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Contractual counterparties often negotiate and agree upon the key terms of a commercial transaction in a term sheet, leave other terms for further negotiation in due course, and agree to negotiate such other terms in good faith with the intention of entering into a definitive agreement based upon the initially agreed key terms. The question is, are such agreements to negotiate in good faith enforceable? And if so, what is the proper measure of damages if such an agreement is breached? Is the aggrieved party entitled to expectation damages (which would put such party in the position it would have been in had the agreement been fulfilled), or is its remedy limited solely to reliance damages such as attorney’s fees and other out-of-pocket expenses (which would only put such party in the position it would have been in had the agreement never happened)? The Delaware Supreme Court’s recent decision in SIGA Technologies v. PharmAthene provides some important guidance regarding the answers to these questions.

SIGA and PharmAthene fully negotiated a two page license agreement term sheet. The term sheet included a footer that stated “Non Binding Terms.” The parties then proceeded to enter into a merger agreement instead of the license agreement. The merger agreement provided that, upon termination of the merger for any reason, the parties would negotiate in good faith a definitive license agreement in accordance with the term sheet. When SIGA’s business and financial position improved significantly, it experienced seller’s remorse and found an opportunity to terminate the merger agreement. PharmAthene then sought to enter into a definitive license agreement based on the term sheet. However, SIGA insisted on materially different terms relying on the “Non Binding Terms” footer. For example, SIGA sought to increase the (i) advance payment from $6 million to $100 million, (ii) guaranteed milestone payments from $10 million to $235 million, and (iii) escalating royalty rates from 8%, 10% and 12% (depending on sales) to 18%, 22%, 25% and 28%. When PharmAthene commenced litigation against SIGA claiming it breached its obligation to negotiate in good faith, a lower Delaware court ruled in favor of PharmAthene and SIGA appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court.

English: Seal of the Supreme Court of Delaware

Source: Wikipedia

The Decision

On appeal, the Court ruled that an agreement to negotiate in good faith in accordance with a term sheet can be a legally-enforceable obligation, and the breaching party will be subject to expectation damages (not just reliance damages) if the evidence indicates that an agreement would have been reached in the absence of the breaching party’s bad faith. Expectation damages provide the non-breaching party with the full “benefit of its bargain.” In other words, the breaching party is liable to pay the non-breaching party everything it would have received had the agreement been entered into and fully-performed as promised. Nonetheless, to be eligible to receive expectation damages, the non-breaching must prove its damages with concrete evidence establishing to a reasonable certainty the nature and extent of the probable loss it has sustained or will in the future sustain. This is so because the law does not permit a recovery of damages that are merely speculative as demonstrated by conjecture, indeterminate estimates or mere assumptions.

In this case, the Court held that (i) SIGA breached its agreement to negotiate in good faith by demanding materially different terms that “virtually disregarded” the term sheet, and (ii) but for SIGA’s breach, the parties would have entered into a license agreement in accordance with the term sheet’s terms. The Court remanded the case back to the lower court to reconsider PharmAthene’s damages award in light of the Court’s decision, including whether PharmAthene’s expectation damages can be determined with reasonable certainty, and are not speculative.

License Agreement Term Sheet

The Lesson For Contracting Parties

This case is a wake-up call to contracting parties to avoid casually drafting or agreeing to deal memos, letters of intent, memorandum of understanding and other preliminary term sheet documents – even if they include language stating they are not legally binding. To avoid potential disputes and awards of damages, contracting parties are encouraged to engage competent legal counsel to provide advice and guidance as to whether their term sheet documents create an agreement to negotiate in good faith or other legal obligations, what provisions and disclaimers should be included to properly clarify and memorialize the parties’ intent, and what conduct will be expected of the contracting parties as they move forward with their proposed transactions.

Oliver Herzfeld is the Chief Legal Officer at Beanstalk, a leading global brand extension agency and part of the Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group.


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DALLAS, TX - APRIL 12: Karl Rove, former Deput...

 Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Liberals do not grasp the distinction between Ronald Reagan and (either) George Bush.   This blind spot creates a massive confusion and hazard to their ambitions. Obama defeated neither the Reagan Narrative nor Team Reagan.  Team Bush appropriated, and then marginalized, both.  Obama beat Team Bush, not Team Reagan. The implications are huge.

There was a touchy relationship between President Reagan and his Vice President George H.W. Bush.  They were rivals during the primaries.  Bush attacked the Reagan economic agenda as “voodoo economics.”  Bush served faithfully as VP for eight years but Reagan and Bush never warmed to one another.  There was precious little rapport between the populist figures populating the Reagan circle and the Eastern establishment retinue of the son of the patrician Sen. Prescott Bush.

When George H.W. Bush’s turn came he talked like Dirty Harry, “Read my lips.  No new taxes.”  When the moment of truth came, George H.W. Bush blinked, raising taxes.   His presidency was liquidated by the perfect storm of a Reaganite base revolted by the abandonment of a solemn campaign pledge plus a tax-increase induced recession.  Bush pere was a conservative and a very decent man.  He was hornswoggled by elegant Mandarins like Dick Darman.

George W. Bush, as good as, and more conservative than, his father, was hornswoggled too.  He campaigned on the theme of “compassionate conservatism.”  That phrase, like his father's "kinder and gentler nation", implied a certain pitilessness in Reagan conservativism.  The implications complied with the liberal caricature of Reagan.  Pitilessness, however, reflected neither the self-concept of most Reagan loyalists nor our splendidly humanitarian outcomes (such as the dramatic reduction of the Misery Index).  Real conservatives saw Reaganomics as a way of creating broad-based opportunity, not as catering to the rich.  It worked out exactly that way … in America and throughout the world.  The blossoming of free market principles — especially low tax rates and good money — brought billions of souls out of poverty, from subsistence to affluence.

In an intraparty succession barely noticed by the mainstream media the Bush forces supplanted the Reagan forces within the GOP.  Keepers of the Reagan legacy tended to end up at positions of respect and influence within the conservative movement.  For example Reagan intimate, counselor, and attorney general Edwin Meese III long has held a prestigious office with the Heritage Foundation, the flagship of the Washington conservative establishment.   Even though Meese was a General in the Reagan Revolution, though, his influence on a Bush cohort-dominated GOP — one that chiseled Reagan onto Rushmore while ignoring Reagan’s philosophy — is constrained.

Mandarins of the Bush (pere and fils) cohort sought and received mere token presence in the conservative establishment.  They sought, and achieved, rather, vast influence in the Republican Party.  Mandarin Karl Rove, comrade of Bush pere’s campaign guru Lee Atwater, became the dominant partisan figure.

The enormity of (and surprise at) the defeat of Romney is a huge setback — and perhaps fatal — to the Bush Mandarins’ hegemony over the GOP.  If so, the potential re-ascendency of the Reagan wing of the GOP will prove very bad news for liberals and excellent news for the Republican Party.  The Reagan wing now can resurge. A resurgence already has begun.

Many of the same Mandarins that delivered a stagnant economy to President(s) Bush had a hand, directly or indirectly, in misguiding McCain, and then Romney, to resounding defeat.  This catastrophic performance may discredit, permanently, Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, among others, with the donors.  The Mandarins’ Svengali-like power over the donors was the major source of their power.  If even a substantial minority of the donors are fed up with Rove it will open the field for a generational change in party leadership … and direction.

The Reagan Renaissance

Dislodging the death grip of Karl Rove from its throat would put a new generation of political leaders in charge of the Republican Party.  The new conservative Republican leaders are strikingly formidable.  The leaders of the new generation, like Reagan, and Kemp, before them (and Kennedy still earlier), all recognize the power of the “rising tide lifts all boats”.

The Reagan campaign ethos was distinct from the tactics of “naked cruelty” perfected by Bush pere’s political gunslinger Lee Atwater. (Atwater, may he rest in peace, publicly repented and apologized to his victims before his tragic, untimely, death).  Yet the politics of naked cruelty were transmitted into the political culture by Atwater’s comrade, Rove, and his doppelganger on the Left, David Axelrod.

And both the Bush Mandarins and Obama Consiglieres have complemented their politics of naked cruelty with policies of economic stagnation. A Reagan Renaissance promises to restore a political culture of hardball political decency, economic growth, and conservative values.

