technology timeline

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Idowu blasts 'hysteria' over whereabouts

Britain's star triple jumper Phillips Idowu on Saturday blasted the "hysteria" about his whereabouts, insisting he was about to check into the Olympic Village after receiving medical treatment.

Charles van Commenee, the head coach of British athletics, called Idowu's antics "bizarre" and said he was completely unaware of what the Beijing 2008 silver medallist was doing.

Idowu, 33, is suffering from a trapped nerve and did not travel to Portugal with the Great Britain squad, preferring to arrange his own treatment ahead of his appearance at the Olympics in his home city.

"I'm in London where I have been for the last few weeks, finalising my prep and receiving therapy," he tweeted.

"My coach knew about this and it has not been a secret. I have to give notification of my whereabouts everyday for doping purposes, so impossible to completely disappear.

"The appropriate people can contact me with ease.

"I've only heard about the hysteria about my whereabouts today as I've been on a media lockdown, I'm into the (Athletes') village on Sunday as was planned months ago."

Qualifying for the men's triple jump is on Tuesday with the final on Thursday.

Idowu said British Olympians had been "performing amazingly" and "they need the column inches and adulation for their efforts".

The 2009 world champion, who hails from Hackney, just outside the Olympic Park in east London, has not competed since injuring his foot when he landed awkwardly in a triple jump competition in Eugene, Oregon, on June 2.

The outspoken Van Commenee and the flamboyant Idowu have a famously prickly relationship and have not spoken since they fell out last year over the triple jumper's withdrawal from the European Team Championships.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/idowu-blasts-hysteria-over-whereabouts-165843770--oly.html

babe ruth new jersey nets nba playoff schedule rondo morris claiborne mothers day gifts clippers

One Perfect Bite: Crock-Pot Cheesecake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If men climb mountains because they're there, is it fair to say that cooks try new recipes for the same reason? I suspect so. You all know I have a special weakness for cheesecake. It's been featured here over a dozen times and I'm still not ready to let it rest. When the recipe for this one appeared on my radar, my curiosity was piqued. I've used a slow cooker for many things, but never dreamed of using it to make a real dessert. This cheesecake sounded like a perfect dish with which to begin my experiments. The recipe was developed by Beth Hensberger for Food and Wine magazine. Beth creates wonderful recipes and the magazine keeps me current and connected to the cooking mainstream, so I knew the recipe would, at the very least, be sound. The cheesecake looked delicious and a quick scan of the ingredient list confirmed just how easy it would be to make. I decided to use low-fat dairy products in the cake, and, because too much of it can be harsh, I cut the quantity of almond extract in half. I replaced the missing portion with a teaspoon of good vanilla. The recipe featured below does not reflect the changes that I made. I was pleasantly surprised by this cheesecake. While the top of the cake forms a caldera, it can be filled with berries and the finished product is quite attractive and guest-worthy. I know that those of you who try this recipe will be really pleased with the results. Its size makes it perfect for today's smaller families and the use of low-fat dairy products keeps calories reasonably under control. I hope you, too, will give this cheesecake a try. Here's how it is made.

Crock-Pot Cheesecake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Beth Hensberger and Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
Salt
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
1) Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Press crumbs over the bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 6-inch springform pan that's 3 inches deep. I used an 8-inch springform pan.
2) In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, combine cream cheese, flour, remaining 2/3 cup of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Beat at medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, add eggs and almond extract. I used a combination of 1/2 teaspoon almond and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed until blended. Add sour cream and beat until smooth. Pour batter into springform pan.
3) Fill a 6- to 7-quart round or oval slow cooker with 1/2 inch of water and position a rack in bottom. I used boiling water and jury rigged a rack with wads of aluminum foil. Set cheesecake on rack. Cover slow cooker with a triple layer of paper towels, then cover towels with lid. Turn cooker to high and cook for 2 hours without peeking. DO NOT PEEK. Turn off heat and let stand until slow cooker has cooled, 1 hour.
4) Remove lid and paper towels and transfer cheesecake to a rack to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours.
5) Heat a sharp, thin-bladed knife under hot water; dry knife. Carefully run the knife around edge of the cheesecake. Release the spring and lift cheesecake out of the mold. Cut into wedges and serve decorated with berries, if desired. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Shrimp and Grapefruit Cocktail

Two Years Ago Today: Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin

Three Years Ago Today: Onion and Fennel Bisque

Source: http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2012/08/crock-pot-cheesecake.html

John Orozco Garrett Reid shawn johnson roger federer Tony Sly Lauren Perdue tagged

Weeping Wallets: Advice For Credit Repair Snafus | Creative ...

