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Sunday, January 27, 2013
Game Face Football Cookies
45 comments:
These are so adorable, I just love them!!!ReplyDelete
These crack me up! So much better than the other football cookie's I've seen.ReplyDelete
Oh...so, so cute! I love these happy little guys! (and thanks for the linky love!!)ReplyDelete
I am in love with these guys!!! And using the lacing for the mouth?! SO clever!ReplyDelete
These are SOOOOO adorable! Excellent job!ReplyDelete
I LOVE these, Sue! So freakin' cute!!ReplyDelete
I am kind of smitten.ReplyDelete
Aww I just saw the link love :) xoxo my friend!ReplyDelete
Love these football cookies! They're so stinkin cute, perfect for little football fans...and big ones too! :)ReplyDelete
These are fantastic! Great job Sue..love them!ReplyDelete
Beyond adorable! These cookies are the *NEW* game face. I love the one that looks serious and mean... hehehe. Football players look like that all the time!ReplyDelete
Love, love, love the use of sprinkles on the stadium cookies! Looks like an ariel shot of spectators! Sooo cute : )ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 28, 2013 at 3:24 PM
Love the cookies! what a great job!ReplyDelete
Leslie Gagne
Cutie pie 'manly' cookies :DReplyDelete
Choc Chip Uru
i. love. everything. you. make!ReplyDelete
OMG these are adorable. Those stadiums? PERFECT!ReplyDelete
Sue - these football cookies are super bowl SUPER!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 28, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Cute as can be. How clever. We are having a Super Bowl Party all week. I'd love it if you would bring these over and grab a button. We have some great give aways too.ReplyDelete
Have a great week.
I love your play on words with these game faces! They are a "touchdown" in my book. :)ReplyDelete
Game faces or not, they are so much fun. Using the football laces as a smile is pure genius.ReplyDelete
Normally I don't think of footballs as cute ... these are the cutest footballs I've ever seen!ReplyDelete
Leave it to you to make even a football adorable! LOVE these!ReplyDelete
The stadium cookies are sheer genius!ReplyDelete
These are awesome Sue! Go Niners!ReplyDelete
These are too stinkin cute for all football fans all season long!ReplyDelete
So cute! These are my favorite Superbowl treats! If this were flickr, you'd see stars, lots of 'em!!! KristinaReplyDelete
Way too funny! Love all of them:@)ReplyDelete
Cute! I'm going to make these- We just made Valentines Cookies last week- Football cookies this week! Woo Hoo!ReplyDelete
oh wow, these are ADORABLE! i would love to be able to decorate cookies like this!ReplyDelete
Hey Sue!ReplyDelete
I think it's been a while since I've popped over, but I love your new design! So pretty!!!
These football cookies are AWESOME. I love, love the faces in the footballs and the "people" in the stadium! Pure genius!
Thanks for linking up Sue! you know how much I love these!ReplyDelete
I featured your post in my wrap up! http://tidymom.net/2013/super-bowl-recipes-party-ideas/
Have a great weekend!
These look delicious! They must also be very flavorful. Very creative decoration!ReplyDelete
I just discovered your blog and browsed through some of your recipes, they all look scrumptious!
I really enjoy reading your posts :) you have a new follower!
Michela from Italy
These cooks are so stinkin' cute!! You did an awesome job!!ReplyDelete
Hi Sue,ReplyDelete
These cookies are so cute. These footballs are really good with their expressions!... with some real tough ones too.
Sue, these football cookies are SO perfectly adorable! I LOVE the fields with the colorful crowd of nonpareils sprinkles :) and I love that each face is unique and personalized! You're the queen of gorgeous, creative cookies!ReplyDelete
Ok! These are my new favorite football cookies! I LOVE THEM!!!!ReplyDelete
I'm not a football fan by any stretch of the imagination, but these cookies are just so cute, I make have to make some!ReplyDelete
- Debra L.January 11, 2014 at 11:24 AM
These are the cutest things I have ever seen! they are PERFECT for a Superbowl party- but CERTAINLY I can not make them myself! I can ...however...give them to a friend who I think could pull it off! Thank you for sharing.ReplyDelete
Just wondering if you can tell me what size they both are. Thanks! I love them both by the way. :)ReplyDelete
These look so adorable, I would like to share them with my friends in my blog. Thank you for sharing with us.ReplyDelete
These are the best football cookies I have seen yet. I just love them.ReplyDelete
I found your unique & very cute football themed cookies via Pinterest. I wanted to let you know that I shared your picture and linked your blog to my story. I hope you enjoy my post regarding this year's Super Bowl. http://retireforthefunofit.com/super-bowls-broncos-seahawks-sexy-enough/ReplyDelete
Hi Sue,ReplyDelete
I am the Social Media Specialist for Michaels Stores responsible for Pinterest and saw your Game Face and Stadium Cookies on Pinterest. We love it would like your permission to pin to our Pinterest board. We only pin with permission from the original source and pin from that source so our pins link correctly. We believe in giving credit to content originators.
Here is the link to the project that caught our eye: http://www.munchkinmunchies.com/2013/01/game-face-football-cookies_27.html
In addition, with your permission, we would love to follow your blog and pin to our boards content that we feel would appeal to our over 505K and growing Pinterest followers. We'd also like the option to feature pinned content to our blog, The Glue String, again giving credit to the source.
If your project is one of our top repins, we would also like permission to feature it in our highlight posts on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, tagging you on those platforms. Could you please provide your social handles so we can tag correctly?
Thank you for your consideration,
Nina Owens
Social Media Specialist
- AnonymousFebruary 3, 2016 at 4:13 PM
These are adorable! SO cute!!ReplyDelete


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Mazatlan, Mexico, June 23, 2012 – Canada booked a direct ticket to the men's beach volleyball tournament of the London Olympic Games by defeating Mexico 3-1 in the NORCECA Continental Cup Finals held in Mazatlan, Mexico from June 19 to 23.
"I am so proud about this achievement for my country," Canada´s Martin Reader said. "It was a dream since I was 11 years old about going to the Olympic Games when I started playing sport."
"It was a real challenge to play under this hot weather," Johsh Binstock said. "But playing on the FIVB SWATCH World Tour really helped very much to stay in shape and in a good mental condition."
Mexico and Cuba, the second and third placed countries in the eight-team event, remain in competition for a chance at the Summer Games as part of the World Cup Qualification Tournament to take place in Moscow, Russia from June 27 to July 1.
The duo of Binstock/Reader sealed the spot to London by prevailing 2-1 (21-17, 11-21, 15-13) in a tough battle against Mexico's Aldo Miramontes and Juan Virgen in the fourth match of the series.
Binstock/Reader opened the day with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-13) victory over Ulises and Rodolfo Ontiveros of Mexico-B, only to see Miramontes/Virgen coming back with a strong 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) showing against Christian Redmann/Benjamin Saxton.
Redmann/Saxton edged the brothers Ontiveros 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) to set the stage for the final clash of the competition in front of around 2,500 spectators.
Cubans Karell Piña/Sergio Gonzalez and Yaismel Borrell/Yadrian Escobar won their four matches of Saturday against El Salvador and Puerto Rico, to stay in competition for the London tickets. Saturday´s results
Cuba 2, El Salvador 0CUB-B d. ESA-A (21-11, 21-13)CUB-A d. ESA-B (21-10, 21-11)
Puerto Rico 2, Guatemala 1PUR-A d. GUA-B (21-17, 21-16)GUA-A d. PUR-B (21-18, 21-18)PUR d. GUA-A (15-5)
Third Place
Cuba 2, Puerto Rico 0CUB-B d. PUR-A (21-19, 21-17)CUB-A d. PUR-B (21-19, 21-12)
First place
Canada 3, Mexico 1CAN-A d. MEX-B (21-11, 21-13)MEX-A d. CAN-B (21-15, 21-18)CAN-B d. MEX-B (21-16, 21-18)CAN-A d. MEX-A (21-17, 11-21, 15-13) *
*Qualified to the Olympic Games

subset: commoncrawl


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I found these 2 months ago. It was tough to find some without major cracks in them, I think they're made of bamboo. I was tring to decide if I should buy like 50 of these things, my crap is all over the place right now.I need to finish my basement so I can spread out more.
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Manufacturer: EUROPEAN PHARMACEUTICALS Category: Injectable steroids Substance: testosterone mix Package: 300 mg/ml. (10 ml)..
* These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our website and the domain name is representative of products that may enhance blood levels of hormones in the body. These products should not be used by anyone 18 years of age or younger. Use all of our products in conjunction with a well balanced diet and an intense bodybuilding or exercise program. Seek medical advice before starting any supplement regimen.
Email Us :
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© Copyright. 2016. All rights reserved.


