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Food value chains & food hubs represent an innovative business model in which agricultural producers, manufacturers, buyers, and other related supply chain actors form collaborative, transparent partnerships that attempt to combine product differentiation strategies with commitment to shared operational values and social mission goals. Below are reports, articles and presentations with more insight into this area of agriculture & local economies.
Market News
Rules & Regulations
BE Disclosure & Labeling
Marketing Orders
Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA)
Research & Promotion Programs
Mandatory Market Reporting
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)
Warehouse Act
Packers and Stockyards Act
Food Security Act
Federal Seed Act
US Grain Standards Act
Plant Variety Protection Act
Food Quality Protection Act
Shell Egg Surveillance
Section 8e & Imports
Dairy Forward Contracting
Pesticide Record Keeping
Proposed Rules
Grades & Standards
Quality Grading & Inspections
Auditing & Accreditation
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Grain Standardization
Enforcement Activity
Local Food Research & Development
Food Purchasing
Import/Export Verification & Certificates
Packers & Stockyards
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Lab Testing & Approval
Market Research & Analysis
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- Interactive Resources
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- FGIS Reports and Publications
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- AAD Special Reports
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- Lamb Markets Overview
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- Items of Interest in Seed
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Commodity Procurement
Selling Food to USDA
International Commodity Services
How the Process Works
Becoming a Vendor
Purchase Programs: Solicitations & Awards
Pilot Project: Unprocessed Fruits & Vegetables
Product Specifications & Requirements
Web-Based Supply Chain Management System
Small Business Opportunities
Contact Commodity Procurement
Annual Industry Meeting
Annual Purchase Summaries


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Call for info: (888) 323-1860
Last Updated: 1 day ago
2300 Blackridge Drive, Hoover AL 35244
At Blackridge
From $610,000 Why 'From' pricing?
New homes can be personalized to your needs and taste.
Builders pricing can vary greatly. Builders display base pricing because you have not selected your options and upgrades yet and some homes may indicate that the land cost is not included.
Townsend 1B 1/3Previous Next
Townsend 1B (3769 sq. ft.) is a home with 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 3-car garage.
Builder Community Sales Office
2300 Blackridge Drive, Hoover, AL 35244
Sales Agent: Tracy Murphy
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm; Sunday 1pm to 5pm
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Blackridge is bringing an unparalleled waterfront lifestyle to Hoover. Enjoy a nautical routine with access to our private 100-acre lake and the Cahaba River. Our exclusive amenities, lake craftsman-style clubhouse, and convenient location will add relaxation and fun to your daily life. Your lakeside getaway is right outside your front door. You've never seen anything quite like this in Birmingham. When you choose this community, rich in experiences, you'll enjoy a lifestyle that goes beyond waterfront living.Visit the website Free brochure
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subset: commoncrawl


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Linebackers coach Pepper Johnson told Rob Ninkovich he was going to have a big game against the Jets yesterday. Boy was he ever right. Ninkovich, who switched between linebacker and defensive end, had six tackles, including two for a loss, to go along with 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Patriots' 29-26 overtime win.
Linebackers coach Pepper Johnson told Rob Ninkovich he was going to have a big game against the Jets yesterday. Boy was he ever right.
Ninkovich, who switched between linebacker and defensive end, had six tackles, including two for a loss, to go along with 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Patriots' 29-26 overtime win.
The seventh-year pro clinched the outcome with his strip-sack of quarterback Mark Sanchez on the game's final play.
"It was just an edge rush," Ninkovich said. "Jermaine Cunningham did a great job of getting inside on the guard, so it kind of shortened that corner for me and I was able to get around the guy. I saw Jermaine on his legs trying to get (Sanchez) down and he tried to throw it, so I just got the ball, knocked him down and picked up the ball."
It was his fourth forced fumble of the season, all coming in the last four games. That's one shy of the team record set by Mike Vrabel in 2007.
The Patriots had to take a timeout in the first quarter when they only had 10 players on the field while preparing to punt.
Early in the second quarter they were short a man during a goal-line stand. The Jets capitalized scoring their first touchdown.
On the previous play, lineman Brandon Deaderick raced off the field and then right back on when it was realized there were only 10 defenders out there.
"We have to do a better job of coaching and even better awareness overall on our team in terms of substitutions with injuries and that type of thing," Bill Belichick said. "There are certainly a lot of things that we can improve on. Collectively that's all of us — coaches, players, all the people that are involved."
They were just the latest incidents of sloppiness by the usually efficient Patriots.
The Patriots, 4-3 and winners of three of the past four, break out the passports next as they meet the St. Louis Rams at 1 p.m. Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London.
The Rams are 3-4 under first-year coach Jeff Fisher. They've lost two straight, but have already surpassed their win total (2) from last season.
This will be the Patriots' second trip to London in three years. Their inaugural overseas journey resulted in a 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before a crowd of 84,254. That's the largest crowd to witness a Patriots' game in franchise history.
•Rob Gronkowski had two touchdown receptions, giving him five for the season and 32 for his career. Randy Moss holds the league record for most receiving TDs in a player's first three seasons with 43.
•The Patriots gained 381 yards, marking the 16th consecutive game they've gone for 350-plus. That ties the St. Louis Rams (1999-2000) for the longest such streak in NFL history. They're 12-4 during the streak.
•The Patriots are averaging 29 first downs a game and are on pace to finish with 464, which would break the league record of 413 set by the Saints last season. The Patriots had 399 first downs last year, which is second all-time.
•Jerod Mayo made a team-high 11 tackles, increasing his team lead to 83. It was the fifth time in seven games Mayo has hit double digits. The fifth-year pro is on pace to finish with 190 tackles, which would be three shy of his career best and rank fourth in franchise history.
•Tom Brady is now 9-1 in overtime games while Bill Belichick is 10-3 in OT as coach of the Patriots.
•The safety in the second quarter was the first by the Patriots in six years and the 26th in franchise history.
•The Patriots lead the all-time series with the Jets, 54-52-1. They've outscored the New Yorkers, 2,417-2,259.
First Quarter
N.Y. Jets 7, New England 0
NYJ—Greene 1 run (Folk kick), 8:51. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 4:44. Key Plays: Sanchez 24 pass to Kerley; Sanchez 26 pass to Kerley on 3rd-and-7; Dowling 5-yard defensive holding penalty on 3rd-and-8; Tebow 3 run on 3rd-and-2.
N.Y. Jets 7, New England 7
NE—McCourty 104 kickoff return (Gostkowski kick), 8:39.
New England 14, N.Y. Jets 7
NE—Gronkowski 17 pass from Brady (Gostkowski kick), 4:11. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:19. Key Plays: Brady 19 pass to Gronkowski on 3rd-and-3; Brady 11 pass to Hernandez.
Second Quarter
New England 16, N.Y. Jets 7
NE—Team safety, 13:10.
New England 16, N.Y. Jets 10
NYJ—FG Folk 54, :02. Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 3:41. Key Plays: Sanchez 15 pass to Keller; Greene 3 run on 3rd-and-1.
Third Quarter
New England 16, N.Y. Jets 13
NYJ—FG Folk 21, 9:33. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:27. Key Plays: Sanchez 12 pass to S.Hill; Sanchez 10 pass to Keller; Greene 2 run on 3rd-and-1; Sanchez 23 pass to Keller.
New England 23, N.Y. Jets 13
NE—Gronkowski 2 pass from Brady (Gostkowski kick), 2:39. Drive: 15 plays, 83 yards, 6:54. Key Plays: Brady 6 pass to Welker on 3rd-and-4; Brady 5 pass to Edelman on 3rd-and-2; Brady 21 pass to Welker on 3rd-and-7; Ridley 12 run; Brady 16 pass to Hernandez.
Fourth Quarter
New England 23, N.Y. Jets 20
NYJ—Keller 7 pass from Sanchez (Folk kick), 5:44. Drive: 14 plays, 92 yards, 6:58. Key Plays: Sanchez 21 pass to S.Hill; Sanchez 19 pass to Kerley on 3rd-and-3; Sanchez 8 pass to Hilliard on 3rd-and-7; Sanchez 15 pass to S.Hill; Sanchez 7 pass to Kerley on 3rd-and-6.
N.Y. Jets 23, New England 23
NYJ—FG Folk 43, 2:06. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 2:13. Key Plays: Sanchez 21 pass to Keller; McKnight 13 run.
N.Y. Jets 26, New England 23
NYJ—FG Folk 43, 1:37. Drive: 4 plays, -7 yards, 0:24. Key Play: Allen fumble recovery (McCourty).
N.Y. Jets 26, New England 26
NE—FG Gostkowski 43, :00. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 1:37. Key Plays: Brady 15 pass to Gronkowski; Brady 12 pass to Gronkowski; Brady 20 pass to Woodhead.
New England 29, N.Y. Jets 26
NE—FG Gostkowski 48, 11:02. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 3:58. Key Plays: Brady 13 pass to Welker; Wilson 6-yard defensive pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-7; Brady 12 pass to Welker.
NYJNE FIRST DOWNS2626 Rushing76 Passing1617 Penalty33 THIRD DOWN EFF8-159-17 FOURTH DOWN EFF0-00-0 TOTAL NET YARDS403381 Total Plays7874 Avg Gain5.25.1 NET YARDS RUSHING106131 Rushes3331 Avg per rush3.24.2 NET YARDS PASSING297250 Sacked-Yds lost4-311-9 Gross-Yds passing328259 Completed-Att.28-4126-42 Had Intercepted10 Yards-Pass Play6.65.8 KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB9-6-15-4-1 PUNTS-Avg.3-56.76-44.8 Punts blocked00 FGs-PATs blocked0-00-0 TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE138243 Punt Returns3-222-21 Kickoff Returns4-1168-222 Interceptions0-01-0 PENALTIES-Yds8-606-40 FUMBLES-Lost3-11-1 TIME OF POSSESSION35:4931:43
RUSHING—N.Y. Jets, Greene 16-54, McKnight 7-23, Hilliard 3-14, Tebow 4-12, Kerley 1-2, Grimes 1-1, Sanchez 1-0. New England, Ridley 17-65, Vereen 8-49, Woodhead 6-17.
PASSING—N.Y. Jets, Sanchez 28-41-1-328. New England, Brady 26-42-0-259.
RECEIVING—N.Y. Jets, Kerley 7-120, Keller 7-93, Greene 6-34, S.Hill 4-55, Reuland 1-11, Hilliard 1-8, Cumberland 1-4, Grimes 1-3. New England, Gronkowski 6-78, Welker 6-66, Hernandez 5-54, Woodhead 4-29, Edelman 2-7, Vereen 1-10, Branch 1-9, Lloyd 1-6.
PUNT RETURNS—N.Y. Jets, Kerley 3-22. New England, Welker 2-21.
KICKOFF RETURNS—N.Y. Jets, McKnight 4-116. New England, McCourty 6-199, Welker 1-17, Edelman 1-6.
TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS—N.Y. Jets, Landry 12-0-0, Harris 7-1-1, Davis 6-1-0, Trufant 6-0-0, Bell 5-0-0, Wilkerson 5-0-0, Pace 4-0-0, Bush 3-0-0, Coples 3-0-0, DeVito 2-1-0, Hilliard 2-0-0, Wilson 2-0-0, Cromartie 1-0-0, Dowtin 1-0-0, S.Hill 1-0-0, McIntyre 1-0-0, Schilens 1-0-0, Scott 1-0-0, Allen 0-1-0. New England, Mayo 10-1-0, Spikes 7-3-0, Hightower 7-0-1, Arrington 7-0-0, Wilfork 5-2-0, McCourty 5-0-0, Ninkovich 4-2-1, Jones 3-1-0, Wilson 3-0-0, Love 2-0-1, Dennard 2-0-0, Cunningham 1-1-0, Edelman 1-0-0, Hoomanawanui 1-0-0, Moore 1-0-0.
INTERCEPTIONS—New England, Dennard 1-0.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.
OFFICIALS—Referee Jeff Triplette, Ump Jeff Rice, HL Phil McKinnely, LJ Jeff Bergman, FJ Barry Anderson, SJ David Wyant, BJ Steve Freeman, Replay Al Hynes.
Time: 3:26.
1st2nd3rd4thOTFinalNew York Jets73313026New England1427330
Next game: New England vs. St. Louis (London), 1 p.m. Sunday (Ch. 4).


