any drama.....except for this time. I noticed the dough was fermenting a bit quicker than usual while the S&F sessions, the dough feeling weirdly softer and more extensible. It almost felt as if I were playing with a ball made out of old and weak elastic bands, only stickier. I attributed it to slightly warmer and murkier weather last few days (though it wasn't that warm yesterday) and completed S&F sessions quicker than usual and put the dough in the fridge as soon as it's done. But…..when I checked the dough in the morning, there're so many huge bubbles on the surface of dough, much more than usual and could see the top of the dough was starting to sag in the middle a bit. Sure sign of over-fermentaion! (usually I can leave it in a fridge until around mid-day with no problem) I quickly pre-shaped and shaped without waiting for the dough to come to room temperature, let it finish the final proof in a shoter time than usual while warming up the oven + my trusted Pyrex casserole, slashed and baked as usual. While I was pre-shaping and shaping, I noticed the dough was much, much stickier (even more than previous evening) than usual (hence the overly-white surfaces on the finished breads from tons of rice flour I sprinkled in the bannetons) , felt much weaker and it was very difficult (almost impossible) to achieve good enough surface tension. So I feared for the worst, half expecting the dough would collapse while baking, but fortunately it had good enough oven spring, got reasonable ears and volume, smelled alright. I was really relieved that I din't have to make another (better) one for the friend, froze one of them to keep until I see this friend on Friday. (Have to make 3 more loaves of different variety for her, so making a loaf or two at a time. Not enough space in my fridge to cold ferment 4 loaves!)
This is how it came out…(Sorry I just realized how bad I'm at taking close-up photos)
A reasonably respectable ear….
An obligatory crumb shot, of course…
(the white streaks are the trace of tons of flour I had to use during pre-shaping and final shaping because of extreme stickyness of the dough)
This morning I sliced the other one to have it at breakfast and….. understood the reason for all those weird and unusual behaviour by the dough. I forgot to double the amount of salt though I was baking two loaves…… Nothing to do with 'slightly warmer' (which was not) weather after all. Just my usual carelessness.
I've just fed my sourdough to make another loaf for my friend tomorrow.…


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Posts Tagged 'Iron Imager 2019'
Andy's Fiver Friday #178 – Back from LA, Berlin Air Lift and Soundtoys Spring Sale!Posted: 5th April 2019 by benztownbranding in Fiver Friday
Tags: Air Lift Berlin, benztown, benztownbranding, benztownimaging, benztownradio, brendan tacey, effects, FX, imaging, iron imager, Iron Imager 2019, iron imager 8, LA, Los Angeles, PlugINs, radio imaging, Sale, sam wickens, SFX, Sound F, sounds, soundtoys, Spring Sale, travel, Waves, World Wide radio Summit, WWRS, WWRS 2019
Andy's Fiver Friday #177 – Spitfire LABS, WWRS And Iron ImagerPosted: 29th March 2019 by benztownbranding in Fiver Friday
Tags: 2019, benztown, benztownbranding, benztownimaging, Billie Eilish, imaging, iron imager, Iron Imager 2019, iron imager 8, LABS, PlugINs, Radio, radio imaging, spitfire, Spitfire LABS, Sport Events, Sports, VOX, World Wide radio Summit, WWRS
This week's Fiver Friday live from Los Angeles, California! Congrats to the winner of Iron Imager 8 Branden Tacey, it was a tough and awesome battle! Here are this week's findings:
Andy's Fiver Friday #174 – Rock The BELLS, Snoop and how to respond to a Hollywood Legend!Posted: 8th March 2019 by benztownbranding in Fiver Friday
Tags: 2019, benztown, benztownbranding, benztownradio, Bit Crusher, brendan tacey, bryan apple, D16, D16 Group, Decimort 2, imaging, iron imager, Iron Imager 2019, LA, Lifestyle, netflix, Oscars, plugIN, PlugINs, radio imaging, sam wickens, Snoop Dogg, Steven Spielberg, Tom Francis, World Wide radio Summit, WWRS
FRIDAY, finally! I was so looking forward to this one. So much stuff to produce, do, learn, read, watch :).. Just A quick FYI: More Iron Imager coming next week, interviews, audio, all the PRE-Contest talk and of course you better get ready to be in LA at WWRS to see it live!