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FIRST LOOK: Soltek 865Pro-775by Wesley Fink on August 16, 2004 11:30 PM EST
- Posted in
- Motherboards
As more experience is gained with the new Intel 775 Socket T, it is clear that the processors and the Socket work just fine. They also offer performance advantages over the Prescott in Socket 478. The other advantage is the future, since the 560 (3.6GHz) and the coming faster processors will only be available in LGA 775.
Many users, however, have a tough time swallowing all that goes with the new 925X/PCI Express/DDR2 architecture, since it requires a new, hard to find video card for PCI Express plus brand new DDR2 memory. Some users would like to move to a new Intel LGA 775 processor, but they can't handle the requirement to upgrade almost everything in their system. That is exactly the user who will welcome the introduction of the Soltek SL-865Pro-775.
The Soltek 865-775 uses the new 775-pin Prescott socket, but it is driven by last generation's familiar Intel 865PE/ICH5 chipset. This means you can use your existing AGP 8X video card and DDR memory with a new Intel Prescott chip. This reduces the cost of entry to the new Socket T to the cost of the motherboard and CPU, something most users are much more willing to handle.
The question with any hybrid solution like this is how it performs? Are there performance penalties in combining the 865 with Socket 775? How does the Soltek 865Pro-775 compare in performance to a new 915 or 925X motherboard?
23 Comments
View All Comments
LS6TA - Monday, August 23, 2004 - linkI was looking to pick this board up but it isn't on newegg's site anymore, know of anywhere else to get it? Reply
Wesley Fink - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - link#19 - This has been corrected several times, and it is corrected again. Here's hoping our Document Engine is kinder to corrections this go-round. Reply
bhtooefr - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - linkAnother mistake - the Soltek's memory speed is listed as a DDR2 speed (in the specs on the board), whereas it's a DDR board.
That P5P800 does look interesting, BTW. (Not that I would bite - Intel's price-performance isn't good at all) Reply
Galvin - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - linkAsus makes one as well. See it here.
Hopefully you can review this board too.
Bozo Galora - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - linkNewegg and Soltek??
Hah Hah
Guess it shows how much I block out AT's ads. Reply
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - link#4,#7,#9 - the first requirement for Doom 3 under System Requirements is: "3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required - 100% DirectX® 9.0b compatible 64MB Hardware Accelerated video card and the latest drivers".
You can check for yourself at http://www.idsoftware.com/games/doom/doom3/index.p... Reply
Oxonium - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - linkIt will be interesting to see if more mobos like this will come out. It definitely fills a gap in the market, probably to Intel's chagrin. I'm curious if the new P4 F-series (64-bit enabled) would work on this board. Reply
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - link#10 - We made it to 265 FSB with a 2.8 Prescott. We talk about this briefly at the bottom of Page 3.
#11 - The incorrect reference is removed. Reply
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - link#12 - It is available at New Egg for $125 including FedEx Saver shipping, which is linked at the top of every page. Reply
Bozo Galora - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - linkIts irrelevant to people in the U.S. It cant be bought here easily, if at all. I suppose it can be bought online from NCIX in Cananda, but they say special order. I have owned Soltek - they are good boards, but their support is non existent. Also note they are not even listed in Pricewatch brands, search4hardware.com shows pics, but no stores selling it.
Why review vapor??? Reply


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EQAO TESTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL - A Guide for Parents and Students
Students across Ontario write province-wide tests of their reading, writing and math skills at key stages in their elementary and secondary school education.
ResourcesGetting Ready GuideAssessing Every Student: The Power of Good InformationOntario Secondary School Literacy TestOSSLT Tests and Scoring Materials, Sample Test Materials,and Characteristics of Successful and Unsuccessful Student Performance on the OSSLTLinksEducation Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) www.eqao.comMinistry of Education www.edu.gov.on.caToronto Catholic District School Board www.tcdsb.comToronto Catholic District School Board Student Success
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Centenary United Methodist Church
Thursday, April 02, 2020
The Friendly Church
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2020
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Centenary UMC
Blended Worship Service
Music, Message, Fellowship
(Communion on first and third Sundays!)
Come as you are for a blended service featuring classic hymns, contemporary praise, and relevant sermons. As are all of our worship offerings, this is an all ages service that is family and children friendly. Stay late for fellowship time immediately following the service!Previous Page


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Jan 18, 2013 – MC Oluomo Impregnated Liz Da Silva – Nollywood Insiders
Intense battle is set to arise between sexy Nollywood actress Liz Da Silva and her long-time partner, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo. naijagists.com
MC Oluomo, is a popular man in Oshodi area of Lagos state Nigeira.
He is a notable member of NURTW in Lagos who is already married with kids.
The re-known Oshodi boss reportedly dated actress Liz Da Silva for years and according to Nollywood insiders, he is the man who impregnated the Togo-born actress.
In December of last year, Liz Da Silva was rumoured pregnant and as a matter of fact, she has just passed her first trimester. She is currently 4 months pregnant.
A Nollywood insider who claimed the actress is confused to who the real father of her unborn baby is said she is 100% sure MC Oluomo is the man because the last intimacy that resulted in her pregnancy was with him.
The problem will surface if MC Oluomo rejects her baby.
Though she had another boyfriend named Akeem but she reportedly dumped him for the wealthy Oshodi transporter few months before her pregnancy.
Another Nollywood insider said Nigerian actress Liz Da Silva is extremely happy about her pregnancy considering she is no more a child.
"She is less bothered about the paternity of her unborn baby" – said the source


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First of all I do not really need Rolen that bad, I was thinking of Packaging him in a deal to another team because many are desparate for 3B. I have been talking to him and I think it could be done but I'm not sure exactly what to offer. If you were the Team with Rolen what would you want, he has Glaus so Rolen is only his UTIL guy.
His Team
C Kendall, Jason
1B Helton, Todd
2B Vidro, Jose
3B Glaus, Troy
SS Tejada, Miguel
OF Encarnacion, Juan
OF Jones, Jacque
OF Stewart, Shannon
Util Rolen, Scott
Bench Dye, Jermaine
Bench Gibbons, Jay
Bench Fick, Robert
SP Mussina, Mike
SP Perez, Odalis
RP Guardado, Eddie
RP Mantei, Matt
P Glavine, Tom
P Sabathia, C.C.
P Park, Chan Ho
Bench Zambrano, Carlos
Bench German, Franklyn
My Team
C - Mike Lieberthal
1B - Carlos Delgado
2B - Ray Durham
SS - Edgar Renteria
3B - Eric Chavez
OF - Lance Berkman
OF - Pat Burrell
OF - Moises Alou
UTIL - Carlos Lee
Bench - Jose Cruz Jr, Mo Vaughn, Karim Garcia, Toby Hall
SP - Curt Schilling
SP - AJ Burnett
RP - Kelvim Escobar
RP - Antonio Alfonseca
P - Randy Wolf
P - Josh Beckett
P - Brian Lawrence
Bench - Arthur Rhodes
I think I could get Rolen for two of my lower OF (Cruz,Lee,Alou) and Brian Lawrence.
Is this deal a possiblity, or am i just underating Rolen?
If Not what do you think I could give for Rolen?
I understand that I really don't need him, i'm just curious what I could get him for--Please Comment
--Thank You


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A week and a half ago, I attended my second BlogHer conference. It was many things to many people. For me it was inspiring, thought-provoking, educational, interesting, fun, exhausting, exciting, frustrating, troublesome, inspiring, surprising, exhilarating, awesome, and (yes, I'll say it for the third time) inspiring.
Unlike my first year of attending BlogHer, I made a point of pacing myself this year. I decided to only attend a few of the panels and some of the keynotes. I made plans to do things outside the hotel (like sight-seeing with my friend Heather from A Mama's Blog). I made sure I had some downtime in my hotel room each day. I made sure I ate a lot of vegetables and fruits. I didn't try to meet and network with as many people as I could, but instead decided to spend quality time with smaller groups. (Not that there's anything wrong with networking, but my heart just wasn't in it this year.) I feel like I've been living a slower, simpler life at home lately and wanted that kind of experience out of BlogHer too. I wanted to take it easy at BlogHer, have fun, and be inspired. I think I succeeded in doing all three.
The three panels I chose to attend (and it was tough deciding because there were many I would've liked to attend) were Writing Inspiration: Stoke Your Creativity, Radical Blogging Moms: Don't Even Think About Not Taking These Bloggers Seriously, and The Mega "Mindful Monetization" Session. I took something away from all three of them, but the one I've been thinking about the most lately is the Writing panel.
You may have noticed that my post count has gone down significantly lately. No? You haven't noticed? Aren't you sweet. 😉 As always, its not that I don't have anything to write about, its that I've been lacking the motivation to just sit down and write. The writing panel gave me some ideas on how I might "stoke my creativity" and work on getting in the habit of writing – even for just 20-30 minutes – every day. (And ya know, I actually took notes with a pen and paper in that panel and now I can't find my notebook at the moment or I'd mention more specifically some of the ideas shared. I think I'll write another post down the road with those ideas.) Now that doesn't mean I will crank out a blog post every day, but I am hoping that the practice of writing every day will encourage me to blog more frequently. The more I write, the easier it will be for me to write a post when I want to. At least in theory.
Anybody want to commit to writing 20-30 minutes a day with me? 🙂 We can do this together.
I will write more on what I found so inspiring (there were a lot of things, mostly people) and what was troublesome and frustrating (not too terribly much, which is a good thing) in a later post.
Also later this week I will be blogging about drinking alcohol while pregnant and whether or not pregnant women should be served by restaurants and bars. It should be a good post and I expect a lively discussion to follow. 😉
Photo credit: Flickr – Adikos
Don't miss a single CDG post, subscribe to my blog.


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Erin Dombach (pictured) and Natalie Barr were both named to the All-Tournament team. (Photo courtesy of Red Rocket Photography)
Playing in the NorPac title game in just their first season of competition in the league, the Liberty Lady Flames fell just short, as Stanford claimed the championship, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at Longwood's Athletics Complex.
The loss ended Liberty's eight-game winning streak, as the Lady Flames concluded the season with an overall record of 16-6. Liberty's 16 wins marks a 10-win improvement over its inaugural season from a year ago. With the win, Stanford improves to 15-6 on the season and advances to a NCAA Tournament play-in game on Tuesday.
Saturday's match pitted both NorPac division winners, as Liberty was the Eastern Division's top seed and Stanford held the No. 1 seed in the Western Division.
Liberty recorded its first shot in the 16th minute of play. Natalie Barr forced a Stanford turnover for the Lady Flames and led a two-on-two break toward the Cardinal circle. The freshman dribbled toward the right side and then spun back to the center of the circle and laced a reverse shot toward the cage, which sailed wide left.
The Lady Flames shut down the Cardinal on their first penalty corner of the contest in the 22nd minute. Stanford's Becky Dru lined a shot on goal, but Liberty goalie Mallory Cuccio reached out and deflected the shot wide of the cage.
Liberty's offense worked itself into the Stanford circle for a couple of scoring opportunities with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The Lady Flames notched a pair of shots and two penalty corners, but were not able to find the back of the goal as the game remained scoreless.
The Cardinal broke through with 56 seconds remaining in the opening stanza. Alex McCawley dribbled the ball toward the top of the Liberty circle and passed to the left side. Maddie Secco collected the pass and lined it into the cage to put Stanford on top 1-0 heading into the half.
Stanford outshot the Lady Flames in the opening 35 minutes, 7-3, while Liberty held the edge in penalty corners, 2-1.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Cardinal quickly extended its lead to 2-0. McCawley sent a hard pass into the circle from the right side and Lauren Becker buried it into the goal just 29 seconds into the second half.
The Lady Flames battled back in the 42nd minute as Barr made a run into the Stanford side of the field and ripped a pass into the circle. Sarah Gipe redirected the pass, but her shot attempt carried just wide of the cage.
With just over 12 minutes elapsed in the second half, Liberty once again forced a pair of penalty corners and collected two more shot attempts. The Stanford defense turned away both shots by the Lady Flames as the scored remained 2-0.
The Cardinal tacked on its third goal of the game in the 57th minute. Dru ripped a shot off of a direct corner into the left side of the cage. Shannon Herold and Hope Burke both collected assists on the play for Stanford.
The Lady Flames' Erin Dombach and Gipe each tallied a shot in the final minutes of play, but Stanford goalie Dulcie Davies saved both attempts. The score remained 3-0 as the final seconds ticked toward zero.
For the game, the Cardinal held the edge in shots, 14-9, while Liberty forced five penalty corners to Stanford's three.
Cuccio notched five saves in goal for Liberty, while Davies stopped three shots for the Cardinal.
In recognition of their outstanding play during the three-day tournament, Liberty's Barr and Dombach were named to the 2012 NorPac All-Tournament team. Stanford's Becky Dru was named the MVP.