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REQUIRED INFORMATIONExt version tested:
Browser versions tested against:
- Ext 4.1.3
DOCTYPE tested against:
- Chrome 24.0
- Safari 6.0.2
<!doctype html>
Steps to reproduce the problem:
- Neither checkboxgroup nor radiogroup seem to work properly with the allowBlank:false config. Specifically, they fail to fire the validitychange event when an option is first clicked, causing things like form-bound buttons to not respond properly. For the checkbox gorup, checking, unchecking, then rechecking an option will get the control responding as one would expect.
The result that was expected:
- Create a checkbox group with allowBlank:false and a form-bound button
- Note that button correctly starts disabled (as form is not valid)
- Check a box
The result that occurs instead:
- A validitychange event should fire indicating the form is now valid
- The button should enable as the form is now valid
Test Case:
- No event fires
- The button remains disabled.
- If you uncheck the same box, the event DOES fire, and the validation error is displayed
- Checking the same box once more, the event fires again, and the button is enabledCode:{ xtype: 'form', items: [ { xtype: 'checkboxgroup', allowBlank: false, items: [ {boxLabel:'One', name:'test-item', inputValue:1}, {boxLabel:'Two', name:'test-item', inputValue:2}, {boxLabel:'Three', name:'test-item', inputValue:3} ] }, { xtype: 'button', text: 'Enabled When Valid', formBind: true } ], listeners: {validitychange:function(f,v){console.log('Validity changed to ' + v)}} }


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Contact Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion
Commissary Building
University of Waterloo
519-888-4567 ext 40439
We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the protected land promised to the Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations territory, which includes six miles on each side of the Grand River from the mouth to the source. Six Nations' current reserve is 75 kms south east of University of Waterloo.


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Content Sharing
Examine and develop content as a team no matter where your people are located. Our solutions make sharing information and content collaboration as natural as being in the same room.
Develop ideas together with team collaboration tools that feel as natural as being there. Effortless screen sharing helps your remote workers strategize, brainstorm, and plan faster. Or turn any whiteboard or LCD screen into an interactive whiteboard space that natively integrates with your video systems—so everyone can contribute in real-time, from any device.


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GATLINBURG, Tenn. (MEDIA GENERAL) — Devastating video is emerging from the Great Smoky Mountains as wildfires spread overnight, forcing the evacuations of thousands from the tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
Strong winds Monday caused a wildfire on Chimney Top Mountain to grow rapidly, prompting the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) to issue a Level 3 State of Emergency for Sevier County.
At the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, guests and employees were trapped.
Sous chef Adam Palmeno posted video to his Facebook with the caption, "Definitely not safe."
Hotel guest Logan Baker told WATE the fire came up to the parking lot of the hotel and firefighters said it wasn't safe to leave.
Tennessee Rep. Jason Zachary shared video on Twitter of the fire threatening Sidney James Mountain Lodge on Airport Road in Gatlinburg.
Video from Loop Road in Gatlinburg shows what appears to be a home completely engulfed in flames.
The massive flames also threatened the Arrowmont School of the Arts and Crafts, also in Gatlinburg.
Executive Director Bill May told WATE most of the building survived and everyone is safe.
"All Arrowmont personnel are safe," he said. "When I left campus the fire was approaching from the hillside above campus. Two of our dorms are gone and Red Barn was surrounded by fire."
Pigeon Forge resident Vicky Cowden shared video on her Facebook page with the caption "this is HORRIBLE!"
By Tuesday morning, the video had been viewed more than 11 million times.
In total, more than 100 buildings were completely destroyed and 1,400 residents were evacuated.


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Marc Barberis, MathWorks
Model transmission of an LTE signal over a ray tracing channel using LTE and Phased Array System Toolbox™. The singular value decomposition (SVD) of the channel matrix provides the beamforming matrix for the transmitter and the receiver, and you can explore the relationship between angles or departure, angles of arrival, and radiation patterns for the transmit and receive antennas. The performance gain from beamforming is simulated for a various number of antennas, a number of scatterers in the channel, and carrier frequencies up to 60GHz, based on EVM measurement of the receive signal.
Recorded: 20 Jan 2017


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AAF Memphis, the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation, presented the prestigious Best of Brand Identity award to Tactical Magic for the trademark they designed for Uniform Masters during award ceremonies last Saturday night.
Uniform Masters also received two gold Addy awards, for business card design and logo design, and one silver Addy for its integrated multimedia campaign.
Trace Hallowell, Tactical Magic's managing partner and creative director, said his firm is particularly honored to receive the recognition. "We are really proud of the work we've done with the folks at Uniform Masters. And we're grateful for the recognition in this difficult and highly competitive category."
Also on hand for the festivities was Robert Caen, vice president and grandson of the founder of Uniform Masters. "This logo stands for a change in the way we think about ourselves and how we want others to think about us. We already see a positive business impact from our revitalized branding and marketing. But I have to say, it also feels pretty good to receive this level of critical acclaim,'' said Caen.
"It is not slickness, polish, uniqueness, or cleverness that makes a brand a brand. It is truth." - Harry Beckwith


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The Associated Press has confirmed through the Reverend Jesse Jackson that his son, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., will head back to Minnesota's Mayo Clinic for a check up.
The elder Jackson told The Associated Press on Sunday that doctors will determine whether the congressman needs to stay longer. The younger Jackson left the clinic in September after seeking treatment for bipolar disorder. He first took medical leave in June.
The younger Jackson has given no indication of when he'll return to work but released a robocall to voters Saturday asking for patience.
A Mayo spokeswoman says Jackson isn't a current patient and she couldn't confirm whether he plans to check into the clinic.
The congressman's spokesmen didn't immediately return messages.
The elder Jackson wouldn't say when the checkup was. He says his son wants to work, but it's up to his doctors.
Despite calls from challengers, the incumbent has not resigned from his Congressional post and is widely favored to win in the November election. And while he hasn't sent out a campaign mailer, video or public statement in months, records show he's spent about the same amount of money in his campaign as others in competitive re-election fights.


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On April 3-4, renowned scholar of indigenous history and culture Karl Leonard will give five presentations on the Bemidji State University campus.
Leonard is a celebrated leader of the Maori language revitalization movement. He is traveling to Bemidji State on a Fulbright Scholarship from New Zealand. The Fulbright Scholarship Program brings scholars and professionals from abroad to colleges and universities in the United States to culturally enhance campuses.
Leonard is one of approximately 850 outstanding foreign professionals who will teach and/or research in the United States through the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program in 2012-2013.
He holds a master's degree in Maori language and management, comes from a family of Maori artists and thus brings a lifetime of experience in traditional Maori art forms including weaving, carving, and dance. The Maoris are the indigenous people of New Zealand of Polynesian dissent.
Leonard will be giving the following presentations:
April 3, 8 a.m.: Indigenous Research Class (Tessa Reed class)
Presentation Title: Indigenous Research
April 3, 3 p.m.: Indian history 1887-present (Vivian Delgado class)
Presentation Title: Indigenous History: A Maori Perspective
April 4, 10 a.m.: Ojibwe History (Tessa Reed Class)
Presentation Title: Maori History
April 4, 1 p.m.: Intermediate Ojibwe Class (Giniw-giizhig Class)
Presentation Title: Tribal Language Revitalization
April 4, 2 p.m.: Clan Systems (Vivian Delgado Class)
Presentation Title: Clan Systems and Community
All presentations are free and open to the public.
For more information please contact the American Indian Resource center at (218) 755-2032.


