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BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. — God only knows what will happen to churches and other nonprofit organizations who say they are struggling for survival because of the Gulf oil spill crisis.
Months after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and its well started gushing oil, the British petroleum giant says it has yet to decide how to handle claims filed by religious groups and other charitable organizations that are endangered because people can no longer afford to contribute.
Pastor Dan Brown prays BP PLC comes up with a solution quickly: He said he filed a $50,000 claim last month over lost revenues at Anchor Assembly of God. His small, storefront church outlived Hurricane Katrina and is now struggling because of the oil crisis.
Shrimpers and oystermen left jobless by the oil spill in this seafood town can barely afford to feed their families and pay their boat loans, much less give money to their church, Brown said. Giving and tithing is down by $12,000 over the last few weeks, he said, and the oil spill will cost another $38,000 in lost revenues over the next year, making up the total of the church's claim.
"You can't tithe what you don't have," said Brown, whose congregation operates a food bank and gives away bread each Sunday to help struggling families. "We're fighting for our lives just like a business."
So are environmental groups and community service agencies that have either begun feeling a drop in revenues or fear one as the oil crisis drags on.
Darryl Willis, head of claims for BP, said Tuesday he was unaware of any claims filed by churches or nonprofits, and he doesn't know how such a case will be handled.
More than 42,000 checks totaling $130 million have been written to businesses and individuals, and BP repeatedly has said it would pay any legitimate claim linked to losses caused by the massive oil spill. But Willis said nonprofits are a gray area.
"I get the impact, people not working or being on this sort of fixed income during this period," Willis said during an interview. "(But) I don't know what the answer is. I would test the system and let us work through that process."
Brown's church, which draws about 70 people to worship on a good Sunday, might just be that test case. The preacher said his church filed its claim with BP on June 18 and is still waiting on an answer.
Mobile Baykeeper, a secular nonprofit that monitors coastal conditions and water quality in Mobile Bay, may soon be in the same line.
Casi Callaway, executive director of the organization, said donations from outside the coastal region have covered the group's $20,000 in expenses related to the oil spill so far. But membership renewals are way down, and she fears contributions will dry up once the oil spill crisis drops out of the headlines.
"Right now we're getting donations from all over the country, Canada, everywhere," said Callaway. "But we don't know about our 4,000 members and their financial condition. We're very worried about the long term, what it's going to look like."
Callaway said Mobile Baykeeper might file a claim soon, but the United Way of Baldwin County is waiting to see what happens during its fall fundraising campaign. The agency relies heavily on tourist-dependent businesses that are suffering because of a sharp drop in visitors. Executive director Rebecca Byrne is apprehensive.
The organization, which funds 43 community service agencies, raised $1,038,750 last year but was still short of its $1.1 million goal during the depths of the recession. This year could be even tougher, but Byrne is waiting to seek compensation from BP.
"I've got to document a loss, and at this point I can't do it. We knew last year with the economy it was going to be a tough time, and this year is a double whammy," she said. "I hope I don't have to file a claim, but I might."
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The 110-church Mobile Baptist Association isn't even thinking about a claim, despite a sharp decline in revenues both for the organization and its 25 member churches in the coastal regional, according to C. Thomas Wright, executive director of missions.
Churches that abide by biblical stewardship principles don't need help from BP because they often find "miraculous provision" for their needs, he said. There also are more practical problems to seeking compensation from BP, he said.
"In an already declining economy, documentation that the current reduction is directly caused by the spill is difficult and time-consuming with no promise of return," he said.
The Coastal Mississippi Healthcare Fund Inc., which funds indigent care and helps employees of the Singing River Hospital System in Gautier, Miss., isn't losing money so far — the oil has barely touched Mississippi in comparison to Alabama and Louisiana. Spokesman Richard Lucas said there's no way to say if it might file a claim if the worst happens, partly because of confusion over the claims process itself.
"There is just so much uncertainty over all of this," he said.
Willis, the BP claims chief, said organizations that need help shouldn't hesitate to ask for it by submitting a claim, even if the outcome is uncertain.
"I would say to the person or the organization, file one," Willis said.
Elswhere on the Gulf coast, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson visited Pensacola Beach on Saturday, her first trip to Florida since the April 20 rig explosion and her sixth trip to the Gulf.
Jackson watched as workers in yellow and orange vests flicked penny-sized gobs of tar into nets, sifting them to filter out the sand and smaller pieces of tar. Officials overseeing the cleanup showed her how the oil had been buried by successive waves of sand, and how more layers with tar were under the top layer of sand.
Jackson said that despite the level of contamination on the beaches, it should be up to local officials to decide whether they should be closed. Officials in Escambia County have posted oil warnings at beaches but not closed them.
"From a commonsense perspective there is nothing that I am going to be able to tell you in chemical lab that you can't learn about the safety of the water from a bathing purpose by looking at it and smelling it," she said.
Reporters pressed Jackson on whether she would wade into the water Saturday based on what she had seen.
"I would not go into the water today," she said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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|Morphine addiction - Homo sapiens (human)
|Morphine is an alkaloid from the plant extracts of opium poppy. Although morphine is highly effective for the treatment of pain, it is also known to be intensely addictive. We now know that the most important brain-reward circuit involves dopamine (DA) -containing neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain and their target areas in the limbic forebrain, in particular, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and frontal regions of cerebral cortex. Morphine can cause indirect excitation of VTA dopamine neurons by reducing inhibitory synaptic transmission mediated by GABAergic neurons. The chronic use of morphine is characterized by adaptive changes in neurons and neuronal communication; such adaptations (e.g., 'superactivation' of adenylyl cyclase) must underlie altered behaviour associated with morphine dependence and withdrawal syndrome, as well as drug-induced craving and relapse to drug use.

subset: commoncrawl


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Louis Tomlinson to Play Soccer For British Team, Says Harry Styles Is a 'Good Boyfriend'
Congratulations are in order for Louis Tomlinson -- the One Direction boybander will take the field as a soccer player on Yorkshire's Doncaster Rovers during a match today, Feb. 26.
Tomlinson will play soccer (or football, as they call it across the pond) in a match against team rivals Rotherham at the Keepmoat Stadium today. 4,000 tickets have already been sold, and Directioners are even coming in from as far away as Denmark and Italy. Talk about dedication!
Last year, the 1D cutie made a non-contract deal with the team, whom he has had a good relationship with over the years. He was initially supposed to play in September but had to sit out due to an injury.
Doncaster spokesman Shaun Lockwood had nothing but good things to say about the singer, praising his support and his enthusiasm for becoming a team player.
"He's met all the players, but I should probably say they've met him because there are certainly a few wives, girlfriends and daughters glad that he's been around," Lockwood joked.
Speaking of girlfriends, Tomlinson, who has been dating GF Eleanor Calder for over two years, had a few words to say on the topic. Talking of his fellow 1D bandmates -- in particular, Harry Styles, who reportedly ended his relationship with Kendall Jenner -- Louis said, "I think we are actually all pretty good boyfriends. We're definitely romantic."
"When we actually get to be with our girlfriends, we just want to do the normal stuff we never get to do, like watching crap TV together and staying in," he revealed. A night on the couch eating popcorn and watching some bad TV with One Direction? Sounds like heaven to us!


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In 1980, when I founded BET Holdings II with financial support from John Malone, chief executive officer of Telecommunications Inc. (TCI), MTV, the leading entertainment cable channel, was playing mostly pop and rock, all but ignoring the African-American audience that generally prefers soul music or rhythm and blues. In launching our cable channel, Black Entertainment Television, which initially aired only for two hours on Friday and Saturday night, we were aiming to fill that void.
What happened next was that MTV, within a couple of months, also began playing soul music and rhythm and blues. For a fledgling such as BET, MTV's ability to use its considerable marketing muscle to respond so quickly could have been unnerving. But we at BET weren't unnerved; in fact, we figured that MTV's entry into "our" market was inevitable.
Just as BET was serving only a segment of the broad-based market for entertainment products--what is commonly called a "niche" in business circles--MTV, albeit considerably larger, also was serving but a segment of this larger audience. Itself a "niche" business, MTV had targeted young people, just as we had African Americans.
Think Globally, Act Locally
Indeed, it's the nature of cable television to be a "niche," because we offer choices to discreet audiences without denying other audiences different choices. Taking this logic a step further, you could argue that all companies, even the largest, are actually "niche" businesses.
Even if you are Coca-Cola or McDonald's or IBM, you must market soft drinks, hamburgers, or computers in what might be called a "niche fashion," tailoring your pitch for specific consumers and for varying cultures around the globe. Mothers go to McDonald's for one reason, kids another--and you need to reach them both. You surely won't convince the Moms if you're selling them on the toy in the "Happy Meal" bag. You must, in other words "think globally, act locally."
In sum, all the world's a niche--the business world, at least. Given that, fledgling niche companies (as was BET in 1980) can be spared the tyranny of thinking along the lines of, "I can't because I'm small and they're big." Instead, these companies are free to concentrate on what they really need to do, which is to survive.
And to survive, as either a fledgling or established niche player, a company must be steadfast about its mission, creative about its products and services, and dogged about its efforts to expand.
Be True
At their most fundamental, niche businesses carve out a specialty product or service for a discreet audience. To survive, they must stay true to what their customers want them to be. People flock to McDonald's for fast food and french fries, so when they get there, the food better be fast and the potatoes fried if they are to return.
At BET, our audience expects us to represent the African-American experience, culturally, socially, politically. We don't dare disappoint. In addition to our flagship entertainment channel (which now programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week), our cable-TV channels offer all-black movies and jazz, an African-American phenomenon.
Our magazines target the black audience for entertainment (BET Weekend), news (Emerge), and health and fitness (Heart & Soul). Even our restaurants fall in line. Our BET SoundStage features a music theme, while BET on Jazz Restaurant specializes in New World Caribbean Cuisine. In our business, there's no marching to a different drummer; we stick to our own.
Stay Cool
Within the framework of familiarity and consistency, consumers also expect the excitement of fresh ideas. This isn't a paradox. Even niche companies must keep moving--constantly--if they are to survive. Those that stand still are destined to fail.
At BET, the solution has been expanding within our framework--leveraging our "brand," if you will. Once we did the obvious--taking our flagship channel from a mere two hours twice a week to round-the-clock programming--we turned to launching the specialty movie and jazz channels. Then we took our "brand" to publishing, a business similar to cable TV, in that both disseminate information which is supported by advertising and measured by readership.
We believe we can leverage our brand indefinitely; indeed, to keep pace with the competition, we believe that we must. In the early 1990s, we entered what for us were different businesses, such as our restaurants and an apparel line for men, hedging the risk by going in with partners who had operating expertise. What we brought was the brand. Put another way, you can bet that we won't soon be opening a Chinese restaurant.
Take Heart
The third leg of the niche-business stool involves committing the resources necessary for expansion. It's at this point that many niche companies hit a wall. If you're only bringing in $5 million in revenue and you're paying yourself $3 million, you'll find it hard to put together the resources necessary for expansion--and for survival.
Remember that survival is the operative word, not "niche." The good news is that you needn't be intimidated as a niche player. If you aim to be true, stay cool, and take heart, then you can compete against the world's other niche companies. All the world's a niche, and keep in mind that you, too, are a part of the world.
Robert L. Johnson Founder and CEO Black Entertainment Television


