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Employees, and even MPs, are often sympathetic to changes if a company is struggling - even if they do not personally like them. Sympathy is not appropriate in this case because although IBM did not meet their targets they actually achieved record profits last year.
It is hard to understand why a company is alienating its staff at a time when it appears to be doing well despite a recession. The plot thickens when you learn that the company had looked at downgrading pension schemes in other European countries but had not been able to because legislation in Germany, for example, protected the workers to a greater extent than in the UK.
The only explanation appears to be because IBM is doing this because other companies have been making changes to pension schemes recently and because they think they can get away with it.
Suddenly this becomes less of an internal problem and more of a question about whether British legislation protects workers' pensions to a great enough extent. The sort of people being affected here are those who have done exactly what they have been asked, by successive governments, and have made prudent plans for their retirement. We must ensure that firms are not allowed to use the recession as an excuse to duck their financial and moral obligations to their employees. This is one area where IBM may try to lead but we do not want others to follow.
Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM, Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services Inc.and their partners are running the state's welfare system under a 10-year, $1.34 billion contract - one of the most lucrative in state history. Critics have complained about lost documents, lengthy approvals for benefits and other problems with the new system, and Murphy has given the contractors until the end of this month to fix a host of problems. Among them, a complaint from both advocates for welfare recipients and lawmakers about a lack of face-to-face contact that largely began when Indiana moved about 1,500 state caseworkers to the IBM team in March 2007. ...
Murphy said IBM has already been sanctioned about $260,000 for poor performance under the contract. She also said the overall value of the contract hasn't changed, even though the new system has only been rolled out to counties covering a little more than a third of the state's caseload. ...
Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, was among the lawmakers who questioned whether the state is getting its money's worth from IBM and its partners. Kenley said the budget committee will continue examining the contract through much of the fall. "This is only the beginning of this discussion," Kenley said.
The Register has confirmed IBM is the "main commercial supplier" whose "failure... to meet key contractual milestones" was blamed in July by minister Tessa Jowell for the missing capability and heavy loss to taxpayers. The total write-down was £24.4m. IBM declined to offer any comment on its involvement in SCOPE Phase Two or say whether it will return the money. The Cabinet Office said it was considering its legal options. It declined to comment on IBM specifically.
I wish things were different today than in Dunlop's time, but when this downturn began, companies raced to cut people ahead of the coming decline in sales and profits. It didn't seem to occur to anyone that layoffs would accelerate the recession as fired employees — also known as consumers — had no money to spend. As we enter what seems to be a jobless recovery, it's past time for us to realize that layoffs are not always the right answer. ...
More recently, Fortune reporter Geoff Colvin laid out all the costs of layoffs, which, he points out, companies mistakenly equate with only severance costs. Colvin included brand equity costs, leadership costs, Wall Street costs, rehiring costs, and my personal favorite, morale costs. To stay strong in tight times, to find opportunities to cut costs in smart ways, and to innovate your way to the future, you'll need everyone on board. So undermining morale may not be a great idea right now. You'll also need people with deep knowledge of the business — and mass layoffs ensure that you lose critical perspectives and information. In many cases, there's another way (or two). Some companies, for example, have been paying everyone a bit less rather than resorting to layoffs.
But Justice Sotomayor suggested the majority might have it all wrong -- and that instead the court should reconsider the 19th century rulings that first afforded corporations the same rights flesh-and-blood people have. Judges "created corporations as persons, gave birth to corporations as persons," she said. "There could be an argument made that that was the court's error to start with...[imbuing] a creature of state law with human characteristics." ...
On today's court, the direction Justice Sotomayor suggested is unlikely to prevail. During arguments, the court's conservative justices seem to view corporate political spending as beneficial to the democratic process. "Corporations have lots of knowledge about environment, transportation issues, and you are silencing them during the election," Justice Anthony Kennedy said during arguments last week. But Justice Sotomayor may have found a like mind in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "A corporation, after all, is not endowed by its creator with inalienable rights," Justice Ginsburg said, evoking the Declaration of Independence.
The courts have long treated corporations as persons in limited ways for some legal purposes. They may own property and have limited rights to free speech. They can sue and be sued. They have the right to enter into contracts and advertise their products. But corporations cannot and should not be allowed to vote, run for office or bear arms. Since 1907, Congress has banned them from contributing to federal political campaigns — a ban the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld. ...
One of the main areas where corporations' rights have long been limited is politics. Polls suggest that Americans are worried about the influence that corporations already have with elected officials. The drive to give corporations more rights is coming from the court's conservative bloc — a curious position given their often-proclaimed devotion to the text of the Constitution.
The founders of this nation knew just what they were doing when they drew a line between legally created economic entities and living, breathing human beings. The court should stick to that line.
All of the meetings were the manager saying the same thing, probably reading from a script he got from HR. They make a pretense of telling you flaky reasons (needs of the business, etc) but really you just sit there because you get 3 minutes at the end, when they ask "do you have any questions".
Even if you have questions they won't be answered. Sometimes you are told a date that will be your last date; sometimes you are just told to start looking for work. What really is awful though is at the same time there is usually more work to do than people to do it and they keep hiring offshore. You find this out because you are then told to train these offshore newbies. I used to care a lot about IBM, had lots of pride. They killed it in me. -a GR
"These great business men are American heroes," says Linda Cardellini. "So why is Obama trying to reform health care when insurance companies are doing just fine making billions of dollars in profit?" Will Ferrell asks.
This interactive side-by-side compares the leading comprehensive reform proposals across a number of key characteristics and plan components. Included in this side-by-side are proposals for moving toward universal coverage that have been put forward by the President and Members of Congress. In an effort to capture the most important proposals, we have included those that have been formally introduced as legislation as well as those that have been offered as draft proposals or as policy options. It will be regularly updated to reflect changes in the proposals and to incorporate major new proposals as they are announced. This side-by-side offers a summary of the major components of these proposals; detailed descriptions of provisions relating to the Medicare and Medicaid programs can be found online.
"There is an image of Canadians flooding across the border to get care," said Donald Berwick, a Harvard University health- policy specialist and pediatrician who heads the Boston-based nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement. "That's just not the case. The public in Canada is far more satisfied with the system than they are in the U.S. and health care is at least as good, with much more contained costs."
Canadians live two to three years longer than Americans and are as likely to survive heart attacks, childhood leukemia, and breast and cervical cancer, according to the OECD, the Paris- based coalition of 30 industrialized nations. Deaths considered preventable through health care are less frequent in Canada than in the U.S., according to a January 2008 report in the journal Health Affairs. In the study by British researchers, Canada placed sixth among 19 countries surveyed, with 77 deaths for every 100,000 people. That compared with the last-place finish of the U.S., with 110 deaths. ...
