text:
For the latest updates to Global Public Square, including show information and Fareed's Take, visit the new GPS site on CNN.com.
Howdy folks.
Blue Saffron eats SH IT...
Ler's go visit Hinduworld. We will defecate on sidewalks. We will p iss on roads. We will eat what we secrete.
Raype galore. E Coli everywhere. Cannibalism rampant.
BO capital of the world. A hindu wonderland.
Incredible India !!!
Not I. I defecate in my backyard in Bombay.
Didnt I see you schiting on I-87 breakdown lane? Lol
Wonder if they have vaccination against raipes in India. My 90 year old brahmin grandma will be traveling there to select her wood for sati (grandpa died so she has to throw herself into the fire) but we don't want her raiped prior.
Music was to Beatles what raipes and terrorism are to hindus from India.
Get the jist?
People in India, hindus mostly, are raipists. After raiping they hang these underage raiped girls to their death on large mango trees.
And the atrocities have just begun. Police take bribes and squash the case. When the victim's families go to file complaint, they are raiped. When and if these cases move to courts, the judges do same. Take bribes and raipe the victims and/or their families.
I expect nothing less from these animals from India. And we continue to send them aid and jobs. My bad.
Not all judges are raipists. Most are though.
We cannot and will not accept Modi as a leader till the cloud of genocide hovering over his head is lifted.
Modi will always be a persona non grata till he faces trial in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Did you know he has a boyfriend in Myanmar? A buddhist priest. Modi is a buttfumbler. Lol
To all hindus, get out of India and take a boat back to Africa and take that p ansy Modi with you. The rest can stay. We will rebuild India back to the great culture it once was ... but better. Not the e xcreta it is now. The b utt of jokes worldwide.
Eight per cent of the "global total" who do not have access to toilets live in India, and hence are forced to defecate in the open. In actual numbers, eighty per cent translates to 1.1 billion. This makes India the number one country in the world where open defecation is practised. India is drowning in its own excreta.
What do expect from the people when its leaders set a poor example, @Travis. I am talking about Gandhi in the past and now this unshaven guy Modi. The firmer was a pedophile and the latter a raiping murderer. Go figure.
What really concerns me is population explosion and inability to feed it. World resources are being stretched by these big population countries like India leading to starvation. No toilets or resorting to cannibalism is an after effect.
China should take over India and manage it.
Women's rights are very important to me but I really think in the case of raipes in India's society it is embedded in religious scripts and is part of its heritage. Now gang raipes is another matter and needs debate. Even supreme court judges in India are raipists.
Hi. I am the troll at 7:41. I steal Banasy s name and others
It is so much fun.
Oh btw. I su ck Modi Indian Hindu di ck.
Shut up. Dont patronize me. Azzhole
Hi folks.
I am the only troll here. I am obsessed with banasy. She is my hero. This is why I steal her name.
I also su ck rupert's long di ck and li ck Modi Indian Hindu di ck.
Bwa ha ha ha ha.
GW Bush
BH Obama
B Net and Yahoo the talking donkey.
This is a sad day indeed for India and Hindus. A murderer, raipist and stalker has been "selected" as its leader.
"Allah ahkbar." – BH Obsma
Said by the POTUS...never.
Christians are all LIARS. Please donate church funds to Jews anyway. Thanky yous.
Well, you are a liar, anyway.
The tragedy of China is being located next to India.
Hare Krishna
Om Om Om
500,000 girls in Mumbai, India had abortion last year. Of these, 65% were under age 15. Also, more than half of them were raipe victims. Ton of b@stards in India.
Obama should just nuke India while our assets are in that region. Put an end to a culture of human degradation. Do it Barack.
@Mark and Beau great insights. Deport these hindoo turds in our great nation back to their stone age elements in Mumbai.
I am glad we agree on this.
Hey fake guy at 8:32 hows the weather in Calcutta, India?
It's just dandy, thanks.
Did you raipe your mother in accordance with hindoo tradition.? I reckon you gang raiped her.
The 12:36 troll fukks his dog.
He also eats my sh it.
And that troll su cks my di ck.
Hi folks.
Looky looky.
I love to smear hot steaming poop all over my body.
I su ck rupert's di ck.
You hindoos sukk Mulla d ikk.
Truth is I spread my legs for Modi to shove his big Indian Hindu di ck up my ass.
All the trolls in blue and Freedom Fighters su ck my di ck.
Blue Saffron is a delusional pile of poop.
He likes Indian Hindu sailor di cks in his ass.
The troll in blue sticks his fin her in a whales ass and eats it.
He fu cks his mother too.
China has a secret weapon to deal with India. Yup. Monkeys... Macaques!! No need to waste money on bombs. Let monkeys fight sand monkeys.
I just stole banasys name.
I eat Indian brown SH IT and su ck my mommy's hairy stinky pus y.
If you do all that you must be Chrissy.
Ahh poor little blue troll. Once they really close this site he will have no place to play.
Oh well. He will Jack.off a lot. With a picture of Modi.
I love to steal banasy's name. I am so in love with her.
My obsession is real.
I also su ck modi's Indian Hindu di ck.
Shut up dalit. Dont speak on my behalf.
Just stole the Banasy name.
I eat cat SH IT.
I spread my legs, then shove my right hand up my ass. Then take it out and smell it.
Mmm good.
Then I smear it all over my body. Lol...
I take it up the ass.
I can't be all wrong.
I like monkeys. I wrote about them. Forgot to mention that I su ck monkey di cks.
Just under 140 households, or roughly 75 % of India's population ... A billion people with BO .... live in a slum, according to data from the latest round of the National Sample Survey Organisation released on Tuesday. The number is significantly higher than the 120 million slum households identified by the Census in 2011.
83.7% of hindus in India eat cow dung pancakes for food. Resulting in a high incidence of chamoonas (tape worms) in their rectum.
I stole banasy's name. Lol.
I eat SH IT and fu ck my mother


text:
Morning Minutes
Dec. 9
Word of the Day
Wroth /rawth, roth or, especially British, rohth/ (adjective) stormy; violent; turbulent: the wroth sea; angry; wrathful (usually used predicatively): He was wroth to see the damage to his home. — www.dictionary.com
Website of the Day
StumbleUpon is like having a remote control for the Web where you find cool new websites, videos, photos and images from across the Web.
Number to Know
9: Singing family The Osmunds had nine children, including Donny and Marie.
This Day in History
Dec. 9, 1958: The John Birch Society is founded in the United States.
Today's Featured Birthday
Pop entertainer Donny Osmund (56)
Daily Quote
"I had a rough spot about being a goody-goody Mormon, and not drinking or smoking. But I'm kind of grateful I've got this image now. There are no skeletons in my closet. What you see is what you get." ? Donny Osmund

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Confusion At Lowering Station Leads to Ground Fall
The Triple Cracks alcove at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area near Fredericksburg, Texas, is an open space not much bigger than a good-sized living room. Shaded by huge oaks, with a natural granite bench and housing three moderate, tall, clean cracks, the alcove can be a popular site for climbers to congregate.
The Triple Cracks alcove at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area near Fredericksburg, Texas, is an open space not much bigger than a good-sized living room. Shaded by huge oaks, with a natural granite bench and housing three moderate, tall, clean cracks, the alcove can be a popular site for climbers to congregate. On April 16 around 30 people, including nine from Austin and Houston, 15 Boy Scouts guided by a local guide service, and another small group of guided clients were all climbing there.
Late in the day a climber from Austin (who has requested anonymity) tied in for a final toprope lap on Grass Crack (5.10a). He was to be the last on the climb so his belayer requested that he clean the anchor. When the climber reached the anchors, he clipped into the chains and yelled, "Off belay."
The belayer verbally confirmed and disconnected the belay. The climber cleaned the anchor and rigged for lowering. He yelled, "Take!" but received no response. He yelled, "Take!" again. He heard no confirmation, but thought he felt the rope tighten. He assumed that he was back on belay and unclipped from the anchor. He yelled, "Lower me!" and leaned back.
He fell 70 feet, careening off two boulders and a tree to land on his back in a little flat place among big rocks and uneven ground. He wasn't wearing a helmet.
As the aghast belayer moved forward to start CPR, the climber gasped abruptly and began breathing and moaning.
One of the guides and a first-year medical student assessed the climber as another guide ran to higher ground looking for cell-phone reception, then dialed the Enchanted Rock ranger station and requested a rescue. EMTs arrived on foot 20 minutes later. A helicopter showed up soon after and transported the climber to a hospital in Austin.
The climber broke six ribs and suffered multiple contusions, but was otherwise intact. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Lowering accidents are common and often fatal. The root of the problem is almost always faulty communication. Grass Crack is slabby at the top and the belayer and climber couldn't see each other. The area was crowded. Reportedly, the Boy Scouts were rambunctious and loud, and the noise hampered communication. Most important, the climber should never have gone off belay if he intended to be lowered.
This accident could have been prevented if the belayer or climber had been scrupulous in following an important rule in forming a rope team: Always discuss the lower/rappel/belay plan before leaving the ground. Trouble-shoot the scenario and come up with solutions. Can you see each other/hear each other? If not, the climber might want to rappel instead of lower. On multi-pitch climbs, you might need to communicate with rope tugs.
Even if you think you've clearly communicated with your belayer, you can still prevent oversight accidents by testing the set up. Clip the anchor with two shoulder-length slings. If you're lowering, ask for tension and let your belayer take your weight on the rope. The slings should be slack. Bounce once or twice on the rope. Only after confirming that the rope is holding should you unclip your slings. You can do the same thing when rappelling. Just pull rope through your device until it is supporting your weight. Bounce test, then unclip.
To summarize: Prevent lowering/rappelling accidents by clearly communicating your intentions before leaving the ground. Since miscommunication can occur despite your best efforts, take responsibility for your own safety and always test the system before unclipping your back ups.


