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Ben Nelson, the Nebraska Narcissist, is at it again
Oh, Lord, Ben Nelson again?
The Nebraska conservative -- who calls himself a Democrat for reasons known only to God and himself -- is back at it. In 2009, Nebraska's senior senator broke with his party to demand cuts in the administration's stimulus bill, which he got, as the current high rate of unemployment clearly attests. On health care, he held up passage until the public option was no more and until the bill included a special provision for Nebraska, compelling the federal government to pick up the state's expenses for expanding Medicaid coverage.
For this classic bit of special interest particularism, better known as the Cornhusker Kickback, he was roundly criticized by left, right and center. You'd think the guy would learn.
But there he was Monday evening, voting yet again with the Republicans, this time to block his own party from initiating debate on financial reform. Nelson protested that he was looking out for Main Streets interests, but earlier in the day the Democrats had stricken a special provision from their bill that would have created a loophole for the wealthiest Nebraskan of them all, Warren Buffett. The loophole would have exempted Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett's company, from having to pay the fees on derivatives it already holds -- fees that all other derivative-holders would be compelled to pay under the terms of the bill. The Democrats sensed, correctly, that this one carve-out was hard to justify as a matter of policy and harder still as a matter of politics, a move that apparently left Nelson so peeved that he voted to keep the financial reform debate from beginning.
As was not the case with either the stimulus or health-care reform, there are likely to be enough Republicans willing to vote for the Democrats' bill after a suitable passage of time that the Democrats may not need Nelson's vote. For now, however, the Nebraska Narcissist is loose again, wreaking havoc on decent legislation and cementing the public's perception that he is the senator most amenable to the suasion of special interests.
Harold Meyerson
| April 27, 2010; 12:20 PM ET
Categories: Meyerson | Tags: Harold Meyerson
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harold - Harold - one carve out? You and I know the bill is loaded with carve outs....including many of those companies that were at the forefront of the financial collapse......Just ask Senator Dodd - he put them in there as exempt.....
Posted by: short1 | April 27, 2010 1:11 PM | Report abuse
Wow, a Dem does something you don't agree with and you then try to somehow paint him as a Rep? Everyday I hear Dems blames others for there inactions/actions but this excuse really takes the cake. Would someone please take the kookaid away from Mr. Meyson?
Posted by: mmourges | April 27, 2010 1:15 PM | Report abuse
The entire Senate is dysfunctional, but this guy takes the cake. His arguments have to do with why he doesn't like the bill, but he voted NOT EVEN TO ALLOW IT BE DEBATED. These are "anti-democrats" in the broadest sense of the word (the Republicans + Nelson) and they have no business serving in a democratically-elected body.
Posted by: cbl55 | April 27, 2010 1:17 PM | Report abuse
"Wow, a Dem does something you don't agree with and you then try to somehow paint him as a Rep? Everyday I hear Dems blames others for there inactions/actions but this excuse really takes the cake. Would someone please take the kookaid away from Mr. Meyson?
Posted by: mmourges | April 27, 2010 1:15 PM | Report abuse"
Please, numbnutz, nowhere in the article does Meyerson paint Nelson as a Republican. An a-hole, yes, which might be the same thing in essence. But still not a Repuke.
Posted by: koolkat_1960 | April 27, 2010 1:20 PM | Report abuse
Look, Ben Nelson's vote is for sale. I hope he at least rinses between kisses.
Posted by: kravitzkravitz | April 27, 2010 2:01 PM | Report abuse
Ben Nelson is a scumbag who is bad for the USA.
Posted by: jsmith021961 | April 27, 2010 2:06 PM | Report abuse
Wow - Meyerson is like Hugo Chavez - any Democrat that thinks for himslef and wanders from Obama's socialist agenda is considered a heretic and must be eradicated. the new idealogues running and supporting the Democratic Party are dangerous.
Posted by: Realist201 | April 27, 2010 2:28 PM | Report abuse
Senator Nelson voted as an AMERICAN, not an OBAMA ROBOT...how refreshing! Way to go, Ben!
Posted by: powerange | April 27, 2010 2:36 PM | Report abuse
Ben Nelson voted as he special interest loving greedy tea-bagger republican he really is.
I wish he just be honest and claim his republican status, but honesty isn't something I expect from a tea-bagger republican, after all.
Posted by: jeffc6578 | April 27, 2010 2:41 PM | Report abuse
Look, Realist201, Obama is not a socialist, so people like you should stop parading their ignorance on these pages by saying so. Besides, one may get the idea that you actually prefer Bush 2, that unmitigated disaster that almost destroyed this country. Man, so many complaints about Obama, who has already done alot to benefit this country. Frankly, after the likes of Bush and Cheney and most of the Republican Senators (Cronyn, Hutchinson, McCain name almost any of them) I would think an enlightened man or woman would be done with that party. But then it is pretty obvious by your comment that you are not remotely an enlightened man, or even a man.
Posted by: nyrunner101 | April 27, 2010 3:01 PM | Report abuse
The US Senate is so dysfunctional and useless that it cries out for change to eliminate it entirely! Never mind that it is by definition the least democratic institution in our government and perhaps on the planet; it just plain does not work! There is just one more corruption after another from a block of Republicans representing less than 30% of the people of our nation saying no to everything to Senators from Nebraska, Alaska to Maine, Wisconsin, from Gramps in Az to his sidekick Kyl carving out exemptions for their owners, the bosses that fund their campaigns, and their parties that gerrymander their districts to prevent any action by people to replace them! We can not expect any of these oath breakers - their pledge to put the nation's interests ahead of State, Party, Personal, and Israeli demands - therefore, we need a Constitutional Convention to "FIX" our Congress!!
Posted by: Chaotician | April 27, 2010 3:12 PM | Report abuse
I've been saying it for years: Toss this joker out of the party. Nelson never met a bag of money he didn't want to bend over for. He'd make a great Republican or, better yet, an ex-politician.
Posted by: CopyKinetics | April 27, 2010 3:41 PM | Report abuse
Mr. Nelson is an interesting sort of creature that his constituents should study closely. It is rare that one sees a human that can walk without a backbone. However, the hand of special interest up his lower entry parts seems to keep him standing.
Posted by: vitality1 | April 27, 2010 3:46 PM | Report abuse
Indeed it is long past time that buffoons like Nelson (and Lieberman, etc) admit their true affiliations and join the Republicans. Most certainly we want moderate centrist opinions in the Democratic party, but we should not have to struggle and negotiate within the party itself on key legislation like this. This is a repeat of the healthcare problem, when one could help but suspect that Nelson and Lieberman took their positions for corrupt reasons. (And both are smug narcissists infatuated with seeing themselves on the news).
Posted by: gposner | April 27, 2010 3:54 PM | Report abuse
When he is up for election again, let me know so that I can send his opponent a donation. It is better to have a Republican is that position than a turncoat like Nelson!
Posted by: oakiedokie | April 27, 2010 4:19 PM | Report abuse
Ben Nelson is not only a narcissist, but lacks shame of any sort. Did not Warren Buffet at one time complain that his tax rates are lower than his administrative assistant he and people like him should pay higher taxes? So if Warren is not complaining why is Ben Nelson brown nosing by bringing into his mess a self made billionaire who is not afraid to pay his share of taxes.Oh! I forgot, Ben is so peeved by his health care shameful shenninga he thinks this is a time to pay back Harry Reed. I think they should kick him to join the likes of senator Shelby another former democrat full of himself.
Posted by: ere591 | April 27, 2010 4:38 PM | Report abuse
Enough of this guy. We need another preening Lieberman type like we need to get into another war.
Posted by: Noacoler | April 27, 2010 4:53 PM | Report abuse
All sound and fury, signifying nothing. The fact is either nothing will be passed, or a so watered-down as to be meaningless version will emerge. We have the very best government money can buy and the forces opposed to financial reform can afford much more of it than those in favor.
Posted by: NoFanofMOPAR | April 27, 2010 4:55 PM | Report abuse
As a graduate of Cornhusker University of Nebraska, it pains me to see the good people of Nebraska kicked around like a pigskin during the big game (you know, with Oklamhoma). But I am not sure why Senator Nelson wants to protect Warren Buffet from new fees for derivatives (aka credit default swaps). Mr. Buffet is well respected; but, Senator Nelson could not get a reservation at Kentucy Fried Chicken. Nelson could resign with immediate effect. Who among Cornhuskers would even notice? Meanwhile, Wall Street runs in the wild with impunity.
Posted by: rmorris391 | April 27, 2010 5:04 PM | Report abuse
Meyerson, what is wrong with you? Nelson disagrees with his party and for that he should be castigated? Oh yes, he disagrees with what is right and for that he must be wrong?
Why didn't you state that maybe (just maybe ?) he did not know the content of what was supposed to be voted on???
jamming votes through without knowledge of what is being voted on is the "crime" here!
But you and Harry Reid wouldn't understand that, would you?
Posted by: SeniorVet | April 27, 2010 5:36 PM | Report abuse
Why vote against a bill when passing the bill you can debate on it. Nelson and the republicans are looking like fools.
Not only americans are watching but the world.
If America wants to be taken seriously these repubs. have to act in responsible manner.
Posted by: wanttoknow1 | April 27, 2010 5:36 PM | Report abuse
Someone here said that whole Senate is dysfunctional. Not true. Voters are dysfunctional as they try to blame everyone but themselves for not satisfying their self-centered needs.
The Republicans are dysfunctional but are trying to make the Senate, at least, dysfunctional by constantly saying to no even, I suppose, on the question of does the earth revolve around the sun or vice versa.
Posted by: pbarnett52 | April 27, 2010 6:13 PM | Report abuse
Warren Buffet is another special interest of Obama like Blacks, Hispanics, Unions, Corrupt Union Bosses, Academia, Wealthy Trial Lawyers, and Hollywood.
Why shouldn't Warren Buffet get a special favor at everyone else's expense like all the other Obama special interests?
Posted by: hz9604 | April 27, 2010 6:26 PM | Report abuse
Ben Nelson is an idiot with a bad wig. what goes through his mind? strange man indeed.
Posted by: kurthunt | April 27, 2010 6:39 PM | Report abuse
Ben Nelson is from a conservative state. Do you think maybe that has something to do with his conservative positions? Maybe he represents the views of his constituents?
Ok Ben. Make Meyerson happy. Become a Republican.
Posted by: hz9604 | April 27, 2010 7:04 PM | Report abuse
Ben Nelson is among the most despicable members of the Senate. He openly stated that he would not support any element of the health care bill that did not meet with "the bishops approval." Adding insult to injury, he then took a one hundred million dollar kickback for his nonsupport.
His campaigns are heavily financed by BIG PHARMA and BIG INSURANCE.
His relations with both as well as his connections with "the bishops" need to be thoroughly investigated.
This is not Vatican Nation. We have an Establishment clause. When Senators represent the interests of the Pope, they are in violation of that clause.
The RCC is currently enjoying the privileges of being a Foreign Nation, a tax exempt religious institution, and an unregistered foreign lobbyist. This is patently illegal. Its dangers to democracy are evident in Sen. Ben Nelson, much beloved by faux liberal E.J. Dionne, who actually proclaimed Nelson's kickback the wave of the future.
Investigate Big Pharma, Big Insurance, Big Vatican Nelson. Get back our one hundred million dollars.
Posted by: FarnazMansouri | April 27, 2010 7:48 PM | Report abuse
People like Senator Nelson are oblivious to the existence of something called history, which, over time, tends to get the story straight about events and people. I don't know if the right word is "narcissist" for such people, even though he is that. What is the word for someone who not only does not care what people of his own era think of him but also does not care what future generations will conclude? Look now, how we who study history reserve not just contempt, but scorn also, for people like Ben Nelson. His ego may be able to take the contempt, may even be stimulated by it, but the scorn will definitely be too much for him.
Posted by: dorofacol | April 27, 2010 8:00 PM | Report abuse
"Senator Nelson voted as an AMERICAN, not an OBAMA ROBOT...how refreshing!"
So AMERICANS are whiny children who, when they don't get what they want, pick up their ball and go home?
Posted by: presto668 | April 27, 2010 8:05 PM | Report abuse
To think, if only Ben Nelson hadn't demanded cuts in the stimulus bill, unemployment would be back at five percent...
Really, Mr. Meyerson, that's what you lead with?
Posted by: 1ofamillion | April 27, 2010 9:30 PM | Report abuse
Actually, two U.S. Senators are privileged to represent our two newest states:
- Ben Nelson, representing the 51st State: Berkshire Hathaway; and,
- Joe Lieberman, representing the 52nd State: Israel.
Posted by: hogsmile | April 27, 2010 9:46 PM | Report abuse
Does Ben Nelson own stock in corporations owned by Warren Buffet and located in Nebraska?
Posted by: mawheelz | April 27, 2010 10:01 PM | Report abuse
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Ben Nelson, who supported an exemption to proposed derivatives rules sought by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., owned as much as $6 million worth of stock with his wife in the Omaha, Nebraska-based company, financial disclosures show.
Posted by: billq1 | April 27, 2010 10:04 PM | Report abuse
to all,
Ben Nelson took a BRIBE (i call a spade a spade, whether the LIBs here like it or not.) & voted AGAINST the desires of HIS constitutents.
sounds like just another DIMocRAT Party CROOK to me. - the DIMocRATS care NOTHING for HONESTY, COMMON DECENCY or HONOR. evidently all they care about is MONEY & POWER.
that's why the DIMocRATS coalition of CROOKS, TAX CHEATS, FOOLS, LUNATICS, EXTREMISTS, UNION BOSSES & BIGOTS will LOSE both of the houses of the Congress this November.
further, we Tea Party Patriots will remind the voters EVERY election from now on that DIMocRATS are GARBAGE & CORRUPT to the core AND that the DIMs should NEVER be entrusted with the safety of this Republic again.
in January of 2011, BHO will be IRRELEVANT, as NONE of his programs will pass muster with the new congress.
BHO can spend the time left in his ONE term trying to figure out what he will do as a FAILED/DISRESPECTED ex-President after January 20, 2013.
yours, TN46
Posted by: texasnative46 | May 1, 2010 8:32 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.


