text:
Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Cooking spray, for pan
- 1/2 c. melted butter
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 c. whole milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 c. grated carrots
- 1/4 c. chopped pecans, plus more for garnish
- 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350º, then grease a 9"-x-5" loaf pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together butter and sugars until combined. Add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Slowly add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg and stir until completely incorporated. Gently fold in mashed bananas, grated carrots and pecans and mix until fully combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick has moist crumbs, about 1 hour, then let cool.
- Make frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla, salt and powdered sugar until fluffy.
- Once cool, frost bread and garnish with pecans.


text:
Why No Love for Security Cooperation?
As America's failed efforts to advance the Middle East peace process fell like debris all around him, Steven White, a major in the U.S. Marines who was shuttling between Jerusalem and Ramallah, grew ever more upset over what he saw as Washington's determination to spurn its only success in the field.
That success, in which White played a central role, was the creation of a Palestinian security force capable of working jointly with Israel to curb terrorism originating in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"We were like marriage facilitators, we got both sides to do the work themselves," said White in a June 6 interview. "For the first time, we had something working on the ground, something that showed real results."
It is a success whose praises have been sung even by Israeli military officers in formal hearings before the Knesset, Israel's parliament. But for Washington, whose idea the whole thing was, the Palestinian security force was an unwanted stepchild, White says.
"Nobody thought the mission would go anywhere," recalled White, who was with the team from its 2005 launch. "They all saw it as just checking the box on security."
Convincing Washington to support the security mission remains a tall order even today. Despite the undisputed progress the Palestinian security force has shown on the ground, Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives have recently put yet another hold on funds for maintaining and developing the force, as a demonstration of their displeasure with policies adopted by the Palestinian Authority.
Now, White, who has since retired from the Marines, is sitting down with former Army colonel P.J. Dermer, his colleague in the security force project, to pen a book about what they saw.
White spent more than five years as a senior adviser to the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and was especially close to Keith Dayton, the Army general who headed the USSC mission from 2005 to 2010. Dayton is credited with building Palestinian security capacities and boosting Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation to a level never before seen. Terror and violence have dropped to an all-time low, thanks in part to the work of Americans.
In the process of building this force, the USSC gained for itself a unique footing, White said. Amid increasing acrimony among Israelis, Palestinians and Americans in the political and diplomatic arenas, the Israelis, Palestinians and Americans working as partners under the USSC achieved relationships of deep personal trust.
"Major issues were resolved via informal get-togethers rather than formal meetings," White related in a recent article on the website of the magazine Foreign Policy, "notably with [Israeli military] Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, at his home, or with other key Israeli commanders in relaxed settings and far from the view of eager diplomatic note takers. It was often at these meetings where resolutions to long-standing issues — such as the opening of the a new West Bank crossing site, elimination of long-standing checkpoints, and facilitation of the Palestinian Authority's 2008 Bethlehem Investment Conference — were hashed out."
American diplomats and political leaders, meanwhile, struggled with the Israelis and Palestinians in their more formal settings, while spurning, according to White, the proven avenue of trust that the United States itself had fostered. The USSC's approach, he wrote, "was counterintuitive to our very hierarchic and cautious counterparts at the State Department, who preferred to make a decision only when every option had been thoroughly examined or exhausted, and only upon final written permission from Washington."
White believes that greater consultation with the security coordinators could have given American peace efforts in the Middle East a better chance. And he offers concrete examples.
In late 2010, following the failure of the most recent American attempt to bring together Israelis and Palestinians through "proximity talks," Senator George Mitchell, the Obama administration's special envoy to the region, suggested that Israel should transfer security responsibilities to the Palestinians in additional areas of the West Bank. When Dayton, as the senior American in charge of building Palestinian forces, was asked for his opinion, he told Mitchell, according to White's recollection, that it would be a bad idea. Only five of the needed 10 Palestinian battalions were in operational shape, and besides, Dayton reported, the Palestinian security chiefs had told him themselves that they were not yet interested in extending their responsibilities.
Mitchell and his team flatly dismissed Dayton's advice.
Dayton and his aide were not surprised when the Israelis turned down the offer.
"When you throw something at the Israelis that is completely ill thought out, half-baked, do you think it will resonate?" White asked. "It's amateur hour."
Dayton handed in his resignation shortly after, in October 2010. His aides believe that this incident was the last straw. Afterward, White observed, despite Dayton's five years at the USSC's helm, President Obama never asked him for an exit interview, though Dayton met three times with George W. Bush in the Oval Office to review the progress of the mission.
The frustration of Dayton's team focused particularly on Mitchell, who took over the peace promoting efforts in early 2009. Cooperation between the diplomatic team led by Mitchell and the security mission led by Dayton was kept to a minimum. The efforts were seen as separate. White accused Mitchell and his aides of having no experience on the ground.
"It's as if they think that because they took a graduate course in Middle East history when they were in Harvard or what not, they completely understand everything that needs to be done," White said.
But Edward Abington, who served as American consul general in Jerusalem from 1993 to 1997, sees nothing unusual in these tensions. In an interview, Abington called White and Dermer's approach to Dayton's mission "naive" and said they see only half the picture. "Dayton did a lot to professionalize Palestinian security forces, and that is important, but that won't bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, because it had to do with land, settlements and much more," he said.
Dayton, a career Army officer experienced in political-military issues, was the second chief of the USSC, taking over for Kip Ward who oversaw the mission in its first months. Established in March 2005 by the Bush administration, the USSCwas tasked with helping rebuild Palestinian security capacities for both fighting terror and maintaining law and order after trust between the two had almost completely broken down following the second intifada. The USSC is staffed with American, Canadian and British personnel and receives nearly $100 million a year from the U.S. Congress to fund its operations.
White, who is the son of a famed Hollywood police detective and grew up as an evangelical Christian, arrived at the mission after studying in Jerusalem and picking up not only some Hebrew, but also a sense of Israeli concerns and fears. He witnessed a terror attack in Jerusalem in 2001, and during his term with the USSC he argued constantly against a prevailing view in diplomatic circles that ignored Israel's security concerns.
Dayton was initially greeted with mistrust on the Israeli side. "My grandchildren will still fight this war," Israel's chief of staff, Dan Halutz, told Dayton in their first meeting.
But as terror subsided and as the new Palestinian government showed its interest in building efficient security forces and preventing violence, the Israelis came around. As the positive results emerged, military commanders in Israel's Central Command and in the army headquarters in Tel Aviv became the program's chief proponents. "You were able to change our mental disk," Amos Gilad, who served as Israel's coordinator of government activities in the territories, told White. "You can send George Mitchell back and forth to the Middle East as much as you like, but expanding what Dayton is doing in the security realm to other sectors of Palestinian governance and society is really the only viable model for progress," said Michael Oren in a 2009 interview, several months before appointed Israel's ambassador to the United States.
The Palestinians shared this sentiment. "It's hard to argue with the fact it was very successful," said Khaled Elgindy, who was an adviser to the Palestinian negotiation team at the time and is now a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institute. "It is one of the few bright spots in the situation."
On the ground, the USSC is still operating and is continuing to show success. On June 8 the Pentagon announced a new commander for the mission. Paul Bushong, an admiral currently with the U.S. Pacific Command, will replace Michael Moeller, the general who took over from Dayton at the end of 2010.
Bushong's challenge could be in many ways tougher than that of Dayton in 2005. The security cooperation system may seem stable, but the lack of progress on the diplomatic track could endanger its future. "There's a very strong feeling on the Palestinian side that they did not get enough," Elgindy said. "We met our obligations on the security side, and still the U.S. has failed in freezing the settlements or in implementing a significant diplomatic process."
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Firefighters scrambled from across West Yorkshire to reports children were playing in Cleckheaton building fire
Five appliances attended the former Maccess building, Spen Lane, Gomersal, at 8.05pm last night (Saturday) and four firefighters were immediately sent in to conduct a thorough search. However no children could be found.
Crews from Batley, Brighouse, Dewsbury and Odsal battled the derelict building fire from the ground whilst an the aerial appliance from Bradford tackled the roof.
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBatley Fire Station watch commander Jonathan Brants said: "When we turned up there was a structure on the roof which was on fire. It was well alight.
"We requested five pumps and an aerial appliance to tackle it from above.
"The structure on the roof was well alight, but we also had reports that there were some youths inside. We committed a couple of teams in to do a search but there was nobody inside,"
Mr Brants, who said people from the nearby estate came out to watch the incident unfold, added that four breathing apparatus, four large jets and a jet from the aerial appliance were needed to put out the fire.
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe building, which is awaiting demolition, measures approximately 30 metres by 30 metres and at least half of the roof was on fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Nobody was injured. Firefighters were at the scene for around two hours.
Mr Brants added: "The building was in a bad state of repair anyway. It's been set on fire several times recently. It's just getting boarded up, but the owner is waiting to demolish it."
Cleckheaton firefighters, who were attending a chip pan fire at the time of the incident, said they could see the smoke and were being hit by the ash 300 yards away at Butts Hill.