text:
Queen Elizabeth II has hailed the holidays in a new dimension, delivering her Christmas message for the first time in 3D.
In the annual, prerecorded broadcast, the monarch paid tribute to the armed forces, "whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends" over the holidays, and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of enthusiasm for her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The queen said she was struck by the "strength of fellowship and friendship" shown by well-wishers to mark her 60 years on the throne.
"It was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago," she said as footage showed crowds lining the Thames River in the rain earlier this year for a boat pageant. "People of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations."
The queen also reflected on Britain's hosting of the Olympic games in 2012, praising the "skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes" and singling out the volunteers who devoted themselves "to keeping others safe, supported and comforted."
Elizabeth's message aired shortly after she attended a traditional church service at St. Mary Magdelene Church on her sprawling Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Wearing a turquoise coat and matching hat, the monarch rode to church in a Bentley, accompanied by granddaughters Beatrice and Eugenie. Her husband, Prince Philip, walked from the house to the church with other members of the royal family.
Three familiar faces were missing from the family outing. Prince William is spending the holiday with his pregnant wife Kate and his in-laws in the southern England village of Bucklebury. Prince Harry is serving with British troops in Afghanistan.
After the church service, the royals usually gather to watch the queen's prerecorded television broadcast, a tradition that began with a radio address by King George V in 1932.
The queen has made a prerecorded Christmas broadcast on radio since 1952 and on television since 1957. She writes the speeches herself and the broadcasts mark the rare occasion on which the queen voices her own opinion without government consultation.
Her switch to 3D was not the only technological leap for prominent British figures this Christmas.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York chose to tweet their sermons for the first time, in order to bring Christmas to a new digital audience.
In his speech, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said he has been inspired by meeting victims of suffering over the past decade while leading the world's 80 million-strong Anglican Communion.
Delivering his final Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral, Williams also acknowledged how a vote against allowing women to become bishops has damaged the credibility of the church.
Still, he said, it was "startling" to see after the vote how many people "turned out to have a sort of investment in the church, a desire to see the church looking credible and a real sense of loss when — as they saw it — the church failed to sort its business out."


text:
Cloud-based iTunes streaming may take some time for Apple to get up and running, but a new report suggests that Web-based improvements may yet be coming to the iTunes Store in the form of social networking integration. And we may finally see wireless syncing between iOS devices and iTunes. Both new features could be unveiled at next week's annual "music" event, where updated iPods are typically announced.
According to anonymous music executives speaking to All Things Digital, Apple still hasn't acquired the necessary licenses from record labels to launch a widely anticipated streaming music service. These sources believe, however, that Apple could be adding Web-based tools to the iTunes Store for sharing currently playing or favorite songs as well as playlists—but not actual music files. Think something along the lines of Last.fm without the streaming audio. These features could also tie into Facebook or Twitter for additional social networking "synergy."
These same sources also suggest that Apple could finally bring wireless media syncing between iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. For reasons unknown, Apple has required these devices to physically connect to a computer running iTunes to sync music and other media. However, Apple's licensing doesn't necessarily require a physical connection, only a secure one. If Apple launches an iPod touch based on the A4 processor as expected next week, it will have a stable of iDevices with built-in encryption capabilities that may make wireless syncing secure enough to satisfy contractual obligations.
All Things Digital warns that Apple hasn't been open with record labels about its upcoming plans, so these possibilities are merely the (slightly more) informed opinion of the unnamed music executives. Still, such features would fit in with some of the direction Apple has been taking recently to add more social networking features to its products, and don't require additional negotiation with labels to implement. Especially when it comes to wireless iTunes syncing—well, it's nice to dream, isn't it?


text:
Never be without your favorite radio station
Cigar Dave Show
What is it about?
Never be without your favorite radio station. Cigar Dave Show is proud to present our OFFICIAL radio app.
App Screenshots
App Store Description
Never be without your favorite radio station. Cigar Dave Show is proud to present our OFFICIAL radio app.
Listen to us at work, home or on the road. Install our app and get instant access to our unique content, features and more!
- New design and interface
- See current playing show, latest podcast episodes and up to date station and local news on a single screen
- Access all your favorite podcast shows on demand. Listen live (less storage requirement) or download and listen when offline
- Wake up to your favorite station with our alarm clock. Record a personal reminder to play before waking to the station.
- Fall asleep while listening to your favorite station
- Access station's weekly show schedules so you don't miss a thing
- Real time weather for where you are
- Share our app via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail
- Car Mode provides simple audio controls so you can listen while on the road
AppAdvice does not own this application and only provides images and links contained in the iTunes Search API, to help our users find the best apps to download. If you are the developer of this app and would like your information removed, please send a request to firstname.lastname@example.com and your information will be removed.


text:
We take safety seriously so you can host with confidence.
Here are some of the benefits you enjoy when listing with us...
Not only can you set house rules for your guests, they'll also need to agree to those expectations before they can book your property.
Guests can use our messaging system to contact you before they book to make sure you're both meeting each other's expectations.
Our large team of partner support agents are available 24/7 and in 43 languages if you need to get in touch with us.
Find the right guests for your property by setting the criteria they must meet to book - like having a verified phone number.
Worrying about something valuable in your property? You can set a damage deposit to give yourself an extra feeling of security.
In the unlikely event you have a poor guest experience, our misconduct reporting tool makes it simple to tell our team and block them from your property.
Protecting partners with every booking.
We ensure guests are screened against numerous global sanctions watchlists so our partners aren't put at risk when hosting.
We use machine learning models to detect fraud when guests are booking and take measures to protect your reservations.
Even after the guest books, we still run additional checks and take action against bookings we know will be cancelled.
We have multiple teams working to ensure that problematic guests are stopped from booking properties on Booking.com.
Featured safety devices for your home
Communicate with your guests and keep your property safe, no matter where you are. Peace of mind is always at hand with Ring Video Doorbells and Security Cameras.
The igloohome Smart Keybox is a smart lockbox that stores keys, access cards and more for easy retrieval. You can simply generate a PIN code or Bluetooth key on the go and share it with guests to unlock the keybox.
Don't wait until there's a complaint. Proactively prevent parties and neighbour complaints at your property with real-time noise detection and monitoring.
Don't just take our word for it - see what our partners are saying.
"It makes me more confident to know that I can report guest misconduct for all the properties in my portfolio on Booking.com."
"Knowing that Booking.com customers read and agree to respect my behaviour policies is a big weight off my shoulders."


text:
|The "Pick Up Artist" prototype
working its mojo
Last week we finally announced the imminent release of the Tradesman cargo frameset, but we hinted there would be more cargo news to come.
The last couple of months we have testing a new design that was developed with Tange Design (the tubing maker, but they also design frames now). It would be classified as a "front loader" design if we followed the terms collected by Velo-City.org. It's got a steering linkage reminiscent of the Baakfeits cargo bikes, but shorter. The steering linkage enables the bike to have stable handling characteristics under load. We discovered a person who rides bikes casually can ride the bike carrying a 150lb load safely without struggling to maintain control.
We brought the bike to UC Berkeley during Caltopia last month and it got a lot of attention. Somehow, college girls seem to flock towards the dorky-looking bike instead of the incredibly handsome guy riding it. I have nick-named this project bike the "Pick Up Artist" for now. Engineering students approached us asking what CAD program we used. Fellow riders rode up and complimented how cool the bike is.
Of course testing the bike with college girls (and boys) sitting on the front isn't really what we consider adequate testing. We also bolted on a Wald 139 on the rear rack and it enabled us to utilize the back of the bike for hauling more stuff. The basket made wonders for grocery shopping. We can now carry a 24-pack of Corona and get essential food stuff like palettes of Top Ramen. We put about 150 lbs on the front, but a good rider could probably manage 200 lbs.
Final notes: The wheelbase of this is 1350 about 225mm longer than the Tradesman, so its turning radius is a little wide, but it also adds to its stability. It has a 20" front wheel and a 26" rear wheel. To facilitate fitting in a smaller shipping box, the steering column folds down and the platform is modular. Platform was pretty basic and could use user-friendly attachment points. Sample was built with Avid BB-7 brakes and adequate performing Acera parts and included a rear rack. Estimated retail price for that basic build would be somewhere around $1500.
We think Pick Up Artist is a fun bike to have,
UPDATE: The Pick Up Artist will be available in early 2013.
|So what do you think utility bike fans?