Eight Republican Reagan Renaissance Men are entering their prime. Removing  Rove’s death-grip on the party, with party donors now freed to pursue principled victory rather than a prestige brand name, the Reagan Revolution now can morph into a Reagan Renaissance.

The Reaganesque Governors

Mike Pence was just elected governor of Indiana. Full disclosure: this columnist headed up a tiny superPAC whose mission was to persuade Pence to run in 2012.  Many consider Pence to be Reagan 2.0.  He certainly is a figure who demonstrated extraordinary, perhaps unique, moral courage (and great judgment) in a lonely opposition to Rove when Rove was at his peak of power.  Politico, on the unsuccessful effort to sweep Pence onto the 2012 board:

“If he does run, it’s clear that Pence would particularly appeal to an element of the GOP that has always resisted the establishment and been wary of the Bush crowd — the kinds of conservatives who originally preferred Jack Kemp over the elder Bush.

“And at a moment of pronounced regret among GOP and tea party activists about the expansion of government that took place under George W. Bush, Pence’s distance from that brand is seen as an unalloyed asset.

“’I don’t know of anybody else [in the field] who stood up to Karl Rove,’ said Benko, touting Pence’s opposition to No Child Left Behind, the costly prescription drug benefit and TARP.  ‘He has fought for fiscal restraint harder than anybody I know.’”

Pence, however, has a worthy gubernatorial rival for the Reagan mantle. Sam Brownback is a dazzlingly Reaganesque success as governor of Kansas. Brownback just implemented the largest income tax cut in Kansas history.  At the same time, he reversed a $500 million deficit into a $500 million surplus, reducing the size of state government by 4,000 positions.  Brownback’s state budget director, Steve Anderson, is pioneering a method of accounting that holds government programs accountable for their cost-effectiveness — just like private sector companies have to be.  He’s posted it to the Kansas Budget Director’s Office website for the world to emulate.  This is revolutionary.

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English: Scanned image of author's US Social S...

English: Scanned image of author's US Social Security card. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As the fiscal cliff debate takes center stage in the national conversation, a well-financed lobbying blitz is underway—one that bills itself as a “non-partisan movement to put America on a better fiscal and economic path.”

Who are these dedicated, do-gooders who want nothing more in life than to save us from plunging over the cliff while solving our national debt problems and return prosperity to all Americans?

Meet the “Fix The Debt” gang—a collection of more than 80 of the nation’s most powerful and wealthy CEO’s who have generously committed their time, money and lobbying efforts to contribute a solution to the nation’s debt crisis in the effort to avoid an economic disaster. And what do these great Americans have in mind as the recipe to cure our national ills?

A plan that leaves it to the poor and middle-class to pay off our burgeoning debt through the scaling back of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Certainly, there is nothing particularly new about the notion of the 1 percent looking to entitlements as the solution to debt, but these clever executives have added a few wrinkles to the plan that are well worth noticing as these corporate leaders are not simply content to simply lay the debt on the shoulders of those least able to bear it—they intend to make billions in the process.

Their proposal comes complete with ideas ranging from granting themselves some sweet tax breaks via a change in the tax laws that would allow their companies to return overseas profits to the US tax free—instantly dropping some $134 billion to their companies’ collective bottom line—to a well buried benefit that will earn them billions as a direct result of modifying Social Security to delay benefits to the millions who will suffer.

And all of this—they would have us believe—is in the interest of serving their country.

So, how does this clever little plan work? Prepare to be amazed. It's no accident that these 80 individuals are paid the big bucks for running our largest corporations. When it comes to sticking it to the other guy in order to make big money for their side of the bargaining table, these people clearly have no equals.

First, a little background to set the stage—

While only 41 of the companies led by these CEOs even have a retirement plan for their employees (leaving their workers heavily reliant on their Social Security benefits), only 2 of the companies represented in the group are current in their contributions—leaving 39 that have fallen way behind on their employee plan contributions....about $103 billion behind.

Keep that figure in mind as we will return to it shortly.

Also keep in mind that these companies have allowed their employee retirement plans to remain seriously underfunded while managing to continue to put away millions of tax free dollars in their executive retirement plans, all of which appear to be fully funded.

(Continued on next page)


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A very long time holder of Berkshire A, who prefers not to identify himself,  reckons the A shares-- the ones Buffett and Munger own personally-- are worth on an "intrinsic basis" somewhere between $150,000 a share and $200,000 a share.

This would price them  at today's book value of about $98,000 a share at  somewhere between 1.5 times book and  2.0 times book value.  Berkshire used to sell at such multiples in years past, but not recently. The stock had been selling at 1.05 times book two weeks ago  when Buffett said he would buy back $28 billion worth maximum at  up to  a 10%  premium over book value.

So the risk on Berkshire is that book  value could decline 10% as it did in the 2008  market meltdown and recession.  That would also reduce intrinsic value, at least for a time.

The risk also is the premium for having Buffett's services-- which at 81 years of age-- are getting to have some limit. Without Buffett around, the premium should get reduced unless "intrinsic value" is aided and abetted by the liquidation of some operations at prices well above book  value.

Thanks to  a Berkshire follower I have been informed that  Berkshire is unlikely to pay a dividend since it would reduce book value both in the aggregate and per share. And a buyback will always reduce book value in the aggregate and per share-- unless the price paid is below book-- the buyback will reduce per share book as well..

Reinvesting earnings will also reduce intrinsic value. Paying the earnings out to shareholders will maintain intrinsic value.  Thems the ground rules  for the Berkshire bunch.


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Weak prices for gold, copper and other metals have whacked the 2013 profits and stock price of one of China's largest mining companies.

Shares in Hong Kong-listed Zijin Mining Group fell by 2.8% yesterday after the company said net profit for the year ending on Dec. 31 plunged by 58% to 2.18 billion yuan, or $363 million.

Zijin blamed a “substantial decline in the prices of gold, copper and other metals,” for the fall, provisions resulting from the downturn of the mining industry, and rising costs for labor on environmental production.

 Zijin owns a majority of Australia-listed Norton . Last year, it set up a joint venture with Toronto-listed Sprott and Americas Now Resources Investment Management to invest in commodities, contributing $100 million of a fund with a targeted size of $500 million.

 Chinese billionaire Chen Fashu,,one of Zijin’s largest shareholders, ranked No. 47 on the 2013 Forbes China Rich List with wealth of $2.4 billion.

-- Follow me on Twitter @rflannerychina


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Managing virtual teams has become a must-have leadership skill. Try these tips to become more effective at it. (Image by imagerymajestic)

Go into most companies these days and you'll witness hand wringing around the complexities of managing a virtual workforce. Studies show that 80 percent of managers deal with dispersed teams, which may include managing people in remote locations, other countries, or in home-based offices.  (When you factor in our dependence on consultants and cross-functional teams, my guess is that nearly all managers are leading virtually in some fashion.)

We're doing it, but we don't like it. Fifty-seven percent of managers say trust is a challenge with a virtual workforce, followed by communications, managing projects, and creating consensus. Virtual managers often say it's simply harder and more time consuming to manage when the team isn't in front of them.

Virtual management can be isolating, and even lonely. A virtual manager's day can be a flurry of conference calls and emails. Having personal connections and camaraderie is one of the highlights of managing others, and when you lose that, work can be a slog.

Frustration aside, and contrary to CEO Marissa Mayer's controversial decision to eliminate working from home, most companies are moving ever further into virtual structures. Whether to extend their talent pool, appeal to a younger workforce, or for sustainability, my prediction is that the term "virtual manager" will have a short shelf-life. All management will be, at least in part, virtual.

We now have a good decade of studies showing what works well in virtual management, and what falls short. The toughest challenges are always communications and trust, so if you want your virtual team to hum, here are some best practices to keep in mind.

1. Use face-to-face meetings strategically.

Virtual teams need some in-person meetings to establish deeper relationships, so plan for them wisely. Research shows that timing matters. Gather your team after roles are clearly established, not at a team's inception, and they will use the time together to suss out work styles, and organize socially. It's also important to have a schedule for in-person meetings that everyone knows in advance. People will save certain communications and relationship matters if they know there will be a chance for a personal meeting.

2.  Schedule informal time.

Research at MIT's Human Dynamics Lab found that informal time was the #1 determinant of success in a team. Turns out the water cooler talk makes us more productive, not less. For virtual teams, this means that however you communicate, whether by phone or video, have a set time for informal connection. Even five minutes to talk about weekend plans can make a difference. Sacrifice some efficiency now for effectiveness later.