text:
Pancake Breakfast NYS Maple Syrup Weekends
May 11 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Come celebrate New York's Maple Weekend at the Yorktown Grange, Yorktown's only agricultural based fraternal organization.
Join us for a hearty pancake breakfast at 9:00am, 10am, or 11am March, 16, 17, 23, 24. Breakfast includes local maple syrup, sausage, and bacon from nearby Yorktown farms. Before your seating, have a warm drink in our Grange Cafe and enjoy some activities for the young or young at heart. Hang out with Freddy the goat and other animals, or enjoy a hayride. After breakfast make your way to White Oak Farm, just a few miles down the road, for a tour of their beautiful sugar house!
This event sells out, so purchase tickets early!
Adult – $23
Child (3-12) – $15
Child (under 3) – FREE


text:
CBS Studios are going green by installing six PureCell stationary fuel cell systems at two of their production locations in California. The fuel cell systems are produced by UTC Power and they will be installed at CBS Studio Center (a production facility with 18 sound stages) and CBS Television City (which houses eight studios). The PureCell systems at Studio Center and Television City will together produce a total of 2.4 MW of power, therefore satisfying 40% and 60% of the studios' electricity requirements.
By installing the PureCell systems, CBS is making an effort to reduce its energy costs through superior efficiency, security and reduced emissions. Thermal energy from the systems will also be utilized to provide cooling for both studios. These locations play host to such shows as Entertainment Tonight, The Price is Right, CSI: NY, NCIS, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.
Additionally, four of the PureCell systems will be configured to operate independently of the electric grid. In the case of an emergency, such as blackouts, natural disasters and man-made emergencies, they will provide critical backup power.
"Fuel cells are a great fit for our business and sustainability goals," said Michael Klausman, President, CBS Studio Center & Senior VP Operations, CBS Television City in a statement. "With the installation of these PureCell systems, we will substantially increase our energy security by being able to continue operations in the event of a grid outage and, equally important, the installation is projected to reduce our impact on the environment and provide significant energy cost savings for our business."
Overall, the PureCell systems will stop CBS Studios from releasing more than 2,370 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – which is the equivalent of planting nearly 550 acres of trees. They will also save the studios more than 2.8 million gallons of water annually – which could fill 4 ½ Olympic swimming pools. Here's hoping that other TV studios in Hollywood will follow suite!
+ UTC Power
Lead image: Sarah_Ackerman


text:
Yep, it's yet another film vs. digital brouhaha—but not in the way we're used to. The Atlantic (née The Atlantic Monthly) has published an excellent article by Govindini Murty and Jason Apuzzo called "At the Summer Box Office, a Battle Between Two Ways of Filming." In the words of my director friend Bob Burnettt, it's a "very interesting look at the feature world's inner turmoil."
Of course, I see it a little more globally—as just one facet of a broader sea-change in movies that's been ongoing for a couple of decades now. When I think of movies, I have in mind a very classic notion of what that means—live actors, in costumes, on sets, performing written screenplays, being lit by lighting directors and filmed with cameras by cinematographers. I saw John Patrick Shanley's film Doubt last night, and it was just the sort of movie I like—a coherent drama with some actual intellectual content centered around not just one but four superb acting performances. If you wonder why Meryl Streep is one of the cinema's greatest actresses—I mean in its entire history—see Doubt. And yet, for her 11 minutes or so of screen time, Viola Davis more than matches her. As a bonus, it turns out it was photographed by my favorite current cinematographer, Roger Deakins. I've actually actually bought certain DVDs, such as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, just because he was the cinematographer; and I got Doubt not even knowing. As I say, a bonus.
It did cross my mind that many movies no longer rely on, or even require, performances by actors—and many more don't require their actors to be playing believable human beings. They might be playing characters adapted from cartoons or old TV series, or aliens, or exaggerated clichés, or that most celebrated denizen of our culture's many highly mannered favored plot devices, the serial killer. (I am eye-rollingly fed up with serial killers.) And we live in the age of special effects. Many movies are almost entirely special effects now, or special effects plus fighting, killing, shooting, explosions, or various other species of violence or sadism. In the era prior to my childhood, say the 1950s, special effects were crude and limited, and often campy or ludicrous because of it. I can't help but see them that way still: I can't watch any of the Batman films, for instance, with any greater "willing suspension of disbelief" than I experience watching a cartoon. Maybe a little less, even. Current special-effects-based cinema strikes me as being as mannered, ritualistic and codified as, say, Noh theater, and public favorites at the movies seem to occupy some space on a spectrum between juvenile and puerile. It's made me suspicious and wary even of fantastical elements in films I should accept.
Without going into it any further (and risking pissing people off), I'll just say I think the film vs. digital situation in feature films is part of a larger cultural battle—that neither side really needs to "win." I don't mind that other people get Avatar and The Avengers; do they really need to mind that I get The King's Speech and Winter's Bone? (You can thank me for not making a bad pun just there about throwing us traditionalists a bone.)
A worthwhile article, in any case. Might even have something to do with still photography, on some tangent or other, although I'm not going to stretch it that far myself.
Send this post to a friend
Please help support TOP by patronizing our sponsors B&H Photo and Amazon
Note: Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. More...
Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.
Featured [partial] Comment by CK Dexter Haven: "You seem to be at the far end of a 'fantasy<—>reality' scale. I'm glad to be more in the center of that scale, but my lines of demarcation don't seem to be so solidly set. I agree, to use your examples, that Winter's Bone is a far more compelling film than The Avengers. I have zero interest in seeing The Avengers. My reason, when recently asked, was that I just don't like 'all those digital effects.' Yet, at the same time, I couldn't be more excited to see Prometheus. I'm fully aware that it will be no less effects-laden than The Avengers. But, somehow, sci-fi, for me, is a different animal, when done right, and the details and nuance make the difference.
"The other thing is that I seemed to have embraced 'effects' more back in 'the day,' when the starships and planets and explosions were real. Real models, rather than digital renderings. There's nothing less involving than seeing computer images fight and explode. It is, as you said, and as I've been used to saying, like watching a cartoon. Which brings me back again to the exceptions. When they're done right, by people with that sort of sensitivity, they work."
Featured Comment by Ross Chambers: "I've been out of the motion picture industry for too long to really comment on current technologies, but even 15–20 years ago CGI was used on probably every film where it could extend the toolbox of the director/cinematographer or save money. The 'glass shot' and the travelling matte were history (thank goodness) and enormous budgetary savings were made. And I doubt very much that any film stalwart noticed. Unfortunately some motion picture creators have overused the possibilities of digital technology, but that type of exploitation was ever so—the medium did start in sideshow alley, not the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Fortunately some reined in the razzle dazzle beast and managed to make some genuine works of art, even using CGI artistically."
Featured Comment by richardplondon: "'Oscar-worthiness' often turns out just as formulaic as the most face-palmingly derivative and incoherent summer blockbuster—which at least has some enthusiasm going for it. But the last Oscar panel did well to select the film A Separation in its foreign category. Recommended—its poetry and feeling are, refreshingly, those of life as lived: not, those of the scriptwriting correspondence course. Another nod for the films of Mike Leigh; they can sometimes seem contrived in their surface impression, but with such a powerful, unexpected undertow.... The film-making approach is quite unusual, too."
Featured Comment by Andrew Molitor: "As a side note, something that interests me is that while we're very very close to being able to simply delete physical actors and render them convincingly in digital, we cannot do the same with voices. A synthetic, animated, and credible image of an actor is doable. A synthetic, credible, voice seems to not be at this point."
Mike replies: I've been making your first point for some time, and everybody always pooh-poohs me. But I think it's inevitable. There was a TV series on in the U.S. called "King of the Hill" that basically used animation to replace actors, but the action and story lines were naturalistic enough that it could have been a conventional sitcom with human actors—it was not cartoonish in that sense. The animations juse moved around in coherent space and spoke to each other and did entirely the kinds of things that real humans do. When you think of it, most actors on the screen are symbols, and audiences don't demand that the symbols be purely convincing to be meaningful to them. How else could audiences care about E.T. or Shrek?
And, even in films with human actors, they often aren't purely convincing as humans. Not only is there a wide gap between actors acting a part and real people photographed in documentaries—is there anyone who doesn't know within about five seconds which they're watching?—I also have a particular problem in that I tend to see actors and not characters. Even good actors sometimes don't get around this for me. One of the great things about Doubt was that I was seeing Sister Aloysius, not Meryl Streep. (Usually, I see Meryl Streep.)
Just look at how wonderful the sophisticated Pixar animantions are. Then look at the costs and limitations of human actors...they can charge lots of money, they have to be insured, they can get ill or injured during filming, they have their own ideas about how they want the part to be played, and they can be prima donnas and be late to the set and so forth. (On the good side, they can be dispatched to the talk show circuit to talk up the movie.) When computer rendering becomes easy, it will have none of those downsides. I think it's just inevitable that we'll see more and more screen entertainment with non-human actors. Of course, real acting performances—like Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius in Doubt—can never be replaced, because they require acting genius.
Featured Comment by Jeffrey Lee: "It's strange that in a medium that is so visually oriented, there seems to be such widespread failure to appreciate how much a story can be told through the photography of the story. My two favorites of late in this regard are Steven Soderbergh and Chris Manley. They go beyond just simply presenting the action in front of the camera. They are able to construct images using composition, colour, and tone that speak to the written storyline."
Mike replies: That's a fascinating issue, isn't it? And very deep, I think. The great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa credited his early fascination with silent films with his lifelong ability to convey significant story meaning without words. Many of his movies have very emotional scenes without any form of speech.
Featured Comment by John Banister: "I'm reminded of some words written by Asimov, recounting an old story about Beethoven and Goethe. They were walking along together and frequently encountering expressions of praise from those passing by. Goethe expressed discomfort at this, and Beethoven told him not to worry because—"I am sure that all the accolades are for me." Asimov told a friend that he thought Beethoven was correct to think he was the greater artist because one has to translate Goethe.
"I encountered somewhere the notion that the lack of necessity of the dialogue in many movies relates to international sales. There are more viewers around the world who appreciate not needing the words than there are here who are tired of disposable dialog. I've watched a fair number of movies in the company of people who didn't speak the language and seen them encourage their friends to watch the ones where the story could be followed without needing an understanding of what was spoken.
"While I see action movies with disposable dialog, I have a hard time considering them to be greater art. But I do cut them some extra slack when I consider that the disposable nature of the dialog may well be by design."
Featured Comment by Avi Joshi: "I work in visual effects and so in a way I enjoy watching some of the ridiculous fx-laden summer blockbusters. But only if it's accompanied by a half-decent story. Ultimately that is king. If there's no story, I'm not parting with my money.
"Vfx artists slog to make that movie magic happen. To put things in perspective, I worked on a show last year where a 15-minute intro sequence to a summer movie took a team of 75 artists over 100,000 hours clocked in. So I hate it when so much effort is put into a movie with not much else to prop it up. Hence I tend to avoid movies by Michael Bay.
"Black Swan was a great example of some wickedly cool effects, seamlessly blended in. A great story, fantastic performances, 16mm film and a little CG to help sell it all.
With regards to a shooting film or digital, I know of a few filmmakers who have chosen to shoot film recently mainly because they were uncertain whether film would be around much longer. Also the Arri Alexa seems to have won over a lot of DoP's who were against digital (Deakins included).
"I hope it continues with an even divide of people shooting film and digital. Both have their merits and both have their pitfalls. And I can hope that there will continue to be good use of Vfx in well written/executed dramas. In either case it keeps me employed."