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Information Security
- FeatureWhat's a Hot Pick?
- FeatureAt Your Service: August 2006 managed services security news
- FeatureSingle Sign-On Explained
- FeatureUser authentication options: Using two factor authentication for security
- FeatureThree Pitfalls to Avoid
- FeatureWeb Application Break-In
- FeatureIDP/Network Access Control
- FeatureBuyers look for demonstrable success in innovative companies
- FeatureSecure Reads: Steganography and the art of covert communication
- FeatureAkonix Systems' Akonix A-Series Product Review
- FeatureInstant Messaging: Symantec IM Manager 8.0
- FeatureVendor Security Product News and Updates
- FeaturePerspectives: Frame security as a business concept
- FeaturePing: Heidi Kujawa
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
User authentication options: Using two factor authentication for security
Discover how using two-factor authentication can improve organizational security. Weigh your authentication options and choose the right product for your enterprise.
From tokens to biometrics, there are many user authentication options. Organizations must carefully evaluate the...
Continue Reading This Article
Enjoy this article as well as all of our content, including E-Guides, news, tips and more.
Christopher Paidhrin had no difficulty selling an enterprise single sign-on and fingerprint authentication solution to upper management at Southwest Washington Medical Center. Quite simply, it took out the hassle factor of HIPAA compliance.
"By implementing this solution we addressed eight principal requirements and 15 secondary requirements," says Paidhrin, senior security officer for ACS Healthcare Solutions, the IT outsourcing partner to the the hospital.
Regulatory requirements, like HIPAA and new regulations such as Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) rules, are forcing organizations to scramble for authentication and identity management options. Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD 12) mandates that federal agencies must have a single ID card for physical and IT access by Oct. 27.
Because of these new and existing regulations, Information Security and SearchSecurity.com readers rank strengthening authentication as their top ID and access management priority for this year.
More information from SearchSecurity.com
Learn how to establish and maintain an effective identity and access management plan in Identity and Access Management Security School.
Visit our resource center for tips and expert advice on implementing identity management and access control measures.
In general, organizations should consider which regulations impact them and conduct a risk analysis of their systems. From there, they can decide the most appropriate authentication methods to apply so they're protecting systems with sensitive data and meeting regulatory requirements without going overboard.
Tokens, smart cards, biometrics and certificates all offer stronger ways of identifying users, customers and partners. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and costs can be anywhere from $1 to $35 per user. As a result, companies must weigh their costs with the benefits and understand that each solution doesn't necessarily provide sure-fire security.
Password triage
The Southwest Washington Medical Center has one of the busiest emergency rooms on the West Coast with more than 100,000 visits per year. Bogging down personnel with multiple logins and passwords cuts into patient care, which is unacceptable, explains Christopher Paidhrin, senior security officer for ACS Healthcare Solutions.
Enterprise single sign-on was an obvious solution, and Paidhrin decided to go with OneSign ESSO from Imprivata. The rollout, which began in February, lasted four months and focused on 75 of the hospital's 160 applications.
Paidhrin's team began the implementation with the clinical side of the hospital, where each employee logs in to 12 applications. He then took the ESSO solution to the emergency room and rolled out biometric devices in conjunction with the Imprivata technology. According to Paidhrin, the rollout was smooth because out of the box, OneSign ESSO supported biometrics, swipe cards and proximity cards, among other strong authentication mechanisms. More difficult was having the IT infrastructure ready to receive the SSO solution, he says.
"We needed our Active Directory policies in place, and structured processes throughout the IT infrastructure," says Paidhrin. Your security posture is only as strong as the weakest link, he says.
--Kelley Damore
How do security tokens work?
Used in combination with a user name and password, tokens are a popular means of strong, two-factor authentication (something you know and something you have). There is a wide variety of tokens available, including USB tokens, random-number-generator key fobs that produce one-time passwords, and software tokens that emulate the function of a hardware token on a computing device.
Pros and cons: Among the token choices, the USB tends to be the most cost effective and versatile. The USB reader is standard equipment on today's PCs, so a separate reader is not required as it is for other two-factor authentication methods such as smart cards. Unlike random number generators like RSA Security's SecurID, USB tokens provide storage for various certificates and logon credentials, making them more flexible. RSA Security, Aladdin Knowledge Systems, ActivIdentity (formerly ActivCard), Authenex and SafeNet are a few of the vendors offering USB tokens.
However, implementing tokens isn't easy. Token vendors tend to split up their required client software into several discrete components: one for storing network credentials, another for storing Web site information, and a third for VPN credentials. This leads to a need for separate analysis and versioning control of the different software components to ensure compatibility with enterprise desktops. Plus, users are reluctant to carry yet another hardware device in their pocket to access enterprise services, and can easily lose it. Software tokens avoid that drawback, but can only be used on the host where the software resides.
Another problem with most tokens is that the software may leak user names/passwords onto the hard drive. In addition, it's possible to crash the client software (particularly Java-based software) by overloading the processor with multiple tasks operating simultaneously, or tasks like CAD that require large amounts of CPU and/or memory.
What to do: Depending on their security needs and regulatory requirements, companies may want to deploy USB tokens throughout the enterprise for network logon or just for remote access via a VPN or Citrix system.
How do smart cards work?
A smart card looks like a credit card but contains a small microcontroller attached to an electrically erasable, programmable read-only memory chip. Smart card chip connection is via direct physical contact with a smart card reader, which can be attached to a PC. New generation smart cards also have a math coprocessor integrated with the microcontroller chip that can quickly perform complex encryption routines.
Pros and cons: Price has been a big barrier to the wide deployment of smart cards. When they were first introduced, they cost about $100 each plus the reader and software. While their prices have come down, smart cards use the same chips as USB tokens and consequently have identical functionality. USB tokens, however, are far more convenient to carry and less prone to breakage when carried in a trouser pocket; and the reader is built onto every PC.
What to do: Companies wanting multifunctional ID cards for both physical and network access might consider smart cards. Some vendors offer smart cards that can be used as a proximity badge for building access and also for logical access. Smart cards may become more widespread as federal agencies comply with HSPD 12.
Corporations have long wished for a biometrically authenticated card that provides a user with both physical and logical access. HID offers such a card, but the cost makes the solution prohibitively expensive for all but the most security-conscious environments.
How does biometrics work?
Biometric authentication is based on a physical or behavioral characteristic, including the face, fingerprints, hand geometry, retinas, handwriting and voice. Many computer manufacturers are building in swipe fingerprint readers onto the case of the computer or its keyboard.
At the same time, Trusted Computing Group (TCG) is driving the adoption of the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip onto the motherboard of most business-class desktops, laptops and tablet computers. Manufacturers like Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lenovo and Toshiba have joined TCG and support the TPM module. The TPM chip is a microcontroller that stores cryptographic keys, passwords and digital certificates, and is accessed via secure channels built into the client software. Combined with built-in, swipe-based biometric readers, the TPM provides strong authentication and credential storage.
Pros and cons: TPM adoption by the major PC vendors, combined with free client biometric software, is driving down costs dramatically in this market and facilitating enterprise deployment. Standalone biometric readers such as fingerprint, retina and handprint scanners have historically been in the $100 range plus software costs. Currently, only fingerprint readers are being added to PCs at the point of manufacture.
The biometric software typically converts the fingerprint into a series of data points that mathematically represent the fingerprint, but cannot be used to recreate the fingerprint. Vendors vary widely in their implementation of this measurement process. The crossover error rate is a good measure of accuracy of the reader/software combination, but the readers themselves can be susceptible to errors.
Other issues to consider before choosing this type of biometric solution are what's required to effectively deploy and centrally control the required client software, and whether there is reporting to a central server on security events such as unauthorized access. The answers to these questions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
What to do: Look first to implement a built-in fingerprint reader/TPM solution for users that are accessing high-value data such as mergers and acquisitions material, technical research and marketing plans. Then consider deploying it in a measured way across the enterprise to other users, keeping in mind the time it takes to deliver client software to thousands of desktops and to enroll users' fingerprints with the readers.
|Cost estimates for strong authentication products
Smart cards/PINs/biometrics
$18-$35 per user per year
Hardware and software tokens that display one-time passwords
$3-$25 per user per year
Knowledge based/life questions
$1-$2 per user per year
Source: RSA Security estimates based on size of deployment and any associated software and hardware
How do security certificates work?
Certificates are typically used in conjunction with USB tokens or smart cards but can be implemented separately. A certificate is assigned to a user, a token or a particular machine and is read during the authentication process. Certificates are much more secure than they were a few years ago due to better encryption and more robust certificate stores.
Pros and cons: Certificates tend to be a stronger style of authentication, but come at a much higher cost. The infrastructure typically required in an enterprise (servers, hierarchical certificate server domain deployment and personnel) is pricey to set up and maintain. Third-party vendor-managed services help, but this authentication is still more expensive than most others reviewed here.
What to do: Organizations with extremely high security requirements, such as government agencies handling classified information, will want to consider certificates. Today, there are discrete pockets of certificate implementations, but with the increasing deployment of USB tokens and TPM chips, this sector is expected to grow over the next decade to become nearly ubiquitous.
Safe Mode: Danger Zone
While strong authentication seems failsafe, nearly all of these systems may be bypassed entirely or critically hindered by using a computer's "safe mode."
If an attacker can gain access to the desktop and run a disk editor of any type, he can search for user names and passwords that are commonly left by the authentication software in the paging or temp files of Microsoft Windows. Once he has the user name and password, he can log in as the user with whatever multifactor authentication system is deployed. Unfortunately, users often store their tokens or other authentication devices with their computer, making it easy for an intruder to gain access.
Additionally, the vendor-supplied software of a strong authentication solution must work seamlessly with your network client software. This is easy using Microsoft, but it has the greatest page file leaks. Novell, Sun Microsystems and others are not supported as well by security vendors, but tend to be more secure because they use different network authentication mechanisms.
Using two factor authentication: The time is now
Without a doubt, strong authentication can be expensive, depending on the chosen technology. But losing 20 percent or more of your share value due to a loss of consumer confidence when an executive's laptop is stolen and thousands of private data records are exposed is even more costly -- so using two factor authentication is a suggested security practice.
Authentication technology has improved greatly over the past two years and will continue to do so. The associated software continues to be a source of failure, though it is also improving. The total cost of ownership due to administrative costs is still too high, but is dropping.
The regulations are in place, and it is time to provide our businesses and clients with a stronger sense of security via better authentication.