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Precision Pump and Gear Works
Formed in 1985, our reputation has been built on high-quality Gear and Gearbox repair. We utilize the latest machine tools, responsive service, and an expert workforce to provide you with solutions to your power Transmission & Gearbox applications. We can respond quickly to any service call or emergency repair needs. Our experienced staff has the expertise to repair and rebuild a variety of Gearboxes and all types of wearing equipment at either of our five locations
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With Boomershoot over, 'Kurtis' and I head to Orofino so we can get an early start the next morning home. On the way down the grade, I feel the Blazer giving me problems. Seems the problems are the same as before. WTF? (Whisky Tango Foxtrot?) The Blazer died halfway down the grade, right where the Dworshak Dam turnoff is, so we had a safe spot to turn off at. I panicked, duh, and called Barron. I'm not really sure what I expected him to be able to do… but I had to do something. He showed up with Phil and Scott from RNS. "We have a Code Dworshak… gunblogger in need of assistance!"
Right before they showed up, I called a local auto shop who called a tow truck. The tow truck got us in and then gave us a lift to the Helgemeister hotel or whatever the name is. We don't know because they closed their office and didn't answer their after-hours buzzer. We walked over to the Best Western instead.
We ended up being there for 2 days because they had to order a complete distributor. See, when Kim Hansen Chevrolet replaced the cap in Burley, they also broke one of the mount points on the distributor itself.
Finally, the guy got it fixed. It was determined to be the same electrical connection to the injectors. So, off we go. We stopped in Lowell, ID for lunch at a place called Ryan's. Damn good food. No, it's not the chain restaurant. This one is some little rinky-dink side of the road diner… but with incredibly palatable food. And a Jackalope.
About 30 miles east of Lowell, ID… we broke down again. Same symptoms. A $350 tow truck ride later, we find ourselves back in Kooskia (pronounced Koos-key for the uninitiated).
Another overnight stay at a tiny motel (the only one in town) and the mechanic has the Blazer and we find the REAL problem. The electrical connection (the same one that was 'fixed' twice in the past) feeds into the engine itself. Inside of there, those 2 wires connect to a wiring harness of sorts that clips onto the injector. It looks a bit like the female receiver to a headphone jack with the same type of connection to ensure it holds.
Basically, what had happened was as we were driving, since Idaho has less than optimal roads in the north, the bumping and jarring of normal driving would work the wire OUT of the engine block because that's where the tension on it equalizes. As it came out, the tension INSIDE of the engine block on that wire caused the wiring harness to rise up ever so slightly. When it did this, the connection would get lost and the car would stall.
The fix? Grab a set of gloves and feed that wire into the engine block as far as it would go. That would push the wiring harness down, back onto the contacts again and good for another few hours.
We left about 2pm or so on Wednesday. It happened twice more on our way out. The first time, simply pushing the wire back in did not fix it… and had me in panic mode. Again. 'Kurtis' tried it again and it DID work. Phew, good to go. An hour later it happened yet again. 'Kurtis' crammed the wire as far in as he could and it never gave us another problem. I dropped him off at home at about 11pm and I got home at about 11:30 or some such. I forget.
So, Boomershoot was a very literal blast of a time. The trip to and from Boomershoot was a huge (and expensive) bummer… all over a part that costs about $5 at the very very most.
Incredible thanks to Phil, Scott, and Barron who dropped everything to help out even though there wasn't a lot to help with.
Fellas… next year I'm bringing a treat. You'll like it.


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Dough adapted from Mat Gebu
400 gm all purpose flour
50 gm custard powder
230 gm unsalted butter,softened
2 eggs yolk
50 gm sugar powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg yolk + + tbsp water for brushing
For the filling:
1:Combine all purpose flour and custard powder in a medium bowl,sifted.Use mixer to beat butter and sugar powder at medium high speed until light and frosty.Add in yolk and vanilla essence,whisk until well mix.
2:Reduce speed to low ,slowly add in the flour mixture into the eggs mixture.Increase speed and beat until well combine.
3:Remove dough from the mixer,knead few times before use a clean wet cloth to cover to prevent it from drying.
4:Use your favourite pineapple tart mould to shape your tart..For me I use pineapple tart look like rolling pin with lines to shape the tarts.Cut the dough about 3 inch x 1 1/2 inch.Scoop 1 tsp filling to wrap with the dough.
5:Prepare silpat or parchment paper over baking sheet.Line up all the shape tarts in baking sheets about 1 inch apart each others..Brush yolk mixture over the tarts before place in oven
6:Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.Remove tarts from oven,let's it cool 3-5 minutes in the baking sheets before remove to wire rack to cool completely.Save tarts in air tight container.


