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What's inside? Here are the questions answered in today's reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Locking in student loan rates
2. Future of Roth IRAs
3. Handling a mini-windfall
4. Planning for the unpredictable
5. Time for fun hobbies?
6. Stay at home mom decision
7. Overseas trip planning
8. Personal threats
9. Giving up a hobby
10. Ten best books
As I'm writing this, it's three in the morning. Why am I writing this at three in the morning? We have a baby who seems to be crying every hour or so with some incredibly painful teething.
A nap may be in my future later today.
Q1: Locking in student loan rates
My girlfriend has one private $25K student loan that has a pretty good interest rate (4.2%)….for now. It's a variable interest rate, which concerns me. I'm certain that interest rates will start creeping back up soon and before that happens I want to know if there is any way possible to fix the interest rate. We tried calling the lender and asking them to fix it, but to no avail. Do you have any other suggestions? Would writing a letter help our cause? Can you consolidate just one private loan to get a fixed rate?
– Josh
If your current lender won't cooperate with locking in a rate, I would shop around. Contact other lenders in the private student loan business and see about consolidation.
Yes, you can consolidate a single loan if you're eligible for loan consolidation. In that situation, it's more of a refinancing than a consolidation, of course, but the procedure is the same.
You may have some difficulty finding a lender, however, as many lenders would prefer to have a variable rate loan on the books with interest rates as low as they are.
Q2: Future of Roth IRAs
I agree that the way the Roth IRA rules currently exist make it an appealing investment vehicle. However, I am not confident that the rules will remain unchanged for the thirty years until I start withdrawing the money. Do you see ROTH IRA's as an easy target for which politicians will try to reduce the tax effectiveness?
– Tim
It's difficult to say that any aspect of the tax code will remain consistent over the next thirty years.
However, I don't see Roth IRAs as being the easiest target for politicians who want to increase revenue. Roth IRAs tend to be used heavily by people making between $50,000 and $150,000 a year – a group that both political parties want to have supporting them at the ballot box.
There are many other tax targets that the government will aim for besides Roth IRAs that don't come with the political liability of targeting Roths.
Here's my situation: My husband and I are at a point in our debt-reduction/financial turnaround where we are seeing encouraging results and feeling pretty positive about the do-ability of our dreams. Together we have *huge* student loans (about 2/3 federal, 1/3 private) that have recently entered repayment and we've got a handle on those payments for the time being – not really freaking out about it but sufficiently aware of the seriousness of this type of debt. We also have some credit card debt that we've been snowballing; we're about a third of the way through that, estimating it'll be gone in about 12-16 months. When that's gone, the plan is to take the money that once went to cards every month and split it between savings and attacking student loans. We currently have two small savings accounts – only about a month's salary in those, combined. We don't own a car, we rent a small apartment in a major city, have good benefits thru work, and are generally getting by a little better every month, thank goodness.
So, in the coming weeks & months we expect some irregular bumps in our income due to some side work we are each taking on (about $5000 total, after putting away some for taxes since it's freelance work). In addition, our rent for the month of June ($1200) will be free because of a promotional deal when we signed the lease. We're debating how best to handle this surplus – really wipe out a huge chunk of cc debt, or put it toward the loans, or add it to savings, or somehow divide it up between the three? I realize I didn't give you specific debt numbers to work with – but based on this, can you get a sense of what would be a wise use of this money? And for the record, we do plan to use about $100 on a train ride or car rental for a much-needed day trip out of the city (don't worry, we'll pack a picnic!).
– Angela
It is really hard to say what the best move is without specific numbers.
For starters, I would make sure that you've got a debt repayment plan in place, preferably ordered by the interest rates on the loans. Pay off the high interest rate loans first.
Where should a large emergency fund fit in there as a priority? There is no right answer. I usually encourage people to first have a $1,000 emergency fund, then pay off their high interest rate debts (anything over, say, 8% or 9%), then build a larger emergency fund (up to three months or so of living expenses), then pay off all remaining debts. I think this is a good general plan to follow.
Q4: Planning for the unpredictable
I am graduating from college this May and will immediately commission as an USAF Officer. Since childhood my parents have always been supportive of my interest in personal finance and are very open about their own financial situation. In particular, what struck me is that they were very regular about saving for retirement until 'life' happened in the '80s: my two older brothers and I were born in two year increments like clockwork. Since that time, for various reasons, they have saved very little for retirement and will have some tough decisions ahead.
My current situation: My service commitment is 10 years (pilot). I am single, will not buy a house for at least a decade (I PCS every 3 years to a new location), and I have just purchased (in cash) a nice used diesel Jeep that I plan to see through 300,000 miles. I have one $27,000 personal loan with a 5-year term @ 4.99% interest left over from school, no credit card debt, and I already have a 6-month emergency fund in place. I will have very predictable income, expenses, and pay increases during my service.
My plan: Fully fund Roth IRA to $5000/year, fully fund Thrift Savings Plan (Government 401K) to $16500/year, and make minimum monthly payments on the loan. Achieving this is as simple as not letting my lifestyle 'inflate' too much from college.
My rationale: While I don't like the idea of debt, my logic is this: by not making additional payments on the loan, I am able to fully fund TSP – reducing my tax burden by more in a single year than I will pay in total interest on the loan over the course of 5 years. My pay will increase at the 2 year mark, and I can use the excess monthly income to pay down the loan rapidly. If my circumstances change (marriage, etc.) it is only a matter of reducing my contributions to TSP to put more money in my pocket each month. When the loan is paid off, I will have plenty of monthly income to start saving for other goals (like a house).
Is my logic sound? If I anticipate "life" happening at some point, but can't predict when, is it not logical to take FULL advantage of the investment vehicles available to me while I am a bachelor with essentially no commitments?
– John
I absolutely think it makes sense to "front-load" your retirement savings with as much money as you can when you're very young. Every dollar you contribute to your retirement in your twenties is the same as contributing several dollars in your forties and fifties.
My only suggestion to you would be to make sure you have something of an emergency fund in place – at least $1,000 in cash. This way, when small "life" events happen, you're not forced to dip into debt to handle them. Replenish this fund as soon as possible every time you need to use it.
It is often very tempting to stop contributing to retirement when big "life" events happen, but try as hard as you can to avoid it. People never complain about having too much money in their retirement accounts.
Q5: Time for fun hobbies?
How do you find time for fun hobbies like boardgaming and still have time for your career and for your family and for any kind of self-improvement?
– Elliott
The biggest reason is that I don't "waste" time. I don't spend time idling in front of the television and I rarely do it in front of the computer.
If I have spare time, I usually try to engage in some activity that has real value to me. That means either engaging in something that needs to be done (a household or work task), some kind of self-improvement, or a clearly defined leisure task (such as playing a board game with someone).
I'm often amazed at how much time I wasted once upon a time.
Q6: Stay at home mom decision