text:
Non Stop Towing Service in Duncanville
Full Towing Service, Roadside Assistance, Flat Tire Change and Replacement, Battery Jump Start, Out of Gas
Non Stop Towing Service is a professional towing company with the most experienced, professional personnel ready and able to assist and serve your emergency towing needs.
We've been in the towing business for a long time, serving Duncanville and the surrounding areas. We have evolved from a traditional towing business to a full-service provider for all towing services.
1303 Main, Arcadia Park, Arts District, Beckley Club Estates, Bellaire Acres, Bishop Arts District, Bryan Place, Cadillac Heights, Cedar Crest, Cedars, Deerchase Condos, Phase One, Design District, Dolphin Heights, East Hampton Hills Neighborhood Association, El Tivoli Place


text:
- Loading...
Recent PostsLoading...
I'm a writer, music enthusiast, web-developer, typography geek, and a coffee and beer snob. Sometime around 1996 I created absolutepunk.net — a music community to discuss under-appreciated music I loved. Over the next few years, it got popular. Then it got really popular. The goal of the website was to introduce people to new music and provide a community for people to discuss music that was not often heard in the mainstream. Oh, and for me to whine and moan about things I felt like to a chorus of "why is this news!?" posts.
In 2004, I (sold-out and) sold the company while staying on to keep running AP.net and manage a variety of other websites. My passion turned into a job and I drudged through the next few years frustrated. For a while I thought about walking away from the internet completely. However, my passion for music, technology, and a slightly off centered pop-culture remains. So, I decided to take a chance and with that spirit build chorus.fm. I hope for this to be a platform to write and share my passions with you, and with that, I also want to continue my vision of a community for music fans looking to connect with kindred spirits.
I send out a weekly newsletter that recaps the week in music and offers thoughts on music, media, and other cool stuff.- Gender:
- Male
- Birthday:
- Mar 18, 1983 (Age: 40)
- Home Page:
- http://chorus.fm
- Location:
- Portland, OR
- Job:
- Blogger, Opinion-Haver, Whatever
- Real Name:
- Jason Tate
- Relationship:
- Married
- High-School:
- Tualatin High School
- College:
- University of Redlands
- Political Views:
- Progressive
- Threads:
- @jasontate
- Mastodon:
- mastodon.social/@jasontate
- Twitter:
- @jason_tate
- Facebook:
- jasonnealtate
- Instagram:
- jasontate
- Letterboxd:
- jasontate
- Trackt:
- jasontate83
- Discogs:
- chorusfm
- Cashtag:
- $chorus
- Apple Music:
- jasontate
- Last.fm:
- jasontate
- Soundcloud:
- absolutepunknet
- Untappd:
- jasontate
- Goodreads:
- 30195904-jason-tate
- Favorite Albums:
- Brand New - 'Deja Entendu', The Beach Boys - 'Pet Sounds', Simon and Garfunkel - 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', The Beatles - 'Sgt. Peppers', Thrice - 'Vheissu', Jimmy Eat World - 'Futures', The Gaslight Anthem - 'The '59 Sound', The 1975 - 'The 1975', Bon Iver - 'Bon Iver', Blink 182 - 'Dude Ranch'
- Favorite TV Shows:
- Friends, Parks and Recreation, Veronica Mars, Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, The West Wing, Battlestar Galactica, Friday Night Lights, Arrested Development, Batman: The Animated Series, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Doctor Who, You're the Worst, Nathan for You.
- Favorite Movies:
- The Dark Knight, Heat, Goodfellas, The Godfather II, Her, 2001: A Space Odyssey, LA Confidential, The Social Network, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back
- Favorite Books:
- The Catcher in the Rye, Calvin and Hobbes, On Writing Well, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
- Loading...