3. Humanize the communications.

In To Sell is Human, Dan Pink cites a compelling study about the power of seeing the face of another person. When radiologists were given CT scans to interpret with photos of the patient attached, they were far more effective at reading them, and also at uncovering unrelated medical threats. The researchers concluded that having a face in front of us changes our level of involvement, and behavior.

This has relevance for building connection in the virtual business environment as well. Put a face with a voice whenever possible. Make sure pictures pop up in your instant messaging or videoconferencing software. Or take PR firm Ogilvy's lead. They use their internal social network to ease collaboration and relationship-building. Each person has a bio, formal and informal, with notes about their particular skills. Socialcast, Ning and Path offer low-cost ways to implement this technology for any size company.

Finally, virtual relationships are built faster when they are one-to-one. Find ways to divide the team into smaller working teams so they mix in dyads or small groups.

4. Blend task clarity with work autonomy.

Virtual teams need more communications, more protocols, and more clarity -- around tasks. But when it comes to doing the work, one of the benefits of virtual work is you have more room to move in how you accomplish it. Be clear about expectations for deadlines, resolution of team issues, availability, and even communications. Then get out of the way.

5. Stack the deck.

A study at the London School of Economics showed that virtual teams are not all created the same. The best ones aren't composed of functional experts with similar talents -- rather they are quite diverse. High-performing teams have a mix of new and legacy employees with complementary skills. (The balance is critical, if the ratio favors too many legacy employees the new folks can feel left out.) Also look to add boundary-spanners to your virtual team. These are folks with relationships across the company who know where to go to get things done. They can help the entire team manage hurdles, which given the complexity of virtual work in the first place, will be inevitable.

Are you a virtual manager with unique tips for how to succeed? Share here or @kristihedges.

Kristi Hedges is a leadership coach, speaker and author of Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Influence and Engage Others. Find her at and @kristihedges.


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© R. Darren Price/MCT/Newscom

Nikki Haley

Governor, South Carolina
  • Age: 40
  • @nikkihaley
  • Big Break: Elected the first female governor of South Carolina in 2010.
I encourage people to find and use the power of their voices just as much when I do not agree with those voices as when I do agree with them.

Haley is currently the youngest serving Governor in the country and among the most powerful women in the GOP. She was chosen to speak at the 2012 Republican National Convention, a move some part-watchers see as a signal she’s being groomed for higher office. While Haley has publicly stated she would refuse Mitt Romney if he chose her as a running-mate in the 2012 presidential elections, but has not “ruled out” her own 2016 run for commander-in-chief.

More Women to Watch


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  1. Thinking of buying a 97 transit but it only has a single passanger seat. Was hoping to buy a double one from a breakers and fit it but wondered do ford use a standard shell for the transit and if so would there be lugs on the floor going spare to take a double seat?? Thanks


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  1. Just for anyone else coming to this thread, for most models after 2001 the resistor pack is located in the drivers side footwell diagonally up from the top of the clutch pedal, all the you can sis a white socket with a plug but take the 2 screws out and the whole pack slides out from the heater box.
  2. Please Delete this thread!
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Old 08-12-2016, 11:57 AM   #1
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Solar Cable Routing

So who as wired solar panels on their DX3 or Force? This is probably going to be a spring project for me but working on some of the details now.

Biggest question I have is what's the best route from the roof down to the batteries?

Seems a lot of installs use a fridge vent that's not an option to us. Next thought would be if I can get into the pillar behind the drivers seat the lower cabinet would be a good place for a controller and a direct route to the batteries.

Not real keen on drilling the roof though so if there's any other ways to cheat my way down I'm all ears!

Sure there will be more questions to come but this one has me thinkin right now...

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In the Force I would probably run it down through the washer/dryer closet. Would give me a good deal of room to work in there and it is easy enough to get into the storage bins from there. I probably would not go through the roof either, but upper wall area would be ideal.

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i know that most of us hate to think about roof penetrations. However, a piece of 3/4" PVC conduit penetrating the roof and sticking up maybe 1/4", well sealed, and then a PVC combiner box with a hole for the conduit to go through it and heavily sealed to the roof will never leak. Dicor and sealastic will totally seal things. In addition, a small 1/8" weep hole in the side of the combiner box at the bottom of the low side will take care of any seal leakage as well. When you put the combiner box down over the conduit, liberally butter it with sealastic and clean up the edges. water takes the easy way...not the hard way.

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( Fabulous restyling gives the palatial outdoor swimming pool the wow factor!

The majestic Hilton Sorrento Palace, overlooking the Bay of Naples, having recently refurbished all its guest rooms now completes its renovation programme with a stunning pool makeover.

The outdoor swimming pool, which boasts no less than six interconnecting pools on different levels, affords the visitor wonderful views toward Vesuvius and the Sorrento coast.

The pool has been renovated to the highest standards and now provides a unique experience for children who can swim and play in total safety, for those who like to swim to keep fit and for those who simply want to relax in the crystalline water.

The swimming pool has been resurfaced with more than 3 million mosaic tiles in glorious shades of blue and now has comfortable wide steps down into the water.

The spacious sun terrace which boasts a surface area of 1,400 sq metres, has been extended to ensure the comfort of hotel guests and to make sunbathing pure pleasure.

Alongside the pool is the enchanting citrus garden perfumed with orange, lemon and grapefruit trees. It is the ideal place for a break in the shade.

It all adds up to an incomparable guest experience.

The Hilton Sorrento Palace has 377 elegant bedrooms all of which have recently been renovated. The majority of these offer breathtaking views across the orange groves, traditional rooftops and the Bay of Naples.

The hotel has chosen a refined combination of modern design and Mediterranean comfort for its interiors. In addition to the swimming pool, guests can enjoy a game of tennis on the floodlit court or take a dip in the dramatic setting of the indoor pool.

Tradition and modernity are cleverly mixed in the restaurants and bars. The Sorrento Restaurant offers a selection of refined dishes developed from the freshest local ingredients; in the Sorrento Lounge guests can enjoy a delicious cocktail to the accompaniment of live music; the Terrace is the ideal place for a refreshing aperitif. The Pagoda, down by the outdoor pool, offers snacks and light meals of which the Neapolitan pizza, made according to the traditional recipe, is a highlight.

As a conference venue, the Hilton Sorrento Palace offers one of the biggest meetings complexes in the south of Italy with 21 meeting rooms including three auditoriums that can accommodate 1500, 300 and 170 people respectively. There is a total of 3450 sq metres of exhibition space equipped with wireless and high speed internet connection. All the spaces are equipped with up-to-date technology, are highly flexible and offer all the facilities needed to ensure the success of your meeting whatever the size.

The Hilton Sorrento Palace is in an enviable position, just five minutes from the historical centre of Sorrento and 30 minutes from Capri, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. It is an ideal base from which to explore the enchanting villages along the Amalfi Coast or to visit the archeological sites of Pompei and Ercolano. Naples international airport is just one hour’s drive away.

To take advantage of the special summer offers available at the Hilton Sorrento Palace go to the Hilton website at There are four unmissable deals available until 30 September 2007.

PR Contact: Michela Anna Gargiulo Marketing & PR Coordinator Hilton Sorrento Palace 80067 Sorrento (NA) - Italy Tel. +39.081.878.41.41 Fax +39.081.878.13.97

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Harbison: An Adventure in Soft-Ripened Cheesemaking - Formaggio Kitchen

Harbison: An Adventure in Soft-Ripened Cheesemaking

Harbison with Iggy's Baguette

This past summer, I had the opportunity to assist with cheesemaking at Jasper Hill Farm. One of my favorite cheeses made by the team in Greensboro, VT is called Harbison, a fairly recent addition to the line-up but no less spectacular than their other cheeses.

Harbison Curds in MoldsHarbison is made from pasteurized cow milk and is named after Anne Harbison, considered by many to be the grandmother of Greensboro. It is a soft-ripened cheese with a pudding-like texture and irresistible flavors that include sweet cream and berries when younger, growing stronger and more mushroomy with age. Taking a card from the classic European cheese, Vacherin Mont d’Or, Harbison is wrapped with bark harvested from spruce trees that populate the woodlands surrounding the farm. In particular, the cheesemakers use spruce cambium. Cambium is the soft tissue growing between a tree’s bark and wood – something like a softer, second layer of bark.