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Poached Pears
- 2 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 4 pears medium ripe but firm, peeled with stem intact
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds toasted
- In large saucepan heat juice, water, sugar and cinnamon over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add pears. Cook, turning pears frequently, until tender, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to cutting board. Reserve poaching liquid. Using sharp paring knife, slice each pear into fan shape while still keeping pear and stem intact. Place pears on 4 individual serving plates. Press down gently to fan the pear out. Cook poaching liquid over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. Spoon syrup over pears. Sprinkle with almonds.
- Serve chilled or warm.

subset: commoncrawl


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Read the full article
This article was originally published in issue #40
To read the article in its entirety, view the digital magazine
Sweden's Hagstrom may not have been at the forefront of guitar design but for a while back in the 1960s, the company did have a following and, particularly in Europe, achieved some success. Originally an accordion maker, by 1958 it had got into the spirit of Rock and Roll and was making its own idiosyncratic guitars. They're much liked by the sort of people who like the design of Italian guitars of the early 1960s but, not to put too fine a point on it, they were much better made and far more playable than most of the Italian rivals. In both cases, however, think sparkly finishes, pearloid plastic and stamped metal logos!
Hagstrom had a number of 'firsts' too - including the first 8-string bass, the H8, which was made a bit of a legend by Jimi Hendrix. They also made a number of semi-acoustic and Jazz models, some of which command quite high prices today on the vintage market. One feature the company was particularly proud of and which is still is in use is its H-Expander truss rod system.
So Hagstrom certainly played its part in guitar history and has been bubbling around once again, since it was reintroduced as a brand a few years ago with a range of models inspired by those 1960s guitars. They are very much aimed at the Indie player who really does not want to be seen with a superstrat, a Fender or a Gibson.
The model we're reviewing here is the Impala, heavily based on a model launched in 1963 - and doesn't it look it? Let's say now that liking the looks of this guitar (or not) is really an aesthetic decision. You either get it or you don't! Our reviews concentrate, as far as possible, on the objective points of a guitar, so we'll leave the decision about whether or not you like the Impala's looks to you.
Pulling it from the case it certainly is a unique looking instrument and one of the first things you notice is the array of switches, leaving you wondering what they all do, and probably whether they are they all necessary! This was a common design 'feature' at the time. European guitar makers decided that the more switches and knobs you put on a guitar the better would-be players thought it was - a design feature which went to some pretty absurd lengths at times! Mind you, Fender might have caught a dose of the same bug at the time when they designed the Jaguar and Jazzmaster, so no one was immune.
The finish on our sample was of a pretty high quality though, personally, I'm not a fan of the stamped metal name on the body, but, again, it fits with the 'tradition'. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard, and it's a set neck - in other words a traditional glued joint, so there's no bulky neck joint to get in the way and the perfect marriage between body and neck. As with all Hagstrom guitars, the Impala uses the company's unique H-Expander truss rod. "Providing tension at both ends and running the entire length of the neck, the rigid yet light-weight alloy truss rod allows for a very low action and thin neck", the company says. The Impala does actually have a very thin neck making it an easy to play guitar, however, our sample didn't have a particularly low action - not that that's necessarily a bad thing. The slightly higher action meant there were no fret buzzing issues or intonation problems, for example. I did have a slight issue with the nut on our example, though. Exuberant bends on the high E string tended to pop the string out of the nut, which was annoying. This could be sorted easily with a little light file work, but you don't expect to have to do that kind of thing on a new guitar.
The mahogany asymmetric double cutaway body was comfortable to play and the use of mahogany throughout gave a warm tone while making the guitar fairly in light weight. The Impala is fitted with a Hagstrom Vintage Tremar tailpiece which looks kind of cool and very vintage, but it is never going to stand up to much abuse. If dive bombs and whammy bar tricks are your thing this is definitely not the trem for you, any more than would be a vintage Bigsby. On the other hand, if you like a light shimmer on chords then this should hold up fine and I didn't have any tuning issues.
The two Alnico 5 Retro S pickups deliver good quality sound with clarity, depth and sparkle, which leads me on to all those switches... Getting your head round all the options is going to take some time, and annoyingly there was no instruction book that outlines "this switch does this" which means trial and a lot of error. From what I can make out, you can switch between pickups, or a combination of both, there is a mute switch (but this only works depending where the other switches are) and a bass cut which, although useful, seems to drop the overall volume too, which is unfortunate.
There is absolutely no doubt that you can get a great number of different sounds out of this guitar from the multitude of options and to be fair the tones are very good, from cutting highs to deep lows, but boy it's a complex set-up! I can also see that switching whilst playing could be a bit of a nightmare. It's not like just switching a pickup selector with your little finger: here you have a row of SIX switches and you have to be aware of where they each are to get the sound you want and not inadvertently switch the mute on! This will be right up the street of players that like complex control options like those found on a Fender Jag, but if you want a pick up and play type thing then this may well just annoy and frustrate.
The Hagstrom Impala is a good sounding guitar and for the most part well made (hopefully the nut issue noted above was a one-off). It plays well and the set neck makes upper fret access a breeze, the body was comfortable to play and the overall balance was very good. I would be nervous about giving the tailpiece too much stick however and the switching options are a bit to over the top and not clear enough for this reviewer. If you like something unique with options above and beyond anything you could dream of, and you like that vintage look then the Impala could just be what you are looking for but this is one you are definitely going to want to audition for yourself before you buy.
This article was originally published in issue #40
To read the article in its entirety, view the digital magazine