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TESOL Jobs in Lithuania
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- 5Sign up for your course before Apr, 14 2020 and receive an additional course free of charge.*
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Hot, dope sick love
Spring is in the air, and as everyone knows this is the time of year a young junkie's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of feeding a black tar heroin habit, finding a non-collapsed vein, and LOVE! Here is a picture of two of our friendly neighborhood junkies going at it on this lovely spring day. I apologize for the quality but I walked past them about 10 times trying to get a good shot without being too obvious about what I was doing, not that they would have noticed over their frenzied groping and moaning. I guess I need to work on my stalkerazzi skills. I also regret not being able to include the old homeless men waving and basking their stumps in the warm spring air right next to them – the sight of which is a known aphrodisiac. At least it is for me!
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Tagged: josh hamilton
Do The Rangers Need to Make a Splashy Move?
Yesterday, my colleague over at Crawfish Boxes, David Coleman, posted his "Three Astros Things."
One of the Astros things was actually a Rangers thing:
They lost out on Zach [sic] Greinke. They lost out on James Shields. What's left for the Rangers?
Well, it appears our enemies to the north will try to load up on every other player they can. There's talk that they may re-sign Josh Hamilton. There's talk they may push through the Justin Upton trade. They may go after Michael Bourn, Anibal Sanchez, or any number of other players.
But, what if they don't get anything? How much will the Rangers be hurt if they stand pat? It almost seems like they may be better off not making these moves. They need to replace Josh Hamilton's offense, but adding Mike Olt may replace some of that offense, right?
Plus, they'd lose draft picks if they have to sign too many big-ticket free agents, which hurts the team down the road. In an Upton trade, they also would have to give up either Andrus or Profar.
I guess the question is are the Rangers good enough to contend without making a splashy move or can they still win the AL West with the team they have now?
My response will be longer than I'd feel comfortable posting in their comments section, so allow me to devote my own article to answering his article.
The usual caveats apply here – since I'll be spending a lot of energy talking about WAR. WAR is a nice tool, but it's not the only tool, and it's certainly not the best predictive tool. But it does put us in the ballpark of a player's value, so I'll be using it as a catch-all throughout this article.
I think that, to answer this question, you first have to answer three other questions. Namely:
1. Were the 2012 Oakland Athletics a fluke?
It's impossible to talk about the Rangers winning or losing the AL West without considering the team that did win the AL West in 2012, the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics seemed to overcome all odds in winning their division, despite having the second-lowest Opening Day payroll in all of baseball. They were built on youth without long major league track records: Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Donaldson, Chris Carter, Derek Norris, and Collin Cowgill were all rookie position players who were worth more than replacement value. Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, Ryan Cook, Sean Doolittle, A.J. Griffin, Travis Blackley, Evan Scribner, and Jordan Norberto were all rookie pitchers who did the same.
Pythagoras only put the 2012 Athletics two wins behind their actual performance. Then again, the Rangers only finished one game behind the Athletics in 2012, so I think it's safe to call that a toss-up. For all intents and purposes, the Rangers and Athletics were equally good in 2012. You could point at any of a number of reasons why the A's may have a sophomore slump in 2013, or why an additional year of playing together – with postseason experience – could make them play even better. Obviously, it could go either way. But there's no compelling reason, at this time, to assume that Oakland won't be in the mix in September and October 2013.
One problem with a young team is trying to define regression to the mean, since they are currently in the process of establishing the mean. As a result, I have no reason to think that the 2013 Athletics will be significantly worse than the 2012 Athletics.
Additionally, the Angels and Mariners could easily improve next season, putting added pressure on Texas to make a move. Or so it would seem.
2. What have the Rangers lost since 2012, and can they replace it?
Since the end of the 2012 season, Texas has lost 11 players with relevant (read: within the last three seasons) Major League experience, and they've gained 11 players with relevant Major League experience.
Using a 5/3/2 regression on incoming players, and 2012 rates for outgoing players:
Between Feldman, Napoli, Hamilton, Dempster, and Adams, the Rangers have lost a significant amount to Free Agency this winter. The Geovany Soto "gain" is actually a wash, as Soto was also on the roster in 2012. All told, the Rangers have lost approximately 12 wins from 2012. Prospects, such as Mike Olt, Jurickson Profar, and Leonys Martin, might make up some of the difference, but it's unlikely they'll make up all of it. Sure, Mike Trout had 10.0 WAR in his second rookie season of 2012, but counting on 13 wins from a trio of rookies isn't the best idea in the world.
I would pencil the trio in for somewhere between 4-8 WAR in 2013. We'll split the difference and call it 6.0. That leaves the Rangers with a 7-win differential from 2012, and an 8-win differential from the 2012 Athletics.
3. What, exactly, constitutes a "flashy signing"?
8 wins is a lot. 8 wins is Buster Posey. Heck, James Shields and Zack Greinke combined would be just over 9 wins. Re-signing Josh Hamilton would eliminate the loss of just 4 wins, and it seems to me that re-signing Hamilton might be a losing proposition. Not only did the Rangers make it clear that Greinke was Option 1 over Hamilton, but they also seem to have downplayed his contributions to an extreme. If I was Josh Hamilton (and let's make it very clear here that I am not Josh Hamilton), I would look for a payday elsewhere.
But what's interesting is that re-signing Ryan Dempster would bring the Rangers almost as close as re-signing Hamilton would. Of course, if Dempster's agent is to be believed, Dempster would rather go to an NL team with Spring Training in Arizona (that's the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Reds, Rockies, Dodgers, Brewers, Padres, and Giants, incidentally).
Dempster might not be as flashy as Hamilton, but he brings you almost as close to making up the win-differential from 2012 to 2013. After that, it's a matter of "finding" around 5 wins. Now we're in Michael Bourn/Justin Upton territory. But, heck, now we're in Jimmy Rollins territory, too. Or Miguel Montero territory. It's a lot easier to find 5 wins than it is to try and land one big free agent who can bridge the gap by themselves.
In short, I think a couple of non-flashy signings might benefit the Rangers at least as much as a big signing would. Anibal Sanchez has never been worth as many as 4.5 wins. Michael Bourn is coming off a personal-best 6.4, but he has a skillset that deteriorates with age.
I think a flashy signing might look nice to the fans in Arlington, but I have no reason to think that it's the best thing the Rangers could do to stay competitive. They'd almost be better off letting the prospects play and trying to catch lightning in a bottle the way Oakland did in 2012.
Of course, there's a reason why Oakland is Oakland, and why Texas is Texas. And I'd certainly never say that a team who has appeared in back-to-back World Series recently has any sort of a flawed method. But I do have to think that rushing out and signing a free agent just to sign a free agent isn't the best thing the Rangers could do for themselves right now.
Introducing the 2011 MLB Some-Stars Teams…
Every year. Every year, I join in a chorus of statistical slaves railing against the fan vote, this year witnessed by Derek Jeter (14th in WAR* among AL shortstops, with a paltry 0.2) getting a starting nod. Jeter is at least chasing 3,000 hits. There's even less explanation for Josh Hamilton (1.6 WAR, 12th among AL outfielders.)
But this year, I'm not stopping there. The whole selection process is pretty silly. Bruce Bochy used his managerial picks to give Ryan Vogelsong an All-Star nod, which raised a lot of eyebrows around the league. But Vogelsong (1.9 WAR, 20th among NL starters) isn't even the worst offender. Jose Valverde made the squad despite a 0.4 WAR (38th among AL relievers,) as did Brandon League, who is tied with him.
And then there's Jay Bruce, whose 0.9 WAR ranks him 39th among NL outfielders.
Meanwhile, Bochy snubbed his own third baseman, Pablo Sandoval, who leads all NL third basemen with 2.0 WAR. Sandoval isn't alone; he's tied at the top with Chase Headley, who also wasn't voted in. Neither were Ryan Roberts (1.9) – who wasn't even on the printed All-Star ballot – or Aramis Ramirez (1.6). That's right, the NL's starting third baseman, Placido Polanco, ranks fifth. The reserve third baseman, Chipper Jones, ranks tenth.
The second base situation in the AL is almost as bad. Robinson Cano (2.4, 5th among AL 2B) was voted the starter, and Howie Kendrick (3rd with 3.1) is the backup, leaving Dustin Pedroia (1st with 3.7) as proof that even big-market players aren't exempt. He'll have company watching the game; the Rays' Ben Zobrist is 2nd with 3.6 WAR, and also didn't receive a nod.
David Robertson is tied with his bullpen mate, Mariano Rivera, to lead all AL relievers with a 1.5 WAR, but he'll be sitting at home, also.
But it is what it is, and most of the guys who belong there end up there, one way or the other. But would it kill Major League Baseball to rectify this situation somehow? Maybe give the General Managers a vote? Maybe SABR? I don't know; but I do know that something needs to change. The guys who earn All-Star nods must be allowed to play in the All-Star Game.
I'm all for the idea of the fan vote: Fans should be able to watch their favorite players take the field in July against one another. But if a player out-performs every other player at his position, he should be on that field.
As is my tradition, I've taken the liberty of creating my own All-Star team, based on statistics, while maintaining current MLB rules (i.e. at least one player from each team**).
So, without further ado, my own choices for the 68 Major League All-Stars:
C: Brian McCann (ATL)
1B: Joey Votto (CIN)
2B: Rickie Weeks (MIL)
3B: Chase Headley (SDP)
SS: Jose Reyes (NYM)
OF: Matt Kemp (LAD), Andrew McCutcheon (PIT), Ryan Braun (MIL)
SP: Roy Halladay (PHI)
Cole Hamels (PHI), Cliff Lee (PHI), Clayton Kershaw (LAD), Jair Jurrjens (ATL), Jonny Venters (ATL), Craig Kimbrel (ATL), Eric O'Flaherty (ATL), Mike Adams (SDP), Carlos Marmol (CHC), Ian Kennedy (ARI), Daniel Hudson (ARI), Matt Cain (SFG)
C Miguel Montero (ARI), 1B Prince Fielder (MIL), 2B Danny Espinosa (WSN), 3B Pablo Sandoval (SFG), SS Troy Tulowitzki (COL), OF Shane Victorino (PHI), OF Michael Bourn (HOU), OF Matt Holliday (STL), OF Carlos Beltran (HOU), 1B Gaby Sanchez (FLA), 2B Brandon Phillips (CIN), OF/1B Lance Berkman (STL), 3B Ryan Roberts (ARI)
C: Alex Avila (DET)
1B: Adrian Gonzalez (BOS)
2B: Dustin Pedroia (BOS)
3B: Alex Rodriguez (NYY)
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE)
OF: Jose Bautista (TOR), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS)
DH: David Ortiz (BOS)
SP: Jered Weaver (LAA)
Justin Verlander (DET), CC Sabathia (NYY), Josh Beckett (BOS), James Shields (TBR), David Robertson (NYY), Mariano Rivera (NYY), Jim Johnson (BAL), Aaron Crow (KCR), Sergio Santos (CWS), Felix Hernandez (SEA), C.J. Wilson (TEX), Gio Gonzalez (OAK)
C Matt Wieters (BAL), 1B Miguel Cabrera (DET), 2B Ben Zobrist (TBR), 3B Kevin Youkilis (BOS), SS Jhonny Peralta (DET), OF Alex Gordon (KCR), OF Denard Span (MIN), OF Brett Gardner (NYY), DH Victor Martinez (DET), OF Matthew Joyce (TBR), OF Carlos Quentin (CWS), 2B Howie Kendrick (LAA)
* I calculated WAR by averaging bWAR and fWAR.
** Yankees 6, Red Sox 6, Braves 5, Tigers 5, Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 4, Brewers 3, Rays 3, Reds 2, Dodgers 2, Mets 2, Padres 2, Giants 2, Cardinals 2, Angels 2, Royals 2, Cubs 1, Rockies 1, Marlins 1, Astros 1, Pirates 1, Nationals 1, Blue Jays 1, Rangers 1, Mariners 1, Athletics 1, Twins 1, Indians 1


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Growing out my hair
Seemed like a good idea then
I'm not so sure now
The hair in my eyes
The bed head and hat head too
Where are my clippers…
Growing out my hair
Seemed like a good idea then
I'm not so sure now
The hair in my eyes
The bed head and hat head too
Where are my clippers…
weaving dreams, rhyming schemes
The other me: writing, cooking, sometimes snarky...
The greatest WordPress.com site in all the land!
Guided Adventures & Creative Services
Procrastination is an art form
A journey into bloggerdom
The Journey toward higher consciousness and finding the sassy girl
Sarina, Sprit, Surrender
My journey back into the writing world with my Muse tagging along.
East Coast meets West Coast & settles in the Middle
Poetry from nothing. Inspired by Anything.
Mayhem. Mishaps. Misfit.
Everyone is crazy
Welcome to the inner workings of my mind
Real People Living With Mental Illness
It's all in my mind . . .
One desperate man's journey through Writing, Painting and Living in Baltimore, MD
A girl's adventure of renewal to Middle Earth and the Land Down Under
Be Fierce - Be Kind - Be Positive
Writer, essayist, and terribly curious human being
Jeweler, Time Traveler, Author, and Why Mom Deserves a Diamond contest founder.
Because moulds are for playdough, not people.
Every day is a reason to celebrate.
thoughts, dreams, hopes, wishes, and reminiscences
frightfully wondrous things happen here.
Everything's Gonna Be Okay.
The Association for Size Diversity and Health
Whatever it will be...
Massive. Voluminous. Glorious.
Here, we commemorate survival.
...because life is funny.
where observation and imagination meet nature in poetry
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness Are For All Sizes
Writer - Mental Health Survivor - Advocate
echo echo
Here and now, with all of it.
Think! Feel! Live!
Someone picked my brain and a tangent fell out.