When your credit is in trouble, it can feel impossible to find the help you need. This article offers valuable information that will help you start rebuilding your credit. These pointers can help you save time and frustration.

Do not do anything that will make you end up in jail. Creating a new credit score or using a different identity seem like easy solutions but bad credit is not worth taking this kind of risks. This is illegal and you will most certainly get caught. The criminal charges that you face will be very expensive, and you may also have to serve prison time if found guilty.

TIP! Inquires about your credit can take points off of your score, so minimize them. An inquiry is noted on your account any time a creditor requests your credit report.

The fastest way to start repairing credit is by paying off debts that are already outstanding. Unpaid debt will snowball, and your situation will only worsen. Take your obligations seriously, and apply as much money toward your debt as you afford.

Frequently contact any credit bureaus with which you are engaged in conflicts to expunge false or erroneous claims appearing on your credit report in order to stay updated on their progress. Keep track of every contact you make, including letters and emails, and summaries of any phone calls you receive. Send your dispute letter as certified mail so you can prove it was received.

Your monthly payments should always be made on time if you want to rebuild good credit standing. Always pay at least the minimum on your bills, don?t skip any. Even one missed or late payment can affect your credit.

TIP! If you go with a repair company to improve your credit score, be sure it is legitimate. The credit repair business has a lot of unfair and shady companies.

If you have a card that carries a balance of over 50% of the limit, you should pay it down to below 50%. Your credit score can be negatively impacted if you are carrying a large balance compared to the available credit you have. While you are paying off these cards, reduce the balance to a small percentage of your available limit.

If a credit collection agency or credit card company threatens you in a way that goes beyond the law, make a note of it. Find out more about laws specific to your state regarding the protection of customers.

Try not to file for bankruptcy. This negative mark will stay on your report for 10 years. Although it seems like the wise thing to do at the time, it will bring you negative consequences in the long run. If you choose to file bankruptcy, you?ll be unable to get a credit card or loan in the future.

If your credit history has put you in the position where you are not able to obtain a regular credit card, you should try to get a secured credit card to begin rebuilding your credit. This card will be more than likely be granted to you, however you must fund the account ahead of your purchases as a sort of ?insurance? to the bank that your debts will be paid. If you show a good history of payments with this card, it will help improve your credit standing.

A nasty credit crunch can generally be caused by lacking the funds to pay off multiple debts. Make the minimum payment on each of your debts and use any leftover money to concentrate on paying off the highest interest debt. Making the minimum payments will, at least, avoid ending up with collection agencies.

TIP! When trying to get out of the hole and repair your credit, be sure to make the minimum payment on your cards at the very least. Every late payment you make goes on your credit report, affecting it in a negative manner.

Hopefully these tips will be very useful in your endeavors. At first you may be daunted by the process, but the benefits of using the tips given will make it worthwhile. You must use persistence. Have faith that your persistent efforts will pay off and that you can be debt-free

http://www.corporatefasttrack.com/credit-services.html

Source: http://www.corporatefasttrack.com/cftblog/weeping-wallets-advice-for-credit-repair-snafus

derbyshire the matrix oceans 11 ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire kinkade

Here's why every family needs a scrapbook | The Morrison County ...

Posted on August 3, 2012 at 12:48 pm

Tom West, West Words

A couple of months ago, a cousin gave me five scrapbooks. My reaction was to be gracious on the outside, but thinking on the inside that I don?t need any more ?stuff? like that.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally got around to looking at them, and now I?m glad I got to see them. The scrapbooks were assembled by my grandmother, I think, perhaps with help from one of my aunts. I concluded they contain every scrap of newsprint in which our branch of the family tree appeared.

Here was an Associated Press photo from post-World War II Japan in which my Uncle Jim, a U.S. Army M.P. at the time, is escorting Japanese Emperor Hirohito.

Adjacent to it was a newspaper article he wrote a few years later for his hometown paper, describing in some detail some of the combat he had experienced in the Korean War.