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I really like this once I was able to get the paint down to the tip. It was a bit difficult to squeeze gently as instructed and very easy to squeeze to hard and have it leak. I have used them already and would recommend them to a friend.
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DANBURY -- Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of Fairfield's Bigelow Tea, said she'll never forget her days as a teenager selling tea in her family's business.
"I was 16. There were all these men in the store. I would always trip and fall each time I came in there. I felt so horrible about it. Some of the guys were very rude. But for me, I had that ability to get past it and move on," said Bigelow, who lives in Fairfield. "I knew early on that if I was knocked down, I was strong enough to get right back up."
Bigelow, now 53, was one of the speakers Wednesday night at the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce's Women's Business Council's fourth annual "Conversations with Extraordinary Women."
The event drew about 250 people to the Matrix Conference and Banquet Center on Old Ridgebury Road.
The other panelists were Peyton Patterson, CEO of Bankwell Financial Group in New Canaan and New Haven Mayor Toni Harp.
Nancy Armstrong of Greenwich, producer of the documentary series "Makers: Women Who Make America" --which tells the story of women's advancement over the past 50 years -- moderated the event.
Armstrong, whose husband is AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, said while women have come far toward achieving equality in business, they still have a long way to go.
"Progress has stalled. While women today are entering the workforce in equal numbers to men, at the mid-career level they drop off. Female CEOs are less than 5 percent in Fortune 500 companies. C-Suite numbers are 15 percent. This number hasn't budged in 10 years."
The speakers shared advice on overcoming these odds and on what it takes to rise to the top of their field.
Harp said success has a lot to do with accountability.
"I ask for results right away and say we're going to track them," she said. "It's more important to get something done, even if it isn't perfect."
Patterson's advice was surround yourself with talent. She tells her staff, " `Don't yes me.' Instead, `Debate me. Inform me.' Make a collaborative decision."
Bigelow said it's possible for women to achieve their career goals while still putting their family first. "There are only two phone calls I always take no matter what -- those from my daughter and my son," she said.
"You have to put some stakes in the ground," Patterson said. "I leave at 6 p.m. every day. I made a promise to my family and myself that I would be home for dinner every night.
"I have a 16-year-old daughter. If she doesn't feel I'm a good mother, that will negate a lot of things that happen to me," Patterson added.
Harp said she hopes she inspires other women to have the confidence to take on leadership roles.
"I'm the first woman to be mayor in New Haven in almost 376 years. I won't be the last."
Danbury resident and business owner Phyllis Boughton, wife of current mayor and gubernatorial candidate Mark Boughton, said she was encouraged by the speakers' words.Read Full Article
"We need leaders like these who see beyond gender, color, and race, and who empower the individual spirit," said Boughton, who owns Connecticut Kitchen and Bath in Danbury.
Karen Mello, of Bethel, director of financial stability at the United Way of Western Connecticut, said she liked one question in particular.
"When asked how women can have it `all,' striking that balance between work and family, I loved how the panelists shared that the `all' can be different for everyone and you can feel free to define that for yourself," Mello said. "When Mayor Harp said that part of her `all' is helping the community, I could definitely relate. Besides taking care of my family, helping the community will always be a part of my `all.' "
Danbury resident JoAnn Cueva, the Women's Business Council's program specialist, said nobody ever wants to fail.
"But, if we don't seize upon an opportunity, we'll never move forward," she said. "Being successful and making an impact, while still being true to ourselves -- that was the consistent message delivered by our panelists -- all of whom have made it to the C-Suite."
Sandra Diamond Fox is a freelance writer who lives in Danbury.


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Number of Leadership theories evolved on the basis of Trait, Behavioral, Transformational, Situational, Charisma. Researchers and thinkers made efforts linking some of the theories across these leadership islands. But each model has its own pros, cons, assumptions & limitations. Latest researches are conducted on Situational & Transformational leadership styles. Leadership gurus presented new models as variations to the already existing models. Max Weber, MacGregor Burns, Bernard M.Bass, Warren Bennis & Nanus are few important researchers in the area of transformational leadership.
Understanding the difference between transactional and transformational leadership is vital in getting the whole concept of transformational leadership theory.
As a starting point, let us review our everyday life. In general, a relationship between two people is based on the level of exchange they have. Exchange need not be money or material; it can be anything. The more exchange they have the more stronger the relation. Your manager expects more productivity from you in order to give good rewards. In this way, if something is done to anyone based on the return then that relation is called as 'Transactional' type. In politics, leaders announces benefits in their agenda in exchange to the vote from the citizens. In business, leaders announces rewards in turn to the productivity. These relation is all about requirements, conditions and rewards (or punishment). Leaders who show these kind of relationship are called 'Transactional Leaders'.
In life, at one point of time, things happen without expectation from other side. Say, mom's dedicated service to her kid. Mom doesn't expect anything from the child and the service she provides in raising the child is unconditional, dedicated, committed. Mom plays a major role in shaping up the kid's future life. This type of relation is called as 'Transformational'. Leaders do exist in this world with these behaviors. Transformational Leaders work toward a common goal with followers; put followers in front and develop them; take followers' to next level; inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests in achieving superior results.
Transactional Leader:
approaches followers with an eye to exchanging one thing for another … Burns
pursues a cost benefit, economic exchange to met subordinates current material and psychic needs in return for "contracted" services rendered by the subordinate …. Bass
Transformational Leader:
"recognizes and exploits an existing need or demand of a potential follower… (and) looks for potential motives in followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower" … Burns
The leader who recognizes the transactional needs in potential followers "but tends to go further, seeking to arouse and satisfy higher needs, to engage the full person of the follower … to a higher level of need according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs" … Bass
"Transformational Leader facilitates a redefinition of a people's mission and vision, a renewal of their commitment and the restructuring of their systems for goal accomplishment. It is a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and may convert leaders into moral agents. Hence, transformational leadership must be grounded in moral foundations"….(Leithwood, as cited in Cashin et al., 2000, p.1)
As exactly said by Bass – "the transactional leaders work within the organizational culture as it exists; the transformational leader changes the organizational culture".
Following table shows difference of transactional and transformation leadership[1].
|Transactional Leadership
|Transformational Leadership
|* Leaders are aware of the link between the effort and reward
* Leadership is responsive and its basic orientation is dealing with present issues
* Leaders rely on standard forms of inducement, reward, punishment and sanction to control followers
* Leaders motivate followers by setting goals and promising rewards for desired performance
* Leadership depends on the leader's power to reinforce subordinates for their successful completion of the bargain.
|* Leaders arouse emotions in their followers which motivates them to act beyond the framework of what may be described as exchange relations
* Leadership is proactive and forms new expectations in followers
* Leaders are distinguished by their capacity to inspire and provide individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and idealized influence to their followers
* Leaders create learning opportunities for their followers and stimulate followers to solve problems
* Leaders possess good visioning, rhetorical and management skills, to develop strong emotional bonds with followers
* Leaders motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond self-interest.
Initial studies portrayed Transactional Leadership and Transformational Leadership as mutually exclusive, but Bass viewed the transactional & transformational leadership as continuum rather than opposites. The transformational leadership style is complementary to the transactional style and likely to be ineffective in the total absence of a transactional relationship between leaders and subordinates.
Based on detailed studies of various works in Transformational Leadership reveals following broader characteristics of Transformational Leader which includes (not limited to) [3], [4]
- Clear sense of purpose, expressed simply
- Value driven (e.g. have core values and congruent behavior)
- Strong role model
- High expectations
- Persistent
- Self-knowing
- Perpetual desire for learning
- Love work
- Life-long learners
- Identify themselves as change agents
- Enthusiastic
- Able to attract and inspire others
- Strategic
- Effective communicator
- Emotionally mature
- Courageous
- Risk-taking
- Risk-sharing
- Visionary
- Unwilling to believe in failure
- Sense of public need
- Considerate of the personal needs of employee
- Listens to all viewpoints to develop spirit of cooperation
- Mentoring
- Able to deal with complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity
1. Comparison studies of different transformational authors – Bass, Cacioppe, Gronn, Hughes.et.al, Popper & Zakkai by Vanisha Balgobind in "The impact of Transformational Leadership on Subordinate Job satisfaction" dissertation work – June 2002.
2. Transformational Leadership by Colonel Mark A. Homrig, 21 Dec 2001. Retrieved from http://leadership.au.af.mil/documents/homrig.htm as on Aug 1st 2008.
3.Transformational Leadership: Characteristics and Criticisms by Iain Hay. Retrieved from http://www.leadingtoday.org/weleadinlearning/transformationalleadership.htm as on 1st Apr 2012.
4. Bass (1990a); Cox (2001); Epitropaki; Hall, Johnson, Wysocki & Kepner (2002); Lussier & Achua (2004); Stone, Russell & Patterson (2003); Tichy & Devanna (1986); and University of Regina.
My Other posts on Transactional & Transformational Leadership:
1. Is anything called transactional leadership exists?