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Chile is a land of many adventures from mountain biking to wine tours, from skiing to white water rafting, from hot springs to mountaineering. I joined a group of seasoned adventurers to explore the three southern most regions of Chile: Los Lagos, Aysen & Magallanes. Each of them host varying stages of tourism development, adrenaline rush, cultural interactions to cater to the interest of any traveler or explorer.
One of the most interesting lessons I learned about was where the name Patagonia came from. Magellen created the term for the indigenous inhabitants of the southern reaches of South America because they were larger in stature that his crew, indeed, than Europeans at the time. How does Patagonia, or rather Patagon as Magellan documented it, relate to large people? Well, like many such words the etymology is fuzzy, but one story refers to Magellan and his crew first seeing the footprints of these people (believed to have been the Tehuelches people). This may be a stretch, but Pata is phonetically close to "pede" from the Latin for foot (as in "pedestrian" or "pedal") and "-gon" makes me think of giant or another word that refers to something large with a "-gon" ending, dragon. Anyway, Click through to the full story for more photos and the videos I produced from the adventure.» Full Story »


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Latest News
Whiting says Schumacher should know the rules
Charlie Whiting has stated that Michael Schumacher should study the F1 rule-book in the wake of his Hungarian GP debacle. The 7-time champ, second only to Rubens Barrichello in experience, parked in the wrong grid-slot, thus forcing a restart whereupon he switched off his engine. Whiting said the teams and drivers did not have to pass a rules test but stated, "Michael should know the rules".
9 August 2012 - Source
mschumi Michael Schumacher
Rules? I wasn't actually aware that there were any rules in F1.
nico Nico Rosberg
Given all the help you've given me Michael I would be willing to help you learn the regulations so this doesn't happen again.
mschumi Michael Schumacher
If I need advice on male grooming products I'll call you Britney, otherwise can it.
whiting Charlie Whiting
I would advise you to familiarize yourself with the regulations Michael. All competitors must also be aware of any new rules that I make up as I go along during the season. Any breaches will be met with penalties.
mschumi Michael Schumacher
In my recollection Charlie the FIA's implementation of penalties is about as effective as that of the English football team.
rubens Rubens Barrichello
I am really proud to have the record as the most experienced GP driver, and I always played fair. Despite all your experience it is typical that you would show no respect for the rule-book Michael.
mschumi Michael Schumacher
I might sign for another season just to take your only record away Rubens. By the way, parking in the wrong grid-slot was my second biggest mistake on the Hungary pit-straight, the first was running out of wall when I "squeezed" you in 2010.
johnny Johnny Herbert
You pack of badminton playing ponces need to grow a pair. In my day rules were for breaking and a blond bastard called Johnny Herbert parked his car next to the hottest grid girl.
mschumi Michael Schumacher
If memory serves me Johnny, your primary talent as a GP driver was parking your car in the garage.
diResta Paul di Resta
Speaking with the authority of one of the greatest drivers in modern F1 I find it amazing that the soon-to-be second most successful driver in history would be so unaware of the regulations. I ensure I don't infract the rules as a post-race visit to the stewards would reduce the time I can devote to my BBC appearances.
fernando Fernando Alonso
Never mind wasting time with the stewards di Resta, I heard on the grapevine that you'll be going to court with Anthony Hamilton, that should be fun.
diResta Paul di Resta
One of the unfortunate consequences of mega-stardom Fernando is that some people inevitably try to take advantage of your fame. The plaintiff in question misled me over a deal with one of the hordes of sponsors who want to be associated with the di Resta brand.
fernando Fernando Alonso
Well there are plenty of F1 folk who can give you advice on how to handle a court case. Hmmm, where will I start, there was your former teammate Sutil.
subtle Adrian Sutil
I apologised to Mr. Lux for unintentionally placing a broken champagne glass near a major artery, so everything is fine Fernando, indeed I am hoping to get a drive for next year.
fernando Fernando Alonso
Ah yeah, all water under the bridge, except for the minor detail of having a conviction for grievous bodily harm. Good luck getting sponsorship.
diResta Paul di Resta
I was shouldered with the burden of being the hero of the team last year in the face of all the negative publicity attracted by Adrian's unprofessionalism. Sutil numbers the ranks of people over whom I have asserted my complete superiority so I won't seek his counsel.
fernando Fernando Alonso
Who else is there, ah yes, I hear some guy got 8 years in the can for taking $44 million in bribes from Bernie, who emerged typically unscathed.
Bernie Bernie Ecclestone
If that sod had kept schtum Fernando he would have been quids in. All I did was slip him a few notes to keep the tax-man away. Right pain in the arse being up before the beak. Anyway, you're one to bloody talk about getting away with it after that Singapore thing.
fernando Fernando Alonso
I was following team instructions Bernie. Poor little Piquet, he had his own day in court bless him. I guess the best man for advice is the guy who won a court-case. Throwing any more twisted parties Max?
MaxiMos Max Mosley
If I want to employ a group of acquaintances to partake in an amateur costume production with a historic Germanic military theme, then it is no-one else's business and I'll sue the living daylights out of anyone who demands details of my sexual perversions.


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When target image, mirror and sun are in proper alignment, red dot on target ensures mirror reflection is on target. The telescope quality second surface reflective mirror is bright, provides focused image. Buoyant float for easy recovery if dropped overboard. Patented whistle (meets USCG) for audible alerting in low visibility conditions. Includes lanyard for securing to person or life raft.
Simple, total safety signaling package. Size: 4.25" x 2.75" x .19". (10.8 x 7.0 W x .5 cm). Weight: 1.8 oz (51g).


text: We'll just call it Luddite Week. Following Monday's QOTD regarding the fattening of modern cars, and then yesterday's which was concerned with utterly useless features, comes today's: Airbags, yay or nay? On the one hand, obviously, the intent behind airbags is to save your life. That's a good thing. But the idea of a gas-filled shotgun shell pointed at my chest at all times frankly makes me a bit queezy. Do they save lives? Yes, sure, some. But exactly how many is difficult to calculate. One study puts the number at about 400 lives per year. However, would airbags save a single life if seat belts were worn at all times? Difficult to say. And then of course we have the added cost and weight and complexity that half a dozen bags per car imbue. Is it all worthwhile?


