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Most Topular Stories
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Why Congress is way richer than you [infographic]
Holy Kaw!8 Feb 2012 | 4:28 pm -
Copper prices hit five-month high on expectations for Chinese demand; other ... - Washington Post
AGRICULTURE NEWS - Google News8 Feb 2012 | 2:44 pmBusiness RecorderCopper prices hit five-month high on expectations for Chinese demand; other Washington PostOther commodities were mixed ahead of a government report on agricultural supply and demand estimates and concerns about the Greek debt crisis. China, which is the world's second-largest economy, promised it would raise minimum wages by 13 percent a Summary Box: Copper Rises On Demand ExpectationsTheStreet.comall 114 news articles » -
Romantic Menu Planner
Epicurious.com: Latest Features8 Feb 2012 | 7:45 amWhats the perfect recipe for a romantic meal? To find your ultimate Valentine's Day menu, use our fun, interactive Romantic Menu Planning tool. Answer six easy questions, and we'll formulate a romantic recipe plan that corresponds to your skill in the kitchen, how much time you have to cook, and the type of food you're interested in preparing. -
Macedonia: Problems With Transparent Online Reporting of Air Pollution in Skopje
Global Voices » Environment8 Feb 2012 | 4:51 pmAccording to the blog of GreenBox NGO, Skopje's city government is not interested in providing funds for the online system that informs citizens about the current levels of air pollution. The automatic system for measuring pollution, located in the center of Skopje, caused quite a stir when it reported alarming levels of air pollution last year. Some observers related the presence of the cancerous PM10 dust particles to the government-funded construction boom in the Center municipality, which had been turned into a giant construction site through the Skopje 2014 project. The surrounding… -
Can Post Holdings, Inc. hold its own?
Agriculture News8 Feb 2012 | 3:45 pmPost Holdings, Inc. will now stand on its own, as a publicly-traded spinoff of Ralcorp Holdings, Inc.
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Holy Kaw!
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Why Congress is way richer than you [infographic]
8 Feb 2012 | 4:28 pmVia Online Schools. Depressing infographics. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
The bookcase that’s always ready for more
8 Feb 2012 | 4:19 pmThe thing about bibliophiles is that, before you know it, the bookcase is full and it’s time to drag in a few more boards and cinder blocks to accommodate the newcomers. With the REK, such worries are a thing of the past, as the system accordions out when more space is needed and collapses into a handy rectangle when it’s time to pack up shop and move on to greener pastures. Unfortunately, the price is listed as “on request” meaning the 99% is out of luck, but perhaps it’ll inspire you to hit the workshop for a little DIY action if you can drag your nose out of… -
How Harvard spends student tuition [infographic]
8 Feb 2012 | 3:24 pmVia Online Universities. (H/T Muhammad Saleem) The scoop on education. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Lizard shortage offers rare evolution test
8 Feb 2012 | 1:01 pmA devastating 2004 hurricane that wiped out a Caribbean lizard population offered an unprecedented opportunity to put an evolutionary theory known as the “founder effect” to the test. The founder effect describes the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. “Founder effects are very hard to study,” says Thomas Schoener, a professor of evolution and ecology at University of California, Davis and a co-author of the study. “One must be in exactly the right place at the… -
Petty controversy: The Oscars diss the Muppets
8 Feb 2012 | 12:48 pmAcademy Awards producers outrage Kermit lovers with a proposal to shorten the telecast by scrapping Best Original Song performances It's an odd year for the Oscars' Best Original Song category. Thanks to the Academy's ever-changing and increasingly labyrinthine rules, only two songs earned nominations. At first, critics weren't too troubled by the abbreviated list, since it included the comically existential Muppets ballad "Man or Muppet," written by Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie and performed by Jason Segel and Walter the Muppet. But alas, producers are planning to scrap the Best…
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AGRICULTURE NEWS - Google News
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Copper prices hit five-month high on expectations for Chinese demand; other ... - Washington Post
8 Feb 2012 | 2:44 pmBusiness RecorderCopper prices hit five-month high on expectations for Chinese demand; other Washington PostOther commodities were mixed ahead of a government report on agricultural supply and demand estimates and concerns about the Greek debt crisis. China, which is the world's second-largest economy, promised it would raise minimum wages by 13 percent a Summary Box: Copper Rises On Demand ExpectationsTheStreet.comall 114 news articles » -
Grains close mixed - Agriculture.com
8 Feb 2012 | 2:34 pmAgriculture.comGrains close mixedAgriculture.comDES MOINES, Iowa (Agriculture.com)--Positioning ahead of Thursday's USDA Reports kept the CME Group corn, soybean and wheat markets subdued today. The March corn futures settled 1/4 of a cent higher at $6.42 1/2. The March soybean contract closed 1/2 Corn Gains Before USDA May Lower Estimate for Inventories; Soybeans ClimbBloombergFarmers Plan Biggest Crops Since 1984, Led by Corn: CommoditiesSan Francisco Chronicleall 181 news articles » -
America's Agricultural Success: A Well-Kept Secret? - PBS NewsHour
8 Feb 2012 | 1:41 pmPBS NewsHourAmerica's Agricultural Success: A Well-Kept Secret?PBS NewsHourAmid all the worry about how long it will take the economic recovery to kick into high gear, there's a little-noticed sector that's doing very well, thank you: American agriculture. Overlooked by many of us in the news media, probably in part because USDA Designates Seven Counties in Florida as Primary Natural Disaster AreasSoutheast AgNetall 3 news articles » -
China Green Agriculture Q2 Profit Up - NASDAQ
8 Feb 2012 | 1:29 pmChina Green Agriculture Q2 Profit UpNASDAQ(RTTNews.com) - China Green Agriculture, Inc. (CGA) Wednesday reported higher second-quarter profit and reaffirmed its full-year earnings outlook. Net income for the second quarter increased 24.3 percent to $7.7 million or $0.29 per share from $6.2 China Green Agriculture (CGA) Reports Q2 Earnings of $0.29, Offers Q3 Guidance StreetInsider.com (subscription)all 3 news articles » -
Monsanto Fails UCS Test for Sustainable Agriculture - Triple Pundit
8 Feb 2012 | 12:42 pmTriple PunditMonsanto Fails UCS Test for Sustainable AgricultureTriple PunditBy RP Siegel | February 8th, 2012 1 Comment Monsanto likes to think of itself as a sustainable agriculture company. Prominently featured on their website beneath a video that proclaims, “we're all in this together,” is their slogan, “producing more, Modified Crops Tap a Wellspring of ProtestNew York Timesall 7 news articles »
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Epicurious.com: Latest Features
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Romantic Menu Planner
8 Feb 2012 | 7:45 amWhats the perfect recipe for a romantic meal? To find your ultimate Valentine's Day menu, use our fun, interactive Romantic Menu Planning tool. Answer six easy questions, and we'll formulate a romantic recipe plan that corresponds to your skill in the kitchen, how much time you have to cook, and the type of food you're interested in preparing. -
Valentines Day Table Crafts
7 Feb 2012 | 9:50 amFebruary 14 is a day for exchanging cards and eating chocolate, sure, but it's also a day for spending sweet time with loved ones. Serve up a special family Valentine's Day with our creative, kid-friendly art projects, including several that can go straight from the craft table to the dining table. -
Aphrodisiacs to Sweeten Your Valentines Day
6 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amFoodies who want to get into the mood for Valentine's Day know that aphrodisiacs can help spice things up between friends and lovers. As documented throughout history, foods such as chocolate, honey, oysters, and figs have all been said to ignite and sustain desire, passion, energy, and love. See for yourself with 10 recipes that incorporate these ingredients, plus some others that you might not expect. -
Top Five Beer Cocktails
5 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amInstead of simply picking up a case of beer to share with guests during the big game tonight, why not spice things up by making beer cocktails? In this feature, we share recipes for five beer cocktails, including some oldies-but-goodies, a few reinterpretations, and a couple of brand-new cocktails created by the nation's top mixologists. -
A Giant Feast for New York Fans
4 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amGet ready to cheer on Big Blue with a menu inspired by the big appetite of the Big Apple. Pick and choose a few dishes, or make them all on this Super Bowl Sunday.