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Sacramento, CA—Voters across California now have an opportunity to learn more about the candidates whose names will appear on the November 6 ballot. Interviews of candidates for most major statewide elected offices are now being aired on The California Channel, online at www.calchannel.com and on YouTube.
These interviews are provided to the public by Cable's Free Airtime Project, a nonpartisan collaborative effort between the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund, The California Channel and your local cable provider. All candidates were invited to participate in the interviews.
Check out our playlist of video interviews on YouTube.
You will hear from candidates vying for the offices of:
-United States Senator
-Superintendent of Public Instruction
-Insurance Commissioner
-Supreme Court Justice
-Secretary of State
-Attorney General
-Lt. Governor
How can I find out more about the candidates running for office on November 6?
- Learn more about the candidates by visiting Voter's Edge.
"We are proud to continue our partnership with The California Channel on the Free Air Time Project," said Carol Moon Goldberg, Voter Service Director of the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. "Californians get an intimate look at the candidates for statewide office with answers from the candidates themselves, not from ads or sound-bites. We consider the Free Air Time one of the League's most valuable tools for providing nonpartisan information to California voters in this election".
"These interviews are invaluable educational resources that allow voters to learn about the candidates and issues that shape our great state," said John Hancock, President of The California Channel. "We hope that voters will turn to The California Channel for these unedited in-depth interviews, and that they vote with the power that knowledge gives on November 6th".
Find out when the interviews will be aired on The California Channel's local cable stations, please check the television schedule.
Get more information on the candidates and to get your entire ballot from Voter's Edge. Election information also available in Spanish.
About the California Channel
The California Channel is an independent, non-profit public affairs cable network governed by California's cable television industry, and modeled after the national C-SPAN service. The channel's primary mission is to provide Californians direct access to "gavel-to-gavel" proceedings of the California Legislature, and other forums where public policy is discussed, debated, and decided - all without editing, commentary, or analysis and with a balanced presentation of viewpoints.
To view streaming and archived video, or to learn on what station the California Channel is carried on your local cable system, visit www.calchannel.com.
About the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
The League of Women Voters of California Education Fund conducts our voter service and civic education activities. It is a 501(c)(3) corporation, a nonpartisan non-profit educational organization, which:
- Builds participation in the democratic process.
- Studies key community issues at all government levels in an unbiased manner.
- Enables people to seek positive solutions to public policy issues through education and conflict management.
Visit www.CAvotes.org for more information.
Interviews and photos available upon request. Contact Elizabeth Leslie, LWVC Communications Manager.
# # #


text:
may not need a multiplayer mode from creators Avalanche Studios, the game is getting one straight from the community. Just Cause 2's multiplayer proved very successful and extremely fun—and the new mod looks just as chaotic and destructive in the sneak peak posted to the JC-MP site. Check it out below:The crew is "incredibly excited" to show what they've been working on for the past few weeks. Though there aren't any details regarding the mod's release date, the development team says that "moving forward you can expect frequent updates on our progress along with exciting new developments as they happen."
see deal
Just Cause 3 - PlayStation 4$29.99on Best Buy
Avalanche co-founder Christofer Sundberg told IGN that "sandbox has always been the focus" for the company, but says that the Just Cause team loves that the community takes the initiative in creating multiplayer mods.
"We were taken by surprise with the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod, and we hope they'll look at [Just Cause 3] the same way. Obviously we're more…prepared this time, and we can offer more support to the community."Just Cause 3 was released in early December on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Read IGN's review here. And while you're waiting for Just Cause 3's multiplayer, you can download Just Cause 2's right from Steam.
Nicole is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.
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Jehan authored
BUILD_EXEEXT was not properly set (config macro AX_PROG_CC_FOR_BUILD). Apparently we need aclocal/automake version 1.13 or higher and to distribute ax_prog_cc_for_build.m4 ourselves to benefit from a fix released only in autoconf 2.69. Thanks to Éric Hoffman for reporting and investigating on this. Automake 1.13 apparently dates from 2012 and debian testing provides a newer version (automake 1.15) so it should be ok to update it. Also that's only a build dependency.6cf26410


text:
Do you have an Acura CL? Do you wanna know more history about it? Of course you do (:
First, let's get this straight: Acura is a brand from Honda; I bet you didn't know that, huh? It was manufactured from 1997-2003 & was thought of as a replacement for the Acura Legend. What's interesting is that all of the Acura CLs were produced at Honda's plant that's located in Marysville, Ohio; this made it the first Acura to be built in the United States.
There was one really common problem that owners faced with these vehicles: the driver window would fail & would just not even work. The good thing is that there was no major recalls issued for this problem. Another good thing is the 2002 Acura CL wheels that came on the vehicle; I mean, they're pretty nice, right?
Either way, if you didn't know… now you do (:


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Monday night President Obama was given a do-over.
He and First Lady Michelle Obama were watching the USA Basketball exhibition game when the Verizon Center's "Kiss Cam" focused on them.
The president put his arm around the first lady and the couple smiled, but no smooching. The crowd booed.
The second time the camera focused on the first couple, however, the president planted a big one on his wife's lips, then kissed her on the forehead as she blushed.
The crowd roared its approval.
With polls currently showing Obama in a statistical dead heat with presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, one wonders if the American public, generally, could be persuaded to give the president a do-over of sorts with a second term.
Certainly Morgan Freeman understands second chances in politics.
Earlier this month, Freeman told NPR's Michel Martin, host of "Tell Me More," that Obama wasn't really the first black president, but the first "mixed-race" president.
The Oscar-winning actor was on Martin's show to discuss his new movie, "The Magic of Belle Isle." But the actor, also known for his work in numerous films, including, "The Shawshank Redemption," "Million Dollar Baby" and "The Dark Knight," also wanted to discuss politics and what he considered the inaccuracy of describing Obama as America's first black president.
"First thing that always pops into my head regarding our president is that all of the people who are setting up this barrier for him … they just conveniently forget that Barack had a mama, and she was white — very white American, Kansas, middle of America," Freeman said. "There was no argument about who he is or what he is. America's first black president hasn't arisen yet. He's not America's first black president — he's America's first mixed-race president."
Guess Freeman doesn't buy into that old "one-drop" rule.
Those remarks went viral and prompted reactions from straight reporting of his remarks to an evaluation of whether Freeman's views were right or wrong.
To be fair, Freeman was not critical of Obama. In fact, he took to task critics who have questioned the president's effectiveness.
"He is being purposely, purposely thwarted by the Republican Party, who started out at the beginning of his tenure by saying, 'We are going to do whatever is necessary to make sure that he's only going to serve one term,' " Freeman said. "That means they will not cooperate with him on anything. So to say he's ineffective is a misappropriation of the facts."
And for those who still questioned whether Freeman supports the Obama, the actor put his money where his mouth is on Thursday, announcing he had contributed $1 million to Priorities USA Action, a "super" political action committee to help reelect President Barack Obama.
In a statement, Freeman said Obama has done a "remarkable job in historically difficult circumstances," including winding down the Iraq war, reforming Wall Street and protecting health care.
The actor joins several Hollywood high-rollers who have donated to the Super Pac, including director Steven Spielberg and producer Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Freeman simply questioned whether Obama should be called black, not whether he should get a second chance to meet his goals.


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- To learn the Irlen Method of assessing individuals with a Visual Processing Difficulty, known as Irlen Syndrome.
- To develop an awareness and sensitivity to the symptoms of Irlen Syndrome.
- To understand the type and extent of research, educational and medical, underpinning this condition.
- To understand the modifications and accommodations which will assist Irlen sufferers.
- To accurately and efficiently conduct assessments to identify and manage Irlen Syndrome.
- To gain knowledge on how to educate other professionals and members of the general public about Irlen Syndrome.