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Oh, hello 2011. Yes, yes, I realize we are now more than half-way through the first month of this year and I haven't written one blog post yet. I can't say I have any good reasons other than perhaps because I've been obsessively watching the first season of Veronica Mars (via Netflix On Demand) vegging out just a bit and life happens. OK, I confess. I watched the first season finale of Veronica Mars two nights ago – WOW! Now that was a season finale! And now that I know who killed Lily Kane, I feel like I can take a breather for a few days and even write on my blog. Yay! 🙂 (The next time I disappear, it may be because I'm watching season two. Just sayin'.)
I could have sworn I wrote a blog post about deciding to start home schooling Ava this past fall, but wouldn't you know it, I can't find it. The way my brain works these days it's hard to say if I wrote it and just can't find it or if it's one of those posts (among many) that I always had the best of intentions of writing and never did. I'm betting on the latter. (I did write "Is homeschooling right for us?" back in 2008, so that's something, right? *wink*)
Anyway, yes, I am home schooling Ava this year for first grade. We started back in September. I'd seriously considered starting in kindergarten, but after I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and trying to get that under control, the timing didn't seem to be right so off to public school she went. Little did I know I would be dealing with a tragedy this past fall proving the timing to be off once again, but I'm still happy with my decision to home school and we are forging ahead.
Although I don't feel that we'd yet found our home schooling groove, we were starting to work in that direction when my sister Carrie died in October. After Oct. 25, 2010, very little formal home schooling took place in our home for the next two months. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. If I wasn't busy planning a memorial service or two or traveling, I was grieving and trying to hold it together just enough to keep the kids clothed and fed. Admittedly there were plenty of days we stayed in our PJs all day. Hell, that still happens on occasion now! Ava continued to go to the part-time school she attends one day a week and continued with the Lego engineering class she was already signed up for, but that was about the extent of it. I don't know if I would say that we were unschooling during that time or just taking a break. Yeah, I think it's safer to say we were taking a break.
Fast forward to the past few weeks and now that the holidays are over we finally have been getting back into our groove again. I feel more equipped to take trips to the library, sit down with Ava and work on different subjects, go on "field trips," sign up for different classes, attend home schooling functions, etc. We're still far from finding exactly what our groove is, but we're working on it. I'm working on it.
Quite honestly, I don't think we fall into a specific "type" of home schooling family. Eclectic seems to be the best way to describe my "technique" so far. And that's OK. I like that we/I have the freedom to explore what works best for us and to learn as we go. I like that we were able to take a break when we needed it, even if others might feel it was detrimental to Ava. I don't think it was.
It's true she's not reading chapter books yet, but that's OK too. We've been regularly reading to Ava her entire life. With Jody and I reading to her before bed, we've been through the seven novel series of The Chronicles of Narnia and the nine book series of the Little House books — twice — among many, many other books. Does it matter to me if she starts reading really well on her own at age 5, 6, 7 or 8? Nope. It just matters to me that she enjoys books and reading, and she does so far.
With the help of library books and the Internet, I think we have most subjects covered except for math. She knows her numbers and basic addition and subtraction, so I don't feel she's "behind" per se (and I try not to think of it like that anyway), but I'm still trying to find a good way to teach/learn math and welcome your suggestions. I don't feel the need to sit down and drill her with addition and subtraction flashcards on a daily basis, but I do want her to have a good foundation in math — it's just the figuring out how to best accomplish that where I could use a little help. It could be a curriculum you like, a web site with math games, or anything else really. I'm flexible.
That's one thing I've learned is that it's important to stay flexible when home schooling. I planned on using X, Y, and Z curricula and doing A, B, and C every day when we started out, only to decide those weren't the best choices for us. Some days we use books. Some days we use the computer. Some days we do both. Some days we do neither. Some days we bake or explore nature or go to the library or do science experiments or dissect owl pellets or garden or do arts and crafts or play games or a number of other things or all of the above or none of the above. Some of the best learning experiences happen when we just go with the flow.
Oh, and if you are wondering what I'm doing with my 4-year-old with regard to school, he's currently in a Waldorf-inspired preschool (though not the one Ava attended). I really like preschool for my kids and think it benefits them in a lot of ways. He will likely, however, start home schooling once he's in kindergarten (which is still nearly 2 years away because of his late birthday). And he participates in some of the things Ava works on now so he's really already home schooling. (Aren't kids pretty much home schooling from the day they are born?)
I like that the world is our classroom and I like being with and learning alongside my kids. I don't subscribe to a particular schooling philosophy. Instead, we do a little bit of this and a little bit of that and that is what works for us for now.
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
– William Butler Yeats
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Drying is the oldest process of preserving food and was developed in the time when only organic fruit was available. With organic dried fruit, you simply get the fruit, without sulphur dioxide (which is sometimes used as a drying agent in non-organic fruit). Much of the conventional fruit we eat still has pesticide residues on the skin - in many dried, non-organic fruits, where you eat the skin, you will consume much of the pesticides, residues or contaminates that remain on the skins of the fruit.
One of the great things with organic dried fruit is that you can enjoy fruit from around the world all year round. As the fruit is not air-freighted, the environmental impact is much less than it would otherwise be. If you choose the Fairtrade option, you can also help with development issues relating to the fruit's producers.
Dried fruit, like fresh fruit, can be rich in vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, copper and manganese).
Dried fruit may have a more intense flavour than fresh fruit, due to the lack of water.
Eating dried fruit can count as part of your five a day. The UK Food Standards Agency states: 'Dried fruit, including raisins, is a healthy choice if you want a snack, because it's full of fibre and vitamins and counts towards your daily fruit and veg portions. Prunes and dried apricots contain beta-carotene, while figs, prunes, raisins, sultanas and dried apricots are good sources of iron.'
While the most recent research suggests that eating five a day only cuts down the risk of cancer by about 2.5%, it notes that eating lots of fruit and vegetables may provide protection against cardiovascular disease. Cancer UK concluded from this:
'It's still a good idea to eat your five-a-day, but remember that fruits and vegetables are pieces in a much larger lifestyle jigsaw.'
Again, the UK Food Standards Agency gives some good advice: 'A portion of dried fruit is smaller than a portion of fresh fruit. Half to one tablespoon of raisins counts as one portion of fruit and veg.'
Organic dried fruit as a snack
If you are trying to lose weight, you need to cut out unhealthy snacks. Try substituting dried fruit. Unlike fresh fruit, this always travels well and you can keep in your desk or bag to snack on. If you choose the organic option, it is less likely to have added sugar. Changing your snacking habit is only a small lifestyle change - but it could make a big difference to your health.
Eat food not supplements
It is important to eat a range of food, and not rely on supplements for your nutrition. Eating dried fruit as part of a balanced diet can provide important nutrients. UK Cancer Research reports: 'There is strong evidence that the nutrients in fruit and vegetables do not reduce the risk of cancer when they are taken as supplements. High doses of supplements could even have harmful effects.' The other important point to make is that supplements are boring, but food is fun!
We like to offer a full range of dried fruit, most of which is Soil Association Organic standard. We pack a great deal of dried fruit ourselves and can offer many combinations of sizes, with a standard 10% case discount on all purchases.
Included in our organic dried fruit range are:
Dried apple rings: Crazy Jack Organic apple rings are naturally a bit darker than conventional apple pieces, as they have not been treated with additives to preserve the colour. They are great for snacking on straight from the pack, or can add sweetness to a dish when cooking. Alternatively, they can be soaked and used as compote. Because they have been dried, they tend to hold their shape quite well once cooked and do not 'mash' easily like fresh apple.
Dried apricots: all our dried apricots are organic. There are three options to choose from: you can have our own organic apricots, packed in various sizes, or purchase Crazy Jack apricots, in both the traditional and the 'Ready to Eat' range. As all our dried apricots are organic, they are naturally dark, as they have not been treated with sulphur dioxide as a preservative. The result is that all have a rich, dark and intense flavour - deliciously sweet. Dried naturally in the sun, they have a firm texture and are perfect for snacks - keep them in a desk for a mid-morning snack, or take them out in the fresh air when walking! Our apricots are also a good source of fibre. Dried organic apricots are much closer to fresh apricots than conventional dried apricots: move to the organic dried fruit aisle and you will appreciate the difference.
Dried bananas: we sell both organic and non-organic banana chips. Our organic banana chips are from Crazy Jack and are unsweetened and air-dried. Our other option is the Tropical Wholefoods Fairtrade Chewy Banana chips - these again are air-dried, and being Fairtrade, you know the producers are getting a fair price.
Dried blueberries: we stock both our own packed blueberries, which we source from Community Foods, and Crazy Jack blueberries. Both options are organic. These blueberries are natural, small, dark berries with a strong, intense flavour. They grow best in cold wet, northern climates and can endure temperatures as low as -20°C. They are a favourite snack of bears, birds and other creatures, including humans! Sugar has been added to preserve the fruit and keep it soft enough to eat straight from the pack (without sugar, the blueberries would be excessively dry and hard). Dried blueberries are a good store-cupboard dried fruit.
Cherries: if cake-baking is your thing, we have some great glace cherries, both organic and non-organic. The Crazy Jack organic glace cherries are infused with organic sugar to preserve them. They have no added colours, so are not the typical bright red you would expect from other sources, but are perfect for putting on top of a Black Forest Gateau. We also stock conventional glace cherries in a variety of sizes.
Dried cranberries: cranberries are well known for their health benefits, especially their antioxidant properties. Our conventionally produced cranberries are available in large bags, making them especially good value. Our organic cranberries come from Crazy Jack and are produced in the USA and Canada. Grown organically, and dried whole, these berries differ from those offered by many other suppliers, as they are not squeezed to extract the juice before they are dried. This accounts for their dark colour and great flavour. It also ensures that they are as nutritionally beneficial as they should be.
Currants: currants are one of the basic dried fruits we are all accustomed to. At Naturally Good Food, we stock Crazy Jack organic currants, which come from their traditional home in Greece, around Vostizza, where the finest currants are prepared. Currants are grown from dark red grape varieties and contain very tiny seeds. The dried fruit is very small, wrinkled and black in colour, and the flavour is absolutely gorgeous - unlike any other! Crazy Jack currants are not as sweet as raisins or sultanas, but have a more perfumed flavour. We also stock our own packed currants, which are all organic and great value.
Dates: dates are grown in very dry climates and are an incredibly resilient plant. In addition to being high in fibre, they are rich in calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium. As dates are easily digested, they give a quick release of energy. They are also well known for their laxative properties. Dates can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes, adding texture and flavour, while chopped dates help to retain moisture in cake mixes. Putting your dates in the freezer for an hour before you need to chop them will make them much easier to use. All the dates we sell are organic; we have our own packed in a variety of sizes and, of course, Crazy Jack dates.
Figs: like dates, figs are a very versatile fruit, and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Dried figs are much easier to use than fresh figs, as they are much more robust (also, in the UK, fresh figs are not always available). As dried figs are much bigger than most other dried fruit, they can be easily stuffed with nuts or honey. They can also be added to muffins, cakes and muesli bars. Figs are high in natural simple sugars, minerals and fibre, with large amounts of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. Our dried figs are available in our own packs; we also have the Ready to Eat option from Crazy Jack.
Dried mango: mangoes are one of the most widely grown of tropical fruits and come in a great variety of flavours. At Naturally Good Food, we stock Crazy Jack organic mango, which comes from Burkina Faso – one of the world's financially poorest nations, with severe drought and soil erosion problems. Crazy Jack have a project there which has helped set up some drying ovens for mangoes. Just one variety of mango is used (the 'Brooks' variety): this is perfumed and sweet, without too much acid, and no soapiness. The mango is picked when it is very ripe, washed, peeled, sliced by hand and dried on racks. There are no added colours, preservatives, flavours or sugar. Crazy Jack mango pieces will vary in colour and flavour from season to season, as the fruit is not processed to make its appearance identical (some suppliers add sugar, which masks any variance in flavour, and then add colour to ensure a uniform appearance – Crazy Jack do not). Naturally Good Food also stocks the Tropical Wholefoods mango, which again comes from Burkina Faso.
Dried organic pear: dried pears are not a commonly used fruit, which is a pity, as they have a sweet, concentrated pear flavour. Perhaps they are not the most appealing of fruit to look at, but these unsulphured organic dried pears have a delicious taste, and a soft but firm texture.
Dried pineapple: as with the dried mango, we stock both Crazy Jack and Tropical Wholefoods dried pineapple. Crazy Jack organic pineapple comes mainly from Sri Lanka, but they also source from the Far East and are looking at setting up a project in Kenya. The pineapple is dried without adding sugar and without any preservatives, so it is darker than conventional pineapple. Having no added sugar, it is not so sweet as conventional pineapple, but does taste much more of the original fruit! Crazy Jack look out for good, ripe pineapples, with plenty of colour in the fruit, and with flavour as the essential criterion. Because the product is dried naturally, and the fruit varies from season to season, their pineapple will vary in taste and flavour, but will always be very good. The Tropical Wholefoods sun-dried pineapple is made from Smooth Cayenne pineapples. These are finely sliced and dried in solar driers; they are 100% sugar- and sulphur-free, with a sweet and zingy flavour. Excellent for the digestion too!
Prunes: prunes are dried plums, but not all plums can become prunes. To become a prune, a plum needs to have a soft, thin and sweet skin. In addition, the fruit needs to be full of natural sugar, so that it will preserve well when dried. We choose larger prunes to pack at Naturally Good Food, so that you get a naturally sweet fruit with a soft texture. The combination of fibre, natural sugars and antioxidants in prunes, as well as their great flavour, makes them a superb healthy snack for you. We sell both natural dried prunes and the Crazy Jack soft 'Ready to Eat' prunes, which have a higher moisture content. Our prunes do not contain any artificial preservatives, such as potassium sorbate, which can be found in conventional prunes. Dried prunes have a strong 'humectant' - meaning water-absorbing - effect. This means that not only are they good for the digestion, but with the combination of sugars and soluble fibre, make an excellent fat replacement in baking.
Raisins: raisins are dried grapes; it takes about 4½ kg of grapes to produce about 1kg of raisins. Our dark raisins are dried directly in the sun, turning the sugars in the grapes a dark colour and giving the raisins a rich caramel flavour. Our raisins are also lightly oiled, to ensure a free-flowing fruit.
Sultanas: we stock the Crazy Jack sultanas, which are sourced from Turkey and come in 375g packs. If you want a larger pack size, we have our own sultanas, packed to Soil Association Organic Standard, in a variety of sizes up to 12.5kg.
Dried mixed fruit: our organic mixed fruit is ideal for baking, containing a mix of the finest sultanas, raisins and currants. If you don't bake frequently, or don't want to mix your own fruit, our mixed fruit is the answer, as it is ready to bake straight from the pack.
Mixed peel: our organic mixed peel comes from Crazy Jack; it's a combination of finely diced lemon and orange peel, preserved in syrup. It contains no added colours, flavours or preservatives and is mainly used as a baking ingredient in cake mixes. The lemon peel comes from Sicily and the orange peel either from Spain or Brazil. In addition, we pack our own non-organic mixed peel at Naturally Good Food. If you want larger quantities of mixed peel, please let us know.
Ginger: crystallised ginger makes a great snack, especially if you feel a bit queasy. We stock both organic and non-organic ginger, giving you the choice.
In the UK we are among the world's largest consumers of dried fruit, both in terms of total volume and in consumption per head. Therefore, we have the chance to influence the rest of the world, as much of the dried fruit we eat here is imported. So if you have the choice:
At Naturally Good Food we like to offer both these options.
One of our main organic dried fruit suppliers is Crazy Jack, who in the early 1980s, when there were no organic figs being produced, set up a project with farmers to start their production.
In addition, in this section we have crystallised ginger, mixed peel and mixed fruit. Our full listing of dried fruit is contained on this page: just scroll up for the product range and down for a quick guide to the dried fruit on offer, where we list our bulk range of dried fruit.
One favourite superfruit we can offer you is goji berries in various sizes, and in both organic and conventional form.
There is nothing quite like a piece of home-made fruit cake with a cup of tea in the afternoon! With our wide range of organic dried fruit, you can make the cake that is just right for you. With our mixed fruit, you have a ready selection of the best in dried fruit. On the recipe page you will find some good recipe ideas to try.
Organic dried fruit hints and tips
Below you will find some hints and tips on working with organic dried fruit. Most importantly, remember that it should taste good!
If you have any ideas or hints you think we could add to this section on organic dried fruit, please let us know!
Organic dried fruit is a great ingredient that can be used in a huge number of recipes. Below you will find some of our favourites - we hope you try a few and enjoy them as much as we do.
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Yes, you heard me right. I'm actually shorting this bull market. I know it's a contrary move at the moment and you might think I'm a little bit crazy, but hear me out now. Why stay long? Election year. Central Banks printing money like crazy. Low interest rates. Banks are all better. Now, why put […]READ MORE »
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A few days ago, I celebrated my birthday and was pinged on Facebook by friends and family congratulating me on being another year older (!).
Along with those good wishes, I also got a few virtual pats on the back, commenting on how healthy I was looking in some recent photos and asked for details on how I achieved the progress I had made. Of course, it's awesome for people to take notice of the hard work you've put in and confess to blushing a little at the complements. This post is my response, sharing some of the things that have worked for me in the last 14 months or so in my journey to make a better me.
Before I start, I want to stress: the following worked (and is working) for me. It's not meant as a prescription or a recipe for you. It is a bunch of things - given my psyche, environment and genetics - that worked for me. If you're looking to go on a similar journey (or already on your journey and looking for new ideas), feel free to take a little of "this", and a bit of "that", and plenty of none of "this"! So let's go to it...
It's about making a decision and sticking to it.
A few weeks ago I was at Boston Logan airport checking in when the the lady processing my boarding pass did a double take when she looked at my Mass driver's ID. She commented that I looked a lot different to the photo on the card. She asked how I lost all that weight. I told her that I made a decision a while ago and had stuck with it. She congratulated me warmly and gave me back my ID.
(12 months - before and after not my actual ID pics!)
In July of last year I made that decision. I was unhappy (and felt guilty) about my general level of fitness, I didn't like what I saw in the mirror and was feeling increasingly physically uncomfortable. And no surprise...at that time I weighed 204 lbs (I'm 6ft), with an estimated body fat: of ~24%. I was doing no regular exercise and was on course to add another 5-10 lbs over the next year. Not good, at all.
So I decided to change that. My goal (I'll come back to this later) was high-level. Maybe a little too high-level. It was to "Lose weight!". I didn't specify how much or in what time period, all I knew is that I wanted to reverse the trend, and given where I was I felt that was good enough. All the progress and achievements stem from that decision and deciding to stick with it.
It has to be sustainable.
I started slow. I thought about my goal in terms of two dimensions - 1. how much + what I was eating and 2. how much + the kind of exercise I was doing.
On the food side, I stopped eating junk and started eating more "whole foods": unprocessed foods like salads, meats that hadn't been gunked with preservatives and crap, fruit not candy, etc. I wasn't measuring calories but I stopped snacking.
On the exercise side, I wanted to actually do some but not over-do it too quickly. My body was badly out of condition and I did not want to injure myself and go two steps backward. So I started doing long walks and bought a cycling machine - 30 mins of walks + 20 mins of gentle cycling to start. Every day. Nothing dramatic.
I did that for about a month and was already feeling the benefits. I probably lost about 5 lbs in that time. As I progressed, my resolve hardened. But I also realized that I wanted the good things in life too - to drink when I like and not give up delicious food. The trick was to find the right balance between the input (caloric intake) and the output (energy consumed) and to achieve a daily caloric deficit. Depriving myself of the things I enjoy (good food and drink) wasn't going to be a sustainable path to success.
Psychologically, this sustainable path for the long term has been a core component to my being able to stick with the decision I made. For me, it was all about finding that right balance and since I made that decision, I've been able to eat delicious food that fills me and drink what I want when I want. But that has also meant doing the exercise required to balance it out.
"If you don't measure it, you can't manage it".
(My Withings charts - shows body weight in lbs in top half, body fat % lower half)
By that point I got more specific with my goals. I researched the question of how much I should weigh in order to get out of the "overweight" zone and into the good zone. The answer came back - with my natural physique, I needed to get to around 175lbs, and lose a further ~20 lbs to be at my ideal weight. I also started learning more about body fat % (BF). I didn't know what my number was (I could estimate it roughly using some online calculators) and realized that my BF%, along with my weight, was something I wanted to measure and track.
I ordered a Withings scale from Amazon - a pretty cool wi-fi enabled device that comes along with a web service and iPhone app where you can track graph the numbers, including BF%. Since then, It has acted as an invaluable tool on my journey: being able to track and review my weight and BF history and overall progress has helped the psychological re-enforcement that comes from having the "proof" and details of my progress. It helps to remind me about how far I've come, where I want to get to and how much I really don't want to go back to where I was. It remains a concrete expression of the output of my decision.
Don't go it alone.
Throughout my journey I tried to learn as much as I could about being effective in my efforts. There's a ton of websites and resources out there that I came across - lots of good advice and tons of bad ideas. One resource that help me a lot was the Reddit.com fitness subreddit - I was (and still am) mainly a lurker there, occasionally asking questions and generally getting sound advice from a community of smart people who know their stuff. As long as you've already looked through the FAQ, it is a safe place to ask "dumb" questions as well as discussing more advanced topics.
The other big help was having a friend who is also on their own journey. I don't think it really matter what level they happen to be at - the main thing is that you're able to share your own progress, goals, tips, tricks etc and learn from each other. It also helped my motivation. I've had one since the beginning and I know this helped lot.
(Runkeeper global meetup - Boston, July 2011)
Define a destination. Set and reset goals.
Generally speaking, I think anyone who aims to acheive anything needs to figure out 2 things: 1. define the destination (the end-goal or objective) and 2. plot the waypoints to that destination (the mini-goals and a strategy to get there).
My goals evolved over time. When I set out on my journey, I had a general, non-specific goal. That was fine to start off with, but as I progressed and started measuring progress I began to get more specific. I went from "Lose weight!" (very high-level) to my current goal with several in between. You could even say that my current end-goal definition (or destination) is really a mission:
to be fitter today than when I was 20 years old.
For me, that's a durable mission and one that motivates me to keep on right track over the long-haul.
Then there's the question on how I get there. I started getting more specific with my mini-goals: to lose x lbs (but not timeframed), achieve x BF%, cover Y distance on the bike in y minutes, run x miles in Y minutes, lift X weight for Y reps for Z sets. I happen to be very goals-driven, it's how I'm wired. I need that sense driving toward a destination and the satisfaction of achieving my goals. And back to the measuring bit, I used tools like Runkeeper, the Withings scale, Fitocracy and MyFitnessPal to track (and in some cases share) progress across my activities as well as (more recently) tracking food intake.
My regime
Now, on to the details of my "regime". Please remember - the following isn't meant as a prescription or recipe: I'm sharing this because a number of friends have asked for the specifics, so I'm sharing what has worked (is working) for me.
The main principles behind my regime design are:
So, with that rather extended preamble(!), here are the specifics of what a typical week might look like:
***Pull Day (Monday)***
-- Core
Squats - warm ups: 10 reps no bar, 10 reps just the bar, 5 reps at 50% RM, 5 reps at 70%
Squats - workout sets: 3 sets of 5 reps at 85% RM
Deadlifts - warm ups: 10 reps just the bar, 5 reps at 50% RM, 3 reps at 70%
Deadlifts - workout set: 5 reps at 90% RM
Weighted Chins: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Weighted Pull-ups: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
-- Ancillary
Ab work: e.g. weighted incline bench: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Rows work: - e.g. seated rows or weighted inverted rows: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Leg curls: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Eat +20% of calorie maintenance
***Rest Day (Tuesday)***
Eat -20% of calorie maintenance***Push Day (Wednesday)***
-- Core
Squats - warm ups: 10 reps no bar, 10 reps just the bar, 5 reps at 50% RM, 5 reps at 70%
Squats - workout sets: 3 sets of 5 reps at 85% RM
Bench press - warm ups: 10 reps just the bar, 8 reps at 50% RM, 5 reps at 70%
Bench press - workout sets: 3 sets of 5 reps at 85% RM
Weighted dips: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
-- Ancillary
Dumbbell work
Tricep work
Leg extensions: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
***Rest Day or Cardio Day (Thursday)***
20 - 45 min run, or a CrossFit type work out without heavy lifting (i.e. a cardio-centric workout for 15 to 20 mins).
***Pull Day (Friday) - as above***
***Rest Day or Cardio Day (Saturday) - as above***
***Pull Day (Sunday) - as above***
A few definitions:
Rep = a single repetition
Set = a set of reps
RM = Repetition Maximum (the maximum you can lift something once) - see Predicting One Rep Max.-
***Pull Day (Monday)***
-- Core
-- Ancillary
Eat +20% of calorie maintenance
***Rest Day (Tuesday)***
Eat -20% of calorie maintenance***Push Day (Wednesday)***
***Rest Day or Cardio Day (Thursday)***
20 - 45 min run, or a CrossFit type work out without heavy lifting (i.e. a cardio-centric workout for 15 to 20 mins).
***Pull Day (Friday) - as above***
***Rest Day or Cardio Day (Saturday) - as above***
***Pull Day (Sunday) - as above***
A few definitions:
Tools and resources
So there you have it. Let me know if you have any questions or even tips that have worked for you!
Interesting read, I've just come to the point you were at 12 months ago and now need to move on to Me 2.0 as well.... tomorrow I'm helping out a friend with his race and as I'm so out of shape I've been asked to be the tail of the race marshall and wear the appropriate "wally bib".... anyway tomorrow is the first step on the journey
See you in december for a glass or two of wine or a few gin's (not beer)