text:
Gord Stephenson flies to work. He takes a plane from Yellowknife, the capital of Northwest Territories, Canada, to his workplace, the Diavik diamond mine, 300 kilometres away on the subarctic Lac de Gras.
The mine, only 210 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, is not connected to the electricity grid. It generates its own power from a combination of diesel-fuelled generators and the world's most northerly megawatt-scale wind farm.
After a feasibility study that confirmed a strong wind resource, Diavik, a subsidiary of mining giant Rio Tinto, installed four Enercon 2.3MW E70 turbines at a cost of $33 million. The 9.2MW wind farm began delivering power at the end of September 2012.
Stephenson, a civil engineer, oversees the building of capital projects at the diamond mine. He has been involved with the wind project since joining the company in January 2012, taking responsibility for contractor management, commissioning, testing and permitting of the wind farm.
"Our primary source of energy is diesel fuel, which is trucked in during the winter on the ice road," he says. "Annually, we require approximately 70 million litres, most of which is for power generation. The wind turbine installation was designed to reduce this reliance by over four million litres a year."
Stephenson handled the logistics of transporting the turbines to the mine, a process that required customising trailers to move 60 loads of components. The turbines were moved between February and April when the 350-kilometre road over the lake, the only means of overland access, had frozen sufficiently to be safe to drive on.
The 33-metre blades, the longest loads ever transported on the ice road, were shipped from Enercon's German factory to Thunder Bay, Ontario, then for 3,500 kilometres by road to the mine.
Constructing the foundations was an arduous process because of the granite bedrock very close to the surface of the ground. Blasting was required for excavation before a level pit was made and a 2.7-metre thick concrete foundation was created for each turbine.
There was concern the bases might tilt as the ground froze and thawed through the seasons. "Given we are in a region with permafrost, a foundation monitoring programme was implemented to check for any frost-induced effects," says Stephenson. "So far we have not experienced any differential settlement or ill-effects."
Equipment challenge
Diavik contracted Mammoet Canada to supply the 300-tonne crawler crane for the turbine installation. "At the time of construction and for the term we required, which was a one-year rental given our ice road constraints, the only crane it was able to source came from Alabama in the US," says Stephenson.
Enercon assembled the towers, nacelles and blades, installing one turbine a week over four weeks in July and August.
Diavik shortlisted four manufacturers for the projects before choosing Enercon turbines. "It was the right fit. The E-70s have many features suited to our climate - blade heaters, direct drive, cold climate steel for the towers," says Stephenson. "The primary concern over a geared turbine was that at sub-zero temperatures, even the best oil will stiffen up, causing increased loads on the transmission.
Oil issue
"We also perceived the transmission as higher risk and an expensive maintenance item if it were to fail. The other concern we evaluated was the potential for a fire hazard with the large volume of oil in the nacelle. The only lubricant we had to change is a very small amount of oil for the pitch and yaw motors, which we changed to an arctic-rated substitute."
"We went through a right-sizing exercise with Genivar to optimise the system for economic payback given a remaining mine life of about ten years." The four turbines represented the magic point that maximised return, says Stephenson.
"This is not the first Enercon project in extreme cold conditions," says Marc-Antoine Renaud, Enercon Canada's business and development manager. "We have turbines in Antarctica, at Australia's Mawson research centre, but they are small 300kW units. One challenge with this project is the multi-megawatt aspect of the turbines. But the biggest challenge was transporting the components when there was only access in winter."
According to Renaud, a great deal of engineering work went into ensuring a smooth transition of the mine's power flow from diesel to wind power. "The key was to design the power management system that controls the diesel output to balance the electricity produced by the wind turbines," he says.
Diavik's diesel generators - nine 4.4MW, two 3.3MW and smaller standby units - are sited in the mine's two powerhouses. The powerhouse operators choose the correct combination of generators and wind to match the system load, maintain sufficient reserve power and ensure the mine's power never goes down. The operators are also responsible for maximising the power from the wind turbines, which, says Stephenson, has increased their workload, but they are handling it well.
"The wind farm was designed around a low-penetration ratio," he says. "This is the percentage of wind power supplied over total system load. So, if the site required 20MWh of power and wind was producing 3.5MWh, we would have 17.5% penetration. The penetration ratio for wind we were looking for was 10%.
"But experienced powerhouse operators have exceeded expectations, pushing this ratio to the 50% range when the turbines are generating full power. The ability to capture these peaks has substantially increased the overall wind power output."
Demand peaks during staff shift changes and varies over the course of the year, ranging from 19MWh in the summer to 26MWh in the winter when large heating fans are used. The turbines stopped working in December and January when the temperature fell to -30 degs Celsius. Unexplained error codes were showing up, causing the system to shut down. "The E-70s are rated to -40 degs Celsius, but the continuous exposure to sub -30 degs temperatures caused some significant downtime this past winter," says Stephenson.
"We worked with Enercon to swap some lubricants and we have installed heaters in the tower and nacelle to permit maintenance in the cold weather. This upcoming winter will be the true test of the cold weather performance."
Renaud puts the problems down to teething issues. "As they were experiencing their first winter, the turbines at Diavik required some tune-up and also upgrades on consumables and minor components to better withstand the extreme cold," he says.
"We aimed to have 17GWh of power output a year. After being down for two months it's now at 14GWh, but we expect it to reach 15GWh," says Stephenson.
"Enercon supplied the interface between our control system and the turbines, which are managed and operated by Diavik. We have a limited service agreement with Enercon. They carry out maintenance four times a year per turbine. We do initial troubleshooting, they come up and do any big work."
In the first year of operations, the turbines provided, on average, 7% of the power generated at the mine and saved Diavik 3.5 million litres of fuel. The turbines will pay for themselves in eight years, estimates Stephenson. "A secondary benefit of the turbine installation is the voltage support and power factor correction the turbines are able to provide," he says. "They can't be directly measured as an offset for litres of diesel, but there's an increase in efficiency for the overall power system with reduced line losses and increased generator efficiency.
"It's also a great environmental initiative and it gives positive recognition for the mine. I've noticed how quiet the turbines are. You can stand under them and there's no mechanical noise. Wind turbines were the right choice for Diavik and should the resource prove itself we'd have no hesitation in recommending wind energy to other companies."


text:
Chilly Question & Ans.
Girlfriend: And are you sure you love me and no one else?
Boyfriend: Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday
Waiter: Would you like your coffee black?
Customer: What other colors do you have?
Manager: Sorry, but I can't give u a job. I don't need much help.
Job Applicant: That's all right. In fact I'm just the right person in this case. You see, I won't be of much help anyway!!
Dad: Son, what do u want for ur birthday?
Son: Not much dad, Just a radio with a sports car around it.
Diner: I can't eat such a rotten chicken. Call the manager!
Waiter: It's no use. He won't eat it either.
Diner: You'll drive me to my grave!
Waiter: Well, you don't expect to walk there, do you?
Husband: U know, wife, our son got his brain from me.
Wife: I think he did, I've still got mine with me!
Man: Officer! There's a bomb in my garden!
Officer: Don't worry. If no one claims it within three days, you can keep it.
Father: Your teacher says she finds it impossible to teach you anything!
Son: That's why I say she's no good!


text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
TIF is short for tax increment financing. TID is short for tax increment district. Tax increment financing (TIF) is the economic tool available by creating a tax increment district (TID).
Show All Answers
When a tax increment district (TID) is created, the value of the property at that point in time is set as the base value. The taxes created by the base value continue to pay out to the taxing jurisdictions at the same rate, while the increased value from the base rate that are paid in new taxes are leveraged to fund additional improvements that will continue to increase the value of the property further over the base value. Each TID has a set life that is allowed to have this fund available. When the life of the TID comes to close, all of the taxes then will be released to the taxing jurisdictions.
Graphics source: Vierbicher & Associations
The goals of the City of Sun Prairie's use of TIF include:


text:
The first oracle the prophet Zechariah receives is this:
2"The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3Therefore say to them, Thus declares Yahweh of hosts: Return to me, says Yahweh of hosts, and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts. 4Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.' But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares Yahweh. 5Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, As Yahweh of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us."
I haven't found any version that ends the quote after "overtake your fathers?" As it is currently punctuated, it would seem that he is saying that there father repented. But if so, why so much emphasis on not being like their fathers? If his words overtook them, doesn't that mean that they were struck down under his judgment? Would it be reasonable to understand the repentance as the repentance of Zechariah's contemporaries—i.e. to take verse 6b as narrative rather than prophecy?
In the chapters that follow, Zechariah has a positive message for Yeshua and Zerubbabel. Moreover, his contemporary Haggai was received positively by these two men and those who listened to them:
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Yehoshua son of Yehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God's people began to obey the message from Yahweh their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom Yahweh their God had sent, the people feared Yahweh. —Haggai 1:12
So is the repentance spoken of in Zechariah 1:6 the repentance of their fathers, or the repentance of the prophet's contemporaries?


text:
The Indus River valley was home to the early Harappan civilization while the Yellow River valley in China saw the rise of the earliest Chinese dynasties. Both these regions are included on the same map.
The Cradle of Civilization map packs are Firaxis-designed maps of real-world locations. You can play random leaders in these settings, or choose leaders appropriate to the history of these areas. The maps can also be opened up in World Builder, where you can even create specific scenarios.
Alle Marken anzeigen


