Jun 20, 2008

Home Furnishings Retailer Inks Deal in China

Posted by : tootoo
 Home Furniture Furniture Brands International, also known as ThomasvilleFurniture, signed a lease for 26,400 square feet at 1602-1620 Park370 Court in Hazelwood, MO. The furniture retailer will use the space for its Midwestdistribution center beginning in November. The industrial propertywas constructed in 2006 and totals 216,000 square feet on 16.4acres. Dan Merlo and Dan Dokovic of Sansone Group represented the tenant,while Brian Busch with CBRE represented the landlord, Thieman RealEstate.
 

Tax Incentives Depend On Jobs Furniture Company Will Bring

Posted by : tootoo
 Kitchen Furniture Catawba County tax incentives would go into effect if the companyfulfills a second expansion phase with construction of a new $12.5million building in the Fairgrove Business Park. The county's firstaward would be $217,345. The second award of $173,875 would begiven if Williams-Sonoma constructs the third phase, a $10 millionbuilding also in the business park. Williams-Sonoma, a retailer with annual revenues of more than $4billion in 600 retail stores, employs more than 38,000 people. Thecompany markets for the kitchen, bath, bedroom, and living roomthrough brands such as Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma Home and WestElm. Sutter Street is planning to hire 116 employees this year, 147 in2009, 152 in 2010 and 405 in 2011. The company chose Catawba Countyfor the expansion over Memphis and Pulaski, Va., among other SutterStreet locations. Hickory is considering an incentive of free land in FairgroveBusiness Park, a 75 percent grant for equipment and 65 percent forbuilding construction for five years.
 

Testing Building Materials Vital for Construction Industry

Posted by : tootoo
 Cement & Sand Privately-promoted building projects have born the brunt of thescourge which has to a large extent spared public-works buildingprojects. Lapses of standard and safely rules are arguably moreprevalent in privately-promoted building projects. The lapses inmany cases are a result of lack of professional input by qualifiedand licensed engineers and architects in spite of technicalcomplexity. The works are also let out to incompetent contractors, they areirregularly procured and engaged without basing on known conditionsof contract. Under such scenario, the risks are transferred tounsuspecting gullible private owners. The need for testing construction materials One industry practice that a number of private developers haveignored yet it has dire consequences is that of testingconstruction materials. Most building constructions like sand,cement, aggregates, timber, steel, water and bricks are used tomake concrete, which is the most widely used material ofconstruction the world over. It is Obvious that there werefatalistic lapses in how these materials were specified and appliedin the works at most of the collapsed buildings, whichcoincidentally were all concrete structures. Improving standards and quality in the construction industry startswith how materials are specified, tested and utilised in works soas not to impair the structural integrity of the resultantbuildings. Uganda consumes about 75,000 tonnes of cement a month and thisconsumption is growing at about 8% a year. Concrete is a complexmaterial of construction whose site use should be competently andprofessionally guided and managed for good results. For instance, the right concrete class must be specified basing onthe level of hostility of the environment which requires properselection and testing of the ingredient materials in competentlaboratories to determine quality and relative quantities toproduce concrete of a desired class. Environment considerations Cement, as the main glue used in concrete, must not only beunadulterated but also be of the type that physically andchemically suits the environment at the site of use. For instance,rapid-setting cement may be used in wet environments where there islikelihood of washout of the fresh paste before it sets andhardens, while sulphate-resisting cement may be used where tracesof sulphate is detected in ground water. It is only throughplanning and testing that these quality breaches may be detectedand avoided. Sand for structural concrete use should be approved only on therecommendation of a qualified material engineer basing onlaboratory test results for strength and purity. The minimum valuerequired of these characteristics exist in specifications but needprofessional input for interpretation and guidance. Aggregates have to be tested to establish not only their mechanicalstrength but also their chemical and mineralogical composition soas to predict their likely reaction with the chemicals in cement.Alkali-silica reactivity is a typical phenomenon that afflicts theintimacy of aggregate and cement paste and leads to unsightlycracks that compromise the strength of the building. This appliesto water for making and curing concrete, timber to support theconcrete in fresh form and steel for reinforcement. Without undertaking rigorous material testing, it is nearlyimpossible to predict and assure the performance of the buildingunder construction and service loads. Unfortunately, niggardlyowners of construction sites are complicit in this undesirablepractice all in the name of cutting costs. In building sites wherematerial testing is strenuously practiced, the structural integrityof the buildings is guaranteed. Role of regulatory bodies The Government-owned Central Materials Laboratory at Kirekaprovides material testing services and technical advice forconstruction works. Some higher institutions of learning andprivate contractors also do the same but to varying levels ofsophistication.
 

United State Oregon Coast Lodgings Offer Specials Gas Cards

Posted by : tootoo
 Wood Tub(Oregon Coast) - Exactly how much high gas prices are affectingtravel and tourism on the Oregon coast is a little up in the air asyet. It depends on whom you talk to you. Some are reporting dropsin business; others are not. One big prediction is that those whonormally take long drives through several states won’t bedoing that this year, and instead be traveling to the coast.Seaside and Cannon Beach officials say they normally do well insuch pinches on the travel budget because they’re close tothe metropolitan area of Portland. Keith Chandler, manager of Seaside Aquarium, predicts a banner yearfor the attraction and the town, based on the fact 1977 - with itsgas lines and inflation - was the best year ever for the aquarium. Still, others in Seaside and Cannon Beach may give you lessoptimistic outlooks for what’s happening with their business. In any case, the funk over fuel has many lodgings on the Oregoncoast offering more specials to cajole the tourists –including the coveted gas card. Here's a few that reported back to BeachConnection.net. Cannon Beach Anndrienne's Beach Retreat is a singly owned vacation rental home in Cannon Beach. They areoffering a $100 gas card if you book for the months of either Julyor August. This vacation rental sits behind a well-manicuredgarden, in the Midtown section of Cannon Beach. A spacious beachcottage with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and sleeps six. Twoqueen beds, one queen futon and a double futon. A beautifulwood-burning rock fireplace is the centerpiece to this recentlyremodeled home, done in whites with a very beachy décor,including travertine and fir floors, new carpet and gas heat.It’s four blocks to the beach, on a quarter acre private lotin a quiet neighborhood, and it’s a short walk to severalrestaurants, the gym, liquor store and coffee shops. You’llalso find a small BBQ, full kitchen necessities, cleaning supplies,phone, bedding, washer and dryer, as well as videos and wood forthe beach or the fireplace. TV, VCR and DVD. Cannon Beach, Oregon.(503) 436-1726. www.beachretreat.zoomshare.com Manzanita Manzanita Rental Company is running their special from June through to September. Pay forsix nights and get the seventh for free. “Helps pay for thegas,” said owner Kay Christiansen. The rental agency features more than 70 homes on the beachfront ofManzanita, near the golf course, or up on mysterious NeahkahnieMountain with its fantastic views and legends of buried treasure.They are perfect for an intimate getaway or for large groups.Large, modern homes or classic beach cottages with character mayhave features like hardwood floors, small apartments with separateentry, light knotty wood walls, open beam ceilings, skylights orlots of windows, or perhaps a landscaped yard. Amenities couldinclude: rock fireplace, large deck complete with a hot tub,breakfast bar, woodstove, Jacuzzi tub, gas BBQ, large livingspaces, reading nooks, free DSL, games and books and even a swingset for children. Some pet friendly with a fee. Full kitchens andother features like DVD players, TV, washer, dryer, etc. 686Manzanita Ave. Manzanita, Oregon. 800-579-9801. 503-368-6797. www.manzanitarentals.com Lincoln City A Yellow Rose. This bright and cheery vacation home is going for $195 per nightin June. First five June reservations get a $25 gas card. You get an ocean view with this beauty in Lincoln City – fromthe rooftop, no less. There’s a hot tub and it sleeps ten,with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The beach is a quick walk,to Lincoln City’s gorgeous, pristine sands. There’s anenormous eating bar, custom dining room, a new open kitchen andplush furnishing, including a leather king bed. The deck has a BBQand a vast view of the ocean, mountains and the town. Each bedroomis uniquely decorated. The master suite has a huge closet, flatscreen TV and a full bath. Pine floors give way to vaultedceilings. There’s a kid’s crayon twin room that hasfour beds a big closet for toys. There are books, movies and gamesto pass the time on the rainy days, along with Internet, unlimitedlong distance, an I-Pod docking clock radio, TIVO and a gasfireplace. Oregon Beach House Rentals: 888-755-7783. www.cottagesbythebeach.com/yellow_rose.htm Liberty Inn is running a midweek special: Sunday through Thursday it’s$85 per night (plus tax). This rate applies to most rooms, includesbreakfast and is based on 1-2 persons. Liberty Inn features an elegant, spacious lobby with a grandiosefireplace. Rooms come with distant views of the Pacific or choose aquiet natural forest view in a peaceful setting. All rooms aredecorated with cherrywood furnishings and a host of otheramenities: refrigerator, microwave, hair dryer, iron w/ ironingboard, writing desk, DVD player, sitting area, cable TV with HBOand complimentary Wi-Fi. Some rooms boast a natural gas fireplace;the hotel also features two suites with an in-room Jacuzzi. Acomplimentary breakfast buffet in the morning features freshBelgian waffles, biscuits, gravy and more. An indoor pool, exerciseroom and spa complete the amenities. The hotel is handicapaccessible, with an elevator and guest laundry. Combine adjoiningrooms to accommodate larger families, and the meeting facilitieshold up to 80 people. A complimentary 24-hour door-to-door shuttleto the casino is provided. 4990 NE Logan Rd. Lincoln City, Oregon.(541) 994-1777. 877-994-1777. www.libertyinn.com . Olivia Beach has two specials running through June. Stay three nights at the “Seaclusion” home and get a$50 gas gift card. Or stay Sunday through Thursday and get threenights for the price of two. Good during June only. Valid oncertain homes, call for details. Olivia Beach, located at the southern end of Lincoln City, is acutting-edge idea in the middle of a coastal forest: apedestrian-friendly community within a community, all within ashort walk to the beach. Five breathtaking beach homes arecurrently open to rent, with more on the way. Parks, green spacesand wetlands in the midst of wooded paths dominate thisfamily-friendly fun spot, also making it prime for biking. Cozy yetclassy homes come with numerous amenities. Some you may findinclude: hot tub, campfire pit, gourmet kitchen, wi-fi, videogames, outdoor shower, granite countertops, wood floors, coveredfront porch, backyard, deck, patio furniture, garage, washer/dryer,dishwasher, fully stocked kitchen, luxury furnishings, outdoorshower and much more. Some pet friendly. At the southern end ofLincoln City. 866-994-7026. www.oliviabeach.com . Depoe Bay Bella Beach . There are three specials running. One: Stay Sunday throughThursday and get three nights for the price of two. Good duringJune only; valid on certain homes, call for details. Two: Stay for$99 a night from Sunday through Thursday in June. Valid on certainhomes; call for details. Stay 3 nights or more and get a $50 gascard (not valid with any other offers). Bella Beach is in an idyllic setting, featuring a charming,stunning collection of homes by the sea. Over 40 upscale homes arefor rent in park-like surroundings, next to the pristine beaches ofthis area just south of Lincoln City. Rustic architectural themesabound, where garages are tucked away behind the buildings andfront porches with a neighborly feel are the emphasis. Peace andquiet is a way of life here, with features like gas fireplaces,wi-fi, wood floors, washer/dryer, luxury furnishings and granitecountertops among the many you’ll find. Bella Beach offers upaccommodations for groups as large as 60, if you happen to have abusiness retreat, wedding or reunion of some sort. Some petfriendly available. Also perfect for intimate, two-person getaways.In Lincoln Beach, between Depoe Bay and Lincoln City. 866-994-7026. www.bellabeach.com . Newport Starfish Point is located in Newport, on a scenic, forested bluff, overlookingthe ocean. There’s even a private walkway to this ratherintriguing stretch of Agate Beach, where you can walk up to thebottom of Yaquina Head. All of the units boast two bedrooms, twobathrooms, designer kitchens, wireless broadband Internet,fireplaces, Jacuzzi’s and private decks - surrounding you insoothing relaxation. There are plenty of interesting and nicetouches, like little candies shaped like starfish. Or there’sthe "Captain's Room" in each unit, allowing you extendedviews of the coastline - while cuddling or relaxing. 140 NW 48thStreet, Newport, Oregon. (541) 265-3751. (800) 870-7795. www.starfishpoint.com
 

Make sure flooded Wood Material dry before rebuilding

Posted by : tootoo
 Wood Material It is vital thatpeople hold off rebuilding after flooding until wood and othermaterials in the home dry out, according to Purdue Universityexperts. Hasty renovation can trap moisture in wood, which may lead torotting and mold growth. "Some people are not letting their houses adequately dry out," saidSteve Cain, Purdue disaster communications specialist. "Rebuildingtoo quickly after a flood can cause continuing problems such asmold growth, insect infestations, and deterioration of the wood andwall coverings." The first step toward rebuilding is removing wall and floorcoverings exposed to flood waters, including sheet rock,insulation, carpeting and possibly linoleum paneling or thesubflooring, said Cain, director of the Extension DisasterEducation Network at Purdue. Next, fans and dehumidifiers may be used to help ventilate wetmaterial and remove moisture from the air, said White CountyExtension Educator Denise Schroeder, who helped Hoosiers recoverfrom winter flooding earlier this year. Submerged wood will absorb a large amount of water, said Kevin Cox,CEO of the Hope Crisis Response Network. If enough moisture istrapped in the wood, mold is likely to grow behind walls and maycause people serious health problems in the near or long-termfuture. "Our concern is about people's health," he said. "We know peoplewant to return their home to normal as quickly as possible, but notif that causes long-term health issues." It may takes weeks to dry out the house, Cain said. Before drywall,paneling or other coverings are put up, wood should have a moisturecontent of less than 15 percent. Do-it-yourselfers may be able toborrow or rent a moisture meter from a hardware store orlumberyard. "For severe flooding, you might want to have a building inspectoror a professional, trustworthy contractor inspect the wood beforerebuilding," said Kristi Price, Bartholomew County Extensioneducator. Ventilation is usually the best way to dry things out, Cain said.He advised people to provide an entrance and exhaust opening forair to promote cross-ventilation. He also suggested facing fans outof doors or windows before sealing the rest of the opening, therebycreating a vacuum to more effectively move air. Dehumidifiers also help dry out homes. At optimal conditions, mostresidential models will remove one to two pints of water per hourfrom the air, he said. "We just need to get the word out that people need to slow down onactual repairs that may trap moisture in their houses," Cox said."Actions now should be focused on cleaning and drying out thehome." For more information, read the Purdue Extension publication, "FirstSteps to Flood Recovery," or visit http://www.extension.purdue.edu/floodpub/
 

Building a wood cabin can sometimes be tricky

Posted by : tootoo
 Wooden Basin particularly if it is in a scheme of similar looking properties. Finding Annette Pyne-Carter’s house is a breeze because atthe bottom of her driveway is one of Dingwall’s best knownlandmarks – the Castle Doocot. “It is Dingwall’s answer to the leaning tower of Pisabecause it sits at a slight angle and everyone knows it,”said Annette. The doocot, or dovecot, is thought to have been built from stonesfrom the castle which once sat at the end of the street – andwas said to have been the birthplace of Macbeth in 1010. By comparison, Annette’s house, 25 Castle Street, is a muchmore modern building as it dates back to the late-1800s, a timewhen well heeled Victorians were building magnificent houses whichthey felt matched their upwardly mobile status in life. This house, originally built for the town surgeon, is a primeexample of Victorian splendour and is something of a showcase forthe elegance of the era. “When we first came to view the house, the first thing thatstruck us was that we were terribly lucky to find a Victorian housewhich hadn’t really been altered,” said Annette, whohails from Dorset. “The house has lots of pitch-pine doors, skirtings, intricatecornicing, original and stained-glass windows and a beautifulsweeping staircase. “Unlike a lot of properties from this era, none of thewoodwork had been painted over, so we didn’t have to gothrough the stress and hassle of renovating it to its originalglory.” During her eight-year stay, Annette has made some changes,including upgrading the heating system, revamping the kitchen andbathrooms and installing secondary glazing. “We were quite keen to upgrade the house without losing thefeel of the house, so we have tried to keep changes as close to theoriginal as possible,” explained Annette. “For example, we chose secondary glazing rather than have newuPVC windows fitted as the original timber windows are lovely andcan be maintained quite easily.” The house sits on a large site, stretching to almost an acre ofland. A sweeping gravel driveway with a central turning area leadsto an arched porch sheltering the pretty front door. The ground-floor accommodation includes an entrance vestibule withmosaic tiled floor, dado rail and partly stained-glass door. Thisleads to the main reception hall, which has a lovely woodenstaircase and sparkling Venetian glass chandelier. Public rooms include a dual-aspect drawing room and a triple-aspectdining-room with a wood-panelled window and a serving hatch to abutler’s pantry – a nice flashback to how the otherhalf lived. A further vestibule leads to the rest of the ground-flooraccommodation, which includes a bedroom which was once used as thedoctor’s surgery, and a shower-room. The large L-shaped kitchen is divided into two areas by a breakfastbar. The kitchen area is fitted with floor and wall units and hasan integral gas cooker with hob and extractor hood, and plumbingfor a washing machine and dishwasher. The sitting or family area of the room has partly panelled walls todado height, bookshelves and a cosy wood-burning stove. The butler’s pantry is fitted with floor and wall cupboardsand open shelving, making it an ideal storage space and a veryhandy place from which to serve food to those attending a dinnerparty. To the rear of the house is an annexe which comprises two bedrooms,currently used as a workshop and store, a sitting room, which isbeing used as an office, and a bathroom. Returning to the main hall, the wide staircase leads to a galleriedlanding. From here, there is access to a further four bedrooms, twoof which have large en-suite bathrooms. There is also a largefamily bathroom with a bath with hand-shower attachment, wash-handbasin, WC and bidet. Outbuildings include a boiler room and timber garage with a usefulinspection hatch, and a garden store. The sheltered gardens, which are looking pristine thanks to therecent spell of warm weather, are planted with a delicious mixtureof deciduous and coniferous trees, fruit trees, shrubs, plants andseasonal flowers. Nestled between the north and east walls of the house is aCaithness flagstone terrace, a particularly fragrant place to sitas the house walls here are clad in roses and clematis.
 

Damaging Fire Can't Keep Marble Slabs Division

Posted by : tootoo
 marble slabs Clemmer said the company will rebuild its showroom in the front,demolish the old accounting and sales office and put customerparking in its place and move much of the slab yard to the frontfor better viewing. He said the company might also move themanufacturing facility for its GraniteLoc product under roof atGranite Division to increase productivity and efficiency. 
 

Restoration of 1200-year-old temple to begin soon

Posted by : tootoo
 granite slab Restoration and conservation of a 1,200-year old Sivatemple called Kailasanatha temple built by the Pallava kingDantivarman at Uttaramerur in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuramdistrict is all set to begin. The “bhoomi puja” for the restoration will be done onJune 3. The beautiful temple, which has inscriptions in Tamil ofthe Chola kings Raja Raja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, theVijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya and the Nayaka rulers BommuNayaka and Krishnama Nayaka, is in ruins today. A non-governmentalorganisation called REACH Foundation will undertake therestoration. The challenge T. Satyamurthy, a founder of REACH Foundation and B. Narasimhaiah,its consultant, visited the temple on Saturday (May 31) and helddiscussions on how to go about the restoration. “Thechallenge is to make the temple stand for a long time with itsoriginal splendour,” they said. Both retired asSuperintending Archaeologists, Archaeological Survey of India. Therestoration would be done with the cooperation of local residents,who were enthusiastic about it. The Kailasanatha temple was built towards the end of the 8thcentury. While its base was made of granite slabs, the templeproper and its vimana were built with bricks. It has three storeyswith sanctum sanctorums on the ground, first and second floors. Butonly the sanctum sanctorum on the ground floor has a beautifulSivalinga now, which is still being worshipped. R. Nagaswamy, former Director, Tamil Nadu Department ofArchaeology, who has written a book called Uttaramerur in both Tamil and English, calls this “a great temple, aMahaprasada,” as “seen from the constructiontechnique.” The book has been published by Tamil ArtsAcademy, Chennai. According to Dr. Nagaswamy, the main temple isbuilt with two walls, the inner and outer, with an interveningspace (technically called ‘sandhara’) over which risesthe vimana superstructure. “The Chola records call thistemple ‘Sri Kailayam Udaiya Mahadeva’ and refer to thegift of lands for puja, food offering (naivedya) and burningperpetual lamps,” he says. There is also an inscription ofKrishnadevaraya. This temple, thus suffused with history, presents a patheticpicture now. Dense vegetation over the vimana has dislocated itsbrick structure. Beautiful stucco figures, which adorned thevimana, are no longer there. Granite slabs of the base have movedfrom their position. The vegetation’s deep roots have sprunglong cracks in the brick walls around the sanctum sanctorum. On thenorthern side, the crack is three-foot wide. The front mantapa,made of granite slabs and built by the Chola kings, has totallycollapsed. Dr. Satyamurthy said: “To save this temple from furthercollapse and preserve it, the cracks have to be stitched with thesame type of bricks. Besides, the lower portion of the brickstructure should be made to stand on granite slabs. The vimana,built of bricks, will be made to stand on granite slabs. These newgranite slabs will bear the weight of the vimana and alsodistribute its weight uniformly. In short, it is transplantation ofthe vimana in situ.” Dr. Narasimhaiah said it was easier to conserve temples built ofstones than those built of bricks. “If vegetation hasdislocated the stones, they can be dismantled and re-assembled. Butbricks become brittle. So you have to stitch the joints and cracks,and ensure that the roots do not remain in the brick work,”he explained. The collapsed front mantapa would be re-assembled. Uttaramerur is also known for its Sundara Varadaraja Perumal templebuilt by the Pallava and Chola kings, and Krishnadevaraya. It hassanctum sanctorums in three tiers of standing, sitting andreclining Vishnu. Uttaramerur is the only village with a written constitution,inscribed on the granite slab-walls of the village assembly. Dr. Nagaswamy says: “This inscription, dated around 920 A.D.in the reign of Parantaka Chola, is an outstanding document in thehistory of India. It gives astonishing details about theconstitution of wards, the qualification of candidates standing forelections, the disqualification [norms], the mode of election, theconstitution of committees with elected members, the functions ofcommittees, the power to remove the wrong-doer, etc.” 
 