Yet the Canadian "bogeyman," as U.S. President Barack Obama called it at an Aug. 11 gathering in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, may have "all but defeated" the idea of a public option in the U.S., said Uwe Reinhardt, a health-care economist at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, Democrat from Montana, introduced on Sept. 16 compromise health-care legislation that, unlike other House and Senate bills, omits a government-backed choice for the uninsured living in the U.S. who can't afford private coverage. ...
Private insurers, the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession fear the "market power" of a public plan, Reinhardt said. They "deployed certain think tanks to find horror stories around the world that can be used to persuade Americans a public health plan in the U.S. would bring rationing." Given that Congress is likely to pass a mandate to cover the uninsured, Americans forced to buy policies will be left with no alternative to coping with "double-digit rate increases" on commercial premiums, Reinhardt said. ...
Fifty-four percent of chronically ill Americans reported skipping a test or treatment, neglecting to go to a doctor when sick, or failing to fill a prescription because of the cost, according to a 2008 survey by the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that focuses on health care, and pollster Harris Interactive. That was more than twice the number in Canada, data from those New York-based groups showed. ...
"Canadians value fairness, and they cannot conceive of a system in which someone can't get health care," said Wendy Levinson, a Canadian who runs the department of medicine at the University of Toronto and worked in the U.S. from 1979 to 2001.
The U.S. spent $7,290 on health care for each person in 2007, 87 percent more than Canada's $3,895, according to the latest OECD data. The U.S. also devoted the highest percentage of gross domestic product to health care, 16 percent, OECD numbers show. Canada's expenditure was 10.1 percent. ...
Canadians visited their doctors more frequently: 5.9 visits per person compared with four for those in the U.S., according to 2005 OECD data. ...
The U.S. leads industrial countries in the portion of the health-care dollar devoted to processing claims and paying providers, the Commonwealth Fund said. Private-insurance administrative costs in the U.S. are 12.7 cents of a dollar, and as high as 18 cents for some companies, said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund. Government plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, spend 5.8 cents excluding costs of private drug plans, she said. In Canada 4.2 cents is spent on administration.
For example, insurance corporations are infamous for denying coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition – things like cancer, or that ingrown toenail you had 20 years ago. The National Women's Law Center, however, recently revealed another "condition" that can preclude coverage: domestic violence. Yes, eight states allow insurance giants to categorize "getting beat up by your spouse" as a pre-existing condition!
Then there are those mythological Obama "death panels" that Republicans have screamed about. While they never did exist in Obama's reform plan – guess where they do exist? In that Republican-led, state of Texas! The Texas Futile Care Law allows a corporate hospital committee to overrule families and pull the plug on granny if the hospital deems any more treatment to be "futile." It was signed into law by – guess who? – Governor George W. Bush.
And now, three quickies from the Washington Money Game. First, how much clout do health industry lobbyists have in this reform fight? So much that they got a copy of Sen. Max Baucus' draft legislation even before President Obama did. Second, just hours after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she would no longer demand the "public option" that health insurers vehemently opposed, an insurance lobbyist announced a $5,000 per-firm fundraiser for her in his Washington home. And finally, Rep, Joe "You lie!" Wilson, who loudly opposes Obama's reform, has pocketed $240,000 in campaign funds from the industry.
Sometimes, the real story is in the tidbits.
"But dependency on government has never been bad for the rich. The pretense of the laissez-faire people is that only the poor are dependent on government, while the rich take care of themselves. This argument manages to ignore all of modern history, which shows a consistent record of laissez-faire for the poor, but enormous government intervention for the rich." From Economic Justice: The American Class System, from the book Declarations of Independence by Howard Zinn.
Jed Rakoff, a federal judge in New York City, decided to find out. Earlier this year, lawyers for Bank of America and the Securities and Exchange Commission strolled into Judge Rakoff's courtroom asking him to ratify a legal settlement between the bank and the watchdog agency – usually a routine matter. But this case involved the $3.6 billion in executive bonuses that a subsidiary of Bank of America had doled out last year – even as the bank was getting a $45-billion taxpayer bailout.
Worse, the bankers had lied to their own shareholders about it – a boo-boo that violates SEC rules. But our watchdog had no bite and very little bark. The agency assessed a measly fine of $33 million, which is less than the individual bonuses that some of the bankers had taken.
To the astonishment of those who made this shameful sweetheart settlement, the judge refused to rubberstamp it. Instead, he demanded the names of each executive responsible for the bonus rip off, saying they should be held personally accountable for their crimes. In two hearings before the judge, the bankers and the SEC bobbed and weaved, shucked and jived, trying to skate free. But Rakoff, was not to be trifled with. Invoking America's notions of morality and fair play, as well as channeling the public's rising anger over Wall Street's greed and Washington's meek complicity in that greed, the judge voided the settlement on September 14.
Now, Bank of America and the SEC face a public trial over the whole sorry mess they created. At last, a judge has kicked back at some of the financial system's greedheads and incompetents – and, yes, I do think they're feeling it.
While the executive and legislative branches have sided with the giant banks against millions of hard-hit homeowners, several judges have been standing up to banker arrogance on behalf of regular folks. Take Judge Randolph Haines, a U.S. bankruptcy judge based in Phoenix, who has had the temerity to challenge Wells Fargo.
This banking powerhouse, which has taken $25 billion in bailout money from us taxpayers, has been notoriously imperious in dealing with its own customers. In a case before Judge Haines, the bank had callously dilly-dallied with the urgent efforts of an out-of-work single mom to keep from losing her home. For months, she had been seeking a loan modification from Wells Fargo, but the bank kept losing her application. "I submitted the paperwork three times," she said, "and nothing happened."
Meanwhile, she was forced to file for bankruptcy – ending up in Haines' court. Frustrated by this bank's pattern of indifference toward powerless people, Haines summoned one of Wells Fargo's top executives to his his courtroom to answer the complaints of this lowly borrower. The mighty executive, of course, blamed the borrower, claiming she had failed repeatedly to provide a financial worksheet as requested
However, at Judge Haines' suggestion, the borrower handed a letter to the Wells Fargo chieftain that she had received from the bank, asking him to read it. The chagrined banker had to concede that "[she] is right. The letter did not ask for a financial worksheet." He then added, "Customer communications is something we're taking a look at, your honor."
They might also look at things like basic competence and honesty. Who knows what'll come of this little courtroom comeuppance, but at least someone in authority is not afraid to confront these BSing big shots.
Vault's IBM Business Consulting Services message board is a popular hangout for IBM BCS employees, including many employees acquired from PwC. Sample posts follow:
We all have to play nice-nice with our GR (global resource) peers. and when your GR team lead sends notes to IBM US mgmt that they need MORE WORK from their US counterparts, IBM mgmt. rolls over and gives them more work. Reminds me of an old CCR song: Fortunate Son.
And when you ask them, how much should we give? Ooh, they only answer more! more! more. What a sad, pathetic, f'ng company.
What's more pathetic is how India is not held accountable since they are Sam's chosen ones and how anyone who reports problems with India are considered anti-team, racist and uncooperative.
The sacred cows over in India aren't cattle, they're the "office boys" pretending to be IT professionals working for IBM. What a sad, pathetic f'ng company indeed.
This site is designed to allow IBM Employees to communicate and share methods of protecting their rights through the establishment of an IBM Employees Labor Union. Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act states it is a violation for Employers to spy on union gatherings, or pretend to spy. For the purpose of the National Labor Relations Act, notice is given that this site and all of its content, messages, communications, or other content is considered to be a union gathering.