My husband and I are 28 years old and recently found out we are pregnant (which we are THRILLED about and it was planned), and before this, we had done some inventory of our budget and have been saving pretty intensely. My husband makes about $3,200/month (after taxes) and we try our best each month to use only his salary for all of our bills, groceries, everyday expenses, etc. We usually come up at least $500 short. I make about $3,400/month after taxes, and of that we put just about $2,400 directly into savings, and the other $1,000 gets put into a separate checking account that we pull from to make up the difference in our monthly expenses that can't be made using just my husband's paycheck. We also decided we'll try to use this checking account for most expenses when summer comes (my husband is a teacher and therefore doesn't get paid in the summer). We've been exploring other ways of saving some money, which has included the possibility of getting rid of cable (this will be a tough one for the husband – huge sports fan. But we do have Netflix and a Roku box which would allow us to stream from amazon and hulu when we wanted), and we've gotten pretty good at planning meals at the beginning of each week and only going to the grocery store once per week (that alone as saved us up tp $75/week or more), and rarely going out to dinner. We currently have $14,000 in a savings account, plus a few stock accounts which probably add up to about $10,000. Our only debt other than our mortgage is my student loans (about $45,000 worth) which I pay the minimum payments on each month which ends up being about $350/month with a 6.125% interest rate).
I recently just started a new job (accepted the position and two weeks later found out I was pregnant!). We are struggling with the decision of whether or not I should stay home when the baby comes. This is something that means alot to BOTH of us. I've always wanted to be able to stay home, but I worry that it will put us in a tough financial situation if I do. Since I just started, I will not be eligible for any sort of extended leave with the Family Medical Leave Act, therefore the most I see myself being able to take off is about 8 weeks (6 weeks disability plus 2 weeks vacation time). This upsets me to even think about. I can't imagine only staying home this long. While I know my husband is supportive of me staying home for a little while (we figure we can easily do this for one year or maybe a little more with what we have in savings), I worry that 1) I have no idea what the job market will be like when I decide its time to go back to work. The economy is so bad, and I work in public health (on grant projects no less). These types of programs are frequently the first to get cut when state budgets are struggling. 2) I worry that if I do stay home, we will be unable to save much of anything until I get back to work.
We've thought about how much we would save in childcare costs – which is substantial. We've also realized that I spend almost $200/month on gas, given my job is about 33 miles away from home. This is money saved if I were to stay home. BUT – we also have decided that we may want to trade my husband's car which is a 2 door coupe for something more family friendly. This would add a car payment to the mix, which would easily replace the $200/month we'd be saving on gas.
I guess I'm just looking for advice. What do you think of our situation? Do you think its a stupid decision to leave a good paying job to stay home for a year or two, not knowing what the job climate will be when I'm ready to return? Any help is so appreciated!
– Kate
I don't think it's a stupid decision at all. My wife took FMLA leave (unpaid, without benefits) for almost a full year recently to be with our children when they were young. I changed my career path so that my time would be more flexible, too. The time that your children are young is a time that, once it's passed, will never return.
I would not stress yourself out about what the job climate will look like in two years. It's almost impossible to say what it will look like then. The job you have now might not exist, either, so staying in isn't a guarantee that you'd be working in that field in two years.
It sounds like you're in pretty good financial shape for making this move. If it's something you feel compelled to do, then you should do it.
Q7: Overseas trip planning
I am taking an overseas trip towards the end of the summer this year. I will have the money for the trip saved up by then. I like to put all of my purchases on my credit card(s) and pay them month to month. I know both of my current credit cards charge a foreign exchange fee of 1% of each American dollar spent. One card is a Visa and one card is an American Express, which I have read is not accepted outside the country often. Do you have a recommendation for a card with a 0% foreign exchange fee? Or is there a better way to handle money/purchases overseas? Does the exchange rate make a difference in the choices I should make? Although, I suppose 1% is not very much money considering how frugal I am on trips; pictures and experiences, not souvenirs', are what make a trip worthwhile to me.
– Daniel
Right now, there aren't a ton of cards that offer a 0% foreign exchange fee. Most of those cards are pretty limited in terms of rewards, so if you're an active rewards user, it's probably not worth it.
If you are seeking such a card anyway, most of the major credit card issuers (Capital One, Chase, Citi, etc.) offer a few cards that have a 0% foreign exchange fee.
My experience with foreign travel was that my ATM card handled everything I needed quite well. I was able to easily use international ATMs after informing my bank that I was traveling abroad.
Q8: Personal threats
I started a blog like you suggested as a creative vent and to maybe earn a bit of money. It was going really well until yesterday, when someone sent me a very personal threat. Have you ever received such a thing? How do you handle it?
– Shanda
I receive two or three such disturbing messages a week. At one time, they really bothered me – in fact, I closed up my first successful blog (a parenting blog) because of them.
Now, I basically ignore them. The people who would send such things are people who are "internet brave," meaning they're willing to show their sadistic side only because the internet offers them some anonymity. They're cowards, in other words.
I have been called almost every insult you can imagine. I've been sent Photoshopped pictures of my children. I've been sent a few emails that I would describe as being essentially "snuff." Frankly, I don't care any more.
The only drawback I've seen to such things is that it basically desensitizes me to some things that might be considered legitimate complaints. I often view people who come at me with negative tones as being the type of person who would send such stuff, and I'll either just ignore them or respond with a "get a life" type of message.
Q9: Giving up a hobby
I used to play guitar and bass in a band through college. I put a lot of money into the equipment I have. I have 5 guitars/bass of various styles and 3 amps, which I probably spent $7,000 when all is said and done. Now that I am out of college the inevitable happened: I don't play with a group anymore. While my finances are good (1 year out of college, no debt, own my car, $60k in income a year) part of me says just letting the equipment sit there is not doing me any good. The other part of me is in pain thinking about trying to sell them (memories of playing and thought of trying to sell all of it doesn't exactly thrill me).
– Josh
The first question is whether any of this has significant re-sale value. Can you get much out of it used? I can't tell you the answer to this because I don't know the equipment and I'm not familiar with guitars. Does this type of equipment sell well used on, say, eBay?
If you can't get a large return on it, I'd just keep it. You might yet have value from those instruments.
If there is significant value there, you have to ask yourself how much time you want to put into selling it. Generally, the more time you put into selling it, the more you'll make from the sale because you can break the sale down into smaller pieces and try more approaches. If you just want to get rid of the lot, invent a fairly low price and list it all on Craigslist as one giant lot.
Q10: Ten best books
My question is what are 10 books recommended to read? I don't mind financial, investing or leisure books and if you categorize them but what are you top 10 favorite/most read/most worth reading books.
– Samantha
That's like asking a record collector what his ten favorite records are. I've read thousands of books over the years. Picking ten favorites is basically impossible.
I tried to come up with a list based on asking myself what ten books I'd keep if I could own only ten books. These would have to be books I could read and re-read and read again and find value in each time I read them, either from the content or the writing style or from something else entirely. This is what I came up with.
Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin
The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
The Complete Poems by Walt Whitman
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
This list is far from constant, and I might give you a drastically different list in a month.
Got any questions? Email them to me or leave them in the comments and I'll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive hundreds of questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.