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Russia's Putin heads to Turkey amid differences over Syria and concerns about his health
Russia's Putin heads to Turkey amid differences over Syria and concerns about his health
Edmonton Journal, 3 December 2012
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Turkey on Monday for a one-day trip focused on trade that is likely to be overshadowed by the two countries' differences over Syria.
The visit to Istanbul, Putin's first trip in two months, also is expected to address concerns over his health. The unusual break in his travel schedule has fed speculation that the 60-year-old Russian leader is suffering from serious back trouble or another illness. His spokesman has attributed Putin's discomfort to a pulled muscle, and the president has appeared more mobile in recent days.
During the talks, Turkey is certain to press Putin to stop backing Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Kremlin, however, has shown no inclination of relinquishing its support for its last Mideast ally, whom it has shielded from international sanctions and continued to provide with weapons amid an escalating civil war.
Russia and China have used their veto power at the U.N. Security Council to block any U.N. sanctions on Assad's regime over its crackdown on an uprising that began in March 2011. Advocates say at least 40,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting since then.
Moscow also has insisted that it would honour weapons contracts signed earlier with Syria for the delivery of anti-ship and air-defence missiles. The Kremlin has argued that the Russian arms sales don't violate any international agreements and has rebuffed Western demands to halt the trade.
Russia reacted angrily in October when Turkey forced a Syrian passenger plane flying from Moscow to land in Turkey due to what Turkish officials said was military equipment on board. Moscow said the plane was legally carrying radar parts for Syria.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, told reporters on Friday the plane incident may come up during Putin's talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He signalled, however, that Russia was not going to press its argument, saying the cargo, which has remained in Turkish hands, belongs to Syria.
And while Russia has voiced concern about the planned deployment of NATO's Patriot air-defence missiles on Turkey's border with Syria, it has carefully balanced its statements on the subject, avoiding any sharp criticism of Turkey.
Ushakov said despite the disagreements on Syria, a candid exchange of views with Turkey will help "if not narrow the gap, at least understand each other's moves better."
Russia and Turkey have robust economic ties, which will be the main focus of the talks in Istanbul. Turkey is a top consumer of Russian natural gas, while Russia is a major market for Turkish construction companies. Ushakov said trade between the two countries, which totalled $32 billion last year, is expected to grow to $100 billion in the coming years.
Among other projects, Russia is building Turkey's first nuclear power plant.
Turkey is also a top travel destination for Russians, with more than 3.5 million Russian tourists visiting last year.
Putin had been expected to visit Turkey in October, but he postponed that and several other foreign trips, and spent most of the past two months at his suburban residence. He first showed signs of discomfort walking at a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Vladivostok in early September.
The business daily Vedomosti claimed Putin had injured his back shortly before the summit in a widely publicized flight in a motorized hang glider teaching Siberian cranes to migrate.
Putin's only air travel since then was a trip in early October to Ulyanovsk, a city 725 kilometres (450 miles) from Moscow.
His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has portrayed Putin as a robust athlete who pulled a muscle during judo training.
His chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, said Friday that Putin had sustained a "light sports injury" and his busy travel schedule in December confirms he is in good health.
Putin plans to visit Turkmenistan on Wednesday and make other foreign trips before the end of the year.