text:
Baked Picnic Ham Recipe
Step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for a delicious Southern style Baked Picnic Ham. It's not just for the holidays any longer. We're baking up a delicious ham from a Smoked Pork Shoulder Picnic with a quick and easy recipe. Studded with cloves, topped with a brown sugar glaze and sliced pineapple as an option, your family is sure to love this any time of the year, but it's just perfect for the holidays.
Baked Picnic Ham Recipe
Originally posted: October 29, 2012
Growing up at home during my younger years, a picnic ham was pretty much reserved for a holiday meal. Sometimes we'd also have one for a Sunday dinner when Mama was having the preacher and his family over, or maybe when we had some other special occasion to celebrate. The point is, we just didn't have them but a couple of times a year.
We weren't major farmers but we did raise some pigs and chickens when I was a youngster, even a goat or two. We also had a good sized garden each year to supply the family with food, and mama would always can up plenty of vegetables and other things for the cold winter months. As I've mentioned before, I grew up poor but I never knew it at the time. Mama could always come up with a meal of some sort and, it wasn't until years later that I started paying attention to some of the stories of my older brother and sister that I really realized that times were tough back then.
Hog killing time was around Thanksgiving each year if the weather was cold enough. That meant we'd eat a little more of those "expensive" cuts of pork than we did the rest of the year. Daddy would make his homemade sausage, start the curing process on some hams and pork side meat and, every once in awhile, one of those pigs would end up on a homemade pit created especially for turning a pig into barbecue.
I've been trying to collect some old family photos of "hog killing" time as it was called. I've not had a great deal of success with it but I know mama had some stuffed away somewhere because I remember seeing them. Her pictures ended up at my sisters house and my sister is no longer with us so I haven't seen them in many years. Maybe one day though.
I was recently gifted with a Smoked Pork Picnic Shoulder so I'm delighted to share it's preparation with you here on Taste of Southern. Pork Shoulders will probably be on sale around this time of year so be sure to watch out for one. They were .99 cent a pound on the label for this one which was a pretty good price for any type of pork these days. Even fat back sells for a higher price than that but, that's a whole different story that I'll save for later.
Baked Picnic Ham makes a great main dish for any meal and any leftovers make great sandwiches for several days afterwards. Just give me a couple of slices of Old Fashioned style white bread and some Duke's Mayonnaise and I'm good to go. Ready to give it a try yourself? OK then….Let's Get Cooking!
Baked Picnic Ham: You only need a few ingredients to make this great Southern meal. Please note that we are using a Smoked Pork Shoulder Picnic as it's officially called on this package. It's smoked for some added flavor but this one needs to be fully cooked before serving.
I'm using a 13×9 pan that is 2 inches deep. To make for easier cleanup later, line the pan with some heavy duty aluminum foil. And, for the record, the shoulder weighed in just under 9lbs so this pan was plenty large for it to bake in.
Preheat the oven to 350º
Just place the whole thing inside the pan. The label says this shoulder has some "Water Added" so we'll keep those juices in the pan. Just cut a slit in the plastic wrapping, remove it from all around the shoulder and toss it. Of course, the wrapper usually has some instructions on baking the shoulder so you might want to take a look at those for reference.
You'll also want to remove any other packaging materials that might be attached. This one had a padded material that covered over the end of the bone. This helps prevent the bone from ripping the plastic wrap during shipping and handling. Sometimes you might also find a package of some type of glaze already made so look for anything else carefully before you proceed to bake the shoulder.
You should also find some cheesecloth type netting wrapped around the shoulder. We're going to leave this on during the first part of the baking process to help hold the shape of the shoulder together. I hope you can see it in this photo. I tried to lift up one corner of the netting for the photo but it's kind of hard to see.
Flip the shoulder over to place the skin and fat side UP. This picture also shows the netting that wraps around the shoulder a little better. Just center it in the pan.
Now, add one cup of water to the pan.
Take a large piece of the aluminum foil and place it over the pan. Don't wrap it up tightly, just leave it lightly covered but do make sure to crimp it down all around the edges to close it up good. Place this on the middle rack of your oven which should already be warmed up to 350º.
NOTE: Check the cooking times listed on the package of the pork shoulder you have. Cooking time will be about 18-22 minutes per pound of weight for each shoulder but as always, that will vary depending on your oven.
Let the picnic bake for about 3/4ths of the time needed to fully bake it. For me, that was about 2 hours. I didn't do anything to it during those first two hours of baking but we're going to remove it after it's baked about 3/4th of the way to prep it for it's final baking time.
After the picnic has baked about 2 hours, according to it's size, go ahead and mix up the ingredients to make the GLAZE we'll be using to brush all across the top. Start by adding the brown sugar to a small bowl.
Open up the can of Sliced Pineapple and remove about 1/4th cup of the juice. Add a little of the juice at a time to the brown sugar and mustard to make a slightly thick syrup. Stir it together well.
Carefully remove the picnic shoulder from the oven. It's going to be hot and it has some juices so try not to spill those. Sit it on a towel or rack and remove the aluminum foil.
Use some kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut away the netting from all around the pork shoulder. It's going to be hot so be very careful. Yes, it will probably stick in some places on the bottom. The netting easily pulls away from the outer layer of skin on top but gets a little sticky on the bottom side sometimes. Just do your best but, remove ALL of the netting. You may have to use a knife to keep from pulling away a lot of meat with the netting but you can do it. Again, it's HOT so use caution.
This part is even HOTTER. Take a very sharp knife and slip it up under the layer of skin. Grab the skin with tongs if you have them then, carefully cut away the skin and fat from the meat portion. It will normally peel up pretty easily at this point. Cut away as much of the fat as you can as you go along.
Set the skin aside. Any pieces of meat that were attached can be removed and used later to season up some vegetables. Most of the meat on the right was pulled away when I tried to remove the netting from the bottom of the shoulder. The skin and fat usually pulls away pretty clean without removing much meat.
Trim away any fat that may be left attached to the top of the shoulder. It doesn't have to be perfect but you don't want to leave any large portions of fat on the meat.
Take a sharp knife and score across the shoulder. Each cut should only be about 1/2 inch deep and about 1 inch or so apart.
Score the meat again in the opposite direction. Now, you could get really creative here and make the cuts so the scored sections are more of a diamond shape…but I didn't get that happy this time around. It's pretty when you do that though.
I think this is more for decoration and the final presentation than for flavor. Thus, you could do it or not, whichever you select. Dump a bunch of the Whole Cloves in one hand and then carefully push one whole clove into each of the scored sections. Some folks choose to put them at the intersection of the scored points, it's just a matter of preference.
There's only one real problem with using the Whole Cloves from what I've found. You have to go back and remove them before you slice it up to serve it. Nobody wants to bite into a clove while they're eating. Still, it's gonna make it "purty." Go for it.
After you've added all four hundred of the cloves, pour about HALF of the Glaze mixture over the top. You can brush it on if you're more artistically inclined…or…just pour it all over the top. OK…it didn't really take 400 cloves…but it might have felt like it. Smile.
Place one of the slices of pineapple right in the center of the whole picnic. You'll need some toothpicks to hold them in place. I broke a toothpick in half and placed two picks in each slice to secure it in place. Don't push them in to far, just like the whole cloves, you're going to have to remove them later. Toothpicks are for AFTER the meal….not PART of the meal. You can thank me later for that little bit of advice.
This is the point where I realized that I didn't have any Cherries to stick in the center of each slice of pineapple. What WAS I thinking to not get those? Oh well, my mistake. Please forgive me. Some folks place a bright red cherry in the hole of each slice of Pineapple. Of course, I figure if I have to remove the toothpicks in order to remove the pineapple slices…and…I have to remove the Whole Cloves before I can slice it…why bother with Cherries. I'm a pretty 'basic needs" kind of guy I think.
Add the remainder of the glaze to the top of the pineapple slices.
DO NOT COVER the shoulder this time, just place it back in the oven to finish baking.
REDUCE the oven temperature to 250º.
You'll want to keep a close watch on the shoulder as it cooks for the remainder of the time. You don't want to burn the pineapple slices but you do want to make sure the shoulder cooks all the way through. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat but do not press it against the bone. I cooked mine to an internal temperature of just above 160º.
The United States Department of Agriculture has recently lowered the safe cooking temperature for pork down to 145 degrees. It had been at an internal temperature of 160º in the past for leaner cuts of pork. However, ground pork with more fat content should still be cooked to 160 degrees for safety. You can read all about it by clicking here: United States Department of Agriculture .
Those guidelines also say to let the meat rest for 3 minutes before carving and serving. That's not going to be a problem with this one because it will take longer than that to remove the toothpicks and the Whole Cloves. Here, I've removed the Pineapple Slices. Place them on a small plate and save them for serving later.
OK….I SHOULD have removed the Whole Cloves at this point. Only, I didn't think about it. I highly suggest that YOU however, go ahead and remove them now…unless you think they look really pretty and want your family or guests to see all the hard work you did to prepare this picnic ham. Choice is yours.
I decided I wanted to add a little more Glaze to this picnic so you can either follow the next few steps or not. That really would depend on just how well you like the brown sugar coating on your ham. I find it to be absolutely delicious to get that little taste of sweetness along with the saltiness of the picnic shoulder when you bite into it.
I haven't mentioned it yet but picnic shoulders that have been smoked are a bit on the salty side. That's why you aren't seeing any addition of salt in this recipe. It has plenty already. It's just got something to do with the smoking and curing process.
Should you decide to add a bit more Glaze, which I think will also add to the beauty of the final presentation, then brush a little of the yellow mustard all over the top of the shoulder.
Sprinkle a generous amount of brown sugar over the mustard. You can really get into it by patting the sugar down into the mustard or just lightly sprinkle it over the top. Just get a good even coating of it all over the picnic. Place it back in the oven still uncovered, set the oven to BROIL and let it bake for about 10 more minutes.
Set the oven to BROIL, bake for 10 more minutes.
Now…doesn't that look absolutely delicious. See how much of a difference that little extra mustard and brown sugar, along with broiling it another 10 minutes makes. You just don't want to let the sugar begin to burn. It would be a shame to get this far along and burn the Glaze during that final 10 minutes. Again, oven temperatures will vary so keep a close eye on it during this time.
Are you hungry yet? I know my photography skills need a lot of work and improvement but this just makes me hungry to look at it.
I'm going to give you a few steps further on how to CARVE your Baked Picnic Ham once it's ready to serve. Of course, by this time, the meat has had it's needed three minutes to rest. OK, it's actually had about 15 minutes by this time. I needed to cut out a few slices for the final presentation so here's what I did.
Starting on the smaller end of the meat, slightly angle your knife and cut down to the bone. We're going to basically cut a V-shape in it.
Move the knife and angle it in the opposite direction, slice it again, down to the bone.
Remove the wedge shape you've cut and set it aside.
Use a fork to help hold the meat, then make several angled slices at the thickness you desire, moving on back towards the larger end of the picnic ham. Cut them down to the bone on each slice.
Run the knife along the bottom of each slice and the top of the bone to cut the slices free. Then, remove each slice and place on your serving platter.
Serve the Baked Picnic Ham up while it's warm…and….Enjoy!!!
PS: Don't forget those baked slices of Pineapple that you have. Uh…seems I might have left them out of the final serving. They're too good not to enjoy them. This ham goes great with about any vegetables you want to serve. And, don't forget about those sandwiches the next day should you have any leftovers.
PSS: When you've cleaned the bone, wrap it in foil and pop it in the freezer. It's a good "soup bone" to season your next pot of soup with. Waste not, want not right? Enjoy!!!
PSSS: Those little black spots in the top of each slice may or may not be Whole Cloves left in by mistake. Maybe I just thought it would make for a better presentation, just like actually having a slice or two of Pineapple in the picture would have added some more color. It was still mighty good though. I about couldn't stop eating on it. Just saying!
Baked Picnic Ham Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 10 Servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Pork
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for a delicious Southern style Baked Picnic Ham. It's not just for the holidays any longer. We're baking up a delicious ham from a Smoked Pork Shoulder Picnic with a quick and easy recipe. Studded with cloves, topped with a brown sugar glaze and sliced pineapple as an option, your family is sure to love this any time of the year but, it's just perfect for the holidays.
- 9lb average Smoked Pork Picnic Shoulder, smoked but not cooked
- 1 can of Sliced Pineapple
- ½ cup of Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons of Yellow Mustard
- Whole Cloves – optional
Preheat oven to 350º
- Line a 2-inch deep roasting pan with Aluminum Foil
- Place the whole pork shoulder package in the pan.
- Carefully cut the outer plastic packaging and remove it entirely, discard.
- Remove any other packing materials that might be included.
- Leave the netting on the meat, do not remove at this time.
- Place the meat skin side up in the pan.
- Add one cup of water to the pan.
- Cover the meat with Aluminum Foil.
- Place in oven on middle rack.
- Meat should cook about 18-22 minutes per pound of weight.
- In a small bowl, add the Light Brown Sugar
- Add Yellow Mustard
- Add just a few tablespoons of the juice from the Sliced Pineapples
- Stir up well to form a thick paste.
- About 45 minutes before the pork should be done, remove the pan from the oven and remove foil.
- Reduce the oven heat to 250º.
- Carefully cut away the netting from around the meat. It may stick in some places so be careful.
- Using tongs and a knife, carefully remove the layer of skin and fat from the meat. Set aside.
- Use a sharp knife and score the meat about every one inch and about ½ inch deep. Crosscut again.
- If using Cloves, place one clove in each of the squares made from the cuts.
- Drizzle half of the glaze over the cooked meat.
- Use toothpicks to attach the pineapple slices to the meat and drizzle remaining glaze over the top.
- Return the meat to the oven, uncovered and bake for about 30-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat reaches a temperature of 170º.
Extra Glaze:
- I decided to add some extra glaze to my ham, it's not necessary, just a matter of preference.
- Remove the toothpicks, pineapple and cloves.
- Spread a thin layer of mustard all over the baked shoulder.
- Sprinkle an even coating of brown sugar on top of that.
- Set your oven to BROIL.
- Return the shoulder, uncovered, to the oven and Broil for about 10 minutes longer or, until it's a nice brown color. Sugar should be melted but don't let it burn. Oven temperatures will vary so, keep a close eye on it during this final step.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 5-15 minutes before carving.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Any leftovers will make great sandwiches.
Save the bone once you've picked it clean. Wrap it in foil and store in the freezer. It's a great way to season up a big old pot of soup.
Keywords: Baked Picnic Ham Recipe, Easter ham, pork shoulder, made from scratch, baked ham, southern recipes
Your Comments: Thank you for taking the time to view our recipes. As you can imagine, it takes a bit of time and effort to post our step-by-step instructions for each one but, we do it with an appreciation and love for our Southern heritage. I do hope you'll give our recipes a try and I also hope you'll take just a minute or two of your time to leave us a comment. We're always glad to know that you stopped by and the only way we having of knowing of your visit, is when you leave us a comment. Please note that all comments are moderated. That means, I read each and every single one of them before they are approved for our website. We are totally family friendly and intend to keep it that way. It may take us a day or so to view and approve your comments but when we do, we try to reply to as many of them as we possibly can. So, leave us a comment, then come back again for our response. We'd also appreciate it if you would tell your family and friends about Taste of Southern and our home on the Internet. Please come by for a visit again real soon. You are always welcome here.
Be Blessed!!!
Category: Main Dishes, Pork