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Global Voices » Environment
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Macedonia: Problems With Transparent Online Reporting of Air Pollution in Skopje
8 Feb 2012 | 4:51 pmAccording to the blog of GreenBox NGO, Skopje's city government is not interested in providing funds for the online system that informs citizens about the current levels of air pollution. The automatic system for measuring pollution, located in the center of Skopje, caused quite a stir when it reported alarming levels of air pollution last year. Some observers related the presence of the cancerous PM10 dust particles to the government-funded construction boom in the Center municipality, which had been turned into a giant construction site through the Skopje 2014 project. The surrounding… -
Panama: Government and Indigenous Peoples Reach Agreement After Clashes Over Mining
8 Feb 2012 | 4:31 pmPanama went to bed on Saturday February 4 with the uncertainty as to what would happen on the Panamericana road, where for the fifth day indigenous peoples were spending the night in the middle of the highway and preventing the circulation of vehicles. The latest news stated that mobile phone networks had been shut down in the area of the conflict, leaving protesters and detainees cut off. La Prensa [es] reported thus: Luego de múltiples quejas de los usuarios que han intentado comunicarse con personas en la zona del oriente chiricano en donde está cerrada la vía Interamericana las… -
Peru: Following the Great Water March
7 Feb 2012 | 11:18 amIt has been 7 days since the Great Water March set off, on February 1, 2012, from the heights of Celendín, Cajamarca, Peru, where the lakes threatened by the Conga [es] mining project are located. The march has unfolded practically without incidents, and is currently halfway to Lima, its final destination. Meanwhile, the media are reporting on its progress, and publishing editorials [es] on the real purpose of the march, stressing above all its political and ideological affiliations; and government spokespeople declare [es] that in reality “there is an excess of water in… -
Bulgaria: Severe Flooding Emergency
7 Feb 2012 | 4:57 amGV Author Ruslan Trad is tweeting - here, here, here, and here - about the severe flooding in southern Bulgaria, which was caused by heavy rainfall of the past few days and has killed at least eight people in the village of Bisser. The latest tweet came about an hour ago: “Breaking: Maritsa River’s dike broke close to the village of Generalovo, municipality of Svilenhrad, huge wave.” More photos from the disaster in the village of Bisser - at the Facebook page [bg] of the Bulgarian National TV's fundraising effort to help the victims. Written by Veronica Khokhlova ·… -
Iran: Beautiful nature
6 Feb 2012 | 10:10 amHere is a blog publishing the photos about Iran's northern province, Gilan. It lies along the Caspian Sea. Written by Fred Petrossian · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
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Agriculture News
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Can Post Holdings, Inc. hold its own?
8 Feb 2012 | 3:45 pmPost Holdings, Inc. will now stand on its own, as a publicly-traded spinoff of Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. -
Monumental educators meeting relates most effective ways to close achievement gap
8 Feb 2012 | 11:35 amAbout 200 educators met last week to learn from some Minnesota's public schools that have been most effective in closing the achievement gap.A A A They were from district and charter public schools, and they focused on helping students. -
Kellogg (K) Share Price Target Raised to $52.00 by Jefferies Group (JEF) Analysts
8 Feb 2012 | 7:36 amEquities research analysts at Jefferies Group raised their price target on shares of Kellogg from $47.00 to $52.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. -
Smugglers Prosper in Spain's - Perfect Storm' for Tobacco Firms
8 Feb 2012 | 3:21 amIllegal imports now account for 7 percent to 8 percent of Spanish cigarette sales, compared with almost nothing a year ago, according to the country's tobacconists association. -
Ralcorp 1Q Down 8.4% On Charges, Revenue Increases
7 Feb 2012 | 11:12 pmRalcorp Holdings Inc.'s fiscal first-quarter earnings fell 8.4% as mark-to-market losses on economic hedges and other charges weighed on the food maker's bottom-line results, though revenue grew more than expected.
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The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond
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Pork Chops with Garlic and Wine
8 Feb 2012 | 5:11 amThis was really, really lovely. I love pan sauces. Years and years ago, when my girls were still little petunias, this cookbook showed me the way, opening my eyes to the joy and beauty of searing meat in a skillet, then removing it and using the drippings in the pan to make a yummy reduction of some sort. Pan sauces really are what life is all about. This pork chop dish is different and divine. Whole garlic cloves burst onto the scene and make for a dramatic presentation. Hilarious for Valentine’s Day! But I’m ornery that way. The Cast of Characters: Pork chops, peeled… -
Spicy Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms
6 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amGarsh. Were these good. I made them last night on a whim. Amid all the wings and ranch and other Super Bowl food—including a big mess-maker of a delicious cake my younger daughter made—I decided I couldn’t live without stuffed mushrooms another minute. My eating is very whim-driven. This is what I violently pulled out of the fridge, freezer, and pantry. Later I would violently pull Choulula hot sauce out of my spice cabinet, but when I snapped this photo, it hadn’t occurred to me yet. Chop up an onion. Rinse a bunch of… -
My Top Ten Food Picks for Super Bowl Sunday
2 Feb 2012 | 6:08 amSuper Bowl Sunday is almost here! Yahoo yippety. Of course Super Bowl Sunday is primarily about football. But following close behind is the food surrounding the big game. Whether you’re having a huge gathering at your house, taking a dish to someone else’s gathering, or just huddling around the TV with your nuclear family, I wanted to share my Top Ten Food Picks for Super Bowl Sunday. (If you’d like to browse yourself, here’s the full category: Super Bowl Recipes on PW Cooks) Here we go! In no particular order. I think. Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders. To. Die. For. -
Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits
30 Jan 2012 | 4:22 amMy oh my, was this good. Ultra spicy, seriously tender stewed meat served over unbelievably creamy cheese grits. The spiciness of the beef combined with the mild creaminess of the grits was almost too much for me to handle. I cried, is what I’m trying to say. This crowd-pleasing combo is erfect for your Super Bowl party! This amount will feed a nice roomful of hungry football-crazed humans! Feel free to halve the entire recipe if you prefer; it’ll turn out just fine. The Cast of Characters Stew meat Canned chipotle peppers Red bell pepper Chili peppers Low-sodium beef broth Minced… -
Weekend Mixer Giveaway (Winners Announced)
28 Jan 2012 | 6:08 amThe winners of the red mixers are: #3324 Liz: “Once it warms up enough, I’m heading out to the yard to continue the cleanup – have to get ready for my veggie garden. I’m getting the seed catalogs so time to dream!” #7722 Amy Mac: “Nothing but spending time with my little boy and enjoying my last two days of maternity leave. Have to go back to work on Monday, woe!” #21258 anya: “i’m spending the entire weekend in pajamas. i plan to read on my kindle and snuggle with my cat and my cockatiel. the other pets aren’t snugglers, but they will be close by.