Iron Imager 8 – Here is the Contender BT and Honorable Mentions!Posted: 5th March 2019 by benztownbranding in Uncategorized
Tags: Alban Rivoal, Benztown Iron Imager, brendan tacey, Capital FM, chris longman, corri english, europa plus, Flaix FM, Fun Radio, Ilya Myagkov, Iron Imager 2019, iron imager 8, joe alan, Jonathan Young, Melbourne, Mikel Vilchez, radio imaging, Triple M, worldwide radio summit
We REALLY REALLY REALLY mean it when we say this contest gets better every year. With high-caliber entrants from around the globe, who produce for AMAZING radio stations, the decision gets tougher each year. First, I want to thank all entrants who took the time to write scripts, get voiceover, produce and upload their entries. […]


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TODAY, the ghouls are having a party, but all I'm thinking about is my chicken. Not any chicken, but Chicken 74, who's been clamoring for me to write up something fancy and flattering about it — justifiably so, since it's given so much pleasure and delight at the table.
Well, it's hard to write about something if you don't have a name for it. But I do now, finally, having called it Chicken Cordon Bleu for a while, at the suggestion of one of my guests last September, though Wisdom caught up with me one day, and sniffed: "Oh, but that's kinda chi-chi and hoity-toity, don't you think?" Besides, my chicken dish isn't exactly a classical Chicken Cordon Bleu — it's not breaded and deep-fried, for one — though the rest of the elements are there: the ham, the cheese, the chicken.
Meet Chicken 74
Leg of organic chicken, pressed with apple-baked ham and gouda, cooked sous vide at 74°C for an hour, with butter-sautéed cremini and chicken jus.
That's how I've presented Chicken 74 in my menu for November, my debut menu that's officially launching Supper Club Viv — an initiative that's been cooking in my kitchen for over a year now. After much fussing, fretting, fiddling, and nibbling at a million and one things, the girl is ready! So is Chicken 74!
Happy Beginnings
The dish has evolved since I first created it on 24 May 2018. The very first tasters were my neighbors, Mei and Mark and their teenage daughter, Nicole. My nameless dish looked like a mini novel: chicken leg butter-poached with gouda and honey-baked ham, cremini in velouté * — the asterisk pointing to a separate thesis on the word, velouté:
One of the five mother sauces of French cuisine, velouté is made from roux and a light broth, roux being a mixture made from equal parts of flour and melted butter. It is the sauce base most familiarly used in chicken pot pie.
I've since dropped the velouté on my cremini. Butter-sautéed is a more compelling way to cook the cremini, and by butter here, I mean clarified butter.
While it's technically more challenging, it's particularly rewarding because one, I get to use my wok (that's so Adeline Grattard of Yam'Tcha in Paris, whom I'm crazy about), and two, I get to incorporate lots of stock (that's my own homemade one, with plenty of wonderful things and organic chicken to boot!)
The Real Inspiration Behind Chicken 74
It's true that those elements of Chicken Cordon Bleu did play a part in the creation of Chicken 74, but the dish harks back to a dish my mother used to cook for our family dinners, I'm such a sucker for ham and chicken, you see! Do you know Yulan Ji? Mom's rendition of Yulan Chicken was a colorful arrangement of chicken thigh pressed on a slice of ham, alternating with the vibrant green leaves of Kailan, all fanned out on a white Corelle platter and steamed until doneness, which was no time at all.
Uncle Chuan, my chicken seller, tells me that Yulan Ji is originally a cold dish featuring not our Western hams, honey- or apple-baked or pepper-speckled, but true-blue Yunnan ham.