During my stay in Greensboro, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to make Harbison with expert Jasper Hill cheesemakers, Calista and Evan. One of the key things I learned while helping out: making cheese has a set rhythm to it – a rhythm determined by the milk itself. Cheesemakers monitor the changing acidity, and adjust the pace of their day according to how the milk is reacting.

Cheesemaking vats are made from a heavy grade white plastic. They are freestanding units with wheels, making them easy to maneuver. To make Harbison, the vats are lined up in two rows, as the space dictates. After the milk has been pasteurized, it is directed into 8 vats (maybe 7 depending on how much milk there is) and then, the cheesemaking begins.

Harbison Cheesemaking Vats

The first step is to add a bacterial culture to the milk. The culture plays a major role in determining the flavor of a cheese. The next step is to add rennet. Harbison is made with traditional rennet which comes from the lining of a calf’s stomach. Once rennet is added, the cheesemaker has to wait until the cheese reaches “flocculation” or, in other words, has started to set. This process takes about 40 minutes. Then, it is time for the dance to begin!

Molding Harbison CurdsFirst, Calista cut the curd using a long metal tool. Then, there was a pause to let the curd rest. The next step involved using a perfectly shaped mesh screen that cut the curd into 1-inch pieces – the first pass was made moving front to back and then, the second, moving left to right, so that the end result was uniform, 1-inch cubes of soft, delicate curd with the texture of jello.

This process is repeated on all bins, but in an overlapping pattern and timed to allow the curds to rest as needed. This is what made it seem like a well-timed, well-paced and rather beautiful dance. Calista slowly moved from vat to vat – first, using the mesh tool moving front to back. Then, in her second pass, she went from side to side, allowing each batch of curds to rest before moving the operation along.

Packing Harbison Curds into MoldsOnce all of the bins were ready, Evan and I rolled them over to where they were to be lifted so the curds could be poured into cheese molds (set up while we were waiting for the curd to be cut). As Evan cranks the lever to lift and dump the vat of curd, Calista gets in position to mold the cheese. The vat is tilted and the warm curd comes rushing out. Calista molds quickly and evenly. This team effort is repeated with each of the eight vats.

Brining HarbisonAfter all the molds are filled, they will be flipped several times before they are sent downstairs for the night so the cheesemaking room can be cleaned and prepared for the brining process.

The next day the cheeses are removed from their molds, soaked in a brine solution and “barked.” While the cheeses are soaking, the cambium strips are boiled – to soften and sanitize them. The room that the cheeses are barked in is steamy and smells like a sauna. The cheeses are brought in and, one-by-one, wrapped snugly with a soft, pliable strip of spruce cambium, held in place by a rubber band. The cheeses are then stacked on metal racks, ready to be sent over to the Cellars for aging.

Spruce Bands for Harbison

Harbison is aged at the Cellars for five weeks. In that time, each wheel is flipped regularly and patted delicately, nurturing a fuzzy white mold that is encouraged to develop evenly on the rind.

Jasper Hill Farm's Harbison

Once Harbison has finished aging, many wheels make the journey to our shops in Boston, Cambridge and New York and from us, finally, to cheese-loving homes! Stop by and give Harbison try, we’re sure you’ll be able to see why this cheese won 2nd place in the “Soft-Ripened Cow Milk Cheese” category at the American Cheese Society Conference and Competition this past August in Raleigh — and, of course, why it has so quickly become a staff favorite!

For a video of the Harbison cheesemaking process, please click here.

Sarah Spira is the domestic cheese buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen South End.


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Producer Profile: Azienda Agricola Pacina di Giovanna Tiezzi Borsa - Formaggio Kitchen

Producer Profile: Azienda Agricola Pacina di Giovanna Tiezzi Borsa

Pacina Wine LabelsRecently, we were thrilled to welcome Giovanna Tiezzi and Stefano Borsa to our shop. Giovanna and Stefano are the dedicated growers behind Pacina wine and they stopped by our Cambridge shop on a rare visit to the United States to taste out their ’07 Chianti Colli Senesi and speak to folks about what distinguishes them from other viticoltori in their region.

Where is Pacina?

Located about twenty-five minutes east of Siena in the Chianti district of Colli Senesi, Pacina is an old convent, dating to circa 900AD. The land where the convent is located is rich in wine history insofar as Pāca was the Etruscan god of the grape harvest, the equivalent of the Roman god, Bacchus, or the Greek god, Dionysius. For centuries, wine has been made in this region.

Flash forward to 2011: Pacina serves as a home to Giovanna Tiezzi and Stefano Borsa, along with their children, Maria and Carlo.  Giovanna took over the estate that was bought by her great-grandparents. Today, she and Stefano cultivate a wide range of produce – from cereals, to fruit, to vegetables, to extra virgin olive oil. Giovanna and Stefano are, however, probably best known for their wine. As with everything they produce, it is organic.

Where is the Chianti region?

The Chianti region in Italy encompasses a large part of Tuscany and includes the major cities of Florence and Siena – think too of the leaning tower of Pisa, of Michelangelo’s David and Brunelleschi’s dome. The whole Chianti region has been awarded Denominazione di origine controllata (DOCG) status and is divided into eight districts. The district known as “Chianti Classico” is considered by many to be the true heart of Chianti country. Pacina is situated just 100 meters southeast of the Chianti Classico border, within the Colli Senesi district.

What distinguishes different Chiantis*?

In addition to the varying terroir of the Chianti regions, aging is a distinguishing factor. In order to receive the “Riserva” designation, wines must be aged for a minimum of two years. Whether or not the wines are blended is also something to consider. Top Chiantis (like Pacina) are usually made with almost 100% Sangiovese, a grape with a medium to high level of acidity. Some producers, however, will blend up to 20% of the wine, using local grapes such as Cannaiolo, Malvasia Nera, Ciliegiolo, and international varietals such as Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Chiantis may be designated by the name of the district they are from or, if the grapes are a blend from different districts, simply as “Chianti.” Good Chiantis age well and are considered to be ideal food wines – dry but with fruity flavor profiles. Often they benefit from being aged five to eight years but good vintages can go for more than 10 years in the cellar.

What distinguishes Pacina Chianti?

Giovanna, Stefano, Maria and Carlo

Giovanna, Stefano, Maria and Carlo

If you are familiar with our wine philosophy, you will know how important natural, traditional farming is to us. In general, we have found that those winemakers who have a closer relationship to the land translate their terroir most authentically. Giovanna and Stefano are pioneers in their growing community, not only with respect to organic farming but also their commitment to tradition in both the vineyard and wine cellar. They strive to find an ecological balance on their estate, priding themselves on the biodiversity of their land – the abundance of various fruit and vegetables as well as the native grasses and herbs that populate their vineyards. They believe that the healthier the ecosystem, the better their wine will be and the more expressive of Pacina’s true terroir. They have never introduced chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides to the property and don’t ever intend to do so. Their vines intuitively plunge deep into the soils, extracting the minerals and nutrients that are present.

Pacina’s Chianti Colli Senesi is very much an example of how Chianti used to taste before the introduction of technology in the wine cellar. They choose to ferment using the ambient yeasts that naturally inhabit the skins of their fruit and refuse temperature control during fermentation, trusting the natural process to get the job done. Vintage to vintage variation is thus inevitable and welcomed, allowing their wine to show the true imprint of the region’s climate and soil. In addition, Giovanna and Stefano conduct lengthy and patient macerations that exceed many of those conducted by other growers. As a result, their Chianti drinks much like a Brunello and can age for much longer than most wines from their peers – even beyond 25 years for a good vintage!

Pacina’s wine will be available for sale in early August, 2011 and we are currently taking pre-orders from customers that would like to reserve some of the limited supply in advance.

*Please note that it is very difficult to generalize about a growing region and, in this section, we merely attempt a brief orientation that should be considered a starting point for further research. At the shop, our knowledge of a region begins through the lens of the producer, especially through visiting, and then expands through tasting and travel.

Gemma Iannoni is the wine buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

  • Bob Silverman

    Quite interesting. Italian wines and cheeses are mysterious territory for me.
    Will there ever be an Italian Wine & Cheese Class 101?