text:
Worship at work
At least once while she's at work, Dr. Saima Naeem pulls a green rug out of a closet, washes her face and hands, and kneels to pray toward the northeast corner of her office, the direction of Mecca.
Financial adviser Tom Muldowney keeps a picture of Jesus on the wall opposite his desk to remind him that God watches over his work.
Another investment company leaves Bibles in its waiting room and holds Bible studies for employees.
Car dealer Jim Hawks incorporated a cross into his logo, a move he said sometimes spurs conversations with customers about spiritual matters.
Many employers are accommodating the faith of their workers, allowing employees to hold voluntary Bible studies on company property, even providing chaplains at some corporations. Some management gurus even encourage religion at work, both as an antidote to the corruption problems of the Enron era and to foster employee satisfaction and productivity.
Still, the "faith-at-work" movement is not without its conflicts. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports 2,541 charges of religious discrimination during fiscal 2006 — a nearly 49 percent increase since 1997.
But many of the faithful who don't mind speaking in spiritual terms at work say they can't compartmentalize their religion to weekly worship services.
For Naeem, a Pakistani hospitalist at SwedishAmerican Hospital, faith is a overarching presence in her life. To try to separate it from her job or any other part of her life would be unthinkable. Like most devout Muslims, she prays five times a day. She even uses a program on her PalmPilot that determines the exact times because the salat schedule is based on sunrises and sunsets that vary throughout the year.
"Our religion is not just in the mosque," Naeem said. "The way I walk, way I talk, way I eat, way I bathe, it tells me everything. It's a way of life."
She also wears her faith. To follow Islamic dictates about modesty and worship, she wears a hijab, or head scarf, whenever she is outside her home. It's often the first thing her patients notice about her when she makes rounds, and many ask her about it. Only once in her nine years as a doctor in the United States has anyone refused to be treated by her.
Most patients are accepting about medical care from a doctor from a different religion. Jackie Jones, whose mother suffered a stroke and was under Naeem's care, is a Jehovah's Witness.
"You give it no thought as long as she respects my feelings and my Bible-based conscience," Jones said. "She's been here every day for my mom. She's been very, very concerned."
Sharing one's faith is easier in some careers than others. When dispensing investing advice, religious guidelines on integrity and honesty pay dividends. At Klaas Financial in Loves Park, nearly all the employees attend Protestant churches of some stripe and participate in a semiweekly Bible study.
"Christian principles have always been manifest" in the business, said Scott Johnson, certified financial planner.
"It's a relationship business," Johnson said. "Trust is of the essence when we're taking care of people's money. We listen for the opportunity to share, but we never are in anyone's face about it."
One business that keeps faith literally front and center is Crossroads Auto Sales. The sign towering over the used-car lot has a cross with lane stripes on it, which has dual meanings because the lot is next to Roscoe's main intersection, U.S. 251 and Elevator Road.
Hawks opened Crossroads earlier this year and said the new dealership was a "miracle." After an abrupt departure from another car lot, Hawks was without a job or the capital to start his own business. But Dan Arnold, president of Road Ranger LLC and a fellow evangelical Christian, offered to build the lot and give him a 10-year lease.
"I wouldn't have this business if it wasn't for God blessing me," Hawks said. "That's why it doesn't say 'Jim Hawks Auto World' on that sign."
Arnold himself is not bashful about sharing his faith, but in 2005 his company was sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The commission said Road Ranger fired a Jewish employee for not participating in religious activities; the case was settled out of court last year.
"There's a line to how affirmative you can be when you're wearing your religion on your sleeve, but it's a very, very gray line, and it's very fact- and situation-specific," said Steve Balogh, an attorney who specializes in employee relations and civil rights law.
Complaints about religious discrimination to the EEOC were on a steady rise after 2001, peaking in 2003. Much of that was because of the Sept. 11 attacks, which sparked a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment, Balogh said.
Inside the gray line between what's legal and what's not, there's a variety of responses in the workplace. Some people make overt expressions of their faith, others just try to encourage their customers and co-workers in the dog-eat-dog world of commerce.
Muldowney is a partner at Savant Capital Management and an unabashed defender of his Roman Catholic faith. But he's demure about it unless a client asks or wants to talk.
"I don't wear my faith on my sleeve, I don't make it a better-than-thou attitude," Muldowney said.
"When people are struggling, they struggle with many different things. They struggle with money and they struggle with meaning-of-life issues. Sometimes, a faith orientation can be a very calming influence."
Gannett News Service contributed to this story.
Contact Nate Legue at email@example.com.


text:
4 Results Found
Technicians learned how to upgrade platforms to support 10,000 satellite offices with custom, on-site training. Needs analysis case study by Global Knowledge.
Through its partnership with Global Knowledge, Mantech was able to quickly align its workforce skill sets with increasingly sophisticated customer needs.
The training solution's main goal was to maximize the experience of each attendee regardless of their prerequisite knowledge. Training needed to be delivered on three continents.
International Insurance Organization (IIO) needed a program that would acclimate new hires to a varied technology landscape that includes Cisco, Citrix, Microsoft, VMware and IBM products.


text:
Coachmen RV Clipper Ultra-Lite RVs For Sale
We're sorry. We were unable to find any results for this page. Please give us a call for an up to date product list or try our Search and expand your criteria.
*Any price listed EXCLUDES: Freight, Brokerage, Dealer Prep, Delivery Fees, Registration, License & Sales Tax. Any listed price INCLUDES: Legal Importation into Canada – All units are either CSA Certified or instead are compliant with Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV), Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario (ESA), Transport Canada and Technical Standards Safety Authority (TSSA) as required by current Federal and Provincial regulations. Primo RV Centre is not responsible for any misprints, typos, or errors found in our website pages. Manufacturer pictures, specifications, and features may be used in place of actual units on our lot. Please contact us @613-596-9696 for availability as our inventory changes rapidly.
** Calculated weekly payments INCLUDE: Freight, Brokerage, Dealer Prep, Registration, License & Sales Tax. All calculated payments are an estimate only and do not constitute a commitment that financing or a specific interest rate or term is available. Financing is based OAC.


text:
About using one WhatsApp account on multiple phones, or with multiple phone numbers
Your WhatsApp account can only be verified with one number on one phone. If you have a dual SIM phone, please note that you still must choose one number to verify with WhatsApp. There is no option to have a WhatsApp account with two phone numbers.
If you attempt to frequently switch your WhatsApp account between different devices, at a certain point, you may be blocked from re-verifying your account. Please don't repeatedly switch between different devices and numbers.


text:
Channel Set Diamond Wedding Band
18K yellow gold diamond wedding band from the Reis-Nichols Collection. The band features 19 round brilliant cut diamonds weighing .33 ctw. Size 6.5 in stock now. Special order sizes are also available. Pricing may vary with size of ring.
Currently available at our Fashion Mall Commons store
Currently in stock
If you would like to pick this item up at a store location, simply add this item to your bag and then select a store during the checkout process.


text:
Revision Date
The year or date the product was created or revised. Generally, annual products are revised once a year and have a year (e.g., 2009). Continuous-use products are revised as legislation or procedure changes and have a month/year date (e.g., Rev. March 2009, which will appear in the list as "0309").


text:
Intelligence Tackles the Conundrum of Man Versus Machine
"A Six Million Dollar Man for the modern age. Brain over brawn, although there's plenty of brawn to go around."
That's how executive producer Michael Seitzman sums up CBS' new drama Intelligence, which stars Lost alum Josh Holloway as Gabriel Vaughn, an intelligence asset with a chip implanted in his brain that allows him to access the World Wide Web. It makes Gabriel part man and part machine, which also makes him simultaneously America's best hope and worst nightmare; the machine side of him can access a wealth of data, but how he acts on that information is governed by his emotional human side.
Exclusive First Look: Josh Holloway returns to TV in hot new Intelligence promo
"I love this role because he's a lot more man than machine," Holloway tells TVGuide.com. "He's a Delta Tier 1 Operative, which means he's no stranger to hardcore missions. He's been a soldier his whole life, this is just an addition. With the enhancement, he has a lot more accessibility to information. It's like that Han Solo line, 'Never tell me the odds, kid.' I always have the odds with me, I just go against them."
Gabriel, who has a special mutation that allows the chip's implantation, enlisted in the Clockwork program, headed up by Lillian Strand (CSI's Marg Helgenberger), after the apparent death of his wife. She was also an agent working undercover who switched sides and perished in a terrorist bombing, but Gabriel aims to prove that not only is his wife alive, but she's also not a traitor. That's where former Secret Service Agent Riley Neal (Once Upon a Time's Meghan Ory) comes in. She's tasked with keeping the often gung-ho Gabriel in check and protecting America's probably billion-dollar asset. It's a computer, after all, and we all know how susceptible those can be.
"Our characters and our stories are constantly measuring the distance between man and machine and trying to figure out what it means to have a chip in your brain, what the dangers are in terms of whether that chip could be hacked or accessed, whether it can malfunction, how does it interact with you?" says Seitzman. "What does it mean for the character when he's facing the fact that he's not completely him? We thread that through the whole season."
Comic-Con: CBS' Intelligence is not the new Chuck
Outside those pesky emotions, Gabriel has limitations as well. For instance, Gabriel can't use the chip to turn off the lights -- "He's not a clapper, but that would be a really good gag," Seitzman laughs. "Note to self..." - nor can he show anyone else what he visualizes when he renders a crime scene, which allows him to walk through a 3D realization of an incident. The chip also can't make him physically stronger - "We have a character ask him if it helps with his golf game, and he wishes it would," Seitzman says - but he can pull up schematics of a building, position satellites and pull infrared to see where all the bad guys are located. Basically, if it's connected to the global information grid, Gabriel can access it.
Though the writers drew some inspiration from The Six Million Dollar Man, they decided against bestowing Gabriel with enhanced physical strength. "In a world where you can press a button and a drone five miles up can kill a man on the ground, does super physical strength matter as much? It probably doesn't," Seitzman says. "While we have a very strong, athletic, military-experienced character, the idea of being able to access the same information grid in a different way the rest of us do is incredibly compelling."
"In very early incarnations when it was in the early stages of development, the character we had initially played around with did have physical attributes like strength and speed," executive producer Tripp Vinson says. "Michael rightly pointed out that was going to be a really familiar area to go down, especially given the things we see with Marvel and superhero movies. The great challenge is when we started to talk about finding something else that would make him special; a different type of power that we hadn't seen before. That's how this all began."
Check out our full Winter TV premiere calendar
The distance between man and machine will permeate throughout the season, giving viewers a chance to relate to someone we all could end up being in the future. "If we're constantly pushing the idea that he's a human with this ability, then he becomes just like all of us," Seitzman says. "You want to feel, at the end of the day, that you could also be Gabriel or hang out with Gabriel. In a lot of ways, we live vicariously through Riley. What would it be like to be with him all day? The more he's like us, the better."
Intelligence premieres Tuesday at 9/8c on CBS. It moves to its regular timeslot on Monday, Jan. 13 at 10/9c.
If you're at CES, check out sister site CNET's Intelligence-themed party where Jane's Addiction will be playing Tuesday night at 9pm at Tao in the Venetian.
(Full Disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)
View original Intelligence Tackles the Conundrum of Man Versus Machine at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
- Comic-Con: CBS' Intelligence is not the new Chuck
- Exclusive First Look: Josh Holloway returns to TV in hot new Intelligence promo
- Check out our full Winter TV premiere calendar
Other Links From TVGuide.com