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Please contact Customer Service at 1-888-491-8833 Ext. 1561
Jennings Veterinarians in North Vernon, IN is looking for a veterinarian to join our community-based practice. We are a busy, multi-doctor hospital that provides quality veterinary care for large and small animals, including equine and livestock. Our practice is equipped with digital radiology, IDEXX in house lab, surgical laser, ultrasound, a large animal facility, and cold laser therapy. The welcoming and long tenured team maintains an efficient and enjoyable work environment by being proactive to the needs of our doctors, patients, and clients. Get to know us better here!
This is an ideal opportunity for candidates interested laser surgery, as well as in large animal work and emergencies. New grads are also encouraged to apply as our collaborative team of doctors can provide mentorship and guidance through a wide range of experience and areas of interest.
The quaint city of North Vernon is a great place to live and work. A part of Jennings County, Indiana, it is centrally located between Louisville, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, and is only a 30 minute drive to Columbus. The area provides plenty of amenities to explore, such as shopping, dining, entertainment, and theatres. There are also great opportunities to enjoy outdoor recreation, as the nearby Muscatatuck County Park offers trails for hiking and biking as well as a campground. Close to several state parks, the area offers opportunity for canoeing, fishing and water sports. This is also a great place for a family, as the community boasts their youth sports programs as well as a strong 4H program. This community offers something special for everyone.
We are a family of practices with a long history and reputation that separates us from others - check us out! We support our veterinarians with superior salary, benefits including health and dental, 401(k), CE allowance, vacation, dues, liability coverage, outstanding practice teams, and a family friendly atmosphere.


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Leo Love Bars…still
They're engaged, then they aren't seen together in public so they break up, then five minutes later it's like they're walking down the aisle – according to the tabloids, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Rafaeli have a rather dramatic love. Or maybe he's just so undercover he really knows how to hide and plug the leaks?
Leo rarely ventures out… but when he does, he's always a prime target.
This weekend he and Bar hit up Villa. Upon leaving, they were swarmed by photographers. Leo managed to hide his face while Bar was less successful. Perhaps that was on purpose?
Bar is the host of Tommy Hilfiger Presents: Iconic America on Bravo – something about exploring the relationship between pop culture and fashion. Bar wants to be the next Heidi Klum. Courting the paps can help with that...
But will her boyfriend approve?
Photos from Flynetonline.com


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Jewelled dangling padlock Ball Closure Ring or BCR - 1.6mm (14 gauge)
|This ball closure ring or captive bead ring features a clip in gem ball with a dangling jewelled padlock, it looks amazing in a pierced nipple - the ring is made out of 316L Surgical steel and the charm is cast steel and held in by pressure - the ball has dimples either side which the ring clips into. The internal diameter of the ring is 12mm (1/2") so you need to be sure that you choose the correct size for your piercing.
Measuring Your Piercing - Jewellery Measuring Guide
Wearing the correct size of body jewellery is very important. If you wear a size that is too small it could easily irritate or hurt your piercing. If your jewellery is too big it can easily catch your clothes resulting in a damaged piercing.
The measurements to consider with each piece of jewellery are as follows:
Length / Diameter of the jewellery. (A / B in the diagram above)
The above example pictures show you the measurements that you need to take for a Banana Bar, a Ball Closure Ring (BCR), a Barbell and a Labret. Only measure a piece of jewellery that currently fits you correctly.
An alternative method is to directly measure your piercing between both holes using a ruler, although this can sometimes be difficult on your own.
Thickness / Gauge of the jewellery (C in the diagram)
The most common sizes are as follows:
* Navel, Tongue and Nipple jewellery - 1.6mm (or 14 Gauge)
* Eyebrow - 1.2mm (16 Gauge)
* Nose - 1.0mm (18 Gauge)
* Labret piercings are usualy either 1.2mm (16 Gauge) or 1.6mm (14 Gauge)
These are the the standard thicknesses of body jewellery that we sell, so unless you have an unusual piercing, you do not have to worry about this measurement.
We often get asked what are the sizes of jewellery in my country. In Europe thickness is shown in mm but in other parts of the world people use gauge. The following table should help you convert the sizes.
Thickness Conversion
* 1mm = 18 gauge
* 1.2mm = 16 gauge
* 1.6mm = 14 gauge
* 2mm = 12 gauge
* 2.4mm = 10 gauge
* 3.2mm = 8 gauge
* 4mm = 6 gauge
* 5mm = 4 gauge
* 6mm = 2 gauge
* 8mm = 0 gauge
Length/Diameter Conversion
* 6mm = 1/4"
* 8mm = 5/16"
* 10mm = 3/8"
* 11mm = 7/16"
* 12mm = 1/2"
* 14mm = 9/16"
* 16mm = 5/8"
* 18mm = 11/16"
* 19mm = 3/4"
* 21mm 13/16"
Crystal and Materials Colour Charts
Please note that these colours are shown to give an indication of the colour of the jewellery but slight colour variations do occur occasionally. Not all designs are available in all colours.


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Tree City Growth Awards
Category D: Tree Planting and Maintenance
D1. Special Tree Planting Project (4 points)
A tree-planting project for a special purpose such as energy conservation, or requiring special circumstances such as pit construction or vandalism protection was successfully implemented. Such a project would require a special appropriation, or special cooperation with the neighborhood or business district.
D2. Public Utility Tree Care (5 points)
The maintenance of publicly owned utility lines was significantly improved to reduce adverse impacts on trees. An example would be training in the use of state-of-the-art techniques that avoid topping trees, or qualifying as a Tree Line USA Utility.
D3. Recycling (6 points)
A biomass recycling program was successfully implemented or significantly improved. This may include street tree leaves, lawn wastes, tree removals, Christmas trees, etc.
D4. Street Tree Planting (7 points)
The city formally established or significantly improved its street-tree-planting program.
D5. Street Tree Pruning (8 points)
A formal pruning system was established or improved for the city's street trees. This criterion requires significant improvement through the initiation of regularly scheduled visits to all street trees depending on the requirements of the species, or the reduction of time between visits if needed.
D6. Hazard Tree Program (5 points)
A hazard tree assessment and action program was established or significantly improved, including employee training and a systematic method that includes periodic tree inspections and prompt follow-up when needed.
D7. Special Program to Eliminate Destructive Practices (6 points)
A program such as an educational or ordinance enforcement campaign to eliminate tree topping community-wide, or a training program that eliminates tree damage caused by employees misusing herbicides, weed cutters, and lawnmowers was successfully implemented.
D8. Integrated Pest Management (5 points)
Systems and methods for insect and disease control that are environmentally sensitive were put into place or significantly improved.
D9. Plans for Donations (3 points)
Plans were developed or significantly improved for projects such as vest-pocket parks, arboretum improvements, memorial tree groves, woodland acquisitions, etc. to be available in case of unexpected cash donations or similar opportunities.
D10. Contract Growing (5 points)
A contract with a nursery was initiated or significantly improved to provide specific varieties or species of street and park trees for future years (to enable planning and to assure having the right trees for the right sites).
D11. Tree Preservation (6 points)
A special project or program was initiated to preserve or relocate trees on development or construction sites.


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Sterling Silver Halo Drop Earrings w/t Cubic Zirconia Crystals
- Regular price
- $65.00
- Sale price
- $39.87
- Product Details
- Description
- Shipping and Returns
•Measure: 0,9 In W x 0.3 In W
•Weight: 0.11Ib
•Material: • .925 Sterling Silver Rhodium Plated ( Rhodium is a rare, silver-white hard metal in the platinum family on the periodic table. As an inert or noble metal — meaning it's resistant to corrosion and oxidation in moist air — rhodium also increases the durability of any jewelry it plates.)
• Cubic Zirconia Crystals
Paradis Love Measurements are approximate. See our disclaimer
• DESIGN LIKE NO OTHER – our earrings have been created by some of the most talented artists in Switzerland and nobody is able or entitled to copy or reproduce our unique models. We use only .925 Rhodium Plated Sterling Silver gracefully embellished with genuine Cubic Zirconia Crystals.
• IS THERE A BETTER GIFT THAN THIS?– Choose any of the Paradis earrings as a gift for that special lady in your life (daughter, wife, girlfriend, mother, sister and so on) and we will carefully wrap it in a gift box for you.
• OUR COMMITMENT - Because we work magic on our jewelry and fill them with love and personality. Should you have any questions or comments, we are here for you 24/7. We also accept 30 days No Questions returns, although only very few desired to give back our special jewelry.
• Gift-giving made easy, All items are individually packaged in our signature Paradis Love stylish gift box.
• Free 3-day shipping on all orders. Estimated delivery: 3-5 business days after receiving your order.
• Free 30-day returns. We offer free exchanges and return within 30 days. A free return label will be sent in 24 hours after receiving your return request on firstname.lastname@example.com


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Types of Dentures
Dentures are divided into different categories based on how many teeth they replace, how they are secured, and how soon they can be worn. With several types of dentures available, it is important to discuss your options with a reputable dentist before beginning the process. You may want to consider the cost of each type as well as their aesthetic and functional benefits.
Traditional Dentures
Conventional dentures rely on the gums or remaining natural teeth for support. In most cases, traditional dentures are removable. Depending on the extent of your tooth loss, your dentist can fit you for a full traditional denture to replace an arch of teeth or a partial denture to fill spaces in your smile.