Sous Vide
A little detour on this term, pronounced soo veed, which literally means, "under vacuum". I learned of this technique when I ate my first ever sous vide-cooked chicken breast at Kitchen at Bacchanalia on 23 June 2016. How could chicken breast be so succulent and tender? That was my one great epiphany at this lunch prepared by Chef Ivan Brehm, with whom I had a chance to intern over the next two months after this life-changing lunch.
Cooking sous vide encases the chicken in pure vacuum so that no moisture dissipates, and you achieve this sous vide by vacuum-sealing the chicken in a food-safe bag. Dropped in a container of water with a circulator rendering an even temperature from start to finish, the chicken would never suffer the problem of having an overcooked exterior just so you could get the interior cooked. You get even cooking, end-to-end, inside-out.
If I didn't have the means or knowledge to cook my chicken sous vide, I'd have to intern with Mr. Lee Kim Hian, the master and maestro of Seng Heng Chicken Rice at Bukit Timah Food Center, whose art of chicken far surpasses the kind I've learned. His is true art, which is what I'm chasing all day long, just like chasing the wind!
Five Things We Love About Chicken 74
But let's be still and stop chasing anything for a moment. All I want to do is reflect upon the smiles Chicken 74 has given to those few who have had the faith in my hands and palate and said, "Yes, we'd love to come for dinner!"
1. Chicken 74 is juicy and tender — thank you, Chef Ivan, for my very first sous vide lessons!
2. Chicken 74 has just the right amount of gouda ooze, not too much, not too little
3. Chicken 74 has a crisp, crisp, delectable sear on the skin — could you pronounce that without slowing down on "crisp"?
4. Chicken 74 is made with organic chicken called Anxin Chicken
5. Chicken 74 is portioned carefully to size with all those white, sinewy bits meticulously trimmed off — no more than 90g of thigh meat per portion; smaller eaters can request an even daintier cut
If you're like Gurdeep, one of the first tasters of Chicken 74, Version 1.0 in June 2018, you might probably tell me, with a lip-smacking wink, "I really like this crispy skin!" If, however, you're like me, you'd say, "Oh, I love everything!" And please, add #6, don't forget the mushrooms!


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When you create a deployment hosted on Elasticsearch Service, it uses one of the available deployment templates to preconfigure the Elastic Stack for your use case. If you have a deployment that is getting overwhelmed by the volume of incoming data or that contains logging data that doesn't all need to be on fast storage, you can migrate your deployment to a hot-warm architecture by adding another data configuration. You use this added data configuration to store less frequently queried data.
Before you begin
A hot-warm architecture works by initially creating new indices on a hot data configuration that provides fast, SSD-based storage where they can be accessed quickly. Over time, automatic index curation then moves these indices to warm nodes that provide slower, more affordable spinning-disk storage by changing their shard allocation.
Not all deployments can migrate to the hot-warm architecture template by adding another data configurations. To be able to migrate, you must originally have created the deployment using the default I/O optimized template. If you are not sure what you used, try the steps in this task to check if you can migrate.
If you cannot migrate to a hot-warm architecture directly, you can also create a new deployment using the hot-warm template and then restore your data from a snapshot there.
To learn more about how deployment templates and a hot-warm architecture work, see What are deployment templates?.
Once you have migrated your deployment to a hot-warm architecture, you cannot change it back to a hot-only architecture without creating a new deployment and migrating your data.
- Log in to the Elasticsearch Service Console.
Select a deployment that was created with the default I/O optimized template.
Narrow your deployments by name, ID, or choose from several other filters. To customize your view, use a combination of filters, or change the format from a grid to a list.
- From your deployment menu, go to the Edit page.
Check if there is an Enable button that lets you add another data configuration:
If there is an Enable button, continue with the next step. If there is no button, this deployment does not support adding more data configurations and you cannot migrate to the hot-warm template directly.
- Click Enable.
When prompted, configure index management.
If you migrate to a deployment template that includes more than one data configuration, you must also specify how Elasticsearch Service should manage your indices.
- Click Confirm and Close.
- Click Save and then Confirm.
After the configuration change has been applied, your deployment uses the hot-warm architecture template.