Russia Round timber wood price reduction averaged to 15% in May

Posted by : tootoo
 timber wood Round timber price reduction averaged to 15% in Russia in May 17/06/2008 - 13:14 The offer still exceeds demand , Lesprom Network's Analytical service reported in the monthly woodbased panel prices survey. The average price for 1 m3 of 4?6m long sawlog from softwood (pine, fir tree)16?30 cm in diameter amounted 1.5% up against April; 1m3 of3?6m long sawlog from hardwood (birch) 16?30 cm in diameter 20%down against last month; 1m3 of 4m long pulpwood from fir tree6?16cm in diameter (grades 1, 2, 3) cost 18% down against April.The price o 1m3 of 4m long pulpwood from (ordinary) pine 6?16cmin diameter (grades 1, 2, 3) was 23% down against last month; 1m3of 6m long pulpwood from hardwood (birch) 6?16cm in diameter(grades 1, 2, 3) dropped 13% down against April. Average price gapbetween manufacturers and traders amounted to 20% in the pulpwoodsegment and 16% in the sawlog segment in May (against 17.6% and 9%,respectively). The prices listed in the review may vary dependingon volume of delivery product destination. The general situation in the spot market of round timber isunfavorable unstable. Offer still exceeds demand in May. It isimportant to note that this situation does not affect largemanufacturers working with constant suppliers and concludinglong-term contracts. Small companies working for export areespecially sensitive to the situation. Increased duties haveaggravated the problem of Russia being unprepared to process theentire volume of logged wood. The situation has affected Europeancountries too. EU cannot agree to an increase of the raw woodexport duty by Russia, said Chairman of the European CommissionJose Manuel Barroso. Barroso said that interests of a number of EUcountries with developed wood processing industry, in particular,Finland may suffer from this increase. Barroso said that thissituation is unacceptable. It is at variance with agreements withRussia. The European Union considers excessive the dutiesestablished by Russia on export of raw wood. However, not entireEurope has a similar attitude to the increase of duties. So, forexample, Austria, which itself is a supplier in the world markets,benefits from this situation. Countries buying wood from Russia are increasing volumes ofpurchases at current prices, on the one hand, and are looking fornew suppliers, on the other. So, for example, Finland is activelyswitching to German round timber exporters. Trends of the lastmonth remained in the pulpwood market. The average cost of pulpwood dropped by 18% in May. Sawlog prices are still falling, and the difference between sawlog priceand pulpwood price is promptly decreasing. It is due to decreasingdemand for Russian raw materials and additional supply of goods byCanada and Scandinavia, caused by a crisis in the USA. The averagesawlog price dropped by 15% in Russia in May (due to hard pulpwoodprice reduction by 20% on the average). (Lesprom) Send this article to a friend
 

Appeal for information to supermarket robbery

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 Men Bomber Jacket out in Seghill around 5.45am. The men stole around 7,000 worth of cigarettes after breakinginto the supermarket by using a metal drain cover to smash the doorglass. No-one was hurt during the raid although staff were left shocked. One man, a 40-year-old from the Blyth area, has since been arrestedin connection with the robbery and bailed pending furtherenquiries. The first robber is described as white, approx 5'9" tall, mediumbuild, spoke with a local but not Geordie accent with a youngvoice. He wore black clothing, possibly a bomber style black jacketand a full balaclava and black gloves. The second man is white, approx 5'6" tall, medium build. He didn'tspeak. He wore a brown jacket and a full balaclava and gloves. Anyone with any information should contact Northumbria Police on03456

 
Jun 19, 2008

Appreciation of the RMB impose highlighted pressure on China's textile export

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The continuing appreciation of the RMB has put increased pressure on China's textile & garment industry. The exchange rate for the RMB against the U.S. dollar broke through the 6.94, 6.93, 6.92 and 6.91 barriers triumphantly during eight trading days in June and was fast approaching 6.90 by June 12. In the first five months of this year, China’s total export of textile and apparel reached 66.157 billion U.S. dollars, increasing by 15.4 per cent compared with the same period of last year, in which the export of textile was $26.067 billion, expanding 26.2% and the export of apparel & clothing Annex was $40.09 billion, up by 9.3 per cent year-on-year, which was 9 per cent lower than last year’s growth rate however, and less than the national average as well. StatisticallyTootoo.com analyses, the first five months 26.3% growth rate has been higher than the 20.94% average annual increase level, however, the garment export growth has continued to slow down. Apparel exports went up by 8.46 percent in April, the lowest increase of the past five years, refreshed by the 1.08 percent record in May. The sharp slowdown in the garment export increase also dragged the overall textile & garment export growth. Therefore the textile industry has been depressed, looking forward to the Lifeboat Policy. In fact, the textile and garment export has low endure to the appreciation of the RMB. "Research Report on Impact of RMB Appreciation on China's Export Enterprises", published by China Banking Research Center of the Central University of Finance and Economics, indicated that with the rapid appreciation of the RMB and the deteriorating external environment, China's export enterprises will face enormous challenges. Less than 30 percent of the export enterprises can put up with a 4 percent appreciation or more, and moreover, 44.5 percent of Manufacturing industries on textile, apparel, shoes and hats can put up with an appreciation less than 2%none of whom left when it comes to 6%. Nevertheless, the appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar rate has been more than 4 percent during the first three months this year. The good news is that the relevant ministries are considering introducing a series of favorable policies to support the textile and garment industry in distress, which caused dispute though. The supporters stated that enterprises deserved a buffer period for the adjustment and upgrading, while the opponents were worried that the increased tax rebate rat and other support policies would protect a large number of low-level corporations and lead the industry's painful adjustment, started two years ago, down the drain. Under dispute, the support policy may not necessarily be carried out. What's more, were the support policy to be implemented, it is still unclear how effective it would turn out to be.

 

Buyers Guide for buying Jerseys in Summer

Posted by : tootoo
 mesh for garment Yes, it's finally that time of year: summer is here in all itsglory. Well, almost, at the time of writing. The best aspect of thesummer is being able to leave all your winter layers in thewardrobe and just pull on a pair of bib shorts and a summer jersey. A summer jersey's task is a simple one: keep you cool and dry onlong hot summer days; look stylish; provide some stowage space viarear pockets and give you an aerodynamic edge. As with most things though, there's a bewildering range of choice,so RCUK has pulled together some top tips on what to look for whenyou're buying a jersey, so you can make an informed choice. Fit How a jersey fits is a personal choice, but ideally a jersey thathugs the contours of your body is optimal for removing sweat fromyour skin and to avoid excess flappage at speed. Jerseys come inmany different cuts and sizes, with some opting for more 'panels'in the aim of achieving a closer fit while others employ stretchyfabrics to the same effect. Materials The main aim of a jersey is to keep you cool, so a material thatbreathes adequately and moves sweat away from the skin whilestaying dry in even the hottest conditions is a must. There's ahuge choice of man-made and natural materials, and combinations ofboth, to choose from. Whatever the fabric though, what you'relooking for is one that wicks sweat effectively, removing moisturefrom the skin to keep you feeling dry. Man-made synthetic fabrics are the mainstay of summer jerseys, butnatural materials - basically types of wool - are also goodchoices. Naturally sourced materials such as Merino wool havedeveloped a lot in recent years with many improvements anddevelopments leading to Merino wool being a good choice, even onhot days. Features Numerous features are available but first decide what you actuallyneed from your jersey. Three rear-mounted pockets are the norm, butsome offer more stowage space then others. You might want to lookfor a zipped pocket for keeping your house keys or other valuableitems safe. You'll definitely want a jersey with an extended lowerback to keep your lumbar region covered when crouched over thehandlebars, and here an elasticated waist with silicone gripperscan provide a better fit. Zip lengths different greatly, with full-length zippers makingpulling the garment on and off easy and also providing the bestventilation, at the cost of a less snug fit around the stomach.Mesh panels, typically at the sides or around the back, can furtheraid cooling on extremely hot days. For commuting or riding on busyroads at dusk, neatly concealed reflective panels and piping canboost visibility.
 

Buyers Guide for buying Jerseys in Summer

Posted by : tootoo
 mesh for garment Yes, it's finally that time of year: summer is here in all itsglory. Well, almost, at the time of writing. The best aspect of thesummer is being able to leave all your winter layers in thewardrobe and just pull on a pair of bib shorts and a summer jersey. A summer jersey's task is a simple one: keep you cool and dry onlong hot summer days; look stylish; provide some stowage space viarear pockets and give you an aerodynamic edge. As with most things though, there's a bewildering range of choice,so RCUK has pulled together some top tips on what to look for whenyou're buying a jersey, so you can make an informed choice. Fit How a jersey fits is a personal choice, but ideally a jersey thathugs the contours of your body is optimal for removing sweat fromyour skin and to avoid excess flappage at speed. Jerseys come inmany different cuts and sizes, with some opting for more 'panels'in the aim of achieving a closer fit while others employ stretchyfabrics to the same effect. Materials The main aim of a jersey is to keep you cool, so a material thatbreathes adequately and moves sweat away from the skin whilestaying dry in even the hottest conditions is a must. There's ahuge choice of man-made and natural materials, and combinations ofboth, to choose from. Whatever the fabric though, what you'relooking for is one that wicks sweat effectively, removing moisturefrom the skin to keep you feeling dry. Man-made synthetic fabrics are the mainstay of summer jerseys, butnatural materials - basically types of wool - are also goodchoices. Naturally sourced materials such as Merino wool havedeveloped a lot in recent years with many improvements anddevelopments leading to Merino wool being a good choice, even onhot days. Features Numerous features are available but first decide what you actuallyneed from your jersey. Three rear-mounted pockets are the norm, butsome offer more stowage space then others. You might want to lookfor a zipped pocket for keeping your house keys or other valuableitems safe. You'll definitely want a jersey with an extended lowerback to keep your lumbar region covered when crouched over thehandlebars, and here an elasticated waist with silicone gripperscan provide a better fit. Zip lengths different greatly, with full-length zippers makingpulling the garment on and off easy and also providing the bestventilation, at the cost of a less snug fit around the stomach.Mesh panels, typically at the sides or around the back, can furtheraid cooling on extremely hot days. For commuting or riding on busyroads at dusk, neatly concealed reflective panels and piping canboost visibility.
 

Hasbro Elevates Global Brands to New Heights

Posted by : tootoo
fashions and apparel The Entertainment and Licensing division of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) will arrive at Licensing 2008 International with new,ground-breaking licensing programs supporting global powerhousebrands such as G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, LITTLESTPET SHOP and NERF across a variety of licensing categories with afocus on entertainment, fashion and sports as well as the firstdigital offerings coming out of Hasbro ’ s strategic licensing agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS). In addition, Hasbro will showcase innovative licensingprograms built around its deep portfolio of coveted brandsincluding MY LITTLE PONY, TONKA, PLAYSKOOL and MONOPOLY at theannual show on June 10-12 at the Javits Convention Center in NewYork City. “ Hasbro is pioneering the trend to extend classic and modern toy andboard game properties to the entertainment sector, ” said Lisa Licht, general manager, Entertainment and Licensing,Hasbro. “ We are striking global, multi-year deals that allow our brands tolive in worlds where consumers kick back, play and relax withmovies, television, video games as well as sports. We ’ re also continuing to see an incredible demand for expressivefashion that helps define who you are, particularly in the area ofgraphic tees. Licensees and retailers alike have recognized thatHasbro ’ s unrivaled portfolio of properties provides the ultimate one-stopshopping solution to consumers ’ insatiable appetite for pop culture infused apparel. ” TRANSFORMERS: EVEN MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE IN 2009 TRANSFORMERS has become a global phenomenon inspiring comic books,video games, animated series, films and a convention dedicated toTRANSFORMERS collectors. Fans of all ages are fascinated by thealien robots from CYBERTRON that live on earth as “ Robots in Disguise ” and have the ability to change from robot mode to vehicle mode. Excitement is already building for the next movie – TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN -- from DreamWorks Picturesand Paramount Pictures, due to hit theaters on June 26, 2009. Witha cast of more than 250 licensees in 70 countries supporting thefirst blockbuster film release in 2007, Hasbro continues to expandthe lineup of TRANSFORMERS licensed products that will come tomarket around the globe in conjunction with next year ’ s movie release. Shifting gears to TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED, Hasbro is set to deliver awide variety of licensed products supporting this brand in 2008starting with an animated television programming series calledTRANSFORMERS ANIMATED being jointly developed by Cartoon Networkand Hasbro and co-produced by Cartoon Network Studios. ParamountHome Entertainment is also on board to release two TRANSFORMERSANIMATED home DVDs this summer. Rounding out the TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED adventure is a just-releasedseries of four titles from HarperCollins and pending publishingdeals with Titan Publishing Group in the UK and Hemma in France.IDW will also release four digest-sized comic books targeting theyounger audience and American Greetings will develop both stickersand greeting cards to ship this fall. In addition, Hasbro has signed and extended more than 30 U.S. andinternational deals for TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED apparel and footwear.Licensees including AME, Kids Headquarters and Fruit of the Loomwill deliver a wide array of apparel to market in the U.S. just intime for back-to-school while licensees like Adventure Diffusion,Blues Clothing and Cooneen Textiles will bring to market highlystylized fashions throughout France, Italy, Ireland and the Nordicregion. Plans call for European print and publishing licensees to release arange of stationery, posters, books, party goods and gifts andgreeting cards across multiple countries, including France and theUK. Hasbro also has agreements in principle pending contract orsigned licenses with companies including Alpa, Pyramid Posters (UK)and Gemma International (UK). Under pending deals, Editions Hemmawould create a publishing program for France, and Durabo wouldbring out gifts and stationery for the Benelux countries. Hasbro has agreements in principle under pending contracts forTRANSFORMERS domestic and houseware products to be sold acrossEurope as well as in Greece and Israel, as well as other keymarkets. G.I. JOE: JOIN THE HEROES OF TOMORROW...TODAY Hasbro is enlisting licensees around the globe to rally behind oneof the greatest boys properties of all time – G.I. JOE. With the live-action G.I. JOE movie from ParamountPictures, in association with Hasbro, due out August 7, 2009,several major licensing deals have already been signed and manymore are underway to bring fans a wide selection of “ everything G.I. JOE. ” Leading the publishing charge is IDW which will create anaction-packed comic book series. IDW also has the rights to graphicnovels. Under other pending deals, licensees will bring a number ofG.I. JOE goods to market including graphic t-shirts, boys apparel,footwear, video games, electronics, children ’ s books, paper goods, room d é cor, social expressions, bikes, skateboards, and camping andfishing gear. NERF: BRING YOUR “ A GAME ” OR STAY HOME As NERF approaches its 40 th anniversary next year, the brand continues to deliveraction-packed fun from innovative footballs to tactical dartblasters for generations of energetic kids. This year ’ s licensing program will put NERF center field with the goal ofbuilding a winning global lifestyle sports property in 2008 andbeyond. Fueled by the new look-and-feel of the brand which blendsaction, sports and edge, licensees have stepped up to the line tocreate incredibly fresh and hip products that scream “ It ’ s NERF or Nothin ’ . ” Leading the momentum of the NERF licensing program will be theapparel line, particularly in the area of graphic t-shirts. FortuneFashions will roll out cool and stylish tees for tween boys thissummer with plans to broaden the assortment to include an array ofother items such as hoodies and track pants in a multitude ofcolors and styles. Elan-Polo has also just released NERF-brandedsports sandals bundled with a NERF ball – true inspiration to get kids up and moving. For those who seek the ultimate immersive NERF experience,Electronic Arts (EA) is developing the first interactive NERF “ N-STRIKE ” video game bundle for the Wii ? . Based on the NERF N-STRIKE toy line, players will blast their waythrough action-packed battles in single or multiplayer modes. TheNERF SWITCH SHOT EX-3 add-on accessory, the first ever 2-in-1 toyand game peripheral, will be included in the bundle and allowplayers to convert a real Dart Blaster into a Wii Blastercontroller, further immersing fans into the ultimate virtual NERFexperience. Performance Designed Products is also on deck to amp up the digitalshowdown with an expanded line of NERF-molded video gameaccessories. Sold under the Pelican brand name, the NERF SportsPack (tennis racket, golf club and baseball bat), NERF WirelessController, NERF skins and NERF DS Case are already hugely popularamong gamers. Under pending contract, Promotional Partners Worldwide will boostadrenaline levels in sports fans allowing armchair quarterbacks tofire off their own winning touchdown pass and hoopsters to sink athree-pointer at the buzzer with NERF-branded footballs andbasketballs emblazoned with logos of their favorite college teams. Ripping a page from the NERF playbook, the Entertainment andLicensing team will continue to ink deals that will deliverinnovative “ permission to play ” lifestyle products to consumers. Currently, there are pendingagreements to create products in the categories of sports,publishing, electronics, seasonal, room d é cor, novelty and accessories. LITTLEST PET SHOP: IT KEEPS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER The lifestyle-focused licensing program behind LITTLEST PET SHOP,the fastest growing brand among girls according to dollar sales, iscontinuing to grow “ paw over tail ” with more than 160 deals signed across all categories worldwide.To say that girls just can ’ t get enough of LITTLEST PET SHOP would be an understatement.Hasbro has expanded its roster of licensees across all categoriesand girls can expect to be wowed with the lineup of new productsdue to hit retail shelves this year. As an extension to the LITTLEST PET SHOP toy line, digital licenseeEA will bring the magic of the property to life this fall with aseries of video games for the Wii and Nintendo DS ? as well as the PC. Based on the platform, the interactiveexperience will allow girls to engage with 20-30 of the mostpopular pets in the collection by exploring three unique worlds,playing mini games, earning accessories and enjoying playsets fromthe 2008 toy line. The LITTLEST PET SHOP apparel and accessories segment will soar in2008 anchored by the largest graphic t-shirt line for girls inHasbro ’ s history. With the help of Fortune Fashions and others, Hasbro ’ s goal is to continue to fill girls ’ dresser drawers with cool and sassy tees until they overflow. Forgirls who also like to keep LITTLEST PET SHOP “ under cover ” Leeward International, Cooneen Textiles (UK), Handcraft, BerkshireAccessories and TMI Australasia (Australia) are on board to deliversleepwear, underwear and socks. In addition, girls can decoratetheir rooms with an exciting line of LITTLEST PET SHOP bedding fromFranco in France and Zap in the UK. This year will also feature a large selection of bags for alloccasions from FAB/Starpoint in the U.S. and other licensees incountries like France and Benelux. Adding to the dazzle of steppingout in high LITTLEST PET SHOP style, Flik Flak Group will unveilthe first LITTLEST PET SHOP Swatch watch collection in the U.S.,while Fantabijoux (France) and Little Concepts (UK, Holland,Germany, Austria and Switzerland) will roll out jewelry lines. For girls who prefer an unplugged LITTLEST PET SHOP adventure, morethan 20 new titles will be released in 2008 by Scholastic, Reader ’ s Digest and Bendon in North America and Latin America.Additionally, Scholastic plans to release its existing U.S. bookcatalog into the Australian and New Zealand markets this year.Eleven new book titles will be released by Editions Hemma (France)and Play Bac with an additional 10 to roll out fromLadybird/Penguin (UK). Five Mile Press (Australia) is also on boardto release six new titles through 2009. Under pending agreements,the publishing program will also expand to Russia, Romania, Germanyand Poland. Other publishing highlights include sticker andactivity books from Panini (France), Redan (UK), EgmontInternational (Scandinavia, Poland), Noriel (Moldavia, Romania),and Big Balloon (Benelux). American Greetings will also developLITTLEST PET SHOP greeting cards and party goods in 2008. MY LITTLE PONY: IT ’ S ALWAYS PARTY DAY IN PONYVILLE Twenty-five years and 40 million ponies later, MY LITTLE PONYremains a sweeping sensation among little girls around the world.This year, as candles are lit, cupcakes devoured and tea sipped inhonor of the big birthday, the celebration will continue when THQlaunches MY LITTLE PONY: Pinkie Pie ’ s Party on the Nintendo DS in the fall allowing girls to engagewith the core cast of seven ponies while playing games and solvingpuzzles. New stories will unfold as the publishing program continues to growand thrive worldwide. With more than 24 million MY LITTLE PONYbooks sold since 2003, 18 new titles are planned for release in theU.S. with another 50 set for international debut this year frompublishing houses, including Redan (UK), Pedigree Books Ltd. (UK),Panini (France), and Five Mile Press (Australia) with its highlyanticipated Spring Tea Party book, as well as refreshing its entireback catalog of activity books. Distribution of the MY LITTLE PONYmagazine has also been extended across all major territories inEurope including new partners in Eastern Europe. Additionally,American Greetings will continue to bring MY LITTLE PONY to life ona wide variety of social expressions products in 2008. As a consistent top performer at key mass market retailers, MYLITTLE PONY graphic t-shirts from Fortune Fashions and apparel fromKids Headquarters continue to move off the shelves and onto thebacks of girls of all ages. That program, along with underwearlines from Fruit of the Loom, which are also top-sellers at massretailers, will expand in 2008 to feature new styles and logotreatments. Rounding out the MY LITTLE PONY fashion show will bejewelry by Little Concepts (UK). MY LITTLE PONY apparel deals are also expanding on theinternational front. BC International (UK) will launch a new lineof graphic tees for women, Silverknit (UK) will deliver adultsleepwear and underwear, Smith & Brooks (UK) is creatingapparel and footwear lines, Cooneen Textiles (UK) will roll outsleepwear, Funtastic (Australia) is expanding its range in footwearand bedding, and TMI Australasia continues to dominate theAustralian market with underwear and sleepwear. In addition, Carel(France), Madness Article (Spain), Santex (Benelux), Studiokids(Eastern Europe), and Cookie Company (Benelux) are on board todeliver apparel goods this year. TONKA: STILL GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY Just as TONKA has grown from the original two trucks to a full linefeaturing 100s of trucks, vehicles and playsets over the past 60years, Hasbro is continuing to bulldoze forward its licensingprogram supporting the brand that has been paving the way for boysto be boys for decades. The latest licensing agreements inked by Hasbro will allow tots todig into the dirt with outdoor toys from Debut Sports or gooff-road in an electric vehicle from TGA Electronic. Under pendingdeals there will also be plenty of fun indoor play items coming tomarket in the UK, Russia and Australia that will occupy hours oflittle boys ’ time. Other TONKA-branded products on deck for 2008 include bedding fromCaprice (Australia), retro tees and underwear from Design WorksClothing Co. PTY. Limited (Australia, New Zealand and SouthAfrica), and baby wear from WILDCARD PTY. LTD. (Australia and NewZealand). PLAYSKOOL: 80 YEARS OF BELIEVING IN PLAY As Hasbro celebrates the 80 th anniversary of PLAYSKOOL, its commitment to provide quality toysthat enrich children while they play remains at the heart of thebrand. Keeping in step with the PLAYSKOOL brand mantra, theEntertainment and Licensing division has put in place highlyinnovative programs that further entrench the brand with mom. In 2008, Hasbro licensees will roll out a range of newPLAYSKOOL-branded products, from books to baby care items whichwill delight preschoolers and parents alike. Little ones love a good story and the publishing program supportingthe brand is going to deliver big this year. Featuring the fun,core cast of PLAYSKOOL characters from Digger the Dog to Tubby theTurtle, Kitty Kandu and Go Go Dino, Simon & Schuster has signedon to develop a new children ’ s book series that will commence with the release of the first fivetitles this fall. For the youngest PLAYSKOOL consumer, the successfuldirect-to-retail baby care line at CVS/pharmacy stores will featurenewly added items throughout 2008. TRIVIAL PURSUIT: AMERICA PLAYS Hasbro ’ s wildly popular TRIVIAL PURSUIT board game has been bringingpeople together and driving the quest for wedges for 25 years. Asthe brand celebrates its silver anniversary, fans of the game willnow have an opportunity to really get into the action this fallwith TRIVIAL PURSUIT: America Plays, a television-based game showto be developed and distributed by Debmar-Mercury. The TRIVIAL PURSUIT: America Plays game show has been designed torely on user-generated content allowing viewers to submit TRIVIALPURSUIT video questions that will in turn be asked of contestants.If the question is selected and stumps the contestant, the user whosubmitted the question can earn cash. Ninety percent of the U.S. has been cleared for the fall launch insyndication of TRIVIAL PURSUIT: America Plays with FOX affiliatesin eight of the top 10 markets thus far including New York, LosAngeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Stations fromCox Broadcasting, CBS, Belo, Gannett, Scripps, Raycom Media andWeigel Broadcasting are also signed up for the fall broadcast. MONOPOLY: OWN THE FUN – ANYTIME, ANYPLACE It promises to be a very exciting year for one of the best-sellingboard game brands of all time – MONOPOLY. The highly anticipated release of MONOPOLY Here & Now : The World Edition is slated for August in 50 countries and 37languages, and several licensing programs supporting the brand arealready in place to ratchet up the fun for fans around the world. In a crowded graphic t-shirt market, MONOPOLY continues to resonatewith consumers of all ages. From tees placed in the mass market byFortune Fashions and in specialty stores by Junkfood Clothing tothe highly successful direct-to-retail agreement with Steve &Barry ’ s, fans keep expanding their MONOPOLY wardrobe. In the digital arena, EA has released a variety of MONOPOLY digitalgame experiences for the iPod ? and mobile handsets allowing players to own it all, anytime,anyplace. In addition, later this fall MONOPOLY comes to the Wii,PlayStation ? 2 and Xbox 360 ? consoles. The MONOPOLY games are just the tip of the iceberg withEA, which secured the digital rights to 100s of Hasbro brands.Video games are also currently under development for nextgeneration consoles, PC, mobile, handheld and online for SCRABBLE(for the U.S. and Canada), YAHTZEE, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, and OPERATION. Hasbro is also continuing to expand its reach into non-traditionalchannels through an ongoing global agreement with Scientific Gamesfor MONOPOLY as well as almost 20 other Hasbro brands to appear ona wide range of lottery platforms including instant and pull-tabtickets, on-line terminal generated games, mobile, Internet andinteractive TV. Today, MONOPOLY remains the No. 1 licensed brandavailable for worldwide lotteries. In addition, WMS Gaming has beenmanufacturing MONOPOLY slot machines for more than 10 years and itslatest games, MONOPOLY Big Event and MONOPOLY Up, Up & Away,are now staples at many of the world ’ s top casinos. Other Hasbro Game highlights include the six-year strategicpartnership with Universal Pictures to produce at least four motionpictures based on some of Hasbro ’ s best-known and beloved brands. Also under pending agreements,several international promotions will also be executed this yearincluding Nestle Greece which would integrate TRIVIAL PURSUIT intoselect products distributed to grocery stores and MONOPOLY, TRIVIALPURSUIT, TABOO and TWISTER getting TOTAL Cereal box time throughoutFrance in summer 2008. For the unplugged traveler, under a pending agreement, L.L. Beanwould produce a compact SCRABBLE game that will be sold at retailand online later this year and MONOPOLY trivia books from SterlingPublishing are ideal for passing time while on the road. Hasbro hasalso started to build a strong licensing program supporting thenewly acquired CRANIUM property. ABOUT HASBRO Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and familyleisure time entertainment products and services, including thedesign, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging fromtraditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., itsPLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUMand WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highestquality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. ? 2008 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SCRABBLE, the distinctive game board and letter tiles, and allassociated logos are trademarks of Hasbro in the United States andCanada. Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo.
 