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The website io9.com posts a piece of concept art every Saturday challenging its viewers to write a piece of flash fiction based on that art. Stories must be less than eight hundred words. As of the time of this blog posting, there are forty-three images online. There may be more and I failed to uncover them by searching for the wrong terms, but eh. I think forty-three's a plenty big pool to draw from. I've assigned each a number, with the newest being 43 and the oldest being 1. Through the end of the month, I'm going to generate a random number within that range (updated as they add more art, of course) and write a piece of flash fiction inspired by that piece of art (generating a new number should I pick an already used image.) Exciting, no?
This piece is entitled "End of the Line," inspired by the illustration "The Night Train" by Ryan Mauskopf. I don't own this image, I claim no rights to this image, and should Ryan stumble across this post and demand that the image be removed, I will gladly do so. Also, you should go check out Ryan's deviantART page at: http://rye-bread.deviantart.com/.
Alsoalso, November will bring with it something completely different. Devilish laugh…
Anyway, let's begin!

subset: commoncrawl


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53 Prospect Park W
The Charley Horwitz Platform celebrates community building through peaceful resolutions, activism, and inclusion. The annual event is named for the late BSEC president Charley Horwitz.
The celebration kicks off at 11am at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture! Join us for our special platform commemorating the life and work of Charley Horwitz, and participate as we highlight our common ideals of community, activism, and inclusion. Then stay for a special reception (light snacks and drinks served).
DR. ROBYN C. SPENCER is a historian and expert on social protest after World War II, urban and working-class radicalism, and gender. She teaches survey and seminar courses on African American Heritage, Civil rights and Black Power, and Black women's history as an Associate Professor of History at Lehman College, City University of New York.
Keynote speech followed by a Q & A session with Dr. Spencer
Spend the afternoon meeting other organizers, activists, and supporters in the movement for inclusive communities, ethical living, and mindful connection with our neighbors.
Young people (13 years to 25 years) are welcome to participate in activities promising to broaden an understanding of social justice, and encourage your natural activism.
Sessions led by Ethical Education instructors and volunteers
Children (12 years and younger) and their parents will enjoy entertaining, enlightening, and educational activities with authors and illustrators, including readings and learn-to-draw workshops.


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I recently started working as a Fashion Blogger for Stylemoi, which is an amazing site with the combination of the latest trends and reasonable prices. And what's even better is that there Shipping is free. Come on….what can beat that?! And to say a big thank you, they are giving away these beautiful Flash Tattoos, that are selling at USD$29.99 to you for free. All you have to do is sign up by clicking here and these are absolutely free.You only need to cover the international shipping
- This is a members only promotion
- Every member is limited to one set
- Limited stock. First come first serve 🙂
If you have any questions, let me know. Happy Styling


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Proteomic analysis of monolayer-integrated proteins on lipid droplets identifies amphipathic interfacial α-helical membrane anchors
Edited by Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, and approved July 23, 2018 (received for review May 9, 2018)
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Biological membranes are semipermeable barriers that are composed primarily of phospholipid bilayers or monolayers and proteins. Proteins embedded within membranes are extremely diverse in structure and function. Some membrane-integrated proteins do not fully span phospholipid bilayers but play key roles in organizing membrane surfaces. How these monolayer-integrated proteins interact with membranes has not been systematically investigated, primarily because they are very difficult to distinguish from the far more common class of proteins that fully traverse the phospholipid bilayer. We describe an approach to systematically identify monolayer-integrated proteins and demonstrate that interfacial α-helices are a structural motif that directs membrane integration for this important class of membrane protein.
Despite not spanning phospholipid bilayers, monotopic integral proteins (MIPs) play critical roles in organizing biochemical reactions on membrane surfaces. Defining the structural basis by which these proteins are anchored to membranes has been hampered by the paucity of unambiguously identified MIPs and a lack of computational tools that accurately distinguish monolayer-integrating motifs from bilayer-spanning transmembrane domains (TMDs). We used quantitative proteomics and statistical modeling to identify 87 high-confidence candidate MIPs in lipid droplets, including 21 proteins with predicted TMDs that cannot be accommodated in these monolayer-enveloped organelles. Systematic cysteine-scanning mutagenesis showed the predicted TMD of one candidate MIP, DHRS3, to be a partially buried amphipathic α-helix in both lipid droplet monolayers and the cytoplasmic leaflet of endoplasmic reticulum membrane bilayers. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations support these observations, suggesting that this helix is most stable at the solvent–membrane interface. The simulations also predicted similar interfacial amphipathic helices when applied to seven additional MIPs from our dataset. Our findings suggest that interfacial helices may be a common motif by which MIPs are integrated into membranes, and provide high-throughput methods to identify and study MIPs.
- ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: kopito{at}stanford.edu.
Author contributions: C.I.P., J.R., J.E.E., and R.R.K. designed research; C.I.P., J.R., and L.Z. performed research; L.Z., J.Q., B.E., T.H., J.E.E., and M.L. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; C.I.P., J.R., L.Z., J.Q., B.E., T.H., and R.R.K. analyzed data; and C.I.P., J.R., and R.R.K. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
Data deposition: All data processing was done in Python and the script is available at https://github.com/camisap/MIPome_analysis.
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The 12 delightful stamps and the coordinating CD-ROM is the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas crafting so be sure to tune in and see just how adorable the new collection is!
To find out all about the new collection visit the dedicated section over on the main Crafter's Companion site...but be warned, you will fall in love with them and want them ALL!!