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The TEQ-100WIR Series is a family of isolated high performance dc-dc converter modules with ultra-wide 4:1 input voltage ranges which come in a rugged, sealed metal case. These converters are suitable for a wide range of applications, but the product is designed particularly also for industrial applications w here often no PCB mounting is possible but the module has to be mounted on a chassis. A very high efficiency and the overall heatsink construction allows an operating temperature up to +85°C with natural convection cooling without power derating and up to +95ºC with power derating. Further features include output voltage trimming, Remote On/Off and under voltage lockout. The very wide input voltage range and reverse input voltage protection make these converters also an interesting solution for battery operated systems.
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George Daniels, 1926 -2011
Justin Jay Koullapis first published this report in The Horological Journal (published monthly by the British Horological Institute), for which he is the Technical Editor. He has very kindly given Watchuseek permission to run his full article on the auction by Sotheby's of the late George Daniels' remarkable Horological Collection. His fascinating account follows:
By all accounts, the George Daniels Horological Collection was an exceptional accumulation of objects demonstrating the skill and vision of one of history's greatest watchmakers. The November auction, conducted at Sotheby's in London, raised a total of over £8.2 million (Sterling), with proceeds of the sale to be added to the already-substantial bequest made to the George Daniels Educational Trust by the sale of Daniels' motor-car collection earlier this year.
Included were five of the watches he famously made by hand, representing a substantial proportion of the twenty-seven in existence (and at auction, presenting the only likely opportunity for a prospective collector to acquire one in this era).
Lot 13: George Daniels 4-Minute Tourbillon £385,250
Also in the sale were four of the fifty Millennium Watches, a marine chronometer to Mercer's specification, a Three-Wheel clock, sold to the watch company Breguet (and subsequently entered in their records as a Breguet creation) and a number of regulator clocks with the escapements converted to Harrison's grasshopper by Daniels himself.
Being one of the horological fraternity's most anticipated events in a generation, the sale generated enormous interest. In the days leading up to the sale the preview was brimming with interested parties. Many of Europe's most respected dealers and collectors could be espied carefully studying the artifacts while a good number of collectors specially travelled to London for the once-in-a- lifetime chance to examine and handle one of George Daniels' revered watches themselves. The famous Daniels workbench, with its raised green top, was brought over from the Isle of Man and each tool carefully placed exactly as he had left it in an artful state of disarray, while fellow Isle of Man watchmaker Roger Smith was on hand to help guide visitors through the collection.
On Tuesday 6 November, at the start of proceedings, the salesroom was heavily over-capacity. Bidders lucky enough to get inside had to jostle for space, there being barely room to open their catalogues. The auction was broadcast online with the progress being viewable on large screens throughout the building.
Lot 1: Mahogany Two Day Marine Chronometer £25,000.00
Lot 1 was Daniels' first complete instrument of his own making, a marine chronometer from a kit of castings supplied by Mercer. George, who had no middle name, uniquely signed it 'G W Daniels,' preferring the typographically aesthetic balance that the invented middle initial afforded. Bidding on this lot quickly surged, with the hammer falling in little over a minute, bringing the total including premium to an astonishing £25,000. The pre-sale estimate was £2,500- £3,500; the rest of the sale broadly followed suit in terms of the high hammer prices vs catalogue estimates.
Lot 9: George Daniels Space Travellers Watch £1,329,250
Perhaps the most widely-publicised Daniels watch was always going to command the most interest and on the day it did not disappoint. The memorably-named Space-Travellers' Watch generated considerable excitement; bidders in the room vied with each other to own one of the 20th century's most revered horological artefacts, imperceptible nods of the head incrementally nudging the price upwards in £50,000 quanta until it paused at just over one million pounds. The auctioneer managed to exact another hundred thousand from the pair before bringing down his gavel at £1,150,000 to discreet huzzahs and spontaneous applause by the crowd. The final price for the watch including premium was £1,329,250) (lot 9).
This single figure smashes all world records for a) any Daniels watch, b) any English watch, and c) any watch made by an independent watchmaker.
Bidding quickly progressed with the remaining hand-made watches all selling considerably above their estimates. The opportunity to acquire a Millennium Watch was not lost and these also sold for high prices, especially the example in white gold commanding nearly £150,000.
Another series of lots included commercial watches to which Daniels had fitted his own escapements and yet others that included watches presented to him by omega in recognition of his contribution. A Speedmaster Mark II, ca. 1975, fitted with a co-axial escapement by Daniels sold for £15,000. Ordinary watches of this type typically command about £800 (lot 19).
Lot 22: Urban Jurgenson 18k Gold Automatic £61,250
The Jurgensen Museum took the opportunity to acquire an urban Jurgensen watch from 1985 fitted with the slim co-axial escapement (lot 22), paying £61,250 for it against an upper estimate of £20,000.
Never one to pass on an opportunity to acquire important horological works by other makers, Daniels had amassed a considerable collection of English and continental watches and clocks, and these items generated high prices as much for their importance in their own right as for their provenance. A British dealer and historian of the old school paid nearly £60,000 for lot 43, a beautiful pre-balance spring verge watch from 1650 by Benjamin Hill of London with astronomical indications and an exquisite piqué outer case.
A ruby cylinder watch by Francis Perigal with 'Chelsea-bun' bimetallic compensation was a steal at £17,000, given its provenance with original bill of sale from Sam Clutton to George Daniels dated 28 June 1977. A magnificent Dent repeating carriage clock (lot 69) with chronometer escapement and original carrying case with a Bramah lock sold for £61,250.
Lot 33: Trafalgar Talking Watch £813.00
Horological oddities included a pantograph used by Breguet for inscribing their secret signature (lot 68) and a number of bronzes by various artists depicting Daniels himself. Never the snob, there were a good number of fun and quirky items in Daniels' possession, such as lot 33, a 'Trafalgar' talking electronic digital wristwatch, commanding £813, whose price elicited about as many sharp intakes of breath as the Space Travellers' Watch! The price of the German carved cuckoo clock that used to hang in the kitchen at Riversdale was the subject of quite a few private wagers and when the hammer came down its new owner had chalked up another couple of thousand Pounds for horological education.
Lot 130: Joseph Knibb Roman Striking Bracket Clock £1,273,250
A collection of English clocks was crowned by a most beautiful and elegant little ebony Roman-striking bracket clock by Joseph Knibb (lot 130) with solid silver chapter ring, spandrels, case mounts and provenance linking it to king George III. Nobody should have been surprised when it finally sold for £1,273,250.
The marathon session ended just before 6pm with the final proceeds totalling £8,285,139. This includes the 25% auctioneer's premium.
It is certainly the case that Daniels spent his life creating masterpieces of the highest order but it cannot be disputed that his business prescience always drove him to associate himself with only the best that his craft had to offer, as an historian, a craftsman, or as a collector. He will be remembered for the unstinting generosity of his magnificent bequest, which will finally bring long-term stability to horological education in the UK.
Justin Jay Koullapis
Technical Editor
The Horological Journal
Pictures courtesy of Sotheby's
Visit The Horological Journal website