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Monday, May 22, 2006
Should Historians Try to Rank President Bush's Presidency?
I like this quote, "We cannot honestly evaluate the Bush Presidency, as historians, until that presidency is finished, until it passes into history. Any attempt to do so while that presidency is in motion is both foolish and dishonest. It is dishonest because it misrepresents what are the historian's political opinions as being the profession's historical assessments."
I know I have covered this topic before in this blog but I think this essay is worthwhile in how it makes this point. Unfortunately, it is apparent that too many historians are letting their own personal political opinions influence their historical analysis. DeWitt cites the example of Sean Wilentz who wrote The Worst President in History? for Rolling Stone recently. Wilentz makes that claim the current president is the worst ever. But how the heck can we know that now? In 100 years will historians really rank Bush behind Buchanan and Harding? I am skeptical...
Sean Wilentz has a rebuttal at HNN as well if you are interested in a different view.
4 comments:
- Jennie W said...
I totally agree - it isn't history until its over and even then it needs a "cooling" off period. For instance, I have certain opinions about Clinton...but I also recognize that it will take me awhile (if ever) to be able to critically judge that administration. Just a note, I discussed a similar issue in Presidents and Polls. The article compared Truman and Bush, but ended on the note (which I quote) that we can't make the decision now.
- M said...
"The article compared Truman and Bush, but ended on the note (which I quote) that we can't make the decision now."
Yes you did as I have previously as well. I will try not to post ont his again but if an article hits my buttons...
- "Ms. Cornelius" said...
When does an event stop being "current events" and start being "history?"
It is way too soon to try to place Bush's presidency into a best/worst hierarchy.
Many people have criticized the film about United Flight 93 as being too soon, for example.
Will restrain snarky comment about recent chief executives now.....
- Jennie W said...
I'm all for the 50 year rule before discussing events/people historically.


text: Friday night my girl friend & I went the movies at 99 Grand Parkway & IH-10 at the 8:00 pm movie and returned out at 10:00 to an empty parking spot. It was a 2005 F350 Lariat 4x4 bullet proofed, egr delete, 5", SCT tuner, exhaust, stereo, subs, etc. I doubt seriously it will show up around here but just making everyone aware. I NEVER EVER take this truck to movies, mall, etc and if I take it to a bar I will pay valet to let me to park it. Oh well its the second Ford in 4 years that was stolen. The first one was stolen from Stadia parking lot Westgreen & IH-10 and was recovered in San Antonio transporting illegals from Mexico (as per the S.A. P.D. auto theft detective) Again just a "heads up" to everyone.


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Oil prices are spiking yet again, due in large part to the political unrest in the Middle East. We've seen this before, and we will see it again. Oil price volatility will take a toll on California until we diversify energy supplies and reduce oil demand. The time has come for us to end our addiction to imported oil.
We depend on oil for 93 percent of our transportation needs in California. This is hardly the "diversified portfolio" approach that we, as an investor and an economist, would recommend as a risk management strategy. Moreover, half of this oil comes from outside of the U.S., including a large portion from the politically volatile Persian Gulf. Securing our transportation energy future should be a priority for California.
The possible solutions to this challenge are real and exciting. We have the ability to produce ethanol from domestic biomass sources and are making rapid progress on next generation low carbon fuels. We are starting to turn waste into renewable natural gas and other clean fuels. We are building engines that burn less fuel and cars that run on electricity. With the right policies in place, we can make our overall transportation system much smarter and more efficient.
Wednesday, the California Secure Transportation Energy Partnership is releasing an action plan outlining near-term steps that California should take to build a transportation system for the 21st century. It's time for California to step up and lead by example.
The first step is to commit to enforceable petroleum reduction and alternative fuels usage targets, and to re-examine all relevant laws, regulations, taxes and other policies with this goal in mind. We should ensure that the state's technology and infrastructure investments contribute to our energy security goals rather than reinforcing the status quo. We should stay the course on vehicle and fuel standards that will reduce oil dependence. We should implement pricing policies that encourage consumers to reduce petroleum consumption.
The private sector is ready and willing to move ahead. If the state enacts bold policies that improve the long-term business case for efficiency and alternative fuels, the business and investment community will react.
These policies should be performance-driven, independent of a priori technology choices. They should also be long-term and stable to encourage investment within a predictable regulatory environment. Much of this investment and resulting job growth would be right here in Silicon Valley. Without clear signals, however, customers and investors will remain on the sidelines.
We have a choice.
We can continue with business as usual. We would remain addicted to imported oil and exposed to price shocks and supply disruptions. We would continue sending tens of millions of dollars abroad every day to quench our thirst for petroleum. While this may be the easy option in the short term, it will cost more in the long term.
Alternatively, we can make energy security a priority for California. We can minimize our risk, diversify our energy sources and increase the efficiency of our transportation system. We can move away from oil and invest in cleaner alternatives, many of which are likely to be developed and produced here in California.
Some might say we can't afford this investment, or that this is a problem for the federal government. The truth, however, is that we can't afford not to act. The federal government has failed to make progress in this area, and the problem is not going away. We need to change the rules of the game here in California if we want to secure our transportation energy future.
JAMES SWEENEY is a Stanford professor of management science and engineering and director of the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center. SVEN STROHBAND is a partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures focused on cleantech investments. They wrote this article for this newspaper.


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Waste Diversion Report
Due to a software change, the Waste Diversion Report intake system does not currently recognize permits finaled on or after May 1, 2018. We apologize for the inconvenience and are actively working to correct the issue.
If your project was finaled after May 1 2018 and above $75,000 please complete a manual form (see link below) and email it to: email@example.com.
If your permit was finaled prior to May 1, 2018 please submit the form electronically.
If your project value was less than $75,000 a Waste Diversion Report is NOT required and you do not need to submit it in either form.
- Electronic WDR Form submission with email confirmation
Check the records for accuracy before submitting. Once the report is submitted, it cannot be retrieved for editing. A confirmation email will be sent to you indicating that the report for your project has been received with a summary of the report details. If you have any questions, please send them to email@example.com or contact Katie Kennedy at 206-386-9772.
You should not submit the Salvage Assessment required by the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspection (SDCI) as part of your building permit application to the email address listed above. The Salvage Assessment should be submitted directly to firstname.lastname@example.com.
View the reference summary of waste diversion report choices (pdf) available in the electronic report.
- Manual WDR Form submission
You must print out this form and fill in the tables manually. It can then be scanned and emailed to email@example.com or mailed to the address given on the form. The manual form has lists to assist you with material types, diversion methods, units of measure, hauling companies and receiving facilities.
What is the Waste Diversion Report?
The Waste Diversion Report (WDR) identifies where project construction and demolition materials were delivered for reuse (on-site), salvage (off-site), recycling and landfill disposal. The report is required of all demolition projects and all new construction and remodeling projects that are $75,000 in value or more that received a Seattle Department of Construction & Inspection (SDCI) Building Permit after January 1, 2014. It must be submitted within 60 days of a project's Final Inspection Approval date.
Seattle Municipal Code 21.36.089 directs Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) to set up a process for the submission of construction waste diversion reports. This is detailed in SPU Director's Rule SW-405.2 Rev 1 (pdf).
View material types, hauling companies and receiving facilities: Waste Diversion Report Choices (pdf)
Information required for the Waste Diversion Report form
When filling out the WDR form, you will initially be asked:
- Permit Number for the project
- If an asbestos abatement was performed
- Estimate of Project square footage (optional)
- Building Permit Applicant's Name and Contact Information
You will then be asked about what happened to construction waste materials. You will need to have access to the weight slips or receipts from receiving reuse, recycling or disposal facilities used by you or your contractors during the project. The WDR form questions pertain to:
- Descriptions of the materials. Select from a list of report choices for Material Types or type a description.
- Diversion method. Choose from Reuse on Site, Salvage off Site, Recycle Source Separated, Recycle Commingled or Disposal.
- Quantities of material. Enter tons, pounds, cubic yards or # of items for salvage or reuse on site
- If the load was hauled by your company (self-haul) or by a third-party hauler.
- The names of third-party hauling companies if used.
- The names of receiving facilities for reuse, recycling and disposal.
How long do weight tickets need to be kept?
Weight tickets need to be kept for at least a month after submittal of a project waste diversion report. Photographs of reuse activities for materials reused on the construction site are acceptable forms of documentation.
What is the audit process for submittals?
SPU may randomly audit the Waste Diversion Reports to see if they are:
- Submitted within the allowable time period post final inspection approval
- If they are complete
- If construction materials were delivered to qualified receiving and recycling facilities in compliance with the city's disposal bans and other criteria
Audits may take place within 30 business days of their submittal or in the case of non-submittals within 30 business days of when a report should have been submitted.
Penalties for not submitting a waste diversion report
In 2015, a civil fine of $250 plus statuary assessments may be applied if a waste diversion report is not submitted.