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You don't have to always settle for traditional shopping these days. You can find nearly anything online, today. You don't have to brave foul weather or lunatic shoppers to get the things you need. Below are some tips that will help you with your online shopping experience.
Scour the Internet for coupon codes. A basic search will unveil a lot of discounts offered by your favorite online retailers. Type in coupons and the store name to find what you need. When you do this, you can save lots of money shopping online.
Wednesday is a great day to look for online sales. A lot of physical stores start their sales on Saturday or Sunday, and to stay competitive, online stores start their sales earlier. Great bargains in the middle of the week are yours to reap.
If you are looking for the best coupons, consider signing up for the newsletters of the stores that you love the most. Your first coupon is usually your best, since they like to reward new subscribers. They will also provide future deals if you show a great deal of interest in their store, so signing up can provide great savings.
Don't risk your information and finances on a site that is unfamiliar or shady. Check to be sure that security signs such as Cybertrust and Verisign are in place.
Try to use sites for shopping searches that just use shopping results when you search with them. Google is great, but you could also end up with results that are not stores, which is a distraction at this point. You'll be taken directly to commercial sites that are selling the things you want to buy if you search through shopping-focused sites such as ShopStyle.com.
If you have a particular store that you frequent often, register there. This saves you both money and time when you're ready to checkout. You can opt in to receiving information about their deals in your email inbox. In addition, the account can assist you in tracking orders and returns better than you could without one.
Check out coupon sites like Coupons.com before you start your shopping. They have coupons for brands or online retailers, all of which will provide huge discounts. The key is to visit such sites before staring to do your shopping.
It is important that you keep your passwords as complicated as possible. Do not use words or phrases that are simple to figure out. This is especially important because some sites store your credit card information for faster access at checkout. If you choose an easy password, hackers could easily gain access to your information. Use random passwords that are comprised of different symbols, letters, and numbers.
After reading some great ideas, you can go buy something wonderful online. All the things you need to complete your wardrobe are now at your fingertips. Start shopping, but always heed the advice above.


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A tweet by the actor and thinker Hugh Grant, addressing the British prime minister, reads:
You will not fuck with my children's future. You will not destroy the freedoms my grandfather fought two world wars to defend. Fuck off you over-promoted rubber bath toy. Britain is revolted by you and you [sic] little gang of masturbatory prefects.
Dalrymple comments:
No doubt the space allowed by Twitter does not encourage profound or logical reflection (though in the Analects, Confucius manages concision and compression somewhat better than Mr Grant). What is important in the above mental eructation is not its thought, or even feeling, but its mode of expression.
Grant's dull and tedious adoption of the language of the gutter is
much more significant in the long term than Brexit or the actions of the prime minister. It points to the cultural degeneration of a nation that, insofar as it has an ideology at all, has made vulgarity posing as egalitarianism its ideology.
Grant, says Dalrymple,
if I have understood correctly — though I am open to correction — has made something of his character as an upper-middle-class Englishman. But he is at one with the British cultural élite in vulgarity of expression.
We may be sure that,
irrespective of what the prime minister does, Mr Grant will be able to arrange for a bright future, at least in the material sense. We may be sure that, if any government were to threaten that assured material future by genuinely and inescapably egalitarian economic measures, his howls of indignation would be a good deal more sincere than in the tweet above.
Dalrymple notes that vulgarity as an ideology
is a substitute for economic egalitarianism, in which neither I nor the ideological vulgarians such as Mr Grant believe, and which both of us fear. Mr Grant, however, thinks that he can deflect some of the envy no doubt directed at him if he can show by his employment of vulgar language that he is really in the same boat as the most subterranean members of the underclass. He is asserting some kind of equality with them by his use of debased and inexpressive language.
The tendency to act down,
which occurs in spheres other than language, does not derive from any guilt about social or economic inequality, which, on the contrary, it is designed to preserve and maintain. It is rather a camouflage or smokescreen for privilege, whether that privilege be earned or not. But though it is playacting — indeed, defender of freedom and democracy may be Mr Grant's greatest rôle — it is not without real cultural effect, an effect that is baleful if you do not approve of the coarsening that it brings with it.
lack of verbal restraint is not liberation, it is impoverishment of thought.


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Wednesday, May 20, 2015
10 dead 20 injured in Tlacotepec Guerrero shootout
6 comments:
- AnonymousMay 20, 2015 at 7:20 PM
Brindo Respetos a Iguala...Mi tierra querida de Guerrero will never be the same, Lord have mercy on there souls.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 21, 2015 at 6:30 AM
Someone needs to organize a different kind of street cleaning. Why do poor people litter so much? The place looks like a dump. Poor USA neighborhoods can look pretty shitty also cause those fukers also litter something terribleReplyDeleteReplies
- AnonymousMay 22, 2015 at 12:46 PM
Mexican political royalty does not care about education, health or garbage, they are too busy stealing from the government and creating their own private paramilitary autodefensas, well armed and well fed by the mierda accords, and the mexican government...Delete
- AnonymousMay 21, 2015 at 10:12 AM
You can always join or start your own adopt a road or neighborhood clean up program. These are very productive and tax deductible. Or is it easier just 2 complain?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 21, 2015 at 8:10 PM
Rojos are less mentioned but they are the most powerful in southern guerrerro. g.u are history they have too much heat because of the 43 missing students.ReplyDelete
Cjng and granados are the the bosses in northern guerrerro.
I hope their is no fight between cjng and rojos because that fight would be really bloody.Lets hope cjng and rojos make a pact to have peace in guerrero.
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Today I'm pleased to welcome Donna Maclean, my sister-in-law and the author of All I Need to Know about Life I Learned from my Bible. When I asked Donna what prompted her to write the piece, she said: In 1988 Robert Fulghum published his … [Read more...]
Hope for Hard Times
Debbie, my cousin's daughter, knew firsthand about the hope God gives - hope for hard times as well as good times. Her story has touched everyone who knew her. While Debbie was expecting a baby, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October … [Read more...]


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Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas
There are a lot of advantages of taking all inclusive Caribbean holidays, and many individuals have already thought-about that holidays in Costa Rica work out higher this fashion, as effectively. Importing Medicines into Mexico: Go to the Mexican Well being Department website (Spanish solely) or contact the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C., for extra details about acquiring a permit to import medication into Mexico. It must be noted that the UK, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand governments are not presently advising against travel to Madagascar and the World Health Organisation, on the time of writing, advises in opposition to any restriction on travel or commerce on Madagascar.
Guerrero (contains Acapulco, Ixtapa, Taxco, and Zihuatanejo): Personal journey to your entire state of Guerrero, together with Acapulco, is prohibited for U.S. government personnel. The summer is a time when this city is packed with visitors from throughout Europe, and the world, so you could wish to go to through the low season. The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens concerning the threat of touring to certain components of Mexico because of the actions of criminal organizations in these areas.
The United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (Board) serves as the advisory physique to the Secretary of Commerce on matters regarding the journey and tourism business in the United States. I perceive that TripAdvisor has a zero-tolerance policy on fake critiques. A high score on TripAdvisor may imply hundreds of new prospects and a rise in revenue! The NAACP has never before issued a state travel advisory – not even to Mississippi, where the NAACP's new interim national president Derrick Johnson was former president of the Mississippi State Convention.
As a technique to pressure Greitens to veto SB forty three, the Missouri NAACP State Conference's journey advisory appeared even much less more likely to have any impression on the governor. The security of our travellers is our foremost priority, and accordingly World Expeditions has made the choice to suspend trips to Venezuela in the interim as a result of ongoing security considerations.
The next travel advisory data is meant for F-1 and J-1 standing holders and F-2 and J-2 dependents solely. The travel advisory cites laws signed by Gov. The group is circulating a journey advisory after the state handed a regulation that Missouri's NAACP conference says allows for legal discrimination. His idea was to assist folks discover lodging in Rarotonga, as a result of again in these days there were not a variety of places for visitors to remain and Malcolm knew he wished to go away a legacy that Tipani Tours would forever be known for, providing the warmest Polynesian expertise possible.


text: The Community Design Lab (CDL) is a partnership between the Iowa State University College of Design, and ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development (CED). We work with community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies throughout the state of Iowa, using design knowledge and research expertise to help shape vibrant and empowered communities. Our studio is located in the ISU Research Park. We share space with CED Extension programs including Iowa's Living Roadways Community Visioning Program, and the Geospatial Technology Program. We work across scales, connecting regional issues to local solutions and finding synergy between urban and rural issues.


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Stardust-NExT was a follow-on mission that repurposed the Stardust spacecraft for a close re-encounter with comet Tempel 1 on Feb. 14, 2011. Stardust-NExT's objective was to examine the area where Deep Impact, which visited Tempel 1 in 2005, had released an impactor on the surface of the comet.
The mission marked several firsts, including the first time a comet had been revisited by a spacecraft and the first time a comet had been studied before and after its close flyby of the sun.
Scientific Instrument(s)
- Imaging system
- Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer (CIDA)
- Dust Flux Monitor Instrument (DFM)


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Kelly Tobey, MSW, LCSW (#LCS17999)
P.O. Box 520
Moorpark, CA 93020
Kelly Tobey, MSW, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Board Certified Diplomate
Individual Therapy and Counseling
(a solo, independent therapy practice)
3695 Alamo St., Suite 200
Simi Valley, CA 93063
State License: LCS#17999
"A sense of self-worth, meaning, and purpose not only lasts a lifetime, but can never be taken away or forgotten."
~ Kelly Tobey, MSW, LCSW
Thank you for stopping by...I have retired from private practice
If you are experiencing a life threatening emergency phone 911 immediately
If you are not experiencing a life threatening emergency but feel you are in crisis, the Ventura County Crisis Team may be of assistance:
Mailing Address:
Kelly Tobey, MSW, LCSW
P.O. Box 520
Moorpark CA 93020
To send an email, click here.
Disclaimer: The contents of this site and all of its pages, are intended for educational and informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice at any time. None of the information obtained from this site is intended to be taken as medical direction or advice, therapuetic, legal, or otherwise. Use of this site is not a replacement for professional services and at no time does use of this site nor communication through this site constitute a therapeutic relationship between the user and Mrs. Kelly Raskind Tobey, MSW, LCSW. Use of this site and its pages are solely at the users own risk and Mrs. Kelly Raskind Tobey, MSW, LCSW assumes no liability for the content of this site, its pages, and its links to other sites, or damages that may result from use, reference to, reliance on, or decisions made resulting from its use. Use of this site establishes your consent to the provisions of this disclaimer.
Kelly Tobey, MSW, LCSW (#LCS17999)
P.O. Box 520
Moorpark, CA 93020