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Simple, Secure Cloud-Based Document Management
Manage your organization's documents without investing in server setup and maintenance – and make it easier than ever to access files anywhere, even from mobile devices
With M-Files Cloud Vault, you won't waste time searching for a document, recreating information or using the wrong version. Instead, you can just tag your documents and save them in your vault – and they'll automatically be saved in the cloud and made available to anyone with access, anywhere they are.
Plus, M-Files Cloud Vault is the first professional document management solution running on the Windows Azure platform, so you can take advantage of Microsoft's highly scalable and reliable cloud-based platform and geographically distributed data centers to rapidly deploy solutions.
Top features and benefits
– Combining M-Files' intuitive, easy-to-learn Windows interface with cloud-based storage, M-Files Cloud Vault is the best way to manage your documents in the cloud.
– Organize your documents and information with metadata, or tags
– Find any document instantly – never waste time searching through folders
– Protect and secure your documents
– Easy to use – functionality mimics Windows Explorer
– Deploy on Windows Azure without large upfront costs
– Scan and save directly to the cloud from any scanner or application, including email
Automatic version history, supports all applications and file types, fast search- find any file instantly
– M-Files tracks version history every time a document is changed and maintains each version along with an auditable trail of changes from the time a document is created to its final released version. This is critical for regulatory compliance in the pharmaceutical/life sciences, manufacturing and finance industries. Instantly retrieve any version to see what was changed, or roll back to an old version if you choose. No matter how large a file is, only the changes between versions are saved, so storage space is used efficiently and vault searches remain fast.
– M-Files Cloud Vault looks and acts like a standard hard drive, so it supports literally every Windows application. Simply use the standard Save and Open commands to save to and open from the vault. Every file type is supported, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, Emails, CAD files, Quickbooks files, images and pictures and more.
– Office workers can spend up to 50 percent or more of their time searching for documents. One of the most important benefits of M-Files Cloud Vault is that you never waste time looking for files again. Once you store a document in the vault and tag it, just type in that tag – or any word in the entire document – and M-Files finds the document instantly.


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Documents & Filing Sandbox Electronic Test Site
The Sandbox Electronic Test Site (ETS) provides a facility where companies/vendors can check the basic construction of eTariff XML files. The Sandbox provides the basic types of data checks that the Commission performs and provides the error messages generated in the eTariff system.
Validation Error Codes : The errors the ETS will check are listed in CSV format in this file. The Validation Error Codes table will be updated as additional data checks are implemented.
Test File Instruction Guide (updated 3/26/10): This document provides additional information on the ETS' tests.
eTariff Sandbox FTP site: Test tariff filing should be submitted to this address. Files submitted have no naming restrictions and must have a .zip as the extension. This is not a secure site. A generic username and password are required (all in lowercase):
Username - etsuser
Password - testxml#
Note: that this system does not retain data. However, if a valid company identifier is used and the filing uses a valid Tariff Identifier established in the Production account, then the company can make all categories of Test Tariff Filings that are appropriate based on the tariff status in the Production database. The Sandbox serves the role of helping companies/vendors ensure they are constructing their XML files correctly, with the expected values for specific data elements.
Be advised that since the ETS is intended only as a test tool, information sent to it will be considered available for public disclosure under 18 C.F.R. Part 388 and requests for confidential treatment of such information will not be considered. If actual tariff filing data is included in the test XML files, the data should not be above the security access level of "Public."


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Charter 'chat'
As the International Charter Space and Major Disasters honours its 10th Anniversary, members gathered at ESRIN, ESA's Earth observation centre, in Frascati, Italy, for a two-day board meeting. We caught up with some of them for a Charter 'chat'.
ESA's Stephen Briggs, the French space agency's (CNES) André Husson and the Argentine Space Agency's (CONAE) Gabriel Platzeck discussed the Charter's achievements and future plans.
The Charter is an international collaboration, initiated by ESA and CNES, to put satellite remote sensing at the service of civil protection agencies and others in response to natural and man-made disasters.
Together with ESA and CNES, the Charter, founded in 2000, currently has 10 members: the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CONAE, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the British National Space Centre/Disaster Monitoring Constellation (BNSC/DMC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
All of these agencies have committed to provide free and unrestricted access to their space assets to support relief efforts in the immediate aftermath of catastrophes.


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I'm pretty excited about this. Some local folks are organizing what they're calling the Americana August festival starting this weekend, with three concerts, two in Columbia Heights and one in Northeast DC. It sounds really cool, and I hope to write more about it soon. Here's the info and flyer:
"Americana August" is a three day music festival that centers on the ethos of American hospitality and togetherness. We seek to bring together several bands, singer-songwriters, events, and food options where one and all are welcome to partake and participate in making the event their own.
Our first event on the evening of August 3rd features Lulu Mae of Nashville, TN with local artist Wendell Kimbrough. Bring your best homemade pies and enter for a chance to win our pie baking contest for an Americana prize. Location is 3423 Oakwood Terrace NW with doors at 8pm ($10 cover). Find the Event Page Here
Our second event is Picnic and Bluegrass held at the same location at 11:30am the next morning (August 4th) and will feature the Honey Dewdrops from Charlottesville, VA ($10 cover). A DC Food Truck will be making an appearance and will have food available for purchase and iced tea and lemonade will be provided. Bring your blankets and your Americana spirit! Find the Event Page Here
Our final event on August 9th will feature Jill Andrews of Knoxville, TN at 826 7th St. NE with doors at 8pm, show time at 8:30 ($15 cover). A free Americana ice cream treat will be given to each attendee. In the spirit of American hospitality, the first twenty people to buy their bundle package tickets via PayPal ($35 for all three days) will receive Americana August memorabilia, VIP seating, and a beer at each show. We hope to see you there! Find the Event Page Here


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Redesigned for 2018, the All-New Volvo XC60 pleases in far more ways than one. From its stunning good looks to its amenity-laden interior, enjoy every moment behind the wheel of the All-New Volvo XC60. With the perfect combination of design and technology, it's hard to beat what the 2018 Volvo XC60 has to offer.
At the heart of the 2018 Volvo XC60 T5 lives Volvo's award-winning Drive-E powertrain. A direct injected, turbocharged engine with a remarkable 250-horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque that sends power through a smooth-shifting eight-speed Geartronic automatic transmission to the front wheels. Low-friction technology and Start/Stop functionality assist in obtaining an EPA-rated 24 combined city and highway mpg. For those looking for added power without sacrificing fuel economy, the All-New XC60 is also offered with Volvo's award-winning T8 Twin Engine powertrain. The T8 engine is a plug-in hybrid that delivers 400 horsepower without compromising emissions.
The All-New XC60 can also be equipped with an advanced AWD drive train. This drive train features Instant Traction which is an electronic management system that constantly monitors the speed of the wheels, the throttle, engine torque and ground speed, and the brakes. As driving conditions change, wheels with the best grip get the most power. When a tire loses traction, power is reduced to that wheel and instantly transferred to the more sure-footed wheels. This system leaves the vehicle feeling planted to the ground under the most inclement conditions.
Volvo has been a safety pioneer for nearly a century and the 2018 Volvo XC60 is no exception. Slip behind the wheel and find that Intellisafe, Volvo's suite of safety technology, boasts of many sought after features. Collison Avoidance, Active Bending Lights, Brake Pedal Release, and more help to protect what is most important. Additional Intellisafe safety features include:
Dressed with driftwood-inspired trim and featuring textured, grained leather seating, the interior of the All-New Volvo XC60 is one that's a pleasure to experience. Experience the 3-spoke leather steering wheel with deco inlay, then adjust the vehicle's dual-zone Electronic Climate System to the desired cabin temperature. Meanwhile, feel the concert worthy audio with the XC60's available Bowers & Wilkins sound system. Whether it's yourself, or a passenger, the interior of the 2018 Volvo XC60 will be sure to impress.