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Best of 2009
Best of 2009 DailyServing.com presents 1000 DAYS Originally published on May 13, 2009 Caleb Weintraub Opening Saturday, May 23rd will be the exhibition 1000 DAYS, presented by DailyServing.com and Scion. The exhibition will take place at the Scion Installation L.A. Gallery in Culver City, California. 1000 DAYS celebrates a milestone for DailyServing.com as the online contemporary art publication approaches 1000 daily features. Since the fall[…..]

subset: commoncrawl


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LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 9, 2012) - The Breeders' Cup announced today that the 30th Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2, 2013.
The Breeders' Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious global event, annually attracts the best horses from around the world. The Breeders' Cup consists of 15 races with purses totaling more than $25 million over the two-day event.
Santa Anita, which will be the site of this year's Breeders' Cup on November 2-3, has hosted the Breeders' Cup World Championships five times, most recently back-to-back editions in 2008 and 2009, both of which set new records for attendance and wagering.
The 2013 Breeders' Cup will be televised on the NBC Sports Network, and the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic will be shown live and in primetime on NBC from 8-9 p.m. ET. The NBC Sports Network is also televising this year's Breeders' Cup with primetime coverage of the Classic on NBC, Nov. 3.
"We are delighted to extend our partnership with Santa Anita, to celebrate the 30th edition of our Championships in Southern California and for the unprecedented opportunity to showcase the Breeders' Cup Classic in primetime for a second consecutive year. We are equally looking forward to bringing racing fans a world-class event at one of the world's greatest racing venues," said Breeders' Cup President and CEO Craig Fravel. "Southern California and the greater Los Angeles community are always exceptional hosts for fans and horsemen alike from the event's launch in 1984 and, most recently, at the 2008 and 2009 World Championships."
Mike Rogers, President of The Stronach Group's Racing Division said: "We are pleased the Breeders' Cup has chosen to stay at Santa Anita for the 2013 World Championships. This underlines the commitment of The Stronach Group to present world-class racing at its venues around the country. Santa Anita's back-to-back runnings of the Breeders' Cup in 2008 and 2009 produced some of the top performances in the event's history and we are looking forward to again showcasing the world's greatest athletes in the entertainment capital of the world."
The 2013 running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships marks the 10th time the event will be held in Southern California over its 30-year history. According to a study by Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the Breeders' Cup generated in excess of $60 million in economic impact in the Los Angeles area in both 2008 and 2009. Next year's running will mark the seventh time that Santa Anita will host the Breeders' Cup, after hosting the event in 1986, 1993, 2003, 2008 and 2009 and this year.
"We are very proud that California has once again been selected to host the Breeders' Cup and we will take all the steps necessary to ensure that the Breeders' Cup this November and next year at Santa Anita will be of the highest caliber for our racing fans and horsemen in our state and for our guests attending from around the world," said Keith Brackpool, Chairman of the California Horse Racing Board.
"The Thoroughbred Owners of California is happy to support the return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to California and Santa Anita Park," said TOC Chairman Mike Pegram. "In addition to providing a much-needed boost to the state and local economies, the event gives California horsemen an opportunity to compete against the world's best at one of our sport's most outstanding racetracks."
Among the most memorable moments in Breeders' Cup history, the great Zenyatta provided fans with one of racing's most exhilarating performances, when she became the first female to win the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, climaxing the 2009 World Championships at Santa Anita. In addition to the then record attendance of 96,496 and record on-track handle of $19,208,012, the 2009 races attracted the most international starters in event history with 34 participants from outside the U.S. and Canada.
Breeders' Cup officials indicated that no decisions have been made on host sites beyond 2013 and that the organization remains open to visiting markets that can accommodate its two-day event during its traditional fall timing, provide world-class hospitality for participants and guests and showcase the world's best Thoroughbred racing.
Santa Anita Park, located in Arcadia, California, is among the most iconic sports venues in the world and has been the proving ground for some of the greatest racehorses in history from Seabiscuit to Zenyatta. Santa Anita is owned by the Stronach Group, a privately-held consortium that owns and operates a number of leading businesses in a wide range of industries, including: Thoroughbred racing and gaming; Thoroughbred horse breeding; agriculture; electric and hybrid vehicle technologies, medical technologies. The Stronach Group also owns a number of premier development properties and real estate assets in North America and Europe.


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Stanford upset by Washington, 17-13
Seattle --
Stanford's stay in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll will be short-lived.
Washington quarterback Keith Price, under a heavy rush all night, found Kasen Williams for a 35-yard touchdown pass with 4:53 left to give the Huskies a 17-13 upset of the eighth-ranked Cardinal on Thursday.
After the memorable upset of then-No. 2 USC in their last game, the Cardinal (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) couldn't stop the Huskies (3-1, 1-0) on two key 4th-and-1 plays in the second half.
Bishop Sankey galloped 61 yards to a touchdown on the last play of the third quarter. And reserve tailback Dezden Petty got 2 yards from the Washington 44 to keep alive a drive that ended with Williams' touchdown. Williams eluded cornerback Terrence Brown after catching a short pass and carried safety Ed Reynolds into the end zone.
Before a roaring crowd of 55,941 at CenturyLink Field, the Huskies' temporary home while Husky Stadium is being renovated, the Stanford offense was held to 10 first downs, 65 yards rushing and 235 total yards.
Stanford quarterback Josh Nunes had a shaky night, completing 18 of 37 passes for 170 yards. He threw a fourth-down interception to cornerback Desmond Trufant with just less than two minutes left. It didn't help that wide receiver Ty Montgomery dropped three passes.
Nunes shouldered much of the blame for the loss.
"The protection was great all night," he said. "The guys up front did a really good job. I know that I need to make a lot of those throws that we missed tonight. I feel like I let a few of the guys down tonight. They ran some great routes out there."
Head coach David Shaw said the game "was not (Nunes') best effort" but he said there's no chance that he will change quarterbacks before the game against Arizona on Oct. 6.
"It was a combination of them playing well and us not playing well," he said. "We didn't play well enough to win. We didn't make the throws we need to make. We didn't make the catches we need to make. We didn't sustain our blocks in the running game as long as we should have. We got outplayed tonight."
Price was not dazzling either in a game that didn't have an offensive touchdown until Sankey's run. Price was 19-for-37 for 177 yards.
Linebacker Trent Murphy gave Stanford a 13-3 lead with a 40-yard return of an interception late in the third quarter. Price was trying to hit Kendyl Taylor on a swing pass, but Murphy tipped the ball to himself and wasn't touched on his way to the goal line. It was the redshirt junior's first career interception.
Price, who was sacked three times, was "pretty slippery," Murphy said. "We were getting to him at times. We just weren't finishing."
Stanford held a 6-3 lead at the half on the strength of two field goals by Jordan Williamson. The game probably put ESPN viewers in the East and Midwest to sleep by the time the third quarter unfolded. Anybody expecting the usual Pac-12 offensive fireworks was sorely disappointed.
The Huskies' Williams had 10 catches for 129 yards. His leaping catch between two defenders produced a 35-yard play that set up a 42-yard field goal by Travis Coons in the second quarter.
Stanford was 5-of-18 on third-down conversions. Nunes repeatedly missed receivers. He threw a ball at fullback Ryan Hewitt's feet when Hewitt was only about 10 yards from him.
The last gasp was a fourth-down pass when Nunes tried to hit tight end Levine Toilolo. Instead, Trufant made the pick, and after Stanford's Ben Gardner jumped offside on a UW 3rd-and-4 play, the game was over, and the fans stormed the field.
"We had a guy who's 6-8 against a guy who's 6-foot," Shaw said of the Trufant play. "We miscalculated the throw and we didn't get the play."
Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald


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California Defense Lawyers
Hosp, Gilbert & Bergsten
The law firm of Hosp, Gilbert & Bergsten (formerly Hosp, Gilbert, Bergsten & Hough) was established in 1984. We are a dynamic defense firm built on experience and proven performance. The philosophy of the firm is to develop close, client-focused relationships among selected insurers and the business community. We combine large-firm expertise with small-firm responsiveness to client needs.
Hosp, Gilbert & Bergsten engages in all phases of trial and appellate practice on both the Federal and State level. Our location provides us quick access to many of the state's major highways, and allows us to represent clients throughout California. While we take pride in our ability to avoid the expense of unnecessary litigation through the successful use of arbitration, our attorneys are prepared to vigorously defend our clients using all the experience, staff and resources available to us.