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Malachite is a stone of balance, abundance, manifestation and intention. Malachite absorbs energy and draws emotions to the surface. It clears and activates all Chakras, and is especially helpful in the stimulation of the Heart and Throat Chakras. An extremely powerful metaphysical stone, Malachite is often called the "stone of transformation" and is used for deep energy cleaning, bringing healing and positive transformation to the wearer. For this reason, many metaphysicians recommend using Malachite in small doses.
Malachite amplifies energies of all kinds, both positive and negative. One of the most important healing stones, Malachite helps the user acknowledge, draw out, and discharge negative energy, including old emotional patterns, past traumas, and suppressed feelings. Malachite's ability to draw out negative energy can assist in discovering the energy blocks and patterns that may be causing physical disease.
Highly protective, Malachite absorbs pollution, purifies, and shields against radioactivity. Malachite can be useful in easing menstrual cramps and childbirth. Use Malachite on the Third-Eye to facilitate psychic vision, while Malachite held on the Heart Chakra will bring balance and fidelity to relationships with other people.
Physically, Malachite is a wonderful equalizing and balancing agent. It protects against radiation and has been used in the treatment of asthma, arthritis, swollen joints, broken bones and torn muscles.
Primary Chakra: heart
Secondary Chakra: third eye, throat
Thema: pain, asthma, back, bacterial infections, bones, heaches, inflammation, immune system, sciatica, physical trauma, comfort, emotional balance, hope, shyness, abdunce, heart chakra
House of Tengu feels that crystals and runes can complement other therapies ,treatments and aid in self developement both on physical and spiritual level- although Cristals and Runes should not replace the medical threatment. For medical advice you have to consult a healthcare specialist.
There are Milions of Words of Knowledge out there and we open our arms and hearts to it all. Crystal and Runes descriptions are based on the knowledge and work of two fantastic websites:


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Hello everyone!
Today will feature conditions similar to yesterday in that high pressure will allow for clear skies, light winds, and cool temps. Less winds today will result in slightly warmer highs with temps looking to hit the low to mid 60's. The light winds also mean chillier temps this morning with frost likely all the way to the coast.


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Everyone meet Corey:
Here is Corey's story:
I am a 31 year old who had been in pretty good shape until I graduated college. I used to work out, but not as much as I loved to eat and drink. To make matters worse, I went to school in Buffalo, NY where everything is super carb loaded, fried and served with beer and sugary soda. When I entered my freshman year in the fall of 1999, I weighed about 185 lbs with a flat stomach with some definition. When I graduated, I had ballooned up to 220 lbs with my 6 pack replaced with a keg!
After I graduated, I began working in Manhattan with a few friends, and we would workout every day after work, but I wasn't getting in better shape because I still ate horribly wrong. Pizza, pasta, nachos, tacos, beer, all in LARGE quantities. The weight just kept adding on and adding on. I stopped working out altogether and just ballooned up. Before my wedding in 2009, I was able to lose some weight, but it wasn't a real program and was just a short term goal. I lost some pounds, but didn't really lose any inches off my measurements.
I was a Math teacher for 3 years, but was let go because of down sizing due to budget cuts in the district. I fell into a depression and didn't want to do anything, just sit on the couch. In the late spring of 2012, I reached my highest weight of 243 lbs. I refused to buy new clothes because I didn't want to see pants with a waist size in the 40s in my closet. But I lost that battle and had to buy new pants. I bought size 42's, even though they were tight on me, because I was in denial. I was resigned to the fact that I would be 240 the rest of my life, and wouldn't allow myself to get any bigger, but couldn't lose the weight, it was too hard. Then in the very beginning of June, I saw a story on the front page of cnn.com of Drew's journey. I saw the picture of Drew at his heaviest and thought, "hey, that looks like me! If he can do it, why on earth can't I do it?"
I decided to put my free time due to unemployment to good use. I looked up as much information as I could on Drew and his journey and found his book and website. The next day I went shopping, cleaned out my kitchen and cabinets of the bad junk food, and truly started a healthy lifestyle. My wife couldn't have been more supportive. She helped me clear out the junk and would help me buy good foods (she already ate very well). I tried the different recipes, and LOVED them. My favorites (besides the spinach shake of course!) are the Chili Chicken Monterrey, and the chicken pizza, which I personalized with my favorite ingredients. I did only the core exercises and changed my diet for the first month, and ended up losing 14 lbs and 4 inches. When you see those results, you know you are doing the right thing, and I couldn't wait to hit the gym.
I followed Drew's exercises and kept eating right, and after 26 weeks I couldn't believe how AMAZING I felt. My weight is down to 190 lbs. I had lost 50 lbs and 12 inches. I just went clothes shopping over the weekend and bought size 34 jeans. THIRTY FOUR!! I haven't fit into those since high school. My definition is coming back, and I can actually see my abs again. There is no way I could have done it without Drew's program.
I find myself paying it forward. All I want to do is help others now. I have turned countless people on to Drew's program and love helping them along the way. It is a new passion I have. While I do understand all the hard work that I put in to make this change happen, I cannot thank Drew enough for giving me the proper inspiration at the right time in my life to make this change. Drew, if you ever find yourself in New York (or on Long Island), there's a spinach shake waiting for ya on me! (since, ya know, beer isn't in my new lifestyle!)
It TRULY is a lifestyle, NOT a diet! I have my spinach shake EVERY DAY for breakfast, in fact, that is what I crave!!