    • Hi Bob, we periodically host cheese (and wine!) classes that are more regionally focused. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest signing up for our classes and events email via our website (bottom left of the home page). We send out monthly emails with upcoming classes so you can discover any that interest you. Thanks for your comment!


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GTA V: New Screenshots Revealed

GTA V-New Screenshots

Rockstar has released a few new screenshots for their ongoing project, GTA V. The game suffered many delays during 2012, and further setbacks in 2013, after it was revealed that the game will only be launching on 17th September 2013. The screenshots don’t show much gameplay, but emphasise more scenery, from underwater excursions to intense thunderstorms, and modes of transport in Los Santos. The release of these images is a means for Rockstar to display the type of graphics that can still be achieved on PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. A new multiplayer mode has also been added in which players will be able to form a crew/gang of up to 5 players to complete different missions and accumulate experience points. There is still no word on whether the game will be coming to PC, let alone the new PS and Xbox consoles due later this year.

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He really bothered to make an account, then play to level 4, then post for like a week before he revealed.

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bet365 Bonus Review

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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Three suicide bombers detonated their explosives-packed cars near an officers' club in Syria's northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, killing at least 31 people and causing massive destruction that trapped scores under the rubble, Syrian state media and activists said.

The blasts went off at a main square in a government-controlled district of the city, while a fourth explosion detonated a few hundred meters (yards) away near the Chamber of Commerce, they said.

Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub and largest city, has seen intensified fighting between regime forces and rebels trying to oust President Bashar Assad, especially after the fighters launched a new offensive last week. But it has not been the target of frequent suicide attacks, and Wednesday's stunning wave of explosions caused panic and fear among residents.

State-run news agency SANA said the bombings targeted Saadallah al-Jabri square, describing them as the work of "terrorists," and said at least 31 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded. Authorities refer to rebels fighting to topple Assad as terrorists and armed gangs.

A state-run channel, Ikhbariya, showed footage of massive damage around the square, which also houses a famous hotel. One building appeared leveled to the ground. The facade of another was heavily damaged.

The TV showed footage of several bodies, including one being pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building.

"It was like a series of earthquakes," said a shaken resident who declined to be identified for fear of reprisals. "It was terrifying, terrifying."

He said the officers' club and the hotel were almost completely destroyed. His account could not be immediately verified, although the TV footage showed at least one building reduced to rubble.

A Syrian government official said the number of deaths would likely increase because many of the wounded were in critical condition. Speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, he said soldiers killed two more would-be suicide bombers at the scene, before they could detonate their explosives.

Aleppo-based activist Mohammad Saeed said the explosions went off minutes apart at one of the city's main squares. He said the blasts appear to have been caused by car bombs and were followed by clashes and heavy gunfire.

"The area is heavily fortified by security and the presence of shabiha," he said, referring to pro-regime gunmen. "It makes you wonder how car bombs could reach there," he added.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, reported dozens of casualties from the blasts, most of them members of the regime forces.

A statement from the observatory said the explosions followed a clash between guards at the officers' club and gunmen. It said a fourth car bomb went off in the Bab Jnein area near the Chamber of Commerce, causing an unspecified number of casualties there.

During the course of the 18-month-uprising against Assad, suicide and car bombings targeting security agencies and soldiers have become common in Syria, particularly in the capital, Damascus.

But Aleppo has been spared from such bombings and from the mayhem that struck other Syrian cities, particularly in the first year of the revolt. Then, in February, two suicide car bombers hit security compounds in Aleppo's industrial center, killing 28 people.

The uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011 and gradually morphed into a bloody civil war. The conflict has killed more than 30,000 people, activists say, and has devastated entire neighborhoods in Syria's main cities, including Aleppo.


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CONCORD -- The number of bankruptcies filed in New Hampshire dropped by 18 percent in 2012, with the total number of filings continuing to dwindle each month.

December bankruptcy filings (according to preliminary numbers derived from the Bankruptcy Court’s electronic filing system) fell to 246 households and businesses, 25 fewer than last month and more than 100 fewer than the amount filed the previous December.

It is the lowest number of filings in December - indeed, the lowest number of filings in any month -- since December 2007.

That total brought the total number of filings (according to preliminary figures) to 3,900, 18 percent fewer than 2011, when nearly 4,750 were filed. The 2011 total was 14 percent lower than the record set in 2010, when some 5,500 bankruptcies were filed.

Like November, only three businesses filed for bankruptcy protection:

• Focus Capital Inc., Bedford, filed Dec. 4, Chapter 11. Assets: $230. Liabilities: $7,520,353.

• Richard’s Steel & Iron Inc., East Kingston, filed Dec. 18, Chapter 7. Assets: Less than $50,000. Liabilities: $100,000 to $500,000.

• Goga Studios Inc., Nashua, filed Dec. 27, Chapter 7. Assets: $179,653. Liabilities: $483,132.


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KITTERY -- The Kittery Community Center at Frisbee Common has announced the name Star Theatre for its new 2,500 square foot performing arts center.

The newly transformed space offers state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems and retractable seating for 171. The theatre is incorporated into the Community Center’s overall 55,000 square foot renovation of the former c.1940 Frisbee School.

The beautiful high brick space offers a unique venue to the surrounding region for a wide range of activities from live theatre, music and dance to movie screenings, weddings and community meetings. Galleries adjacent to the theatre offer space for visual arts exhibitions.

The Star Theatre name recognizes the generosity of the lead donor to the project -- the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation -- a family foundation based in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Ogden Foundation trustee and Kittery Point resident, Peter Lamb, commented, “The family owned and operated Star Expansion Industries for nearly a hundred years. We have a long history of supporting the arts and community based projects that encourage the creative economy and environmental stewardship. This project renovated a terrific old building, aggregates many community activities under one roof and is adjacent to the Spruce Creek watershed.”

Funding to fully outfit the theatre came from dozens of individuals, businesses and organizations and totaled nearly $150,000. The Ogden Foundation partnered with the Maine Community Foundation to issue a challenge matching grant to encourage additional contributors. “It’s great to see so many who now have a stake in the ongoing success of the Community Center!” Lamb continued.

The Kittery Community Center is quickly becoming known for its high quality programs including sports, child care, youth & adult programming, community events, dance and fitness. Center Director Janice Grady added, “Star Theatre has given us an important arts component to the overall Community Center mission. It enables us to reach out to the surrounding region and build on Kittery’s growing reputation as a cultural destination. We are very grateful to the many donors who have made this all possible. And, It’s fun to recognize the support of the Ogden Foundation in this way, because everyone loves a Star!”


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Kaka backs Coutinho to fill Gerrard void

Brendan Rodgers can build his Liverpool team around Philippe Coutinho, according to Kaka.

Former Brazil playmaker Kaka has urged Liverpool to build a team around Philippe Coutinho following the departure of long-serving captain Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard left Anfield at the end of last season to join LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer, where Kaka also plies his trade for Orlando City.

And, after Coutinho scored the winner in Liverpool's Premier League opener at Stoke City on Sunday, Kaka predicts a bright future at both club and international level for the 23-year-old.

"I have been a big admirer of Coutinho and he can be a very important player for Liverpool and Brazil," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.

"There will be a lot of expectation on him with Liverpool fighting to get back into the Champions League, but I know that he can handle it.

"One great player doesn't make a team, but you can build a team around one great player, and I believe he can be that player.

"Coutinho is a humble guy. He won't talk about being able to replace a legend like Steven Gerrard, and the truth is nobody could ever replace him, but with Gerrard gone they do need somebody to step up — and he can do that."


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About this property

Just Listed..pristine..Spacious home with a great yard on dead-end street, close to everything but away from busy roads. Lots of bedrooms, Beautiful Kitchen w/ Granite Counters & S/S Appliances, Vaulted Ceilings, Finished basement with Bar, playroom, office space. Upgraded windows, gutters, large backyard, many new items to see. Nothing to do but move in!

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Children's Health

Moms' bossiness at snack time tied to kids' weight

Mothers who push their toddlers to eat more at snack time may end up with a heavier child, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that when moms were overly "intrusive" during their young children's snack time, their kids tended to be a bit chubbier by the age of 3.

It's not clear whether parents' pushiness actually leads to excess weight gain in their preschoolers. And the weight differences seen in this study were small.