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Eater NY
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EaterWire: A Restaurant for Elaine's Space; Jean Georges Price Hike
8 Feb 2012 | 2:52 pmUPPER EAST SIDE — The Post reports that the owners of The Parlor Steakhouse will open a new "casual fine dining American restaurant" in the fabled Elaine's space this fall. [NYP] THE PRICE HIKE — From Bloomberg critic Ryan Sutton: "Jean Georges hikes price of 4-course menu by $10 to $108, a 10.2% hike. It was the last 3-Michelin star joint in NYC under $100 for dinner." [Twitter] CROWN HEIGHTS — Brooklyn Exposed posts a roundup of new Crown Heights restaurants, including Bar Corvo, Pete Zaaz, and The Crown Inn. [Brooklyn Exposed] VIDEO INTERLUDE — Eater National has… -
Nightlife: Le Baron Offers Old School Bottle Service
8 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pmCould it be that Le Baron, the hottest club on Planet Earth, also offers the same old bottle service that you can find at every crappy nightclub in New York City. C'est Vrai! A tipster managed to break the club's strict anti-photography rules and snap a picture of the menu, proving that the Parisian import is offering bottle service, with the biggest variety of spirits in the whiskey and tequila selection and just one type of vodka (Absolut for $350 - a deal!). No word if you can buy your way inside via the bottle offerings or if this is just something that is offered once you are inside. -
Explain Your Tchotchkes: A Design Tour of Macao Trading Co. From Billy Gilroy
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmWelcome to Explain Your Tchotchkes, a feature where Eater asks restaurateurs about why they picked the decorations, knickknacks, and other notable design details in their dining rooms. Macao Trading Co. was designed to look like a warehouse/brothel/opium den in Macao, in the early 20th Century. Before the restaurant opened, owner Billy Gilroy basically scoured the globe to find furniture, fixtures, tchotchkes, and vintage pieces of erotica to fill the space. And soon, he might be doing it all over again: Gilroy says that he and his team are looking at spaces in Los Angeles for a new location… -
Board Wrap: Guess What: The Rib Eye Is Also Awesome at Acme
8 Feb 2012 | 1:25 pm· El Ray Del Sabor Needs More Midtown Business [ML] · I'm Bored of Always Getting So Many Chocolates and Flowers [SE] · Is Anyone Else Pissed About Vynl's Revamp? [Yelp] · Guess What: The Rib Eye Is Also Awesome at Acme [Mouthfuls] · A Blow by Blow of a Recent Menu at Momofuku Ko [eG] -
Chef Shuffles: Chef Change, Relocation in Store for Kajitsu
8 Feb 2012 | 12:45 pmThe Robs share some unexpected news from East Village kaiseki restaurant Kajitsu, a favorite among chefs (like Dave Chang), Michelin inspectors, vegetarians, and Japanese food-lovers. They report that Masato Nishihara, the chef who has presided over the restaurant's success over the last three years, is moving on in April to cede the kitchen to Ryota Ueshima, "the second in what the owner intends to be a rotating progression of young Japanese cooks." And here's a little blockbuster they mention offhandedly: the restaurant is relocating to Midtown this summer, a gamechanger for both Midtowners…
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Farmgirl Fare
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Wednesday Dose of Cute: Meet Our Future Milk Supplier
8 Feb 2012 | 2:40 pmFor the past five years (I can't believe it's been that long already) we've been buying our milk from a farm about eight miles down the road. This homesteading family of ten drinks a lot of milk, and they also make their own cheese and butter—something I've been meaning to start doing for, oh, the past five years. The money they make from selling their extra milk usually covers the cost of feed for their very small herd of Jersey cows, so it works out well for everyone. More below. . .Click here for the rest of this post » -
Monday Dose of Cute: It's A Brand New Week
6 Feb 2012 | 7:57 pmSeven whole days to try for treats. More donkeys? Here and here. © FarmgirlFare.com, where everybody only thinks they're starving. Every day is actually treat day for our seven donkeys (Daphne, aka The Daphinator, is off to the right, braying loudly), but they think it should happen twice a day. Or even three times. You've got to admire their optimism and persistence. -
Sunday Dose of Cute: Sheep Shearing Day 2012!
5 Feb 2012 | 2:16 pmLast Saturday our longtime sheep shearer—who thankfully hasn't retired yet—arrived at the farm about 9am and sheared 33 of our 42 sheep, 20 of whom are pregnant. Lambing season will start around the first of March, and you can learn why we now shear the sheep before lambing season here. Ten-year-old Silly, the oldest member of our flock (all my really old pet sheep have died), didn't need the stress of being sheared in the middle of winter (we'll shear her ourselves in a few months), and the other eight are Katahdin hair sheep, which don't need to be sheared. You can read… -
Super Bowl Recipe Ideas: Easy Black Bean Chili, Homemade Beer Bread, and Manly Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies
3 Feb 2012 | 10:52 amThis thick and hearty black bean chili makes a great dip, too. (recipe here) Still finalizing your game day menu? You're sure to score big with these winning recipes from the Farmgirl Fare archives. My Quick and Easy Tex Mex Black Bean Chili is loaded with beans, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and corn. It's low fat, full of flavor, and easy to make vegetarian. It also tastes great as a dip or on nachos and even freezes well. What are Farmgirl Fare readers are saying about it? My friends said it was the best chili they ever had!! Just made this for a Super Bowl party. My fiancé had been… -
Thursday Dose of Cute: A Very Happy Groundhog Day
2 Feb 2012 | 4:52 pmMy four-footed laundry helpers are back in action. Sunny, breezy, and 64 degrees on the second of February in Missouri? You can bet the laundry line was in full swing today! More photos below. . .Click here for the rest of this post »
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Food Loves Writing
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Root Vegetable Chips + Root Vegetable Fries
5 Feb 2012 | 9:31 amI should start by saying this: I am grateful to be writing this post today—not just because of the lunch of rainbow root vegetables or afternoon of hours spent photographing them that it represents, but because, about a week or so ago, pacing the floors at 2 AM while alternating between holding my sides and massaging my temples, the idea of writing a food blog post—or really, cooking or caring about cooking—seemed like something I might never be able to do again. I can tell you now that the pain was from a kidney infection, developed from a UTI, and it came complete with… -
Tim’s Mostly Raw Chocolate Ice Cream
24 Jan 2012 | 2:52 pmWhen we started registering for wedding gifts last summer, there was one thing Tim really wanted to add: an ice cream maker. And where I (the impatient, get-it-done type) probably would have just clicked the first version I saw at Target or Williams and Sonoma and rejoiced to have checked something off my list, this man I married is different. He does research. So it was in those final few months before our wedding that we had at least three different conversations about ice cream maker options: the kind where you have to freeze the bowl ahead of time, the kind with the freezing mechanism… -
Raw Brownies + Chocolate Avocado Frosting
10 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amThis past week, Tim and I did sort of a cleanse, wherein we ate mostly raw: fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, nuts, seeds, raw dairy, dried fruit. We added homemade chicken soup, nettle and Tulsi teas and, at a maximum of once a day, roasted vegetables, but otherwise it was, for the first time in our lives, an experience in raw eating. It was interesting. First of all, it wasn’t hard, at least not in the way typical cleanses are. I wasn’t starving, I didn’t get major detox reactions, there was no need to summon all my willpower not to eat a cookie. A couple times, one of us… -
Satsuma, Red Onion and Pomegranate Salad
3 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amI know I could write this post about our holidays—our first Christmas traveling to both Ohio and Chicago; our first year of giving gifts as a couple; our first Christmas stretching between two families because we are our now our own. I could tell you about all the food we ate—the amazing, high-quality, enjoyable meals of homemade braciole and fork-tender pot roast and filet mignon kabobs. I could tell you, the way I’ve told Tim, how humbling it is to be outgiven, the way we were by both our families, who generously, thoughtfully gave us with gifts far beyond our needs or… -
Saturday at the Nashville Flea Market
20 Dec 2011 | 5:00 amTim and I are still enough of newlyweds to regularly look at each other and say, Can you believe we’re married? Remember what it was like when we weren’t? and, on days like this last Saturday, where we went to a flea market we’ve been hearing about since before I moved to Nashville, Remember back then? Back when we didn’t even live in the same state? Sometimes I can’t even believe we used to just talk on the phone every night, with Tim in Tennessee and me in Chicago. The days of driving eight hours to spend time with him seem like such a long time ago, back when…
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Strobist
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Lighting Inside the Box
6 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amAfter 15 years of long-term planning (and saving) Susan and I finally took the plunge with a full kitchen remodel. We were really pleased with the results, and at some point I had promised the contractor a nice photo of the final product.In a room like this you are basically illuminating the inside of a box by using hidden lights, which turned out to be an interesting exercise. And it's something I would recommend for just about any photographer. Read more » -
Core Knowledge: Working With Remotes
2 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amThere are two things you should always remember about radio remotes:One, radio can be fickle. This is true whether you are using your time-honored PocketWizards or a brand new Chinese offering.Two, radio waves -- and success with your remotes -- are all about the physics. So a little knowledge can go a long way toward ensuring good range and reliability. Some basics that every lighting photographer should know, inside. Read more » -
Tyler Stableford: Dispatches From the Underground