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ALL SFW! Mr. Anderson is going to be so MAD star Rapist!
Let's Hateo Kaito Rapeo!
Star Rapist
Fun Fact: I was going to go with Mrs. Anderson but then I remembered no girls in Starfighter lol.
ALL SFW! Mr. Anderson is going to be so MAD star Rapist!
Let's Hateo Kaito Rapeo!
Pure heartless Rape Dance
Star Rapist
Fun Fact: I was going to go with Mrs. Anderson but then I remembered no girls in Starfighter lol.
And suddenly, for the sake of buttsex, out of nowhere a submissive fighter? Fuck you consistency! You have no part in my plot!
This is one of those "this could be interesting" moments. The whole navi-fighter relationship being switched here and all of that.
The script is really letting the idea down here. The navigator's lines aren't so bad but Abel is acting like a child. It's hard to tell if that's what it's supposed to look like.
They're all acting like children except when it comes to the sex, then they act like unrestrained teens.
Though this WHOLE SETUP is stupid because why the fuck is there color-coded seating anyway? What's the point in an inherently collaborative fighting force? The funny part is that this exact same situation could be done but with "specific fighter and nav pairs HAVE to sit together" but that can't be done because then we can't have Abel showing off his "how to keep your man" lines or Cain finally having a "good side" shown off by giving a shit about emo's wellbeing. Funny he can't show that same "kindness" to Abel what what the fuck ever.
And I swear those are the same catty Navs from way before.
I'm pretty certain those are the two navigators from the lift from way back.
The segregation is pretty demented. If it had some purpose in a screwed up society (like racial segregation way back when) then it would have a bit of logic to it.
Your idea of pairs having to eat together would work definitely – the background would only need minor changes so it would turn into a "teamwork is the only thing that's keeping you alive" sort of thing.
Abel would still be able to keep his "how to keep your man" lines if he ate with Cain but next to whatshisname and Praxis was missing. Praxis not being there for the meal would have more weight and Cain could still drag in whatshisname and the rule breaking would be more obvious.
I'm curious on what scale this other fighter is whipped by the navigator. You'd think he'd be hanging around with him more. I suppose the navigator told him to piss off and he went to Cain for some reason.
You're right it would be more interesting/logical with your take on it.
I find it a little odd that the other fighter is so whipped because I vaguely recall him nearly shivving another fighter? Maybe he has some weird S&M contract with his Nav.
Actually the more I think about it, why is Praxis avoiding what could possibly be his scheduled meal for the day? I doubt the cafeteria is open outside of a scheduled time and they're on a ship so…. argggggh thinking about this just bothers me more.
I don't get the fourth panel. I don't get how it went from " I don't remember you being in charge!" to "You always have to be the center of attention." That's like a dialogue in which one person says, "I like dogs. Dogs are my favorite animal" while the other replies "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO CONCEITED!?"
Also, I'm sure all the fangirls are like "OMG, Cain's gonna kick some ass yayayayayay!" Because clearly when Cain beats the shit out of someone for touching his "property" he's being loving/protective. He couldn't, ya know, just be loving and protective without all the bullshit posturing.
I really hate worlds that cater to kinks. I am totally 100% fine with kink and power play, but I hate it when someone tries to make a "serious" story in which all the characters behave in ways that cater to a kink, instead of just acting that way in the bedroom (or dungeon, or whatever). Like in stories were slaves are just A-OK with their slavery cuz they enjoy being bossed around. YEAH THAT MAKES TOTAL SENSE.
Anyway, Hamlet, your story would be fine if all this power play/posturing crap just happened in private while everyone was cool and tight when they had to do their frickin' job.