The next page had a story from the St. Paul Dispatch announcing that my Uncle Dan had been wounded in the battle for Cherbourg, France, shortly after D-Day.

Still another had a story about how my cousin Mark, Jim?s son, had been injured in Vietnam.

Scrapbooking has made a big comeback in recent years. It?s now a $2.5 billion industry, and 30 percent of all U.S. households have someone keeping a scrapbook. I was glad that my grandmother had taken the time to record the family?s history.

I made a few scrapbooks as a kid, but that was different. My first attempts were to capture the press clippings of the Minnesota Golden Gopher football team in the years just prior and during their Rose Bowl trips 50 years ago.

A few years later, my mother encouraged me to make scrapbooks of my less than stellar high school athletic career. As a result, I can now wow classmates at reunions by remembering the scores of games when they can?t even remember who won.

My grandmother?s scrapbook was full of clippings of weddings, births, obituaries, confirmations, the usual benchmarks of people?s lives.

But the nuggets were the other items that my grandmother chose to include. ? like the real estate listings for the houses that a member of the family lived in, including the big, old house my grandparents bought in St. Paul in 1942. The price for the four-bedroom home was $15,000.

I saw photos of my grandmother, as president of a hospital auxiliary presenting a new electric-powered bed to the local hospital, of a cousin dressed up for a Crazy Daze sale, of my brother with other Boy Scouts upon their return from the 1953 National Jamboree in California.

But if one story stood out, it was of all the support my grandfather received when he was involuntarily retired at age 71 as Minnesota state veterinarian in 1959. (Age-discrimination laws were non-existent back then.)

My grandfather served in that capacity for 17 years, diligently working on public health issues. Today, no one even knows what undulant fever is, but it was a disease called brucellosis or Bang?s Disease when found in cattle, and was easily transmitted to humans. It was called ?undulant? because the symptoms came and went in waves of fever, sweats, muscle and back pain. You haven?t heard of it because in 1957, Minnesota became the seventh state in the nation to become brucellosis free.

My grandfather implemented a statewide testing program, similar to another program already under way to eradicate bovine tuberculosis. The testing programs were controversial because infected herds led to the slaughtering of livestock, causing economic hardship for the cattle owners. That was outweighed, however, by the benefit in public health.

Governor Orville Freeman, first elected in 1954, tried to oust my grandfather, and finally got the job done five years later over protests from publications including the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Hoard?s Dairyman. Some said the governor had packed the state Livestock Sanitary Board, for which my grandfather was executive secretary, with political appointees.

Regardless, when it all happened, he was just my Grandpa ?Doc.? It was only through the scrapbooks that I or anyone else in the family younger than me would have known the details.

If you haven?t already, I?d suggest you start a scrapbook for your family today. Family history may seem ho-hum when it happens, but it?s priceless to later generations.

Tom West is the editor and general manager of the Record. He can be reached at (320) 632-2345 or by e-mail at tom.west@mcrecord.com.

Source: http://mcrecord.com/archives/514543/heres-why-every-family-needs-a-scrapbook/

joran van der sloot honey badger critics choice awards 2012 colbert president huntingtons disease rob the firm

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Wind News - US Senate approves crucial wind tax credit

3 Aug 2012

The US Senate has approved an extension to the production tax credit, seen as vital to the growth of the sector across the country.

Shares in Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas lifted in early morning trading today after the committee passed an extenders package with overwhelming bipartisan support of 19-5.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said the steps taken by the Senate Finance Committee will extend critical tax relief to save 37,000 jobs in the sector.

?We applaud the committee for this act of leadership to move critical policies forward in a difficult environment,? said Denise Bode, CEO of the AWEA.

?This was an extremely important step to provide critical certainty to keep people at work in wind energy manufacturing and construction.?

Also in the committee?s markup is an extension of the Investment Tax Credit, which provides an incentive for the development of offshore and community wind projects.

