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Ohio Walleye Fishing
All about fishing for walleye in OH lakes.
Walleye Fishing Lakes In Ohio
Ohio anglers are fortunate to have many lakes with populations of walleye. They include Alum Creek Lake, Atwood Lake, Beaver Creek Reservoir, Berlin Lake, Buck Creek Lake, Buckeye Lake, CJ Brown Reservoir, Caesar Creek Lake,Charles Mill Lake, Clear Fork Reservoir, Clendening Reservoir, Grand Lake St Marys, Hoover Reservoir, Indian Lake, LaDue Reservoir, Lake Erie, Lake Lecomte, Lake Milton, Leesville Lake, Lost Creek Reservoir, Mosquito Lake, Paulding Reservoir, Piedmont Reservoir, Pleasant Hill Lake, Pymatuning Lake, Rocky Fork Lake, Salt Fork Lake, Seneca Lake, Tappan Reservoir, West Branch Lake and Willard Reservoir.
Additionally, you can find walleye in the rivers flowing into and out of some of these lakes. Lake Erie produced the Ohio state record walleye.
The walleye prefers moderately deep lakes with gravel, rock or sandy bottoms. It is found primarily in cold water lakes but has proven to survive in warmer impoundments. It is prized for its great tasting filets. Click here to learn all about walleye fishing.
Ohio walleye spawn in spring and when they have the option will choose to migrate from the lake up into feeder streams to spawn. If this option is not available they seek out shallow bars or shoals with clean bottom surfaces near deep water.
By clicking on the images and links above, you will be taken to a page offering more information about the selected species.
This toothy fish will eat virtually anything it can catch and get in its mouth. They prefer small fish and will eat crustaceans, worms and insects. They tend to be somewhat wary and prefer the safety of deeper darker water. Try fishing for walleye from sundown to midnight, particularly during the heat of summer.
Fish for Ohio walleye with live bait, crankbaits, spoons, small spinner baits as well as plastic worms and grubs.
Trolling for walleye from a fishing boat.
Also find information about walleye fishing in these states.
Learn the migration patterns of walleye
Walleye become active in spring and begin the spawning process in medium-depth water. As summer arrives they move to deeper, cooler water. In fall walleye migrate into shallower water again and feed aggressively preparing for their move to deeper water where they will spend winter. Visit the walleye fishing page for additional information about walleye activities.


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This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.
SUZUKA, Mie Pref. ― Yuki Tsunoda battled hard for points in his Formula One debut at the Japanese Grand Prix, but his efforts were dampened by a steady rain that delayed the race for over two hours on Sunday, October 9.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed the victory and sealed the 2022 world championship when Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was given a late penalty at the Suzuka Circuit.
Tsunoda started from 13th place on the grid and moved up to as high as ninth when the race resumed after the lengthy delay. A top-10 finish would have secured points for Tsunoda but he wasn't able to achieve that.
The AlphaTauri driver pitted with 10 minutes left when he was 11th and then came out in 16th place, before working his way up to 13th when time ran out.
"It's been a difficult afternoon," Tsunoda said. "I obviously wanted to finish in the points, so it's a real shame that I wasn't able to make it today. I think that I did the best I could today and extracted the most out of the car but the pace just wasn't there."
Read the full story on SportsLook.
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for more than 25 years. You can find his articles here.

domain: news


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Optometry professor awarded significant European grant
Funding will be used to investigate and improve the detection of glaucoma
Professor David Crabb, an optometry academic at City University London, has received 547,000 Euros from the European Glaucoma Research Training Program-Plus (EGRET+) to investigate and improve the detection of glaucoma.
The two new projects will specifically use the funds to further explore how to detect and monitor glaucoma during everyday tasks and in a complimentary project the team will work to improve the identification of vision loss in patients with glaucoma.
Running until 2020 and led by academics at the University of Groningen, Netherlands the project includes other academic institutions and business from across Europe. The grant will be used at City to employ two PhD fellows and host training sessions for all 15 fellows during the lifetime of the grant.
Glaucoma is the most common age-related neurodegenerative eye-disease in western society and one of the four major blinding eye diseases. If untreated or detected too late, glaucoma will end in blindness, yielding a profound loss of quality of life for the individual and major costs to society.
Given the complexity of glaucoma and to advance the assessment and therapy beyond the current knowledge base, EGRET+ will help to train a new generation of researchers to study all aspects of glaucoma and the aging visual system. As a result the new knowledge generated through the project has tremendous potential to positively impact the lives of millions of European citizens.
As part of the first project, Professor Crabb will aim to develop a test that uses everyday activities such as watching movies to detect dysfunctional eye movement which can be predictors of the early stages of glaucoma. This project will potentially enable glaucoma detection to move out of the clinic to the home where any vision loss can be captured more regularly, enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment.
The second project will work in tandem with the first to investigate if combining information from retinal imaging and conventional measurements of vision can accelerate the reliable identification of vision loss in patients with glaucoma. This programme of work will adapt and develop statistical models for detecting glaucoma progression already developed at City University London and will also incorporate modern statistical methods for assessing changes in the retinal images.
Speaking about the grants, Professor David Crabb said:
“These two new grants from the EGRET+ study will enable us to improve the detection of glaucoma through two novel studies at City in collaboration with other leading institutions and businesses across Europe. Glaucoma affects a large number of the elderly population. This new project will train the next generation of researchers to investigate a condition which can have a devastating impact on everyday life. The award also illustrates how Optometry at City University London is at the centre of international glaucoma research.”