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Syrian Atrocities Continue: Kofi is Really Going to Get Angry Now
Attacking Houla again? Killing more women and children?
Kofi Annan is on the case — and the warpath.
The best geopolitical analysts agree that nothing is more dangerous than re-angering the tough-talking, former United Nations Secretary General Annan.
Our sources have discovered a statement that Mr. Annan plans to make if over 1000 more women and children are killed by the Assad forces:
Trending: Cheryl Kagan's Plan to Have Some Votes Count More than Others
"This is directed to the honorable presidency of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: please stop or at least lessen the murdering of innocent civilians in your country. If you don't, I may be forced to forge a commission next year to study why you continue to ignore the world-wide disagreement with some of your policies."
All observers agree that Kofi Annan has come to the end of his rope.
President Obama also is reported to be "strongly dissatisfied" with Syria's "continued difficulties."
Prof. Vatz teaches political rhetoric at Towson University.
A more dispassionate bit of news:
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As promised here's my homily from this past weekend on the Feast of All Saints. As always, I do not use a text during the actual delivery of the homily. With several Masses in a weekend, there's always some variation, but this text is certainly representative if not a 100% verbatim of what I said at any given Mass.
Who are your heroes? Who are the people you look up to in your life? Who do you admire? There are so many people that we look up, that we consider our heroes. They come from so many different places. We have our favorite athletes, musicians, artists, actors and actresses. Then are various political and business leaders both from history and the past. We also have many fictional characters from books, movies and tales that we consider heroes. If they are from comics, then we even call them superheroes. I imagine many of our young people here dressed up as some of these figures last night for Halloween.
Yet, we don't all wear the same costume every year. If nothing else, they won't fit anymore after a few years. Beyond that, our interests change, we grow up. The music we listen to at one age is not what we are listening to 10 years later. We no longer care about our favorite superheroes. We read new books, learn more. Our favorite players get traded away and retire. I know after my sister's favorite players got traded from the Cardinals I gave her a list of who could and couldn't be her favorite player, lest they be traded too. For various reasons, these heroes don't endure, they don't last for ever.
Last week I was talking with a young mother and somehow Elvis came up in conversation. Her daughter asked, "Who's Elvis?" Then we said, "A famous singer from a long time ago." She replied, "Oh so like the 80's?" See folks, even the great Elvis doesn't endure!
This phenomenon has been true throughout history. In 1521 the great St. Ignatius of Loyola was a young soldier when he was injured in the battle of Pamplona. He was forced to stay in bed for months as he recovered. He didn't have Netflix, so he couldn't binge watch his favorite TV shows. Instead he read books. So he read all the tales of Knights and Ladies, Wars, Kings, Queens etc. Then finally once he had finished all of those, he began reading a book on the lives of the Saints. What he found was that when he read their stories, they left a burning feeling in his heart which endured. The stories of knights would pass, but the saints endured. So it should be for us as well.
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints. We remember not just the saints whose names we know, who get their own feast day, today we remember ALL the saints in heaven. They remind us that we are all called to be saints. Not only is it a call, it should be our goal. Yes we set goals in life like wanting a good job, family etc. But do we have the goal of being a saint? It should be the first and foremost goal of our lives. St. John Paul II and Vatican II both talked about a "universal call to holiness." This means we are all called to be saints.
But what does being a saint look like? How does one become a saint? St. Francis de Sales writes that this does not just mean praying in the Church several times a day. He says to a mother who is busy raising children, "that is your path to holiness!" "That's how you'll become a saint! Through loving your children and being a good mother! That's how!"
How do we know the right way for us to become a saint? How do we go about realizing our goal of being a saint? I could stay here for hours talking about many different ideas, but for today, I'll stick with just two words.
The first is discernment.
When we hear this word in the Church, we often associate it with young men and women who are considering a call to the priesthood or religious life. We turn it into a noun and say, "oh I hear she's a discerner, or he's a discerner," as if it's some sort of dirty word. Just because I was ordained a priest 4 month's ago does not mean I'm done discerning. To discern is to include God in our decision making process, in this sense we are all meant to discern, and we never stop our entire lives. We tell children to think before they speak and act, but what about praying before we act? What about including God in those decisions.
This week the Church holds national vocations awareness week. To the young people here, I simply encourage you to consider a vocation to the priesthood and religious life. Another rule we teach children is to look both ways before you cross the street. So this must be true for discernment as well, that is to consider all the signs around you, to include God in our decisions, before we step out into the street. In a particular way with vocations, do we only look the way of marriage, just assuming that's for us? Or do we at least look the other way and consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life? It doesn't hurt to look! In fact if you do, maybe you'll find that's the way for you. If you don't look then you might miss something. So we must begin by including God in the little decisions of our everyday lives so that we can make the big decision about being married, a priest or religious.
However, it's not enough to just say we will discern if we want to be saints. We also need fidelity. We need to be faithful. That is to say, God, I'm going to include you in my decisions, but I'm going to make mistakes. However, I'm not going to let those mistakes turn me away from you. I'm going to keep you trying, I'll never give up. Sometimes we get this idea that the saints were somehow perfect in their lives. No! They were sinners too, they sat in the pews or celebrated Mass just like you and me. But they were faithful, and they always kept trying to be saints.
While our heroes may come and go, the example of the saints endures for us as a reminder that we too are called to be saints. If we discern more, include God in the decisions of our lives, and remain faithful to him, despite our failings, then we can strive to realize our goal, our goal to become a saint.


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The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation Annual South West Conference and Black Tie Dinner
The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) held their South West Annual Conference 2016 at The Rougemont Hotel sponsored by Amey with 75 delegates and speakers. Speakers from across the region presented at the CPD event and this was followed in the evening with a black-tie awards event with 170 guests from the construction industry with a charity raffle raising £1430.
Photos by Glen King
Jamie Hulland – CIHT South West Region Chairman CIHT: "Glen King PR have been supporting me with my work for the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) since autumn 2014. They helped me deliver a hugely popular and successful conference and black tie dinner in February 2015 and I had no hesitation in booking them to support our annual conference and dinner this year. I have benefitted from their extensive and expanding group of contacts in the transportation and construction sectors and their promotion and marketing support in event management has been invaluable. Their marketing executives have always been very responsive with a 'can definitely do' attitude and they have an intuitive ability to understand my specific requirements. The result is events which are high quality, professional and entertaining - they are a joy to work with"
See the full album on our Facebook page
See social diary coverage in the Express & Echo


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The Blue Yeti is the perfect solution for the ultimate studio system. For computer recording and podcasting, this is a beast. The price is competitive with other USB microphones. The sound quality of the Yeti beats the others hands down. This is the perfect desktop microphone.
However, there's word going around that the legendary Blue Yeti has a mic problem. More specifically, Windows 7 will not recognize the Blue Yeti.
I'm no sound engineer, but I've tinkered with consumer electronics for years now. I have friends that call themselves voodoo audio gurus. They've tried nearly everything.
I personally know that Windows 7 has issues with some audio gear. Windows XP was more audio friendly to be sure.
I believe the Blue Yeti is one of the best sounding microphones available. The sound is pronounced, rich, crisp, and vibrant. The audio is very pleasant and the Yeti looks very professional I might add. It has presence.
Getting back to the audio issue. I would suggest hooking the Blue Yeti microphone up to a mixer — one like the Behringer Xenyx 802 Premium 8-Input 2-Bus Mixer with Xenyx Mic Preamps and British EQs. The Behringer mixer is very versatile and is designed to solve these types of issues. And there are better mixers available, but the prices are going to be higher. Another suggestion would be something called a preamp. This would be a good alternative as well.
Another suggestion — try a better cable than the one came with the mic. It's common to get inferior cables when buying audio gear. There are better cables out there.
Have you tried the Blue Yeti microphone? Do you have any alternative solutions or ideas? What audio rat gear are you using? Please share your knowledge with the rest of us.