text:
(click Stars to Rate)
Or Create Account
Survey Says
Why Work Here
4.5 out of 5 Stars
The people
occasional unpredictable hours
To: firstname.lastname@example.com
Subject: Vault.com Employee Review - Report Abuse
Company Name: Boston Consulting Group
Vault partners with thousands of colleges, universities and academic institutions to provide students with FREE access to our premium content. To determine if your school is a partner, please enter your school email address below.
Enter the email address associated with your account, and we will email you instructions for re-setting your password.
Need more help? Contact Customer Service at email@example.com
Get seen by top employers
Receive targeted job alerts
Submit a review
Vault's career advice newsletter
Exclusive employee survey data
Expert company reviews
In-depth industry and profession profiles
Career Q&A Videos
Thousands of intern reviews
$9.99 / month
$7.49 / month


text:
Which Fairy Tale Characters Do You Want to See on Once Upon a Time?
Captain Hook may soon come across Dr. Frankenstein. Not a sentence you'd normally hear in regards to a television show, right? That's the beauty of Once Upon a Time.
In the land of Once, it seems any character from any genre - even Star Wars! - can be introduced into the fold. Most of the well-known fairy tale characters - Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), among them - are already regular fixtures on the ABC fantasy drama, but what about familiar faces from The Little Mermaid or The Wizard of Oz? Both are already on the producers' minds, which raises the question: Which other fairy tale characters would you like to see on Once Upon a Time?
Will Once Upon a Time travel to the Land of Oz?
Are you dying to see street rat Aladdin venture to Storybrooke from Agrabah? Robin Hood would probably make for another good Emma (Jennifer Morrison) love interest. Would they go too far by introducing Tron? Executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis do have plenty of knowledge in that area. Hit the comments with your thoughts on which characters should come to Once!
Once Upon a Time returns Sunday, Jan. 6 at 8/7c on ABC.
View original Which Fairy Tale Characters Do You Want to See on Once Upon a Time? at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


text:
For the past few years a number of people have been suggesting that I join one or both of the current US-based associations of Zen teachers, the SZBA (Soto Zen Buddhist Association) and the AZTA (American Zen Teachers Association). I've hemmed and hawed about this for quite some time. Some of those who belong to or even hold important positions in these organizations are friends of mine. I respect their views on most matters. So when they say I ought to join these groups, I believe their opinion on the matter is worth considering.
Yet for all this time I still haven't joined either organization. Something about them just Friday, April 08, 2011
Zen is Not in the Helping Profession
For the past few years a number of people have been suggesting that I join one or both of the current US-based associations of Zen teachers, the SZBA (Soto Zen Buddhist Association) and the AZTA (American Zen Teachers Association). I've hemmed and hawed about this for quite some time. Some of those who belong to or even hold important positions in these organizations are friends of mine. I respect their views on most matters. So when they say I ought to join these groups, I believe their opinion on the matter is worth considering.
Yet for all this time I still haven't joined either organization. Something about them just didn't seem right to me. It was never anything I could articulate very well. It was just a feeling I had. It seemed to me that to join one of these organizations would go directly against the most fundamental reasons I got into this whole Zen thing in the first place. Yet for a long time I couldn't put my finger on why I felt that way.
I've finally managed to nail down what it is that troubles me so deeply about these organizations. And it comes down to one single word. That word is "professional," as well as its grammatical variations (professionalism, profession, etc.).
In the fall out from the sex scandals involving Genpo Roshi, Eido Shimano Roshi, Maezumi Roshi, Baker Roshi and whoever else has been caught with their dick where it wasn't supposed to be, a lot of people are saying the same thing. They say that Zen teachers are very much like therapists, doctors and lawyers and as such should be required to belong to some kind of organization to police their activities the way these other professionals are.
Let me just spell my position out very clearly here.
Zen teachers are not therapists.
Zen teachers are not doctors.
Zen teachers are not lawyers.
I recently came across a piece on the Internet in which someone lamented the current state of affairs in the Zen world and then asked, "Is Zen not, in it's deepest sense, in the helping profession?"
I also came across a statement by a member of both SZBA and AZTA stating, "the SZBA and the AZTA hold the premises that Zen teaching is a profession."
These statements are both entirely incorrect. I know it's far too bold for me to say such a thing when so many people believe that these statements are correct. But this is my firm position on the matter.
Zen is not in the helping profession. Zen teachers are not professionals.
A Zen teacher is someone who has chosen to do serious work on herself or himself. Our experiences in doing this work on ourselves can be useful to others. Many of us allow other people to join us in this work. Those who join us in this work may very well be helped. And most of us will try our best to help them when we can.
But fundamentally a Zen teacher is not a professional who helps students who are non-professionals in exchange for compensation. The so-called "students" are actually companions in work that is being undertaken by both teacher and student. The only real difference is that the teacher is someone who has done this work for a bit longer than the student. Yet the teacher is no more advanced, because the concept of "advancement" is an illusion.
This is why I refuse to accept students. I do not wish to share my work with anyone who defines herself or himself as my student. That would be unfair to both of us. Such a person is only a hindrance to me. They get in the way of what I need to do. Frankly, students are a nuisance. Furthermore, their attitude of viewing themselves as students is a hindrance to them. It's such a hindrance that it makes it impossible for me to help them even if I wanted to.
Zen teachers are not in the helping profession. That would imply that we charge money to people who come to us to be helped, the way a professional therapist does. It would imply that we promise to help heal them in exchange for that money, the way professional doctors do. It implies that we promise them concrete results from our paid efforts to help them, the way professional lawyers do. No decent Zen teacher I know of views what he or she does in that way.
In fact, I would be so bold as to further state that the root of many of the problems in Zen right now stem from the fact that too many Zen teachers view themselves as "professionals" or as members of the "helping profession."
I disagree completely with the position taken by the SZBA and the AZTA. They are dead wrong. Zen teaching is not a profession and must never be a profession. A professional is someone who charges for their services and promises some kind of results, even if not necessarily promising what the client views as success. The moment Zen teachers start looking upon what they do in this way, what they do is no longer Zen teaching at all.
Furthermore, whenever I think about joining one of these organizations I have to ask what such an organization would do for me. If I join the Musicians Union, for example, by paying dues to that organization and abiding by its rules I get some form of compensation. The union engages in collective bargaining so that I can earn a living wage and provides members in good standing with group discounts on medical insurance and so on.
But what does any Zen teacher get from being part of one of these Zen teacher unions? I suppose we get their seal of approval, sort of like the Better Business Bureau. Maybe we get invited to big parties once in a while where we can all hang out with each other, although we have to pay our own way to get there. But we don't get a whole lot else.
I suppose my position on this may strike some readers as an unforgivably selfish attitude. And it would be, if we were talking about an organization of noble bodhisattvas running around trying to help each other save all beings before saving themselves and asking nothing in return.
But that's not what is being proposed by these organizations. And we can know this for certain because of their use of the word "professional." What is being proposed here is a professional organization for professional people who, just like the doctors, lawyers and therapists we're being categorized with, charge for their services and promise results. People who charge for their services and promise results ought to be held accountable for the results of those services. I, for one, do not promise any results. Nor do I offer any help. I will let you join me in my work if I feel that you won't get in the way of what I need to do. Historically this has always been the attitude of Zen teachers. Why else do you think it was so hard for people to become students of the Zen teachers of the past? If they were professionals, their rates would have been posted at the door and anyone who was willing to pay would have been welcome to come on in. That was never the case. Until today.
Unfortunately, the position I am taking here is clearly in the minority. It's obvious that people like me who do not view Zen teaching as a profession are going to lose this battle. Organizations like SZBA and AZTA will become more and more powerful, and teachers who refuse to classify themselves as members of the helping profession will be marginalized. Those who refuse to join will have red flags stuck all over them and few will attend their Zen groups anymore. Which is fine, actually. The majority will, instead, go to the professionals who charge for services rendered and promise results. Good luck with that.
Original Post – http://hardcorezen.blogspot.com/2011/04/zen-is-not-in-helping-profession.html
Brad Warner is a Zen monk, writer, bass player and film-maker. He wrote the books Sex, Sin and Zen, Hardcore Zen, Sit Down And Shut Up and Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. He received Dharma Transmission from Gudo Nishijima Roshi, who received his transmission from Rempo Niwa Roshi who was the head of the Soto Sect in Japan. He was also a student of Tim McCarthy, who was a student of Kobun Chino Roshi.