30 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amAspen, Colorado-based photographer Tyler Stableford generally shoots action and adventure, most of it aboveground. But this shoot for Timberland PRO would send him a half-mile deep into the earth. That far down, before adding light it is absolutely pitch black. As in, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. And the lights the miners use while extracting coal there aren't much friendlier -- low-level, and a mix of tungsten and fluorescents. So Stableford shot the entire campaign working on the edge of the quality envelope, and lighting with only a few speedlights. Read more » -
Q&A: Dealing with Glare from Dark Wood Backgrounds
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amReader Jefferson, from California in the US, asked via Twitter:"How do you deal with glare on dark wood in background for portraits? Is this covered in Lighting 101 or 102?"Actually, it is covered in L102, if a little obliquely. And yes, pretty much any time you light into dark wood as a background you are gonna get some blowback.But rather than look at this as a problem, I prefer to think of it as a feature… Read more » -
Ono Shouichi: The Spirit of a Century
22 Jan 2012 | 10:30 pmPhotos © Ono ShouichiBy Irwin Wong -- Multi-light setups, gear reviews and lighting tricks are all worthwhile food for thought. But when people are looking back at your life’s work, will you be remembered for your lighting or for what you tried to tell the world with your camera? In a long-spanning portrait series, Tokyo-based editorial photographer Ono Shouichi has (to date) photographed two hundred Japanese centenarians. The lighting, while there, is subordinate to the message. As it should be. Read more »
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Digital Photography School
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How to Use Dome Diffuser to Eliminate Shadows and Harsh Light
8 Feb 2012 | 10:40 amA Guest Post by PhotographersOnUTube. One question I frequently get asked is how to get rid of shadows in the picture when the subject is close to a wall? Well, it depends on if the shadow is being created due to a specific angle of the speed light or you’re using some sort of a flash diffuser. A lot of photographers assume that the omni dome diffuser you get with your speed light is essential to making the light softer, which is not always true. In most cases that dome diffuser is used to spread the light in a very challenging lighting situation when you can’t bounce anything off the… -
Beginner’s Tip: Get Closer
8 Feb 2012 | 5:48 amI work with a lot of people just starting out in photography. People who want to move off of Auto mode and on to something more. And they show me their images, asking, “What can I do better?” I’ve started noticing a pattern in many of the images I have seen from new photography enthusiasts. It’s not absolute, but it is common enough that I write here today offering this bit of advice: Get closer. Here’s the pattern I see when I ask new photographers to photograph something of interest. I’ll illustrate the flow with photos most students start out with. First, they find something… -
Canon Update 3 Lenses including EF 24-70 F/2.8L II USM
7 Feb 2012 | 4:35 pmYesterday saw some excitement among our Nikon readers with the launch of the new Nikon D800 DSLR – but also announced yesterday were 3 new lenses from Canon. The main one of interest is the EF 24-70 F/2.8L II USM. Version I of this lens has always been a popular choice with photographers for quite a few years so an update is a logical one. The main updates included: More durable body Smaller Size (only slightly) Redesigned Optics New Zoom Lock lever to prevent damage in transit Unfortunately the update didn’t bring any Image Stabilisation to this lens – something that will… -
View a Short Film Shot on the New Nikon D800 DSLR
7 Feb 2012 | 4:10 pmWith the announcement of Nikon’s new D800 DSLR yesterday came a short film shot on the D800 that shows off some of the D800′s video shooting capabilities. The film is called ‘Joy Ride’ and was created by photographer – Sandro. The film showcases the D800′s ability to shoot in some tricky lighting conditions and situations (fast moving motorbikes, low light etc). Here it is: Also released by Sandro today was a behind the scenes video. It doesn’t contain a heap of technical info by will give you a feel for how it was shot. Post originally from: Digital… -
The Perfect Camera Bag for the Female Street Photographer
7 Feb 2012 | 10:15 amA review by Marianne Gilhuus. For the first time ever I have a camera bag that does not make me look like a photo geek! (Or, to be honest, for the first time in my life I have a real camera bag, with room for more than just one camera)! It is a beautiful leather bag (available in several beautiful different colours), which can be used/worn at any occasion. A great bag for combining shopping or having a coffee with friends, and photo shooting. And as the bag won’t give away that you are carrying a camera, it is ideal for a female street photographer! For me it is a small drawback that…
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Tao of Photography
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On Seeing
7 Feb 2012 | 5:11 pm"The child has to learn how to separate out the images which assail the newly-opened retina... a whole series of 'senses' are necessary... A sense of spatial immensity, in its greatness and in its smallness, disarticulating and spacing out, within a sphere of indefinite radius, the orbits of objects which press around us; A sense of depth, pushing back laboriously through the endless chain of events and measureless distances of time which a sort of sluggishness of mind tends continually to condense for us in a thin layer of the past; A sense of number, discovering and grasping… -
Music of the Eyes
6 Feb 2012 | 4:30 pm"What prohibits me from treating my perception as an intellectual act is that an intellectual act would grasp the object either as possible or as necessary. But in perception it is 'real'; it is given as the infinite sum of an indefinite series of perspectival views in each of which the object is given but in none of which is it given exhaustively."- Maurice Merleau-Ponty(1908 - 1961)"Perhaps art is just taking outwhat you don't likeand putting in what you do.There is no such thing as Abstraction. It is extraction, gravitation toward a certain direction... It is… -
Celestial Melodies
5 Feb 2012 | 3:35 pm"...above all, I perceive in me with joy, a new tone, sounded by a violin within my innermost being. Its strings are tensed or relaxed through simple differences of temperature and illumination from without. Yet from deep with our being (an instrument that the conformity of habit has condemned to silence), there appears a song - out of those derivations, out of those vibrations - from which all music arises. The weather, on specific days, leads us perchance from one sound to another. We rediscover the lost melody, which - as we might have guessed - appears with mathematical necessity,… -
Illumination and Purification
4 Feb 2012 | 5:38 pm"The outcome is this...the whole conscious being is open to spiritual experiences of every kind. It turns toward spiritual truth in thought, feeling, perception, and action; it is adjusted to respond rightly... The second thing is the free influx of all kinds of spiritual experience, experience of self, experience of God and of the divine creative power, experience of the cosmic consciousness, a direct contact with cosmic forces and with the hidden movements of universal Nature, a psychic sympathy, union, inner communication and various kinds of reciprocal relationship with other beings and… -
Hermeneutic Mysteries
3 Feb 2012 | 7:10 pm"I see photography as an extraordinary means to undertake an exegesis of the Real, prompted by the first and literal level: the image of the evident objects. Any subsequent new meanings are discovered and rendered manifest through a hermeneutic process unfolding from the limited surface of the photograph; new interpretation will spring from the depth of the apparently flat surface of its image....As with the sacred texts, all levels of meaning of a photograph are contained within its boundaries, simultaneously present to be discovered and revealed. Through a photograph we may see and…
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Flickr Blog
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Flickr goes East Coast: Meet us in New York and Philadelphia
8 Feb 2012 | 4:27 amCome and meet other Flickr members at two events on the East Coast later this month. Swing on by to meet Flickr staff in New York and Philadelphia to talk about gear, take photos, walk with us through the city and chat about the site. Here are our (new) meetup pages, with signup information: New York, February 18th – More info & RSVP Philadelphia, February 19th – More info & RSVP In other news: Starting today, we’re switching to Meetup.com as our main site for global community events. Feel free to start and organize your own, or join in with… -
I am…
7 Feb 2012 | 7:12 amiamaustin published the photos from this lovely project in his photostream. -
Reptar is ready for his trip to another dimension
6 Feb 2012 | 11:02 amI for one welcome our new feline overlords. The human that was forced to photographically document this moment in space time was christopher.berry. -
iPortrait
4 Feb 2012 | 1:39 pmTablets make for a great weekend project! Have fun. Photos from Buvone, tismey, Pichead, Jonathan Vazquez, • Andrei •, coreyweekley, and PBodyPhotos.Idea from gregivu. -
The Eastern Hemisphere
3 Feb 2012 | 7:09 amThe Blue Marble 2012 photo that we told you about last week, had an amazing reception with more than 3.2 million views to date. That’s why NASA Goddard Photo and Video decided to create another Blue Marble 2012 view, this time showing the Eastern Hemisphere. “The new image is a composite of six separate orbits taken on January 23, 2012 by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. Both of these new ‘Blue Marble’ images are images taken by a new instrument flying aboard Suomi NPP, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).” NASA describes…
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ESSENTIALS For Photographers
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Hey… Where are you going with all that stuff?
7 Feb 2012 | 12:31 pmDidja ever wonder? You got the gear. You got the lights. You got that shiny new megapixelbeast of a machine. You even have one of those latest doohickeys that everyone is drooling over. You know the one. Yeah… it’s sweet. But where are you going with all that stuff? Are you off to make photographs? Why? Seriously… why? Is there a reason for the images you are making? Is there a strong desire to make those images? Is it something you have been thinking about for a long time? Was it a sudden desire to go out and record something on a bunch of pixels or a roll of chemically… -
CreativeLIVE – Seattle – April 6, 7, 8, – Well, This Will Be Fun!