text:
Keith Jeffery |
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
The OA Interviews: Keith Jeffery, UK Science & Technology Facilities Council
4 comments:
- Marcin Wojnarski said...
Thanks for very interesting points. Can you elaborate more on the libre access to 'green' papers?
My understanding is that every publisher and journal can impose its own licensing terms on the authors. Even if they allow self-archiving, they usually do NOT allow redistribution of the paper (essential part of 'libre', right?). Moreover, every single paper in repository may come with a different license and different legal caveats buried inside, so the prospective reader would have to study a brand new license each time he aproaches new paper. Am I right?
How can 'libre' OA be possible in such case? And how is the problem of multiple licenses resolved? - July 06, 2012 11:17 am
- Richard Poynder said...
Marcin, Peter Suber has commented on your question in this way:
"Marcin is generally right that repositories can't authorize libre green on their own, and therefore depend on permissions from others. That's why libre green is harder than libre gold.
"But libre green is not at all impossible, and in fact it's growing. See sections 2 and 5 of my article, 'The rise of libre OA,' in the June 2012 SOAN." - July 06, 2012 1:07 pm
Marcin; the response from Peter via Richard is absolutely , correct. However there are some further twists. (1) it is worth checking carefully the contract of employers with an organisation for clauses on IP (Intellectual property). It may well be that author agreements with publishers are invalid and thus the organisation is free to do what it will with the green article; (2) an organisation could - on behalf of its employees as authors - negotiate with publishers (the ones used predominantly by its employees as authors) for libre rights on the green articles.
My hope is that by shaming the publishers on the basis of double-dipping, restricting the progres of research etc we may get movement. Recently even Elsevier moved in the face of researcher antipathy! - July 07, 2012 7:20 am
- Stevan Harnad said...
The answer is so familiar, and so obvious, and so ignored:
Yes, universal Libre Green is better than universal Gratis Green. And perhaps universal Libre Gold is better still.
But we don't even have 22% Gratis Green yet. And Libre (Green or Gold) is much harder to get, and further from reach, than Gratis Green. And universal Gratis Green is the fastest and surest way to get not only 100% Gratis Green, but to eventually reach Libre Green and Gold too.
So why do we go on and on and on fussing about Libre and Gold instead of first mandating Gratis Green? It's like fussing over the lack of sustainable organic food and letting people keep starving, instead of feeding them non-organic food that's already available and enough to feed everyone for now.
- July 08, 2012 10:48 am


text:
Nerida Hansen Into Town Lemon
Discover a new realm of design possibilities with our on-demand printed fabrics.
Sustainable Approach:Embrace sustainability without compromising on quality. With on-demand printing, we produce only what's needed, minimizing waste and reducing our environmental footprint.
Digital Precision:Our state-of-the-art digital printing technology ensures every hue, detail, and nuance of your design is faithfully reproduced on the fabric, resulting in stunningly vivid and high-resolution prints.
Small-Batch Convenience:Enjoy the benefits of small-batch ordering without compromising on quality. Our on-demand printing service allows you to order just the quantity you need, minimizing excess inventory.
This fabric price is for 50cm so for:
For 1 Metre order = 2 units
For 1.5 Metre order = 3 units
For 2 Metres order = 4 units
For 2.5 Metres order = 5 units etc
Fabric Print Colour and Vibrancy:
Please note that whilst we endeavour to show the fabric online in its truest form, the fabric colours and vibrancy may vary from the digital image presented here. Please also consider the nature of the fabric you have selected and how this pattern will respond. You can find out more about our fabrics HERE.