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Just to be clear, we do eat a little bit of grass. Three-quarters of all human nutrition comes from wheat, rice and corn, all of which are grasses. But what we eat is actually their seeds, the dense package of complex carbohydrates that is the specialty of annual grasses. Perennial grasses, which are more common, pack a larger proportion of their energy in their roots, stems and leaves; the building block for these is cellulose. Humans cannot convert cellulose to protein, but cows, sheep and other ruminants can, thanks to the resident bacteria in their highly specialized fermentation tank of a stomach, known as a rumen.
Most of the beef sold in stores today is from animals that are grain-fed, meaning they were fed corn and other grains over their lifetime, typically in a confined feedlot. Grass-fed beef, as its name implies, comes from animals that eat perennial grasses all their lives.
So what's the big deal? Why is it so important to choose grass-fed when buying meat?
1. Perennial grasses are better for soil.
Healthy topsoil is a biological matrix, a housing complex for an incredibly diverse community of organisms. In every handful are billions of beneficial microbes, nitrogen-fixing fungi, nutrients and earthworms whose digestive tracts transform fine grains of sterile rock and plant detritus into the fertile excrement that gave rise to the word dirt itself (drit in Old Norse).
In his book "Dirt, David Montgomery, a geomorphologist at the University of Washington, describes modern agricultural practices as "soil mining" to emphasize that we are using up topsoil much more quickly than Earth's natural processes can restore it. According to the National Academy of Sciences, cropland in the United States is being eroded at least 10 times faster than the rate at which lost soil can be replaced by natural processes. Tillage, by moving topsoil with high levels of organic matter into the moist depressions, releases not only carbon dioxide but also nitrous oxide and methane (both global-warming gases) by triggering decay and erosion. Shallow-rooted annual grasses, such as corn, wheat and soy, further deplete the soil of critical trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iodine.
In contrast, the deep roots of perennials, often extending more than 10 feet below the surface, act like elevators, lifting nutrients back into the system and making them available to plants and everything else up the food chain. Pure prairie builds up organic matter: the richest of virgin prairie soil in the Midwest once ran to 10 feet deep and was about 10 percent organic. What's left of the soils where corn and soy now grow typically contains less than half that amount of organic matter. Perennial pastures can restore the richness of the soil in a decade or so.
2. Animals that are grass-fed their entire life are healthier — and their meat is safer for you.
A ruminant's gut is normally a pH-neutral environment, best suited to a diet of cellulosic grasses. It is not well suited to a diet of corn and other grains, the primary fare of feedlot cattle. High in starch, low in roughage and a poor source of calcium and magnesium, corn upsets the cow's stomach, making it unnaturally acidic. Not only is this harmful to the cow — giving it a sort of bovine heartburn or, worse, making it very sick—but it allows a whole range of parasites and diseases to gain a foothold, including the pathogenic E. coli 0157:H7 bacterium.
Making its first appearance a little over 25 years ago, E. coli is now found in the intestines of most U.S. feedlot cattle. As Michael Pollan explained in "Power Steer," a 2002 New York Times Magazine article, "By acidifying a cow's gut with corn, we have broken down one of our food chain's barriers to infections."
Interestingly, this process can be reversed, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture microbiologist, who discovered that switching a cow's diet from corn to hay in the final days before slaughter reduces the population of E. coli in its manure by as much as 70 percent. Such a change, however, is considered wildly impractical by the cattle industry (see 4 below for reasons).
3. Grass-fed animals produce the right kind of fat.
Many of us think of corn-fed beef as being nutritionally superior, but it isn't. A corn-fed cow does develop well-marbled flesh, and the USDA continues to grade beef in a way that rewards marbling with intramuscular fat, but this is simply saturated fat that can't be trimmed off.
Grass-fed meat, on the other hand, is lower both in overall fat and in artery-clogging saturated fat. It has the added advantage of providing more omega-3 fats. In addition to being higher in healthy omega-3s, meat from pastured cattle is also up to four times higher in vitamin E than meat from feedlot cattle, and much higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a nutrient associated with lower heart disease and cancer risk that is lacking in our diets. Beware of claims that animals spent most of their life in pasture. When cattle are taken off grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on grain, they immediately begin losing the omega-3s they have stored in their tissues. As a consequence, the meat from feedlot animals typically contains only 15 to 50 percent as much omega-3s as that from grass-fed livestock. Use Label Lookup: Meat Labels to learn more about what claims on meat mean and which ones you can trust.
4. The corn fed to feedlot cattle is fossil-fuel intensive and heavily subsidized.
Our energy-intensive food system uses 19 percent of all the fossil fuel consumed in the United States, more than any other sector of the economy. And it isn't all for powering tractors and farm equipment. Twenty-three million tons of chemical herbicides and fertilizers, all derived from fossil fuel, are used on crops in this country, 10 million tons just on corn. According to Cornell University ecology professor David Pimentel, to make the fertilizer to grow the corn to feed just one feedlot steer during his short life (14 to 16 months, on average) takes about 284 gallons of oil, or 1.2 gallons per bushel.
You might think all that oil would make corn an expensive food source. In fact, it does cost more for the farmers to grow than the feedlot operators pay. But corn is heavily subsidized: over the past decade, the federal government has poured more than $50 billion into the corn industry. The fertilizers plus the subsidies have led to huge surpluses. Add in the USDA's encouragement of farmers to feed the corn to cattle, whether they like it or not, and you've got the makings of modern factory farming. Corn is an artificially cheap foodstuff that's plentiful, compact and portable, making it ideal for quickly feeding tens of thousands of animals on small plots of land.
5. Perennial pasture reduces flooding and pollution-laden runoff.
As noted above, corn and soybean production depletes the soil of its natural health. This greatly diminishes its environmental value, flood control in particular. A stretch of pure prairie will absorb five to seven inches of rain an hour. But when that same land is tilled for corn and soybean production, the normal absorption rate drops to 0.5 inch to 1.5 inches an hour. This meant that when the storms of 2008 brought 12 feet of rain to parts of the Midwest in just 24 hours, catastrophic flooding devastated cities and towns throughout the region. Had upriver land been pasture rather than cornfield, the heavy rains might have produced no runoff.
If more cornfields were converted to perennial grasses, we could significantly reduce the devastation of aquatic life from fertilizer- and herbicide-laden runoff. Consider this: when runoff from the predominantly corn-growing fields of the Midwest reaches the Gulf of Mexico, it contributes to what is known as a dead zone, a seasonal, approximately 6,000-square-mile area that has almost no oxygen and therefore almost no sea life. Because of the dead zone, the $2.8 billion Gulf of Mexico fishing industry loses 212,000 metric tons of seafood a year. Elsewhere around the world, there are nearly 400 similar dead zones. It is sadly ironic that to produce one of the least healthy sources of protein—grain-fed beef—we destroy one of our leanest and healthiest—fish.
6. Grazing animals don't need the large quantities of antibiotics that feedlot cattle do.
Most beef cattle spend their short life in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where a thousand or more head of steer are kept in close, concentrated conditions and fattened up for slaughter as quickly as possible. To stay alive and grow in such conditions, farm animals need pharmaceutical help, which can have further damaging consequences for humans. Overuse of antibiotics on farm animals leads, inevitably, to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the same bugs that infect animals can infect us, too. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that about 70 percent of antimicrobial drugs used in America are given not to people but to animals, which means we're breeding more of those deadly organisms every day. In July 2009, the Obama administration announced that it would seek to ban many routine uses of antibiotics in farm animals in hopes of reducing the spread of dangerous bacteria in humans. Pastured cattle don't require the drugs their CAFO cousins do. But again, a wise shopper should know that antibiotics are allowed for certain grass-fed certification programs, USDA Process Verified for one, while not for others, such as the American Grassfed Association. Use the label lookup (see #3) to learn more about what claims on meat mean and which ones you can trust.
7. Perennial pasture is a carbon sink.
Agriculture contributes about 30 percent of all global greenhouse-gas emissions. This is much more than the amount emitted by transportation. Production of meat, particularly beef, is a very heavy emitter of carbon dioxide. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported in 2006 that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the carbon dioxide–equivalent gases the world produces every year. See the chart below for a comparison of some common lower- and higher-carbon foods per 100-gram serving.
Beef and dairy production emit particularly high levels of greenhouse gases; producing a given amount of ground beef releases four times as much greenhouse gases as are released in the production of the same amount of pork, 14 times as much as chicken, and 50 to 60 times as much as fruits and vegetables. This is particularly true when the animals are raised in CAFOs where they are fed corn or soybeans. Researchers are finding that tillage systems used to grow row crops release not only carbon dioxide but also nitrous oxide and methane (both global warming gases) by triggering the decay and erosion of topsoil. Without exception, all of the tillage systems examined in a recent study published in Science contributed to global warming, and the worst offenders were conventionally farmed corn, soybeans and wheat.
This is not the case for perennial grass systems. In fact, fields of perennial crops in the same study pulled both methane and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stashed them in the soil. There is even some evidence that perennial grasslands are often better at sequestering carbon than forests are. As a consequence, researchers are finding, the production of grass-fed beef yields 40 percent less greenhouse-gas emissions.
8. Modern grazing methods match the efficiencies of industrial-scale grain production.
Modern grass farmers almost universally rely on something called managed intensive rotational grazing. Polywire fences confine a herd of perhaps 60 cows to a small area, maybe one-quarter acre, typically for 12 hours. Then the grazier moves the fence, cycling through a series of such paddocks every month or so. This reflects a basic ecological principle. Left to their own devices in a diverse ecosystem, cows will eat just a few species, grazing again and again on the same plants. Rotational grazing forces them to eat all the available forage, including plants they would normally leave untouched. This produces much more beef or milk per acre than does laissez-faire grazing. But how do modern grazing methods compare in efficiency to industrial-scale grain production? As Todd Churchill, owner of Thousand Hills Cattle in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, reported in the article Graze Anatomy published in OnEarth, he can make more money than a subsidized corn farmer because he can produce about two steers per acre. It takes roughly the same acreage to grow the 3,000 pounds of grain used to finish a single steer in a feedlot.
9. Pastured animals are treated more humanely.
From a humanitarian perspective, there is yet another advantage to pastured-animal products. The cruelties of modern factory farming are severe, with livestock cooped up in cages barely larger than their own bodies, or packed together like sardines for months on end, standing knee -deep in their own manure. Pastured livestock are not forced to live in confinement and to endure the miseries of factory farming. But buyer beware: some beef labels have only vague standards regarding animal welfare, while others have detailed rules that ensure animal health and well-being in a clean, comfortable environment. Use the label lookup feature (see #3) to learn more about what claims on meat mean and which ones you can trust.
10. Grass-fed is more expensive.
Grass-fed beef is more expensive, which means we may eat less of it. This is a good thing, actually, both for our health and for the environment. And honestly, feedlot beef is not really cheaper, not when you add the invisible costs: of antibiotic resistance, environmental degradation, heart disease, E. coli infection, corn subsidies, imported oil and so on. But be advised, while pastured-animal products may have many advantages over factory farm and feedlot products, they are still high in saturated fat (though not as high), still high in cholesterol, and still devoid of fiber and many other essential nutrients. They take less toll on the environment, but the land on which the animals graze still must often be irrigated, thus using up dwindling water resources, and it may be fertilized with petroleum-based fertilizers.
So eat less meat, and when you do, make sure you choose grass-fed, knowing you are supporting a humane, health-promoting, environmentally responsible system of agriculture.
This article is republished with permission from Smarter Living and NRDC.org.