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We rethink everything
Splitted-Desktop Systems (please call us SDS ! ) is a french based design house, with young talented engineering resources focused on designing today's computer and datacenter infrastructure.
We care about our earth, and are focused on green and recyclable technologies. We are also thinking that knowledge has value only if it is shared and useable by anybody, that is why all our developments are performed under Open Compute licensing.
Open Compute Gold Member
SDS is proud to be an Open Compute Project member and to have reach the Gold status up to July 2015. This is recognizing our deep involvement in Open Hardware, our community work capabilities, and acquired knowledges in Open Compute hardware for the benefit of our customers.
Millions servers produced per year
Millions PC produced per year
Millions smartphone produced per year
Cloud Computing is the next big thing …
and we build it from ground !
SDS engineers and consulting team is dedicated to transform the IT industry into the most greener industry possible. With millions of devices to connect together, we think the next revolution can only come up from disruptive hardware technologies to sustain the IT industry growth and customer requests.
We do not know a lot about software but are crazy good in hardware and are changing the way you may think a datacenter can be implemented. By joining our forces, we believe that we might be able to build the best cloud infrastructure ever.
What do we offer
Engineering services
Our engineering team can offer you the best services to adapt or develop any kind of digital concept, from connected devices who will be managed by Cloud hardware to DataCenters infrastructure. We are using state of the art digital solutions for your benefits.
Open Compute products
We can supply you with the latest Open Compute hardware, including racks, PSU, servers, storage and much more. We are providing bundled solutions which are fully tested, and/or parts supplies.
Our support team provide level 1, 2 and 3 supports for Open Compute systems. Level 1 is provided in french, english and spanish. We are currently running it between 9am to 7pm on working days, and will expand it by the end of 2014.
Production and Staging
Our production team is currently assembling more than 10 000 x86 systems per year with the best quality available in Europe at the right cost. We supply corporate customers as well as retailers and setup cost driven production tools in Europe aligned with Open Compute philosophy.
Our purchasing department will provide you consulting and help to source the best components with the most fair and well balanced customer/supplier relationship. We can help you to purchase low quantities or very high volume, in France, Europe or everywhere in the world.
What do they think
SDS brought us in a very quick manner the best technical solution for our needs with the benefit of being very closed to us as to provide the fastest support capabilities we never had.Bernard Monnier
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Contact Us
Where are we basedSplitted-Desktop Systems (SDS) Parc des Algorithmes, Batiment Aristote Route de l'orme des Merisiers 91190 Saint-Aubin
We operate everywhere in Europe and in the world.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
The EEOC is compiling sample Mediation Agreements, Intake Sheets, Settlement Agreements, Evaluations, and other forms in order to assist agencies in developing, or improving upon, their ADR forms. Several such forms are listed below. The Commission would welcome the submissions of any additional forms. Please email the forms to email@example.com.
Samples Forms:


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We've got a ton of great content for the poster wall that's been collected from various places around the internet this past week including everything from low budget indies, foreign films, fan made posters and some pretty cool series posters. Lets get started…
Up first is a collection of fan made posters created for the upcoming X-Men: First Class film by two different artists. These are all incredible pieces of work and have a real sense of late 60′s early 70′s style that really works for this movie which looks back at the beginning of the X-Men saga.
Artist: Jeffery Zang
Up next is another collection of posters from Tim Gunn's film "Super" starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page. Very cool layout hi-lighting the costume design and the signature catch phrases of the movies two super hero characters.
Ellen Page's Boltie
Rainn Wilson's Crimson Bolt
Here's a couple of posters for some indie movies hitting festivals around the country right now. These are two horror movies that come from complete opposite ends of the film making spectrum. The dark and very controversial film "A Serbian Film" and "Rubber" of the more light hearted. campy, splatter film variety. Two cool posters that prove there's a little something for everyone out there, you just have to search for it sometimes.
Here are a few random selections from some summer flicks coming up. The "Attack the Block" poster is a nice wide format we don't usually see in here showcasing what looks be an alien invasion. This is from a British movie starring Nick Frost of "Shuan of the Dead" fame. Also included is the Hollywood poster for "Cars 2″. Nothing special worth noting in this one. Seems kinda boring compared to what we've seen so far. Oh, and be on the look out for the Mo Brothers film GFG. That stands for Goddamn Motherfucking Ghouls. The film is said to take place in a hotel, where a group of folks are defending themselves from a bunch of flesh eating ghouls. Sounds interesting…
And finally here's a look at some limited edition posters created by some boutique poster designers for limited runs. The "Sucker Punch" poster was created by artist Ken Taylor for Mondo Tees to celebrate the release of


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A new survey has revealed 60 per cent of parents are concerned that social media is having a negative effect on childhood development with nearly a quarter (22 per cent) recognising that they themselves are setting a bad example!
The survey, carried out by Germolene Antiseptic Cream with 2000 UK parents across three generations, found that not only are parents setting a bad example, but 43 per cent of millennial parents are relying on technology with the children.
This could be the case of children spending nearly 11 hours every school week (almost two school days) glued to their smartphone or computer for fun. The findings reveal the youth of today are spending significantly less time enjoying the benefits of the great outdoors compared to their parents' generation.
In fact, when describing their own childhoods, four in five parents (80 per cent) said they used to play outdoors every day after school, compared to just over half (56 per cent) of children today.
And more than a fifth (22 per cent) of parents said they don't actively encourage their children to play outside, in part due to worries about their safety.
Almost all parents (95 per cent) recognise the benefits of outdoor play to childhood development such as physical exercise, social interaction and cognitive skills and 72 per cent believe that experiencing occasional cuts and grazes is important for childhood development.
However nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) think the fear of getting hurt is causing many parents to wrap their children in cotton wool.
Commenting on the survey, Emma Kenny, Child Psychologist, said: "Outdoor play is essential for childhood development.
"Although technology has a valuable role, it is important that parents actively encourage their children to explore and enjoy the great outdoors, even if that brings some bumps and scrapes along the way!
"Exposure to 'healthy risk', ie from falling off a bike or grazing a knee, is all part of growing up and it enables children to learn what their limits and strengths are and how to make decisions for themselves."
The findings also reveal that today's generation of offspring are not as 'au fait' with important outdoor life skills as their parents:
· Less than a quarter (23 per cent) of children know how to repair a bike puncture, compared to 46 per cent of parents
· Only one in five youngsters know how to light a camp fire compared to nearly a third (31 per cent) of their parents
· Less than a quarter (23 per cent) of children know how to provide basic first aid
Germolene's Brand Manager, Bernadett Khan-Gonda, said: "We really want parents to embrace outdoor play with their children.
"As technology becomes ever more prominent, it's important to ensure we make the time for children to enjoy being children.
"Soaking up the fresh air, running for joy and in all likelihood tripping up along the way!"