text:
In a forthcoming Best Buy mobile buying guide for the month of March, the popular nationwide retailer has revealed the price of Verizon Wireless' upcoming HTC ThunderBolt smartphone to be a lofty $299.99. Interestingly, Best Buy has also revealed the ThunderBolt's price to be a slightly less lofty $249.99 in a separate flyer dated Sunday, February 20th. The latter price point jibes with earlier reports suggesting that the upcoming smartphone would launch later this week for $249.99. Verizon Wireless has not yet confirmed either price point, but unless there was a complete breakdown within Best Buy's marketing team, we can likely expect at least one of the aforementioned price tags to be accurate. The HTC ThunderBolt features a 4.3-inch touchscreen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel camera and 4G LTE connectivity. Hit the break for shots of both Best Buy flyers.
Thanks, Don


text:
Visual Design is a project-based curriculum that develops key digital communication skills such as design, project management, research and communication, and photography, graphic design and illustration, and page layout technical skills using Adobe tools.
Visual Design can be used in graphic design education or in more general career and technical education. Each project builds on lessons learned previously and contains an instructor guide (with learning objectives, step-by-step teaching instructions, assessment rubric, and details on alignment to the Adobe Certified Associate exams) and a series of activities to teach students. Activities include student technical guides, worksheets, best practice guides and demo assets. Utilize the entire curriculum, individual projects, or individual activities to adapt this content to your course.


text:
- Home
- Parents Home
- Allergy Center
- Asthma Center
- Cancer Center
- Diabetes Center
- A to Z
- Emotions & Behavior
- First Aid & Safety
- Food Allergy Center
- General Health
- Growth & Development
- Flu Center
- Heart Health
- Helping With Homework
- Infections
- Diseases & Conditions
- Nutrition & Fitness Center
- Play & Learn Center
- School & Family Life
- Pregnancy & Newborn Center
- Pregnancy & Baby
- Recipes
- Sports Medicine Center
- Doctors & Hospitals
- Videos
- Para Padres
- Home
- Kids Home
- Asthma Center for Kids
- Cancer Center for Kids
- Movies & More
- Diabetes Center for Kids
- Getting Help
- Feelings
- Puberty & Growing Up
- Health Problems of Grown-Ups
- Health Problems
- Homework Center
- How the Body Works
- Illnesses & Injuries
- Nutrition & Fitness Center for Kids
- Recipes & Cooking for Kids
- Staying Healthy
- Stay Safe Center
- Relax & Unwind Center
- Q&A for Kids
- The Heart
- Videos for Kids
- Staying Safe
- Kids' Medical Dictionary
- Para Niños
- Home
- Teens Home
- Asthma Center for Teens
- Be Your Best Self
- Cancer Center for Teens
- Diabetes Center for Teens
- Diseases & Conditions (for Teens)
- Drugs & Alcohol
- Expert Answers (Q&A)
- Flu Center for Teens
- Homework Help for Teens
- Infections (for Teens)
- Managing Your Medical Care
- Managing Your Weight
- Nutrition & Fitness Center for Teens
- Recipes for Teens
- Safety & First Aid
- School & Work
- Sexual Health
- Sports Center
- Stress & Coping Center
- Videos for Teens
- Body
- Mind
- Para Adolescentes
Winter Sports: Sledding, Skiing, Snowboarding, Skating
Winter sports are lots of fun — just ask any kid who's just scored the winning goal during an ice-hockey game or finished sledding to the bottom of a giant hill.
But when you're sitting on that sled, getting ready to ski, or doing a figure-eight on the pond in your skates, you have to know how to be safe. Otherwise, you could get injured and be stuck inside while everyone else is enjoying the snow.
Stay Warm
No matter which winter sport you choose, staying warm is important. The right clothing and equipment will help you do that. Dress in layers, people often say. This is true, but some of the newer fabrics for cold weather give you the warmth of layers without all the bulk. Ask an adult if you're not sure what to wear outside.
Sometimes kids say, "I don't mind being cold." The tough guy (or girl) approach isn't a good idea. Staying warm isn't just about feeling comfortable. Your body needs to stay warm to work properly. And when your body is at the right temperature, it won't need to spend as much energy getting warm. That will give you maximum energy for winter fun. Also, if you're dressed properly, it means you can stay outside longer without worrying about frostbite.
Fun in the Sun
Even though it might seem odd in winter, don't forget to put on sunscreen (with a minimum SPF of 15) when you're skiing, sledding, skating, or snowboarding. Sunlight reflects off all that bright white snow and ice and back onto your face — so cover up with sunscreen, and put some lip balm that contains sunscreen on your lips (even when it's cloudy outside).
Zipping down a hill at what feels like a million miles an hour can be a great time — as long as you're sledding safely. When you grab your sled, make sure it's sturdy and that it's one you can really steer. The handholds should be easy to grab, and the seat of the sled should be padded.
Never use homemade sleds like garbage-can lids, plastic bags, or pool floats — these are dangerous and you may lose control while you're sledding. Also, never use a sled that has any sharp, jagged edges or broken parts (this might happen if you're using an old sled).
It's especially important to wear gloves or mittens and boots while you're on the sled because in addition to keeping you warm, they can help prevent you from injuring your hands and feet. Wearing a bike helmet is also a good habit to get into — doctors say it's a great way to protect your head while you're sledding.
When you're picking your sledding spot, it's best to have an adult check it first to make sure it's OK. Hills designated for sledding are always a good bet — they can be safer than private areas like backyards. (Having an adult around while everyone is sledding is a good idea, too.)
Make sure the hill isn't too steep and that it's covered with packed snow, not ice. The hill must not end anywhere near cars on the road. This is important. If it's a new hill you're trying out and you've never been to the bottom, you might want to walk it first just to be sure. Also, look for obstacles like trees, bushes, and rocks that are covered in snow. Sled only in daylight or in well-lit areas.
If you're sledding with a friend, make sure that you don't go over the weight limit — look at the label on the sled for the number of pounds it will hold. If everybody has his or her own sled and is taking turns sledding down the hill, make sure the person sledding before you is well out of the way before you take off.
And whether you're on the sled by yourself or with pals, you always want to be sitting up, not lying down. Lying flat puts your body at greater risk for injuries if you lose control and flip out. Finally, there is only one kind of energy that's right for moving a sled: kid power! Never ride on a sled that's being pulled by a car, truck, or snowmobile.
Whether you're tending goal or going for a triple-spin in the air, it's cool to glide across the ice. Whichever ice sport you like, one rule is always the same: only skate on approved ice.
In places where it gets really cold, you might be able to skate outdoors on frozen ponds and lakes. But these spots must be approved for skating. You'll know because they'll be marked by one or more signs from the police or recreation department saying that skating is OK. If the safe area is blocked off, be sure to stay within that area.
Never try skating on ice that hasn't been approved, even for a second. Ice that looks and seems strong may not be able to hold a kid's weight. And just like with swimming, never skate alone.
Once you have a safe skating spot, you need safe skates. Ice skates need to fit you properly. Don't try to fit into skates that are too small, or put on lots of socks to fit into an older brother's or sister's pair. Skates should be snug but not too tight, laced up to the top.
If you play ice hockey, take a tip from the pros: don't step out onto the ice without all the proper gear. This means padding, and most important, the right helmet. An ice-hockey helmet is the only kind you can wear — not a football helmet or a bike helmet. If you're ever in doubt about what makes up the right ice-hockey gear, ask an ice-hockey coach or a professional at a sporting-goods store.
When you're out skating around for fun, skate in the same direction as the rest of the crowd. Don't dart across the ice — you might smack into someone who doesn't have time to get out of the way. The same goes for trying out new skating moves — be sure to watch where you're going and make sure that you have lots of room.
Finally, throw out any gum or candy you have in your mouth before going onto the ice — you don't want to choke on it or have it fall out of your mouth onto the ice and cause someone to trip.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Before you hit the slopes to ski or snowboard, make sure you have the right equipment — and that it fits you correctly. Many kids have problems because the equipment they use is too big for them. It may have belonged to an older brother or sister and they're hoping that they can "grow into it." Equipment that is too big will make it hard for you to keep control.
The same goes for boots and bindings — make sure these are the right size for your feet before getting on the slopes. Ski boots that are designed just for kids are a good bet because they're more flexible than boots for adults, and they have buckles that are easier to manage, too — making it quicker for you to get skiing!
Helmets are a must for skiing and snowboarding. Goggles will protect your eyes from bright sunlight and objects that could get in the way and poke you in the eye (like tree branches). Just like with inline skating, snowboarders need kneepads and elbow pads. Some snowboarders who are just learning wear specially padded pants to cushion their falls!
Speaking of learning, it's a good idea to take at least one skiing or snowboarding lesson before you take off. This can keep you from getting frustrated or getting hurt before you have a chance to enjoy this new sport. For instance, your instructor can teach you how to stop! Even after a lesson, it's good to have an adult nearby in case you need help. Grownups can help you choose the right trails and hills. If you're in doubt, it's always safer to start with easier slopes and move on to harder ones later.
Skiing and snowboarding can be a little like driving a car. You have to learn to share the road or, in this case, the trail! It also means watching out for others to avoid collisions, so keep your eye on the other snowboarders and skiers.
Anything else you need to know? Yep — go out and enjoy the snow!
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995- The Nemours Foundation. KidsHealth® is a registered trademark of The Nemours Foundation. All rights reserved.
Images sourced by The Nemours Foundation and Getty Images.