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On a previous post on Agile QA Guidelines, we discussed metrics reporting but didn't go into specifics. With agile, everyone thinks you go faster and get more done. Therefore, agile velocity is often the key metric. Wrong! Agile velocity is a resultant metric, one that happens when you do other things right. The problem is that when you go faster, you tend to crash more often.
So, when we work with clients who seem to focus on velocity, we try to convince them to take the view that if they focus on quality, and aspects of quality that will directly impact productivity and efficiency, then they'll be able to achieve velocity.
So the question becomes, what things impact velocity and how can we work on these elements? Here are a few:
Rework: This comes in many forms. Any time you have to do something again, that's rework, by definition. So any time you have a defect, that's rework. As a tester, you may be asked:"why didn't we (you) find this defect?" But as developers, do we also ask, "Why did you insert this defect?" The most important thing about defects is to take the time to examine the source of the defect, and why and where it was inserted. This kind of analysis should be done regularly, and if not, it becomes… Technical Debt.
Technical Debt: Also coming in many forms, this could be any one of the following such as; code that needs to be refactored, test cases that don't get written, defects that stay in a person's head although still active. It's natural that if you go fast, you make sacrifices that could impact your future capabilities to adapt and go faster.
Requirements: In agile, there is a tendency to rush through requirements thinking that we need to be flexible, 'we don't need no documentation, the requirements will change anyway'… But if we just slow down a few minutes to get a product owner more involved and to get tests written against the requirements, then we'd increase the quality of our development and eliminate tons of rework.
These 3 elements are inter-related and the top culprits at inhibiting agile velocity. By getting a handle on these 3, you'll get to velocity. Don't just focus on getting more stories out the door. You'll surely crash.


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Sini Mathews, mother of Sherin was arrested and charged with child abonnement after she left her 3-year-old adopted special needs daughter home alone in October, last year. Sherin's father Wesley Mathews has been accused of killing her.
Sherin's body was found in a culvert near her family's home in Richardson. Initially, her parents said that she was missing but later they accepted that they left her home alone and went out on a dinner, the night she died.
Wesley has now said that she died of choking on milk but he accepted that he put her body in the culvert.
Sherin's mother Sini Mathew's bond has been lowered once from $250,000 to $100,000 and she is in jail for the past 14 months. Her attorneys requested to lower the bond to $2,500 but Dallas County Judge Amber Givens-Davis refused to lower bond and ordered that it will stay $100,000.
Wesley has been charged with capital murder. His trial is scheduled for May.


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Please help me with the following question about "Through the Tunnel." Retell the main events of this story as Jerry might tell them to his best friends when he returned from vacation or to his own son later in life.
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With respect, you are asking two different questions. What I think your teacher is after is a demonstration of how two write two different accounts of the same event. Clearly, the way that Jerry would re-tell what occurred to him during his vacation to his friends will be very different from the way he would explain what happened to him if he were to tell his son what happened to him when he was an adult. You need to think about how these changes would be demonstrated through word choice, the kind of phrases and grammar used and the way Jerry would explain the event.
If you choose to write re-tell the story from Jerry's perspective to his friends, he will obviously use slang and exaggeration to boast about what he achieved. Be prepared to exaggerate the description of the rocks and how dangerous swimming through the tunnel was. I imagine that if you re-tell the story from Jerry's point of view as an adult, he will be much more thoughtful and meditative about its significance to him, and wouldn't exaggerate or be so boastful. He will also want to stress how dangerous it was to his son so that he doesn't get any ideas of doing something similar!
This is a very interesting assignment which will require you to show your understanding of how audience impacts your writing. Thinking through this issue will help you structure your work. Good luck!
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Daily Stormer
October 4, 2018
Angela Merkel, pictured here with the only black animal she ever met that she didn't want to give welfare to
They're still doing it…
Only this time, the excuse isn't "it's sad because they're brown" – no, we've circled back around to "we need workers," as if 80ish IQ apes have the ability or the desire to work.
In a deal hammered out after marathon talks deep into the night, Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right CDU, their Bavarian allies CSU and the centre-left SPD agreed on a new strategy to combat fast-ageing Germany's worker shortage.