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On a winter afternoon that was sunny and bleak, I rolled out for an easy spin. I'd missed the lunch ride again, for maybe the 10th time in a row, so I was on my own. I clattered into the parking lot swaddled in windproof gear, still laden with the creamy soup I'd eaten at lunch. I felt tired and heavy and cold. Even the simple act of pivoting a leg over the top tube demanded an effort, but I did it and clicked in.
I pedaled out of town past a cluster of strip malls, a route that is busier but easier than the alternatives. Though I'd left without a destination in mind, I started drifting toward a couple short, flat loops that I could daydream my way through. I passed a daycare center and heard laughter and screaming wafting from the playground, which temporarily muted the thrum of wind through my skullcap and my own heavy breathing. I labored out of the saddle to get up a small rise. I looked down and realized that I hadn't put fresh water in my bottle.
I was in a rut. Maybe it was the winter weather, or the hours of meetings I'd sat through recently, or the way my seven-year-old is acting like a rebellious teenager, or the medical issues my parents are struggling with, or that parking ticket I'd neglected to pay on time, or the way my brown corduroys felt so damn tight in the hips when I'd put them on that morning. It was all of those things and something else.
I rode up Mountain Road, which is actually not that hilly, and thought about how the route we call Churchview Flat is all up and down. I rolled over a gravel patch and contemplated the distinct, pleasant feedback I could feel on my hands, and wondered how much of that sensation came from the wide tires and the low pressure in them. I exhaled forcefully, rolled my neck around, and deliberately eased my grip on the handlebar. This spin was turning out to be relaxing, but then I thought about the approaching intersection with Reservoir Hill Road and how I hadn't been up that grade in years. I suddenly knew I'd take that left turn.
It was a Monday afternoon. That morning, after I'd dropped my kids off at school, I heard a report on NPR that made me realize that an old high-school classmate of mine, someone I never really knew very well, was the mother of the youngest child killed in that horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty years ago, I worked as an encyclopedia editor in a neighboring town and often rode through Sandy Hook on weekend rambles. I felt a grief that was at once distant and personal and exhausting.
I had not climbed Reservoir Hill in years because it is unrelentingly hard without any rhythm or scenic payoff. The test bike I was riding had a compact crank so I was able to stay in the saddle for much of the climb. But there are some spots where you have to stand and wrestle your bike through a turn, even if you are not a tired, stressed, middle-aged guy in a bit of a funk. It turns out, of course, that this work felt bad and good all at once. My breathing was ragged and my quads burned, but I felt like a haze was lifting. At the top, soon after I passed an electric substation that literally crackled, I clicked out and heaved for a minute and drank some water that tasted of plastic and I felt something like a smile inside.
Riding has helped me claw out of every rut I have experienced in the past 30 years. The metronomic act of pedaling helps me think straight. The camaraderie of the pack has often anchored me. I have found thrills and balance and community and peace and purpose and self-confidence on a bike. So many times, I have found myself on a bike.
I headed back toward the office on an undulating road with the wind at my back. It was around 4 p.m. and there was a clarity to the light that you see only on cold winter days. Nothing was different but something had changed. I worked my way up a small roller and shifted into the big ring before the top. I knew the pedaling would be easier in a minute, and I was ready for it.


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Sweet and Sour pork is one of the common Chinese dish that served in any Chinese household or Chinese restaurant.I seldom order this kind of dish when we eat at Chinese restaurant.Since I bought some pork butt from Flushing Queens I decided to cook some sweet and sour pork myself..Well,I think mine recipe is different from others,but what the heck! As long as it's taste good and editable that count, right?
3 lbs pork(butts or belly part) cut chunk about 2x2 inch each
1 tbsp fermented bean curds
1 tsp five spices
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour+1/4 rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oil
1/2 cup ketchup
4-5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3-4 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
2 tbsp Chinese wine
1 can sliced or chunk pineapple
1 large onion,peeled and chunk
2-3 red chill pepper,cut and seed removed
1 stalk scallion,cut 2 inch each for garnishing
2-3 cloves garlic,peeled and minced
3 tbsp corn flour+ 4 tbsp water,dissolved
1:Marinated ingredients(A) mix well in a medium bowl for overnight.Prepare oil in fryer or skillet at medium heat about 325 F.Coat marinated pork with flour mixture,shake the excess flour before place in hot oil.Do not overcrowded the fryer.Fried pork for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
2:Remove fried pork from fryer and place aside.Heat some oil in skillet at medium low heat,add in minced garlic,fry until fragrant.Add in ingredients(C),mix well.Check the seasoning.Add in corn flour dissolved to thicken the sauce. When sauce bubbly boil,add in fried pork and ingredients (D),toss well ,sprinkle with scallion and dish out immediately.


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25 Ingenious Hacks for the Amateur Baker
Baking is a science, and chemical reactions can be greatly affected by temperature. If your recipe calls for your ingredients to be warm, cool, chilled or room temperature, make sure they are so. When not specified, it's best to go with room temperature, as ingredients are then easier to mix together for a uniform consistency.iStock
Soften your butter with a rolling pin
Many recipes call for your butter to be at room temperature. For a quicker way to soften a cold stick of butter, place it in a zip-close bag. Using a rolling pin, flatten the butter inside the bag into a thin layer. A rubber spatula will help you scoop the soft butter out.iStock
Flour everything
Flouring your tools will make things go much more smoothly. Dust your work surface in flour to keep dough from sticking to it, and do the same with rolling pins and other tools. When cutting through dough with a knife or cookie cutter, flour will help you cut through faster and neater as well. If the dough you're working with is chocolate flavored, use cocoa powder instead to keep a richer flavor.iStock
Wet your hands
When working with a sticky substance, particularly dough, wet your hands so that it doesn't keep sticking to you. This will conserve ingredients, and also make your work less frustrating.iStock
Sift your dry ingredients
Lumps in your ingredients can keep them from being evenly distributed throughout your dough or batter. When using ingredients like sugar, flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, sift them first before adding them in.iStock
Use cooking spray on your measuring tools
Give any measuring cups or spoons that you're using a quick spray of cooking oil before you use them. This will make it easier to tip ingredients out of them, particularly those that are stickier, and will keep you from wasting any.iStock
Grate your butter
Break out your cheese grater when baking something with a flake, such as biscuits or crusts for a delicious pie. Creating smaller pieces helps distribute the butter more evenly throughout your dough, helping you achieve the perfect flake.iStock
Use unsalted butter
Unless otherwise specified, use unsalted butter. You want to be able to control the level of salt in your recipe, and some of your other ingredients may have salt as well. If you're stuck with only salted butter, reduce any additional salt in your recipe by half.iStock
Coat add-ins in flour
When mixing in fillings such as chocolate chips, nuts, or fruits, coat them in flour before adding to your batter. This will keep your add-ins from sinking to the bottom.Shutterstock
Drop your cake pan
Before putting your unbaked cake in the oven, drop your filled cake pan onto the countertop a few times. The pan hitting the counter will force any air bubbles up to the surface, making for a more even bake.Shutterstock
Use an ice cream scoop for uniformity
If you're making cupcakes or cookies, you want them all to be perfectly even and the same size. Cover an ice cream scoop with cooking spray and use it to scoop your batter into a cupcake tray or cookie tin. Not only will this make everything the same size, but it's a faster and neater way to divide up the batter.iStock
Proof your dough in the oven
Proofing, a baking technique in which dough is left to rise, is an important step in baking goods that involve yeast. One trick to making sure you do this well is to preheat your oven to 200 degrees, then turning it off and sticking your dough in to rise. You can also simply put your dough in the oven with just the oven light on.Shutterstock
Chill your cookie dough for at least 24 hours
The inventor of the chocolate chip cookie herself used to let her dough chill overnight before baking it in the oven. Let your dough sit in the fridge for at least a day, and it will dry out slightly, making for a firmer dough and better flavor and consistency. Let the dough sit for 36 hours, and your cookies will bake even more evenly and have an even richer taste.Shutterstock
Bake bread alongside a bowl of water
Add steam to your baking process, and your bread will come out looking like it's straight from the artisan bakery. Place a bowl of water on a lower rack when putting your bread in the oven, and it will give it a nice, crispy crust.Shutterstock
Cool your cakes upside down
To flatten out the top of your cake, cool it upside down on a cooling rack. This is especially handy when making layer cakes, as it'll make the cakes easier to stack.iStock
Cut cake with floss
If you're looking to cut a cake into layers, you don't need to use a knife or leveler. Take a string of dental floss (unflavored, of course) and wrap it around where you want to cut the cake. Gently move it through the cake so that it cuts through. The floss cuts through much more easily than a knife, and it's also less hazardous. You can also do this with rolls of dough, cheese, or any other softer ingredients you want to neatly slice through.iStock
Squeeze two frosting bags into one tip for swirl icing
Frosting a cupcake can be tricky, especially when you want to use more than one color. For beautiful two-colored swirls, fill two frosting bags with two different colors of icing and squeeze them both into a single tip. As you frost your cupcakes, they'll come out in a picture-perfect swirl of color.iStock
Make a DIY piping bag
You may not have the budget or time to always keep piping bags on hand, but you can probably make do with what you already have. Fill a zip-close bag with your desired icing or frosting and then snip off a corner to your liking.Shutterstock
Decorate on wax paper
Decorating directly on a cake can be tricky, and you only get one shot. A great work-around is to indirectly decorate using wax paper. Cut a piece of wax paper so that it's the size of your cake, then decorate the surface how you'd like and freeze it. This is a low-pressure approach, because you can wipe away any mistakes. After the decorations and/or letters have frozen, you can carefully peel them off the paper and place onto the cake.Shutterstock
Write or draw with a toothpick first
Another easy way to ensure neat writing or decorating on top of your cake is to trace it out first. Using a toothpick, you can trace out where each letter or decoration will be to make sure everything fits before piping over it.iStock
Make chocolate cups using balloons
For a dessert with extra flair, make chocolate cups by blowing up a balloon and dipping the bottom third or half in melted chocolate. After the chocolate has hardened, all you need to do is pop the balloon and it'll hold.iStock
Dip your icing spatula in hot water
Icing a cake can be frustrating and tricky, but dipping your metal spatula in hot water for a few seconds can make things a lot easier. Dry off the spatula and use it to ice your cake as you normally would, and you'll find that the warmth helps the icing spread more evenly, giving you a smoother finish.Shutterstock
Frost a 'crumb coat' first
A common rookie mistake when it comes to cake decorating is attempting to frost your cake in one thick layer. This doesn't work well, or look very good, as crumbs often get caught in the frosting, making for a messy finish. Instead, you should spread a thinner "crumb coat" of frosting over the cake in order to cover any stray crumbs before adding another thicker layer of frosting on top.iStock
Use a hair dryer on your frosted cake
For a professional look, break out your hair dryer. Setting it to medium heat, use the dryer on a frosted cake until the frosting starts to melt. Once the melted frosting hardens again, your cake will have a glossy finish.Shutterstock
Make sure you're relaxed
Baking is a very precise art, and you want to handle your ingredients with delicacy. If you're not in the right state of mind, taking your stress or frustrations out on your dough or batter will make for tough baked goods, or even terrible-tasting ones if you're not paying enough attention to what you're doing. Take your time when baking, and remember that a relaxed mind is one of the most essential tools in the kitchen.
More from The Daily Meal:
15 Foods You've Been Cooking Wrong This Entire Time
18 Better-Than-Boxed Cake Recipes
50 Ways to Cook an Egg
Our 50 Best Brunch Recipes
35 Iconic Street Foods Every World Traveler Must TryiStock