The Singer-Katy Perry has the fashion world abuzz

Posted by : tootoo
 fashion designer wear Designers were calling before her first single even hit the Web,eager to get in early with a potential "it" girl. Perry caught theeye of Betsey Johnson after being snapped in one of the designer'sdresses for WWD; soon after, Johnson was dressing the singer forvarious fall fashion shows in New York in February. "Betsey reallylikes Katy's appearance," says a spokesperson for the company."She's very curvy and pinup looking -- a typical Betsey girl." She's pals with zany T-shirt designer Johnny Cupcakes anddark-and-moody seamster Neil Barrett. Shoe designer Steve Maddenhas tapped the 23-year-old for an ad campaign in conjunction withher album release. Even Karl Lagerfeld's a fan. Perry attendedChanel's party for its new boutique in L.A. last month wearing ablack cocktail dress given to her by the house (a true fashionfanatic, she breathlessly blogged about the gift on www.katyperry.com ). Though Perry's playfully sexy style is the stuff of pop culturegold, the Santa Barbara native wasn't allowed to listen to popmusic throughout her childhood. Her parents -- both travelingministers -- kept their kids on a strict diet of gospel music ("NewKids on the Block? They're still new to me," she jokes). And she may be singing about kissing girls, but God is first in thealbum's liner notes, where she writes, "I recognize that my talentsare God-given gifts." Perry has "Jesus" tattooed on her wrist in'50s script, but gets shy for the first and only time when it'spointed out, covering it with her hand before reluctantly flashingit again. Plenty of pop stars have tried to straddle the line between sexyand innocent (Mariah Carey's struggled for years), but with Perry,you get the sense that it's no act. And it's no mystery why style-watchers have been chasing her down.It's a rare pop tart who comes out of the gate boasting such abold, distinctive look; even Christina Aguilera flirted withseat-less chaps on her journey to her screen-siren style. "I really like to look like a history book," says Perry, who talkswith her hands -- tipped with short nails painted neon rainbow withleopard spots. "I can look 1940s, I can look 1970s hippie-chic, orsometimes I'll pull that '80s Brooklyn hip-hop kid with thedoor-knocker earrings." Retro à go-go TUCKED into a chaise lounge at Bar Chloe in Santa Monica and cladin a vintage cardigan emblazoned with a bejeweled pineapple, asunny yellow vintage onesie with a sweetheart neckline -- haircurled in fat ringlets, lips painted stop-sign red -- she resemblesone of Slim Aarons' St. Tropez socialites. "There are definitely flavors of that 1940s pinup in how I dress,"Perry says. But like most fashion-forward girls in their early 20sright now, she's also nutso for anything '80s -- big bows,strapless dresses and neon, neon, neon. Perry's biggest influences, a list of trend-setting femalepop-rockers including Cyndi Lauper, Garbage's Shirley Manson, PatBenatar and Joan Jett, also play into her style. Those women stilldon't care, she says: "They came out with a vengeance." Perry gets a regular assist in the wardrobe department fromcelebrity stylist Johnny Wujek , who's been working with her since 2005. Wujek, who also workswith Lake Bell and Kate Mara, says the relationship is purecollaboration -- the pair were good friends even before theystarted working together. "It just worked out perfectly that I'm astylist and she's a rock star," Wujek says. "Katy loves to push theboundaries and be her own colorful self. She once told me shewanted to look like an ice cream cone, so I got her a Jeremy Scottdress that's actually an ice cream cone." Perry credits Wujek with "regularly blowing my mind." For the Nylonshoot, "He made me a headband with my name spelled out in Legos,"she says. Though Perry is generally up for anything, she recalls aninstance when Wujek took the zaniness too far. "He showed up with aChiquita banana headdress once, and I was like, 'That's a bitmuch.' " Wujek helped pack the bag of sartorial surprises the singer luggedin for this photo shoot, but Perry put herself together that day:test-driving earrings, debating whether to wear a flower in herhair, pulling out reams of belts to pick from. "I Kissed a Girl" was the No. 2 single on iTunes as of Tuesday, andPerry will be belting it out to thousands this summer as part ofthe hot-and-sweaty Vans Warped Tour, kicking off at the FairplexPark in Pomona on Friday. While in hair and makeup for the photoshoot for this article, her publicist showed her a Fox News segmenton how local mothers are scandalized by the lyrics ("I kissed agirl and I liked it / the taste of her cherry ChapStick"),prompting Perry to cry, "Yes! My dream is to take on BillO'Reilly!" Of course, she's already been anointed by high priestess of pop(and original right-wing instigator) Madonna, who called Perry'ssendup of metrosexual men, "Ur So Gay," her favorite song in arecent interview. "I'm still floored by that," Perry says. "It'slike, you're Madonna -- you don't have time to be listening to mysongs!"
 

Fashionology is a make-your-own apparel experience

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 Designer Kids Wear Fashionology takes the teenage urge to customize sneakers and jeansto a new level, letting girls use touch screen kiosks to select abasic garment (hoodie, tank or capri pants for example) and afashion "mood" such as Rock, Malibu, Peace or Juku. They can thenchoose accompanying graphics and embellishments by clicking "SewIt!," "Bling It!" or "Pin It!" icons. Since there's no sewing involved, the experience is more akin todecorating cupcakes than baking them. But even a jaded fashioncritic has to admit it was pretty fun adding rhinestones to theneckline of a hoodie and a sunset graphic to the back with thetouch of a screen, even if the piece was several sizes too small.We put Fashionology to the test with the target demographic,inviting a few tween girls to try it out. The experience met with astring of enthusiastic "awesomes!" "I usually never go shopping, but this way I can make it how I wantit," said Lena Vogler, 11, who chose a white hoodie with owl andpeace sign graphics and an owl-shaped charm that clipped onto thewaistband. After a few minutes at the kiosk, Lena and her pal JacquelineMoeller, 10, headed to the U-Bar where "fashionologists" printedout their patterns, used heat presses to add graphics and assembleda tray of embellishments to take to the "Make It!" table. Settling in to decorate her black rocker-themed hoodie, Jacquelinesaid she was used to customizing her clothes with magic markers, sothis was a step up. "Making it yourself and getting to walk outwith it is really awesome." Once the girls were finished, they put their hoodies on and gotready to model them under the spotlights on the Fashionology stage.Their photo was beamed onto the store's 70-inch TV screen for allto see and e-mailed to them so they could share it with friends.The experience costs $20 to $90, depending on how minimalist (ormaximalist) you go. I managed to jack up the price of my hoodie to$88 pretty quickly, although the running total on the screen madeit easy to subtract design elements and lower the price. The onlycomplaint came from the moms who wished they could design too.(Adult sizes are on the way.) The lively interior was designed by Roman Alonso at Commune Designin L.A., and the colorful imagery and empowering text ("Dream It!Make It! Wear It!") on the walls is a nod to 1960s L.A. activistSister Corita Kent. "We didn't want to talk down to the girls. We wanted them to feelcreative and empowered," said Tisch, who met Wiatt 15 years agowhen the two were dating the men they would marry (Wiatt is marriedto Jim Wiatt, the head of the William Morris Agency, and Tisch isin the process of getting a divorce from producer Steve Tisch). "It's about the positives of fashion, not beauty or body image,"said Wiatt, who has girls ages 6 and 8. "It's not about how girlslook in the clothes. It's about creating the clothes." Tisch said the inspiration for Fashionology came from her threetween children. The same goes for Wiatt, a former literary agentand magazine editor who left the workplace to be a full-time momand work on environmental causes. "Jamie and I were both teaching our kids to sew, and we had thebloody fingers to show for it. We got together and decided it wouldbe great if there was a place we could go to teach them to sew."That lightbulb moment happened 18 months ago, and the two called an"emergency meeting" at Starbucks in Brentwood. They started cruising sewing and notion stores for research,originally planning to open a business called Sew My Style, wheregirls would learn how to use sewing machines. When that proved tobe too complicated for the under 15 set, they simplified the idea.Big Buddha Baba, a company of Los Angeles software designers whohave worked with Disney Imagineering and on kids museum exhibits,helped them create a design experience that would use computersinstead of needles and thread. Wiatt and Tisch bankrolled the enterprise, and in a few weeks, theyplan to open an online version of the store. A boys version of theexperience could also be in the future, with different graphics andgarments. "We want to do things thoughtfully," Tisch said. "But we have abusiness plan to go nationwide very quickly." Expect to see asecond store by early next year. Something tells me there are going to be even more kids dreaming ofbecoming fashion designers when they grow up.
 

Valentino on show again five months after retirement in Paris

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Evening Dress Collection Valentino on show in Paris again five months after retirement.Five months after bidding farewell to the Pariscatwalks at a final haute couture collection in January, Italiandesigner Valentino is back in the French capital with a majorretrospective of his five decades in fashion. The exhibition entitled "Valentino, themes and variations," is thefirst time the Musee des Arts Decoratifs has paid such a complimentto a living Italian designer. "It is also a unique opportunity to be able to assess a careerimmediately after a designer has stopped creating," says PamelaGolbin, who curated the exhibition. The show was already in the pipeline when Valentino announced thathe was retiring at the age of 75, which gave an added impetus tomake it happen. The 225 models on display, almost exclusively from his hautecouture collections, were selected by Golbin from the fashionhouse's archives to illustrate the designer's distinctive style,which has made him a firm favourite with Hollywood stars andcrowned heads. While Valentino never claims to have changed the face of fashionlike some of his contemporaries, notably Yves Saint Laurent whotrained in Paris in the golden age of couture, he has always beentrue to his own interpretation of how to make women look beautiful. "As early as 1959, when he opened his house in Rome, he created astylistic vocabulary, which he has spent the next 49 yearsrefining," says Golbin. This is why she chose to order theexhibition thematically, rather than chronologically. "Mr. Valentino designs clothes that are fashionable but not afashion that goes out of date." Some showcases contain clothesspanning the entire half century, but it is far from obviouswhether a sleek cocktail frock or draped evening gown is 1960svintage or from one of his recent collections. "They are timeless,"says Golbin. The maestro himself, touring the exhibition before it opens to thepublic on Tuesday, thoroughly approved of the layout. Thejuxtaposition of "clothes belonging to the past and today showsthat I am consistent in my ideas. The difference is so minimal thatsome things from a long while ago could certainly still be wornnow." The first floor of the exhibition includes dresses from his firstshow in Florence's Sala Bianca in 1962, which wowed the Americanbuyers, and his famous 1968 all white collection -- when all theother designers were using lots of colour -- from which JackieKennedy, already a friend, chose a lacy cocktail tunic in vanillacrepe for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis on the Greek island ofSkorpios. There is also the little black dress worn by Monica Vitti inMichelangelo Antonioni's 1960 film "La Notte" and a recentred-carpet gown worn by Julia Roberts for the Oscars in 2000. But Golbin has deliberately avoided too many celebrity connectionsto select the pieces which are the most representative andcharacteristic of Valentino's signature. To convey this more clearly, she limited her palette to graphicblack and white and Valentino's fetish poppy red, which wasinspired by the sight of women in their boxes at the opera in Spainwhen he was a teenager, looking to him "like baskets of flowers". "The silhouette is always very strong. Movement is also veryimportant for Valentino, his designs are never static. The modelscan be still but look as if they are moving," says Golbin, pointingto the dynamic effect of white satin ribbons streaming from theback of a black velvet evening gown, the three-dimensional illusionof interwoven black and white ribbons on the front of a jacket, andthe way the hem of a black dress is gently puffed out by white silkroses. A second floor explores Valentino's fondness for florals -- teafrocks with posies of mimosa or poppies at the waist -- and animalprints, such as tiger, leopard, zebra and even giraffe for a 1960cagoule coat and pants in black and white satin. Feathers,geometric prints, embroidery and pleating, including his hallmark"budellini" silk cording, are all showcased. It is rounded off with a selection from his farewell couturecollection, a fitting homage to the Italian couturier whom thehard-to-please French fashionistas are happy to call one of theirown.
 

Maid cafes? On the trail of Tokyo's otaku

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 french maid costume But their spiritual home remains Akihabara, Tokyo's high-wattage neighborhood catering to video games, animeDVDs and other fetishes. It began as a shopping area for teenageboys, and though it is now popular with tourists and women, it isstill a magnet for the socially inept male. You don't go toAkihabara to drink, unless it's for a cup of coffee at one of thecafes where you pay for the privilege of having your sugar spoonedinto your cup by a young Japanese woman dressed as a French maid.This is a place that has much to teach about obsessivebehavior--and it's a perfect way to enter Tokyo's otaku currents. To get a close-up look, I go exploring with Leo Lewis, a journalistfor the Times of London whose fascination with Japanese videogames, anime and manga began when he was a teenager growing up inOxford, England, and eventually enticed him to Japan to live."Akihabara," he says, "is essentially set up to cater to everyobsession." Lewis was a contributing writer for Roland Kelts'"Japanamerica," a book describing how Japan's postmodern popculture has infiltrated the U.S. imagination, but that credentialis almost beside the point. A walk through Akihabara with Lewisreveals his sheer joy that such a mecca of obsession even exists. Akihabara's main street is a canyon of tall buildings where you'llfind one of the world's densest concentrations of electronic goods.But Lewis whisks me away from the cacophony of amplified salespitches and into the back alleys, ushering me past open-front shopsdevoted to retro Japanese pop culture items, such as miniaturecollectible characters from long-extinct anime and manga series. "Now, this is particularly delicious," he says as he takes me intoone of the many shops that sell original versions of old videogames. True otaku are devoted to old games, and many remember Sega's Dreamcast --now relegated to the also-rans in the competition for globalconsole supremacy--as the epitome of gaming. Manufacturers such asNintendo and Sega have discontinued the original consoles on whichthe games were played, and enterprising companies have manufacturednew ones that will bring the old games to life. But Lewis loves theancient consoles. He leads me up stairwells into shops that buy and sell clunkymonitors and joysticks that look as if they were designed to fly alight plane. "It's the physicality that I love," he says. "Justimagine what it would have been like growing up in this old Britishhouse surrounded by heavy, traditional furniture. To see somethinglike this," he says, fingering an old Nintendo joystick displayedon one of the shelves that slice the store into narrow aisles, "wasto be aware that there was an entire other world out there." He made his first visit to Akihabara as a tourist when he was 18. "I thought I was never going to get here," he says. The retro fascination is just part of otaku culture, but it shows the degree to which purists take personalobsession to the deepest levels: ever more specialization, neverreaching fulfillment, never collecting that last collectible."Completing the quest would be problematic for an otaku ," Lewis says. "That would suggest that it was time to do somethingmore serious with your life." So the niches are always getting narrower. Maid cafes have been therage for about four years now, and a true otaku would never be satisfied to go to any old one. There must be afetish about the experience. Perhaps you'd like to put your head onthe maid's lap and let her groom your ears. "Let me show you anextra-special level of nuttiness," Lewis says. He leads me to ashop called Candy Fruit, where a maid cafe once stood. It's now ashop selling glasses to two specific breeds of client: women whowant glasses to wear with their maid uniforms. And men who want tobuy their glasses from a woman in a maid's costume wearing glasses. "The maids never used to wear glasses," Lewis says with an admiringshake of his head. "It's another new twist." Old is the new new Japanese pop culture is full of new twists, and to Americans--whoselate-in-the-day embrace of manga and anime makes them nouveau otaku , if you will--it can seem cool because it ignores history. It'sdisposable culture, perfect for a digital world. But, as the retro obsessives of Akihabara show, the old is there,embedded in the new. Pop artist Takashi Murakami , creator of some of today's most futuristic contemporary art, isnow tapping Japan's Zen Buddhist traditions for inspiration. "Mynew concept is back to history," he told me in an interview lastyear. I go on a second otaku tour of Tokyo, this time with American-born director MichaelArias, who took a step into the city's past for " Tekkon Kinkreet," his recent Japanese animated hit. Arias insists that he's not an otaku , but his passionate 15-year quest to make the film and hisreinvigoration of one of the classic otaku forms make him more than familiar with the turf. Arias' movie, based on a cult-classic manga series from the early1990s, unfolds on the streets of an unspecified Asian metropolis astwo urchins battle to save their patch of urban wasteland fromdevelopers. In creating his imaginary city, Arias drew inspirationfrom his travels in Asia, and in particular from his favorite partsof Tokyo: the rare undisturbed remnants of the Showa era (1926-89),which spans the city's annihilation and rebirth. In a city where development pressures are constant, and nothingmuch is built to last, this "ancient" world endures because of itslocation: the spaces tucked inside the brick foundations thatsupport the elevated railway lines. These neighborhoods under thetracks are where you feel the age and the intimacy of a placefashioned on the fly out of postwar rubble. That mood has hung oneven as developers have thrown up skyscrapers around them and thefuturistic Tokyo known to the rest of the world has crowded in. From sunset to dawn, there is life in these marginal spaces, andit's this atmospheric realm that Arias mined for his movie, a loveletter to the city in which he's lived for 15 years. It's myfavorite part of Tokyo as well, and it's where our tour begins. We meet in the pouring rain in the Yurakucho neighborhood. Squeezedbetween the expanses of Hibiya Park and the swish Ginza shoppingmecca, Yurakucho is defined by the elevated trains that cut throughits heart on their way into Tokyo Station. When we plunge under thetracks, Arias is a bit disoriented and initially leads us in thewrong direction, but the wrong-way tour reveals places I've neverseen before: Japanese i zakaya s (casual restaurants where people gather to eat, drink and talkafter work); bars paying homage to the American West; the TravelCafe, where a video screen behind the bar displays pixilatedvisions of exotic vacation spots.
 

Jamelia's wedding dress was revealed!

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 white lace dress Jamelia's wedding dress revealed! And the reason I can reveal it, of course, is that unlike certainother people (ahem), pop star Jamelia didn't decide to fund herwedding by selling pictures of it. Yes, Jamelia married her long-term footballer boyfriend (as in,long-term boyfriend. Not just long-term footballer) Darren Byfieldat Eastlands Estate in West Sussex on Saturday - with just closefriends and family present - and as you can see, the bride lookedamazing in a white lace fishtail gown. Jamelia was reportedly offered a six-figure sum by Hello! magazine for coverage of her wedding - but as her agent said: "Shewasn't interested in selling the rights to such an intimate andprivate event to a magazine." Before casually adding: "Jamelia iscurtailing her honeymoon to perform at the London concert tocelebrate Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday." Erm, as you do. See that 's how cool Jamelia is, folks.
 

Chicken Pot Pie! Crab and Artichoke Flat!