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Out of about 400 – 500 000 Engineers graduating in the country, 200 000 are in conventional streams ( Mech/ Elect/ Chem/ Civil). Of these, barring about 50 – 70 000 belonging to IITs/ NITs and top Govt/ established Pvtinstitues, rest are from Tier - 4 and below colleges many of whom take months to land a job. In fact many are working for salaries as low as Rs 5 – 8 000/ PM, and find difficult even to pay back their educational loans.
As seen, Tier- 4 and below which are primarily unaided colleges churn out BULK (> 90 % ) of the grads/ post-grads in number and it is this category, which are not able to earn a remuneration commensurate with their academic qualifications, as seen from the next diagram below.
Thus, the market size is significant.
Now let us look at the starting remunerations of the graduate engineers :
The figures shown are median figures.
As can be seen, the remuneration of grads from unaided colleges areBELOW that of Grade – I Diploma holders. Further, many of these engineers are earning LESS than even ITI cert holders !
But the above chart is giving only part of the real picture ! Look at the
What an average Tier- 4 college graduate saves in the first few years is just 1/6th to 1/7th of an NIT/ Grade- 1 college grad saves..... and most of the savings goes to pay back his / her educational loan!..... in effect most grads from tier- 4 does not earn really anything during initial years ! And most of them practically end up working in obscure organizations with very constrained working conditions and abysmal remunerations.
Earlier – out of frustration, many would switch to middle east countries and somehow try settle there. However, that opening appears to have closed permanently in recent times !


text: In less than 1hr! Join us reviewing the latest OLPC/Sugar community projects today 2PM EDT, Boston Time: http://forum.laptop.org/chat Then type at bottom: /join #olpc-meeting AGENDA: * New Libraries! http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects#XO_Laptop_Lending_Libraries * Which projects might you enjoy Mentoring?! http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects http://rt.laptop.org/Search/Results.html?Query=Queue=%27contributors%27 * Fast Review of the 6 latest (greatest!) HW/Project Proposals: 1. OLPC Tanzania HIV/AIDS Initiative [MIT, USA] http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=38094 http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Tanzania Requests 30 XO's for 6wks Project Objectives: Practical HIV diagnostics are urgently needed in resource-limited settings like Tanzania. While HIV infection can be diagnosed using simple, rapid, lateral flow immunoassays, HIV disease staging and treatment monitoring require accurate counting of a particular white blood cell subset, the CD4(+) T lymphocyte. To address the limitations of current expensive, technically demanding and/or time-consuming approaches, we have developed a simple CD4 counting microfluidic device. This device uses cell affinity chromatography operated under differential shear flow to specifically isolate CD4(+) T lymphocytes with high efficiency directly from 10 microliters of unprocessed, unlabeled whole blood. CD4 counts determined in our device matched measurements by conventional flow cytometry among HIV-positive subjects over a wide range of absolute CD4 counts (R(2) = 0.93) during clinical trials at Massachusetts General Hospital. CD4 counts will be obtained under an optical microscope connected to OLPC in a rapid, simple and label-free fashion. 2. Preventing Diabetes Among Economically Disadvantaged New Mom's with Prediabetes [Saint Louis Univ, MO, USA] http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=38460 Requests 250 XO's for 18-24mos Project Objectives: The primary objective of this application is to investigate the effects of an ehealth program targeted at new moms' at-risk of developing diabetes mellitus (DM). The intervention will adapt key aspects of the seminal Diabetes Prevention Project (DPP) lifestyle protocol, including 1) clearly defined weight loss and physical activity goals; 2) lifestyle coaches; 3) Intensive ongoing curriculum (initial 16 session core curriculum to be completed within the first 24 weeks after randomization); 4) individualization through a "toolbox" of adherence strategies; 5) Materials and strategies that address the needs of a diverse population of low-income new mothers; and 6) an extensive local and national network of training, feedback, and clinical support for the participants into a lifestyle intervention via email (i.e., ALIVE! Program). The ALIVE program has been shown to significantly improve self efficacy regarding change in diet as well as significant forward movement regarding readiness for change. The intervention draws from the theory of stages of motivational readiness for change for physical activity behavior and will take into account the specific social, cultural, economic, and physical environmental challenges faced by women of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The first objective is to create the online protocol for at-risk new moms, to be accomplished by incorporating a transdisciplinary research team, bridging across the fields of education, psychology, medicine, nursing, and maternal and child health, linking biological and non-biological (i.e., social) determinants. The second objective, and overarching aim of this proposal is to test the effect of an ehealth program on encouraging women to achieve a weight loss goal of 7% of their initial body weight and 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (similar in intensity to brisk walking). The third objective of this proposal is to consider links between diabetes risk and social determinants of health, by exploring the modifying effects of demographic characteristics (i.e., race/ethnicity, age, education, urban/rural, and poverty status) on a number of variables including patient knowledge of diabetes risk, stage-of-change, stress, empowerment, and medical mistrust, to identify important differences between the two groups. This application is innovative in being the first, to our knowledge, to test an ehealth intervention designed to prevent DM among at-risk, low-income new moms. The intervention protocols will be designed for easy translation into clinical practice, to foster generalization should they be found to be effective. 3. OpenOffice.org -- EducOO.org [Tabasco, Mexico] http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=38476 http://education.openoffice.org http://www.educoo.org Requests 1 XO for 8 months Project Objectives: Project consist in developing a custom version of OpenOffice.org targeted for Kids that can run on the XO. Targeted builds will need to be tested on XO to optimize the performance for the XO architecture. 4. Intelligent Predictor Application for XO (Malaysia and Indonesia) http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=38554 Requests 2 XO's for 14 months Project Objectives: - XO as the medium for the application - To test and show the capability of XO in running AI(Artificial Intelligence) program. - To stimulate the learning process for children who use XO. - Help children to think logically - To assist any users of the application helping them to make a decision based on the model of knowledge they entered into the application 5. Rural Design Collective 2009 Summer Mentoring Program [sev locations!] http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=38641 Requests 5 XO's for 6 months Project Objectives: The Rural Design Collective is a remote mentoring program with a local focus designed to help motivated, creative people begin an independent career on the Internet. The mentoring program is structured on a three month time-frame where mentorees are matched to projects that suit their creative skills. The mentorees learn-as-they-earn, working on real projects that help their community or establish their credibility as a professional. They complete the three months with a real project and professional client relationships. The 2009 RDC Mentoring Program centers around the public domain and books. As part of this, the RDC will be outfitting six (6) XO laptops that were recently donated by the RDC and distributed to area schools and libraries with a collection of books from the Internet Archive Childrens Library (IACL). The mentorees will partner with a representative from the participating organizations to outfit the XO to their specifications and train them on the device. We will share what we learn by publishing our work on the web and installing the same bundles on laptops donated by the OLPC through the Contributors Program. 6. San Francisco State University Lending Library [USA] http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=38783 Requests 10 XO's for 6 months Project Objectives: San Francisco State University would like to help OLPC by starting a lending library at the main campus. The purpose would be to help increase awareness of OLPC's goals by letting students borrow the XO computers. The project would allow students the opportunity to use their diverse backgrounds and experience to develop hardware and software for the XO. Students from many of the departments, such as Engineering, Computer Science, History and Art could be inspired to contribute to OLPC's goals once they are familiar with the project. Open source software would be used to track lending of the laptops, as well the inspiring ideas students may have. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/devel/attachments/20090424/d99b3f41/attachment.html>