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The 30" long by 14" wide protective pads have nine layers of RS2096 Tek-knit cloth (yarn fibers that jam up a chain and sprocket). The heavy-duty, waterproof Cordura® shell has good resistance to water, gasoline, grease, and oil.
A 7" x 9" pocket is sewn on the front. The chaps are 39" long with an adjustable, quick-release belt and two quick-release buckles on each leg, leaving plenty of room for boots and clothing underneath.
Classified by UL (Underwriters Laboratories) as meeting the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard #F-1414-99 in the USA and BNQ/CAN 1923-450-M91 standard followed by Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC).


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A very interesting announcement was just released by Mocavo.com. They are adding the ability of users to transcribe handwritten documents within the program. This feature is based on the hand-writing detection system they announced some time ago. Here is a quote from the announcement made by Matt Garner:
Everyday at Mocavo we're looking for new opportunities to bring more of the world's historical content online for free, forever. We are excited to share a new service that will be launching soon – our own web-based transcription tool.
We're very proud to release 1,000 databases everyday; but within those databases are signatures and hand-written notes that could be the answer to a riddle one of our community members (maybe you!) has been trying to solve for decades.
Our transcription tool will soon be "ready for prime time" and we will be inviting our community members to help index these valuable resources. The tool is being tested internally, and the initial experience is so exciting that we wanted to give you a sneak peek of what's to come.I will be very interested in seeing how this works and how it compares to the FamilySearch.org online indexing program that has already been announced and is still pending. The Mocavo.com system relies on popover windows that will appear above the handwritten text and allow you to easily transcribe without leaving your keyboard. They will also have an arbitration process to review every submission.
If you are already a member of Mocavo.com, they will send you an invitation when the project is ready with a tutorial to explain how to get started. They will also have a webpage showing all of the recent activity in the transcription project and will also show the transcription leaders. The date of the release was not announced.


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Related Resource
Epigenetics: Richard Meehan: Epigenetics OverviewPresentation
Speakers from a number of fields participated in discussions and presentations over the course of July's two-day event on the use of emerging science and technologies to explore epigenetic mechanisms underlying the developmental basis for disease. Here you can find recordings of some of the highlights from the workshop, along with the questions and conversations that followed.
This file will require Quicktime to play; if the Quicktime plugin is not already installed on your browser, you can download it here.


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Applying is easy and you can get started online.
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Find classes and events that enrich your faith and strengthen your congregation.
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Your support ensures that future church leaders can pursue their call to ministry today.
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by Rick Foss, Interim President
Excerpted from Interim President Rick Foss' chapel sermon to the Luther Seminary community on the first day of the semester, Sept. 3
Welcome to a new year! This is a fresh chapter in our mission to "educate leaders for Christian communities, called and sent by the Holy Spirit to witness to salvation in Jesus Christ and to serve in God's world."
The epistle text for this week, from the 13th chapter of Hebrews, is the summary chapter of an epistle which is probably best characterized as a hopeful sermon to a faithful people who have been through a lot of hardship and uncertainty.
It seems like a fitting text for us today. In today's summary verses, there are reminders about living a faithful life, followed by the promise that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."
I remember the first time a parishioner quoted that last verse to me. I was a young pastor, and there were some things I was trying to encourage the congregation to change. Now, I had tried to be wise, patient and respectful about the suggestions—including plenty of time for discussion and various points of view. But I really did think we needed to change. And I thought the conversations were going well, until one man got in my face, pointed his finger and said, "Pastor, we can't change. You should know that. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! And that's that!"
At the time, I did not realize how much stress this man was under in his life, both at home and at work, and I vastly underestimated how important it was for him to have something stable and solid in his life to hang on to. To his credit, he went to the right place; he turned to Jesus. He believed that Jesus was solid bedrock, and could be trusted and counted on—a place of refuge in the midst of a world where it seemed like the moorings were coming loose. He had that part right.
But he had it wrong, too.
Jesus is the same, yes. Jesus' promises are good—always. His death and resurrection are for real. His message of salvation won't change. He will always invite us with, "Follow me!" And he will continue to "make all things new."
The deep truth of the gospel is that it is a relationship—a relationship with a Savior who says, essentially: "I know you. I love you. You are mine. We have work to do and places to go. Come on, follow me. And in the end, nothing can separate you from my love—nothing."
This isn't a static "sameness" that calls for no new curricula or no new programs. This isn't static at all. The sameness of Jesus is a consistency of relationship. The ways in which we hear, receive, proclaim or live out that relationship might vary. But the gospel message of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, meant for you and me, calling us to a faithful life, with the promise of life eternal—that is the same yesterday, today and forever.
This will not necessarily be an easy year for us, but I believe it will be a good year. We are emerging from the hardships we have endured. We are living into our future—and a very good future it is.
So whatever this year might bring, whatever issues and opportunities arise, Jesus is in the house! That's the promise.
God bless us all.
Your support ensures that future church leaders can pursue their call in ministry.


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Absolute Java
Pearson/Addison-Wesley, 2006 - Computers - 1216 pages
Best-selling author Walt Savitch offers students a comprehensive introduction of the java programming language. The hallmark feature of his accessible writing style is predominate in this text, along with the needed tools and java topics for novice and experienced programmers to master the java language. In this second edition he takes full advantage of the new java 5.0 features and incorporates the new Scanner class, automatic boxing and unboxing, System.out.pintf for formatting output and enhanced for loop. There is comprehensive coverage of generic types, including how to define classes with type parameters, collection classes done as generic classes, and linked lists done with type parameters. Pedagogical features are integrated throughout including: pitfalls, programming tips, and self-test exercises and answers. This book is appropriate for introductory courses covering Java and intermediate programming courses introducing Java to students familiar with another language.
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LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - fullerenedream - LibraryThing
Absolute Java works better as a reference than a textbook. Jargon is sometimes used on one page and not defined until several pages later! Read full review
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abstract class args argument array ArrayList base class binary file Boolean expression button byte byte-code calling object catch block Chapter class definition class Employee class type clone method compiler contains copy constructor create Date deep copy defined derived class DiscountSale elements enumerated type error message example exception class exception handling given in Display implements inner class input instance variable integer interface IOException iterator javadoc JFrame keyboard label late binding linked list menu method definition method named mutator methods node null numberUsed otherObject outer class output package primitive type public boolean public class public static void public String public void recursive recursive call return false Returns true Sample Dialogue score SELF-TEST EXERCISES Serializable statement static method static variable syntax System.out.println System.out.println("Enter text file throws clause toString try block type double type int type parameter value of type variable of type write