5 Feb 2012 | 7:22 pmThanks to Charles Tibbs for taking the photo. Yeah… that’s me lookin’ all serious and cold leaning against the back wall of my studio. Fact is, it was a bit chilly that day. Unlike today where it is pushing a bit over 70. But the weather is not the subject here – it is the CreativeLIVE show I am doing in Seattle with the great folks up there in the PNW. Yep – I will be doing a Creative LIVE show April 6, 7, 8, in Seattle and hope all of you will be watching. I will be blogging and tweeting the entire experience as well, but it is nice to know that some loyal fans… -
OT- Sunday, #1: Darkness, Cello Madness and Jazz
5 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amSometimes I have an opportunity to discuss other topics than photography. These times are rare, of course, but they do exist. I thought it may be fun to post some of the other things that are interesting to me on Sunday Mornings. Welcome to Off Topic Sundays, an excursion into the unknown. “… and darkness fell across the land…” First off. I received an email from someone in the business asking me to help create a ‘day of darkness’ by blocking all my content from the people who are stealing us blind. I have no interest in that sort of thing. Not because I… -
A Special “Portfolio Building” Workshop, Feb 11, 12: Only 3 Students
3 Feb 2012 | 2:03 pmThis is a special workshop for only three students. It is on short notice, but there is a reason for that – and it will be explained at a later date. Our focus will be on mastering images across a spectrum of genres. This workshop is for the serious photographer who wants to understand the finesse of light, and how to apply lighting and drama to their portfolio pieces. We will look at the qualities of light, how to understand the medium, and what we can do with photographic tools to enhance and modify our light to make the shots we see in our head. This is an intensive workshop and it… -
Portraits: Four Simple Approaches
1 Feb 2012 | 7:47 pmI had the chance to do some portraits of some of the talent we had at the LE Weekend Meetup. They were Briana’s dance company and all of them were delightful and beautiful dancers. The folks who came had a blast and I was simply stunned that so many people came so far to hang out with us. We had photographers from NY / FL / WA / CA / KS / TX and other far flung areas… we covered North America pretty well. More shots from that weekend coming when I get them all in from the folks… wow, it was fun. The first portrait was of Briana and done as a demonstration for one of the…
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Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum
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My Favorite Valentine's Cake
8 Feb 2012 | 7:27 amphoto credit: Ben Fink For the recipe and interview in the Santa Fe New Mexican click here. -
Borrowing a Cup of Sugar from a Neighbor
7 Feb 2012 | 3:55 pmAnd what a neighbor! Ron Ben Israel, who is arguably the most renowned cake decorating artist of the country if not the world, has his workshop a mere 4 blocks away from my dwelling. So when I discovered I was down to only about 4 cups of superfine sugar I put in a call to my friend Ron. I used to buy sugar from Domino Sugar in Queens in 100 pound sacks when my father was able to drive out there and pick one up for me. More recently, Woody has been bringing 30 pounds of superfine sugar on his visits from Minnesota, having to explain each time to airport security that yes! They do have sugar… -
Bravo Breville--The Perfectly Even Oven!
4 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amCan it be--an oven that is perfectly even?! Over the years I have baked in many an oven. I even drove several hours deep into Connecticut, with cream puff pastry ready to pipe, to try out a Gaggenau oven that promised to be perfectly even. It was from top to bottom but not from front to back. Resigned to this disappointing fact that ovens are just not perfectly even, I have written solutions into recipes, such as turning a cake two-thirds of the way through baking, or bread half way through baking, but when it comes to cream puff pastry or sponge type cakes such as génoise, opening the oven… -
Meet My Photographer Ben Fink
30 Jan 2012 | 12:48 pmJust in case you are not able to come to the book signing at Blue Cashew in Rhinebeck, NY this Saturday to meet Ben in person, follow this link to his blog and you will find some amazing photos plus an interview that I did where I talk about what is was like to work with Ben on Rose's Heavenly Cakes. -
100th Anniversary of the Jungfrau Railway
28 Jan 2012 | 6:30 amAugust 1, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Jungfrau Railway, the cogwheel train that takes visitors high up to the Jungfraujoch, dubbed "Top of Europe". The German word Jungfrau means virgin and joch refers to the saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau mountains. I had the amazing experience of riding this train and seeing the Jungfraujoch on my first visit to Switzerland many years ago and it turned out to be the source of one of my most thrilling but also funniest stories ever! I was saving it for my memoirs but now that the 100th anniversary is near I can't resist telling you…
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Baking Bites
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Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Raspberry Buttercream
8 Feb 2012 | 1:12 pmA traditional whoopie pie is a pair of cake-like chocolate cookies sandwiching a fluffy, marshmallow frosting center. It’s a good combination, to be sure, but whoopie pies are a lot more interesting when you mix things up with different flavors and, fortunately, it is very easy to add some flavor to a whoopie pie. These Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Raspberry Buttercream pair soft, chocolate cake and a fruity raspberry filling. Flavor-wise, it’s a great combination, but the bright colors in the finished dessert make this a lot of fun, too. The cake portion of the whoopie pies is a… -
Bites from other Blogs
8 Feb 2012 | 6:49 amBananas and sweet dulce de leche are a wonderful combination in just about any dessert, but the Dulce de Leche Banana Bars that Bakers Royal made recently take that combination over the top, in a good way. These bars start out with a layer of graham cracker crust that is topped with salted pecans, crushed up vanilla Oreo cookies and lots of sliced banana. A mixture of dulce de leche and sweetened condensed milk is poured over the top and the bars are baked until they’re set, much like Magic Bars. The vanilla cookies add a cookies n’ cream flavor without adding any chocolate, so… -
Reynolds Wrap Nonstick Pan Lining Paper, reviewed
7 Feb 2012 | 3:11 pmNonstick parchment paper is a great tool to have in the kitchen. Perfect for lining cookie sheets and cake pans, parchment paper makes cleanup easy and prevents your baked goods from sticking to your pans. Parchment paper is best used on flat surfaces (such as the bottom of pans), but there are things that I bake that I like to be able to lift out of the pan for cooling, slicing and serving. These include coffee cakes, brownies and bar cookies, and when making these types of baked goods, I typically line my pans with aluminum foil and lightly grease it. I can lift the foil right out of the… -
Linden Sweden Baker’s 4-Tier Cooling Rack
7 Feb 2012 | 7:05 amCooling racks are an important tool in a baker’s kitchen because they allow you to cool down baked goods quickly when the come out of the oven. Wire cooling racks with a grid pattern are my go-to style of cooling rack because they offer support for everything from big cakes to small cookies as they cool. The only problem with sheet-style cooling racks is that they take up a lot of counter space and when you’re making multiple batches of cookies (or have a small kitchen) that loss of counter space can be a real problem. This is where a gadget like the Baker’s 4-Tier Cooling…
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Cream Puffs In Venice
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Magazine Mondays: We Got Buns!
6 Feb 2012 | 7:10 pmWhat’s better than sleeping in on a weekend morning and waking up to the smell of warm, buttery, citrusy buns just coming out of the oven? Nothing! That’s what … nothing’s better than that! If you agree with me then I have the buns for you: Saveur’s Sweet Orange Buns. To me, this is the perfect weekend recipe. You mix it all up the night before, leave it in the fridge to rise overnight, and then bake it off in the morning once you’ve woken up and are ready to leave the comfort of bed. Many times, with yeasted doughs, it feels like you’re a slave to… -
Nutella, Buon Giorno!
5 Feb 2012 | 6:51 amI find we all have different ways of measuring the passage of a year. Some people look to their children’s birthdays or particular holidays to pause and remark, “Wow. Another year gone by.” Me … I measure time according to Nutella. To be exact, I am fully aware that a whole year of life has gone by every time World Nutella Day rolls around and my reaction is, “Seriously?! It’s already World Nutella Day? Where did the last year go???” For those of you that don’t know, Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso decided, way… -
Magazine Mondays: Citrus!