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James Hardie Schaumburg Siding
ALL ABOUT EXTERIORS: James Hardie Siding Installed To Customers in Schaumburg and the Northwest Suburbs Of Chicago
Serving Schaumburg and the Northwest Suburbs of Chicagoland for over 20 years, All About Exteriors is the smart choice when it comes time to remodel or repair some part of your home's exterior. We stock only the highest quality windows, siding, doors, and roofing materials, and our dedicated team of professionals handles the installation with ease. From your first contact with our customer service representatives and consultants all the way through to the completion of your project, we make sure your satisfaction is achieved! Make sure to visit our website and picture galleries for many examples of our high-quality work, and read reviews from past happy customers.
We Do Everything To Make Sure The Outside Of Your Home Is Perfect! Experts In James Hardie Siding Installation
Roofing is an important piece of any home since it is your primary defense against future water damage. Make sure your roof is leak free – properly installed and maintained it should last at least 20 years. Siding protects your home as well as helps define its appearance. Quality vinyl siding is virtually maintenance free and a popular choice with homeowners, especially the excellent James Hardie Siding! Windows are a key part of keeping the heating in your home during winter, and during the hot summer months our quality windows will help keep your home cool since they will not leak. Quality windows also let in light and give your house an attractive look from the outside. Doors might be the first thing that draws the eye when people look at your house from the front – front exterior doors come in many styles, and our great consultants will help you choose the right one for your needs. Gutters help channel rain and melting snow away from your home's foundation to prevent future problems. Make sure they are maintained property to prevent any issues.
All About Exteriors: Your Go To Source For High Quality Work And Materials In Schaumburg
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text: Apple Updates MacBook Pro From Apple computer. I have to say, buying my MacBook Pro was one of the best technology decisions I have ever made. The new ones sounds even better and priced just at $2,000. A lot of people might think that $2,000 is too much to pay for a laptop, but when it is your primary computing device, this is a very small price to pay indeed for everything that you get from a Mac. Listen to me, sounding all fanboyish and all. Sheesh.


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Embedded LAN interface Multipoint Temperature&humidity data acquisition,waterproof sensor ,email alarm,8 channels,can connect HS10 sensor ,apply Computer room,Fridge,freezer,1W340C_HS10
Product Code: 1W340C_HS10
Manufacturer: PCsensor
Stop production
(1)This device supports three types probes ( Tx sensor, Dx sensor and HS10 Sensor ). They can be used at the same time.
(2)Equipment can connect up to 8 probes.
(3). Software support Windows series, and support real-time temperature display, log records, curve shows, MSN remote view data, E-mail alarm etc. Function
(4). Equipment support UDP,in which the TCP protocol, either as a server but also as a client. Server maximum can support five units (client) at the same time. UDP only support the client
(5). Equipment LAN module can be configured
(6). Equipment support reset function, when IP changes or forget the IP, you can long press "Preset keys" 3 s can be restored to the default value.
New Functions !!
(1) 1W340 products newly added Android APP, support all Android phones and tablets. Just download this software1W340_Android_V1.0.zip,
1W340 product Newly add remote access function , welcome to download the newest software (1W340 V4.0 zip) .
Operating steps: 1. Search Device >> 2. Register Account >>3. Login user >> Set device config >>4. Search network device
The default LAN basic configuration
(1) device MAC:
(1) device MAC::XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX
(2) device ipaddress:192.168.1.188
(3) device netmask:255.255.255.0
(4) device gateway:192.168.1.2
(5) host ipaddress:192.168.1.16
(6) connection type: tcp
(7) host port:16000
(8) user name :RDing
(8) user name :RDing
(9) user password :111111
(9) user password :111111
(10) firmware : 1W340C V1.3
(10) firmware : 1W340C V1.3
The following is cannot a configuration items:
As a TCP server, equipment listening port is 5200.
As a TCP client, equipment local port is 40000.
As UDP client, equipment local port is 30000.
2. Electronic Parameters
(1). The rated voltage: + 5 V
(2). Rated current: about 130mA
(3). Rated power: 550 mW
(4).Resolution: 0.0625 degrees Celsius
3. Data detection
The resolution and precision of the data will be different by different probes. Please refer to the table below
4.Operating Instructions
4.1 . Operation steps
4.1.1 First put the sensors inserted to 1 W340 green interface, connect network Cable .please ensure that connect normal.
4.1.2 Turn on the power .LAN port of LINK light blink, flashing that said ACK network connection to normal. If not, please check your network is normal or not. Red LED the unusual light flashing, said equipment find probe, and reading temperature. If not, please check your probes whether good connection, you can connect well probe again after restart your device.
4.1.3 Open software, if your IP section is not our default 192.168.1. XXX section, please manually add own IP section, (see picture 3-2-1 and 3-2-2)
4.14 Add IP successful, and then open the software can find equipment if still can't find your IP that prove setting wrong or subnet mask setting wrong. When you find device, then you can modify the device's IP.
4.15 At this time, the normal work equipment, if temperature display "error" , that says the probe didn't insert or contact undesirable, please adjust the probe .
4.2 Frequently Questions and resolution
1 Q: whyEquipment connected not succeeds ?
A: CheckingNetwork Cableconnected and Checking your LAN IP segment. If continue does not work, Please press the reset button, IP restore the factory settings.
2 Q: why the device cannot find the probe?
A: whether it is operational problem? Please ensure that all equipment with a good, then, connect the power, the device will immediately search the probe. So, please check whether the probe is connected short circuit or poor contact. Because this is a line of communication, if there is a probe connect poor, all the other probes would happen error.
3 Q:Why read the temperature will be 85Cor ERROR ?.
A: This usually is because the probe cable is too long or the probe too much, resulting in the probe power supply shortage. Solution 1: Use low impedance of the cable and the line length should not exceed 10 meters, or probe plus extra power (+5 V). Solution 2: Ensure the interfaces reliable contact.
4 Q: Why does the device will be dead running some days later?
A: 1. this equipment should not be on the high temperature and high pressure areas. 2. Part of Probe connection has short circuit problem.
4.2 Manually add IP section
if your IP section is not our default 192.168.1. XXX section, please manually add own IP section, (see picture 3-2-1 and 3-2-2)
4.2.1. Open the Internet agreement (TCP/IP) attribute window, as follows
4.2.2Click "Properties"
4.2.3Double Click "Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4)"
4.2.4Click "Advanced"
4.2.5Click "Add"
4.2.6Add Our Default IP (As Follows)
4.2.7Click "OK"
5.Software instructions (Note: Our software only support windows system .)
5.1. Search probe
Open software will appear the following window, fill in equipment starting the IP address and ending IP address, then , software will search the device from starting to end the IP address .(including all the 1 W340 equipment )
5.2. Real-time temperature
Click on "real-time data" and select IP address what you want to check the equipment. As follow:
5.3. Curve
Choose what you want to see the equipment IP address
Click left mouse button under marquee can zoom curve and narrow curve; Click and hold the right mouse button, can move the curve.
5.4. Setting
Click on "Setting" and select "General Setting " As follows:
Click"Setting"and choose "Device Setting" , choose one IP address, as follow: Click on the 18 b20, will enter DS18b20 temperature probe to set temperature calibration value.
5.5. MSN remote access to the temperature
MSN users log in, your friends can send related instructions and to obtain the relevant temperature data. When your friends send prompted number 1 to you, he will automatically get the temperature data. Including: real-time temperature, maximum, minimum and average.
5.6. Email function
Fill-mail message, and save. (Send E-mail request: support for POP3/SMTP services or other ports.) Receiving mail can fill two.
Can realize the following functions:
1, open warning function, when the alarm is automatically triggered to send a message to the specified mailbox;
2, you can set the time, from time to time, it will send a message to the specified mailbox (recommended);
3, open continuous send, You can send mail to open a row in the specified mailbox (not recommended).
6. Packing list
Note: If you want to download th This product hasn't been reviewed yet.
Customer Reviews
This product hasn't been reviewed yet.