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|"Is this all real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
The topic of this article is of a real-life subject that has been mentioned "in-universe" in a canon source. The Harry Potter Wiki is written from the perspective that all information presented in canon is true (e.g., Hogwarts really exists), and, as such, details contained in this article may differ from real world facts.
- "I well remember the time when, on a particularly dangerous trek along the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland, in search of the fabled 'Weetimorousbeastie', I chanced upon a snickering cluster of Imps."
- —Gilderoy Lockhart, Marauding with Monsters[src]
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom.
In Marauding with Monsters, Gilderoy Lockhart wrote about his adventures along the banks of the River Clyde in Scotland, in search of the fabled Weetimorousbeastie, ending up defeating an Imp colony instead.[1] The veracity of these claims is doubtful, given Lockhart's theft of other people's achievements.
Eeylops Owl Emporium, a chain of owl shops, had a location in Glasgow.[2]
Behind the scenes
- Sean Biggerstaff, the Scottish actor who portrayed Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood in the film adaptations of Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Deathly Hallows: Part 2, was born in Glasgow.
- Michael Berendt, the British actor who played Tom Riddle at age eighteen in a deleted scene in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was born in Glasgow.
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Mentioned only)


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Dick Hannah Dealerships has carved out a favorable reputation throughout the Portland and Vancouver region for its resolute commitment to integrity. The Dick Hannah financing and auto loan department is certainly no exception. We reach above and beyond other dealerships to create an experience that is truly unique and far more exceptional than the traditional car-buying experience. Our commitment to you includes:
The most competitive terms in the industry are available at Dick Hannah. We proudly serve as the leading provider of auto loans, car loans, auto financing and car financing solutions for a vast array of credit scores including good credit auto loans, bad credit auto loans and everything in-between.
Dick Hannah provides a quick online credit application designed to deliver answers within a business day. All auto loan and car financing applications are reviewed by a Dick Hannah associate right here in the Portland OR and Vancouver WA metro region. So why wait? Your application can be completed in only minutes!
Dick Hannah Dealerships uses highly esteemed financial resources to process applications. Also, all Dick Hannah associates boast an unwavering commitment to protecting 100% of our customers' financial information.
Sales consultants earn the same salary regardless of what auto loan financing option you choose - and furthermore your financing decision is viewed as completely unconnected to all other Dick Hannah transactions.


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- You Are Here:
- Home
- Departments
- Parks & Recreation
- Gateway Recreation Center
The Gateway Recreation Center has a variety of indoor activities for people of all ages. We have 2 full size gymnasiums that are used for basketball, pickleball, soccer, rollerskating, tot gym, fitness classes and various other activities. We have the exercise rooms, activity room, art room and children's room that are available to rent for parties or special occasions. Our cardio room has treadmills, stationary bikes, rowers, stair steppers, a summit trainer, cross trainers and a versa climber. We offer free weights and universal weights in our weight room and have 3 racquet ball courts (two of the courts have adjustable walls for hand ball and squash use and hookups for Wallyball nets).
We also have available to you, ping pong, air hockey or Foosball to play with your friends.


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For roughly five years during my high school/college career, I was a table maintenance specialist at The Barn Steakhouse in Kinston.
For roughly five years during my high school/college career, I was a table maintenance specialist at The Barn Steakhouse in Kinston.
Of course when I say �table maintenance specialist,� I mean busboy. I was also schooled in food prep, which means everything on the salad bar was either sliced, ripped, smashed or poured by moi. Napkin folding was also under my purview, and not that lame old square to rectangle jive. We were taught to fold a napkin in a way that was a cross between a pirate hat and one of those paper pop guns that were popular in middle school. At Thanksgiving, we�d fold the napkins into the shape of turkey; at Christmas, we�d fold them to resemble Santa; on Election Day, they were folded to look like empty shirts.
In those days it was known as The Beef Barn, which gave my friends/acquaintances plenty of ammunition. To each his own, but after a while it got old having to explain to people that I did not work at a gay bar. If it had been a gay bar, I�d probably have a better sense of style than I ended up with. How anyone could think a gay establishment would have allowed me to wear $5 black pants, black shoes purchased from a hardware store and a white shirt that came free in a box of corn flakes is beyond me. It wasn�t a revolt against being fabulous, but an adherence to practicality.
In all honesty, it made no sense to get my GQ on for a job that involved cleaning up the food remnants that escaped the mouths of total strangers. Sometimes a table could be cleaned and set back up in under a minute, while other times it took several minutes and some assistance from FEMA. Ironically, the people who came in dressed as if they�d just come from a taping of Jerry Springer�s show were the best customers and the easiest to clean up after. The absolute worst customers were always dressed to the nines.
This customer was reportedly a man of the cloth, but to be honest he was probably a pretender who had a show on local TV for a while and ended up selling refrigerators to Eskimos. He�d usually come in with his two sons who were probably teenagers but not driving yet. As a little literary appetizer to illustrate how this guy operated, he routinely asked to be seated at the one table in the entire restaurant that wasn�t ready. We could have five tables and two booths ready to go, but he�d always want the only one that hadn�t been cleaned yet.
�Are y�all gonna clean that table tonight?� he�d ask as if I owed him a share of my check.
�No, sir, that is a living monument to President George Washington who ate here just after crossing the Delaware,� I told him one night. �One of his wooden teeth fell out and we still have part of the toothpick he used to fashion a temporary tooth so as to finish his steak.�
His insistence on having to have the one table that hadn�t been cleaned was nothing compared to what this man did to our salad bar.
Usually, a fully stocked salad bar would have been enough to sustain 10-12 customers, but when this guy went through it made what Sherman did to Atlanta look like a pillow fight. If a rabid, vegetarian grizzly bear had busted through the front door and commandeered the salad bar, he would have made less mess and left more food behind than this gluttonous twit. This culinary commando would plop at least a pound of oysters onto his salad plate, which by the way was the first time I�d ever seen a ceramic plate buckle.
My other favorite was the guy who always demanded fresh lettuce.
�Excuse me, but could you put out some fresh lettuce please?� he�d say.
�Sir, this was put out just a few minutes ago. I believe the tray of ice it�s sitting on has managed to keep it from wilting in a mere three minutes,� is what I wanted to tell the guy, but my boss � Charles Andersen � adhered to the old �customer is always right� policy, so I did my best to make Tim Zagat Jr. happy.
At first this meant going into the back and adding more lettuce to the perfectly fine lettuce that was already in the pan. With time I learned that all I had to do was walk around the corner with the pan and stand in the kitchen for 30 seconds. I�d then walk back out with the same pan of lettuce and the little moron that probably couldn�t never knew the difference.
I mentioned Charles Andersen earlier, and I have to say that he�s earned his spot in the Hall of Great Bosses. Upon his arrival at the helm he noticed my rate of pay was out of phase with my level of work, and without prodding gave me a raise. With time we became friends; and, no, it wasn�t because of the raise. We shared/share a mutual love for the band Rush and even saw them in concert together on the �Counterparts� tour. If a waitress had a sick child or someone had a family emergency, Charles was understanding and never cross. Everybody � following Charles� example � just cranked it up a little more to make it through.
My favorite part of our routine was the weekly Saturday night trip to Greenville. For his first few years at the restaurant, Charles was still working for the original owner. At the end of each week (Saturday night) we�d jump in his car and motor the receipts/paperwork over to the owner in Greenville. It probably doesn�t seem like much to you, but it was (and is) incredibly cool to shoot down N.C. 11 in the dark of night with the windows down while listening to a Neal Pear drum solo.
As luck would have it, Charles was finally able to take over The Barn the very week two national chain restaurants opened within spit-ball distance of his parking lot. For many years Charles� work ethic, business acumen and dedication to putting out a high-quality product kept The Barn in the game. It wasn�t uncommon for Charles to do his managerial gig, prep all the food and be the chef all in the same day. With all this in mind it was tough to hear The Barn was shutting down at the end of this month. I was glad to see Charles has landed on his feet with a new endeavor, and it won�t take long for his new associates to pat themselves on the back for bringing him on board.
Along with Charles there was Lois � who to my knowledge was the longest-tenured Barn employee in its history. Becky and Donna, you guys were always fun to work with, as was Ray and his sweet sister who passed away about a year after I left. Thanks to all of y�all for sharing your Saturday nights and tips with me for all those years. As soon as Charles gets established at his new job, we should hit him up to spring for a reunion dinner.
Jon Dawson�s columns appear every Tuesday and Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Purchase Jon�s book �Making Gravy in Public� at the Free Press office and at jondawson.com.