You already have one – it's called automation:
Migrants without residency permits who are awaiting decisions on their asylum applications or their deportation may get to stay if they are gainfully employed and can show they have joined the fabric of German society.
Jobseekers from outside the EU – including, for example, cooks, metallurgy workers or IT technicians – can also come to Germany for six months to try and find employment, provided they speak German.
Oh yeah, I'm sure the semihuman monkey people of the Middle East and Africa can't wait to work in IT.
Nothing like smashing a bottle in a kraut's head after a long day of writing JavaScript
Just like I'm sure you're actually deporting them and not lying about it.
Manpower from the bloc of around 500 million people would not suffice to keep the German economy ticking, the coalition noted.
"That's why we need workers from third countries," Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told a press conference about the strategy that has yet to become a law and be passed by parliament.
Hey Merkel, you know that huge flood of military-aged you got in the last couple of years?
Why aren't they working?
And why would these new ones work?
Immigration has become a hot potato issue in recent years over the record influx of mostly Muslim migrants, many fleeing war in Iraq or Syria.
Railing against the newcomers, the far-right AfD has become Germany's biggest opposition party with more than 90 seats in the Bundestag.
The government ministers stressed that the new immigration rules are not designed to allow failed asylum applicants to win residency in Germany by switching over to become employment migrants.
Rather the new rules are aimed at providing a "pragmatic solution" for migrants who, for instance, have been in Germany for a protracted period because they cannot be deported if they face the risk of torture in their country of origin.
They should be tortured just for entering Europe…
It's a "pragmatic solution that reflects reality," said Employment Minister Hubertus Heil, adding that it would avoid cases of Germany "sending the wrong people back".
No, it's not.
A pragmatic solution would be "If it's not White, shoot it at the border."
Like this, but with bigger guns
With unemployment at a record low since reunification, companies in Europe's biggest economy have been complaining that a chronic shortage in workers is threatening growth.
In the areas of mathematics, computing, natural sciences and technology, a record 338,200 jobs went unfilled in September, reported business weekly Handelsblatt on Tuesday, quoting data from the Cologne-based German Economic Institute.
And you're gonna look for mathematicians, coders and scientists in place that never had any of those fields to begin with…
I wonder who came up with that plan…


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About the Author
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor.
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Tuesday, February 20, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter's Notebook: Roses are red, violets are blue
He who speaks the loudest wins… During a discussion about a proposed public voucher program last Monday, it appeared that two camps were forming among the commissioners of the Charter Review Commission. There were those who lauded the equity promised by this public campaign funding solution, and there were those who utterly dismissed the idea. Commissioners Fred Lewis and Matt Hersh took center stage as each vied to persuade the other members of the commission to share his standpoint. Each side had data to support its perspective, and so the debate was settled the old-fashioned way: Speak your views loudly to make sure they are heard by the most people. To intermittently add some drama to the discussion and display support or dissent of certain remarks, members of the public hissed expletives from their seats. Due to his obligations at another commission meeting, Lewis had to leave before the commission took its vote, but it turned out in his favor anyway.
A Valentine to the proletariat… Among the hundreds of people who addressed City Council in favor of a paid sick leave ordinance Thursday was a sizable contingent from the Austin chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, which was offering free peanut butter sandwiches and vegan tacos outside City Hall. Lying on the dais in front of Council Member Greg Casar was a red rose, a historic symbol of socialism. Asked on Twitter whether the rose was an expression of solidarity with the DSA, Casar replied: "The paid sick days ordinance would be a great, belated Valentine's Day gift to the social good of Austin."
Stop getting our hopes up… At 5:36 p.m., Thursday, Mayor Steve Adler adjourned City Council for dinner. He suggested that Council members return to the dais to take up the sick leave ordinance at 6:45. Council Member Ora Houston suggested they come back earlier, given the large number of people who had signed up to speak on the matter. Adler agreed with the idea but was careful to set realistic expectations: "OK, we're going to say 6:30, but we're really going to start at 6:45 – sharp!" Council reconvened at 7:18 p.m.