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Adapting to a new training environment to improve performance has been practised by the pro's for the past 40+
years. Professional athletes often spend weeks away at training camps, in specific locations designed to maximise performance potential.
For these athletes there are two opportunities which are often practised, training up high (altitude) and training in the sunshine (heat).
This article will briefly explore both methods and suggest why training in the heat is becoming more popular with both elite and age-group athletes alike.
As you are probably aware, the most commonly known method of adaptation training is at altitude. Here the oxygen level in the air is considerably lower, the decreased amount of oxygen in high altitudes stimulates the body into the production of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) made in the kidneys. EPO then triggers the production of more red blood cells to transport sufficient oxygen to make up the deficiencies at altitude. More oxygen delivery to the muscles can increase aerobic capacity and thus endurance performance is improved. There is a widespread acceptance that altitude training improves performance both at altitude and at sea-level. So to maximise performance get training in the mountains! Simple, right? Well not exactly….
Previous theories on altitude training have been challenged, showing limitations to the old classic paradigm. Recently the England football team were criticised for using high altitude training following their failure at the 2010 World Cup. In the same year of England's failure an interesting study from the University of Oregon on the benefits of heat training was published, turning more than a few heads (more on this later). This has sparked sports scientists into studying the benefits of heat training on performance. Many athletes are spending time in hot conditions to prepare for their upcoming event. So what is all the hype about? Why are more and more athletes looking to train in the heat?
Training in the heat incurs several physiological adaptations, known as heat acclimation. One of the primary adaptations to heat acclimation is an increase in blood plasma volume. Just as altitude stimulates your body to produce more red blood cells, heat stress stimulates your body to produce more blood plasma. A higher plasma volume enhances circulation, which improves the delivery of oxygen to muscles. The result is a greater cardiac output, and higher VO2max at a given effort level, enhancing endurance performance. So we know both heat training and altitude training cause physiological adaptations which can improve exercise performance. So why is heat training an alternative or even a superior option to altitude training!?
Time Taken to Adapt
One of the most practical advantages of heat training is the time taken to adapt. Heat acclimation has been shown to occur in as little as 5-7 days (Pandolf, 1997) with full adaptation to normothermic performance in 10 days (Lorenzo 2010). On the other side, in order to see favourable adaptation to altitude, you will need ideally 3-4 weeks, depending on the duration and intensity of daily exposure (Garvican 2012). Less time to see benefits mean less time spent away from family and work. As an age group athlete with a family and full-time job, getting away for 5-7 days is much more reasonable than 3-4 weeks!
Responders vs Non-Responders
Physiological responses to altitude training vary considerably between individuals (Martin, 2010). It is well known amongst the elite that there are 'responders and non-responders' to altitude training. Harsh but true, that some people just do not effectively respond to training at altitude. For the age group athletes (who unlike the elite do not have access to scientific testing to identify responses) it becomes a lottery whether you will gain the necessary adaptations to altitude training to improve performance. Very recent research indicates that the high variability (responders and non-responders) in acute altitude responses indicates a genetic component that might influence adaptation (Masschelein 2015). To explore whether heat training has a similar genetic component, a novel study is currently in the process of using the same sets of twins for heat acclimation. This exciting study will aim to identify the responses of heat acclimation and whether a genetic component exists.
Recent Research
It has long been known that heat acclimation can improve performance in hot conditions (Pandolf 1988; Sawka 1996). Recently, a University of Oregon study in 2010 had trained cyclists do 10 days of heat acclimation – 100 minutes of exercise in the heat each day – and saw a 5% jump in VO2max measured in cool conditions by the end of study. In other words, heat acclimation doesn't just make you better at dealing with heat; it makes you better, period. The researchers suggested that athletes could use this type of protocol just like they use altitude training camps, as a short-term intervention to improve performance. Training camp in the sunshine, for any race conditions!? Surely this is too good to be true!?
A recent scientific review confirmed that there is now growing evidence for the benefits of heat training on performance in both hot and cool conditions (Chalmers, Esterman 2014), suggesting a realistic and maybe superior alternative to altitude training. A New Zealand study published in 2012 used elite rowers, exercising just five days, 90 minutes per day. The rowers were in a room at 40 C and 60% humidity, and they rowed at an intensity just sufficient to keep their core temperature at a "modest" overheating level of 38.5 C. The training itself wasn't particularly hard: the goal was to overheat the rowers, not overwork them, and the 5-day acclimation period started two weeks before a major championship competition. The result: a 1.5% increase in 2,000m rowing performance.
The important message to take home is when you are looking to prepare for an event, consider how you can optimise your preparation. If you want to maximise performance for your next event, training in the heat might be the ideal preparation for you.
What are the current recommendations?
- Optimal altitude range 2000 to 2500m (Arizona 2134m)
- 21-28 days exposure required
- Minimum >12-18 hrs per day (18-22hrs ave)
- Exercise oxygen saturation <80%
- Simulated hypoxic training (2350m / 14% O2)
- Temp >36˚C / Humidity >50%
- 7-14 days exposure
- 90-100 min per day (10 days in a row)
- 90min every 3rd day (30 days exposure)
- Exercise intensity approx 50% VO2 max
What are the reported benefits?
- Erythropoiesis (↑ EPO)
- ↑Red blood cell count and mass / haemoglobin
- ↑lactate clearance or ↓lactate production
- ↑metabolism
- Improved fitness (aerobic & anaerobic)
- ↑O2 to muscle / ↑lactate buffering
- Benefits maintained 12-28 days(variable)
- ↑Plasma volume (3-6 days)
- ↓HR during exercise (3-6 days)
- ↓Loss of salt in sweat (5-10 days)
- ↑Sweat sensitivity (sweat sooner)
- ↑blood flow to skin (↑cooling effect)
- ↑ endurance(aerobic & anaerobic)
- Benefits maintained 10-28 days
How does this help performance?
- Improved Aerobic performance / cardiovascular fitness
- ↑oxygen to muscle = ↑ aerobic capacity
- Improved repeated high intensity effort ability
- ↑fat loss
- ↑recovery rate / rehabilitation
- ↑Oxygen to muscle = ↑ aerobic capacity
- Improved cardiovascular efficiency
- Maintained electrolyte balance
- ↑body internal cooling effect
- ↑glycogen sparing = ↑high intensity ex
What are the disadvantages or risks?
- Responders and non-responders (doesn't work for everyone
- Altitude (mountain) sickness
- Training intensity may ↓ at altitude
- 25% greater energy demands vs sea level
- ? Impact on the immune system / ? risk of illness
- Heat illness if do too much too soon
- ↑Dehydration risk during training
- Cumulative dehydration risk during week
- Need right temp and humidity to work
Performance Considerations
- Physiological adaptation with ↓ training volume
- Integrated for fitness 'Top Ups' and ↓skinfolds
- Used in rehab to aid with return to fitness
- Implementation into individual training as appropriate
- Natural climate for performance
- Natural maintenance of Alt benefits
- Acclimatisation provides adv in comp
Check out our brand new wellness center for exciting new classes and services!!!


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Boppy Pillow: There are many ways to use the boppy pillow, for nursing to hold baby, for setting the baby on whilst you have your hands full, to help baby support neck and back, as a pillow whilst nursing. I recommend getting a nursing pillow of some kind because it's so much easier on your back/neck/shoulders to have that support. You can get many different pillows on the market however I have found the boppy to be the best.
Medula Double Electric Pump: Speaking of lifesavers, this magic machine allowed me to continue breastfeeding. When it was really hot in May I got dehydrated Amelia was only a month old but my supply decreased dramatically to the point I wasn't producing any milk and she would be super fussy. At my midwife appointment my health visitor gave me this pump to borrow for a month or so. (Gave it back last week ooops!) I managed to pump 6-8oz a time and pumped and fed Amelia with a bottle this was when she would take the bottle. I loved using it but it is very time consuming. Of course I felt like a cow getting milked but it helped me build my supply back up. I only used it for a month.
Hand Pump: If you are unable to afford an electric pump I'd highly recommend buying a manual hand pump they are a fraction of the price of an electric one and they do the job if you need to pump. I only used mine once but that's because we were then given the electric pump. I did manage to get 5oz the first time I pumped though!
Tommee Tippee Bottles: Amelia won't take bottles now and hasn't done since she was about 2 months old. But when I pumped she took to these ones the best. I loved how easy they were to use and clean.
Nursing Cover: I never actually used one of these as I never breastfed in public when Amelia was a newborn however next time (if there's a next time) I will definitely be purchasing one and using it. No one can even see what you are doing and they come in so many different patterns and colours now so they go with your outfit. Etsy have many pretty designs.
Lanolin Cream: This is an actual life saver and what allowed me to be able to continue breastfeeding. The first few weeks/months are so painful! I would literally squirm every time Amelia latched on but I would't give up. I was given a packet at the hospital and found it would help especially if your nipples are cracked or bleeding. So I went and bought a bottle. It has helped me through the first few months. Trust me the first few months are brutal!
Lily Pads: These are great if you wish to not wear disposable pads. They are non absorbent and you and your clothes stay dry. You can't even see them through your clothes and are really discreet.
Refillable Cup: Breastfeeding is a thirsty job! The first few months all I did was sit on the sofa and nurse Amelia. I was always hungry and thirsty. So it was handy to have snacks and drinks on standby. I would fill up a refillable cup and it would last me a feeding until I could get up and refill it. It also helps you to keep count on how much water you should be in taking.
Milk Storage Bags: If you decide to pump, you will need somewhere to store your milk. I recommend these bags as you can write on them. They are already sterilized which is great too!
What have I been missing out on, what are your breastfeeding essentials?