Still, experts already suggest that parents take a more relaxed approach to young kids' meals. That is, give them healthy food choices, but back off when it comes to how much they eat.

Toddlers are famously finicky eaters. And parents often worry their child might not be eating enough, Dr. Julie C. Lumeng, lead researcher on the new study, said in an interview.

"So their toddler doesn't want to eat, but parents are saying, 'Come on, honey. Eat, eat, eat!'" said Lumeng, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

It's thought, she explained, that parents may end up "overriding" their little one's ability to listen to the body's natural "satiety signals" -- the brain's way of telling you to stop eating.

A number of studies have pointed to links between parents' "controlling" behavior at meal time and their children's risk of being overweight. But one problem with those studies is that they relied on questionnaires that essentially ask parents if they're pushy at the dinner table.

"With this study, we said let's actually observe what mothers are doing," Lumeng said.

To do that, the researchers had 1,218 moms come to the research lab, then videotaped them during a 10-minute snack with their child. Families came three different times -- when the child was 15 months, 2 years and 3 years old.

Overall, moms who were most "intrusive" during the snacks tended to have heavier kids -- even when factors like family income and race were taken into account.

Lower-income and minority children generally have a higher risk of obesity than white, middle-class kids and studies have found that their moms also tend to be more controlling at meal time, the authors note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"Intrusive" in this study meant pushing toddlers to eat rather than offering food, Lumeng explained -- saying, for example, "You know you like it. Take another bite."

The association between pushiness and kids' weight was a small one, Lumeng said.

If, for example, all of a mother's snack time "prompts" were of the assertive variety, her child would move up slightly on the body mass index (BMI) scale -- akin to moving from the 50th percentile to the 57th, Lumeng explained.

And the study has its limits. Videotaping moms has advantages over questionnaires. But it was also done in the research lab, and does not necessarily reflect what's happening at home, Lumeng said.

So she and her colleagues are starting a study where they will have low-income families videotape typical meals at home, to see whether parent-child interactions are related to kids' weight.

For now, Lumeng suggested that parents follow experts' current thinking: Give your young children healthy food, but allow them to control how much they eat at a time.

"Children will naturally eat the proper amount," she said.

If you're worried that your toddler is not getting enough food, Lumeng said, talk to your pediatrician.

"Often," she noted, "the kids parents are worried about are actually a very healthy weight."


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Does eating organic food make you a jerk?

What image does that word conjure up? Is it your uncle Joe, who lives in a McMansion, complete a large staff to serve his every whim while never saying, "thank you"?

Perhaps your sister’s boyfriend who drives the Bugatti Veyron and talks about it to anyone who will listen?

Maybe a friend of a friend who dons thousands of dollars of exclusive designer clothing to go to the grocery store?

Or, perhaps, it's your next-door-neighbor who buys and eats organic food.

A new and very provocative study, "Wholesome Foods and Wholesome Morals? Organic Foods Reduce Prosocial Behavior and Harshen Moral Judgments," by Dr. Kendall J. Eskine from Loyola University New Orleans, indicates that buying and consuming organic foods can actually induce self righteousness and selfish behavior.

In other words, it can make you a jerk.

What influences someone to go organic? Organic foods in general cost more than conventionally grown foods, so why pay more for already expensive food?

Some controversial explanations are provided by the author of the study:

1. It's smart to buy organic food

While it may cost more initially to purchase organic, free range and natural foods, everyone knows it’s the “in thing.” -- So smart people who keep up with the times want to be part of it.

2. Organically grown food is healthy

Toxins that are in pesticides must affect your health -- right? So, it stands to reason that if you don't eat chemically-treated produce, if you don't eat the pesticides, you'll theoretically improve your health.

3. Organic food is "green"

Organic farmers do not use conventional farming methods. Chemical fertilizers dumped in the soil is are a short term treatment that hurts the earth in the long run. So, when you buy organic, you're doing your part to “save the planet.”

Given this list above eating organic food should be all good, right?

Actually, that's not at all the case. And here's why. When folks start shopping and eating organic, a self-righteous change begins. In other words, they become snobs. They look down on those folks in the grocery store check-out line sticking with processed food, frozen dinners and even those shoppers who do not bring their own reusable bag. And they become downright judgmental. (Check out this 6 minute satirical clip from Portlandia).

Even more importantly, the authors of the study found, their sense of self importance and harsh judgement didn't stop with food -- it carried over to other areas of their life, as well.

Here's how the author did the research. The study divided 60 people into three groups: Group 1 was shown organic produce; Group 2 was shown comfort foods like cakes and cookies, and Group 3 was shown non-organic, non-comfort foods, like rice and oatmeal.

Then the study participants were given scenarios consisting of minor moral transgressions and asked to comment on them.

The results: Those in Group 1 ( the organic food group) judged others much more harshly than the participants in the other two groups. Group 1 folks were also less likely to help a stranger in need and they were more selfish with their time.

Organic shoppers say they feel good about themselves. Yet, while their bodies may be benefiting from a healthy lifestyle, their brains are not faring as well.

They may be purchasing goods with beautiful, morally uplifting names like "Honest Tea," "Purity Life," "Back to Nature," "Born Free," "Earth Balance" and "Prince of Peace," but at the same time they seem to succumb to a sense of moral superiority, one that makes them pass judgment on others while maintaining a narcissistic self-focus.

Is this what happens when you feel better because you're contributing to your health and the good of Mother Earth?

Yes, I call it the “moral superiority syndrome” and you see it in fashion statements, too (just say no to fur), cars (hybrid, of course), and religious cults. (Wow, who would have thought the behavior of an organic shopper was comparable to that of a cult member?!)

Bottom line: Next time you consider buying organic, do so if you think it’s good for you. But keep your attitude in check -- you’re not better, smarter, greener or necessarily making more of a difference in the world than your McDonald's chomping neighbor.

Dr. Dale Archer is a psychiatrist and frequent guest on "FoxNews.com Live." For more, visit his website: Dr.DaleArcher.com.


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Indians' Raburn named AL Player of the Week

Cleveland Indians outfielder Ryan Raburn has been selected as the American League's Player of the Week for games played between April 29-May 5.

Raburn earned the honor by batting a torrid .591 (13-for-22) with four home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored over five games. The 32-year-old's batting average was tops in the majors for the week, and he also led all of baseball with a 1.182 slugging percentage and 26 total bases.

The first Indian to be chosen Player of the Week since Asdrubal Cabrera on April 11, 2011, Raburn also became just the fourth MLB player since 1939 to record 11 hits and four homers over a three-game span, joining Hall of Famers Duke Snider (1955) and Kirby Puckett (1987) and Shawn Green (2002).

Others considered for the award included Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and the Angels' Mike Trout.


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Pittsburgh's late rally falls short as North Carolina escapes with 34-27 win

Jordan Canada rushed for a career-high 189 yards and two touchdowns to lead Montana to a 42-6 win over Weber State on Saturday.

The Grizzlies (9-2, 5-2 Big Sky) piled up 461 yards of total offense, with John Nguyen, Marlon Miles and Shay Smithwick-Hann each rushing for a TD. Cam Warren caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Johnson to put Montana on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a lead it would never relinquish.

Johnson suffered a concussion and didn't play in the second half.

Weber State (1-10, 0-7) had three first-half turnovers, including two interceptions from quarterback Austin Chipoletti. The only Wildcat scoring came from kicker Shaun McClain, who hit two field goals for the Wildcats, including a 48 yard field goal as time expired in the first half to cut the Grizzlies lead, 14-6.

Canada responded with an 80-yard TD run to open the third quarter.


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Oil Prices Surge Above $59 on Winter Worries

Oil prices climbed Tuesday on persistent fears that the heating oil supply would run short this winter when demand is expected to peak.

Light sweet crude for August delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange (search) rose 80 cents to $59.55 per barrel, following the three-day Independence Day (search) holiday weekend in the U.S. On Friday, the contract had gained more than $2 a barrel to close at $58.75.

Heating oil rose 2.5 cents to $1.7359 a gallon while gasoline gained over 2 cents to $1.6705.

On London's International Petroleum Exchange, August Brent futures gained 34 cents to $58.28 a barrel. The contract was up more than $3 from its June 30 level of $55.04.