23 Jan 2012 | 8:24 pmWelcome to the first edition of Magazine Mondays for 2012! I have slowly been easing my way back into my work schedule as I’m still trying to come down from the tremendous high of my holiday trip to Italy. As always, the highlight of that trip was the food. When I’m in Italy and I’m eating (which is pretty much 23 hours a day), I try to be very mindful of what I’m eating and how it was prepared. My aunts are all tremendous cooks and of course they all cook instinctively, having spent an entire lifetime in the kitchen. You don’t see any cookbooks lying around in… -
What I Did on My Christmas Vacation …
6 Jan 2012 | 3:53 pmI am back from an unbelievably beautiful holiday in Italy where my mom, my brother and I spent Christmas and New Year’s with my father’s family in Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche. We had such a beautiful time, filled with so much laughter and talk and of course … food! So. Much. Food. Being away from the usual holiday hustle and bustle of a big city reminded me that Christmas is not about buying stuff. Most of our time was spent either cooking or baking or gathered around the table sharing a glass of wine. I feel so blessed. I think my favourite moments, though, were the nights in… -
My Wish For You
20 Dec 2011 | 7:45 amVery soon, I will be boarding a plane for a flight to Rome. I will be spending my very first Christmas outside Canada. I will be spending my holidays, along with my mother and brother, in the loving company of my father’s family in Ascoli Piceno. We’ve been planning this trip for months and even though the time to depart is here, it still seems a bit unbelievable to me. Then again, it’s hard for me to believe that it’s been ten years since my beloved papa’ left us. Most often, at this time of year, I find myself trying to focus on the year that was and the year…
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Tartelette
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Pan Seared Smelts & Gathering Around The Simple Things
8 Feb 2012 | 5:10 amIt's the little things that make me happy. Not just smiling. Truly happy. The little things that instantly make my eyes sparkle, my memories ramble and my step take a lighter beat. A wine my... -
Scenes From A Cookbook Shoot
2 Feb 2012 | 9:16 pmStudio wall with quick prints of the shots so far. Friday already. We are on the last day of the shoot for "Marmalade" by Elizabeth Field for Running Press (Fall 2012) and as usual at the end of... -
Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts
26 Jan 2012 | 10:39 pmSoft, fragrant, pillowy morsels of dough encasing a cinnamon scented ring of apple goodness. Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts. These will make you turn into the worst poet. Granted. But oh sweetness, they... -
Currently...
24 Jan 2012 | 2:52 pmHeirloom Book Company, downtown Charleston. If you are looking for me, I am currently going through 1009 shots taken this past weekend for One Kings Lane. The online site will have a Tag Sale for... -
Champagne Sorbet With Red Currant Syrup
16 Jan 2012 | 10:38 pmFirst thing before today's post and recipe: the winner of the Squam Workshop Giveaway is Patti from Peppermint Ph.D! Congratulations! please send me your mailing address at mytartelette AT gmail DOT...
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Dessert First
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Preaching the Donut Gospel
2 Feb 2012 | 12:14 amBefore I go into a recap of my weekend spent spreading the donut gospel to eager culinary students, just a couple fun announcements: Remember the Driscoll’s berry dessert contest that I won? Part of my prize was the opportunity to have one of my recipes featured on Driscoll’s website. That recipe, Swirled Strawberry Cupcakes, is now up, in time for your Valentine’s Day baking. Go take a look! Also, I was flattered to be interviewed by Poor Taste magazine, an irreverent online food periodical. If you’re curious, pop on over for a read and take a look at some of the… -
{SF} All The Cupcakes You Can Handle: At The SF Cupcake Challenge
26 Jan 2012 | 12:48 amIs the cupcake craze over? Apparently not in the Bay Area, where new cupcakeries are still proliferating. A couple weeks ago DrinkEatPlay invited me to judge at the 2nd Annual Bay Area Cupcake Challenge, where 13 cupcake bakeries competed for Best Cupcake and Best Bakery. Two cupcakes from each competitor equaled a whole lot of cupcakes to taste! Above, about half of the cupcakes I tasted. Fortunately all the cupcakes came in mini size for tasting, since I don’t think I could have made it through 26 full size cupcakes! As it was, even with careful rationing of bites and deliberate… -
Hong Kong and Happy Chinese New Year
20 Jan 2012 | 12:51 amIt’s almost New Year again – Chinese New Year! The Year of the Dragon starts on Monday, Jan 23. Just in time for me to share some (mostly food-related) snapshots of my trip to Hong Kong. Along with the usual rounds of family, holidays, and general gluttony, I also went on an egg custard tart-eating quest. This traditional dessert now appears in all sorts of variations around town – flaky crust, cookie crust, mini size, Portuguese style…they get really addictive! Egg custard tarts, mini size. The lighter colored one in the back is made with egg whites – the… -
Venice: Farewell Honeymoon, Hello New Year
11 Jan 2012 | 12:00 amHappy New Year! I hope your 2012 is off to a wonderful start. I’m back from Hong Kong and Vietnam, and eager to write a post about that trip, but first I need to finish another vacation post…about the last stop on my honeymoon. Thanks for your patience and I hope you’ve been enjoying the recaps…it took longer than I thought but I hope I did the trip justice! The last stop on our honeymoon was Venice, that classic city for romantics. One of the best things about being on a cruise ship was that we got to enter the city from the sea, and essentially sail along the entire… -
A Chocolate Mint Tart to Round Out the Year
30 Dec 2011 | 2:21 amHello dear readers, In a couple of hours I’ll be boarding a plane to fly back to the US, so I’ll be ringing in the new year at home. It’s been a great two weeks in Vietnam and Hong Kong, filled with family and, as always, a surfeit of good food. Below is one of my favorite photos I took during my trip, on a bus ride rounding the Hong Kong harbor – one of the prettiest views in the world, in my quite-biased opinion: I didn’t get to bake while I was in Hong Kong (although I ate way more egg custard tarts than was probably good for my cholesterol), so for my last…
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betz white
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Stitch Organic Give-away!
6 Feb 2012 | 7:57 amSince February is the month of *LOVE* I plan on spending the month sharing the love shown for Stitch! Stitch Organic is my first print collection with Robert Kaufman. Over the last year you've heard the news, seen the sneak peek, the big reveal, and followed me to Quilt Market. Finally at the end of 2011, Stitch shipped! In honor of my "baby" being out in the world, I am hosting a give-away of this big stack of Stitch Organic Fat Quarters! That's 22 prints in all! Over yonder in the sidebar-----> you'll see a new "Stitching for Stitch" Flickr photo pool. It would make my little heart sing… -
Olive Swing Bag pattern cover [Flickr]
3 Feb 2012 | 1:29 pmbetz_white posted a photo: part of my Make New or Make Do™ sewing pattern collection. -
Isabella Tote Pattern - cover [Flickr]
3 Feb 2012 | 1:26 pmbetz_white posted a photo: part of my Make New or Make Do™ sewing pattern collection -
needlebooks [Flickr]
3 Feb 2012 | 1:20 pmbetz_white posted a photo: Needle books made with Stitch Organic -
Pleated_pillow [Flickr]
3 Feb 2012 | 1:20 pmbetz_white posted a photo: Pillow front made with roll-ups of Stitch Organic from Robert Kaufman.
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SmartMoney.com: Deal of the Day
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With Valentine's Day Sales, Not All Gold Glitters
8 Feb 2012 | 3:33 pmDeal of the Day: Some tips for picking up that jewelry gift this year. -
Gold Medal Deals on Olympic Travel
7 Feb 2012 | 1:02 pmDeal of the Day: The fiercest competition at the 2012 Summer Games in London may be for hotel rooms and tickets. -