text:
Filter by typeView All
Market Sector
Practice Area
Mission Critical
The need for large capacity mission critical facilities has grown. These facilities have become the backbone of organizations' operations and they must be reliable. At Walter P Moore, we work with owners to find the right balance between system reliability and cost. Whether its tornadic wind forces, secure design or sustainability, we develop design criteria that best suit the owner's concerns, while maintaining the structure's economic viability.
Some owners choose to modify an existing building for their new mission critical facility. This type of adaptive reuse often requires strengthening of horizontal framing members and columns to support the heavy loading of a mission critical facility.


text:
Prayer Fundamentals - Part 1
I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His name – to Him alone is it proper to pray and it is not proper to pray to any other (one of "The Thirteen Principles of Faith").
It is hard for us to understand how, in ancient times, people worshiped idols. We often ask: "Who would be foolish enough to pray to a bunch of rocks?" But are we really so different from them?
How idol worship began
Although the first generation of idol worshippers believed in G-d's existence, and that He was ultimately in control of the world, they mistakenly concluded that the intermediaries that G-d placed in the upper worlds — such as the sun, moon, and the heavenly hosts — had the independent power to choose whether or not to help someone. The physical idols they prayed to represented the celestial beings above. Hence the goal of the worshiper was to cause whichever intermediary he was worshiping to grant him more wealth, power, or whatever pleasure he was seeking.
The generations that followed made a further mistake, thinking that God, after creating this world, abandoned it totally in the hands of the intermediaries that He created. They concluded that there was no point in praying to G-d; rather all requests needed to be directed to the intermediaries. Eventually people began to forget that G-d existed, which resulted in the birth of atheism.
My success depends on me ― today's idol worship
After seeing the mistakes of our predecessors it is easy to say, "Of course G-d is in control. Of course we must pray to Him". But do we truly live our life according to those beliefs?
In a time of need, to whom do we place our trust? Is it the lawyer who saves a person from a false accusation? When on the job do we place our trust in the strength of our own hands? "With my brains I will surely succeed. Who's a better salesman than me?"
In the end, all our efforts equal nothing more than an empty vessel. It is only G-d who can fill it. The fact that we are able to provide a vessel is in itself a result of G-d's kindness, in order to give us a feeling of self-worth. However, without G-d's blessing the vessel would forever remain empty, while with G-d's blessing a person will succeed no matter what.
From the above it is clear why we must place our trust in G-d, praying for His assistance. But there is yet another benefit in praying. When one asks G-d for help, he actually strengthens his own belief that it is in fact G-d's help that makes the difference.


text:
By Steve Woodfield
Halloween is coming up at the end of the month, which means that kids are soon to start filling their Christmas lists with all the latest toys.
The holiday season is an important time for retail companies as consumers flock to stores and stock up on gifts for friends and family. It's a major benchmark for stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, but it's just as important for the companies making the products.
With that in mind, here's a look at the toys, games and gadgets that are expected to drive big business in the next couple of months.
After the success of its Monster High dolls, Mattel decided to expand into the realm of fairy tales with Ever After High.
Featuring characters like Apple White, Hunter Huntsman and Madeline Hatter, the line features the children of popular fairy tale characters and casts them in a high school setting. The dolls are divided into Royals, who are destined to lived happily ever after, and Rebels, who want to change their destinies.
Ever After High dolls can be pre-ordered for about $20, and will release later this month.
DreamWorks' Despicable Me 2 was one of the biggest box-office hits of the year, pulling in more than $350 million this summer. So it's no surprise that the movie has spawned a line of popular toys.
There are a variety of Despicable Me toys out there — everything from small figures to Despicable Me Monopoly — but the big-ticket item for this Christmas are the collector's edition toys. The minions, in particular are expected to sell fast, like the Minion Dave Talking Action Figure.
It's pricey for an action figure, retailing for as much as $70, but it has plenty of features to justify that expense. The figure comes with talking sound effects, changeable expressions, fart sounds and — the real selling point — "super fart sounds."
Video games do big business in the fourth quarter, and Disney is looking to double up on the spike in video game and toy sales with its Disney Infinity game.
Infinity, released earlier this year, is a video game that uses toys with near-field communication technology. The toys show up in the game, which means if you want to play as, say, Buzz Lightyear, you have to buy the Buzz Lightyear toy first.
Most eyes in the video game industry will be on Microsoft and Sony for the release of their next-gen consoles: the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
The new consoles are upgrades of systems that have been around for more than 6 years, which means gamers are eager for new specs, better graphics and (hopefully) improved gameplay. Both consoles are boasting wide catalogs of launch titles, including entries from Activision, Electronic Arts and others.
The Playstation 4 releases on November 15 for about $400, while the Xbox One will launch November 22 for around $500.
Superheroes never go out of style, and Mattel is looking to capitalize on that with the Imaginext Batcave through its Fisher-Price brand.
The Batcave spans multiple levels (with an elevator for convenient travel) and includes Batman and Robin figures. Kids (or Batman-obsessed adults) can monitor the Joker on the Batcomputer, fly around in the Batwing glider and even drive Batman around on the Batcycle.
The Batcave retails for about $40 and does not come with superpowers.


text:
Property tax reform would have 'winners and losers' in PA
By Andrew Staub | PA Independent
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The debate over property tax reform trudged on Wednesday, as the state Senate continued to vet legislation that would replace the unpopular school funding mechanism with money from the personal income tax and sales tax.
Much of the attention during a public hearing focused on what would and would not be subject to an expanded sales tax, which Senate Bill 76 would increase to 7 percent from the current 6 percent rate.
Property taxes pull in about $12 billion a year. That means replacing them for dollar-for-dollar with other revenue sources would be a heavy lift. Taxpayers are still going to be picking up the tab, but homeowners won't bear the brunt of school funding alone.
Clothing valued at more than $50 would be taxed, as would food items that aren't on the WIC list, which includes items the federal government considers essential for good health, such as fresh meats, produce and dairy. More services would also be taxed, meaning movie tickets, dry cleaning bills and investment advice would be more expensive.
Those services — and most clothing — are now exempt from the state sales tax.
TAX SWAP: Some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to make school property tax bills a thing of the past, but make no mistake, taxpayers would pay for education funding in other ways.
State Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, one of the bill sponsors, acknowledged lawmakers "cannot make a perfect world" while addressing property tax reform.
"This is a tax shift. There's no doubt about it," he said. "And there's going to be some winners and losers. There's no doubt about that."
A higher and expanded sales tax would net just under $6 billion; increasing the state's personal income tax from 3.07 percent to 4.34 percent would garner just under $5 million, said Jon Hopcraft, the legislative and communications director for bill sponsor, state Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill.
Casino revenue used for property tax relief would round out the money needed to eliminate property taxes. Total relief probably wouldn't come right away, though, as school districts could still charge a reduced property tax to pay off construction debt.
The bill must still make it through the Finance and Appropriations committees before it could go to a floor vote.
While Argall has been confident about the legislation's chances in the Senate, the state has continued to face sobering financial news. The outlook for April revenue is likely bleak, further complicating not only the issue of property tax reform but Gov. Tom Corbett's latest budget proposal as a whole.
"It's no secret that commonwealth revenues are lagging behind projections," said state Sen. Michael Brubaker, the Lancaster County Republican who chairs the Finance Committee.
So far, sales and use tax revenue are behind by about $111 million, Brubaker said.
It's that sort of volatile funding stream that has opponents of Senate Bill 76 concerned that the legislation would leave school districts in tenuous budget predicaments.
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a left-leaning think tank, has said the legislation has the potential for "vast negative consequences" and cited a report from the state's Independent Fiscal Office has also found that sticking with property taxes would generate $2.6 billion more than SB 76 by fiscal 2018-19.
Proponents of the legislation have argued that critics simply don't want to change the status quo, but state Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-Dauphin, said Tuesday the situation should not be portrayed as such.
Some lawmakers would rather focus on more targeted reform that would help groups such as senior citizens on fixed incomes, he said.
Argall has voted for those proposals, he said, and they've failed.
"Until we kill the beast and put the stake through its heart so it can never rise again, I don't think that we can solve the problem," he said.
Andrew Staub is a reporter for PA Independent and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow @PAIndependent on Twitter for more.