This week's Reporter's Notebook comes from the notebooks of Jessi Devenyns and Jack Craver.
The Austin Monitor's work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.
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Contemporary, Read more [...]
The Electric Room
Place Category: Nightlife
The official Indian capital since 1911, New Delhi stands on the Yamuna River on the western end of the gangetic plain in Northern India. Continuously inhabited since the 6th century, Old Delhi and New Delhi are no longer separate cities but are now a seamless, vibrant entity with many layers of history and culture. Located on the edge of Lutyen's Delhi and ten minutes from Connaught Place in the heart of the city, The Lodhi is easily accessible from the Indira Gandhi international airport, some 25 kilometers and 40 minutes away. Many international and local carriers have daily flights to and from New Delhi.
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Mrs O has finally opened up on her controversial departure from the show
We can hardly keep up with all this Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell X Factor drama…
First, 65-year-old Sharon went on a rant which was shocking even for her standards, where she blasted Simon a 'f**king pain in the a***' and called all of the contestants 'little sh**s' live on the radio.
Following the outburst, it was then revealed that Mrs O would no longer be returning to the series' live shows as planned (big surprise) – with the star claiming it was actually her own decision not to return.
But after Sharon's pal Howard Stern claimed that she was 'paid to keep quiet' after being 'axed' by ITV bosses, now the former judge has been forced to defend herself again.
Speaking to The Sun, she revealed Simon actually begged her to stay on the panel, explaining: 'We spoke, and he said, "Darling I really don't want you to go, I want you to stay. It's going to be so much fun".
More: X Factor 2018: Is this panel favourite set to replace Sharon Osbourne following explosive 'axe'?
'I said, "Simon, you really don't want me back", but he was insistent. He had this idea that I would be there to critique the judges, saying, 'Oh Robbie, I don't think you've chosen the right song for your artist' or whatever.
'I don't know Louis well, but I know Robbie and Ayda and they're great people, so how awkward would that be? It would be like, "What the f*** is she doing on this?"
'So I said to Simon, "Let's leave it for a week and see how we feel".'
Unfortunately Sharon decided it wasn't for her anymore and told Si she wouldn't be returning.
Meanwhile, the star also revealed exactly what happened after that controversial radio interview, claiming The X Factor team weren't quite as forgiving as Simon.
'They said, "We're very upset about it" and I said, "I'm sure you are, but you know the context of what it is",' she explained.
'Anyway, I said do whatever you want, but just let me know. Then, about eight days after that, they called again to say, "We don't think it's going to work".'
She then added: 'To be honest, I felt relieved. I have been watching the show and it's great the way it is.'
We'll miss you Mrs O!


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Raspberry pi's are tiny affordable single-board computers that are nearly the size of a credit card. They enable you creating a portable version of your project with just a power source and, if you want an IoT device, an internet connection. They're a huge advantage for any hardware project due to their size and versatility! In this workshop, we'll be going over a basic project using this handy device!
Minimal programming experience required. If you have a raspberry pi, feel free to bring it to the workshop!


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Palmer House is a senior boarding house of 63 girls. Leanne Rowlands is the Housemistress and is supported by a team of seven tutors, one resident tutor and a Matron, Louisa Kruczko.
Palmer House is somewhere where girls can enjoy being themselves whilst being part of a supportive, caring, happy and exciting community – House tops are worn with pride. Happy pupils will often exceed expectations and that has been our experience in Palmer whether it has been in their academic progress or co-curricular involvement, or both!Leanne Rowlands, HsM - Palmer House (I)
|Palmer contact details
|Palmer House, Bradfield College, Bradfield, Berkshire, RG7 6BW
|0118 964 4670
|Matrol tel
|0118 964 4672


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These little fried lentil donuts come straight from Sri Lanka! Ulundu vadai are very popular in the South Asian country and locals love it!
Traditionally served as a snack, as an appetizer or even enjoyed at breakfast time, they will gladly add a touch of spice to your weekend brunches. And if you like to surprise your guests, ulundu vadai is for you!