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Eileen Appelbaum
The Hill, April 30, 2015
View article at original source.
The comment period is now open for new rules proposed by the Obama administration that require financial professionals to put workers' interests ahead of their own when they make recommendations for retirement savings. Modernizing the rules to take account of the growth of worker-directed retirement savings plans such as 401(k) plans and IRAs is long overdue.
Loopholes in the current regulations let plan advisers and brokers consider what they will earn in higher fees and commissions when providing financial advice to workers about how to invest their retirement savings. This is especially true when workers roll over funds from a 401(k) or similar account to an IRA—making workers vulnerable to getting bad advice just at the point at when they begin to manage their retirement savings themselves. The Labor Department, which oversees these types of retirement savings accounts, is concerned that workers may not end up in the most advantageous investments and may pay excessive fees that cut into their savings, a double whammy that the White House estimates costs employees $17 billion annually.
The traditional employer-sponsored defined benefit pension plans that once provided retirement income to millions of workers appear headed for extinction. Money is flowing out of them as baby boomers retire, and there are few to no new companies making these plans available to employees. Instead, an increasing share of retirement savings is in 401(k) or similar plans or in IRAs. Together, these so-called "defined contribution retirement saving plans" now account for about $11 trillion of the $24 trillion in retirement assets in the U.S. This has not gone unnoticed by alternative investment funds—hedge funds and private equity funds—which are interested in getting in on the action. As BNY Mellon's Pershing Prime Services put it in a recent piece on the future of alternative investment funds, "The retirement market may be the next frontier. It represents a large and growing pool of assets driven by the importance of retirement saving across multiple investment segments." The opportunity, as Pershing sees it, is for alternative investment funds to create products suitable for packaging in diversified investment portfolios that independent and registered financial advisors can promote to 401(k) plans and to individuals with IRAs. These would presumably be more liquid than commitments made to these funds by their limited partners and could be embedded in so-called target date funds that are already popular with 401(k) plan investors. Instead of choosing individual investments and creating a portfolio, workers are able to choose a single fund that has a diversified portfolio of investments embedded in it. The goal is to have more risky alternative investment products included in such funds. Alternative investment products may be new and unfamiliar to workers saving for retirement now, but Pershing anticipates that over time they will become as familiar and pervasive in packaged investment portfolios as mutual funds.
Hedge funds and pension funds claim that including alternative investments in 401(k)s and IRAs will provide individuals with higher returns and higher income in their retirement years without much additional risk and, in addition, will provide a hedge against losses when the stock market turns down. Despite the hype surrounding these alternative investment funds, this is unlikely to be true. The California state public employees' pension fund (CalPERS), the largest pension fund in the nation with $300 billion in assets, recently announced that it is withdrawing all of its investments in hedge funds and reducing its target allocation to private equity because of the disappointing returns and high fees associated with these investments as well as their failure to protect against losses when the stock market declined. Workers managing their own individual retirement savings accounts can hardly expect to do better.
Rollovers of 401(k)-type plans to IRAs now exceed well over $300 billion a year and are expected to continue increasing to more than $500 billion by 2019. Without tightening the rules for brokers and closing the loophole that allows them to put their personal gain above the interests of individuals when making recommendations for investing in these rollover funds, workers may get saddled with higher fees and riskier investments.
For most workers, the decision of what to do with their retirement nest egg when they roll over their 401(k) to an IRA is the biggest investment decision they will make. Under the new rules, brokers could still make recommendations to clients about where to invest their rollover funds. The difference is that under the Labor Department's proposed rules, they would have to promise to look out for the best interests of the individuals they advise.
ileen Appelbaum
Fortune, May 7, 2015
Working families have much to celebrate this Mother's Day as city councils and state legislatures across the country take up President Obama's challenge to provide parents with paid time off so "they can afford to be there when their families need them most." California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island now provide paid maternity and paid family leave so parents can bond with a newborn or adopted child. Nineteen cities plus Connecticut, Massachusetts and California now allow workers to earn a few days of paid sick leave. Still, much remains to be done.
Employers understand that paid leave helps their companies with recruitment and retention, improves productivity, and reduces costly turnover. Indeed, employer-provided paid leaves are quite common for workers in the top quarter of the earnings distribution: 84 percent have paid sick days and 91 percent have paid vacation. Fewer than a quarter, however, get paid family leave, though most managers and professionals can cobble together at least some paid-time off for the birth or adoption of a child.
Among workers in the bottom quarter of the earnings distribution, though, 70 percent do not have even one paid sick days, barely half (49 percent) get paid vacation, and just 5 percent get paid family leave. Across the earnings distribution, 43 million private sector workers are without any paid sick days. These are the workers the President noted who "can't even get a paid day off to give birth to their child."
The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act would go a long way toward remedying this inequity. With only a small contribution from employers and employees, the FAMILY Act would create a national insurance program to provide partial wage replacement for workers for up to 12 weeks due to for pregnancy, child birth or their own serious health problem; to care for a new child; to cope with the serious health problem of a family member; or for specific military caregiving. Because the costs are spread out over the entire workforce, the program would require only a small contribution from employers and employees.
The FAMILY Act would be a boon for businesses as well, including those that employ low-wage workers. In our study of California's paid family leave program, Professor Ruth Milkman and I found that paid family leave reduced turnover of workers in lower paid jobs. And, as we found in that study, worker turnover in those jobs is far more costly than most employers realize. There are problems with the way in which many employers calculate turnover costs. In one particularly memorable case, the top corporate human resource manager of a national retail chain with high turnover reported very low costs to replace sales staff that quit. It turned out, however, that the HR manager had failed to include a major expense: the salaries paid to the company's staff of college-educated recruiters employed to replace workers that quit. We also found that employers often fail to account for the time it takes newly hired workers to get up-to-speed. Workers are paid full salary, but may be functioning at less than top performance while they learn the ropes.
That experience inspired us—with colleagues at the Center for Law and Social Policy—to create a turnover calculator that employers and HR managers can use to calculate their own turnover costs. The CEPR-CLASP turnover calculator makes it possible to vary wages, weekly hours, and recruiting and hiring costs to calculate the cost of turnover for different categories of workers. Employers can use the actual wages paid and hours worked by their employees as well as time spent screening, selecting and interviewing job candidates, checking references and doing background checks; time spent in orientation; and the time it takes for workers to become proficient in their jobs.
To illustrate the cost of turnover, we used $13.22 an hour for hourly paid employees and $47.46 an hour for salaried employees. Plugging these wages into the turnover calculator and making reasonable estimates for the time spent hiring an hourly-paid worker yields a turnover cost for this worker of $4,299. Costs multiply rapidly if turnover of lower-paid workers is high, rising to $42,991 if 10 workers quit during the course of a year. The turnover cost if a salaried (exempt) employee quits in this example is $26,624.
A federal paid family and medical leave program that guarantees paid maternity leave and paid time to bond with a newborn or adopted child would be a great Mother's Day present to America's working families—and a gift to employers as well.
Eileen Appelbaum and Gayle Goldin
The Boston Globe, May 14, 2015
View article at original source.
Last year, the country's smallest state took a step towards helping the United States address a hole in its workplace policies: lack of paid family leave. Since January 2014, employees in Rhode Island have been able to take up to four weeks of paid leave to bond with a newborn, newly adopted, or foster child, or to care for an ill loved one through the state's Temporary Caregiver Insurance. TCI is fully funded by workers and applies to all employees regardless of the size of their workplace. Employers cannot fire or retaliate against employees who take the time off.
The United States lags far behind other advanced industrial nations in providing paid leave to new mothers and fathers. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, offers 12 weeks of unpaid leave to new parents employed by certain kinds of businesses. Even among those covered, most can't afford unpaid time off. In the more than 20 years since passage of the FMLA, only a tiny fraction of new fathers have used it. That's because going without a father's income — for even a few weeks — is a financial hardship for most families. Moreover, being a good father has traditionally meant providing for your family by working.
By the time FMLA became federal law in 1993, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, along with other states, already had state laws guaranteeing unpaid leave. Now Rhode Island, California, and New Jersey have broken new ground with paid family leave laws, and legislatures in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, and Hawaii are all considering similar programs. Steps in the right direction are also occurring on the municipal level, with leadership from mayors and city councilors — like those in Boston — who are supporting paid parental leave for municipal employees. In fact, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey just said she plans to offer six weeks of paid parental leave to her employees.
It is not surprising that states and municipalities are taking action. Research shows paternity leave is not just good for fathers; it's good for all of us. Studies find that fathers who take longer leaves have more involvement in the lives of their children, have more confidence as parents, and spend more hours with their children during workdays. Moreover, research has shown that longer paid paternity leave increases fathers' involvement in the lives of their children and the time they spend caring for them. Greater gender equity in the home enhances mothers' attachment to the workforce and success on the job.
While paid leave has increased the number of men in California and New Jersey taking time to care for a new baby, first-year data from Rhode Island are particularly encouraging. Paid, job-protected time off appears to encourage more men to take paternity leave. Nationally, just one man took leave following the birth of a child for every nine women who took such leave. By contrast, in Rhode Island, 901 men and 1,946 women went out on bonding leave in 2014 – a ratio of one father for every two mothers who took leave.
The burden on employers is less than you might think. Only a small fraction of the workforce has a baby in any given year. In Rhode Island, just 0.7 percent of the state's private sector workforce took a bonding leave in 2014. Indeed, overall TCI usage for all purposes was just 0.92 percent of the workforce.
Barely any employers have had even one employee take leave. According to unpublished data from Rhode Island's Department of Labor and Training, just 5 percent of the state's 32,200 private sector employers had an employee who took a caregiver leave for any reason in 2014. A small number of larger employers had multiple caregiving leaves, but even in these cases, they were taken only by between 1 and 4 percent of the workforce.
In addition, research shows paid family leave reduces employee turnover, which provides a cost savings to employers compared with the expense of recruiting, training, and getting a new employee up to speed on a job.
As the state senator who championed Rhode Island's Temporary Caregiver Insurance and an economist who studies the impact of paid leave, we know that the insurance programs in California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island help families and our overall economy. Nearly 40 million people live in these three states, yet millions more across our country would benefit from paid family leave. Ensuring that workers who need to care for their loved ones can take time without losing their income is a basic guarantee that everyone deserves.
It has become harder and harder for workers to tell who their employer is. Companies have engaged in vertical dis-integration as franchised businesses have become increasingly prominent and contracting out of operations by traditional firms has increased. The expanded reach of private equity funds as owners of Main Street companies has also undermined the traditional employment relationship.
In both cases, a complex web of legally distinct entities has been put in place whose aim is to separate a business's actual owners and managers from responsibility for the effects of their decisions on workers.
Recent developments, however, suggest that the interpretation of laws meant to assure that workers are fairly paid and their pensions are safeguarded is finally catching up with these new realities.
In a landmark decision on August 27, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned lower court decisions and ruled that FedEx drivers in California are employees and not, as the company maintained, independent contractors. The Court found that FedEx's labeling of the drivers as "independent contractors" in its Operating Agreement did not make them so.
The court noted that the drivers are required to wear FedEx uniforms, drive vehicles that meet FedEx's standards, and dress according to FedEx's appearance code. FedEx tells its drivers what packages to deliver, on what days, and at what times. The Court agreed with the FedEx drivers that they are indeed employees. The decision means that 2,300 past and present FedEx drivers in California are entitled to overtime pay and to recoup work expenses for their uniforms and trucks.
The FedEx decision follows soon after another landmark decision -- this one affecting employees at McDonald's franchised restaurants. In July, in a case involving charges of unfair labor practices, legal counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held that McDonald's Corporation has joint responsibility with its franchised restaurant owners for how employees are treated.
In the franchising model, which has become increasingly prevalent in fast food and retail operations, local franchise owners are nominally responsible for the restaurant's operations, pay fees to a corporation to use its brand, and must run the operation in conformance with the corporation's guidelines. Questions have been raised about just how independent franchise owners are. The NLRB ruling holds that the parent corporation and the franchise owner are jointly responsible for working conditions and violations of labor law in the franchised establishments, with wide implications for workers at franchised businesses.
McDonald's defense is that its role is 'hands-off' when it comes to the operations of its franchised restaurants. This is the claim that private equity owners of companies also invoke to argue that they are investors, not managers, and are not responsible for assuring that labor and employment laws are adhered to. In our new book, "Private Equity at Work: When Wall Street Manages Main Street ," Rosemary Batt and I demonstrate that a company's private equity owners make decisions that directly affect the jobs, pay and working conditions of its employees. This is not hands-off management. Indeed, proponents of the private equity business model themselves are quick to point out that private equity creates value precisely through the active management of the companies it owns.
Several recent rulings spell out what this means for private equity. In the case of the law governing pension liabilities, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a ruling in July 2013 that one of PE firm Sun Capital's funds was not merely a passive investor but was actively involved in the operations of a portfolio company that went bankrupt and may be responsible for its unfunded pension plan and other liabilities.
Private equity firms have also found themselves liable for employees' back pay and benefits under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) which requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days advance notice to workers in the event of a plant closing or mass layoff.
The Delaware District Court has allowed WARN lawsuits against private equity firms MatlinPatterson Global Advisers and Navigation Capital Partners (NCP) to go forward in cases where a portfolio company failed to provide the required advance notice here and here. A similar ruling from the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that PE firm York Capital and its Bay Harbour Management portfolio company were a single employer for purposes of the WARN Act.
Finally, the NLRB appears ready to classify PE firms as joint employers with their portfolio companies for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act (Private Funds Management Monday Monitor, August 25, 2014). This could make the PE firm liable for unfair labor practices, for failure to adhere to a collective bargaining contract, and for contributions to employees' health plans.
These are early days, and the various rulings highlighted here are likely to be appealed. But this new willingness of courts and agencies to reconsider what it means to be an employer in today's multi-faceted employment relationships is a welcome development for workers who would otherwise lack meaningful recourse when labor, employment or pension laws are violated.
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Friday, 8 November 2013
ziplocks growing on trees?
Things you see in Africa are just different to elsewhere - in Ethiopia this might be donkeys crossing over pedestrian bridges, blue and white mini-bus taxis crammed full of people or such like. Well here is a new sight - ziplock bags hanging on trees.
We re-use everything wherever possible here so ziplock bags hanging drying is a fairly common sight, ours hang in our kitchen window, others have been spotted on clothes lines and it would seem some are drying on a tree :-)
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This Item is Available and ready to ship.
Decent quality, good-looking hook. We are using it outside for the dry cleaners to hang our clothes on. It's a bit on the smaller side but is sturdy in how it's installed with the four screws included. The finish is nice looking and appears to be good quality. Recommend.