Tags: Production Tax Credit, Senate, US, wind

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Source: http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/investor-news/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/wind/us-senate-approves-crucial-wind-tax-credit.html

Webb Simpson Fathers Day Quotes Stevie J mothers day 2012 cinco de mayo osama bin laden death spinal muscular atrophy

USDA: Number of farmers markets up due to demand

Workers at a farmers market get ready for afternoon customers in downtown Los Angeles on Friday Aug. 3,2012. As demand for locally grown fruits and vegetables has increased, so too has the number of urban farmers markets sprouting up across the nation. (AP Photo/Ricahrd Vogel)

Customers shop at a downtown Los Angeles farmers market on Friday Aug. 3,2012. As demand for locally grown fruits and vegetables has increased, so too has the number of urban farmers markets sprouting up across the nation. (AP Photo/Ricahrd Vogel)

FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2010, file photo, Ching Thao, of Mao's Farm, center, gives change to Richard Wolk, right, at the Vineyard Farmers Market in Fresno, Calif. Pushed by the rising popularity of eating locally and healthily, the number of farmers markets climbed by 9.6 per cent nationally over the past year, according to the USDA. There now are more than 7,800 markets in the U.S. after 18 years of steady increases, according to a report to be announced Friday. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian, File)

File - In this Aug. 29, 2008, file photo, Benina Burroughs of Merced, Calif., looks over a display of cherry tomatoes by Farmers with ALBA from Salinas, Calif., at a farmer's market during Slow Food Nation in San Francisco. Pushed by the rising popularity of eating locally and healthily, the number of farmers markets climbed by 9.6 per cent nationally over the past year, according to the USDA. There now are more than 7,800 markets in the U.S. after 18 years of steady increases, according to a report to be announced Friday. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) ? As demand for locally grown fruits and vegetables has increased, so too has the number of urban farmers markets sprouting up across the nation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that the number of direct-sales markets has increased 9.6 percent in the past year, with California and New York leading the way.

"Farmers markets are a critical ingredient to our nation's food system," USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said. "These outlets provide benefits not only to the farmers looking for important income opportunities, but also to the communities looking for fresh, healthy foods."

After 18 years of steady increases, the number of farmers markets across the country now registered with the USDA is 7,864. In 1994, there were 1,744.

Organizations such as Slow Food, founded in 1989 to counter fast-food, junk-food lifestyles, first ignited consumer demand for fresh, local produce.

"My husband and I prefer to eat locally and organically," said Tracy Stuntz, a college instructor who shops at the Vineyard Farmer's Market in Fresno. "You go to the grocery store and everything is the same. The farmer's market has yellow zucchini and green onions that are like a foot long ? produce you don't see other places."

Some markets are so popular that there are wait lists for farmers to sell there, including one of the largest and most diverse of all, the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco. Farmers from across the region travel there three days a week to sell fruits, vegetables and artisan breads and cheeses to thousands of shoppers, including top chefs from the food-centric city.

Operated by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, the iconic market on the San Francisco Bay is celebrating its 20th birthday.

"When we started there were only three markets in the city, and now there are 29," said Liz Hunt, a center spokeswoman.

Grant Brians of Heirloom Organic Gardens sells more than 200 old-fashioned varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruit grown on two farms in San Benito County, about 100 miles south of San Francisco. Others bring in stone fruits from the San Joaquin Valley, and berries from the coast.

Dave Stockdale, the center's executive director, said farmers markets empower consumers to become active supporters of their communities.

"Every day eaters have the opportunity to vote with their forks and support small-scale farmers, investing resources in their communities, stimulating their local economies, and keeping ag land in sustainable production," he said.

The center uses the markets to educate consumers about unique varieties of produce and how to prepare them. Stockdale said the growing interest in farmers markets has prompted others to ask the center for help creating educational programs.

San Franciscan Bryan Miller frequents the Heart of the City farmers market at the San Francisco Civic Center, a venue so popular it recently added Fridays to its normal Wednesday and Sunday operations.

"It's fresh and cheap, to be quite honest," Miller said. "I can go to the store on the bus and buy black, ugly, mass-market stuff, but I don't want to do that. I would rather get local produce."

The USDA has worked to make the markets accessible to people of all income levels by outfitting more with the ability to accept payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. More than $4 million is being made available to equip markets with wireless point-of-sale equipment.

California, the country's top agricultural producing state, has 827 markets, according to the USDA. New York has 647, more than double the next most prolific state, Massachusetts, which has 313.

The mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast saw the biggest percentage growth in markets, reporting 15.8, 14.4 and 13.1 percent jumps in participation.