What is the origin of ulundu vadai?
Ulundu vadai (in Tamil) or medu vada is certainly reminiscent of the American donut with its round shape and hole in the center, but it is completely different whether by the texture or flavor.
Ulundu vadai are savory donuts! Etymologically, the term vada designates spheres of 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Ulundu vadai is part of the culinary tradition of the Tamil people of southern India and Sri Lanka.
This dish appeared in the city of Maddur in the state of Karnataka. This street food snack was made popular by Mumbai restaurants.
Ulundu vadai also have other names such as uddina vade, medhu vada, minapa garelu, uzhunnu vada, udid vada, urad vada and ulundu wade.
Ulundu vadai are made from special lentils that you will find in Indian grocery stores. Those lentils are called urad dal. They are small black lentils (although they look white in the package) which will be soaked in cold water for 3 hours, then blended finely to obtain a homogeneous dough.
Curry leaves, fresh cilantro, green hot pepper and ginger are then incorporated into the dough.
The donuts are then shaped, deep-fried and eaten while still warm. Perfect ulundu vadai are golden brown, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
They are traditionally served with sambar, a vegetable and lentil stew or green hot peppers accompanied by coconut chutney.
Ulundu vadai in the world
Ulundu vadai have multiple variations! Instead of lentils, other vegetables or legumes can be used.
When the donuts are prepared with chana-dal (chickpeas), they are called am-vada or aama vadai.
In India, in the region of Maharashtra, you will enjoy potato fritters called batata vadai, accompanied by green hot peppers and chutney. Batata vadai are very popular in India and they are a staple of street food. They are typically used to make sandwiches and are then called vada pav.
The consistency of these lentil fritters is similar to the one of Middle Eastern falafels. Falafels are chickpeas (or fava beans) balls that are deep-fried. There is no cumin in ulundu vadai, but instead chopped curry leaves and even green hot pepper for the brave!
How to make perfect lentil donuts
The recipe is very simple if you follow these tips. I recommend that you do not add too much water in your lentils when you blend them. Otherwise, it will be impossible for you to shape the small donuts. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of rice flour to thicken it and let stand in the fridge for an extra half hour.
Also, please make sure that the cooking oil is at the right temperature. If the oil is not hot enough, the donuts will be very hard, and they will sink just like the Titanic to the bottom of your pan. Check the temperature of your cooking oil by immersing a wooden spatula. When small bubbles appear, it's ready! Drain your warm donuts well on a plate linked with paper towel.
This recipe is validated by our expert in Sri Lankan cuisine, Chef Niza. Chef Niza is the chef-owner of the restaurant Apey Kade in the Los Angeles area.
- 5 oz. urad dal or ulutham paruppu without skin (split and flattened Indian white lentils)
- 5 scallions , finely chopped
- 2 green hot peppers
- 1 (2-in) piece fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- 6 curry leaves , chopped
- 2 pinches asafoetida powder
- Salt
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
- Iced water
- Soak the urad dal for 3 hours (not more), at room temperature for 2h30 and in the refrigerator for the last 30 minutes.
- Rinse and drain.
- In the bowl of a blender, first add the ginger and the hot peppers and mix. Then gradually add the urad dal.
- Blend for a few minutes to obtain a smooth dough. Add the urad dal little by little, while the mixer is running. Moisten urad dal during mixing. For this, just spray iced water from time to time to prevent the mixer from getting stuck or overheat. This process takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Transfer the resulting dough to a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients to this dough. Mix well. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Prepare a large bowl of iced water next to the dough.
- Heat a large oil bath in a nonstick Dutch oven.
- Soak one hand in the bowl of iced water and immediately take a small piece of dough.
- While keeping this piece of dough in the palm of your hand, use the thumb to make a hole in the middle.
- Place the vadai in the hot oil by shaking your fingers slightly to remove it from your hand.
- Renew the operation until all the dough is used.
- Fry over medium heat. Turn vadais and fry until both sides turn golden and crisp.