Ongoing concerns about U.S. investory levels keep overall sentiment in the market bullish, said Julian Lee, an energy analyst with the London-based Center for Global Energy Studies.

"I don't think one can rule out a spike to $65 a barrel, but we are looking at price levels in the upper $50s throughout July," Lee said.

Prices continued to be supported by concerns that North America's aging refineries will have to stretch production levels to the limit as they ramp up production of distillates, which include jet fuel and heating oil, ahead of winter.

The tightness in refinery capacity coupled with strong demand leaves little margin for refinery glitches to occur.

"Heating oil may have rallied because of strong global diesel demand," said New York-based Energyintel analyst George Orwel. He said heating oil's 17-cent climb over the last four weeks was "fueled by diesel demand and fears that U.S. refiners won't have time to make enough heating oil for next winter."

With global demand showing no signs of abating, except for a modest slow in demand growth in China, prices are unlikely to drop significantly this year, Lee said.

Meanwhile, U.S. affairs in the Middle East have propped up concerns of supply disruptions in the oil-rich Gulf.

New Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (search) promised he would boost the transparency of his nation's oil deals and pursue a nuclear energy program.

Washington has been pressuring the Europeans, involved in tricky nuclear negotiations with Tehran, to make clear to Ahmadinejad that a nuclear-armed Iranwill not be tolerated.

Iran rejects U.S. claims that its nuclear program is for building weapons, insisting that it is pursuing nuclear technology to generate power.

Iran also accused the United States and Israelof a smear campaign against Ahmadinejad, who has been accused of taking American hostages in 1979 when radical students seized the U.S embassy in Tehran.

"Continued tensions with Iran seem inevitable. Ominously for tight oil markets, supplies are less secure and flowing less freely as a result," said Energyintel analyst Peter Kemp in a research note.

"The U.S. is clearly uncomfortable with the results of presidential elections in Iran, and although this does not act as an immediate price trigger, ongoing market concerns support bullish sentiment," Lee said.

Despite markets being amply supplied, oil prices have remained persistently high in the past year with the price of crude oil futures about 60 percent above year-ago levels.


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Illegal fireworks suspected in fires that damaged property, threatened homes across California

Investigators suspect illegal fireworks sparked a fire that injured four firefighters and caused up to $3 million in damage to three warehouses in South Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said witnesses reported seeing a group of young men shooting fireworks at mattresses outside one of the warehouses in the Florence area Saturday night. The blaze spread to two other warehouses.

Four firefighters suffered minor injuries. Fireworks debris was found at the scene.

In Northern California, officials said illegal fireworks may have started a wildfire that burned more than 320 acres and threatened homes in the city of Vacaville, and a grass fire in the Rio Linda area of Sacramento that damaged five outbuildings and 10 cars. One firefighter was hospitalized after suffering a muscular injury in the process.


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Odd News

Cat survives dart to the head

cat dart 516

 (Fox 28)

An Idaho cat luckily survived a blow dart to the face Thursday – and all without having to use one of its nine lives.

The Coeur d’Alene kitty, Red, was found by its owners meowing with the dart lodged in the region between its eyes and its brain, FOX28 reported.

“He’s just completely sweet always,” owner Katelyn Halpin said. “He always sticks around here and keeps to himself. That’s why it’s even more perturbing to me that someone would go and do this.”

Vets removed the dart, but Halpin and Carson Kelley, who received Red for his 9th birthday, have no idea who the culprit could be.

“I was just in a panic because I thought it was in his brain and it was just the last piece keeping him alive,” Kelley said.

Click for more from Fox 28.


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Heavy snow and deep freeze cause chaos in cities and villages across the Balkans

Blizzards blocked roads, stranded villages, disrupted power supplies and shut down an airport in the Balkans on Tuesday, the fourth straight day of tough winter weather in the region of southeastern Europe.

In one of the worst hit areas, snowdrifts and avalanches blocked roads in hilly northern Montenegro, where about a meter (3 feet) of snow fell overnight, officials said.

Across the border in southwestern Serbia, heavy snowfall blocked roads to more than a dozen villages, with some left without electricity and schools being closed for rest of the week, officials said.

"We have got heavy machinery out and we are doing all we can," said local emergency official Samir Bakic. "The wind is making the effort more difficult."

At least nine deaths across the region have been blamed on the snow and deep freeze, with temperatures as low as -15 Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Elsewhere in Serbia, officials said the snow was falling so fast that road crews were unable to even clear the central squares of some cities. In Belgrade, fresh snow left suburban areas stranded and caused traffic chaos in the city, where snow had begun to fall on Saturday.

The milder climates of Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, and the nation's Adriatic coast usually escape tough winter weather, but snow is blanketing Podgorica, too, closing its airport and cutting off electricity to the city and several coastal towns.

In Bosnia, some areas were left without electricity and with snow-covered roads.

Serbia's top emergency official apologized on Tuesday for failing to clear roads over the weekend, when hundreds of people were stranded in buses and cars. Predrag Maric said that "even emergency vehicles were blocked on the roads and that the only solution was military vehicles."

Meteorologists predicted the cold snap will last until the end of the week.

In Croatia, doctors issued warnings to the elderly and sick to stay indoors as local hospitals reported dozens of cases of broken limbs from falls on the ice and snow.

Jovana Gec contributed to this report from Serbia, and Aida Cerkez from Bosnia.


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New York Hospitality Industry Checklist for Compliance with Federal & State Labor Laws

2011Brochures Practical Advice

In light of the new wage order issued for the hospitality industry in New York (effective January 1, 2011) and other recent changes in state and federal law, we have prepared this checklist that employers in the hospitality industry can use to help ensure their general compliance with the applicable federal and state wage and hour laws. The list below is not intended to be comprehensive and does not cover all of the wage and hour requirements under federal and state law. Rather, this list covers the most problematic areas for employers that have historically been — and will continue to be — the subject of many lawsuits and/or governmental investigations. Thus, compliance with the items listed below will help minimize (but not eliminate) the employer’s risk of any potential litigation over these wage and hour matters.

View entire publication.


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Sharon Core: Early American

Photographs by Sharon Core
Text by Brian Sholis.
Hardback, 12 x 13 inches, 30 color illustrations
Radius Books, 2012

Reviewed by Lauren Greenwald

Issue 50

I first saw one of Sharon Core’s photographs from this series a few years ago, in the office of James Kelly Contemporary, in Santa Fe. The show had already passed but the gallery kept one image in the office where they could continue to enjoy it. I believe it was Still Life with Pipe, and I remember thinking to myself, what a fabulous, and surprisingly quaint, painting. And then, moving closer, being appropriately wowed by the fact it was merely a photograph. The sheer sumptuousness of the image prevented me, for several minutes, from picking the photograph apart technically. I find, too often, when photographers see something impressive, we immediately want to know how it is made. We seem to find a perverse satisfaction in “getting it” and being able to explain away the magic. Maybe it makes us feel smart.

So I was gratified to hear that Radius was publishing a monograph of Early American. The book is slightly oversized, simple, and elegant in design. 31 photographs are lavishly reproduced and assembled with a stitched binding, mimicking a hand-bound album. Six of the images are also presented close to their actual size in two-page spreads, the detail in the images practically assaulting the eye. The List of Plates is illustrated with thumbnail images proportionally sized with white drop shadow borders, giving the impression of viewing the images in a gallery. The List of Plates also provides information about the prints themselves; they are chromogenic prints made in the darkroom from 4 x 5 negatives, an intentional choice by the artist.

The opening essay, Cross Pollination, by Brian Sholis provides some historical detail about the 19th century American painter Raphaelle Peale, whose still life paintings are the inspiration for this body of work. Details of Core’s highly ritualistic and involved process are also revealed. He identifies her goal as “… not exact replication but mimesis.” Mimesis, or imitation, within the context of art, means more of a “re-presentation” rather than a copy, and can also be about perfection. Core’s adoption of Peale’s aesthetic is characterized as an attempt, “…to speak with Peale’s voice to produce an image he could have painted but never did.”

The still life in contemporary photography is, much like in Peale’s time, one of the less popular genres today. I was reminded of Marie Cosindas’s Polaroid still lifes, which are coincidentally currently on view at the Amon Carter Museum. A quote by Amon Carter curator John Rohrbach, in an article about the show in last month’s edition of Art in America, could have been describing Core’s images, “They’re dark, they come from an earlier sensibility, where one was meant to look at prints over a long period of time and let these intimate images come to you up out of the darkness. They’re very much of that esthetic. They’re filled with lots of little tiny details and they’re filled with a seeping of light that is more painterly than photographic.”