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#1 5 Of the Most Badass Non-Human Soldiers Ever
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Location
- Locked in a Dungeon, being tortured and LOVING IT!
- Posts
- 9,330
Very good read."It's a convention of wolves over there with all the snarling, snapping, and baring of teeth."
Ron Paul Supporter Describing CU
No Cairo?
No pictures. Cairo is a ninja.
I'm calling shenanigans. Not one of those dogs made Bad Ass Of The Week. Sgt Stubby did though.
Sergeant Stubby was a stray, homeless mutt who saved more lives, saw more combat, and performed more badass feats of heroic awesomeness than most people could ever hope to accomplish even WITH the advantage of prehensile thumbs and the ability to utilize 100 percent of their brain power without exploding into a burst of ball lightning.
The American version of Voytek the Soldier Bear, this fearless, ass-destroyingly ferocious Pit Bull Terrier started his humble life as most stray animals do hungry, cold, alone, and stranded in the town of New Haven, Connecticut. Living garbage can to garbage can without so much as a doghouse roof over his head, one day this poor dejected little canine happened to stumble onto the parade ground on the campus of Yale University, where it just so happened that the men of the 102nd Regiment, 26th Infantry Division were training for their eventual deployment to fight in World War I. The so-pathetic-it's-adorable little dog-creature was taken in by a soldier named John Robert Conroy, who named the pup "Stubby" on account of the thing's little stumpy gimp tail (or maybe this is a common trait of pit bull terriers, I have no idea). Conroy started leaving food out and let the little guy sleep in the barracks from time to time, and before long pretty much every dude in the 102nd thought this thing was omg totez adorbs, etc. The dog, for its part, was also like insane-as-hell smart, and I don't mean like, "Oh hey that dog thinks he's people because he sits in an armchair and licks beer coozies" stuff, but more like, "Holy crap balls Lassie's trying to tell us that Little Timmy fell down a well and is being slowly digested by a thousand rabid snakes sent forth from a rift in the Hellmouth," smart. After just a few weeks of hanging around the drill field, watching the soldiers do their thing, this friggin' dog/Battle-Cat hybrid learned the damn bugle calls, could execute the marching maneuvers with the men, and was I shit you not trained to salute superior officers by raising his forepaw to his brow in what I can only imagine was a sight so cripplingly adorable that nowadays it would be an obnoxious, long-running Internet meme on one of these I Can Has Catburger websites.
Private Stubby had free reign to drink out of any toilet bowl on the Yale campus during training, and when the order came down for the 102nd to ship out to battle Conroy just stuffed the dog into his greatcoat and smuggled him on board a ship bound for France. Once the transport was under way, Conroy brought the dog out onto the deck, and all the sailors all decided this dog was so totally flippin' sweet that they had a machinists' mate make him a set of dog tags to match the ones worn by the soldiers. When Conroy got a little sloppy and his weirdo covert dog smuggling operation was discovered commanding officer, Conroy gave the order to, "Present Arms," the goddamned dog saluted the commander. The officer was like "WTF ever" and from that point on Stubby was officially allowed to follow Yankee Division out to the battlefront.
This is where it gets good. Stubby became the official mascot of the American Expeditionary Force, and did his part to raise morale to the war-weary soldiers on the front lines. Ok, that's great, but during his tour of duty in Europe, Stubby also participated in 17 battles and four major offensives including the St. Mihel, Meuse-Argonne, Aisne-Marne, and Champagne Marne campaigns. In February 1918, while fighting in a heated sector north of Soissons, Stubby found himself under constant artillery and sniper fire for over a month straight with no respite, responding by howling and barking in "a battle rage" every time gunshots started ringing out. He was wounded in action later that month in a chemical weapons attack, when the Germans launched some mustard gas that poisoned the little dog so hard it nearly died.
But this was a badass pit bull, and it would take more than a lung full of poison gas to slow him down. Instead of croaking, Stubby became more hardcore he'd had his fill of getting the crap kicked out of him by chemical weapons, and thanks to his heightened sense of smell this little bastard could now sniff out mustard gas before it became lethal. From that point on, any time a gas canister exploded near American lines, the friggin' dog would run up and down the trenches barking and biting men until they put their gas masks on, an act that saved countless lives. Once his comrades were properly masked-up, Stubby would run and hide until the gas cloud cleared (because this was back in the days before they'd invented doggy chemical warfare hoods).In most sports, cold-cocking an opposing player repeatedly in the face with a series of gigantic Slovakian uppercuts would get you a multi-game suspension without pay.
In hockey, it means you have to sit in the penalty box for five minutes.
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Things we learned:
La Quinta has no pet fee + no limit to number of dogs.
The best dog park in the US is in Minneapolis.
The first time a dog sees snow is hilarious.
Our band, The New Trust (Josh Staples, bass, vocals; Sara Sanger, guitar, vocals; Julia Lancer, drums) just returned from a five-week, nationwide tour, accompanied by our canine entourage: Josh and Sara's Border Collie Murray and Julia's Border Collie/Heeler mix Stella. We were in a new city every day, and we always started with a visit to the local dog park, where we'd chat with other dog owners. The friendliness we found at the dog parks offset the tour's hard moments, lack of comfort and too much time spent in gas stations and diners.
We had a good night at Rubber Gloves, a great live-music venue in Denton, Texas; the dogs were allowed in after the show was over, and they had their very own mosh pit. In Chicago, they hung out in the Electrical Audio studios while we recorded our new album, Keep Dreaming (Josh wrote the dogs into the lyrics of the title track).


text: Ok, so these summer threads got me thinking. Im not a super hairy dude, but I have some chest/stomach hair, which Im good with. But then, I have some hair around my shoulders and a little on my lower back. Its not thick but I guess for summer I could try to get rid of it. What are my options? Shave? Wax? Chemical remover?


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Renault may build new Nissan hatchback
Paris, January 26, 2013
Nissan Motor Co plans to build its next hatchback model at one of alliance partner Renault SA's French factories, Les Echos newspaper reported on its website.
Renault and Nissan Europe declined to confirm the report, which said the new car would be made from 2014 at Renault's Flins or Douai site, and destined for sale across Europe.
Nissan would produce 80,000 of the cars, which have not yet been given a name, per year, Les Echos said, adding that an announcement could come as early as next week.
Renault told unions in talks earlier this week that it could produce an extra 80,000 vehicles a year at its domestic factories for partners Nissan or Daimler AG if workers agreed to a new labour deal.
Renault's domestic plants are among the worst-affected by car industry overcapacity, which has swollen as many European countries have gone into recession.
The Flins site currently produces the new Clio and the Zoe electric vehicle. The Douai plant, meanwhile, is suffering from the decline in sales of Renault's Scenic model but is due to receive the carmaker's future mid and high-end ranges.
This would be the first time that Nissan produced cars on French soil, although it already builds vans there.
The French government, Renault's biggest shareholder, which holds a 15 percent stake, has said it wants Renault to support domestic employment by building cars for Nissan, its 43.4-owned Japanese affiliate. - Reuters


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This is Longway North, a movie pilot from France's Sacrebleu Productions and director Rémi Chayé, who worked on The Secret of Kells. The animation team assembled this short film as a pitch for a longer production that should hopefully be out in 2014. Here's a synopsis:
Sasha, a young Russian aristocratic girl at the end of the 19th century, dreams of the Great North and languishes over Oloukine, her grandfather, a renowned scientist and Arctic explorer, who has not returned from his last expedition to conquer the North Pole. He transmitted his location to Sasha which is far from satisfying her parents as they have already arranged for their daughter to marry. She revolts against this destiny, flees and is resolved to going to join Oloukine a longway north.


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Prior to the 2012 model, the Volkswagen Passat midsize sedan was priced out of reach for most VW enthusiasts, and was too enthusiast-oriented to appeal to most American midsize-sedan shoppers. Passat's pricing also alienated garden-variety shoppers because some other midsize sedans it competes with were considerably less expensive. Passat is in a market segment that includes the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.
For 2012, Volkswagen rethought Passat and created a new version that lightened up a little on the hardcore German engineering and made the car roomier and more comfortable. VW made these changes specifically with the American market in mind. In another gesture toward turning Passat into a buyer magnet in the U.S., Volkswagen gave it a base price of $19,995 plus destination charge.
The Passat is built in Chattanooga, Tenn., at an assembly plant that is part of a $4 billion investment by Volkswagen in the U.S. market.
After the major revisions last year, Passat is basically unchanged for 2013, but SE and SEL models have a new cupholder design, a revised front stowage area with a hinged cover, and a new center console that includes rear air vents. Additionally, all SEL models now have a rearview backup camera.
The 2013 Volkswagen Passat comes in three trim levels: S, SE, and SEL. Three engines are available: a 2.5-liter five-cylinder generating 170 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, with a standard five-speed manual transmission or optional six-speed automatic; a 2.0-liter TDI Clean Diesel inline four-cylinder with 140 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, with a standard six-speed manual transmission or optional DSG (dual-clutch) six-speed automatic; and a 280-horsepower, 3.6-liter VR6 producing 258 lb-ft of torque and paired with the DSG automatic transmission.
City/highway EPA mileage ratings for the five-cylinder engine are 22/32 with a manual transmission and 22/31 with an automatic; 20/28 for the VR6; and 31/43 for the TDI with a manual transmission, 30/40 with an automatic.
Base pricing for the 2013 Passat, including a $795 destination charge, starts at $21,640 for the 2.5 S with manual transmission, and tops out at $34,320 for the 3.6 SEL with Premium package.
My tester was a 3.6 SE with Sunroof and Navigation. That's the official name of the trim level. With a base price of $30,895 plus a $795 destination charge, standard equipment on this version (in addition to features included on the models priced below it) is the six-speed DSG automatic transmission, 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, V-Tex leatherette seating, eight-way power driver seat, heated front seats, Premium VIII touchscreen radio, Fender premium audio system, chrome dual exhaust, foglights and, of course, a sunroof and navigation.
"Clean" is the word that comes to mind to describe my 2013 Passat tester. Not clean as in nondirty, but clean as in uncluttered. Inside and out, everything is crisp, classic, symmetrical and understated. No silly, unnecessary swirls or swooshes or dramatic effects that are going to look awful in the near future if they don't already. What Passat's exterior design lacks in attention-getting now, it will make up for in lack of embarrassment for the driver later. This car will look good for a long time.
The dashboard and center console are so impeccably neat and tidy, it looks like there's not as much cool stuff on the Passat as there is on other cars. But it's all there, and maybe even then some. Volkswagen didn't keep it clean by eliminating buttons and knobs and burying all the controls inside a touchscreen. Crucial items such as simple temperature and audio controls are operated via buttons and knobs. Telematics operation involving the touchscreen is excellently intuitive. It's as though Volkswagen thinks people driving cars really ought to concentrate on driving, not playing around with unrelated crap. Radical thinking.
Rear-seat legroom is generous enough for two tall adults to ride comfortably in the back seat, yet there's still enough space for a big, nearly 16 cubic-feet trunk.
Another defining feature of Passat's interior is the use of high-grade materials assembled with precision. The V-Tex leatherette seat covering is a great alternative to both fabric and leather, for those who don't want either for whatever reason. The experience inside my tester was appreciably enhanced by a 400-watt Fender Premium Audio System with nine speakers, including a subwoofer mounted in the trunk. And the tester's finishing touch: easy-clean thick rubber floormats, dressed up with the Passat logo in a contrasting color, keeping Pacific Northwest weather remnants from sullying the new-car ambience.
The navigation system, which I relied on heavily during a test week that included many miles in unfamiliar territory, was an absolute snap to operate, responded instantly to input, and gave guidance with pinpoint accuracy. There are quite a lot of automotive navigation systems about which none of this can be said.
The Americanized Passat's suspension is a gentler version of what VW purists have come to know and love, but it's better at absorbing highway bumps and dips, so passengers are treated to a smoother ride. This is still a German-engineered vehicle, however, and road feel hasn't been reduced to the point of boredom and lifelessness, thank God. Passat still takes the tighter turns of winding roads admirably, especially for a roomy five-passenger sedan, and the powerful VR6 engine keeps Passat's spirit fully alive.
Base price, including destination charge: $31,690
Price as driven: $31,690
Mary Lowry is a freelance automotive writer who has been reviewing cars for more than 20 years. The cars are provided by the manufacturers as a one-week loan for review purposes only. In no way do the manufacturers control the content of the reviews.
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After a good couple of months piecing together, the debut film for Perth based wordsmith Mathas is finally live and on-line. White Sugar focuses on personal flaws, habitual behaviour and the extreme consumption of heavily refined and processed foods in the Western world.
White Sugar is a mixture of stop motion photography, live-video and green screen, handmade out of an assortment of sweet treats and 30kg of salt (because it was cheaper than sugar). White Sugar is a collaboration between local creatives (and Cut & Paste family) Tom Mathieson (aka Mathas), John Macliver, Dominic Pearce, Nicole Norelli and Jordan Shields.
As you'll see when you scroll below the clip is a swirling journey through a vicious candyland, where ripe raspberries and Chico Babies go for the throat, whilst the product advertising of yesteryear repeats in a droning, endless loop. The only way forward is towards total zombification and a posse of buzzword angels on your shoulder, lulling you to a lolly-encrusted catatonia. Enjoy!
Why not download the track HERE
Producer: John Macliver
Director/Graphics: Tom Mathieson
1st AD: Nicole Norelli
D.O.P: Jordan Shields
Visual Effects/Green Screen: Dominic Pearce