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Nigerian Ogbono Soup
So I have this brother in-law from Imo state who has a way of always making life frustrating for me with his delicious meals. To be honest, I get frustrated because I am envious of the fact that he is an absolutely amazing cook. The funny part of all this is that, he has a very busy work schedule but he always takes over the kitchen on Saturdays. Hence my regular Saturday visits to their home. I never miss that. Long throat you will say? But no, I want to learn!
My brother in-laws soups are always so flavourful and packed with fresh and delicious ingredients. The ogbono soup on our menu today is actually one of his many Igbo recipes, He adds the most amazing local spices to his ogbono soup which leaves you guessing what it is you are relishing in the dish. He spares no expense when whipping up those sumptuous delicacies and I hope he will score me high for recreating this one.
There are variations in the cooking method for this dish . You can either add the ogbono into the pot after parboiling your meat or alternatively, preheat a small amount of palm oil, add into the blended ogbono, mix this properly before adding into the parboiled meats. This methods gets rid of those lumps you find in ogbono soups. I have also tasted ogbono soup where people fry their ogbono before adding in the parboiled meats. If you are using that method, you need to change it now because. It darkens the soup.
Let's cook!
1) 1 cup of Ogbono 75g
2) Beef 300g
3) Shaki (Tripe) 100g
4) Pkomo( cow skin) 100g
5) Smoked goat meat 200g
6) Stock fish 150g
7) smoked fish 70g
8) Crayfish 100g
9) Oziza seeds 20g
10) Dried chillies ( use as desired)
11) 1 cup of palm oil 75ml
12) Okra 30g
13) Blended dried chillies
14) Seasoning 20g
15) Salt 2g
1) Prepare all the ingredients first by washing and slicing them as required
2) Blend the oziza seeds together with the ogbono
3) In a clean pot, add all the meats, stock fish and kpomo but leave out the dried fish
4) Slice your onions and it into the pot along with all of the seasoning and salt, allow to steam for 3 minutes
Cooks tip: this is a very big soup I am making and I will be needing stock for this dish, I really do not like overly thick ogbono soup, I don't know what your preferences are but you can totally make this soup your own.
5) so after the meats boil for 3 minutes with the seasoning, I am going to add four cups cups of water to the pot and parboil for another 20 minutes or until very soft and tender
6) Once this is done, add in the blended dried chilies and smoked fish, allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until the fish is visibly tender
7) Once the fish has been tenderized, add in the crayfish and allow to boil for one minute
8) Before adding in the palm oil, stir this very well and add in the blended ogbono
Cooks tip: remember that I have blended the ogbono with the oziza seeds, so by now the aroma that wafts through the kitchen will be completely traumatizing to the hungry!
9) Allow the ogbono to simmer for about 8 minutes, that gives you enough time to prepare your choice of swallow and trust me pounded yam is perfect for this one.
10) Once the soup is cooked, drop it down and add in the okra, the heat from the soup will cook it through. Ogbono has a tendency not to dissolve properly thereby forming lumps so it is good to give it some time to cook; before adding in the okra, you will find that it looks more appealing to the eyes and tastes delicious too. And your delicious one pot wonder is ready!
Please try this delicious delicacy today and don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments section below, I am blessed by them. Thank you and watch out for my next delicious post!
Be inspired!


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In a special hearing organised by the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee MEPs discussed the challenges facing the dairy sector and the implementation of the "Milk Package", which includes the opportunity for mandatory written contracts with milk collectors, and the encouragement of producer organisations to bargain collectively for a better price.
Alyn Smith MEP, Scotland's only voice on the Agriculture Committee, insists that a more active encouragement of Producer Organisations to improve the bargaining power of Scotland's dairy farmers is the right way forward, as well as greater investment in encouraging local markets instead of a reliance on exports.
Speaking after the hearing, Alyn said:
"It's clear that overproduction causing an imbalance between supply and demand is the main cause of milk price volatility. This is not a one-off phenomenon, as this is the third price drop in six years. What's not clear is whether this imbalance in the market will continue.
"The Commission appears to be pinning its hopes on increased demand in East Asia but when global demand is only rising at 2% a year while supply is increasing by 5%, this just isn't going to cut it. Meanwhile the UK authorities, who could intervene to ensure the imbalances in the supply chain are tackled, are point scoring amongst themselves while food businesses go to the wall.
"This is not a new problem, and our continued collective failure to tackle it reflects badly on us all. We need both short term relief and long term structural measures to fix a broken market.
"EU member states have the right to make written contracts between farmers and processors compulsory, of minimum duration, and with prices fixed. The UK Government has instead gone for a Voluntary Code of Practice and the Groceries Code Adjudicator, which are riddled with loopholes and neither focuses on price formation nor the unfair balance of power in the supply chain.
"Scottish farmers can't afford to cross their fingers and hope for the best. We need to look at measures in the Milk Package, such as the formation of Producer Organisations, which will allow farmers to negotiate collectively for contract terms, including price.
"The Milk Package introduces legal obligation to recognise Producer Organisations, who will plan production and coordinate supply. Only four countries have taken this up so far, but that includes France, where almost 90% of the annual marketable volume of recognised POs is negotiated collectively.
"It's not acceptable for our farmers to be paid less than the cost of production, and collective action might be our best option."