text:
Programs for Women
Programs for Men
LGBTQ Programs
Adult Programs
Young Adult Programs
An Authorized Person is someone who is formally and properly empowered to act on behalf of Cedarview Clinic
Calls to numbers dedicated to a specific treatment center profiles will be routed to that treatment center. All other calls are routed to paid sponsors of our 24/7/365 helpline.
A complete list of our paid sponsors can be obtained by calling: (410) 630-4885


text:
by Nathan
(Denver, CO.)
choosing trees for privacy
Here is a question about trees for privacy
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to A Question.
"Susan, what a pleasure it was to work with you. You made me feel like I was your only client - responding late at night and always so quickly! Your design is amazing and we only hope we can do justice to it when we plant . You have such fantastic ideas and you are so open to suggestions and changes. Loved working with you - now if you could only come to Canada and plant it !!! "
Helen, Ontario-Canada
If you enjoyed this page, please share it!


text:
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian police detained a man after he pointed a gas pistol at an ethnic Turkish party leader as he was delivering a speech at a party caucus in the capital Saturday. No shots were fired.
The video from the Saturday event in Sofia shows the man climbing the podium where Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, was speaking, and pointing the gun to his face.
Dogan struck the man before he could pull the trigger, while other delegates wrestled the assailant to the ground. TV footage showed several people punching, kicking and stomping on the man when he was on the ground.
Police arrested him and took him to a hospital. It wasn't immediately clear if he sustained serious injuries, or how he got past security to enter the hall with nearly 3,000 people attending.
Eventually, the attacker was identified by police as 25-year-old Oktai Enimehmedov, a Bulgarian national and ethnic Turk, from the coastal city of Burgas. He was carrying the gas pistol and two knives. A gas pistol is a non-lethal weapon used for self-defense, but experts say when fired from close range it can cause life-threatening injuries.
Interior Minister Tsvevtan Tsvetanov told journalists that the assailant had a criminal record for drugs possession, robberies and hooliganism.
The liberal MRF party mainly represents ethnic Turks and other Muslims in Bulgaria, who make up 12 percent of its 7.3-million population.
The conference had to elect a new leader to succeed Dogan, who is one of the Balkan country's most influential political figures. The 58-year-old has been at the helm of the party since founding it in 1990.
Lyutvi Mestan, who was expected to become the new party leader, said "the true reason for the assault was the language of hatred and confrontation."
Saturday's assault was the gravest attack on a politician in post-communist Bulgaria after the 1996 killing of ex-prime Minister Andrei Lukanov.


text:
Peanut Butter Jelly Loaf
September 19, 2011 at 10:30 am 48 comments
I'm sitting on a windowsill, trying to write this post, but I keep getting distracted.
There's the jet lag I can't seem to shake. I find myself asleep throughout lunch and wide awake at three in the morning, powering through the headaches that come and go and the occasional ear pop.
There's the noise. In the hallway outside my room, I hear every step on the creaky wood floors that are older than me. Downstairs someone is playing the untuned grand piano. Whenever a door slams – and they have to slam or they won't shut – the sound bounces up every flight of stairs, around the high ceilings, and into my jet-lagged head.
But most of all, there's the beauty. From the window opposite me I can see into the courtyard, four even brick walls and a stone tower around a square of cobblestone. If I lean I can see the path continue into a drawbridge, then an open field. My bedroom window looks over the moat, slowly churned by a single fountain and home to one black swan.
I'm blogging from a small castle in the Netherlands, a three-hour bus ride from Amsterdam and a seven-hour flight from Boston. For the next three months, this is home.
I found out I'd be studying abroad way back in first semester, but it didn't feel real until I was loading my bag onto the bus, lugging it through Logan Airport. I didn't think I slept much on the flight but I blinked and the sky changed from charcoal to pink and apricot. Then the plane touched down onto the flattest country I'd ever seen, and "Welcome to Amsterdam" crinkled over the speaker.
Even though the airport was filled with English, nothing was familiar. I instantly regretted wearing my Boston sweatshirt, which made me feel extra touristy and kind of guilty. We boarded yet another bus and passed windmills, grassy stretches, and lots of cows until finally we arrived at the castle.
There's a village ten minutes from here, where we can buy shampoo from "Everything Under One Roof" and applekorn shots from the bar (Wednesday nights are American Night.) Cars always honk warmly at us when we walk through town, elderly couples smile when they pass on bikes. So far I can't help but adore the Dutch. Every local I've run into is friendly, to the point, and has a good sense of humor.
Still, the culture feels so new, with distinctions I haven't really learned. I asked a teacher if I could find an oven somewhere in the village and her reply was polite, but brisk – "No. The Dutch are a private people. Nobody will let you into their home just to use a kitchen."
I can't cook, but I can eat. Our castle tour guide passed around a bag of stroopwafel, two thin waffles sandwiched with caramel syrup. I bought apricot tart at the village bakery. The dough was like bread and the apricots were so sticky sweet, they perfumed my fingers for hours. I'm obsessed with the tomatoensoep from the little café. It's like marinara! I ended up dipping French fries into it because – sorry – I didn't like the weird custard-like mayonnaise that came with them instead of ketchup.
I didn't expect much from the castle's dining hall, but I've been pleasantly surprised. Breakfast and lunch usually includes breads, deli meats and cheese, even fresh fruit. Dinner always has potatoes in one form or another, and a heavy white sauce. It kind of feels like home until you reach the spreads. Literally, a table full of various jars, available at every meal and totally strange.
There are two chocolate spreads. One is kind of like Nutella and the other is a milk/white chocolate swirled duo. I tried to read the back for ingredients, which were offered in six languages, none of which were English. I tried a strange black syrup on a dare – it turned out to be apple. There are cheese spreads, vegetable spreads, and more of that European mayo.
Then, for no obvious reason, every table has peanut butter and jam.
For the first time, I was reminded of something wholly American. I was thrown back to childhood afterschool sandwiches, thumbprint cookies, and this Peanut Butter and Jelly Loaf I made in Seattle. The pound cake is soft and sweet, and the sugar coating on the pan makes the edges slightly crisp like a peanut butter cookie. I couldn't help but add dollops of grape jelly, which became set into a sticky swirl after baking.
I ate my potatoes and heavy white sauce but I kept thinking about that loaf. Finally I decided to make a PB&J. I expected the unexpected, because everything that looks familiar ends up being strange. The milk is extra thick, the yogurt is extra thin, the butter has a texture I can't place. But I opened the two jars, spread each onto bread, and sandwiched them together.
Unbelievable. The peanut butter was creamy and sweet but really… A whole lot like Jif. And the strawberry jam? Maybe a few more strawberry chunks than I'm used to, but exactly like jam at the Boston dining hall. I ate my peanut butter sandwich and felt wholly American, and kind of okay with that. I have plenty of time to adjust, travel, and adapt. Next weekend I'm off to Amsterdam, and the weekend after that, Edinburgh. For right now, though, I'll enjoy the occasional PB&J.
The internet is a little spotty, but I'll keep blogging! Expect some photo-filled travel posts…
Peanut Butter Jelly Loaf
Adapted from Cuisine At Home Magazine via Anger Burger
Makes a 9×5″ Loaf
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup creamy, all natural peanut butter (with no added palm oil)
2 oz (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup jam
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9×5″ loaf pan and coat it with sugar.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. In another bowl, stir the jam to break it up and get it loose.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the peanut butter, butter, and sugars on medium high speed for a full five minutes. The mixture won't get light and fluffy and the sugar won't dissolve, but the mixture will be less grainy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Beat in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla extract, then the rest of the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl. The batter will be thin. Pour half the batter into the loaf pan and dollop with jam. Pour the rest of the batter over the jam and sprinkle the top with large grain sugar.
Bake the loaf for about 50 minutes. The time for this one really depends on your oven, so keep checking. If the edges start to get too brown, loosely tent some tin foil over the top and keep baking. Then bake for another 10-20 minutes or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Printer-Friendly Version – Peanut Butter Jelly Loaf
Entry filed under: Breads, Cake/Cupcakes, Travel. Tags: college, Europe, jam, nuts, peanut butter, peanuts, study abroad, travel.
48 Comments Add your own
Coming from a large family we went through our share of peanut butter and jelly! Must try this!!
How exciting that you are studying in Amsterdam! And staying in a castle? You lucky lady! I cannot wait to see photos.
PS – the loaf looks delicious, and your photos are beautiful.
Waw I can't wait to try this! Special + for the "no added palm oil" mention! Looks delicious… as usual! ;)
I hope you have a fabulous semester abroad, Elissa! Enjoy every second of it and snatch up whatever you can that reminds you of home. Looking forward to reading your travel posts in the coming months. :)
Dear Elissa!
I don't know in which part of Holland you are staying but you can sure use my oven! (I live in Amsterdam and in the south, Limburg to be precise)
Enjoy your stay in Holland, I allways enjoy reading your posts!
Michelle CLaire
I am still totally and completely jealous that you are studying abroad. I hope you have countless unbelievable experiences and enjoy yourself immensely while you are there! :)
Stroopwafel! I ate a ton of those last year when I was in Amsterdam, so yummy :) Your semester abroad sounds like its going to be amazing, have fun living in a castle! Glad you were able to find something to remind you of home
I want to try this with my homemade peanut butter! (recipe will be up later today!)
I have been living and studying in the Netherlands for four years now…I love this country and the diverse cultural influences here? Three hours from Amsterdam? This sounds like Maastricht….if it is, you should really go pay Germany a visit. Cologne and Aachen are very nearby. And Belgium is also very close :)
Amsterdam is great…! Lots of culture, history….and great shopping. You can actually get a lot of American products in the Netherlands, more than in Germany (where I am from). The Dutch are a difficult nation when it comes to baking, they really like their mixes. If you know Speculaas cookies, you should really try the Speculoos pasta, which is a creamy version of the cookies and it tastes awesome! You should also check out Kruidnoten covered in chocolate, very Christmas-y but delicious!
And some more tips: Try some Antillian and Surinamese food! Kaaspastei (Cheese pastry) or Roti! Very delicious! As for the Dutch food culture, I am not very fond of it. They are really into frying. But anyway, you shouldn't leave the country without having tried a typical Dutch stamppot :)
I wish you a great time in this wonderful country and in Edinburgh as well – it is a beautiful city!!!
Oh this is so exciting! It sounds like you're in for a truly amazing trip. It's funny hearing you talk about the differences in European and U.S. products. I suppose it might offer some explanation as to why some recipes just don't seem to work for some people and then work perfectly for others, despite the fact that a recipe has been followed to a 'T' in both instances. If you make it to Dublin, I have a nice, spacious kitchen here very close to the city centre that would LOVE to be baked in by you!
Woah! I've been following your blog for a while and I'm so happy for you – studying abroad is such a great experience. I'm a foreign student too right now (in Strasbourg, France; I'm from Italy). I don't have access to an oven either… D: but the food in this region is amazing!
Elissa, I'm so thrilled for you. The castle sounds magical. Jet lag will be gone (as much as it ever is) soon enough, and all else good will set in. I can't wait for photos, and for the stories. Sending you love each day. xox
Enjoy every second of your time abroad, it will go by faster than you think!
yum!! i am so excited that you're studying abroad. it's life changing! and this, this bread? will get made. :) thanks!
I've always, always wanted to go somewhere countryside-y in Europe. I just glad I'm able to explore a little of it through another's experiences. (:
Hi Elissa!
just wanted to let you know I love your blog. SO much. I go down to St Andrews and am planning to go to Edinburgh in a few weekends too, so please please please let me know if you want to meet up!
Whenever I'm in Europe I'm very happy eating but I always miss peanut butter. This pb&j loaf looks wonderful!
I always get excited when I see a new post from you. Your writing is mesmerizing, I love it.
Three months in a castle? Jealous! I've always wanted to study abroad, but never had the opportunity. Enjoy every second! :)
Florida is extremely flat as well, which makes for magnificent sunrises and sunsets. Make sure you visit the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, its pretty amazing, especially if you've read her story.
Even in your jet lagged state your post was well written and tells a wonderful story. And of course I have to try the loaf. Is it more like a breakfast bread or a dessert?
Can't wait to hear about your adventures! Wishing you remarkable sunsets and delicious food!
Your trip sounds amazing – the Netherlands sound beautiful. My sister lives in Edinburgh so let me know if you need any travel tips :)
Elissa! I'm a fellow Boston resident, and spent a semester of college studying in Utrecht. I can definitely relate to all the adjustments you're dealing with, as well as the process of falling in love with the country and its people. Have a wonderful time, eat stroopwafels from the markets (the bigger ones, made in front of you so they're warm and oozy) and email me if you need any suggestions!
Just out of curiosity, what college course has taken you over to Europe? If you get a chance, please do post up some pictures of the surrounding area and the castle!
What a great experience, enjoy it!! Can't wait to see pictures!
That looks like it would taste amazing! Just found your blog, looks awesome! Can't wait to read it more :)
Hi Elissa, when I read this article my first idea was: "Well if she is in Europe, she can use my oven of course!" Turns out this idea was not very inventive, since at least one other reader "Hi Michelle Claire!" had the same idea…but still, if you want to take a trip to Germany, I would gladly offer you my oven and my couch. Hope that the Europeans are nice and give you the welcome you deserve. Honestly admire your blog! Cheers Melanie
Studying abroad sounds like so much fun! I can't wait for the travel photos.
I've been living in the Netherlands for 12 years now (also from the east coast) and baking has some challenges here. Bread flour has to be imported..? Hello!? On the other hand, some of the foods are amazingly good—my father still pines for the supermarket pastries, so much better than his local california bakery. Enjoy – and if you have questions, just ask!
Dear Elissa,
I would certainly let you into my home just to use the kitchen! Seriously, if you want to, just send me an email.
Have fun in Holland!
I made this the other night–it was wonderful and a huge hit with my family. Thanks for another winning recipe!
So you probably already know about this, but I saw it and remembered that 17 and Baking is based (part-time, at least) in Seattle, so… http://danatreat.com/2011/09/book-larder/
Oh! You're visiting Edinburgh? I live like 25 minutes away from it, and my sister is studying at Edinburgh Uni (we're Americans though!). :) It's a beautiful city, expect lots of rain though – only the finest weather in Scotland. You'll probably be too busy, or unable to make it out of the city, but you could use my oven if you're feeling serious withdrawal symptoms from baking. ;P
Hi Elissa! I studied abroad in Maastricht last year, best 6 months of my life!! I love to bake but, like you, we had no oven in our small apartment. We did have a mini refrigerator and an electric stovetop so my roommate and I went to albert heijn (the grocery store, you have probably heard of it already) and bought a box of "American cookie mix". We then attempted to make these cookies and cook them on our stove in a frying pan… needless to say they were not that great! Good luck finding an oven! Enjoy every minute of your trip, the Dutch are amazing people!!
When I first met my husband, he was SO SKINNY-and then I realized he subsisted on PB and J almost entirely…I never liked peanut butter and jelly when I was a kid, and don't even think I ever made a PBJ in the dining hall in college…but just lately I've been starting to appreciate it. He's put on a couple of pounds, but still reaches for the peanut butter (we keep ours separate-his is Parkers natural from the co-op, I go for JIF)-He is going to LOVE this, and I don't even have to go grocery shopping! Thank you-and just so you know- you are totally adorable, and make me miss my college years! Also-I love the love you have for your family! Just such an encouragement as a new mom of how much you enjoy your family…I hope we have that kind of a relationship with our little girl Larkin as she grows up and leaves home…finding your way, but knowing the love and support of home.
Brilliant idea, this looks delicious :) You should try using some of Justin's Nut Butter next time, we are an organic company based in Boulder, Colorado, and are a healthy alternative to other peanut butters :) I highly recommend it! Cheers!
Leave a Reply
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed


text:
Antti Pulkkinen, research associate, Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies, was quoted in an Oct. 29 DailyTech.com story about a forecasting system that would protect the North American power grid from solar storms. Pulkkinen is the leader on the project being developed at NASA. See the story below.
Solar Shield could prevent lengthy power blackouts and transformer damage during geomagnetic storms
From: DailyTech Date: Oct. 29, 2010 Author: Tiffany Kaiser
NASA has created a new project called "Solar Shield" in an effort to prevent damage to key transformers in the case of a severe solar storm.
In 1859, a severe solar storm called the Carrington Event occurred throughout September 1 and 2. It is the most powerful solar storm recorded in history. Offices caught on fire and telegraph operators were actually shocked and saw sparks from the storm. Sunspots and solar flares were seen on the sun from August 28 through September 2, and aurorae seen over the Rocky Mountains were so bright that gold miners awoke early because they thought it was daylight. Just before noon on September 1, Richard Carrington, a British astronomer, saw the largest flare in the sky. This large flare caused a coronal mass ejection, which is a billion-ton solar storm cloud, which took 18 hours to travel toward Earth.
A report composed in 2008 by the National Academy of Sciences noted that a solar storm as severe as the Carrington Event could cause mass power blackouts and "permanent damage" to main transformers if it were to occur today. In fact, in 1989, Quebec experienced a geomagnetic storm much less powerful than the Carrington Event, and even still, power was knocked out for over nine hours and transformers were damaged in Quebec, Great Britain and New Jersey. In 2003, yet another geomagnetic storm milder than the Carrington Event occurred, causing transformer damage in South Africa and blackouts in southern Sweden.
Unfortunately, a report composed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the U.S. Department of Energy in 2009 warns that modern power systems, though several utilities have taken the necessary steps to strengthen and secure their power grids, have a "significantly enhanced vulnerability and exposure to effects of a severe geomagnetic storm."
To protect power systems in the event that another powerful solar storm should occur, NASA has developed a project called "Solar Shield," which has the potential to shelter high-voltage power lines that crisscross over North America. Considering the length of these power lines has "increased nearly 10 fold" since the beginning of the Space Age, it is critical to consider the affect a solar storm could have on power systems in the United States and throughout the world.
"Solar Shield is a new and experimental forecasting system for the North American power grid," said Antti Pulkkinen, project leader and Catholic University of America research associate currently working with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "We believe we can zero in on specific transformers and predict which of them are going to be hit the hardest by a space weather event."
Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) are the main problems when it comes to power grids during geomagnetic storms. When a CME approaches Earth's magnetic field, it causes the field to shake. This quiver causes currents from the ground to Earth's upper atmosphere, and powerful GICs can trip breakers, overload circuits and melt the windings of transformers. Transformer damage leads to large-scale blackouts, and these transformers cannot be repaired in the field. They must be replaced, which is both expensive and time consuming.
"Solar Shield springs into action when we see a coronal mass ejection (CME) billowing away from the sun," said Pulkkinen. "Images from SOHO and NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft show us the cloud from as many as three points of view, allowing us to make a 3D model of the CME, and predict when it will arrive."
The CME typically takes 24 to 48 hours to cross the Sun-Earth divide. During this time, NASA researchers at the Goddard Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) are gathering physics-based computer programs to model the CME. Thirty minutes before impact, ACE, a spacecraft stationed 1.5 million km "upstream from Earth," uses its sensors to make in situ measurement's of the CME's magnetic field, density and speed, then sends the data to the Solar Shield team on Earth. The data is fed into CCMC computers where models predict currents and fields in Earth's upper atmosphere and transmit this information to the ground. The Solar Shield team is then prepared to send alerts to utilities with details about the GICs.
"We'd like more power companies to join our research effort," said Pulkkinen. "The more data we can collect from the field, the faster we can test and improve Solar Shield."
Solar Shield has never been tested during a geomagnetic storm, but a small number of utilities have already installed monitors at main locations in the power grid so that the team can check their predictions. Pulkkinen and his team expect the next solar maximum around 2013.