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Credits: © Majed, Thor Swift Photography
Preparing scientists to harness and apply the power of data to understand the complexities of human biology
The Biological and Medical Informatics Graduate Program (BMI) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) readies scientists to master and interpret, through the use of sophisticated tools and computational models, the rapidly growing amount of information about human biology.
The BMI program currently has two pathways:
- Bioinformatics (BI) with optional designated emphases in:
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBBI).
- Complex Biological Systems (CBS).
- Clinical and Translational Informatics (CTI)
This pathway has been offered in the past but is not accepting applications.


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Food & Drink
Exotic culinary tours around the world
By Sarah Gold, Departures • Updated 24th January 2013
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6 Pictures
Eating and cooking one's way through a country is one of the best ways to understand and enjoy a culture. The raw ingredients, finished dishes and smells, tastes and traditions in between meld into unforgettable sensory experiences.
Tour operators are offering an increasing number of trips that cater to their guests' desire to taste -- and cook -- their way through a destination. These newer excursions go far beyond familiar gastronomic pilgrimages to Tuscany. Hungry globetrotters are keen to visit goat-cheese producers in Iceland, with the likes of food writer and chef Jody Eddy; sample street food in Vietnam on a trip with Artisans of Leisure; or press their own olive oil in Egypt during a journey with Backpacker Concierge.
Our list highlights some of the very best culinary tours around, all of which prove that travel has never tasted so good.
Artisans of Leisure, Vietnam
After the S-shape curve of the country from north to south,
Artisans of Leisure's
private, custom Vietnam for Foodies tours take in cultural and gustatory attractions along the way. Trips start in Hanoi, where guests explore the city's famed markets, colonial architecture, historical sites and French-influenced restaurants.
Next they hop on a traditional junk for a sail across Halong Bay, whose waters teem with prawns, oysters, squid and snapper that are staples of the local cuisine. Visits to the former imperial city of Hue, a vegetarian Buddhist monastery and the herb farms around Hoi An follow (participants pick lemongrass, basil and cilantro and use them to make fresh spring rolls).
Departures: A taste of ancient Greek food
The final stop, in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), includes chef-led cooking classes and a street-food tour -- and boundless opportunities for trying snacks such as banh mi (sandwiches), pho (spicy noodle soup), goi du du (green papaya salad) and banh xeo (rice pancakes with pork and shrimp). Eleven-day trips by appointment, from $6,810; 800-214-8144.
Austin-Lehman Adventures, Athens and the Cyclades
Travelers who envision Greece as a never-ending series of secluded beaches, ancient ruins and whitewashed fishing villages won't be disappointed here. The
weeklong itinerary
manages to fold in all the can't-miss sights: the Parthenon in Athens, the sparkling shores of Santorini, the cerulean lagoons of Antiparos and the ever-photogenic sugar-cube buildings of Mykonos.
But it also provides an in-depth appreciation for the food and flavors of the region. Guests make visits to groves and farms where they can sample honey, olive oil, feta and graviera (a sheep's-milk cheese).
Departures: Top 'how to' vacations
They also take cooking classes -- sometimes in the island homes of local chefs -- and learn to prepare local dishes such as revythada (slow-cooked chickpea stew), domatokeftedes (tomato fritters) and tsipoura (fresh-caught sea bream). eight-day trips (May-October departures), from $5,298; 800-575-1540.
Backpacker Concierge, Egypt
Daydreams of an Egyptian holiday usually include lots of stock imagery: the soaring pyramids and Great Sphinx at Giza; the riotous, colorful crowds of the market stalls at Cairo's Khan al Khalili. But until recently most travelers haven't wondered much about the flavors of this desert country -- a situation
Backpacker Concierge
aims to change with its new bespoke culinary excursions there.
Departures: World's top tasting menus
While guests on the tours can see all the quintessential Egyptian sights, they also partake in some truly unusual gastronomic experiences, including touring the country's little-known northern wineries; learning to make Egyptian specialties such as mahshy (stuffed zucchini and cabbage leaves) and duqqa (roasted ground hazelnuts and spices) in a chef's home kitchen; and, in the remote village of Siwa, pressing olive oil and making date honey by hand. Seven-day trips by appointment, from $1,700; 248-507-4666.
Caribbean Culinary Tours, Jamaica
Though they are one of the closest holiday destinations for North Americans, the Caribbean islands are home to a singularly vivid and eclectic cuisine. And while many island nations here have their own particular culinary traditions, perhaps none is as distinctive as Jamaica's -- a blend of African, European and Asian influences that gave birth to such signature preparations as jerk-spiced meat and fish, ackee and saltfish, curried goat and festival (deep-fried bread balls).
Departures: American chocolate tours
It takes an islander to help visitors properly navigate this gastronomic landscape, and Dominican-born chef Freda Gore does just that by leading her
Caribbean Culinary Tours
cooking seminars, guiding trips to roadside farmers' stalls, restaurants and rum distilleries and -- in between -- allowing for downtime for sunning, snorkeling and cocktails. April 12-18, from $2,999; 615-609-5421.
Epitourean, Lima and Machu Picchu, Per
A Peruvian tasting tour capped off by a trek to the most dazzling UNESCO World Heritage site on the South American continent? A traveler would need to be scared of heights -- or ceviche -- to pass it up.
itinerary provides an array of food-related experiences, including cooking classes -- which teach the finer points of wild-boar carapulcra (stew) and morada (shredded chicken with purple potato and aji amarillo) -- and trips to markets, pisco taverns in Lima and street-food stalls in Cusco.
In between gastronomic adventures, however, there is plenty of time to visit historic cathedrals, museums and Incan ruins, the most spectacular of which is, of course, the ancient high-altitude site of Machu Picchu, the figurative and literal peak of the tour. Ten-day trips by appointment, from $3,690; 800-390-3292.
Jody Eddy, Iceland
Food writer and chef
Jody Eddy
, whose cooking resume includes stints at Jean-Georges and Tabla in New York, teamed with Icelandic chef Kjartan Gislason to put together this new culinary adventure for August. Trip participants will enjoy Iceland's breathtaking natural landscapes, soaking in mountain-ringed geothermal pools, hiking alongside thundering waterfalls and sailing to remote north-coast islands.
Departures: Most bikeable wine regions
In between, they will visit with growers and producers of distinctly Icelandic products such as smoked arctic char, skyr (a tangy local yogurt), sweet rye bread, reindeer carpaccio and liqueurs made with rhubarb, birch and caraway. Guests will also get demonstrations from and take meals with some of the country's most celebrated chefs, including Gunnar Karl Gislason, whose Reykjavik restaurant
(dillrestaurant.is) set the bar for modern Icelandic cuisine. August 16-23, from $3,900.
TripFeast, Thailand
Many travelers know Thailand as a street-food paradise, and rightly so. One could easily spend months trolling Bangkok's wok-wielding vendors and snacking on oyster omelets, spicy noodles and barbecued squid. With its Gourmet Thailand tour, however,
brings guests far beyond the street carts.
The Bangkok-based itinerary is built around classes at some of the country's best cooking schools, where refined dishes such as pla goong (spicy prawn salad with Thai herbs) are learned. Guests explore the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and take trips to mussel farms, fishing villages and even a tropical-climate winery along the western edge of the Bay of Bangkok.
Visits to Buddhist temples, tuk tuk rides and a night tour of Bangkok's vibrant Chinatown are also on the itinerary. Eight-day trips (March and November departures), from $2,075; 347-380-6959.
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text:
Wall Street Journal Campaigns Against Clean Air Protections
A Wall Street Journal editorial calls on Congress to cancel EPA's proposed limits on mercury emissions and other toxic air pollution from power plants, claiming that the action amounts to a "War on Jobs." However, studies have found that the new standards, which have been decades in the making and are already being met by a majority of coal-fired utilities, would actually result in a net creation of jobs.
WSJ Sees Limits On Toxic Air Pollution As A "War On Jobs"
WSJ Attacks Proposed Air Toxics Regulation As A "War On Jobs." From the Wall Street Journal editorial titled, "The EPA's War on Jobs: Coal is from Earth, Lisa Jackson is from mercury" :
President Obama's jobs council will make its first recommendations today on lifting hiring and strengthening the economy. Too bad the message doesn't seem to be reaching the Administration's regulators, in particular the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA is currently conducting a campaign against coal-fired power and one of its most destructive weapons is a pending regulation to limit mercury and other hazardous air pollutants like dioxins or acid gases that power plants emit. The 946-page rule mandates that utilities install "maximum achievable control technology" under the Clean Air Act--and even by the EPA's lowball estimates, it is the most expensive rule in the agency's history.
The power industry estimates that the true costs of the utility rule will far exceed the EPA estimates, which of course will be passed to consumers and businesses as higher prices. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, normally a White House union ally, says the rule will destroy 50,000 jobs and another 200,000 down the supply chain. That's more jobs lost than if Boeing went bust. [The Wall Street Journal, 6/13/11]
Studies Find EPA Rules Will Result In Net Creation Of Jobs
UMass Study: EPA Rules Would Result In Net Creation Of Jobs. The study projected that between 2010 and 2015, the power sector would invest almost $200 billion on capital investments in pollution controls and new generation capacity to comply with the new Clean Air Act rules, which would generate an estimated 1.46 million job-years, which are defined as one year of full-time employment. The study further found that job reductions from projected coal plant closures will be "more than" offset by the number of new jobs created. [University of Massachusetts Political Economy Research Institute, February 2011]
EPI: "The Jobs-Impact Of The Rule Will Be Modest, But It Will Be Positive." In a June 14 study, the Economic Policy Institute concluded that the job impact of the utility air toxics rule "will be modest, but it will be positive." The study specifically found that the rule "would have a modest positive net impact on overall employment, likely leading to the creation of 28,000 to 158,000 jobs between now and 2015." [Economic Policy Institute, 6/14/11]
CRS: 56% Of Coal And Oil Power Plants Are Already Meeting The Standards. From a Congressional Research Service Report on EPA regulations initiated since January 2009:
In 2005, EPA promulgated regulations establishing a cap-and-trade system to limit emissions of mercury from coal-fired power plants. The rules were challenged, and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated them in 2008. Rather than appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, EPA agreed to propose Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards by March 2011 and promulgate final standards by November 2011. The proposed standards, released March 16, are already being met by 56% of coal- and oil-fired electric generating units; the other 44% would be required to install technology that will reduce mercury and acid gas emissions by 91%, at an annual cost of $10.9 billion. EPA estimates that the annual benefits, including the avoidance of up to 17,000 premature deaths annually, will be between $59 billion and $140 billion. Following promulgation of these standards, existing power plants will have three years, with a possible one-year extension, to meet the standards. About 20 states have already established mercury emission control standards for coal-fired power plants, and other major sources have been controlled for as long as 15 years, reducing their emissions as much as 95%. [Congressional Research Service, 3/21/11]
NY Times: "About A Third Of States" Have Already Set Mercury Standards. From a March 16 New York Times article:
Roughly half of the nation's more than 400 coal-burning plants have some form of control technology installed, and about a third of states have set their own standards for mercury emissions. But the proposed rule issued Wednesday is the first national standard and will require all plants to come up to the standard of the cleanest of current plants. [New York Times, 3/16/11]
Power Company Execs: "For Over A Decade, Companies Have Recognized That The Industry Would Need To Install Controls." Responding to a previous Wall Street Editorial, executives representing several major power companies stated:
Your editorial "The EPA Permitorium" (Nov. 22) mischaracterizes the EPA's air-quality regulations. These are required under the Clean Air Act, which a bipartisan Congress and a Republican president amended in 1990, and many are in response to court orders requiring the EPA to fix regulations that courts ruled invalid.
The electric sector has known that these rules were coming. Many companies, including ours, have already invested in modern air-pollution control technologies and cleaner and more efficient power plants. For over a decade, companies have recognized that the industry would need to install controls to comply with the act's air toxicity requirements, and the technology exists to cost effectively control such emissions, including mercury and acid gases. The EPA is now under a court deadline to finalize that rule before the end of 2011 because of the previous delays.
To suggest that plants are retiring because of the EPA's regulations fails to recognize that lower power prices and depressed demand are the primary retirement drivers. The units retiring are generally small, old and inefficient. These retirements are long overdue.
Contrary to the claims that the EPA's agenda will have negative economic consequences, our companies' experience complying with air quality regulations demonstrates that regulations can yield important economic benefits, including job creation, while maintaining reliability.
The time to make greater use of existing modern units and to further modernize our nation's generating fleet is now. Our companies are committed to ensuring the EPA develops and implements the regulations consistent with the act's requirements. [Wall Street Journal, 12/8/10]
WSJ Forwards Claim That Pollution Limits Will Shut Down Five AEP Plants
WSJ: "American Electric Power Recently Announced That The Rules Will Force It To Shut Down Five Plants." From the Journal editorial:
The real goal of the EPA's rule is to shut down fossil fuel electric power in the name of climate change. The consensus estimate in the private sector is that the utility rule and eight others on the EPA docket will force the retirement of 60 out of the country's current 340 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity. Reliability downgrades will hit the South and Midwest where coal energy is concentrated. American Electric Power recently announced that the rules will force it to shut down five plants in West Virginia and Ohio, a quarter of its coal fleet. [The Wall Street Journal, 6/13/11]
Three Of The Five Coal Plants Were Already Slated To Close
AEP Spokeswoman: "These Units Are Already Slated For Retirement Anyway." From a June 9 Charleston Gazette article:
American Electric Power said Thursday it may move up the closings of three aging coal-fired power stations in West Virginia if federal regulators finalize new rules aimed at reducing illnesses and deaths caused by plant emissions.
AEP said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal could force it to retire the Kanawha River Plant in Glasgow, the Phillip Sporn Plant in New Haven and the Kammer Plant near Moundsville by Dec. 31, 2014.
West Virginia political leaders seized on the AEP announcement to further their criticism of what they call the Obama administration's "war on coal," with Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito and acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin all issuing statements blasting the EPA proposal.
But AEP officials pointed out that the three West Virginia plants -- all of them more than 50 years old -- were already slated to be closed between 2017 and 2020.
"These units are already slated for retirement anyway, so we don't want to overstate this," said Jeri Matheney, a spokeswoman for AEP's Appalachian Power subsidiary in Charleston.
And while about 240 jobs could be lost at the three West Virginia plants, Matheney said many of the employees in those posts could take retirement before 2014 or be transferred to other positions within AEP. Currently, 62 people work at the Kanawha River Plant, 120 at Phillip Sporn and 60 at Kammer, Matheney said. [The Charleston Gazette, 6/9/11]
EPA: "Market For Electricity In the U.S. Will Be More Level And No Longer Skewed In Favor Of The Higher Polluting Units." From EPA's proposed air toxics rule:
A number of EGUs operating today were built in the 1950s and 1960s, using now-obsolete and inefficient technologies. Today, new units are far more efficient in their production of electricity, their use of fuel, and the relative quantities of pollution emitted. To the extent that some of the oldest, least efficient, least controlled units are retired by companies who elect not to invest in controlling them, assessments included in the docket to today's notice of proposed rulemaking indicate that there will be a sufficient supply of electricity from newer units. In fact, one consequence of today's proposed rule, if adopted as a final rule, will be that the market for electricity in the U.S. will be more level and no longer skewed in favor of the higher polluting units that were exempted from the CAA at its inception on Congress' assumption that their useful life was near an end. Thus, this proposed rule will require companies to make a decision--control HAP emissions from virtually uncontrolled sources or retire these sometimes 60 year old units and shift their emphasis to more efficient, cleaner modern methods of generation, including modern coal-fired generation. [Federal Register, 5/3/11]
WSJ: Bush Admin's Rule Was Overturned "On Technical Grounds"
In 1990, Congress gave the EPA discretion to decide if mercury regulation is "necessary and appropriate," and the Clinton Administration did so in its final days. The Bush Administration created a modest mercury program, only to have it overturned by an appeals court on technical grounds in its final days. The case was still in litigation when Mr. Obama took office, and his appointees used the opening to strafe the power industry, proposing a much more stringent rule. [The Wall Street Journal, 6/13/11]
Court Rejected Bush Admin Rule Because It Violated The Clean Air Act
Bush Sr. And Bipartisan Congress Directed EPA To Regulate Mercury And Other Air Toxics. From a December 2010 Greenwire report:
In the first few years after the law [Clean Air Act] hit the books in 1970, U.S. EPA cracked down on airborne lead, soot and smog. Congress had also ordered EPA to figure out the risks posed by toxic contaminants, but the agency did little to stop mercury and other rare but dangerous chemicals from being released into the air.
In two decades, the agency had applied that section of the Clean Air Act to just eight substances.
Lawmakers who wrote the pollution law were fed up; so was President George H.W. Bush. After consultations with environmentalists and industry groups, they prepared a package of amendments that changed the rules for toxic air pollution. It listed mercury and nearly 200 other substances by name and told EPA to regulate them, sparing the agency the challenge of proving that the substances posed a risk.
The amendments sailed through the House, 401-25, supported by many Republicans who are now among EPA's most vocal critics. Bush signed the amendments into law the week before Thanksgiving, saying it was time to "break the logjam that hindered progress on clean air."
"Every American expects and deserves to breathe clean air," Bush said at a White House signing ceremony. "And as president, it is my mission to guarantee it for this generation and for the generations to come."
Fast forward to today. Toxic pollution limits have been set for many industries, but a generation after the last major change to the nation's air pollution laws, EPA still doesn't have standards for coal-fired power plants and other facilities that release most of the nation's mercury. [Greenwire, 12/8/10]
NY Times: Bush Admin Proposed A Rule That Its Own Lawyers Acknowledged Would "Almost Certainly Be Reversed." The New York Times reported:
The new rules bring to a close a bitter legal and regulatory battle dating back to the passage of the 1970 Clean Air Act, which first directed the E.P.A. to identify and control major industrial sources of hazardous emissions.
By 1990, however, federal regulators had still not set standards for toxic emissions from power plants, and Congress, in the face of stiff resistance from utilities and coal interests, passed legislation directing the E.P.A. to study the health effects of mercury and other emissions, and to detail the cost and effectiveness of control technologies.
In 1998, the agency finally complied, delivering a comprehensive report to Congress detailing the health impact of numerous pollutants, including mercury, which by then had been linked conclusively in multiple studies to serious cognitive harm to fetuses.
In December 2000, in the last days of the Clinton administration, the E.P.A. finally listed power plants as a source of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
The Bush administration E.P.A. faced its own deadlines to devise and put into effect controls for power plant pollution. But rather than issue emissions standards in line with federal law, in 2005, top agency officials instituted a controversial cap-and-trade program for mercury, despite a warning from agency lawyers that the move would throw the issue back into the courts and almost certainly be reversed.
As predicted, a coalition of states and environmentalists sued the agency, arguing that the cap-and-trade program would not limit other toxic emissions like arsenic and would allow the dirtiest power plants to pay for the right to pollute, putting nearby communities at risk. In 2008 a federal judge ruled against the E.P.A., giving the agency three years to develop standards for mercury and other pollutants. [The New York Times, 3/16/11]
Court Ruled That Bush Administration Had Violated The Clean Air Act. From the appeals court decision vacating the Bush Administration's mercury regulation program:
In December 2000, EPA concluded that it was "appropriate and necessary" to regulate mercury emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants under section 112 and listed these EGUs [electric utlility steam generating units] as sources of HAPs [hazardous air pollutants] regulated under that section. In 2005, after reconsidering its previous determination, EPA purported to remove these EGUs from the section 112 list. Thereafter it promulgated CAMR [Clean Air Mercury Rule] under section 111. EPA's removal of these EGUs from the section 112 list violates the CAA [Clean Air Act] because section 112(c)(9) requires EPA to make specific findings before removing a source listed under section 112; EPA concedes it never made such findings.
For HAPs that result in health effects other than cancer, as is true of mercury, Congress directed that the Administrator "may delete any source category" from the section 112(c)(1) list only after determining that "emissions from no source in the category or subcategory concerned . . . exceed a level which is adequate to protect public health with an ample margin of safety and no adverse environmental effect will result from emissions from any source." Id. § 112(c)(9). [U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, New Jersey v. EPA, 2/8/08]
EPA Settlement Set Deadline For Air Toxics Rule. As explained in EPA's proposed air toxics rule:
On December 18, 2008, several environmental and public health organizations (''Plaintiffs'') 10 filed a complaint in the DC District Court (Civ. No. 1:08-cv-02198 (RMC)) alleging that the Agency had failed to perform a nondiscretionary duty under CAA section 304(a)(2), by failing to promulgate final section 112(d) standards for HAP from coal- and oilfired EGUs by the statutorily mandated deadline, December 20, 2002, 2 years after such sources were listed under section 112(c). EPA settled that litigation. The consent decree resolving the case requires EPA to sign a notice of proposed rulemaking setting forth EPA's proposed section 112(d) emission standards for coal- and oil-fired EGUs by March 16, 2011, and a notice of final rulemaking by November 16, 2011. [Federal Register, 5/3/11]
WSJ Claims Coal-Fired Power Plants Release "Negligible Quantities Of Air Pollutants Like Mercury"
According to the EPA's own numbers, every dollar in direct benefits costs $1,847. The reason is that electric generation--yes, even demon coal--results in negligible quantities of air pollutants like mercury. And mercury is on the decline: In 2005, the entire U.S. coal fleet emitted 26% less than the EPA predicted. [The Wall Street Journal, 6/13/11]
In Fact, Coal-Fired Plants Are A Major Source Of U.S. Mercury Emissions
CRS: Coal-Fired Utilities "Account For About 40% Of Current U.S. Mercury Releases." From a 2006 Congressional Research Service report:
People have released mercury to the environment primarily through mining and smelting of minerals, burning of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, and diesel fuel), use and disposal of mercury, certain industrial processes (e.g., chlorine production and cement production), and burning of municipal and medical wastes. In some parts of the world such activities are increasing, but in the United States, annual mercury emissions are decreasing. Most of the largest and most direct sources of U.S. mercury releases to water and air have been eliminated. Among the remaining U.S. industrial sources, coal-fired electric utilities are the most important, accounting for about 40% of current U.S. mercury releases. [Congressional Research Service, 1/19/06]
EPA: "Coal-Fired Power Plants Are Responsible For 99 Percent Of Mercury Emissions ... From The Power Sector." From the EPA's "Fact Sheet: Proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Standards" :
Power plants are the largest source of several harmful pollutants. They are responsible for 50 percent of mercury emissions, over 50 percent of acid gas emissions, and about 25 percent of toxic metal emissions in the United States.
o Coal-fired power plants are responsible for 99 percent of mercury emissions and the bulk the other pollutants from the power sector.
o EPA expects that dozens of coal-fired plants already meet at least some part of the proposed standards, however, about 44 percent of all coal-fired plants lack advanced pollution control equipment. [EPA.gov, 5/4/11]
Greenwire: "Mercury Is Extremely Potent." From a December 2010 Greenwire report:
The sectors subjected to new rules -- coal plants, industrial boilers, cement plants, hazardous waste incinerators, gold mines and chlor-alkali plants -- together produce about 80 of the 100 tons of mercury that American facilities release into the air each year.
That doesn't sound like much, considering the United States produces 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, but mercury is extremely potent. Scientists estimate that 1 pound in the environment is enough to make about 2 million pounds of fish unsafe to eat. [Greenwire, 12/8/10]
WSJ: "Reliability Downgrades Will Hit The South And Midwest"
WSJ Cites "Reliability Downgrades" Due To EPA Rule. From the Journal editorial:
The real goal of the EPA's rule is to shut down fossil fuel electric power in the name of climate change. The consensus estimate in the private sector is that the utility rule and eight others on the EPA docket will force the retirement of 60 out of the country's current 340 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity. Reliability downgrades will hit the South and Midwest where coal energy is concentrated. [The Wall Street Journal, 6/13/11]
Reports: Electric System Will Remain Reliable
Bipartisan Policy Center: "Impacts On The Reliability Of The Electric System Due To EPA Regulations Are Manageable." A report by the Bipartisan Policy Center found that "impacts on the reliability of the electric system due to EPA regulations are manageable" through early planning, delays in requirements and consent decrees. [Bipartisan Policy Center, 6/13/11]
M.J. Bradley & Associates Report: "Electric System Reliability Will Not Be Compromised If The Industry And Regulators Proactively Manage The Transition." From a report conducted by M.J. Bradley & Associates for the Clean Energy Group:
We conclude that, without threatening electric reliability, the industry is well-positioned to respond to EPA's proposed road map to "help millions of Americans breathe easier, live healthier," provided that EPA, the industry and other agencies take practical steps to plan for the implementation of these regulations and adopt appropriate regulatory approaches. In particular, we conclude the following:
1. Even though some units likely will retire in lieu of complying with the new regulations, electric system reliability will not be compromised if the industry and its regulators proactively manage the transition to a cleaner, more efficient generation fleet.
2. Industry data counter concerns that it will cost the industry too much to comply with EPA's proposed air regulations, that pollution controls cannot be installed soon enough, or that the EPA regulations will lead to the closure of otherwise economically healthy power plants.
3. EPA, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( "FERC" ), the Department of Energy ( "DOE" ) and State utility regulators, both together and separately, have an array of tools to moderate impacts on the electric industry. [M.J. Bradley & Associates, August 2010]
CRA Report: "Electric System Reliability Can Be Maintained" With Clean Air Transport Rule And Utility MACT Rule. From a 2010 report by Charles River Associates assessing EPA's Clean Air Transport Rule and the regulation of toxic air pollutants from utilities:
Implementing these regulations will require some coal generators to install pollution control equipment in order to continue operations. However, given the recent discoveries of abundant, domestic natural gas supplies, a competing fuel for electric generation, as well as reduced electricity demand, coal plant owners may elect to retire some existing plants rather than investing the capital necessary to install pollution controls. Nonetheless, we conclude that electric system reliability can be maintained while the industry complies with EPA's air regulations.
The number of projected coal plant retirements nationwide is relatively small compared to historical US net additions of generation capacity, and the electric sector has demonstrated repeatedly the ability to expand the generation fleet at a rate well in excess of projected capacity needs. Although we predict that a handful of areas will have de minimis or modest shortfalls due to predicted retirements, adequate reserve margins can be maintained by better utilizing existing supply capacity, installing new generation, and increasing load management. Additionally, existing federal statutory, state regulatory, and regional transmission organization (RTO) market safeguards can be utilized to maintain a reliable electric system. [Charles River Associates, 12/16/10]