A New Coupon Source: Your Account Statement
1 Feb 2012 | 6:37 amDeal of the Day: Next time you check your balance, check out these new ways to save. -
Cable TV on the Cheap
27 Jan 2012 | 1:10 pmDeal of the Day: New cable plans allow subscribers to scale back without cutting the cord. -
Buying a Super-Bowl-Worthy TV
26 Jan 2012 | 10:49 amDeal of the Day: Prices are better than during the holiday season – but experts say not for long.
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SmartMoney.com: Today's Markets
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Banks Lift Stocks
8 Feb 2012 | 2:07 pmBy Jonathan Cheng Stocks drifted a smidgeon higher, as investors awaited an agreement among Greek politicians on reforms ahead of the country's second international bailout.The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 5.75 points, or less than 0.1%, to 12883.95, a high that was last seen May 19, 2008. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 2.91 points, or 0.2%, at 1349.96, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 11.78 points, or 0.4%, to 2915.86.Energy stocks dragged the broader market lower, as crude-oil prices pulled back from morning gains. Exxon Mobil fell 0.6%. Financial and technology…
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How to Change the World
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Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK
20 Jan 2012 | 10:46 amOver the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are… -
Design a Sam Adams beer
20 Jan 2012 | 8:24 amNow this is a fun project. I’m helping Sam Adams “tap” the knowledge of beer drinkers and crowd source its next brew. Join the party by getting the app and designing your beer: The final brew will be released in Austin in the first week of March. #sponsored -
How to Create an Enchanting Financial Forecast #OfficeandGuyK
17 Jan 2012 | 1:52 pmThis is the third post in my Microsoft partnership, and it’s all about numbers. The topic is crafting your financial forecast to include in your pitch. Bill Reichert, my partner at Garage Technology Ventures, created an Excel model and wrote this blog post. There’s a lesson in this too: Get the best person for the job. His grasp of financial models and how to present them exceeds mine by two orders of magnitude. The Purpose of Financial Projections When it comes to financial projections, there are two types of entrepreneurs: first, the “visionary entrepreneur” who… -
How to Create an Enchanting Business Plan #OfficeandGuyK
12 Jan 2012 | 8:16 amHere is the second post in my series about planning, pitching, and launching a new business venture. In partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve created a Word document that outlines a good business plan. It’s saved to my SkyDrive folder here. Feel free to download it and use it as inspiration. And if you’re working with a partner, you can use the free Word Web App to stay in sync. I provided the PowerPoint document before the Word document because a good business plan is an elaboration of a good pitch as opposed to a good pitch being a distillation of good business plan. -
How to Create an Enchanting Pitch #OfficeandGuyK
9 Jan 2012 | 8:01 amWelcome to the first in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing as part of a partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps. Over the next two weeks, I’ll cover everything a budding entrepreneur needs to turn an idea into an enchanting investment opportunity—from the perfect pitch to a killer business plan to financial forecasts. I’m going to start with a little dissertation on creating effective PowerPoint pitches for your company. I embedded the sample deck for you to click through by using the PowerPoint Web App. When you’re ready to get started, you can download the…
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Church of the Customer Blog
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Playbooks and visual explanations
6 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amBy the time the New York Giants and the New England Patriots took the field Sunday for their Super Bowl matchup, the players on both teams had read, re-read and rehearsed their respective game playbooks dozens, if not hundreds of times. They'd studied each play via multiple diagrams and photographs, stats and descriptions of assignments for every player on the field. A playbook is an apt metaphor for any business team that needs concise, how-to plans to deal with the complexity of systems, processes and moving variables, especially with social business. Whether it's for one of the world's… -
People trust people
1 Feb 2012 | 12:27 pm[Click on chart to see larger version.] The latest edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer study just came out showing CEO's in the dog house when it comes to being trusted. Who do people trust? Academic and tech experts, sure. But the biggest movers in the study are "a person just like me" and "regular employee." Look at your 2012 marketing plan. Are you providing ways for your customers to get together in-person and online to encourage word of mouth? Are you showcasing your best employees in social media, at conferences, and at private events with customers? Source: 2012 Edelman… -
FedEx's apology: expertly delivered
21 Dec 2011 | 8:29 pmWe've seen this before: 1) company makes an egregious service mistake and is outed by a customer via a YouTube video, 2) video goes viral, 3) mainstream media picks up the story and amplifies it, 4) PR nightmare begins. This week's culprit is FedEx. A California FedEx driver is caught on a security-camera video flinging a package containing a computer monitor over the fence of a gated Southern California house. At no time does the driver attempt to ring the bell for delivery. Just a toss over the fence, and he jumps back into his truck. In two days, the video has over three million views. … -
The simplest definition of word of mouth marketing
28 Nov 2011 | 12:38 pmNice video from WOMMA on the basics of word of mouth marketing. Tweet -
14 new statistics about word of mouth marketing
17 Oct 2011 | 11:45 amThe Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) has a neat infographic detailing the latest stats about word or mouth marketing, online and offline. Source: WOMMA Note: the WOMMA Summit is coming up November 16-18 in Las Vegas. It's a great conference to learn the latest WOM marketing techniques from leading brands and agencies. Tweet
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Conversation Agent
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Collaboration? You Must be Joking!
8 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amI read this post by Chris Saad the other morning in response to Robert Scoble 's mention in a recent post and I keep thinking about the applicability of its concepts not just for Silicon Valley and the tech community. It applies to marketers and communicators as well. [Posted originally on Google+]<rant>1. lead not just cheerlead - how many times do we copy the same concept over and over, or look at short term payoffs when the opportunities are on the making better promises side of the conversation?2. add to the business DNA - nothing dies, not media companies, not blogging, not… -
What a Difference Five Years Make
7 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amHere I am. Writing from my heart more than my head where all the good ideas are and I get the zinger -- yeah, a personality would be great. Seriously? Kidding. I'm sure it would. And I have one. I can go from Zero to Italian in no time. When appropriate. Why do you care? Because that's just it -- online content should have a style and point of view, to get more personality it needs to have guts, and it needs to have time. Guts don't come from charts and stats, they come from people. Time as in face time, as in skin in the game, as in relationships. Or you're just making the seagull move --… -
How Would You Redesign the Sears Customer Experience?
6 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amAs a regular at Brand Autopsy, I remember the "would you miss" series of posts about brands John Moore wrote a couple of years back. The brands discussed ranged from Denny's, Costco, Ace Hardware, Dairy Queen, Crate & Barrell, BusinessWeek, UPS, Pizza Hut, to Walgreens, Polaroid Instant Film, Advertising Age, The Cheesecake Factory, Chili's, Wells Fargo, and more. One of the brands was Sears -- if Sears went out of business tomorrow, would any of us care? Does Sears provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? How did Sears do on… -
... then I Discovered I am Actually Funny
5 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amSo, I've been thinking. What I'm doing here with this blog is not working. It's not you, it's me. Somehow I manage to scare you off to some site with LOL cats whenever you open your feed. I'm not inspiring you. Or maybe I am, and you're not telling me. I've tried a couple of things to justify keeping up with producing researched and useful content. That only makes the scraping and copying and rewriting gremlins happy and me poor. They don't link anymore in the sphere, those bastards. This is a departure from my usual writing style, I know. I've been slaving on figuring out an angle for the… -
The Weeds and Trees Links Edition
4 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amDo you have poor information consumption habits? Here's how you can tell -- if you're constantly looking for the next thing or shiny object, you're addicted to the fast growth and short term life of weeds. Some of them are pretty. All the action is up top, yet they don't grow strong. Small roots. On the other end of the spectrum are trees. All the action is underground, so you don't really see it while it's happening -- and at least for a while. Yet, once they grow, trees could be there for decades, stretching upward and providing a welcome respite for generations. Weeds and trees Is a…
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Seth's Blog
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How do they know you're not a flake?
8 Feb 2012 | 2:43 amBefore your link gets clicked or your proposal gets read, a busy person is going to triage it to find out if it's even worth glancing at. Since everyone is now connected, the new permeability has created a deluge of noise, and just about everyone worth contacting is taking defensive measures. Do I know this person? Did someone I trust send them over? Where does she work? (Ideo? the FDA? The New York Times?) Has she won an award? Is she famous? Are there typos and is the design sloppy? Are they pestering me? Do I already follow this person online? Does music play when I visit the website? Will… -
Horizontal marketing isn't a new idea
7 Feb 2012 | 2:09 amBut it is the new reality for just about every organization. Vertical marketing means the marketer (the one with money) is in charge. Vertical marketing starts at the top and involves running ads, sending out direct mail and pushing hype through the media. Your money, your plans, your control. It might not work, but generally the worst outcome is that you will be ignored and need to spend more money. Horizonal marketing, on the other hand, means creating a remarkable product and story and setting it up to spread from person to person. It's out of your control, because all the interactions are… -
Who is your customer?