text:
Delayed chapter (8/14)
Chapter 326 - Curse of the Gods
Also, chapters will come out whenever possible for now, so, keep track on the number count.
Release of eBook:
Our first eBook, <Rise of Humanity: Book 1 - Arc One, The Mortal>, is now released in Amazon! If you'd like to show some support to us, or better yet, vote for us in the ranking section!
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STEVEN PINKER: Oh, hi.
RAZ: Is that Steve Pinker?
PINKER: It is. Hi, Steve Pinker here.
RAZ: How would you define violence?
PINKER: I don't use a particularly exotic definition of violence, just intentional infliction of harm on a sentient creature. Or if you want, rape, homicide, assault, kidnapping, whether by an individual or by an organized group such as a government.
RAZ: Steven Pinker's a psychology professor at Harvard and he's studied violence and how common it is. And here's how he starts his TED Talk.
PINKER: During the 20th century we witnessed the atrocities of Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Rwanda, and other genocides.
RAZ: Not to mention this century. Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Syria.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: Good morning. A masked gunman is reported to ...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: ... last night, war in Mali. A deadly ...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #3: ... Fighting has broken out once again here in eastern Congo, in the region ...
PINKER: This has led to a common understanding of our situation, namely that modernity has brought us terrible violence and perhaps that native peoples lived in a state of harmony that we have departed from, to our peril.
RAZ: So with all this in mind, a few years ago Steven Pinker was researching violence, how it seemed to be everywhere, how our world seemed so violent. And he came to a startling conclusion: that it's not true.
PINKER: That in fact, our ancestors were far more violent than we are. That violence has been in decline for long stretches of time. And that today we are probably living in the most peaceful time in our species' existence. Now in the decade of Darfur and Iraq, a statement like that might seem somewhere between hallucinatory and obscene, but I'm going to try to convince you that that is the correct picture.
RAZ: My whole life, and your whole life, and anybody who turns on the History Channel or Discovery Channel in any given weekend will come away saying that the 20th century was the most violent in history, and that's not true.
PINKER: It's not true for two reasons. One of them is that people who make that claim never look at any other century. They just say well, there sure was a lot of violence in the 20th century, which there was.
RAZ: With Stalin and Pol Pot and Hitler.
PINKER: Yes. And, you know, Genghis Khan in the 14th century and the European wars of religion at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th. So it's just an elementary error of logic and arithmetic to say there was lots of violence in the 20th century, therefore it was the most violent century. You've got to look at other centuries. And when you do, and when you scale it against the population of the world in those centuries, it's not at all clear that the 20th was the most violent. And there's a second reason why that claim is misleading, which is that it concentrates really on the first half of the 20th century, ignoring the fact that the second half of the 20th century, though it had some bad wars and atrocities too, also had a historically unprecedented development, which is that great powers and developed states stopped waging war against each other. The second half of the 20th century, these big rich countries thought the better of declaring war on each other.
PINKER: The decline of violence is a fractal phenomenon. You can see it over millennia, over centuries, over decades, and over years. Although there seems to have been a tipping point at the onset of the Age of Reason in the 16th century. One sees it all over the world although not homogeneously. It's especially evident in the West, beginning with England and Holland around the time of the Enlightenment. Let me take you on a journey from several powers of 10, from the millennium scale to the year scale, to try to persuade you of this. Until 10,000 years ago all humans lived as hunter-gatherers without permanent settlements or government. And this is the state that's commonly thought to be one of primordial harmony. But the archaeologist, Lawrence Keeley, looking at casualty rates among contemporary hunter-gatherers namely, which is our best source of evidence about this way of life, has shown a rather different conclusion. Here's a graph that he put together showing the percentage of male deaths due to warfare in a number of foraging or hunting and gathering societies. The red bars correspond to the likelihood that a man will die at the hands of another man, as opposed to passing away of natural causes, in a variety of foraging societies in the New Guinea highlands and the Amazon rainforest. And they range from a rate of almost a 60 percent chance that a man will die at the hands of another man to, in the case of the Gebusi, only a 15 percent chance. The tiny, little blue bar in the lower left-hand corner plots the corresponding statistic from the United States and Europe in the 20th century, and it includes all the deaths of both world wars. If the death rate in tribal warfare had prevailed during the 20th century, there would have been 2 billion deaths rather than 100 million.
RAZ: But the big question is why? I mean, why is there a decline?
PINKER: While we're the same biological species that we were a couple of thousand years ago, we act on our violent impulses less often. One of these historical forces, for example, is good government. A state that has a dispute resolution system will generally have lower rates of violence than if you settle your disputes like the Corleones.
PINKER: We can look at the way of life of early civilizations, such as the ones described in the Bible. And in this supposed source of our moral values, one can read descriptions of what was expected in warfare, such as the following from Numbers 31. "And they warred against the Midianites as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the males. And Moses said unto them, have you saved all the women alive? Now, therefore, kill every male among the little ones and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him, but all the women children that have not known a man by lying with them keep alive for yourselves."
In other words, kill the men, kill the children. If you see any virgins, then you can keep them alive so that you can rape them. And you can find four or five passages in the Bible of this ilk.
Also in the Bible, one sees that the death penalty was the accepted punishment for crimes such as homosexuality, adultery, blasphemy, idolatry, talking back to your parents, and picking up sticks on the Sabbath.
RAZ: Do you think that we've, like as humans, have become more peaceful? Like, are we becoming more peaceful or is it just that we're organized better?
PINKER: I think it's mostly that we're organized better. So it's not impossible that there was literal Darwinian natural selection taking place that weeded out the hotheads and the psychopaths and allowed the more peaceful, cooperative individuals to see the next generation. And so the genes that encourage violence were selected out. I mean, it's mathematically possible. But I doubt that that was a major cause simply because we know that rates of violence can kind of yo-yo up and down on very small time-scales. If you look at something like the halving of the American homicide rate from 1992, or the transformation of Germany from the world's most warlike culture to the world's most pacifistic culture, those events occurred way too rapidly to be attributed to Darwinian natural selection. Since we know that rates of violence can change for reasons other than genetic changes in our species, the simplest, most parsimonious hypothesis is that that was enough to account for all of the changes over history.
RAZ: You have to admit, though, that the Germans are pretty rabid pacifists.
PINKER: Yes, militant pacifists.
PINKER: Whatever its causes, the decline of violence, I think, has profound implications. It should force us to ask not just why is there war, but also why is there peace? Not just what are we doing wrong? But also, what have we been doing right? Because we have been doing something right, and it sure would be good to find out what it is. Thank you very much.
PINKER: I think all of us have impulses or inclinations that can erupt in violence, such as revenge, exploitation of other people. So those can certainly fester inside us and lead to violence. And what we have to counteract them are other parts of the brain that implement emotions like sympathy, self-control, reason, and a sense of fairness. I think human life consists of a constant tension inside the skull between those and other components of human nature, and what erupts in actual behavior depends on the outcome of that internal struggle.
RAZ: And so if we're on this trajectory, right, we're heading to a great place. I mean the end of that line is like the Garden of Eden.
PINKER: I doubt it. And I'm not a utopian, although I am something of an optimist. I think it's the kind of thing that you chip away at, bit by bit. I doubt that we'll ever get to a time at which rates of violence will be zero. And just as we chip away at disease and hunger and other nuisances of life, I think our species has set its ingenuity to chipping away at violence. I suspect that the long-term trajectory will continue to improve but erratically and probably not to zero, given that some of these violent impulses are part of human nature.
RAZ: Steven Pinker. He teaches at Harvard. His book on violence is called "The Better Angels of Our Nature." You can see his other TED Talks, including an amazing one on language, at TED.com.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: Can't we all just get along? We've all been fighting for too long...
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I'm currently a medical student at an allopathic school in the United States. As I continue though clinical rotations this year, I'll begin updating this blog with stories and advice from 4th year. I have had quite a few experiences before coming to medical school. During college I worked as a nursing assistant to pay the bills. After graduating, I was employed as an engineer with a National Science Foundation lab. Now, I'm in the military under the Health Professions Scholarship Program.
Feel free to send me some e-mail at halfmd [at] yahoo [dot] com. I welcome comments—public or private—and will never delete a statement simply because I disagree with it. Be aware that the following emails get automatically deleted without a reply:
"Will you post a link to my website?"
"How do I get into medical school?" and its evil cousin, "What are my chances with my GPA?"
"Will you write a guest article for my website?"
"Will you review my product?"