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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
My interview with Charles Coleman Finlay now up at the Nebula Awards site
This interview was conducted via email between April and May. Charlie was very gracious in putting up with my delays at the time (if I recall, this was when I had just interviewed for my present job and was in the process of doing the onerous tasks of readying my public school students for their US History exit exam in early May) and the two of us had fun talking about history as well as the fictional elements of his latest series.
When I was conducting the interview, only the first book in his series, The Patriot Witch, had come out. Now all three volumes are available in MMPB format. As a historian (albeit one who focused on modern German cultural/religious history and not on colonial American history), I am wary whenever someone attempts to write historical fiction, since my mind is geared toward parsing the text much more rigorously than I do when I'm reading imaginative, speculative fiction. However, I can say that I found The Patriot Witch to be very enjoyable, with the historical elements of the impending 1775 outbreak of rebellion meshing well with the character of Proctor Brown and other practitioners of witchcraft (Salem being "real" for the witches in this setting). The pacing was very fast-paced and I hope to get around to reading the final two volumes, A Spell for the Revolution and The Demon Redcoat, in the very near future.
Hopefully, there will be people curious enough about the interview and my short synopsis that they'll check out Finlay's work. Also, there will be another interview of mine, this time with Jeffrey Ford, that'll be posted on the Nebula Awards site sometime in the next few months. That one is the longest interview, at just over 8200 words, that I've ever conducted.
5 comments:
- Elizabeth (Need More Shelves) said...
Hello! I'm writing to let you know that you have been nominated for a Book Blogger Appreciation Week Award for Best Literary Fiction Blog. Please email me ASAP at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information on your nomination. (FYI - the deadline is Friday, August 21.) Congratulations!
- RobB said...
Nice interview Larry, I've got the first book in Finaly's trilogy on the to read pile and waiting for me, the premise does sound intriguing. (...and congrats on the nomination!)
- ANovelMenagerie said...
Your blog has been nominated for a 2009 BBAW Award. Can you please email me your email address within 24 hours?
Thank you.
BBAW Awards Committee
- Elizabeth (Need More Shelves) said...
Hello - I'm writing to let you know that you have been nominated for a Book Blogger Appreciation Week Award for Most Eclectic Taste Bog. Please email me at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information on your nomination. Congrats!
- Lsrry said...
Umm...is this spam or something a bit more legit? My email address is the full name of this blog at gmail.
I liked this one as well. I suspect my next one for the Nebula site, with Jeff Ford, will be well-received as well, or so I hope!


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Namco Bandai will be releasing Level-5/Studio Ghibli collaboration Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in North America sometime during "Winter 2012". For Europe, it's early 2013.
That's the bad news. The good news? The delay is down to an extensive localisation push: it'll include an English dub (along with major European languages for the Old World), sure, but also a Japanese vocal track with subtitles, for those who like to keep things as nature intended.