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Kadence Sparrow has just moved. Again. At least Boulder should be her last stop for a bit. With her father's admonitions about not revealing her true self to anyone ringing in her ears, Kade starts her senior year of HS. But her new friends are making that difficult.
Author Laney McMann starts her newest book series with a bang. Crystallum brings a new twist to the eternal struggle between heaven and hell.
The main characters are your usual HS stereotypes; the new girl, the bad/misunderstood boy, the clique of girls the new girl falls into. The characters had some twists made to them though, which made the story much more enjoyable. The pacing was great, several twists and turns kept the pages turning, and a few scenes caused some laughter.
I quite enjoyed this book, and am very much looking forward to the next book in the series. I will also pick up Ms. McMann's other trilogy, the Fire Born novels. In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive an ARC of this book for a review.


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M G Professional Ltd
47 Unwin Road,
Mobile: 07789108177
Contact: Email us http://www.mgprofessional.co.uk
Member details
Joined: 09/05/2012
MG Professional Ltd was founded by Mariusz Gajewski in 2000. Having already been in the industry for 15 years and built up a great reputation with clients and professionals, who continue to return to him for further projects. Mariusz felt it was time to "build" on his skill and knowledge as a trusted tradesman.
MG Professional Ltd. has been involved in projects ranging from minor house refurbishment through to complete rebuilds, basic decorating and painting or basement, extensions and loft conversions london. No project is too large or too small. MG Professional Ltd. helpful and friendly team are a pleasure to have in your home (or site), they are very tidy and considerate craftsman. Their care and attention to detail is outstanding.
Working closely with our clients MG Professional Ltd has created a well structured workforce who cater for commercial and residential projects.
Behind every great project is a great project manager, behind every great project manager are years of experience. With 15 years of managing an eclectic mix of contracts MG Professional Ltd stands tall in the market place as a leader.
Whether your architects and designers have or have not been instructed and whether or not structural engineers will be required through years of experience we have built up a network of trusted professionals all of whom can be relied upon and all of whom can and will play a vital role in completing your project on time and on budget. We at MG Professional Ltd know the right people for you and provide a design and build services.
Case Studies
Fulham General Refurbishment
Refurbishment and internal alterations N1
Putney property refurbishment
Erection of full width extensions at rear lower ground and ground floor levels; installation of balcony at front first floor level; alterations to the front lower ground and ground floor levels including the installation of replacement railings, stair and creation of entrance lobby extension at lower ground floor level.
Ennismore Gardens Flat Refurbishment
Covent Garden Property Refurbishment
High Standard Property refurbishment and new house extension onto external terrace at rear of sixth floor.
Member type
FMB member with TrustMark
- Have signed the TrustMark license
- Have had an inspection on a job in progress on joining and on a completed development every three years thereafter
- Has a minimum of twelve months trading
- Verified no un-discharged bankruptcies or relevant and outstanding County Court Judgments
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Five -inch Factor
A year after launching in Delhi, Burger King comes to Chennai, with the whopper and other offerings made specifically for India
The store in Phoenix MarketCity is packed. Cameras are clicking, children are screaming and the staff are pulling their weight. Ita��s Burger Kinga��s first day of operations in the city and I am told that they sold around 850 of their signature burgers with flame-grilled patties that day. Facebook is already buzzing with patrons disappointed to see beef missing from their menu, but this is not news. The Miami-based chain made that decision a long time ago, when they decided to create a product range that would be exclusive to the country. a�?This was a first for Burger King. We tested our products with over 3,000 people in July 2014 before launching our first store in Delhi last November,a�? says Rajeev Varman, CEO of the brand in India, urging us to try their chicken tandoor grill. Thata��s a little easier said than done when one has already devoured a five-inch wide mutton whopper and washed it down with a thick mango shake.
Varman hopes to increase his fleet of 34 outlets in the country to at least 45 or 50 by the end of the year, and still, he says their strategy is to move slowly. a�?We are looking at all the markets and have already entered tier two cities in the North (think Chandigarh and Ludhiana). We have one more store launching in Delhi and then two more in Chennai over the next two weeks,a�? he confirms. But besides expanding to every nook and corner of a metro (the chain has 10 stores each in Mumbai and NCR and eight in Bengaluru), know that like many other global chains in the country, Burger King too is busy experimenting with products that the average Indian consumer will not grow weary of. a�?We are testing rice in Bengaluru,a�? Varman says, brushing aside all further questions on the topic.
While we cana��t say whether this rice will make an appearance in Chennai anytime soon, we can tell you that Burger King has other nibbles to keep you happy. If you get your thrills from spice, try devouring a whole portion of their fiery rings (featuring finely chopped onions) without reaching for your glass. The Italian fries are equally competent with a generous dousing of jalapeno gravy. Vegetarians need not feel left out with cottage cheese making a supreme appearance as the paneer king melt. We also recommend the veggie strips that are loaded with peas, sweet corn and carrots. But unless you enjoy vanilla ice cream blended with Oreo and Cadbury Gems, or topped with strawberry and chocolate sauce, dessert is not much to mention.
Burgers from `35 onwards. Details: burgerkingindia.in
a�� Ryan Peppin