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 Fresh Artichokes Eat In Our Dining Room or Outside on our Patio! Eating on the Run? Call ahead at 594-8882 See our regular menu at www.toastmaine.com Chicken Pot Pie Meal - Chock full of Chicken and Vegetables in aCreamy Sauce topped with a Flakey Crust - No bottom crust on thisone! Served w/ Mashed Potato, Fresh Baked Dinner Roll & Cookie ofyour choice - $5.95 Crab and Avocado Salad - A Fresh Avocado Half is topped with FreshMaine Crabmeat Salad. Served on a bed of Fresh Greens withTomatoes, Cukes, Dressing of your choice & Fresh Baked Dinner Roll- $8.95 Turkey Bacon Avocado Ranch Panini - Avocado Ranch Spread with FreshRoasted Turkey, Crisp Bacon and Sliced Tomato are Panini Grilled onour Fresh Baked Panini Roll. Served with choice of Side - $5.95 Crab & Artichoke Flat - Remember our Artichoke Parmesan Dip? AddCrabmeat and Sharp Cheddar Cheese all Panini Grilled on AuthenticFlatbread ~ Yum! Served with Choice of Side - $6.95

 

Prep Time Curbs Nasty Grill Germs

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cooked vegetable Be sure to wash produce too, even if you don't eat the rinds orskins. Never use soap, detergent or commercial produce wash. Rubfirm skin fruits and vegetables under running tap water or scrubthem with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing with tap water. In addition to washing hands, surfaces, utensils and produce, atrue grill master always separates raw meat, poultry and seafoodfrom other types of foods in order to prevent cross contamination. While a flavorful marinade is a mark of an advanced grill masterhopeful, marinating food on the counter or outdoors is not good.Always marinate food in the refrigerator and never put sauce thatwas used to marinate raw meat onto cooked food. Boil any leftovermarinade before using it on cooked food. Never return cooked foodto a surface that contained raw meat. Keep plenty of clean plattersand utensils handy. An accomplished grill master knows just how to heat things up andkeep them hot. Cook food to the appropriate temperature and - whenthe food is done - move it to the side of the grill rack away fromflames or coals to keep the food hot until served. Beef, veal, lamb steaks and roasts must be cooked to an internaltemperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare, 160 formedium and 170 for well done. Ground pork and ground beef must becooked to 160 degrees, poultry to 165 degrees, and fin fish to 145degrees or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with afork. Shrimp, lobster and crabs should be grilled until the meat ispearly and opaque, while clams, oysters and mussels should begrilled until their shells open. Grill masters know how to cool things down too. Always properlychill raw and cooked foods. Refrigerate meat and poultry within twohours of purchase and within two hours of cooking. When it is above90 degrees outside, refrigerate within one hour. Bree Davis is the public health communications specialist with theMcLean County Health Department.
 
Jun 18, 2008

Keep your cool with hot summer fashions

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 fashions and apparel(ARA) - Over the ages, people have been trying to find innovativeways to keep cool. Babe Ruth kept cabbage under his cap to keepcool during baseball games. Just being barefoot can keep kids coolall summer long. With the hottest months just around the bend, itis time to pull the summer clothes out from the back of the closet,go swim suit shopping or start thinking about a cabbage soup diet(under the hat just isn't going to cut it). Before you stock up onvegetables, consider the following sizzling summer heat tips. Fabrics that help disperse perspiration are great to beat the heat.You don't want clothing that will stay wet. Breathable fabrics thatpull moisture from your body and evaporate quickly are best. Cottonis a fiber that naturally helps absorb sweat to keep you cool.Advances in textiles allow for synthetic lightweight, wickablefabrics which move moisture from the skin to the outside ofclothing and encourage evaporation. It isn't a coincidence that summer fashions are usually lightercolors. Dark colors absorb heat, making you warmer than you need tobe. Light colors reflect the sun and help to keep you cooler. Whilecolor choices will regulate your temperature, it isn't always ashelpful in protecting you from the sun's UV radiation. The moretranslucent or see-through the fabric is, the less sun protectionthe fabric provides. The apparel industry now offers a wide range of sun protectiveclothing. These lines list an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF)value that tells you how much protection the garment gives you,much like sunscreen. Find a balance between coverage with clothingand sunscreen. Loose, lightweight garments and hats during peak sunhours and shorts, skirts, and dresses once the overhead sun hasgone down are good choices. Hot weather style is for everyone these days. Shorts come in allstyles from cut-offs to Bermudas. Choose a style that works withyour shape and not only will you stay cool, you will look fabulous.The same can be said of swimsuits. Flattering styles, such as thetankini, are made for every body type. Padding for smaller busts orshelf bras for the ample put curves in all the right places. Withstyles like boy shorts, ruffled bottoms, high cut and stringbikinis, the list is "bottomless".

 

Introducing Awareables, The New Fashion-Forward, Positive-Powered

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 fashion designer clothes Contact Information Betsy Mendel Owner Awareables 310.980.1477 betsm1@yahoo.com Santa Monica, CA June 12, 2008  The new, appropriately named,Awareables just launched their all-new clothing line that inviteseveryone to live life more positively. Owners and InspirationalOutfitters, Betsy Mendel and Rachel Singer, are on a journey toradiate positive energy from the inside out and help you think yourway to happiness. This line of clever, comfy and chic quality teesincludes Provatees, ThinkTanks, Ecotees and Yogaware. Each isavailable in a variety of colors, fabrics, sizes and fun-loving,positive phrases for both women and men. Customers are invited tovisit Awareables.com and order their favorite tees on their newsite that just launched this week. Thoughts create energy and energy creates circumstance, saysMendel. Living in such a fast-paced society, we often feeloverwhelmed and powerless to our surroundings. The simplest ofthoughts, however, can start us on a positive upswing rather than adownward spiral. It seems this positive energy is catching on with people from allwalks of life, as well as LAs trendy fashion scene. Alreadypositive-practicing celebrities and design gurus are signing up forthese thought tees styled with life mantras such as Gratitude Rocksand Theres no place like OM. Other phrase favorites includeGrounded For Life, Shift Happens and Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. When you wear a positive message, you change the energy withinyourself, as well as the energy of those around youcausing aripple effect, says Singer. Adding, People say they smile more,feel uplifted and that other people smile with them. I just got my Awareable tee, says new Awareable enthusiast andpositive thinker, Debbie Lavdas. When I walk down the street init, I see people reading the shirt and I see them look at medifferently, then smile. I love that! Awareables guiding force is a desire to have everyone lighten up abit, to be present in the moment and have faith. They say that bybeing grateful, embracing love and by counting ones blessings thatchange is inevitable. They reference studies that show the averageperson thinks about 12,000 thoughts a day or 8.3 thoughts perminute and believe that positive or negative thinking can be thedifference between a good day and a bad day. Singer and Mendel have built their business on personal experienceand passion from the heart. There was a time in my life whennothing seemed to be going my way. I lost my father to lung cancer,I was unfulfilled in my work and I couldnt seem to sustain ahealthy relationship. I felt powerless. After years of waiting forher life to change, she noticed how her daily thoughts were shapingher world, and she started actively and mentally changing her lifefor the better. Awareables is a testament to my journey, Mendelaffirms. To ensure the integrity of the line, the team did extensiveresearch to find the highest quality materials in the market. TheECOTEES consist of 100% certified organic cotton mens t-shirts, aswell as a line of silky soft bamboo womens tees which blend bamboolyocell and cotton spandex to create a lightweight breathablejersey fabric, making them ecofriendly, easy-to-wear high fashion.And the PROVOCATEES & THINK TANKS lines consist of stylish,buttery soft, sheer rib cotton t-shirts and tank tops. Yogi friendswill appreciate their line of colorful, thought-provoking yoga matswith savasana sayings and more. While Awareables is launching with tees now, theyre alreadyplanning an array of other positively charged merchandise thats inthe works. So stay tuned for more inspired living from Awareablessoon. About Awareables Betsy Mendel and Rachel Singer are the co-owners of Awareables.Betsy is an impassioned vegan and a devout yoga practitioner forover a decade, and Rachel is an experienced fashion designer whosecredits include designing clothing for companies such as WarnerBrothers and Kmart Corporation. Together they have been on asoul-searching path for many years and wanted to use theirexperience and skills toward something they felt passionate about:making the world a more positive place one person at a time. Formore information on Awareables complete product line, visit www.awareables.com ### t-shirts tank tops yoga thoughts positive This news content may be integrated into any legitimate newsgathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.
 

Dressing uniformly is so old school

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Designer Kids Wear SCRAP stuffy blazers - Melbourne's first private school in the CBDwill let students pick outfits from designer school wear and setclass times to suit children and their busy parents. Opening for prep to grade 4 students next year, Melbourne CitySchool will be open between 7am and 7pm, 52 weeks a year. An initiative of Eltham College, the school allows parents to sitdown with supervisors to plan hours that suit their schedules. CEO of the school David Warner said classes would be flexible. "There will still be the core school hours, but there will bedevelopmental play and activities available in the hours aroundthat," he said. But progressive schooling doesn't come cheap -- parents of prep tograde 4 children can expect to pay $16,750 a year for tuition, and$11,000 a year for care. Summer, winter and sport wardrobes designed by fashion designer andformer Eltham College student Emily Heysen will be offered as auniform alternative. The school wear includes more than 30 pieces from denim overallsand skirts to cardigans, graphic-print T-shirts and cargo pants. "We have included a lot of bright red to make sure the kidswill be highly visible in the city," said Ms Heysen, 25. "Kids can have more fun and express their identities by mixingand matching and accessorising." Dr Warner said there was a low risk of parents consistently dumpingtheir children at the school for the full 12 hours each day. "Busy families sometimes need flexible options where theirchildren are at school for longer, but not very many families wouldwant to leave their children at school at 7am and pick them up at7pm," he said. Subjects will include Chinese, robotics, music, arts and creativedesign integrated with numeracy and literacy. But Victorian Parents' Council CEO Jo Silver was worried long hoursat school may mean teachers could take over parenting roles. "Parents would love this for the flexibility it offers, butthey should spend the most time with them for their educational,emotional and social wellbeing," she said. Campus locations will be announced next month. Share this article What is this?
 

Soprano Deborah Voigt returns to Royal Opera House

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Evening Dress Collection” I was angry about it at the time and for quite a whileafterwards," said Voigt, who once called the attitude toward heavypeople "the last bastion of open discrimination in our society." However, Voigt had gastric bypass surgery in June 2004, threemonths after the story broke, and subsequently lost 135 pounds (61kilograms). She says she had been considering the surgery on healthgrounds for years, long before the black dress incident. "I didn't need the Royal Opera House to tell me I was fat," Voigtsaid. "I knew I was fat." She now concedes she wouldn't have been right for the production,and thinks opera's increased focus on image is here to stay, "I think that the face of opera is changing," Voigt said. "Toassume that one can weigh 300-plus pounds and still be viable ontoday's opera stage is naive. I tell that to young singers. "Opera has changed immensely in my generation and it is going tochange more." In 2006, the Royal Opera rehired Voigt, announcing she would returnto the role of Ariadne in the 2007-2008 season. Beyond that, thecompany refuses to discuss the incident, saying only thatrehearsals have gone well and it is "looking forward with greatexcitement to Deborah Voigt's performances in 'Ariadne.'" The ebullient Voigt seems to have put the episode squarely behindher. She has nothing but praise for her "warm and welcoming"reception by the Royal Opera, and has poked fun at the furor byreleasing a YouTube video entitled "The Return of the Little BlackDress," in which she and her slinky nemesis make up. "It just seemed at the time that we weren't a good fit," the dresstells the now-svelte singer in the clip. "But times change, peoplechange." Voigt said in 2004 that she didn't expect to be allowed to sing atthe Royal Opera House as long as casting director Peter Katonaremained. He's still there, and the pair have reconciled. "I remember that Mr. Katona said some day we would be able to laughabout this," Voigt said. "And I said, 'Yeah, right.' But he wasright. "There is no point walking around with a chip on your shoulderabout it. Life's too short." At 47, Voigt's career is going strong. Some have detected changesto her voice as a result of the weight loss, and Voigt acknowledgesit has been an adjustment. "Four years on, I am still having to rethink how I sing," she said. But an Associated Press reviewer thought her recent performance in"Tristan und Isolde" at the Metropolitan Opera was majestic: "Hervoice has lyric beauty as well as steel." In 2011, Voigt is due to sing Bruennhilde in the Met'smuch-anticipated new Ring Cycle. Since her surgery she has expandedher repertoire, playing Biblical temptress Salome and legendarybeauty Helen of Troy. "It's nice to be able to play the pretty-girl parts," Voigt said."I never thought I would be able to do that." "Ariadne Auf Naxos" opens Monday at the Royal Opera House and runsin rep until July 1. ___ On the Net Royal Opera House: http://www.royalopera.org Deborah Voigt: http://deborahvoigt.com
 

Palm grows from record 2000-year-old seed Ancient kernel found

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 Palm Kernel Shell Scientists using radiocarbon dating have confirmed that a Judeandate palm seed found in the ruins of Masada and planted three yearsago is 2,000 years old - the oldest seed ever to germinate. The seed has grown into a healthy, 4-foot-tall seedling, surpassingthe previous record for oldest germinated seed - a 1,300-year-oldChinese lotus, researchers reported Thursday in the journalScience. The little tree has been named Methuselah after the oldest personin the Hebrew Bible. It is now the only living Judean date palm andthe last link to the date palm forests that once shaded andnourished the Middle Eastern region. Sarah Sallon, who directs the Louis L. Borick Natural MedicineResearch Center in Jerusalem, became interested in the ancient datepalm as a possible source of medicines. She enlisted Dr. ElaineSolowey of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at KibbutzKetura to coax the seeds out of dormancy. One sprouted. Scientists initially estimated its age at about 2,000years old based on carbon dating of other seeds found at the site,but they had no way of directly testing the planted seed withoutrisking its chance of survival. After the Methuselah seed germinated, Solowey found fragments ofthe seed shell clinging to the roots - enough for dating. The shell fragments initially dated to A.D. 295, give or take 50years, but a small percentage of "modern" carbon incorporated asthe seed germinated made it appear 250 to 300 years younger.Correcting for this factor, the researchers reported that the seeddates from 60 B.C. to A.D. 95, similar to the other seeds from thesite. That placed the seed at Masada, Israel, around the Roman siege inA.D. 73, when, according to the ancient historian Josephus, almost1,000 Jewish Zealots in the fortress committed mass suicide ratherthan capitulate to the Romans. They burned most of their foodstores, leaving a single cache to show that they did not starve todeath. "These people were eating these dates up on the mountain andlooking down at the Roman camp, knowing that they were going to diesoon, and spitting out the pits," Sallon said. "Maybe here is oneof those pits." Archaeologists excavating the fortress of Masada originallyunearthed the seeds in 1965, but they sat in storage for fourdecades before being planted. The seeds probably survived for so long because of the extremelyarid conditions of the Masada mesa, said Cary Fowler, seedpreservation expert and executive director of the Global CropDiversity Trust, which maintains the Svalbard Global Seed Vault inNorway.
 

Why is the price of oil so high?

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Extract Oil Worse, the pace of the pain has accelerated: As recently asFebruary, metro Atlanta gasoline averaged less than $3 a gallon. Why the run-up? Why the recent surge? One answer is "peak oil." That argument — dismissed a fewyears ago as alarmist, wacky or worse — now receives a moreserious hearing. The notion is that about half the oil beneath the earth has beenextracted. With demand still rising and production at its peak,prices can only keep rising, say peak oil adherents: $4 a gallonwill soon seem cheap. But there is a countervailing contention thatoil — like the Nasdaq before it — has become somethingof a "bubble," its prices puffed up by a massive flow ofspeculation. The Journal-Constitution recently separately spoke with an expertin the workings of investments and another expert on the geology offossil fuels. Q: A decade ago, crude oil was roughly $12 a barrel. Now it isselling for more than 11 times that amount. What is the key reasonfor the change? Fisher: The reality is that this is fundamentally a supply-and-demandsituation. There is so much growth in demand coming from emergingcountries, particularly Asia — especially China and India. It doesn't take very much in the way of demand to pull it prettydoggone hard. Schweitzer: It's supply and demand if you look at the growth of oil demandsince the mid-1990s. About 75 to 80 percent of the growth has comefrom developing-market economies. And in the last two years, 100percent of the growth globally has come from those countries— including, but not at all limited to, China and India. Ithink the growth of the emerging economies is a secular [long-term]force that will be with us for the foreseeable future, except fortemporary interruptions. Q: Oil prices have nearly doubled in the past year. Even people whosaid there were fundamental reasons for the price rise were takenaback by the steep, steady climb. What has changed in the pastyear? Fisher: I think probably the biggest is the weakening price of the dollar.I've seen some analysis that shows that if the dollar were on a parwith the euro, the price of oil would be closer to $70 than to $120or $130. Schweitzer: I say supply and demand because supply has proved more restrictedthan many people expected it would be. There is a very strong casethat rapid demand growth has run up against limited supply growth. Q: How do you judge the action of traders and speculators in oil as acommodity? Are they to blame? Fisher: There has been some deterioration of the financial situation thathas moved a lot of people out of other investments and intocommodities. In fact, some of the other commodities have increasedeven faster than oil. Commodities is a place where a lot ofinvestors turn when there is a softening in other investments. Really, the effect can be explained by three things: supply anddemand, the fall of the dollar and commodity investing. Schweitzer: Now, I wouldn't want to argue that there is no role forspeculation in the rise of oil prices. There may be. But there aregood and solid reasons why oil should be up. ... It would not be atall surprising that there was some speculative element to the risein oil prices. Anytime a commodity is rising, the natural tendencyfor traders is to try to take advantage of that [which adds to thepressure upward]. But it is very difficult to prove the importance of speculation. Ithink that it's a story about expectations, that oil prices may goup in the future, and that can itself fuel a further rise inprices. Q: Have we reached peak oil? Are we close? Fisher: The idea of peak oil — that we are running out of oil— is not a cogent scientific argument. There are assumptionsbehind peak oil. You have to know that you are halfway through [allthe world's oil]. To know you are halfway, you'd have to know howmuch oil is out there. And we don't know. The estimates vary by afactor of three. The resource base around the world is pretty substantial. And howmuch you are converting to supply depends on the investment made.We know oil is finite. We will peak on oil production one of thesedays. But that won't be from physical factors. It will be becausewe are moving to say, a hydrogen economy. Schweitzer: Non-OPEC supply has leveled off. There has been a decline inplaces — Mexico, the North Sea — and Russia, too, hashad its challenges. Even within OPEC, it's hard to say whatlimitations OPEC may be encountering. During the 1980s [after prices rose], demand contracted and pricescollapsed. OPEC knows those lessons. I would expect that if it iswithin their power, they would prefer not to see prices goever-upward. The analysis I've seen suggests that ... Saudi Arabia is bringingon a significant new field in a year or so. Q: What would it take to convince you that you are wrong about peakoil? Fisher: You'd have to go into a persistent decline of oil production for acouple of years, like the "peakers" say: 6 to 8 percent a year. IfI saw that, I'd stand up and salute. Schweitzer: I think markets work. We have had to adapt. What makes the rise inoil prices so disconcerting is the suddenness, without enough timefor people to adapt. I am not a believer in peak oil. I am a believer in the ability ofmarkets to help the economy to adjust, but that doesn't mean thatthe adjustment will be painless. Q: Which is more likely a year from now: oil down $70, to $55 abarrel, or up $70, to $185? Fisher: Absolutely nobody knows what is going to happen to oil prices.There are so many dependencies out there. But there are new projects coming that will add 12 to 15 millionbarrels per day in additional capacity in the next few years. Andsome will be coming online to increase production in the next fiveor 10 years. The amount of new projects coming online should be able to handledemand ... and might even exceed demand — depending on howmuch [a higher price] dampens demand. Schweitzer: To my eye, oil prices have now reached levels they are unlikely tohold for the next year. I think that we'll see some pullback inprices. I think that oil prices have reached a level that will extract morepain than the economy can withstand. We may very well expect apullback in demand as economic activity slows further. It's all a matter of degree. I would not expect prices to fall backto the levels of a year ago. I don't expect them to fall sharply. Unless there comes to be a lot more supply or a lot moreconservation — especially in the United States — I justdon't see the supply-demand balance improving back to the "good olddays" of $60-a-barrel oil.
 

New Nutritious Living Cereals Target Specific Dietary Priorities

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 Natural Sesame Seed Antioxidants, Omega-3s and Whole Grains Create aNutritionally-Charged Breakfast Experience Nutritious Living, makers of delicious and wholesome cereals,granola and snack foods, announced the debut of three new cerealproducts under its Natural Living product platform. These newartfully crafted cereals are designed to deliver big on taste,while targeting specific high-demand nutritional attributesassociated with antioxidants, Omega-3 and whole grains. The newproducts include the following: Antioxidant Indulgence – Made with real dark chocolate, Goji berries andstrawberries, this low fat, high fiber cereal packs an antioxidantpunch in each delicious bite. Made with all-natural ingredients,each serving of Antioxidant Indulgence provides 16 grams of wholegrains per serving and is a natural source of vitamin C, niacin,iron, magnesium and selenium. Artisan Inspiration – Capturing the essence of Nutritious Living’s40-year-old granola making heritage, Artisan Inspiration takes theindulgent experience of granola and infuses it with more than 14whole food ingredients. Whole grain oats, raisins, cherries,dates, coconut, cashews, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkinseeds and honey create a hearty and delicious blend perfect withmilk, teamed with yogurt or eaten alone. Artisan InspirationGranola provides 28 grams of whole grains per serving and is sodiumfree. – Made with lightly sweetened whole grain flakes, walnutpieces and dried cranberries, Omega-3 Harmony cereal provides 1,000milligrams of Omega-3s per serving. The use of 100 percent groundflaxseeds allows the body to easily digest and absorb the Omega-3fatty acids. Each serving of Omega-3 Harmony cereal is a naturalsource of B-vitamins, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc andcontains nine grams of fiber.
 

Consider a vegan diet

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 Chicken Cages Dear Editor: The alarming news that at least 15,000 hens at TysonFoods, the worlds largest meat processor, have been exposed to thebird flu virus will hopefully prompt people to reconsider theirfood choices. The best way to stop the spread of bird flu is tostop raising and eating animals. Chicken and turkey factory farms are so crowded and filthy thatthey are perfect reservoirs for disease. Tens of thousands of birdsare packed in sheds teeming with bacteria and ammonia fumes; manybecome ill from the unsanitary environment. Laying hens are crammedin battery cages stacked tier upon tier. Feces from the birds ontop fall on the birds below, providing ideal conditions fordiseases like bird flu to spread. According to the World Health Organization, humans can becomeinfected with bird flu by eating undercooked infected chicken andby eating food prepared on the same cutting board as contaminatedchicken or eggs. Even touching the broken eggshells of infectedeggs puts consumers at risk. We can all help prevent bird flu andother foodborne illness and save billions of animals from painand suffering  by eating a vegan diet. Visit www.GoVeg.com for afree vegetarian starter kit.
 