The USDA website lists farmers markets with links to their websites. It also allows users to search by zip code, to make finding nearby markets easier: http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/

___

Follow Tracie Cone at: http://twitter.com/TConeAP

___

Online:

USDA, http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-08-03-US-Farmers-Market-Surge/id-90d9be3fc742457fbe8d6e1a87c0a79a

dantoni gillian anderson leah remini desean jackson kyle orton kyle orton ncaa tournament schedule

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Syria's Assad urges his army to step up fight

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian President Bashar Assad urged his armed forces Wednesday to step up the fight against rebels as the U.N. reported a significant escalation in the civil war with the military using warplanes to fire on opposition fighters in the battle for Aleppo.

Sausan Ghosheh, the spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in Syria, said that international observers had witnessed warplanes firing in Syria's largest city, where intense fighting has been raging for 12 days. She said the situation in Aleppo was dire, with "heavy use of heavy weapons" including tanks, which the rebels now possess as well.

"Yesterday, for the first time, our observers saw firing from a fighter aircraft. We also now have confirmation that the opposition is in a position of having heavy weapons, including tanks," she said, adding that for civilians, there "is a shortage of food, fuel, water and gas."

Residents of Aleppo have told The Associated Press over the past week that jet fighters have been strafing rebel positions and there are numerous videos on the Internet posted by activists showing rebels commandeering regime tanks after conquering their bases.

Aleppo, a city of some 3 million, has been wracked by violence since rebels attempted to take it over and succeeded in holding several neighborhoods despite daily assaults by regime tanks, helicopters and warplanes.

On the 67th anniversary of the Syrian army's founding, Assad pushed his armed forces to redouble their efforts in the fight in a speech that was not televised but only appeared in the army's magazine.

"Today you are invited to increase your readiness and willingness for the armed forces to be the shield, wall and fortress of our nation," he said.

The regime has characterized the rebellion as the work of foreign terrorists, and Assad claimed "internal agents" are collaborating with them.

"Our battle is against a multi-faceted enemy with clear goals. This battle will determine the destiny of our people and the nation's past, present and future," he said.

Assad has not spoken in public since a bomb on July 18 killed four of his top security officials during a rebel assault on Damascus and has only appeared on television once. His whereabouts are unknown and it is not even clear if he is in the capital.

Syria's powerful military, which has largely held together over the course of the uprising, is vital to keeping Assad in power. The pace of defections has been rising recently, however. Neighboring Turkey reports that 28 generals have already crossed the border.

In recent weeks, the military has unleashed heavy weapons against the increasingly bold rebels who have brought the fight to the country's two largest cities. The military managed to drive the rebels out of the capital Damascus a week after their assault with fierce bombardments of neighborhoods followed by house-to-house searches.

Minor clashes with the rebels around Damascus continue, however, and in the early hours of the morning Wednesday residents of the Christian neighborhood of Bab Touma in Damascus' old city reported a half-hour gun battle.

There was also ongoing fighting in several other cities across the country, including the central city of Homs, which on Wednesday saw fierce clashes between rebels and regime forces and was bombarded by mortars, artillery and rockets, according to the activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In Aleppo, the state news agency reported several victories by government forces, especially in the hotly contested rebel bastion of Salaheddine, saying dozens of "terrorists" had been killed, including some with "African" nationalities.

For their part, however, rebels said they had extended their control over the strategic city by taking two police stations in Saliheen and Bab al-Neyrab neighborhood in the battles that lasted several hours.

Turkey, meanwhile, launched a military drill just across the border from a Syrian town it claims is controlled by Kurdish rebels ? a show of muscle aimed at Kurdish separatists pushing for autonomy within Turkey's borders.

The Turkish government last week said Turkish Kurdish rebels have seized control of five towns along the border in collaboration with their Syrian counterparts. Turkey alleges that the Kurdish guerrillas they are fighting have taken advantage of the strife in Syria to take refuge there.

The idea that Syria, like northern Iraq, could become a safe haven for Turkish Kurdish rebels is an anathema to Turkey's leaders, who otherwise have been very supportive to the rebels fighting Assad.

____

Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Selcan Hajaoglu in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-assad-urges-army-step-fight-124557605.html

NBC Olympics NBC Olympics schedule Alexa Vega 2012 Olympics Chad Everett London Olympics Kristen Stewart Rupert Sanders Photos