text:
Find Your Perfect Home.
Newberry Real Estate
Newberry is located in Michigan. Newberry, Michigan has a population of 1,455. Newberry is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 23.7% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 23.53%.
The median household income in Newberry, Michigan is $33,833. The median household income for the surrounding county is $36,398 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Newberry is 42.1 years.
Newberry Weather
The average high temperature in July is 75.8 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 6.8 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 33 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
View Homes for Sale in Newberry
Newberry Map
Real Estate Near Newberry
Nearby Cities
Nearby Cities Homes for Sale
Newberry Zip Codes


text:
The Witness of Matthew
In the history of biblical studies, we have seen in the last two centuries the rise of so-called "higher criticism." So much of higher criticism is fueled by skepticism with respect to the reliability of the biblical texts. Since …Read More
Portraits of Jesus
Matthew 8 presents several portraits of Christ in ministry. A comparison of Matthew's accounts with those in other gospels makes it clear that Matthew's portraits are not arranged in chronological order. Rather, they are given to us to teach us how …Read More
Good News for All Nations
Writing for Tabletalk is a great honor. It is hard to put into words the privilege of having one's writing published alongside contributions from today's finest theologians and pastors. Those who worked on the magazine before us have set …Read More


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Cook the Book: 'The French Market Cookbook'
Those of us with a penchant for reading food blogs are likely familiar with Clotilde Dusoulier and her long-running blog, Chocolate and Zucchini. Created in 2003, it's a light and lively potpourri of recipes and stories with a Parisian bent. As her blog has progressed, she has shifted her cooking style from classic, meat-centric French to vegetable-focused, seasonal cuisine. This change in diet is the focus of her new cookbook, The French Market Cookbook.
At first glance, Dusoulier's book looks much like the many other vegetarian cookbooks released this year. It's organized by seasons, with a focus on environmental health, and is designed with a feminine touch. Yes, there are a few unique shopping tips scattered here and there (she emphasizes shopping with an eye toward "sturdiness" in addition to seasonality, for example), but these ideas are generally common sense. What really makes this book special—and justifies finding space on the shelf for yet another vegetable cookbook—is the fact that the recipes are unabashedly French.
It is rare these days to see a cool French cookbook. There are plenty of Italian, Middle-Eastern, and Southeast Asian books flooding Amazon cues. And there are even more American restaurant cookbooks imploring home cooks to get out to a famers market, stat. But when was the last time you picked up a new cookbook peppered with inventive recipes for gratins, clafoutis, mousses, and quiches?
To be sure, The French Market Cookbook is not a heavy-handed cheese-filled book. Many of the dishes go light on the dairy, but even the rich ones are full of bold flavors and bright colors. Gougères are laced with parsley and cumin, curried leeks are caramelized under puff pastry for a Savory Tarte Tatin, and a cauliflower Gratin is enlivened with turmeric and hazelnuts. Recipes like Poor-Man's Bouillabaisse substitute silky poached eggs for the seafood, but their creaminess makes for a comforting dish even without the fish. Seaweed tartare is another example of a French classic transformed—it's far different from beef of course, but makes for an umami-bomb of an appetizer, especially when served atop seed-filled crackers and drizzled with a little extra sesame oil.
We'll try this seaweed tartare today before delving into an array of summery French meals. We'll make a Raw Zucchini Tart with Apricot Compote and chickpea crust and then bake even more summer squash into a beautiful Ratatouille Tian. Next, we'll make use of bitter green radish tops in an easy pasta dish. Finally we'll toss together a nutty Green Bean and Red Rice Salad with a rich almond butter dressing.
Win 'The French Market Cookbook'
Thanks to the nice folks over at Clarkson Potter, we have five (5) copies of The French Market Cookbook to give away this week. All you need to do for a chance to win is tell us about your favorite vegetarian meal in the comments section below.
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