Taking a fresh approach to Fresh Cabbage

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 Fresh Cabbage "service is unbeatable, and I feel so lucky to have such aresource." Aydin, a Poly High graduate who studied nutrition at UC Berkeleybefore going to a culinary school, provides personally designedrecipes with how to use the ingredients in each week's crate, whichcontains produce picked at the height of the season. Typical summertime offerings include canteloupe, corn, cucumbers,eggplant, nectarines, peaches, peppers, plums, summer squash,tomatoes and watermelon. A belief system guides Aydin's business. She favors organic produceand community-supported agriculture, or CSA, a movement thatsupports locally grown foods and helps reduce pollution sincetrucks - or container ships - do not have to travel as far todeliver produce. Beachgreen's mission statement promises a "commitment tosustainability." Though shipping between hemispheres makes it possible to enjoy mostfruits and vegetables year-round, appetites for seasonal andlocally grown foods are growing nationwide. "When so many of us are trying to eat locally, eat organically, itis great to have a business like beachgreens," says customer DonnaHilbert, who lives on the Peninsula. "I love the variety, thefreshness, the friendly service. I am a better cook for having beenexposed to vegetables that I passed over in the store because Iwasn't sure what to do with them." Some examples: Bok choy, a Chinese cabbage, and fresh beets, whichtaste much better than the canned varieties she knew before. Beachgreens deliveries are made in a Toyota pickup from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. The "Studio Box" costs $28, and is enough food for one adult wholikes to cook at home most of the time. The "Original Box" costs$35, and is enough food for two adults. There is a catch, or benefit, depending on the desire for newexperiences: No custom orders. "It's a 'surprise me,' but you can tell me what don't like orallergies you may have," Aydin says. "You have to be adventurousenough to want to do it." Customer Se Reed, who co-owns the Open bookstore in the EastVillage, enjoys that element of surprise. "It's fun to open the crate and say, 'What are we getting thisweek?"' she says. "It's a vegetable Christmas every week." Aydin's background is in culinary arts. She has worked as a chefand for a business that delivered produce while she was living inSeattle for a stretch. When she moved back to Long Beach about a year and half ago, sheasked, "What am I going to do with myself?" Starting a company like the one in Seattle seemed plausible. "I think I just sent an e-mail to everyone I knew and I had my fivebest friends go, 'Cool,"' she says. Beachgreens' seeds were planted on the Internet, which producedcrops of customers. Friends e-mailed friends. Online reviews sprouted. The local mommy board, longbeachlittleones, spread the word to ageneration of parents who want their children to not only eat theirveggies, but to eat organic. One loyal customer, Stacy Alexeief, suggested a look a the onlinereview she wrote for Yelp.com , which rates businesses and services. "Everything is super-fresh, and clearly was obtained from thesource farms - no wear and tear like you might see at a big-chaingrocery store," she wrote. Though launching the home-based business ate up her time, Aydin,who has one part-time employee, limits her work weeks to 40 hours. "It runs itself enough now that I can walk away from it onweekends," she says. Considering herself somewhat of an unlikely entrepreneur, Aydinwould like to grow the business, "but not at the expense of qualityor personal touch."
 

Dish: Stick some berries in your rumpot and soak them

Posted by : tootoo
 Preserved Cherries Do you have kitchen traditions? I do. Besides creating the usualdishes for the usual holidays, every other year I put up purpleplum chutney. Every third year I bake fruitcakes. Every fourth yearI lay away drunken berries in a German rumpot. This is my year todo all three. The last time the years aligned was 1996, when thepresidential candidates were Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and theSummer Olympics (XXVI) were held in Atlanta. Rumpot became a must-do for me after I first tasted it. Years ago,a German friend spooned a drift of softly whipped cream intodessert glasses, then ladled over dark, sweet preserved fruitbathed in a heady, high-octane rum syrup. With a slice of plaincake and dark roast coffee, the combination was memorable. She taught me her recipe, but over the years I've tweaked theformula. My version consists of whole berries and sweet cherriespreserved in a rum and sugar syrup. As each fruit comes intoseason, a measured quantity is placed in a crock, covered withsugar, then covered with rum and left to work its magic. The sugarand rum preserve the berries while adding flavors of their own.There's no set recipe, but the technique must be consistent. For the container, you'll need a 2- to 4-quart crock. I bought anew one this year from Westerwald Pottery near Scenery Hill,Washington County. Previously, I used a Boston baked-bean pot (andwas frustrated when it was time to make beans). In a pinch oneyear, I used a tall Bavarian beer stein. But for authenticity,check out flea markets or country stores to see if you can find acrock labeled rumtopf. Since the pot must be kept covered, it's best to use a containerwith a tight-fitting lid, but you can always cover the pot withplastic wrap and a gumband. Since the fruit and sugar are added inequal weights, you'll also need a scale. Anything from a handful to a whole basket of berries (with equalsugar) can be added at any time. Perfection of berries is the onlycriterion. There are no rules for proportion, but a good mix might be a pintof cherries, a quart of small strawberries, a quart of redraspberries, a cup of blueberries and two cups of blackberries. The fruit will shrink some during the steeping. Cherries,strawberries and red raspberries will yield a rich red rumpot;adding darker berries will make it a deep wine color. Whether you use light or dark rum is a personal preference. I'veused all light, all dark and mixed them together, too. When I wasout of rum, vodka got the nod. No big deal. Don't get too creative. Never add apples, citrus, pineapple or anyfleshy fruit. . And how to put a current stamp on the upcoming batch? I will useall local and organic berries from farmers I know.
 
Jun 17, 2008

Dish: Stick some berries in your rumpot and soak them

Posted by : tootoo
 Preserved Cherries Do you have kitchen traditions? I do. Besides creating the usualdishes for the usual holidays, every other year I put up purpleplum chutney. Every third year I bake fruitcakes. Every fourth yearI lay away drunken berries in a German rumpot. This is my year todo all three. The last time the years aligned was 1996, when thepresidential candidates were Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and theSummer Olympics (XXVI) were held in Atlanta. Rumpot became a must-do for me after I first tasted it. Years ago,a German friend spooned a drift of softly whipped cream intodessert glasses, then ladled over dark, sweet preserved fruitbathed in a heady, high-octane rum syrup. With a slice of plaincake and dark roast coffee, the combination was memorable. She taught me her recipe, but over the years I've tweaked theformula. My version consists of whole berries and sweet cherriespreserved in a rum and sugar syrup. As each fruit comes intoseason, a measured quantity is placed in a crock, covered withsugar, then covered with rum and left to work its magic. The sugarand rum preserve the berries while adding flavors of their own.There's no set recipe, but the technique must be consistent. For the container, you'll need a 2- to 4-quart crock. I bought anew one this year from Westerwald Pottery near Scenery Hill,Washington County. Previously, I used a Boston baked-bean pot (andwas frustrated when it was time to make beans). In a pinch oneyear, I used a tall Bavarian beer stein. But for authenticity,check out flea markets or country stores to see if you can find acrock labeled rumtopf. Since the pot must be kept covered, it's best to use a containerwith a tight-fitting lid, but you can always cover the pot withplastic wrap and a gumband. Since the fruit and sugar are added inequal weights, you'll also need a scale. Anything from a handful to a whole basket of berries (with equalsugar) can be added at any time. Perfection of berries is the onlycriterion. There are no rules for proportion, but a good mix might be a pintof cherries, a quart of small strawberries, a quart of redraspberries, a cup of blueberries and two cups of blackberries. The fruit will shrink some during the steeping. Cherries,strawberries and red raspberries will yield a rich red rumpot;adding darker berries will make it a deep wine color. Whether you use light or dark rum is a personal preference. I'veused all light, all dark and mixed them together, too. When I wasout of rum, vodka got the nod. No big deal. Don't get too creative. Never add apples, citrus, pineapple or anyfleshy fruit. . And how to put a current stamp on the upcoming batch? I will useall local and organic berries from farmers I know.
 

Dish: Stick some berries in your rumpot and soak them

Posted by : tootoo
Preserved Cherries Do you have kitchen traditions? I do. Besides creating the usualdishes for the usual holidays, every other year I put up purpleplum chutney. Every third year I bake fruitcakes. Every fourth yearI lay away drunken berries in a German rumpot. This is my year todo all three. The last time the years aligned was 1996, when thepresidential candidates were Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and theSummer Olympics (XXVI) were held in Atlanta. Rumpot became a must-do for me after I first tasted it. Years ago,a German friend spooned a drift of softly whipped cream intodessert glasses, then ladled over dark, sweet preserved fruitbathed in a heady, high-octane rum syrup. With a slice of plaincake and dark roast coffee, the combination was memorable. She taught me her recipe, but over the years I've tweaked theformula. My version consists of whole berries and sweet cherriespreserved in a rum and sugar syrup. As each fruit comes intoseason, a measured quantity is placed in a crock, covered withsugar, then covered with rum and left to work its magic. The sugarand rum preserve the berries while adding flavors of their own.There's no set recipe, but the technique must be consistent. For the container, you'll need a 2- to 4-quart crock. I bought anew one this year from Westerwald Pottery near Scenery Hill,Washington County. Previously, I used a Boston baked-bean pot (andwas frustrated when it was time to make beans). In a pinch oneyear, I used a tall Bavarian beer stein. But for authenticity,check out flea markets or country stores to see if you can find acrock labeled rumtopf. Since the pot must be kept covered, it's best to use a containerwith a tight-fitting lid, but you can always cover the pot withplastic wrap and a gumband. Since the fruit and sugar are added inequal weights, you'll also need a scale. Anything from a handful to a whole basket of berries (with equalsugar) can be added at any time. Perfection of berries is the onlycriterion. There are no rules for proportion, but a good mix might be a pintof cherries, a quart of small strawberries, a quart of redraspberries, a cup of blueberries and two cups of blackberries. The fruit will shrink some during the steeping. Cherries,strawberries and red raspberries will yield a rich red rumpot;adding darker berries will make it a deep wine color. Whether you use light or dark rum is a personal preference. I'veused all light, all dark and mixed them together, too. When I wasout of rum, vodka got the nod. No big deal. Don't get too creative. Never add apples, citrus, pineapple or anyfleshy fruit. . And how to put a current stamp on the upcoming batch? I will useall local and organic berries from farmers I know.
 

Healthy tips fo organic food to people

Posted by : tootoo

 Frozen Vegetable Simple saver If your finances are stretched but you want to eat as much organicfood as possible, stick to fruit and veg first and foremost,advises the Beyond Baked Beans which promotes cheap healthy food for those on a budget. And for the best value, only eat fruit and that are in season (iethose that are grown in the UK). If you're hankering after organicstrawberries in winter, you are going to pay through the nose forthem as they are imported from abroad. The cost of flying goods in from far-flung destinations will end upbeing passed on to you, and then there's the "un-green" cost of theextra environmental damage caused by the food being imported. Organic food can cost up to 50% more in the case of early(non-British) summer fruit and vegetables. In the same vein as sticking to seasonal produce, popping into yourneighbourhood store for a few items that are grown in your regionwill keep the lid on transport costs, and therefore the price youpay. In case you were wondering, in the UK we are now reckoned tospend a cool 2bn each year on organic food and drink,according to the Soil Association. Sales of organic food have grown14-fold over the past 10 years. 2. Be prudent with prime cuts Prime cuts of organic meat such as chicken breasts (rather thanthighs) carry premium prices. The same goes for ready-made productssuch as organic pasta sauces. Choose shrewdly and, if necessary,devote just part of your diet to organic, and you should be able tostay well in budget. 3. Sign up for an organic vegetable box scheme Some 50,000 UK households now have a vegetable box delivery everyweek. For anything from 7 to nearly 20, you get a regulardelivery at home (or at a pre-arranged drop-off point) of a boxpacked with fresh local goods, saving you the cost of buying themloose. As a rule, what you get is in the hands of the provider andwill, of course, depend on the season. However, a number do let youbar those vegetables or fruit that you really hate. The cheapest veg-box suppliers are often your most local - yourlocal council may have a list of producers or farms that offer sucha service, or try a nearby farmers' market. If you're on a tight budget, you canusually pick a box-size to suit your wallet, the budgets for vegetable boxes start at 7.95 for the"mini-box" - for that you get carrots, mushroom, onions, valorpotatoes, pointed cabbage and bright lights chard. Not surprisingly, supermarkets have also got in on the act:Waitrose, Sainsbury and Tesco are among those to have moved intothis fast-growing area, offering their versions of the localfarmer's organic box (we'll leave you to judge just how local thatis). Waitrose charges 13.50 for its "medium" eight differentvegetable goods, while Tesco, which is currently only offeringboxes in certain parts of the country, levies 10 for eightvegetables and two fruit types. 4. Monitor the supermarket specials Most of the "big four" chains run organic food promotions or offerloyalty points on organic deals through the year. Aside from buyingperishables, these are ideal for stocking up on sauces, pasta, meatand other goods that can be stored or frozen. Planet saver Cutting down on food waste will make your household greener andcould reduce your organic food bills by a third. You just have to use what you buy more efficiently. By shoppingevery two or three days, you can avoid duplication and excessproduce being stored and rotting away. In the same vein, choosing and buying loose fruit and veg (insteadof pre-packaged) and ignoring "three-for-the-price-of-two" deals onperishable goods can also help eradicate those piles of uneaten anduseless out-of-date food in your cupboards and fridge.

 

Test early peas crop grows well in Chowan County, NC, farmers

Posted by : tootoo
 Frozen Green Pea Even though a late spring frost and heavy rains resulted in loweryields, 10 Chowan County farmers' first commercial venture with Maypeas was enough of a success that most plan to grow them again nextyear. A New Jersey frozen vegetable packager for the first timecontracted with farmers south of Delaware to grow the green sweetor English peas because the crop could be planted and harvestedhere earlier. "We'll be a little below our budget expectations," saidAndrew Carpenter, agricultural field manager for Seabrook Bro s.and Sons, a family-owned and operated business in southern NewJersey. Seabrook processes 150 million pounds of frozen vegetables,according to the company's Web site, markets its own brand andsupplies products around the country and in South America, theMiddle East and Canada. "We're pleased overall," Carpenter said after the last ofthe peas were harvested at the end of May. "You have to dealwith the weather that's brought on you; that's something you can'tchange." The Edenton-area farmers grew 600 acres of the peas, said MikeWilliams, the county's agricultural extension agent. In the past,farmers might have grown only 3 to 5 acres, he said. "It went fairly decent," said West Small, who with histwo brothers owns Virginia Fork Produce Co. in Edenton. Despite bad spring weather, he said, enough growers are interestedin trying to plant May peas again next year. Seabrook singled out Edenton, in part, because the Smalls have ahydro-cooling system that uses a cold-water rinse that chills andlowers the temperature of the peas for transport to Seabrook'sprocessing facility. A.J. Smith and Sons grew 50 acres of the spring peas and had prettygood luck, said Doris Smith, whose four sons are farmers. The peas were harvested early enough so traditional crops such assoybeans, cotton or peanuts could still be planted on schedule. "I think there's a good opportunity" for farmers here,Carpenter said when the peas were planted in March. "They'retaking a chance." "We want to do it again next season," he said later."We'll review the project with the growers and evaluate how wecan improve."
 

The Changing Fortunes of Wild and Captive Animals in China

Posted by : tootoo
 fodder additive BEIJING—The plight of stray cats in Beijing has long drawn the sympathy of Juan "Crystal"Wang. The demure, soft-spoken young woman has spent the past fewyears placing forlorn felines in good homes. View a slide show of the animal market But more recently, she boosted the fortunes of larger cats as well by helping expose the fact that the Xiongsen Bear &Tiger Zoo near the city of Guilin was killing the endangered cats in its "zoo" and serving the meat at its snack bar ordropping the carcasses into vats of wine. (The tiger additive was intended to replicate a now banned traditional Chinese medicine treatment for rheumatism of tiger bone powder in wine; thatconcoction also is hawked online and in newspaper ads as a cure forall ailments.) But today Wang is taking me to a pet market, as part of her workfor a U.S.-based animal protection group, the International Fund for Animal Welfare—or, as it's translated into Chinese, the "InternationalAnimal Love and Care Fund". In general, the Chinese have sofar found it difficult to embrace the concept of providing welfarefor animals when so many people don't have it, Grace Ge Gabriel,IFAW's regional director for Asia explained to me later. That doesn't mean they don't love pets. Throughout the city, I sawresidents strolling the streets with petite Pekingese dogs. And this animal market—a sprawling rundown buildinghoneycombed with cubicle-size stores and pierced by grungyskylights that filter the strong Beijing light—boasted scoresof twittering songbirds, mewling kittens and chirping crickets. A young girl laughed with glee as she walked with her fathercarrying two songbirds in a large metal cage. The critters—a profusion of different varieties and sizesfrom tiny turtle to giant carp—must make do with close quarters. So close, that onegood-size turtle—wider than a dinner plate—couldn'tturn around in its tank and the rabbits confined in wire pens could not move at all. But four-legged and finned friends have value beyond merecompanionship in China: they are food and fodder for healing balms. The pet market boasted many of the same animals (if slightlysmaller in size) as the markets for live food that I have seen. Inanother example, a fish dealer in a farm produce market in ZhejiangProvince tried to sell a 25-pound (11.5-kilogram) turtle that hemistook for a rock before it moved, according to the ShanghaiMorning Post. And Beijing has a locally famous restaurant thatserves all manner of different animal penises, which are supposedlygood for vigor. "The Chinese believe that eating the same part of the animalis good for that part of you," Gabriel explained. That belief extends to traditional Chinese medicine. When Wang and I visited a Beijing shop, I did not find any tigerbone powder for sale (not even the "tiger" powdercontaining leopard bones that began to be sold after the Chinesegovernment banned the sale of the striped predator's skeletalremains). I did, however, find deer and seal penis—importedfrom Canada!—as well as tablets made from essence ofkangaroo, sheep placenta extract, and fur seal oil, all of whichare thought to be good for the mind and general health. Although animal ingredients are used, the majority of suchtraditional treatments rely on bitter herbs and flowers to cure everything from insomnia to high cholesterol, as I found out after submitting to an examination by a traineddoctor at the store. Using an electrical penlike device to prodvarious regions of my right hand, the physician asked me if I feltanything. She ran the device along the heel of my hand, producing atingling feeling—which apparently meant that I had backtrouble. Poking the middle part of my hand yielded a diagnosis thatconfirmed what I already knew: I had not been sleeping well and Ihad sinus problems—perhaps from the bad Beijing air? The doctor selected specific herbs to cure these woes, at whichpoint Wang fortunately helped me beat a hasty retreat. During the car ride to meet Gabriel, Wang showed me a snapshot of awee kitten on her cell phone. When she found him, she explained, hewas no bigger than the palm of her hand; now he is a big, fat catliving contentedly with his adoptive family. And that formerkitten—and others like him that still roam Beijing’sstreets at night—may have helped to save its larger and moreendangered cousin by inspiring Wang's helpful actions. The tigersin their tiny metal and concrete cages may not be free, but atleast they are no longer on the menu or in the wine.
 

Warming up to ginseng

Posted by : tootoo
Panax Ginseng Extract We started our tea tasting last week by warming up with some ginseng tea, and I mean warming up quite literally. We were chilled and felt warmed after only a few sips. Funnily enough someone had just asked me about growing ginseng the other day having heard it grows wild. I don’t believe in coincidence so I took it as a sign to write about this plant. Yes it is native in Canada but that’s in Manitoba and Quebec, and in the U.S. through Alabama to Oklahoma and south to Florida. Ginseng likes the cold winters and the deciduous forests. The plants aren’t fast or easy to grow. Seeds can’t just be broadcast anytime; they need to have a cold period of at least four months after sowing. Roots should also be planted in the fall for best results. This root crop doesn’t like full sunlight and does best planted individually in the dappled light of hard woods, as it would be found in the wild. They also like the forest soil with its high pH, between 5 and 6.5. In winter they need leaf mulch (not oak, the leaves are too strong for sprouts to push through) and good drainage is an absolute must. It is a slow grower. It will take anywhere from five to seven years to grow a root of marketable size. When you think these herbs can live to be 400 years old they’re comparatively fast sprouters. In our time it’s a long wait. This slow growth is due to the fact that the stem of this rather non-descript plant (though it does have glossy green leaves) grows from a bud at the top of the root. It takes years for this bud to grow above ground because as it grows the root shrinks, sometimes at a comparable amount. This concurrent growing and shrinking results in wrinkles around the root neck. Like rings in a tree, these wrinkles can be counted to find out how old the herb is. They grow to about one foot tall and mature plants form red berries in the late summer and fall. Each of these berries holds about two or three seeds. There are three types of ginseng. The two true ginseng are Panax ginseng (China, Korea, Japan) and Panax quinquefolis (North America). Evolutionary botanists are curious as to how ginseng came to grow on opposite sides of the Earth. There is deliberation the plants might have been separated when the continents split apart, something to ponder over a cup of ginseng tea. The third is Siberian ginseng, Eleutherocoues senticosus, which is in the same family but not the same genus, although it shares biochemical properties. In China, (where it has probably been used medicinally since prehistoric times) the ancient Chinese had their own “Doctrine of Signatures” (the belief that a plant’s appearance would identify what medicinal use it might have). In this case the root looks like a human body. This phenomenon is probably a result of ginseng’s aforementioned growing habits. There are many purported miraculous qualities associated with this strange knobby root. Since ancient times ginseng has been supposed to bring long healthy life. There is also a belief it increases physical and mental abilities. None of these claims have been scientifically proven beyond a doubt. Scientists in Russia are convinced of this root’s abilities and it is part of their Olympic athletes’ and cosmonauts’ diets.
 

Create a wonderful scented oasis

Posted by : tootoo
 Scented Flower Philadelphia Virginal is the most popular variety of mock orange,bearing sweet orange-blossom scented, double white blooms betweenJune and July. It needs plenty of room to flourish and is easy togrow - suitable for poor soils and resistant to disease and urbanpollution. Heliotrope smells like cherry pie, vanilla ice cream and sweetviolets - and for some people like a freshly-talced baby's bottom!It grows wonderfully in containers on a patio and in cottage styleborders and can be overwintered if moved to a frost-free spot. It'seasy to grow from seed and flowers come in white, violet, darkpurple and blue. GOOD IDEA: It makes a good cut flower so grow some in rows in richsoil in full sun where it can reach its potential and grow 2ft talland produce heavy flower trusses 4-6in in diameter. HOW MUCH? Six different varieties 4.90 ( www.readsnursey.co.uk , 01508 548395). HONEYSUCKLE Honeysuckle flowers will flood the evening air with an intoxicatingsweet honey scent, which is nectar to butterflies and bees. It willgrow in sun or partial shade. GOOD IDEA: Golden Honey, the first true yellow variety, has beentamed into a perfect patio specimen. Serotina will give you amulti-coloured display of red, pink and yellow blooms. HOW MUCH? Three young plants for 8.99 (www.plantoffers.com,0844 573 2020). NICOTIANA As evening falls, let the delicate jasmine scent of tobacco plantsor nicotiana fill your summer garden. They perform best in dappledshade. Deadhead regularly and they will last right through to thefirst frosts. GOOD IDEA: Combine nicotiana with phlox for a garden filled withlovely sweet, floral notes. Plant them in a sheltered spot. HOW MUCH? Plants from around 3.50 from garden centres. LAVENDER Lavender makes a delightful low hedge and will release its calmingfragrance when you lightly brush against it, The smaller varietiessuch as Hidcote and Munstead require little pruning. GOOD IDEA: The spikes of lavender can be collected just as theflorets are opening and hung to dry. When the spikes are completelydry the flowers can be rubbed off and stored for use. HOW MUCH?Plants start from 2.50 (www.downderry-nursery.co.uk, 01732810081) PINKS FROM late spring to autumn the flowers provide colour and scent.Mrs Sinkins is considered to be the most scented of all Pinks. GOOD IDEA: Pinks are good companions for lavender and need aposition with direct and unrestricted light. HOW MUCH? From 1.70 (www.hopleys.co.uk, 01279 842509). LILIES Grown for its heady perfume, the tall trumpet lily Lilium regale isbest grown in pots planted close to seats. GOOD IDEA: The glistening ivory white blooms, which are flushedwith pink, look good when planted with roses and agapanthus andclouds of bronze fennel foliage.
 