text:
Updated Saturday 10/20: As with so many reality shows, there is a big difference between what is planned and what come to fruition. NASCAR has informed us they have decided not to participate in The Job reality series this season. No reason given, but it is a done deal.
It's that time of year and a new slew of "scripted reality" TV shows are cranking up once again to entertain America. This time it's not Undercover Boss but a new series in which NASCAR is participating. It is time to find out who gets The Job.
Here is the scoop from CBS:
The series, produced by Emmy Award winners Michael Davies ("Who Wants to be a Millionaire") and Mark Burnett ("Survivor," "The Voice"), gives candidates selected from around the country a chance to win dynamic positions with potential for enormous growth at some of America's most iconic companies.
Guided by Emmy Award nominee Lisa Ling ("The View"), the country's best and brightest compete in a compelling and challenging competition for a dream job at their dream company in industries such as fashion, game design, sports, travel and entertainment.
The Job has a Twitter account, a Facebook page and an opportunity to once again expose NASCAR on TV in primetime. These scripted reality shows are called that because they "set-up" situations and many times use scripted elements to create tension. Nothing is spontaneous. Most importantly, these types of shows create cheap programming for the producers. No union fees with this group.
Here is how entertainment reporter Joe Adalian from Vulture.com described the show:
The idea behind the show: Five qualified folks, chosen from an applicant pool of thousands, compete for a chance to win a gig at a well-known company. Each week will feature a different batch of contestants and, we assume, a new company (shades of Undercover Boss, sans the undercover part).
Casting calls have already taken place in both Los Angeles and New York. It has yet to be revealed what the five candidates will have to do to get The Job, but these shows almost universally have the same result. A "personality" who desires an opportunity for a bigger stage and a media presence wins and then fades quickly when facing the reality of the actual job.
The irony is there are lots of folks working hard in the social media and marketing field right now who would legitimately benefit from the opportunity to work in a professional atmosphere. Click here for the TDP post from July titled "When Media and Marketing Collide."
The winner of this reality show will be working for NASCAR in Charlotte. Here are some of the details on where, what and why from a NASCAR media release:
"The Fan and Media Engagement Center will leverage industry-leading technology in order to better engage with the massive community that is the NASCAR fan base," said Steve Phelps, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "This is a clear example of our commitment to using cutting-edge technology to better inform our sport. Ultimately, this tool will help our industry connect with media and fans more effectively and efficiently."
Measurement also will be a key function of the Fan and Media Engagement Center. Those capabilities will expand across qualitative and quantitative measurements and include tonality, volume, proximity and other coverage attributes in regular reports the FMEC will generate.
The center will be staffed and managed by the NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications team. Located on the same floor as NASCAR.com in offices at NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte, N.C., the FMEC is slated for testing in October, with a full rollout expected by the start of the 2013 NASCAR season. The center will be housed in a 500-square-foot, glass-enclosed area, outfitted with state-of-the-art touch screens, television monitors and multiple seated viewing areas and work stations.
So, keep your eyes peeled for a new show this winter that will probably have a lot of NASCAR hype surrounding it. Now you know exactly what it is, where it came from and what it is about.
We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderate prior to posting.


text:
Pet And Animal Safety
Your pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe place for them, is likely to result in their being injured, lost, or worse.
Have A Safe Place To Take Your Pets
Red Cross disaster shelters cannot accept pets due to health and safety regulations and other considerations. Service animals that assist people with disabilities are the only animals allowed in Red Cross shelters. It may be difficult, if not impossible, to find shelter for your animals in the midst of a disaster so plan ahead. Do not wait until disaster strikes to do your research.
+ Contact hotels and motels outside your immediate area to check policies on accepting pets and restrictions on number, size, and species.
+ Ask friends, relatives, or others outside the affected area whether they could shelter your animals.
+ Prepare a list of boarding facilities and veterinarians who could shelter animals in an emergency; include 24-hour phone numbers.
+ Ask local animal shelters if they provide emergency shelter or foster care for pets in a disaster. Animal shelters may be overburdened caring for the animals they already have as well as those displaced by a disaster so this should be your last resort.
Pet Friendly Evacuation Shelters
+ In Palm Beach County the West Boynton Recreation Center at 6000 Northtree Blvd. in Lake Worth can hold three hundred people and up to 700 animals including dogs, cats and birds. You must be pre-registered, have proof of residency in Palm Beach County and live in a mandatory evacuation zone. For more information and to pre-register call 561-233-1266.
+ In Indian River County the Liberty Magnet School at 6850 81st Street in Vero Beach welcomes families and their pets living in mandatory evacuation areas. For more information and to pre-register call 772-388-3331 Ext. 28.
+ Martin County has an agreement with the Treasure Coast Humane Society at 4100 SW Leighton Farm Ave in Palm City to house PETS ONLY of families living in mandatory evacuation zones. For more information and to pre-register call 772-223-8822.
+ St. Lucie and Okeechobee Counties currently have no official designated emergency pet shelters. Residents should contact their local animal hospitals/clinics to make arrangements.
Assemble a Portable Pet Supplies Kit
+ Medications and medical records (stored in a waterproof container) and a first aid kit.
+ Sturdy leashes, harnesses, and/or carriers to transport pets safely and ensure that your animals can't escape.
+ Current photos of your pets in case they get lost.
+ Food, potable water, bowls, cat litter/pan, and can opener.
+ Information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, behavior problems, and the name and number of your veterinarian in case you have to foster or board your pets.
+ Pet beds and toys, if easily transportable.
When The Storm Approaches
+ Plan ahead to protect your pet.
+ Call ahead to confirm emergency shelter arrangements for you and your pets.
+ Check to be sure your pet disaster supplies are ready to take at a moment's notice.
+ Bring all pets into the house so that you won't have to search for them if you have to leave in a hurry.
+ Make sure all dogs and cats are wearing collars and are securely fastened, with up-to-date identification. Attach the phone number and address of your temporary shelter, if you know it, or of a friend or relative outside the disaster area. You can buy temporary tags or put adhesive tape on the back of your pet's ID tag, adding information with an indelible pen.
For more information, call your local animal control office.


text:
Dover woman fights off bear with baby gate
Lisa Webb was in Madison when a bear injured her dog
A Dover mother said she took on a 300-pound bear with a baby gate and won.
"I picked it up and just whacked," said Lisa Webb. "I got him right in the nose."
Webb was staying in a family house in Madison for Labor Day weekend when she heard a commotion. She ran outside and found her dogs face to face with a bear, only divided by a baby gate she was using to keep the dogs on the deck.
"I looked and within inches of me was the bear and all that was between us was this gate," Webb said. "I mean, I could have touched the bear if I wanted to."
Webb said she herded the dogs inside, but her instincts took over when her daughter ran out.
"I was screaming and the bear didn't really care, so I took the baby gate and I whacked it in the head with the baby gate and then dropped it and went running into the house," she said.
Once inside, Webb realized her dog Ozzy was wounded.
"He must have swiped at Ozzy twice because he had 12 puncture wounds, and you could tell it was just like a swat," she said.
Ozzy had surgery and is on the mend at home. Webb said she is counting her blessings.
"How it didn't claw me, I don't know," she said. "How it swiped at him and didn't swipe at me is beyond I don't know. I guess I was just lucky."


text:
Starting at
Exhibiting can be a complex world to navigate. As Trade show experts we will guide you through the entire exhibiting process seamlessly. Let's start the process today by setting up an appointment for a discovery call. We want to know exactly what your vision is so we can create a perfectly designed booth package just for you! We will provide you with a free full color interactive 3D model with your branding that includes all the furniture and accessories of your choice. Our process allows you to visualize what the finished product will look like and make any needed revisions all before moving forward. Please fill out the form below or call us today to start the discovery process.
20×30 Booth Rental
We personalize your trade show exhibit experience by customizing our turnkey booth rental packages to meet your needs or we create a custom booth rental package specifically for you based off of your vision or your own design. Stand out on the show floor with Exhibit Pros as your partner.


text:
Vine star Mendes finds breakthrough on pop charts
NEW YORK — Six seconds isn't a long time, but Vine superstar Shawn Mendes made the time count when posting cover songs on the social media platform.
The teen singer says he would pick the hits he would cover — and the sections of the tracks — and post them
on Vine to showcase his talents and grab positive attention.
"You'd think, 'I don't understand why the kid has so many followers because it's only six seconds. How are you supposed to know if he's any good at six seconds?' But there's an art behind getting people to be intrigued because you only have six or six and a half seconds to impress people," he said in a recent interview.
Mendes, who will be 16 next month, secured a following on Vine, where he had 300,000 fans awaiting his posts. Record labels caught wind of his strong social media presence.
"Island Records was the first record label to ... acknowledge me," said Mendes, who signed with the label. "After that, quickly Republic Records, and then Atlantic Records, Sony Records and Warner Bros. It was all the labels at once. It was absolutely insane like knowing that this many record labels were interested in me."
Mendes' strong social media stardom is translating to the pop charts: His single, the ballad "Life of the Party," debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month, selling an impressive 148,000 tracks. He has 2.8 followers on Vine and 1.3 million followers on Twitter.
He will release his four-song, self-titled EP next week and will go on tour with Austin Mahone and Fifth Harmony on Friday in San Antonio.
Mendes began posting clips on Vine last year from his home in Canada, starting with a cover of Justin Bieber's "As Long as You Love Me." His manager, Andrew Gertler, discovered the singer after searching YouTube for covers of A Great Big World's "Say Something." He immediately sent the clip to Ziggy Chareton, an A&R manager at Island Records.
"I never really looked at Vine as a resource to find talent," Chareton said.
"We knew the social following was there, but he had never sold a song before," Gertler added. "Coming to New York and seeing that girls were showing up to his hotel and seeing that these numbers online were translating to physical people was when we were kind of like, 'OK, this is getting serious.'"
Chareton said Mendes' sound will echo Ed Sheeran, John Mayer and OneRepublic.
"I want this to be the complete antithesis of Austin Mahone. Even though he's going on tour with him to kind of garner that same demographic and fan base, we want quality records," he said.
Some people have likened Mendes to Bieber, a Canadian teen who had a breakthrough on the Universal Music Group label. Chareton said he's OK with the comparison, but notes that fans should also expect something different.
"I take no offense to that because (Bieber) became extremely successful, but the one thing I will say about Shawn is you're never going to see him onstage with 30 background dancers, pyrotechnics and records produced and having features from Nicki Minaj," he said.
Follow Mesfin Fekadu at twitter.com/MusicMesfin