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Career Change: A Challenging Time
Filed Under Career Choices | 1 Comment
But One with Ample Resources to Help You Meet the Challenge
While some people make the decision to switch careers after relatively brief experience in the workplace, if my clients are representative of the universe of career changers, most people make the decision after 10-15 years in their first career. What's interesting about this is that virtually all of these people told me that they were never satisfied with their occupational choices.
Why is there a significant lapse between the time people become aware of their dissatisfaction and the point at which they take action to remedy the situation?
My theory: All of these clients had bachelor's degrees, with many having earned master's and JD degrees. Rather than face the disappointing reality of having invested the time and money toward acquiring credentials that qualified them for a career they found unfulfilling, they kept putting off the decision, often thinking, wishfully, that merely changing employers – rather than careers – would dispel their discontent. But at some point, they realized that – contemplating an employment horizon of 20 or more years – the moment of truth had arrived: they had to make a change.
Delaying the Decision May Limit Your Options
While the task of pinpointing a suitable alternative career is always a challenge, that challenge is compounded to the extent that one has postponed the decision. The reason: The older you are, the greater your financial obligations will likely be, which, in turn, will limit your career options.
For one thing, it could prevent you from undertaking an educational program required to enter an occupation that promises greater gratification.
And, even if you gravitate toward a field that's feasible to enter without further education, at the very least, you may have to accept a reduction in compensation – which could deter you from making the move.
Women Re-entering the Workplace
Many women who want to resume their careers formerly held professional positions in such industries as financial services, retailing, information technology, and packaged goods. But now, they are fairly flexible in their choice of a career – their overriding goal is to get reestablished in the professional workplace.
One of the challenges unique to this group is the need to identify positions that – while not necessarily high-paying – will be steppingstones to increasingly higher positions, along with a concomitant growth in compensation. At the same time, many women seek part-time work as their initial reentry point in the workplace so they can retain some flexibility in their schedules. While these two requirements – gaining a position on a professional career track and doing so initially on a part-time basis – may seem antithetical, they need not be – depending, of course, on one's skills and interests.
A Plethora of Useful Resources
With the Internet, books, the placement offices of one's alma mater, and an abundance of advice available from friends and colleagues, no one who desires a career change will lack for information. If anything, the sheer volume of resources may overwhelm people looking for a new career, such that they are at a loss as to what their first step should be.
Many people turn to vocational testing for guidance, sometimes spending thousands of dollars on such services. Fortunately, the Self-Directed Search, a highly regarded interest test, can be taken online for a nominal charge. You may find that completing the test provides you with the direction you need to identify a suitable alternative career.
Because vocational testing is a multifaceted subject that merits a more extensive discussion, in my next post, I'll discuss the differences between interest and aptitude tests, as well as which type of test is most appropriate for particular categories of career changers.
Copyright © 2008 Janice Weinberg. All rights reserved worldwide.
|Janice Weinberg is the founder of Career Solutions, a Westport, Connecticut-based consultancy that serves an international clientele, and the author of How to Win the Job You Really Want (Henry Holt & Co.). Her latest book, Debugging Your Information Technology™ Career (Elegant Fix Press, LLC), describes 20 careers that represent excellent alternatives for those seeking a career change from IT because computer proficiency is a strong asset in both entering and succeeding in these fields.
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Career Change: Welcome Janice Weinberg
Filed Under Announcements, Books, Career Choices | Leave a Comment
I am happy to announce that my dear friend Janice Weinberg will contribute regular articles on changing careers and on mothers re-entering the job market to this blog beginning some time this month.
Janice is a successful consultant, lecturer, author and founder of Career Solutions. Her book, How to Win the Job You Really Want, was published in 1995. Her newer book, Debugging Your Information Technology™ Career, became available very recently.
Janice will discuss a number of fascinating and relevant topics that you will enjoy and find beneficial. If you have a specific issue you would like her to address, please post it here as a comment. Unfortunately I cannot guarantee that Janice will respond to each and every question, but I do promise to pass every one on to her.
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Alternative Careers
Filed Under Books, Career Choices | Leave a Comment
This is my first post to address alternative careers.
Many people who entered the workplace 10, 20, or more years ago are reconsidering their career choices.
In some cases, the decision to seek a new occupation is motivated by the desire for a change. In other instances, external factors are forcing people who enjoy their work to turn to alternative occupations.
Case in point: The information technology profession has been greatly affected by offshore outsourcing which – despite generating a fraction of the media coverage it received several years ago – continues to be used by companies as a cost control measure … and at a rate that is only increasing.
Thousands of computer professionals affected by offshoring have already switched to teaching, nursing and other occupations they believe will protect them from the practice. And those who remain in the IT field continue to be concerned about offshoring's potential impact on the security of their jobs.
However, to the extent that computer professionals feel threatened by offshoring – or have already made 180-degree career changes – it may reflect their lack of information about the importance of computer knowledge in occupations that are not on the traditional IT career path.
A new book, Debugging Your Information Technology Career, addresses this lack of information. The author, Janice Weinberg, a friend for more than 20 years, is a Connecticut career consultant who was formerly a computer professional at IBM and GE.
If you know a computer professional – or someone who is considering becoming one – you may want to tell them about this book, which I believe they'll find both enlightening and encouraging.
More information about Debugging Your Information Technology Career is available at Janice's Career Solutions website.
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I'm sure I don't need to tell you all about today announcement by the Defence Secretary in the House of Commons explaining the Government's decision to backtrack and purchase the STOVL version of the F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter, instead of the conventional carrier version. The original plan was, of course, to purchase the STOVL version – ie F-35B – as replacement for the Harriers, to operate from the new Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.
The coalition has now performed two u-turns on the Joint Strike Fighter issue. First, soon after coming into office they abandoned the vertical take-off verson, in favour of the higher performance variant. Now, having seen the costs for installing catapults and traps on the aircraft carriers spiral, they have decided to go back to the vertical take off variant.
One cannot help but feel that this constant to-ing and fro-ing has probably added a significant amount to the cost, for no discernible gain, and will almost certainly delay their introduction into service. And as anyone who has worked in retail will tell you, there is nothing more annoying than a customer who keeps changing their mind every five minutes. It's bad enough if someone is buying a book or a loaf of bread, but 50+ fighter aircraft?
There are some upshots to the decision. It is possible that both aircraft carriers will come into service, and slightly earlier in 2018, compared to lengthy delays if they had to be converted to 'cat and trap'. There have been some concerns that the B version has a less impressive performance than the C version. Compare the following specs:
- Range – B version, 900 nautical miles; C Version, 1,400 nautical miles
- combat radius – B version, 469 nautical miles; C Version, 615 nautical miles
The lack of range is apparently due to the B version having to accomodate extra plant for vertical landing, which eats into its fuel capacity. I'm not sure if it's just me, but the differences do not seem too critical – isn't the beauty of an aircraft carrier that you can move it 100 miles closer in if need be, and if safe to do so? Apparently the B version will be able to carry less weapons than the C version as well, however I am having trouble finding firm specifications for this. It should also be remembered that the B version will, in theory, be able to operate short-term or in an emergency from other ships that have landing spaces, or from rough airstrips on land – neither of which the F-35 C can do. By way of a contrast, the Sea Harrier had a combat radius of 540 nautical miles, but didn't have such a high performance as the F-35 in other respects. I seem to recall that the SHAR was hardly bristling with armaments either.
The decision making regarding the Joint Strike Fighter project has been flawed from day one. Perhaps setting out to buy the STOVL versions was not the wisest decision in hindsight, but to decide to switch to the C version, and then back to the B version again in a year shows a serious case of indecision and narrow-mindedness. A decision that was supposed to save money in the long run, ended up costing us more money in the short term and not happening anyway. Let's hope that this kind of defence procurement strategic direction never transgresses into decision making in war.
Still, I cannot help but feel that we would have been far better off purchasing some F-18's off the shelf in the first place – both in terms of cost and capabilitity.
Related articles
- U-turn over fighter plane choice (bbc.co.uk)
- VIDEO: U-turn over fighter plane choice (bbc.co.uk)
- Government forced into U-turn over Royal Navy fighter jets (guardian.co.uk)
- Cameron set for U-turn on jump jets (express.co.uk)
- Joint strike fighter stalled by technical problems (guardian.co.uk)
- Government's Major U-Turn On New Strike Jets (news.sky.com)
- David Cameron under pressure over u-turn on aircraft carrier jets (scotsman.com)
- U.K. changes choice of Joint Strike Fighter jets (ctv.ca)
- UK to reverse decision on F-35 version. Two aircraft carriers and 72 retired Harriers later. (theaviationist.com)
- JSFail? Not When the Pentagon Grades the F-35 on a Curve (pogoblog.typepad.com)
- Government spends £100 million on fighter jet u-turn (itv.com)
- You won't believe it: UK considered bringing back one aircraft carrier and the Harrier for Libya (theaviationist.com)
- Ditched carrier plans cost £100m (thisislondon.co.uk)
- Minister confirms Navy plane U-turn (express.co.uk)