Spray Gun Maintenance DVD Coming Soon

Posted by : tootoo
 Sprayer Gun When the world’s most recognized websites for spray foam& polyurea decided to produce a “how-to” videoabout spray gun maintenance for their contractor visitors, theyturned to the world’s most recognized protective coatings andequipment professionals, Dudley Primeaux, and Doug Commette. The spray gun training video was shot over a two-day filmingschedule in Houston, TX at Polyvers International, a leadingsupplier of Polyurea Coating, Linings and Joint Fill materials. “We chose the Polyvers training facility to shoot the videobecause over the years we have conducted several PDA schools hereand found this facility to have all the necessary equipment andtools to make the video a success,” claims Primeaux. Digital Intent, Inc., of Point Pleasant, NJ will handle allediting, post production and distribution of the DVD, which isexpected to hit the market within the next month. Primeaux, an organic chemist, is most widely known as the originaldeveloper of spray polyurea technology for Texaco Chemical Companyback in the mid 1980’s. Dudley has authored over 35technical papers relating to the polyurea industry, is namedinventor on over 25 US Patents and 8 European Patents. Hiscompany, Primeaux Associates is actively involved in chemicalformulation, application consulting and equipment training. Doug Commette is the former president of Gusmer Corporation, whichwas purchased by Graco, Inc. in 2003. Under Commette’sleadership, Gusmer developed and manufactured many of the sprayguns, pump machines and equipment used around the world today forfoam and coatings application. Commette is currently co-owner ofDigital Intent, Inc., a marketing and media company, and parentcompany of SprayFoam.com, Polyurea.com, and FoamBid.com to name afew. Primeaux and Commette are both founding Board Members for thePolyurea Development Association (PDA), the world’s leadingtrade association for Polyurea. They are currently co-instructorsfor the PDA’s renowned Applicator Spray Course; an intensivefour (4) day training course on how to properly apply polyureacoatings and linings technology. Augie Schumatti, now General Manager for SprayFoam.com andPolyurea.com and founder of the Insultight National ContractorNetwork was also on hand for the film production. Schumatti statesthat Internet Traffic is at an all time high on their websites -which are the leading resources for technical information, supplierand contractor directories in their respective industries. “We are seeing so many contractors coming to the websiteslooking for suppliers, information and mostly training, we decidedto make this one of a kind video /DVD to help the industry.” The training video covers many tricks and techniques for properspray gun set-up, servicing and daily maintenance. Many of theservice techniques highlighted in the DVD are not covered in theoperator’s manuals that come with the guns. Doug Commetteclaims that, “Many of the tricks and techniques we cover inthe video can save thousands of dollars in lost time, spare parts,headaches, and can even prevent total job failures from having animproperly configured spray gun.” The DVD is planned to be a one-stop resource on how to serviceevery commercially available spray gun one the market. Itspecifically covers the Glas-Craft Probler and P2 series sprayguns, the Graco Fusion air purge and mechanical purge guns, thefull line Graco-Gusmer GX-7 series guns, and the Pentech Palm Gun. The DVD with all seven (7) gun videos will retail for $899, roughlyhalf the cost of just one new spray gun.
 

View: Find a good investment for food

Posted by : tootoo
food process machinery The New York Times reports that in light of the world food crisis,large private investment funds around the world are going beyondplacing bets on agricultural commodities like corn, wheat, soybeansand the like. Several are buying farmland, fertilizer, grainelevators, barges and ships. They figure that although the currentrun-up in food prices is partially due to one-time or possiblyfleeting factors, like drought and biofuel subsidies, the long-termdemand for food is likely to rise, which presents an investmentopportunity. Thus the BlackRock fund group plans to invest hundreds of millionsof dollars in farmland in sub-Saharan Africa and in England.Whitebox Advisors in Minneapolis has bought several large grainelevator complexes and plans to expand them, as has Ospraie SpecialOpportunity Fund. Emergent Asset Management, based near London, isbuying land in Africa. A division of Louis Dreyfus Commodities isbuying tens of thousands of acres of farmland in Brazil. These investors all hope that by consolidating smaller plots andintroducing modern machinery and technology, they will be able toboost production and reap the profit. The Times reporter managed to track down several people who worryabout this trend. Institutional investors might not be committed tostaying with farming in bad times as well as good. They might holdgrain off markets in their elevators hoping prices will rise ratherthan increasing effective supply. Farming could become morevolatile as a business. Farmland could become subject tospeculative bubbles. All these potential caveats are worth considering, but overall thisis a healthy trend — the self-correcting response of amarketplace, carried out by entrepreneurs who see opportunitieswhen others see doom and gloom. If their investments work out,these entrepreneurs will realize significant profit, the worldsupply of food will increase, and agricultural prices willstabilize and probably begin to decline. It is significant to note that these investment funds are usingtheir own money (or money for which they have a fiduciaryresponsibility). If they are successful they will profit, and inthe process will provide additional food for people around theworld, but if they are not, they will suffer losses. It's thestandard entrepreneurial model: Find a need and fill it. Private investment in developing countries is also likely to putpressure on governments to open their countries further toinvestment, to better respect private property and to move towardrule of law rather than political whim in setting policies. This isthe best long-term, sustainable approach to agriculturaldevelopment. Food aid can help in an emergency, but higherproduction is the long-run solution. For that you need more openmarkets. We're inclined to think these investments are probably good bets.The drought in Australia that has been a big contributor to foodshortages is unlikely to last forever, and biofuel programs likeethanol mandates in the U.S. and Western Europe can be changed orabandoned (though we suspect politicians will be too stubborn to doso). But economic growth in China and India that has created moredemand for more higher-quality food, another huge factor driving upfood prices, might level off but is unlikely to end. If these turn out to be unwise investments, however, it will be theinvestors who suffer, not the general run of taxpayers, as is thecase when governments take money seized through taxation and put itinto ventures that don't work out or become hopeless money pits.
 

USDA Delivers First Actions on the 2008 Farm Bill

Posted by : tootoo

 Peanut Kernel U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafertoday announced on June 12 that the USDA has delivered its firstactions implementing the new farm bill. Within three weeks ofcommodity title enactment in the 2008 farm bill, USDA isimplementing marketing assistance loan and loan deficiency payment(LDP) provisions. "We know we can rely on America's farmers and ranchers to grow ourfood, and they can rely on USDA to have the new farm bill ready,"said Schafer. "The Department of Agriculture is putting into actionthe thousands of pages of new farm bill law for crop production,research, marketing, nutrition, conservation, food aid and ruraldevelopment. Expect more follow-on farm bill results from USDA." USDA also announced that county loan rates for 2008 crop of wheat,corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, soybeans, and other oilseeds(sunflower seed, flaxseed, canola, rapeseed, safflower, mustardseed, crambe, and sesame seed), State loan rates by class for 2008crop of rice, and regional loan rates for 2008 pulse crops (smallchickpeas, dry peas, and lentils) were posted today on the FarmService Agency (FSA) Web sitehttp://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=prsu&topic=lor With enactment of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008,(the 2008 farm bill) national loan rates for the 2008 crops ofwheat, feed grains, oilseeds, rice, and pulses are at the followinglevels: ?Wheat $2.75 per bushel ?Corn $1.95 per bushel ?Grain Sorghum $1.95 per bushel ?Barley $1.85 per bushel ?Oats $1.33 per bushel ?Soybeans $5.00 per bushel ?Other Oilseeds $9.30 per hundredweight for each "other"oilseed ?Rice, long grain $6.50 per hundredweight ?Rice, medium grain $6.50 per hundredweight ?Small Chickpeas $7.43 per hundredweight ?Dry Peas $6.22 per hundredweight ?Lentils $11.72 per hundredweight As required by the 2008 Farm Bill, these national loan rates areestablished at the same levels as those established for the 2007crop, with the exception of rice. Starting with the 2008 crop, the2008 farm bill specifies national loan rates for both long grainrice and medium grain rice. Milled and Rough Rice Loan Rates by Class Updated For rice stored in commercial warehouses, the whole kernel milledrice loan rates for the 2008 crop are $10.00 per hundredweight forlong grain and $9.78 for medium/short grain. The broken kernel loanrate for all classes is $6.67 per hundredweight. National averagerough rice loan rates by class are $6.50 per hundredweight for longgrain and $6.50 for medium/short grain. USDA computes milled andrough rice loan rates by class using average milling yields andproduction percentages to ensure that the production-weightednational average rough rice loan rate equals the $6.50 perhundredweight national loan rate. Regional Pulse Loans Updated The 2008 crop West Region dry pea loan rate is $6.58 perhundredweight; the East Region dry pea loan rate is $6.14 perhundredweight. The West Region lentil loan rate is $14.23 perhundredweight; the East Region lentil loan rate is $10.74 perhundredweight. These rates average to the national rate based onrecent regional production shares. The West Region includes the Palouse (Idaho, Oregon and Washington)and other states west of the Rocky Mountains (Alaska, Arizona,California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah). The East Regionincludes Montana, North Dakota and all other states not in the WestRegion. USDA determined that insufficient reliable market information isavailable to establish regional loan rates for small chickpeas.Therefore, the national rate of $7.43 per hundredweight applies forall producing regions. Under provisions of the new 2008 farm bill,producers of large chickpeas will not be eligible for marketingassistance loans until the 2009 crop year. Marketing assistance loans provide producers interim financing atharvest time to meet cash flow needs without having to sell theircommodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows.A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but who agrees toforgo the loan, may obtain a loan deficiency payment if suchpayments are available. Other Provisions and Rates Cotton and peanut loan and LDP provisions and rates will beannounced separately. Wool, mohair and honey were announced in January.

 

A cultural icon at stake

Posted by : tootoo
Cap Fabric Phil Lind enjoys the National Football League, occasionally in amanner most other fans cannot. Mr. Lind, vice-chairman of RogersCommunications Inc., has learned from experience that, when thestars of the schedule align, it is possible to watch games in twocities on the same Sunday afternoon. On those days, the 64-year-old executive drives from his Torontohome to Orchard Park, N.Y., to watch the first half of a BuffaloBills game. Around halftime, he slips back into his car for thethree-hour drive west to Cleveland, where he can watch the secondhalf of a late-afternoon game featuring his beloved Browns, fromthe season tickets he holds on the 35-yard line, 10 rows off thefield. "I like the NFL, I like it better," he said. "And so do most peoplein Toronto - like the NFL better." The company for which he works appears to agree. Rogers will pay$78-million to lease eight games from the Bills over the next fiveyears, an unprecedented arrangement that will begin with apre-season exhibition in Toronto this summer. There is speculationthe move could lead to the Bills becoming the first NFL franchiseto make a full-time home in Canada. To many, that possibility looms like a guillotine over the CanadianFootball League. Even in the midst of what might be characterized as a golden age,with strong ownership and once-struggling teams now generatingprofits, CFL insiders are wary of sharing their largest market withthe richest sports entity on the planet. They see the NFL as avacuum, sucking up corporate money, television viewers and fans. Battle lines are being drawn, with powerful businessmen andpoliticians on both sides of the border taking positions. A turfwar is brewing, and some would argue the future of the Canadiangame is at stake. "What is the risk? One NFL team will come to Canada, which wouldeffectively take out the market in Toronto, which would, I believe,be the demise of the CFL," Senator Larry Campbell said. "And forwhat? Money. That's all. Like we need one more big American team uphere." The Bills will play one regular-season game annually at RogersCentre through 2012, with an exhibition game every other year. Andthere is the possibility of adding more, with the potential of theteam one day playing a fully split schedule, with fourregular-season home games in Buffalo, and four in Toronto. Relocation would be the next logical step, which, in the eyes ofB.C. Lions president Bob Ackles, would bring the CFL a step closerto a nightmare scenario. First, major corporate partners wouldbegin migrating to the NFL, then the television contract would dryup and, most damaging, the Toronto Argonauts would disappear,eventually bringing the whole league down with them. "This is the strongest I've ever seen our league, in the 50-oddyears I've been associated with it or followed it," Mr. Acklessaid. "But in my opinion, if there was an NFL franchise in Toronto,it wouldn't be long until there wouldn't be a Canadian FootballLeague." This is not the first time speculation has swirled about the NFLcoming to Canada. The late Gerry Snyder, a former Montrealcouncillor, was chasing a team decades ago. Toronto power brokerPaul Godfrey, now the president of the Toronto Blue Jays, begananother pursuit in the mid-1980s. But there might never have been this much intrigue without such arich cast of characters ranging from an eager Canadian billionaireto an ageing American owner and a decaying American city strugglingto hold onto its beloved NFL franchise. Ted Rogers, head of his eponymous communications giant, has joinedforces with Larry Tanenbaum, also the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports& Entertainment, with the expressed intent of landing an NFLteam. Mr. Lind has been driving the issue. "The reason Toronto hasn't gotten a team is because Toronto hasn'tcome even close to getting a team until this latest move," Mr. Lindsaid. "It's great to say hello to the [NFL's] owners and everythinglike that, but there wasn't a deal on the table. "There wasn't a deal. There hasn't been a deal. And there isn't adeal now - but some people have argued there's a possibility of adeal now." Ralph Wilson, a decorated Second World War veteran and successfulbusinessman from Detroit, founded the Bills in 1959 for the modestprice of US$25,000. Last year was his 48th year at the helm and, ashe approaches his 90th birthday this fall, he has given noindication that he plans to sell the team before he dies.Critically, for football fans in Western New York, neither does heplan to leave it to his wife. Charles E. Telford, an attorney in Buffalo familiar with estateplanning, said the federal estate tax kicks in for assets worthmore than US$2-million. "I've never read, seen or heard anything that he's ever had anyinclination to want to sell it during his lifetime," said Mr.Telford. "It's kind of his baby, it's kind of a toy for him. Heenjoys playing with it, and he's going to leave this world havingplayed with his toy and let somebody else clean up the mess." According to Forbes, the Bills are worth US$821-million. "Theestate tax on that, assuming that it's not going to go to thespouse, is basically going to be 50%," Mr. Telford said. "And thatwould just be the federal part of it. Then you'd have to add [statetaxes] on top of that." He would also be hit by a capital gains tax, and his heirs couldeventually be saddled with the estate tax on whatever funds Mr.Wilson did not spend before his death. Unless Mr. Wilson takes the extraordinary step of leavinginstructions to the contrary, the executor of his estate will beobliged to fetch the highest possible price for the Bills. There isdoubt whether the winning bidder would be from Buffalo, withinterest pending from not only Toronto, but also Los Angeles, whichhas been without a team for 14 years. "I think a lot of people here are nervous," said Mike Schopp, anafternoon radio host on WGR 550 in Buffalo. Almost a third of Buffalo residents live below the poverty line.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in2006 was US$27,850, compared with US$48,451 across the rest of thecountry. Mayor Byron Brown made news in The New York Times lastfall after announcing plans to spend US$100-million to demolish5,000 vacant homes within the city limits. Those 5,000 reportedlyrepresented only half of the abandoned houses in the city, and hadbecome firetraps and drug dens, straining already limited localresources. Jobs have disappeared and residents have followed.Entire city blocks just minutes from the downtown core are vacant,checkered with broken windows and boarded doors. The Bills already have the lowest average ticket prices in theleague, sitting among the small-market teams being squeezed bybig-market brethren who find new ways to drive revenue, thusraising the salary cap. The Dallas Cowboys, for example, arebuilding a US$1.1-billion stadium, and it has been reported themoney generated from the sale of naming rights alone will raise thecap by US$375,000 per team. This year's limit will be US$116-million. The salary floor - apre-determined minimum teams must spend on players - will beUS$98.8-million. That will not be a problem for wealthy teams such as the Cowboys,who generated US$242-million in revenue two years ago,third-highest in the NFL, according to Forbes. The WashingtonRedskins (US$312-million) led the league, followed by the NewEngland Patriots (US$255-million). The Bills were 26th, with US$189-million. Moving games to Toronto has been explained as a bid to expand theteam's reach, which includes dipping into the deep corporatepockets of Southern Ontario. NFL owners voted unanimously toapprove the plan, guaranteeing the Bills an average of$9.75-million in revenue per game - more than double what theywould make at home.
 

House bill seeks tax on use of plastic bags

Posted by : tootoo

 Protect Bag MANILA, Philippines -- A bill imposing an excise tax of P2.50 forevery plastic bag used in business establishments has been filed atthe House of Representatives. House Bill 4134 filed by Albay Representative Al Francis Bicharaprovides automatic allocation of the revenue generated from thisproposed tax to the annual budget of the Department of Environmentand Natural Resources "to fund efforts to protect the environment." In pushing for the bill, Bichara said these plastic bags, which arenon-biodegradable and are found littered along roadside drains,have caused flooding during heavy rainfall. Plastic bags, likewise, kill one million sea birds, 100,000 seamammals and countless fish every year, he said. "We cannot deny the long list of disadvantages with the use ofplastic bags," Bichara said in a statement on Friday. "A person's use of plastic bags may be counted in minutes but aplastic bag takes between 15 to 1,000 years to be broken down bythe environment," he said. Besides, government in several countries and major cities likeAustralia, China, Ireland, Bangladesh, Paris, Italy, Taiwan, andTanzania have banned plastic bags or taken action to discourage itsuse, he said. "The Philippine government has a duty to protect the nationalenvironment and take an active role in safeguarding the health ofits citizen to combat the pernicious effects of the wantondestruction of our natural resources," the lawmaker said.

 
Jun 16, 2008

A cultural icon at stake

Posted by : tootoo
Cap Fabric Phil Lind enjoys the National Football League, occasionally in amanner most other fans cannot. Mr. Lind, vice-chairman of RogersCommunications Inc., has learned from experience that, when thestars of the schedule align, it is possible to watch games in twocities on the same Sunday afternoon. On those days, the 64-year-old executive drives from his Torontohome to Orchard Park, N.Y., to watch the first half of a BuffaloBills game. Around halftime, he slips back into his car for thethree-hour drive west to Cleveland, where he can watch the secondhalf of a late-afternoon game featuring his beloved Browns, fromthe season tickets he holds on the 35-yard line, 10 rows off thefield. "I like the NFL, I like it better," he said. "And so do most peoplein Toronto - like the NFL better." The company for which he works appears to agree. Rogers will pay$78-million to lease eight games from the Bills over the next fiveyears, an unprecedented arrangement that will begin with apre-season exhibition in Toronto this summer. There is speculationthe move could lead to the Bills becoming the first NFL franchiseto make a full-time home in Canada. To many, that possibility looms like a guillotine over the CanadianFootball League. Even in the midst of what might be characterized as a golden age,with strong ownership and once-struggling teams now generatingprofits, CFL insiders are wary of sharing their largest market withthe richest sports entity on the planet. They see the NFL as avacuum, sucking up corporate money, television viewers and fans. Battle lines are being drawn, with powerful businessmen andpoliticians on both sides of the border taking positions. A turfwar is brewing, and some would argue the future of the Canadiangame is at stake. "What is the risk? One NFL team will come to Canada, which wouldeffectively take out the market in Toronto, which would, I believe,be the demise of the CFL," Senator Larry Campbell said. "And forwhat? Money. That's all. Like we need one more big American team uphere." The Bills will play one regular-season game annually at RogersCentre through 2012, with an exhibition game every other year. Andthere is the possibility of adding more, with the potential of theteam one day playing a fully split schedule, with fourregular-season home games in Buffalo, and four in Toronto. Relocation would be the next logical step, which, in the eyes ofB.C. Lions president Bob Ackles, would bring the CFL a step closerto a nightmare scenario. First, major corporate partners wouldbegin migrating to the NFL, then the television contract would dryup and, most damaging, the Toronto Argonauts would disappear,eventually bringing the whole league down with them. "This is the strongest I've ever seen our league, in the 50-oddyears I've been associated with it or followed it," Mr. Acklessaid. "But in my opinion, if there was an NFL franchise in Toronto,it wouldn't be long until there wouldn't be a Canadian FootballLeague." This is not the first time speculation has swirled about the NFLcoming to Canada. The late Gerry Snyder, a former Montrealcouncillor, was chasing a team decades ago. Toronto power brokerPaul Godfrey, now the president of the Toronto Blue Jays, begananother pursuit in the mid-1980s. But there might never have been this much intrigue without such arich cast of characters ranging from an eager Canadian billionaireto an ageing American owner and a decaying American city strugglingto hold onto its beloved NFL franchise. Ted Rogers, head of his eponymous communications giant, has joinedforces with Larry Tanenbaum, also the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports& Entertainment, with the expressed intent of landing an NFLteam. Mr. Lind has been driving the issue. "The reason Toronto hasn't gotten a team is because Toronto hasn'tcome even close to getting a team until this latest move," Mr. Lindsaid. "It's great to say hello to the [NFL's] owners and everythinglike that, but there wasn't a deal on the table. "There wasn't a deal. There hasn't been a deal. And there isn't adeal now - but some people have argued there's a possibility of adeal now." Ralph Wilson, a decorated Second World War veteran and successfulbusinessman from Detroit, founded the Bills in 1959 for the modestprice of US$25,000. Last year was his 48th year at the helm and, ashe approaches his 90th birthday this fall, he has given noindication that he plans to sell the team before he dies.Critically, for football fans in Western New York, neither does heplan to leave it to his wife. Charles E. Telford, an attorney in Buffalo familiar with estateplanning, said the federal estate tax kicks in for assets worthmore than US$2-million. "I've never read, seen or heard anything that he's ever had anyinclination to want to sell it during his lifetime," said Mr.Telford. "It's kind of his baby, it's kind of a toy for him. Heenjoys playing with it, and he's going to leave this world havingplayed with his toy and let somebody else clean up the mess." According to Forbes, the Bills are worth US$821-million. "Theestate tax on that, assuming that it's not going to go to thespouse, is basically going to be 50%," Mr. Telford said. "And thatwould just be the federal part of it. Then you'd have to add [statetaxes] on top of that." He would also be hit by a capital gains tax, and his heirs couldeventually be saddled with the estate tax on whatever funds Mr.Wilson did not spend before his death. Unless Mr. Wilson takes the extraordinary step of leavinginstructions to the contrary, the executor of his estate will beobliged to fetch the highest possible price for the Bills. There isdoubt whether the winning bidder would be from Buffalo, withinterest pending from not only Toronto, but also Los Angeles, whichhas been without a team for 14 years. "I think a lot of people here are nervous," said Mike Schopp, anafternoon radio host on WGR 550 in Buffalo. Almost a third of Buffalo residents live below the poverty line.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in2006 was US$27,850, compared with US$48,451 across the rest of thecountry. Mayor Byron Brown made news in The New York Times lastfall after announcing plans to spend US$100-million to demolish5,000 vacant homes within the city limits. Those 5,000 reportedlyrepresented only half of the abandoned houses in the city, and hadbecome firetraps and drug dens, straining already limited localresources. Jobs have disappeared and residents have followed.Entire city blocks just minutes from the downtown core are vacant,checkered with broken windows and boarded doors. The Bills already have the lowest average ticket prices in theleague, sitting among the small-market teams being squeezed bybig-market brethren who find new ways to drive revenue, thusraising the salary cap. The Dallas Cowboys, for example, arebuilding a US$1.1-billion stadium, and it has been reported themoney generated from the sale of naming rights alone will raise thecap by US$375,000 per team. This year's limit will be US$116-million. The salary floor - apre-determined minimum teams must spend on players - will beUS$98.8-million. That will not be a problem for wealthy teams such as the Cowboys,who generated US$242-million in revenue two years ago,third-highest in the NFL, according to Forbes. The WashingtonRedskins (US$312-million) led the league, followed by the NewEngland Patriots (US$255-million). The Bills were 26th, with US$189-million. Moving games to Toronto has been explained as a bid to expand theteam's reach, which includes dipping into the deep corporatepockets of Southern Ontario. NFL owners voted unanimously toapprove the plan, guaranteeing the Bills an average of$9.75-million in revenue per game - more than double what theywould make at home.
 