Core’s images, indeed, creep out of the darkness. The objects depicted are familiar, but often just a little bit strange. They are beautiful, seductive, and occasionally ugly. I found myself poring over the small details and the contradictions, as in Still Life with Steak, in which a fat-encrusted, alien looking slab of meat is grotesquely wrapped around a carrot. It is Raphaelle Peale meets Joel-Peter Witkin. Other images are simply captivating in the fine details highlighted by Core’s seeping light. The surfaces and textures become overemphasized and disorienting, as in the glowing, pockmarked ostrich egg in the first plate, Strawberries and Ostrich Egg.

The tradition of the still life has always reflected contemporary cultural mores. The opulent, lavish 16th and 17th century Dutch still life paintings reflected the material abundance of a capitalist mercantile culture. Early 17th century vanitas paintings encouraged repentance in accordance with strict Protestant ideology. While Core’s photographs are often compared to these genre paintings, I am more compelled to make a visual connection with the stripped down, early Modernist realism of Édouard Manet’s still lifes, like The Lemon, or Asparagus. Core’s photographs continue the tradition of the still life in their highly mediated authenticity. Not content to merely mimic Peale’s compositions, she literally recreates the subject matter itself. Growing the fruits and vegetables from rare heirloom seeds acquired through sources such as the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, her investment in time and labor recalls the quotidian experience of the early 19th century. I found myself wondering if the knowledge of her process affects my viewing of the work and my experience of this book. All of this time does seem to matter. Like the current resurgence in quality consciousness, from the locavore, farm-to-table movement to the premium placed on almost any artisanal product, Core’s painstaking approach to her acquisition of objects is a reflection of contemporary cultural trends.

This body of work by Sharon Core is perfectly framed by the excellent design by Radius Books and the high production value of Early American.

Support Fraction and buy the book here.

Lauren Greenwald is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Photography at NMSU and currently splits her time between Las Cruces, NM and Albuquerque, NM
To learn more about Lauren, please visit her website.


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Lakeside Serenity by David Knowlton

Price: Sale Price: $242.49
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50 x 29 Standard Solid Black Flat with Satin Finish Framed Art

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Framed art prints are one of the most popular finishing options at All of our David Knowlton art prints are printed on a medium or heavy stock paper by our experienced printing staff. They then go to the framing department where we'll complete the frame to your exact specifications. With over 60 frames and many mats available, you're sure to find something that you like for your framed Lakeside Serenity art. We'll finish it off with your choice of glass (depending on the finished size) and then it's on the way to your door in our secure packaging.


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Grant Playing The Piano by Richard Wallich

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From start to finish, will customize this framed Grant Playing The Piano fine art print just for you. Printed by in-house by one of our print experts and framed individually by our craftsmen, our framed Richard Wallich prints offer an easy, ready to hang solution to your wall art needs. Backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can customize your framed art with one of our many mat and frame combinations. If you're searching for a perfect piece of framed art for your dining room, bedroom or living room, has the perfect wall decor for you.


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France gets permission to exhume murdered monks

Text by Anne-Diandra LOUARN

Latest update : 2013-11-29

FRANCE 24 has learned that the Algerian government has given a French judge the go-ahead to exhume the decapitated heads of a group of French monks who were killed in Algeria in 1996.

The mystery surrounding the death of seven French monks, murdered and decapitated in Algeria in 1996, may be closer to being solved thanks to the efforts of a French judge.

Marc Trévidic made a three-day visit to Algiers earlier this week as part of his investigation into the murders, after waiting almost two years for a visa from the Algerian government.

A source close to the case confirmed to FRANCE 24 that Trévidic, who returned from Algiers on Wednesday, had obtained authorisation to perform autopsies on the heads of the victims, whose bodies were never found. Trévidic will therefore return to Algeria with his own medical legal team to work alongside Algerian experts.

Contrary to several reports in the Algerian press, Trévidic did not obtain authorisation to interview the twenty or so witnesses in the case. These witnesses include both Algerian intelligence officials as well as several former and jailed Islamists.

No date has yet been fixed for the autopsies. Given the cold winter temperatures and the frozen ground, the exhumations are likely to be delayed until spring. Once the autopsies take place, investigators may be able to better establish a timeline for the murders, using science to answer key questions such as whether the monks were killed by decapitation or were decapitated post-mortem.

Kidnap and cover-up

A month before the monks died, the Islamist Group Army (GIA) claimed to have kidnapped them, asking for a ransom from the French government and threatening to decapitate the hostages. Though the GIA claimed responsibility for the murders 17 years later, Trévidic has questioned the original theory that Islamists were involved.

Since 2009, the official investigation has also considered the possibility that the murders occurred during a botched anti-terrorism raid. A retired French general alleged that Algerian army helicopters, hunting Islamist rebels, opened fire on a camp they spotted in the mountains and may have accidentally killed the imprisoned monks. One theory suggests that army staff decapitated the bodies to throw blame on the monks’ captors.

This allegation — alongside claims that the French government had also participated in the cover-up — rocketed the case into the political and media spotlight, prompting then French President Nicolas Sarkozy to call for justice.

“I want the truth. Relations between major countries are based on the truth and not lies,” he said.

Date created : 2013-11-28


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Helping subject matter experts turn their knowledge into CASH!!!

Resources to Help YOU Build a Thriving, Ethical Information Marketing Business!

Information Marketing Across Digital Platforms

Information Marketing

If your head is spinning at the thought of changing your existing websites, landing pages and emails so that they can be seen on small mobile devices as well as large computer screens, you are not alone. Everybody is dealing with the same thing. Information marketing across digital platforms is a hot topic now.

Igor Faletsky, CEO of Mobify, shares an interesting perspective in a recent article on Forbes:

“The latest research from Google tells us that “90% of people move between devices to accomplish a goal, whether that’s on smartphones, PCs, tablets or TV. The three most common ways users move between devices are:

information marketing digital platforms

Information Marketing Across Digital Platforms

To search again on the second device,

To directly navigate to the destination site, and

Via email, that is, to send themselves a link to revisit later.

Faletsky works with data on mobile usage all day, everyday. I figure he’s a credible source we can trust on the subject in order to plan our information marketing businesses. And I think it’s pretty interesting to understand that smart phones and tablets are often used as gateways to laptops, desktops and TV.

This tells me that people are using their smaller devices to stay current and connected. They don’t want to miss anything. But they may very well make the choice to absorb information marketing offers and products on larger screens in order to see them better.

Audio products are probably an exception; I’m just guessing here. The sound quality on smart phones and tablets is excellent. This might be a good time to consider recording your written info products so that they can be heard on smaller digital devices, too.

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Fred’s Head from APH, a Blindness Blog

Fred’s Head, offered by the American Printing House for the Blind, contains tips, techniques, tutorials, in-depth articles, and resources for and by blind or visually impaired people. Our blog is named after the legendary Fred Gissoni, renowned for answering a seemingly infinite variety of questions on every aspect of blindness.

(See the end of this page for subscribing via email, RSS, browsing articles by subject, blog archive, APH resources, writing for Fred's Head, and disclaimers.)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Want to Teach the Blind?

If you’re interested in learning how to become a teacher of blind students, or if you’re wondering if this career choice is for you, then the National Federation of the Blind has a site for you!

They have developed a one-stop resource on teaching blind students to provide you information about this highly rewarding career. With 90% of blind children not being taught Braille, a 45% high school graduation rate for blind students, and a whopping 70% unemployment rate amongst working age blind adults, the time to make a difference is here!

Would you like to help others find out about this rewarding career? You can join their Teacher Recruitment Network. Prospective teachers or teacher candidates can learn about how the Teacher of Tomorrow Incentive Program can help you! Apply today to be part of their Teacher of Tomorrow Cohort program.

Current teachers, paraprofessionals, orientation and mobility instructors, and Program administrators, can join their Teach for Independence Network and visit the Blindness Education Station, a place to learn about best practices for working with blind students, and a place to share some of your own tricks of the trade!

Click this link to visit the Teach Blind Students website at

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