6 Feb 2012 | 2:26 amRule one: You can build a business on the foundation of great customer service. Rule two: The only way to do great customer service is to treat different customers differently. The question: Who is your customer? It's not obvious. Zappos is a classic customer service company, and their customer is the person who buys the shoes. Nike, on the other hand, doesn't care very much at all about the people who buy the shoes, or even the retailers. They care about the athletes (often famous) that wear the shoes, sometimes for money. They name buildings after these athletes, court them, erect… -
In search of a timid trapeze artist
5 Feb 2012 | 2:01 amGood luck with that, there aren't any. If you hesitate when leaping from rope to another, you're not going to last very long. And this is at the heart of what makes innovation work in organizations, why industries die, and how painful it is to try to maintain the status quo while also participating in a revolution. Gather up as much speed as you can, find a path and let go. You can't get to the next rope if you're still holding on to this one. -
Will energy consumption stay private?
4 Feb 2012 | 11:45 amIt's clear that the consumption of energy has external effects that impact more than just the person who is paying for it. Geopolitical, health and economic issues come to the neighbors and nearby citizens of entities that are using a lot of power. It was always straightforward to see who was burning a lot of wood or drove a huge car. It's easy to see when a company has a huge smokestake belching carbon. What happens when sensors make it easy to see how efficient a machine is, how much of a resource is being consumed and how much exhaust is being spewed? What happens when Google maps shows…
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The Art of Manliness
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The Importance of Roughhousing With Your Kids
7 Feb 2012 | 3:26 pmRoughhousing. Horseplay. Wrastling. Whatever you call it, it’s one of the best things about being a dad. I love chasing my one-year-old son, Gus, around the house or pretending that the living room is a lucha libre ring and wrestling with him. No matter how stressed out I’m feeling, hearing one of his big, belly laughs erupt as I swing him around like a monkey makes all my cares go away. Gus-Dad Throwdown Unfortunately, in recent years, horseplay has gotten a bad rap. Parents, concerned about safety and preventing ADHD, limit the amount of rambunctious play their kids take part… -
How to Back Up a Trailer…Like a Man!
6 Feb 2012 | 3:20 pmEditor’s note: This is a guest post from Colin Braun. So, you borrowed your father-in-law’s boat for your weekend at the cabin, or you bought a RV to take the family camping for this year’s vacation. You got to where you were going and realized you now had to back up to get that trailer where you needed it. Maybe you hadn’t anticipated this (but really, how did you expect to get that boat in the water?), or maybe you didn’t think it would be a problem. How hard could it be? It’s not like you need a special license to do it, and you’ve seen other guys at the boat launch do… -
Look ‘Em in the Eye: Part I -The Importance of Eye Contact
5 Feb 2012 | 3:12 pmHow often have you talked with another guy who never looked you in the eye during the entire length of the conversation? Or perhaps he did meet your gaze a few times, but then his eyes shifted back to his shoes or to some point off in the distance. I’d like to say that the ability to make good eye contact is one of the social skills a lot of young men seem to be struggling with these days, which would be true, but I’ve encountered enough gaze-averting middle-aged men to know that it’s a multi-generational problem. And actually, it’s probably something men have always struggled… -
The Art of Manliness Podcast #39: Eugen Sandow, Victorian Strongman with David Waller
2 Feb 2012 | 4:36 pmBefore Arnold Schwarzenegger, even before Charles Atlas, there was Eugen Sandow. Rising from obscurity in Prussia, Sandow became an international celebrity during the Golden Age of the Strongman in the late 19th century for his amazing feats of strength and his well-sculpted physique. While Sandow wowed crowds in the United Kingdom and United States, he also preached a new gospel of physical fitness and well-being. Our podcast guest today has recently published a biography of Sandow and his times. His name is David Waller, and his book is The Perfect Man: The Muscular Life and Times of Eugen… -
So You Want My Job: Gym Owner
2 Feb 2012 | 2:18 pmTraining Gary Matthews Jr. for his MLB comeback. Once again we return to our So You Want My Job series, in which we interview men who are employed in desirable jobs and ask them about the reality of their work and for advice on how men can live their dream. You’re a guy who’s passionate about health and fitness, and you want to make that passion a career. You’ll probably start out being a trainer, working with clients at someone else’s gym. But after years of that, you might want to take it to the next level and create an environment you completely design and run…
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Indexed
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Damaged goods.
8 Feb 2012 | 11:57 amShare and Enjoy: -
And then you’ll be offended you weren’t invited back.
7 Feb 2012 | 8:41 amShare and Enjoy: -
The louder, the ickier.
6 Feb 2012 | 11:48 amShare and Enjoy: -
Go on, look behind the curtain.
3 Feb 2012 | 10:31 amShare and Enjoy: -
What are you raising awareness of today?
2 Feb 2012 | 10:58 amShare and Enjoy:
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Fast Lane Daily - Auto News. Fast Cars. Fast and Fresh. Every day.
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Nissan 370z Facelift, Grand Theft Ambulance, Chrysler 100 spied, & Humpday GOW!
8 Feb 2012 | 12:01 pmThe new 2013 Nissan 370z is going to be at the Chicago Auto Show, and by "new" we mean hardly any changes. Some guy thinks the world revolves around him and tries to move an ambulance, Chrysler’s new 100 mule is spied testing blah blah blah, and it’s Wednesday so of course it's Hump Day Girl of the Week with the beautiful Giorgia Palmas! That's all today on Fast Lane Daily hosted by Derek D'ness. -
Mercedes Shooting Break, Arabian Drifting, Prost Tries Ice Racing, & Dumbass Tuesday!
7 Feb 2012 | 9:00 amMercedes really shows their shooting break, that rapper/singer chick MIA drifts to middle eastern rap, Alain Prost likes to win races now in minivans, Ferrari shows off their new ugly nosed F1 car. Plus Dumbass Tuesday is a doozy! That's all today on Fast Lane Daily, hosted by Derek "still so happy the Giants won" D! -
Superbowl Car Commercial Extravaganza and Commenter of the Week!
6 Feb 2012 | 12:57 pmWe are going to recap ALL the car commercials during the Superbowl that we didn't show you last week! We have an apocalyptic Chevy truck, a model that turns into a Fiat, Chrysler drops loads of cash on there "Halftime America" commercial, the new Cadillac ATS takes on the Nurburgring, and BMW has heated steering wheels (whoopdie doo). Plus we got Commenter of the Week, as well as a rundown of every other Superbowl commercial! That's all today on Fast Lane Daily, hosted by the extremely happy and ecstatic Derek D because the NY GIANTS WON THE SUPERBOWL!! Oh and more on the "Leo and Derek bet"… -
BMW 1 series GT, Parallel Parking Fail, Rambo Lambo Returns, & Honda Sued!
3 Feb 2012 | 9:39 amBMW has a 1 series GT for the Paris Auto Show, although it's front wheel drive, womp womp. The dumbest Smart Car parallel parker that has ever gotten behind the wheel of a car. Lamborghini is bringing an SUV to Geneva, aren't we mad at them for this or not? Also, some lady is pissed at Honda for false advertising their Civic Hybrids MPG stats, so she sues! That's all today on Fast Lane Daily with the new "Crew Cam" and all, hosted by Derek to the friggin D! -
Acura ILX, Ford B-Max Image, Bad Pool Day, & MORE Superbowl Commercials!
2 Feb 2012 | 9:14 amAcura is all, OK well make cool looking cars again, and they show us the new ILX. Ford makes a B-Max but will America get it? Also, some dude has a very unfortunate accident with his new car (well it was new to him) that you only see in the movies (apparently). Plus more Superbowl Ads released, of course they are released, why wouldn't they release them before they are actually suppose to be released. That's all today on Fast Lane Daily hosted by Derek D, who didn't see his shadow this morning!
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AutoSpies.com News
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CHICAGO AUTO SHOW: Over 500 Photos Now Live From Show Floor
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pm -
Fiat’s version of the Dodge Dart caught testing in China
8 Feb 2012 | 1:08 pm -
GM Seeks Volt Boost From California Carpool Lanes, Super Bowl Ad
8 Feb 2012 | 12:01 pm -
Should The Check Engine Light Be Banned In Favor Of A More Informative Display?
8 Feb 2012 | 11:22 am -
Toyota CEO Had To Push Engineers To Create A FR-S Coupe That Could Perform
8 Feb 2012 | 10:33 am