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Lunch with René Redzepi and Landbrug & FødevarerMonday, February 22nd, 2010
I'm basically in Copenhagen every week lately and one of few days in Stockholm I was invited to a lunch arranged by Landrug & Fødevarer, earlier called Danish Meat Association. They had a PR lunch here in Stockholm and had invited René Redzepi, co-owner and chef of Noma, to cook the food. At Noma they focus on food and local ingredients from the Nordic countries, and as René said during his presentation you would for example never find mango on the menu but instead something local. René and his crew prepared 4 dishes for us. All with Danish pork and all very tasty.
First we had savoury aebleskiver. I guess you can easiest describe aebleskiver as doughnut holes or fluffy round pancakes. They are normally served sweet, like this recipe that I've posted earlier. These however were filled with pork rilettes and dusted with some kind of vinegar powder instead of the custom confectioner's sugar.
The second starter was very danish: flaeskesvaer, crispy pork rinds. They had a "Noma" touch and were powdered with lingonberry powder. To this we got a lovely smoked cheese dip.
Next was pickled vegetables and bone marrow served with a very tasty sauce made of roasted ribs. All vegetables were pickled in different marinades. For example the yellow beets were pickled in elderflower marinade.
The last thing we got was slow roasted ribs glazed with hazelnut and mustard seeds. René encouraged us to let out our inner child and eat it with our hands. However I think I and Anne were the only ones doing so :-) The ribs were absolutely the best dish and I had to text my husband saying that I'm now converted. Yes, because I wasn't that fond of ribs earlier, but these were amazing!
It was an extremely nice lunch, the food was delicious and René was very friendly and had a very nice presentation on Noma and Nordic food. There was also a short presentation by Landbrug & Fødevarer. I still haven't been able to book a table for dinner at Noma, but hopefully I'll be lucky one day and until then this lunch will be remembered as a small teaser and preview.


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Scanlan: Keeping success under the Ottawa Senators radar
Ottawa Senators Michael Sdao (left to right), Clarke MacArthur, Kyle Turris, Joe Corvo and Mike Hoffman celebrate Macathur's goal against the Calgary Flames during third period NHL pre-season action on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013 in Saskatoon, Sask. MacArthur returns to a familiar place Tuesday night when the Senators face the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. MacArthur spent the past three seasons in Toronto before signing with Ottawa in the off-season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
Photograph by: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards, Canada.com
OTTAWA — Clarke MacArthur hopes nobody goes to the trouble of giving the Ottawa Senators' top line a nickname.
It could be the kiss of death (and no, that is not a nickname suggestion).
I reminded MacArthur that, around here, the trend has been that, as soon as a Senators line has success and gets a name, the coach breaks it up due to an injury or losing streak.
"Totally. That's the best way to put it right there," said MacArthur. "You've got a trio (named), and it's over. Let's just say we're an OK line right now and we'll keep it going a little longer."
No wonder MacArthur wants to keep his line, with centre Kyle Turris and winger Bobby Ryan, under the radar. They're doing just fine without selling naming rights.
Funny how things work out. Every fantasy league player and reporter had the newly acquired Ryan pencilled in with centre Jason Spezza within five minutes of the news Ryan had been dealt from Anaheim to Ottawa on July 5. In anticipation, the two spoke to each other during the summer, and lined up together during the informal skates that preceded training camp.
Through camp and pre-season, Ryan was with Spezza and Milan Michalek, although a groin injury to Spezza did limit their time together during exhibition games.
Head coach Paul MacLean liked the idea of having a potent top line with which other teams would have to contend (he just didn't imagine who would comprise that top line). Endless stories flowed about how good this unit might be, and comparisons were made between the Spezza line and other prodigious NHL trios. And by Game 5, they were toast. While losing 4-1 to the Ducks on Oct. 13, Ryan moved onto the Turris line and instantly scored his third goal of the season.
Today they are the one constant in Ottawa, Ryan leading the team in goals (9) and points (19), Turris leading the team in assists (14) and MacArthur, after failing to score a goal in the month of October, has been a point producer and now has three goals to go with nine assists.
They are the one line MacLean doesn't have to worry about, game in game out.
"It's always like that, it wasn't a line that was made up in camp," MacArthur said.
"That's the way it goes. Whenever you see something set in stone to start the year, it always seems to change. For the better or whatever it may be."
As successful as they have been — generating 49 points in 18 games (MacArthur missed one game because of injury) — MacArthur, Ryan and Turris have never really been able to explain the magic.
Ryan says the speed of Turris and MacArthur creates space for him. MacLean says he didn't know Ryan was such a good distributor of the puck, thinking of him as more of a shooter.
MacArthur, too, is described by Toronto reporters who covered him with the Maple Leafs as an underrated passer.Add it all up and you get three unselfish players who consistently make the right play in the offensive zone.
This is not to say that Ryan won't ever get a chance with Spezza again.
"I don't know what it is. At a different time, in a different year, Bobby Ryan and Spezz could be the best line — next month," MacArthur says. "You never know how it's going to work out."
Heading into Friday's game against goaltender Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins, Spezza will remain between Michalek and Cory Conacher, hoping to spark something. Conacher doesn't have a point in his last seven games while Michalek, a 35-goal scorer in 2011-12, has three in 18 games and none since Oct. 29, a span of six games. Spezza, with a variety of wingers this season, has 16 points in 17 games.
As usual, the soft-spoken Michalek makes no excuses. In fact, he says he's healthy and feeling good after receiving off-season serum treatments in Germany for a chronic knee issue.
Mobility hasn't been an issue, he says, but the rest of his game needs improvement.
"I know I haven't been good, I have to be better," Michalek said. "Everybody expects me to score and I expect it myself, too, so it's frustrating right now. But hopefully it turns around soon. I have to stay positive."
For multiple reasons, Michalek isn't getting the chances he did two years ago, and this is reflected in his shot totals. The year he scored 35, Michalek had 2.7 shots per game and a 16.5 shooting percentage. Last year, when he fought through knee trouble he produced four goals in 23 games; with 2.5 shots per game and a 6.9 per cent shooting average. This year his shooting average is 9.1 per cent but he only has 33 shots in 18 games, an average of 1.8 per game.
He ranks sixth on the team in shots on goal.
"We're not creating as much and we're playing in the defensive zone a lot, so we have to start there," Michalek says.
"Play more in the offensive zone and create some chances."
Playing out the final year of his contract, Michalek knows he needs to get hot soon.
"I'm trying not to think about it," Michalek said, admitting it's difficult not to press.
"When you don't score as much it feels like you want to do too much and think about it too much, I have to relax a little bit, too."
© Copyright (c) Postmedia Network Inc.


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Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation and The GNU Project, has had a consistent message about freedom for computer users for over 23 years. His first experiences with computers predate his work with the MIT AI Lab, which began in 1972. When I began researching for this interview, I had a different concept of Free Software and Open Source – so much so, that I rarely distinguished between the two. After nearly two months since my initial contact with Mr. Stallman, I'd like to think that I have a better grasp on the differences between them. I've also learned that Richard Stallman's vision for Free Software – that's "Free" as in "Free Speech" – has remained his primary focus.
You've been a programmer for longer than most common folk realize computers have even been around. What is it about programming that you enjoy most? What compels you to code? Continue reading