text:
Mother's Day is this coming Sunday, the 9nth. Why don't you treat Mom to a nice dinner, a memorable meal, at a great restaurant?
T-Fusion Steakhouse
Make Mother's Day a special day!
Offering a Special mother's Day Three-Course Pre-Fixe Menu.
Complimentary mimosa's along with a red rose for all the mom's.
Make your Reservation today to avoid the wait!
Mother's Day Menu
First Course
Creamy Asparagus Soup
Homemade Fresh Asparagus Soup
Minestrone Soup
Clear Broth vegetable soup with chicken & noodles
Second Course
Orange & Fennel Salad
Arugula, orange, fennel, black olives, citrus dressing
House Salad
Mesculin, tomatoes, cucumber, mushroom, red onion, balsamic vinaigrette
Third Course
Fillet Mignon
Served over sautéed spinach& garlic mashed potatoes
Chicken Francaise
Breaded, cooked with lemon & wine sauce served over rice and sautéed broccoli
Baked Salmon
Cooked with maple & glaze served over sautéed carrots and haricot verts
Apple Struddle
Freshly baked in premises served with vanilla ice cream
Chocolate Soufflé
Baked and served hot with vanilla ice cream
Fruit Plate
Assorted fresh fruit
*$55 Per Person * Tax & Gratuity not included * No Substitutions *
T Fusion Steakhouse (3223 Quentin Road, Brooklyn, NY 11234 — Telephone: 718.998.0002).
Why not treat Mom to T Fusion Steakhouse, hasn't she more than earned it?


text:
Proudly Serving Dallas-Fort Worth and Surrounding Areas
Find a Location
Mr. Restore now has offices in Dallas-Fort Worth, Amarillo, and Oklahoma City.
24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
Our priority is your satisfaction.
Mr. Restore has been serving Corinth, TX for 14 years with quality water and flood damage cleanup services. When you are in need of quality water cleanup, trust Mr. Restore for quick service, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and a locally-owned and operated company with years of experience!
If water extraction is delayed following an infiltration of water into your home or business, the degradation of your property will happen quickly. An excessive moisture build-up can also cause extensive damage to personal items. All water damage events should be treated as emergencies. The water damage restoration crew at Mr. Restore is on-call 24/7 to dispatch to any water-related disaster Corinth, TX residents may have.
Call (877) 631-7576 for water damage restoration in Corinth, TX.
Projects Completed
Reviews on Google
Years of Experience
Awards Won
Mr. Restore is a top-rated water damage restoration company specializing in water extraction and flood cleanup services in the Corinth, TX area. Water damage from storms and floods can wreak havoc on your home, commercial, or industrial property. Our flood and water damage repair and cleanup experts provide 24/7 emergency services for your immediate flood and water restoration needs.
Water inside a home or business is a destructive force to be reckoned with, and it acts quickly. At Mr. Restore, we understand how quickly even a small amount of water can turn into a huge amount of damage. Our IICRC-certified team of water restoration technicians is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Water extraction and removal is not enough to remove all of the moisture from your home or business after you've experienced water damage. Water is pervasive, and remaining moisture can hide behind the walls, inside the ceiling, under the flooring, and even inside your HVAC system, where it can wreak havoc if not properly dried out. Our trained and certified technicians have the equipment necessary to detect this hidden water. No matter the time of day or night, we're ready to handle your structural drying emergency.
We're ready 24/7 to extract any standing water, safely remove and dispose of any unsalvageable materials, clean and decontaminate the property, completely dry, dehumidify the building to prevent mold growth, and prepare for all necessary repairs. If floodwaters have damaged your property in Corinth, TX, call us immediately at (877) 631-7576.
Mr. Restore did an amazing job mitigating the damage in my house when we had a sewer flood. They told us exactly how the process worked each step of the way. It was a stinky, dirty and messy job. . . and they could not have been more kind and professional. That's just what you need when a disaster happens in your home because it's so stressful. I don't hesitate to recommend this c...
Jennifer H.
Had a leak somewhere and thought it was a bigger issue than what it was. Thankfully Mr. Restore came out and did a quick assessment and gave me some tips on how to fix the issue myself to save some money because the issue wasn't as bad as it may have seemed. Really appreciated their service and while I hope I am never in need of their service, if I am they will be the first call I make.
We worked with Wes Bock and his team after a small fire in our warehouse. They were incredibly professional, and went beyond the extra mile in helping us sort everything out. I could not recommend them more. The peace of mind that comes with knowing that you're being taken care of after an event like this is priceless, and they provided that and more. If you're looking at restoration s...
Tim G.
We came home from a vacation to a flooded house. The Mr. Restore team had a team to our house in under 30 minutes with equipment in tow. Their team was so professional and helpful - they answered every question we had. They even acknowledged that for the amount of damage we had there were alternative methods we could take to make the repairs on our own. You could not find a more honest, honor...
Kate J.
When there's been water or flood damage to your property it's difficult to know who to call to help clean up and repair the damage. The answer is easy! Mr. Restore is a Dallas-Fort Worth restoration company that provides full-service water damage restoration services, including water extraction, structural drying, contents and textile restoration, demolition and reconstruction. Contact Mr. Restore today, we are available 24/7 and can be at your property in 60 minutes!
Water damage insurance claims depend on a few different criteria. Ultimately, that's a question you'll have to clarify with your insurance company. However, we can tell you that the viability of water damage insurance claims depends primarily on what caused the damage (storm, burst pipe, plumbing malfunction, localized flood, sump pump failure, etc.). Some insurance policies will outline scenarios that will NOT be covered without specific riders like flood insurance or sump pump failure insurance.
Contacting a restoration contractor and your insurance adjuster at the same time is a good idea because the restoration contractor will help make sure that the water extraction and dry out will be covered, but the rebuild process that should follow. If the full scope of the claim isn't outlined and agreed upon from the start, there may be issues down the line, and property owners may have to pay out of pocket to get the property completely back to normal.
That depends on the types of materials that were affected by water. Drywall, carpet, and hardwood floors will take longer to dry than other materials in the space. We use moisture meters throughout the process and in many different locations to gauge the moisture levels and will continue to adjust our fans and dehumidifiers to achieve an efficient but effective dry time. The bare minimum of "three days to dry" may only produce a surface dry but can still leave behind moisture levels that create an ideal environment for mold to grow.
Most homeowners start trying to remove the water themselves before they realize they'll need to contact their insurance company about a claim so they can call in a water damage restoration company. However, standing water around anything with a power cord or outlet or sagging ceilings make the area unsafe. Also, many insurance claims require documentation of the loss BEFORE any work is done, including removing the water. Always take plenty of photos of the damage you see before taking any action to start cleaning up the mess. [company,data=name] will be able to back up your insurance claim scope with the necessary technical documentation.
If the water damage involves Category 1 water (clean and free of microbes and bacteria), many of your personal belongings can be salvaged. Category 2 water would include other water sources, including rainwater, that, while not containing biohazards or sewage, still pose health risks and the potential for destructive microbial growth and mold. A water damage restoration technician from [company,data=name] will help you sort through the property's contents to determine what can be safely dried, what can be restored by a textile/contents technician, and what can't be saved or salvaged. There are off-site facilities in the area that specialize in restoring water-damaged contents. Your [company,data=name] team will document all of the contents leaving the property for restoration or disposal for your records and also for reimbursement from your insurance company.
Identifying the source of the water damage is one of the first steps in both the insurance claim process and before beginning to dry out and repair the damaged areas. After all, if you replace a sagging, wet ceiling that was caused by a roof leak but don't fix the roof, too, the next rainstorm will start the cycle all over again. The buckling of your hardwood floor could be caused by a leaking pipe. We will pinpoint the exact cause of your water damage and make sure the source is repaired. We make sure your restoration job is done right the first time.
A good portion of water damage can be prevented by proper household maintenance. Routine plumbing maintenance, as well as sump pump and appliance maintenance, are effective ways to avoid preventable damages. If you live in a cold climate, preparing your home for the winter can also help avoid damage. Finally, it's a good idea to regularly check the exterior of your home, particularly your roof, for damage to ensure water isn't unexpectedly leaking into your home.
Damage to your property can be an extremely overwhelming situation for any homeowner, business owner, or property manager. It can also be very difficult to know what to do to handle the situation properly. Water damages are one of the most common insurance claims, so it's a good idea to keep a few common tips in the back of your mind in case you find yourself with unwanted water in your residential or commercial property.
February 05, 2016
We were recently invited to have dinner at Dallas Fire Station 44 as a thank you for our work on restoring a home. It's not just any home, it'...