House bill seeks tax on use of plastic bags

Posted by : tootoo
 Protect Bag MANILA, Philippines -- A bill imposing an excise tax of P2.50 forevery plastic bag used in business establishments has been filed atthe House of Representatives. House Bill 4134 filed by Albay Representative Al Francis Bicharaprovides automatic allocation of the revenue generated from thisproposed tax to the annual budget of the Department of Environmentand Natural Resources "to fund efforts to protect the environment." In pushing for the bill, Bichara said these plastic bags, which arenon-biodegradable and are found littered along roadside drains,have caused flooding during heavy rainfall. Plastic bags, likewise, kill one million sea birds, 100,000 seamammals and countless fish every year, he said. "We cannot deny the long list of disadvantages with the use ofplastic bags," Bichara said in a statement on Friday. "A person's use of plastic bags may be counted in minutes but aplastic bag takes between 15 to 1,000 years to be broken down bythe environment," he said. Besides, government in several countries and major cities likeAustralia, China, Ireland, Bangladesh, Paris, Italy, Taiwan, andTanzania have banned plastic bags or taken action to discourage itsuse, he said. "The Philippine government has a duty to protect the nationalenvironment and take an active role in safeguarding the health ofits citizen to combat the pernicious effects of the wantondestruction of our natural resources," the lawmaker said.
 

SPICES: Who's got the herb?

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Dried Mushroom O regano is an herb found in Italian, Greek and Mexican cuisines,but it's a relatively recent flavor for the American palate. It issaid to have been brought to the United States when soldiers camehome from World War II. They brought the herb and their appetite for dishes flavored withoregano. Now it is nearly synonymous with pizza and Italian pastasauces, and is frequently combined with basil and tomato. Mediterranean oregano is milder than the Mexican variety, which isused in spicy dishes, according to "The Food Lover's Companion."The stronger Mexican variety usually is found dried in Latinmarkets. Beyond its use as a pizza herb or a Mexican spice, there's a worldof dishes that use oregano, whether it is fresh or dried. Chef Laurent Tourondel, who is French-born and -trained, includesOregano-Breaded Tomatoes in his cookbook, "Bistro LaurentTourondel" (Wiley, $34.95). The dish goes well with leg of lamb,veal porterhouse and ribeye or strip steaks. The cookbook alsoincludes a recipe for Creamy Oregano Dressing using dried oregano. From the National Cattlemen's Beef Association comes the recipe forBeef, Sweet Pepper and Mushroom Kabobs seasoned with oregano, oliveoil, garlic and black pepper. It is served with a Cucumber Saucelaced with feta cheese. Oregano is a member of the marjoram family and the variety thatgrows in Greece is aromatic and richly flavorful. It is used inmeat and vegetable stews and casseroles, especially those withtomato sauce and eggplant and is the herb for an omelet. Cookbook author Rick Bayless sets the record straight about Mexicanoregano in "Mexican Everyday" (Norton, $29.95). The oregano-scentedmember of the large New World verbena family is sold in Mexicanmarkets in the whole-leaf and dried forms. Read the fine print onthe bottles to discover whether the contents are Mexican orMediterranean oregano. In Diana Kennedy's "The Art of Mexican Cooking" (Potter, $30),which was first published in 1989 and is now back in print, thereare several soup recipes using Mexican oregano, including MeatballSoup (Sopa de Albondigas) and Sopa Tarasca, which resemblestortilla soup. She also uses oregano for Barbacoa de Pollo orpit-barbecued chicken. That didn't stop me from using dried oregano in Cuban Black BeanStew from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's latest book, "The SplendidTable's How to Eat Supper," written with her producer, Sally Swift(Clarkson Potter, $35). The most interesting thing about thisrecipe was the addition of sherry vinegar instead of lime juice atthe end. It's an ingredient used in other Cuban recipes. (Kasper'sTABLE column moves as part of Scripps Howard News Service's weeklyfood package.) In addition, we tested Huevos Rancheros from "Cooking LightComplete Cookbook" (Oxmoor House, $34.95), calling for driedoregano (it made no distinction between Mediterranean or Mexican). Indeed, there's a world of recipes using oregano. BEEF, SWEET PEPPER AND MUSHROOM KABOBS 1 pound well-trimmed boneless beef top sirloin or beef tenderloinsteaks, cut 1-inch thick 8 ounces medium mushrooms 2 medium red, yellow or green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces Salt For the Cucumber sauce: 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1/3 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese 1 clove minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt For the Seasoning: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oreganoleaves, crushed 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper Cut beefsteak into 1-1/4-inch pieces. Combine seasoning ingredientsin large bowl. Add beef, mushrooms and bell peppers; toss to coat.Alternately thread beef and vegetable pieces evenly onto eight12-inch metal skewers, leaving a small space between pieces. Place kabobs on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 3 to 4inches from heat. Broil 9 to 12 minutes for medium rare to mediumdoneness, turning once. Season kabobs with salt as desired. Meanwhile, prepare Cucumber Sauce by combining ingredients in asmall bowl. Serve kabobs with sauce. Yield: 4 servings -- National Cattlemen's Beef Association OREGANO-BREADED TOMATOES 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 6 large vine-ripened tomatoes, halved lengthwise Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a small baking pan. Make the stuffing: In a bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, oil,parsley, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Fill the tomatoes. Sprinkle each tomato half with salt and pepperand place them in a pan, cut-side up. Top with the breadcrumbmixture. Bake the tomatoes 30 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown.Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings -- "Bistro Laurent Tourondel" HUEVOS RANCHEROS 4 8-inch corn tortillas 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles 2 teaspoons chile powder, preferably New Mexico chile powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained 4 large eggs 1/4 cup commercial salsa 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 2 teaspoons chipped fresh cilantro Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat tortillas with cooking spray;place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes oruntil crisp. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with1 teaspoon oil. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and saute 3minutes. Add green chiles and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil;cook 3 minutes or until thick. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat pan with 1teaspoon oil. Add eggs to pan, cook 3 minutes or until done. Place1 tortilla on each of 4 plates. Top each tortilla with tomatomixture and egg. Spoon salsa over each serving, sprinkle withcheese and cilantro. Yield: 4 servings -- Adapted from "Cooking Light Complete Cookbook" CUBAN BLACK BEAN STEW 1 or 2 meaty smoked ham hocks (about 1-1/2 pounds) Extra-virgin olive oil 3 whole cloves 2 medium to large onions, chopped into 1/2-inch dice 1 small to medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 small to medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 14-ounce cans chicken or vegetable broth 6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 3 bay leaves, broken 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 3/4 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 generous tablespoons tomato paste 3 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed 3 limes halved or about 1/3 cup sherry, wine or cider vinegar Trim meat away from ham-hock bone, cutting it into small pieces.Leave some on the bone. Film the bottom of a 10-quart stockpot witholive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the meat, bone,cloves, onions, bell peppers, and salt. Saute 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables aresizzling and there's a brown glaze on the bottom of the pan (thevegetables need not brown, and take care not to let the glazeblacken). Add a little broth along with the garlic, bay leaves, cumin,oregano, black pepper and tomato paste. With a wooden spatula,scrape up the glaze as you simmer the mix on medium-high heat for 3minutes. Then add the beans and the remaining broth. Adjust theheat so the soup bubbles gently. Cover the pot tightly and cook 20minutes. Stir in the juice from the limes or 1/3 cup of vinegar. Taste thesoup for seasoning. Adjust salt, pepper and lime juice or vinegarto taste. Ladle into bowls, topping each with a tablespoon of chopped onion.In Cuban style, you could ladle the stew over rice. Yield: 4 to 6 servings -- "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper"
 

Ineffective alternative

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 Herbs Extract Nearly 4.5 million American children ages 4 to 17 suffer fromattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention. Because not all these childrenrespond to medications such as Ritalin or Adderall, some parentsturn to herbal supplements to treat the symptoms associated withthe neurobehavioral disorder. But a new study, led by Wendy Weber, a physician specializing innaturopathic medicine and a professor at Bastyr University in Seattle , is one of the first to rigorously test one of these herb-basedmedicines.
 

Vegetable sellers share transport to ferry produce

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Dried Vegetable More News Nation Headlines Dr M: Arrest me if you have proof Woman slashes wrist in front of US embassy Health Ministry warning against Mentalk Candy'Baiduri should be handed over to new govt' People more fed up with corruption, says TI Altantuya trial: 'What soft approach in interrogation?' Penang to Fed Govt: Explain 60% hike in bridge cost Road tax: Get your rebates in 3mins Better quality of life to be focus of next Budget Friend shoots friend on hunting do Wedding invite from Customs DG is a hoax Govt to build 1,250 telco towers in next two years Malaysian woman arrested in England for drug trafficking Second batch of aid reaches Chengdu Rakyat could contribute to public healthcare, says Perak Sultan Customs seizes unlabelled sweaters worth RM294,000 Basic amenities for rural folk in Sabah, Sarawak Samy: Anybody can contest against me Selangor losing RM100m per year to illegal sand mining Seven companies in hot water for using pirated software Former assistant to minister charged with graft (updated) Mahathir: I will respond in due time No to Royal Commission on allegations by judge It's on, free water from June Fuel price increases capped Pay in batches decision gets mixed reviews British royal family happy with our men Selling the taste of Malaysia to the world Malacca bus firms in a bind Buntong folks fume over new schoolbus rates Vegetable sellers share transport to ferry produce Penang coffeeshops prefer to wait and see Tioman and Labuan ferry operators forced to charge extra Passenger killed, driver critical in express bus crash Second job not the answer Unions have reservations over part-time proposal Cops have right to break up illegal gatherings Khalid: Allegations of graft unfounded It was not Vincent Tan's case Kedah to cut MB and exco members allowances Granddad to cycle to Beijing for Olympics Canteen operators must keep prices low Perak scraps RM5,000 levy Terengganu hoteliers told not to raise rates Red Crescent to assist in recovery work in Sichuan Put to rest snoop squad issue, says Liow Six firms keen on duty-free zone in PD Goldsmith loses RM500,000 in gems to armed robbers Group: Fulfil green promises Engineer alleges his phone stolen at police HQ Order prevents felling of trees Umno Youth launches blog RM845,000 cigarette haul by Johor Customs Sabah: Abolish import duties on cement Penang sets up panel on public info Boy finds mum dead in pool of blood Inner Temple alma mater to honour Tunku with portrait Turtle team: Not all river terrapins snagged in nets died Muar village patrols to check break-ins Young trio do us proud Rural schools need bigger generators, says union Jakim puts brakes on 100 cars promotion Boy, 13, is youngest heart attack victim Foundation to develop Tamil schools proposed
 

Traceability system covers eight more farm products

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onion product We will soon be able to trace the life history of eight more farm products.The Indian government plans to expand the list of agriculturalproducts to eight more. The product will have a specific code, which can be used to traceits origin and pesticide residue levels if required to ensure itsquality. Agricultural products such as mango, pomegranate, onion,basmati rice, honey, poultry, groundnuts and organic products willbe included in the list. A farm product will be given a specificcode, which will provide online information about the farm whichallows an importer to trace its origin and the levels of pesticidesin the product. The traceability system was introduced by the Agricultural andProcessed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in2006 in order to keep track of fresh grapes exported from India toEurope. The system provided internet-based residue traceabilitysoftware system, which now covers more than 35,000 grapes farmersin India, who have been given specific codes. Poor quality grapes or those with higher than permissible levels ofpesticides can be tracked to the farms with the help of barcodesprovided on the packets. This helped ensure quality. APEDA Director S Dave said that the traceability system can provideinformation about a product such as different stages of sampling,testing, certification, and packing. According to him, this helpsexpand the market base for these products and reflects thetransparency in quality management and monitoring. New farm products which will soon come under this system are onionand honey.Such strict quality measures have improved the quality ofproducts and their exports have increased from Rs.6.47 billion in1999-2000 to Rs.24.12 billion in 2006-07.
 

Ensuring the elderly aren't thrown on the scrapheap

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Concentrated Tea "Older people in care are often written off as incapable oflearning new skills or producing anything of worth. This projectaims to remedy the former problem and dispel the myth of thelatter." And over the last 13 years it has undoubtedly brought joy and asense of achievement into the lives of many elderly people. Its impact was such that an MBE was awarded last year to NellieThornton, a founder member of the group and its voluntarysecretary. Mrs Thornton, 75, who volunteers at Ilkley's Clarke Foley Centreand for the Ilkley Talking Newspaper, has no doubt of theimportance of the project's worth. She set it up with her friend Kathleen Wilson who was thenpresident of the local Soroptimists. Mrs Wilson is now one of theresidents at Abbeyfield where the project is based. Mrs Thornton who has worked with people in nursing homes since herdays in college, said her own mother and father had been in nursinghomes, and added: "My idea of nursing homes then was of people justsitting around doing nothing, and I thought if that was me I shouldgo mad." At the time the project was set up many nursing homes did not haveactivity organisers, and although that situation has changed nowMrs Thornton said they concentrated on groups rather than onindividuals. She stressed the importance of consulting with elderly people aboutwhat they wanted to do. A statement from the project says: "We work as enablers, making itpossible for people who have suffered strokes, have arthritis orvisual or memory problems to do the things they would like to do.We use specialist equipment and look at alternative ways ofworking. "In 1999, with a grant from Help the Aged, we were able to set upclasses in the office and bring those able to be transported in towork together. They were in a new environment, met people withsimilar interests and problems and learnt from each other as wellas having fun. "They are painting, making their own clothes and household items,embroidering beautiful pictures and pursuing a variety of othercrafts. We also run gentle exercise classes and cookery classes." Mrs Thornton stressed the importance of getting to know the elderlypeople they are working with and finding out what they want. "I think it makes a big difference because they tend to get to thestage where they feel they are of no use to anybody," she said."You just have to build their confidence up and make them realisethey can still do things and can still be useful. "You get people who have had strokes and realise they can't do whatthey used to - so that is it. But you help them realise that thereis more than one way of doing everything." And being helped to continue with old hobies or to try out new onescan make a real difference to the lives of elderly people who mayhave lost their confidence. Mrs Thornton cited the example of one woman who had loved doingembroidery until she had a stroke. She was helped out with aspecial embroidery frame and began the process of learning theskill again with her left hand. From there she went on to use asewing machine and then began creating beautiful homemade cards. Volunteers will go out to people's homes if necessary but MrsThornton believes in the importance of encouraging them to come outto the group if possible. "If you can get them out of their four walls and get them realisingthat there are people in the same position who are doing thingsthen it helps." She adds: "I think you also get the situation where in the pastthey haven't had time to do the things they have always wanted to -and now they have all the time in the world but not theopportunity. So it is just giving them that opportunity." And with people in their 80s, 90s, and even aged 100, joining in,it is obviously never too late to seize that opportunity. The classes, which include keep fit , sewing, art and cooking, givethe participants the chance to discover, or rediscover, skills. And elderly people, who can easily become isolated and lonely,often appreciate simply having someone to talk to. "They do enjoy it and they appreciate somebody else having time forthem," she said. "I know a lot of the families and have met them.You are very much a part of their lives." The project is also running a scheme where it is saving people'slife histories for future generations. "We have done quite a lot of these and they are fascinating," shesaid. "In one home I went to we had a lady who had piloted a plane, andshe was in her 90s - she must have been flying at the same time asAmy Johnson. "Next to her was a lady who when she was 11 would go to school upuntil dinner time and then went to work in the mill from dinnertime to tea-time. She lived in a cottage. There were four cottagestogether and they shared one toilet outside. "Again people enjoy the fact that they have someone coming alongand listening to them," she said. The memories are made up into books with photographs which can thembe passed on down through the family. The work of the project shows tangible results. The groups says: "Results show clients' health, mobility andcirculation improving, and a feeling of worth as skills arerecognised, used and valued. Dignity is maintained or even renewed,and co-ordination is improved. Valuable relationships are formed. "The scheme is run by a Management Committee which meets regularlythroughout the year. Volunteers meet together for in-servicetraining and socially to discuss any problems they may have.Clients are visited three times a year but know they can contact usat any time. Management also work as volunteers with the clients and are verymuch in touch. We are asked to give talks on our work and havegiven information to other groups interested in starting similarschemes. The project gives great satisfaction to both clients andvolunteers and is ongoing for as long as funding is available. "If you know of anyone who might benefit from joining us either asa participant or to use their skills as a volunteer please contactus on (01943) 886028 and leave a name and telephone number and wewill get back to you. (The office is only manned two days a week -Monday 11.00am to 4.00pm and Wednesday 10.00am to 3.00pm)." 10:04am today
 

Poor Harvests May Worsen Global Food Shortages

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 Universal Tractor "We're certainly not going to have as good a crop as we hadhoped," said Harvey Howington of the Arkansas Rice GrowersAssociation. "I don't think this is good news foranybody."Harvests ebb and flow, of course. But with supplies of most of thekey commodities at their lowest levels in decades, there is littleroom for error this year. American farmers are among the world'stop producers, supplying 60 percent of the corn that moves acrossinternational borders in a typical year, as well as a third of thesoybeans, a quarter of the wheat and a tenth of the rice."If we have bad crops, it's going to be a wild ride,"said the Agriculture Department's chief economist, Joseph Glauber."There's just no cushion."As every farmer knows, trouble can come at any point before theharvest is complete. Danny and Karen Smith get up in the middle ofthe night at their wheat farm in Milton, Kansas, whenever they hearthunder.In a few weeks, the wheat they planted last fall will be ripe. Abad storm or, worse, a tornado could destroy it. Last year, theSmiths lost nearly all their wheat to a late freeze compounded bytoo much rain.This year, the weather has been perfect: cool and moist. "Seehow plump these berries are?" Smith said, standing in themiddle of one of his golden fields. "This will feed a lot ofpeople."The world wheat harvest is forecast to rise more than 8 percentthis year, thanks to better weather and more acreage undercultivation. But even this bright spot is tentative. Australia wasexpected to emerge from a two-year drought, but that prediction islooking somewhat doubtful.With the exception of southwestern Australia and a small corner ofsoutheastern Australia, little rain has fallen in recent months.Many wheat farmers have been unable to plant at all, said BobIffla, the chairman of the Wheat Growers Association in Australia.As a result, the Australian harvest is likely to be below average:5 million to 15 million tons of wheat available for export,compared with 17 million or 18 million tons in an average year."It just depends on the rains; it's still not too late,"Iffla said.In the American corn belt, the issue has been getting the rain tostop. After heavy rains and flooding last weekend, the price ofcorn on the commodity markets rose Monday to a record $6.57 abushel."We can't snap our fingers and make high yields," saidEmerson Nafziger, a professor of agronomic extension at theUniversity of Illinois. "We still depend on the weather."A universal saying among farmers is that high prices never last,because they encourage production that fills the demand and drivesdown the prices. The current crisis is testing that theory. Withcosts soaring for fertilizer and diesel, the expenses of farmingare so high that the urge to plant more is battling, in someplaces, the temptation to plant nothing.Prajoub Suksapsri in Ayutthaya, Thailand, is among the farmersgoing all-out this year. For the first time in two decades offarming, Prajoub is preparing to plant a second crop of rice on hisland, which usually does not have irrigation.He and his neighbors have risked their savings to set up a systemto pump water into their fields. If rice prices stay high, Prajoubcould make the biggest profit he has seen in years from his one-hectare farm. But if prices fall, he could face heavy losses."Sometimes I lie awake at night, worrying about it," hesaid, watching his new Honda generator chug steadily, running thepumps. The landlord of the fields that he rents is charging himmore than triple the usual amount just for the right to plant anextra harvest. "He is sucking my blood," Prajoub said.Helen Gabriel's farm in south-central Luzon Island in thePhilippines also measures one hectare and lacks irrigation. Facedwith soaring costs for diesel, fertilizer, rice seed andinsecticide, she has made a different decision from Prajoub."We will have no crop this year," Gabriel said as shewaited in a three-hour line for the right to buy two kilograms, or4.4. pounds, of government-subsidized rice.World stockpiles of rice are likely to shrink slightly this year,excluding Chinese food security reserves that are not available forworld trade, after already dwindling markedly in six of the lasteight years, said Concepcion Calpe, a Food and AgricultureOrganization rice specialist in Rome.That estimate does not take into account the turmoil in Arkansas.Last year, the rice crop in Arkansas yielded a record 160 bushelsan acre. This year, experts there say, 150 bushels will be anachievement."There's no doubt about it; we're not going to have the riceto export," said Carl Frein of Farmers Marketing Service inBrinkley, Arkansas. "Poor countries like Haiti, I don't knowwhat they're going to do."For all the apprehension this year, the growing season is stillyoung, with plenty of time for the situation to improve - or forcrops to fail."I've seen mediocre starts get a bit better, and mediocrestarts get a whole lot worse," said Nelson, the grainsanalyst.Kron, the Indiana farmer, gave up on corn last week after managingto plant - and in some cases replant - only about half of his 1,200acres.Last year, his corn yielded 150 bushels an acre. This year, becauseof the late start, he will be happy to get 130 bushels."I don't know if this is the worst year we've ever had, butit's moving up the list pretty quick," the farmer said."It's kind of testing everybody, I believe."
 

A week’s worth of economical and healthy dinners

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 onion flakes All recipes developed, except as noted, by Melissa Pasanen. Allnutritional analysis by Wendy Hess, RD, CDE, Consulting inNutrition Analysis, Burlington. Sunday (1): Baked Chicken with Rice and Mushrooms This homey chicken dish uses dark meat thighs for flavor and ampsup nutrition and taste with nutty brown rice. You'll be makingextra rice as a planned-over for the stuffed zucchini later inthe week. 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil 1 and one-half pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed offat, patted dry 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 medium carrot, scrubbed and finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 10 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced 2 cups (14.5-ounce can) chicken broth, preferably low sodium One-half cup water 1 teaspoon dried thyme or one-half teaspoon finely minced freshthyme 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 1 and one-half cups rice, preferably brown (see note) 12 ounces frozen green beans Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in middle position. In alarge, deep, oven-proof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil overmedium-high heat. Brown chicken thighs, 2 to 3 minutes on eachside, and remove to a plate. Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan.Add onion and carrot to pan and saute, stirring occasionally, untilonion is soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushroomsand saute another 5 to 7 minutes, until mushrooms have given uptheir liquid and are turning golden. Stir in chicken broth, water,thyme and salt. Increase heat to high to reach a simmer. Stir inrice and return chicken thighs to skillet. Cover tightly and put in oven. Bake for 45 minutes and then stir infrozen green beans. Cover skillet again and return to oven foranother 10 to 15 minutes until rice is tender and beans are cooked.Before serving, scoop out 2 cups of rice mixture for ItalianStuffed Zucchini on Tuesday. Serves 4.  Loosely adapted from Caroline Homan, food education coordinator,City Market Nutrition facts per serving: 488 calories; 16 g fat (4 g sat, 7 g mono); 143 mg cholesterol; 44g carbohydrate; 40 g protein; 4 g fiber; 535 mg sodium; 747 mgpotassium. Free Press shopping tips and testing notes: Recipes for baked rice usually recommend short or medium-grainrice, but we've done just fine with long-grain, too. If you usewhite rice, your cooking time will be shorter and you can put thegreen beans in after 30 minutes of oven time. If you're not makingthe stuffed zucchini, cut dry rice amount to 2 cups and just use 2cups chicken broth, no water. Without the chicken, this baked rice makes a great base for anyversion of rice and beans (with or without the mushrooms). ForIndian rice and beans, replace the thyme with curry powder and thenstir in a can of drained, rinsed lentils for the last 10 minutes ofcooking. For Mexican rice and beans, use ground cumin and stir in acan of diced tomatoes with chilies along with a can of black beans. Monday (2): Mediterranean Pasta A super-simple, one-bowl pasta dish to get your week off to a goodstart. If your family enjoys 100 percent whole-wheat pasta, go forit, but we've found the blends are generally more family-friendly. 12 ounces medium shaped pasta, preferably whole-wheat blend 2 teaspoons olive or canola oil One small onion, finely diced 3 links (10 ounces) your choice hot or sweet lean Italian turkeysausage 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 cup cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) chickpeas or whitebeans 3 ounces (about 2 packed cups) baby spinach leaves Salt to taste Put a large pot of water on to boil and cook pasta according topackage directions. When pasta is cooked, drain but reserveone-half-cup of cooking liquid. Meanwhile, in a large nonsticksaute or frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion andsaute, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden, about5 minutes. While onion is cooking, cut sausage out of casing. Add sausage topan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and increase heat to mediumhigh. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned, about5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and chickpeas to pan and stir tocombine. Add spinach to pan and cover pan to wilt leaves enough tostir them in, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for another 3 to 4minutes. Add salt to taste. Toss cooked, drained pasta into sauce,adding pasta water to thin sauce as necessary, and serve. Serves 4. Nutrition facts per serving: 537 calories; 10 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 46 mg cholesterol; 85g carbohydrate; 30 g protein; 14 g fiber; 1016 mg sodium; 613 mgpotassium. Free Press shopping tips and testing notes: You'll be using half the package of turkey sausage and half thebag of spinach you bought and using the balance in other recipeslater in the week. For a vegetarian version, use a non-meat sausagesubstitute or skip the sausage and sprinkle the pasta with fetacheese right before serving. Tuesday (3): Parmesan-Crusted Fish with Italian Stuffed Zucchini A simple and quick way to cook fish with no chance it'll dry outunder its cloak of tomato sauce. You already have the zucchinistuffing in the fridge, which makes this a snap to put together. For stuffed zucchini: 2 medium (about 8 ounces each) zucchini 2 cups cooked brown rice mixture from Baked Chicken with Rice andMushrooms 1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style tomato sauce (see note) One-half cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese For fish: Cooking spray or 1 teaspoon canola or olive oil 1 and one-half pounds thin, white, mild-tasting fish fillets,preferably skinless, such as perch, pollock, or flounder One-half cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (see note) One-quarter cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese Black pepper to taste Make stuffed zucchini: Preheat oven to 425 degrees with one oven rack in top position andone in middle position Trim stem end of zucchinis and halvelengthwise. Using a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works well), scoopout seedy center of zucchinis and discard (or save for soup orhomemade vegetable stock). Lay zucchini halves in a baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together brown rice mixture and about 1 cupof tomato sauce. Mound cavity of each zucchini with brown ricemixture. Drizzle a couple tablespoons water around zucchini intobaking dish, cover tightly with foil, and put in oven on middlerack for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle tops of stuffed zucchini with mozzarella, andput back in oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.Remove from oven to cool slightly while cooking fish. Make fish: Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightlywith oil. Rinse fish, pat dry, and lay fillets on baking sheet.Spoon remaining tomato sauce evenly over fillets. In a small bowlstir together breadcrumbs and Parmesan with pepper to taste andsprinkle evenly over fish. Bake on top rack of oven 4 to 6 minutesdepending on fish thickness until crumbs are golden and fish flakeseasily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with a stuffed zucchinihalf. Serves 4. Nutrition facts per serving: 420 calories; 9 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 84 mg cholesterol; 40 gcarbohydrate; 45 g protein; 6 g fiber; 1070 mg sodium; 944 mgpotassium. Free Press shopping tips and testing notes: If you are concerned about sodium, use plain, no-salt added tomatosauce mixed with two teaspoons of salt-free Italian herb seasoning.Over the last month, we have found a variety of white fish filletson sale for $4.99 a pound at local markets. If the fresh fishcounter doesn't have them, check out the frozen bagged fish sectionwhere we found nice flounder fillets at that price. We collectheels from whole-wheat bread, and when we have a few gathered, buzzthem fine in the food processor or blender and keep a bag of freshbreadcrumbs in our freezer to use at any time. Wednesday (4): Meatless Sloppy Joes with Sunshine Salad Call it Sloppy Joes or chili, this hearty mixture of beans andveggies is incredibly versatile. It uses bulgur wheat to bulk it upand add a texture somewhat like ground meat, a common tactic invegetarian chili recipes. The recipe purposefully makes about aquart extra since it freezes beautifully and makes a great quicklunch or supper with a sprinkling of grated cheddar and a cornmuffin. Try freezing the leftovers in one-cup containers for hungryteenagers to snack on. For Sloppy Joes: 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 large carrot, scrubbed and finely diced 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 medium zucchini, diced 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder, to taste 2 (15.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (see note) 1 (14. 5-ounce) can vegetable broth, preferably low sodium or 1 andthree-quarters cups water One-half cup bulgur wheat (see note) 2 (15.5-ounce) cans light and/or dark red kidney beans, drained andrinsed or 4 cups cooked 1 (15.5-ounce) can golden hominy (see note), drained and rinsed or1 (15.5-ounce can) can sweet corn, drained and rinsed 4 100 percent whole-wheat hamburger buns For sunshine salad: One-quarter cup orange juice 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil Pinch salt Three ounces (about 2 packed cups) baby spinach leaves 1 small red-skinned apple, unpeeled and sliced into half-moons One-half (10.5-ounce) can mandarin oranges in pear juice, drained One-quarter cup raw sunflower seeds Make Sloppy Joes: In a deep soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrot andonion and saute, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft andgolden, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, bell pepper and garlic, andsaute another 5 minutes, until bell pepper is softened. Stir inchili powder, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and vegetablebroth. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Stir inbulgur wheat, kidney beans and hominy. Reduce heat, cover andsimmer 30 minutes, until bulgur is soft. Toast hamburger buns. Make salad: In a large bowl, whisk together orange juice, cider vinegar,mustard, oil and salt. When ready to serve, toss spinach, appleslices, mandarin oranges and sunflower seeds in dressing. Serveimmediately. Top hamburger buns with about 1 and one-half cups Sloppy Joemixture and serve with salad. Serves 4. Nutrition facts per serving: 554 calories; 14 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 95 gcarbohydrate; 22 g protein; 19 g fiber; 1291 mg sodium; 972 mgpotassium. Free Press shopping tips and testing notes: If you are concerned about sodium, use plain, no-salt added dicedtomatoes and a fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced. Bulgurwheat (which is different than cracked wheat) is available boxed inmost local supermarkets near the rice or in the bulk bindepartment. Canned golden hominy, found in the canned bean section,is soft, puffy Mexican-style corn kernels, which add a fun textureto this recipe. The salad uses up the balance of the baby spinach. Thursday (5): Steak Soft Tacos with Tangy Corn and Cabbage Relish For the red-meat lovers in your family, slicing the meat thinlymakes more out of less and the build-your-own taco is always a funway to eat. For corn and cabbage relish: One-quarter cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard One-half teaspoon celery salt 3 cups shredded green cabbage 1 cup shredded red cabbage (see note) 1 cup canned corn, drained and rinsed or frozen corn, thawed Black pepper to taste For tacos: 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 cloves garlic, minced One-quarter teaspoon cinnamon One-quarter teaspoon coarse kosher salt Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) 1 and one-quarter pounds top sirloin steak, about 1 and one-quarterinch thick (see note) 12 6-inch corn tortillas (see note) Make relish: In a medium bowl, whisk together cider vinegar, oil, sugar,mustard and celery salt. Toss in green and red cabbage and corn.Add black pepper to taste. Let sit at least 10 minutes beforeserving. Make steak: Preheat your grill to medium-high or preheat a grill pan on yourstovetop and turn on your kitchen fan. In a small bowl, stirtogether chili powder, garlic and salt. Rub mixture on both sidesof steak. Grill steak about 5 minutes per side for medium rare, ormore if you desire. Let rest 5 minutes while you warm tortillas asdirected on packaging. Slice steak thinly against the grain andserve with warm tortillas and corn and cabbage relish. Serves 4. Steak taco adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger(The Taunton Press, 2008); relish by Melissa Pasanen Nutrition facts per serving: 508 calories; 15 g fat (3 g sat, 5 g mono); 76 mg cholesterol; 54g carbohydrate; 39 g protein; 9 g fiber; 504 mg sodium; 779 mgpotassium. Free Press shopping tips and testing notes: Top sirloin, New York sirloin, round tip sirloin and tri-tip areall good choices for this recipe and can be found on special forunder $5 a pound. Corn tortillas can be found in the Mexican ordairy sections of local markets. For this amount of red cabbage, the salad bar is a good solution;even though you're paying more per pound, the actual cost is verylittle. Shred the whole green cabbage you bought and put the unusedportion in a plastic bag or container for Saturday nights slaw.You'll also be using the balance of the can of corn on Saturday forthe salmon cakes. Friday (6): Sausage and Broccoli Frittata with Two-Color RoastedPotato Wedges A frittata, essentially a baked omelet, is a great way to use upbits of leftover veggies, diced ham or chicken, and cheese odds andends. For potato wedges: 1 large baking potato (about three-quarters pound) 1 large orange sweet potato (also called a yam, aboutthree-quarters pound) 2 tablespoons canola oil One-half teaspoon coarse kosher salt For frittata: 8 ounces broccoli florets, fresh or frozen 2 teaspoons canola oil 1 small onion, finely diced 3 links (10 ounces) your choice hot or sweet lean Italian turkeysausage 4 large eggs plus 6 large whites or 8 large eggs Nonstick cooking spray or 1 teaspoon canola oil One-half cup shredded low-fat mozzarella Make potato wedges: Preheat oven to 450 degrees with one rack in lowest position andone in the top position. Scrub potatoes well but do not peel. Slicepotatoes in long inch-wide wedges, toss with oil and salt on arimmed baking sheet. Roast in oven on bottom rack, flipping once,about 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Make frittata: If using fresh, raw broccoli, steam broccoli in microwave with atablespoon of water until just tender but not soft. Drain well andset aside. In an oven-proof, 10-inch skillet, heat oil over mediumheat and add onion. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onion issoft and golden, about 5 minutes. While onion is cooking, cutsausage out of casing. Add sausage to pan, breaking it up with awooden spoon and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirringoccasionally, until sausage is browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and whites. Stir broccoli andonion and sausage mixture into eggs. Turn oven to broil (it's fineif potato wedges are still finishing up in there). Wipe out skillet with a paper towel and spray with no-stick cookingspray or brush with 1 teaspoon oil. Place back over medium heat.Pour in egg mixture. Cook frittata, lifting sides with a spatulaand tilting skillet to let raw egg flow underneath cooked edges,until set on bottom, about 5 to 6 minutes. (Top will still be alittle wet.) Sprinkle mozzarella over top and pop under broiler on top rack forabout 2 minutes until completely set, golden and brown. Servequarters of frittata with potato wedges. Serves 4. Nutrition facts per serving: 513 calories; 24 g fat (6 g sat, 10 g mono); 254 mg cholesterol;47 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 6 g fiber; 1068 mg sodium; 1425 mgpotassium. Free Press shopping tips and testing notes: You're using the balance of the Italian turkey sausage from Mondaynight in this recipe. Saturday (7): Salmon and Corn Cakes with Creamy Mustard Slaw A perfect light summer meal, these can be cooked ahead and servedat room temperature or taken on a picnic. For creamy mustard slaw: 3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise 3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons cider vinegar One-half teaspoon sugar One-half teaspoon coarse kosher salt One-half small green cabbage, shredded to yield about 4 cups 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded For salmon cakes: Three-quarters cup cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) chickpeasor white beans 2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise 2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 large eggs or 1 egg and 2 egg whites One-half teaspoon coarse kosher salt Three-quarters cups soft whole wheat breadcrumbs (see Tuesdaysnote), divided, plus another quarter cup as needed 2 (6-ounce) cans skinless, boneless pink salmon, drained well (seenote) Three-quarters cups canned, drained and rinsed corn or frozen corn,thawed Nonstick cooking spray or 1 tablespoon canola oil 4 100 percent whole-wheat hamburger buns To make slaw: In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard,vinegar, sugar and salt. Add shredded cabbage and carrots and tosswell to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To make salmon cakes: In a large bowl using a potato masher, mash chickpeas to a paste.Add mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, eggs, salt and one-half cup of thebreadcrumbs to the bowl, and stir well to combine. Stir in salmonand corn to distribute evenly. Put remaining breadcrumbs on a flatplate. Measure out generous one-third cupfuls of salmon mixture andpat into round flat cakes. Dredge in remaining breadcrumbs on bothsides. Set a large nonstick saute or frying pan over medium heat. Brush orspray with a little vegetable oil to coat. Gently place cakes inpan and cook, turning once, until golden brown, between 4 to 5minutes each side. Repeat for total of 8 cakes and serve each onhalf of a hamburger bun topped with slaw. Serves 4. Nutrition facts per serving: 530 calories; 13 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 133 mg cholesterol; 70g carbohydrate; 36 g protein; 10 g fiber; 1653 mg sodium; 496 mgpotassium. Free Press shopping tips and testing notes: Although they are cheaper, the 14.75-ounce cans of red salmon comewith bones and skin and are stronger tasting so, unless you alreadyknow you like that form of salmon, stick with the pink. You'll useup the rest of the cabbage, chickpeas or white beans, corn, andhamburger buns in this recipe. The topic of climbing food prices came up last week during a phoneinterview with The New York Times-best-selling author, journalistand food systems expert Michael Pollan, who will present a freepublic lecture tonight at the University of Vermont (see related story ). Its not a good thing or a bad thing, Pollan observed. Good maycome of it but so will a lot of pain. It's like high oil prices:The good thing about high oil prices is it makes things like solarand investment in alternative energies more sensible, and in thelong run we will benefit from this, but in the short run, lots ofpeople can't afford $4 gas so you don't want to celebrate somethinglike this. If food was getting more expensive because we'd takenantibiotics out of animal agriculture say, or if food was gettingmore expensive because we'd decided we were going to produce itusing less fossil fuel, then you could celebrate it, but that's notwhat we're doing. It's not really clear that this will push us in amore sustainable direction; it could be just the opposite.The long-term trend though, as with energy,he continued, willbe to figure out ways to produce food with less fossil fuel becausethat is a big part of whats driving up price and the attention tothe food issue is good. Still I'm loath to say its a happydevelopment, but it might be a healthy development in the longrun.
 

Produce Safety And Security International Ohio Facilities Will Be .

Posted by : tootoo
 vegetable packing ProduceSafety & Security International, Inc. (OTC: PRSF) announcedtoday that the company's food safe treatment centers in Ohio willbe using a cost-effective ozone process to prevent food-bornepathogens and viruses to provide certified food safe tomatoes andproduce to the food industry. Produce Safety & Security will provide a food safe process onthe truck or in the processing room. The process can be performedas the truck is backed up to the dock or unloaded into an ozone airprocessing room to remove the food-borne illness pathogens and helpprevent outbreaks of illness. Tomato growers in Florida, California and Mexico are having troubleselling their crops as U.S. regulators hunt the source of asalmonella outbreak linked to certain tomato varieties. Growerssaid on Tuesday. In Florida, the No.1 U.S. tomato producer, $40million worth of tomatoes will rot unless the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration quickly trace's the source of the outbreak andclears the state's produce. The Industry had to stop packing, stoppicking and shipping. The FDA warned U.S. consumers on Saturdaythat the outbreak was linked to eating certain raw red plum, redRoma, and red round tomatoes, and products containing thosetomatoes. Major restaurant and grocery chains stopped selling thosevarieties, and some stopped selling all raw tomatoes entirely. US.Growers produced $1.28 billion worth of tomatoes last year,according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Florida producesan annual crop valued at $600 to $700 million and supplies morethan 90 percent of the nation's production. Tomatoes sold with thevine still attached but those account for only a tiny portion ofthe industry. The FDA has said it does not know where the contaminated tomatoesoriginated. The infections have struck most often in New Mexico andTexas. The FDA has put California on the list of suppliers notlinked to the outbreak. However some supermarkets still rejectedtomatoes from California, which is the No. 2 U.S. producer over$400 million in annual sales. The entire tomato industry is being impacted. The state of SinaloaMexico sends nearly 700,000 metric tons of tomatoes a year to theUnited States in a business worth $900 million, according to aMexican vegetable exporters association. Exports of Mexican agricultural products soared after the UnitedStates, Canada and Mexico lifted all tariff barriers under the 1994North American Free Trade Agreement. But the benefits can easily bewiped out by a sanitary scare like the one in 2000, when the FDAidentified a strain of salmonella in Mexican melons and bannedtheir import. That cut the $200 million annual export business downto around $3 million and Mexican growers fear the same could happento tomatoes. The food-safe process will extend the shelf life, depending on thecommodity. This reduction of spoilage will provide the retailerwith a higher return. The sanitization of the trucks will greatlyreduce the loss of produce. The company will also provide testingby a third party. “The issues listed above would not have occurred if thefederal legislators, trade organizations, food groups, foodservice, USDA, DOD and fast food sales would have adopted theProduce Safety & Security International Inc. certified foodsafe process proactive cost effective program removing the food-borne illness pathogens. We are opening food safety distributionand food service facilities in Ohio with the the ability to remove,eliminate Food-Borne Illness and extend Shelf-life. Our third partyaudit and traceability provides a proactive protection for freshproduce. If the Industry, government and retail chains would haveadopted the food safe process when presented 2 years ago we wouldnot be having the issues of sickness, product loss, issues of lossof revenue and loss of employment. It amazes me the only stateswith the foresight are Ohio and Virginia. It appears the other 48have no concern employment and food safety,” states ClarenceW. Karney CEO of Produce Safety & Security. Clarence W.
 

Karnataka CM calls for calm, blames Centre

Posted by : tootoo
DAP Fertilizer Karnataka CM calls for calm, blames Centre Statesman News Service BANGALORE, June 11: Chief minister, Mr B S Yeddyurappa, todayblamed the Centre for the fertilizer crisis in the state even as heappealed to the agitated farmers to maintain peace and law andorder. The chief minister, who alleged that there was a politicalconspiracy to defame his government, has also prohibited the policefrom resorting to firing on the farmers whatever the provocation.The direction came after Siddlingappa, a farmer, died in policefiring yesterday at Haveri town while four others suffered seriousinjuries, after the farmers went on the rampage. They wereprotesting against non availability of fertilizers for sowing. The chief minister, who visited Haveri town this afternoon, alsohanded over a cheque of Rs 2 lakh to the family of the deceased.The state was comparatively peaceful today. Mr Yeddyurappa told newsmen here that adequate steps were not takenduring the President's Rule period to ensure enough supplies offertilizers. He also blamed the Centre for the shortage, addingthat several manufacturers had stopped production in the last threemonths as the Union government had not released subsidy worththousands of crores due to them. He said against 52,962 tonnes on 1 April last year, the stocks ofdi-ammonium phosphate in the state in the corresponding period thisyear stood at a bare 3,821 tonnes. Similarly, the stock of complexmanures was around 73,800 tonnes last year against 9,409 tonnesthis April. He said the Centre had assured the state that in June this yearabout 1.2 lakh tonnes of DAP would be released. Against this, only23,000 tonnes was received. In New Delhi, senior BJP leader, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, joined in theattack on the UPA government on the issue, accusing it of utterlyfailing to make available the required quantity of fertilisers tostates. Discussion on this India item Disclaimer: These are Internet generated discussion threads forwhich the The Statesman has no responsibility. No discussions on this item Other India Afzal case has to follow logical course: Cong Wonder medicine plant claims to cure cancer Water man focuses on water woes at home Jamiat drive to educate people on Islam How can you share name with Nehru? SC asks rapist WTO heat haunts govt BJP firm on opposing nuclear deal Naxalite call on campuses Panel for zero tolerance to ragging incidents
 

Bangladesh increases fertilizer prices by more than 200 pc

Posted by : tootoo
Urea Fertilizer Bangladesh increases fertilizer prices by more than 200 pc DHAKA (Xinhua): The Bangladeshi caretaker government Tuesday increased the selling prices of urea and Muriate of Potash (MOP) by more than 200 percent to ease pressure on the government' s subsidy system, local newspaper reported Wednesday. The selling price of per ton of urea fertilizer has been increased to 10,000 taka (about 143 U.S. dollars) from 4,800 taka (about 68.6U.S. dollars), leading English newspaper The Financial Express said. The new price for MOP is 50,000 taka (about 714 U.S. dollars) pert on as against the previous price of 19,500 taka (about 278.6 U.S.dollars) per ton. The upward price adjustment of fertilizers came for the first time since 1996 and just a day after the announcement of national budget for the fiscal 2008-09 beginning on July 1. An official of the ministry of industry was quoted as saying the upward price adjustment of fertilizers will lessen the pressure on the government on account of subsidy. In the outgoing fiscal, the estimated subsidy on fertilizer will be more than 40 billion taka (about 571 million U.S. dollars) from the originally projected 22 billion taka due to the growing mismatch between selling and procurement prices. The country's urea and Mop consumption has increased substantially since 2004 following wider cultivation of high yielding varieties and hybrid rice. The government has planned to import around 1.1 million tons of urea to meet the projected demand of 2.85 million tons in the new fiscal. International
 

 

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