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Very Important Passengers
Count Agoston Haraszthy
Count Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian Nobleman born in 1812, came to the United States in 1840 and lived in the Eastern United States (including Wisconsin) until news of the discovery of gold reached him. Early in 1849, he was elected captain of a train of wagons destined for California via the Santa Fe Trail. Although most California-bound travelers were lured westward by dreams of gold, Haraszthy said that he was going to California "to settle, not for the gold," and that he intended to plant a vineyard near San Diego. Traveling with his entire family, he left Wisconsin in March, 1849 and arrived in San Diego the following December.
In San Diego, as in Wisconsin, Haraszthy plunged into a frenzy of activity. He formed a partnership with Juan Bandini, a prominent Spanish-Californian, and launched a host of business and agricultural projects. He studied soil conditions in San Diego to learn about cultivation in the arid climate of the region.
He planted fruit orchards, operated a livery stable and stagecoach line, opened a butcher shop, and organized a syndicate to subdivide a large section of the San Diego Bay shore into streets, parks, and building lots. The land lay between Old Town and New San Diego and was called Middle San Diego, or Middletown. It was informally known in San Diego as "Haraszthyville."
While in San Diego, Haraszthy imported grape vines by mail. Some came from the eastern United States, others from Europe. He also planted a vineyard on a tract of land near the San Diego River. On April 1, 1850, in the first election held under the new American administration of California, Haraszthy was elected sheriff of San Diego County. He also served as city marshal. In his capacity as a private contractor, he built a jail for the city of San Diego, which was completed in 1851.
He learned about the Mission grape which was of true European origin, but noted defects in the quality of the wine. He was convinced that plantings of nobler varieties could be commercially viable, and he began to preach that good wine can only be made from good grapes.
With friends, he brought a tract of 160 acres in Mission Valley, a few miles northeast of San Diego where he planted cuttings of grapevines ordered from Europe. Dissatisfied with the results due to the sub-tropical climate, he explored the San Francisco Bay Area, and purchased acreage near San Francisco's Mission Dolores in March 1852. At his new ranch, Haraszthy designed and laid out a nursery and horticultural garden which he named Los Flores. With his son's help he planted fruit trees and shrubs imported from the East.
On March 25, 1852, Haraszthy began to buy real estate near Mission San Francisco de As s (Mission Dolores) in San Francisco. He tried raising grapes in San Francisco but found the climate too foggy. He acquired a large tract of land near Crystal Springs on the San Francisco Peninsula (now part of San Mateo County) and planted it to vineyards, but eventually gave up the effort to make wine there, again finding the climate too foggy to ripen the grapes. In both San Francisco and Crystal Springs, Haraszthy continued to import a wide variety of European grape vines and experimented with their planting and cultivation.
In San Francisco, Haraszthy became friendly with a group of Hungarian metallurgists. He formed a partnership under the name of Haraszthy and Uznay and built a large private refinery facility, called the Eureka Gold and Silver Refinery. When a branch of the United States Mint opened in San Francisco in April 1854, Haraszthy became the first U. S. assayer. In August 1855, he became melter and refiner at the Mint.
A grand jury investigation of alleged defalcations of gold from the Mint led in September, 1857, to a federal indictment charging Haraszthy with the embezzlement of $151,550 in gold. A long investigation led to the dismissal of the criminal charges. A civil trial then followed, which fully exonerated Haraszthy in February 1861.
While the mint investigation was pending, Haraszthy moved to Sonoma, about fifty miles north of San Francisco. In 1856, he bought a small vineyard northeast of the town and renamed it Buena Vista. He moved his vines there from Crystal Springs and began to expand the vineyards.
In 1857, he began to bore tunnels into the sides of a nearby mountain and build stone cellars at their entrance. He eventually had two large stone winery buildings, equipped with underground tunnels and the latest wine-making equipment in California. Haraszthy s cellars at Buena Vista were the first stone wineries in the state. In 1857 his attention was called to the vineyard of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo at Sonoma. At the time Haraszthy made his first appearance at Sonoma in 1857, Vallejo was the leading vintner.
Strong Wine: The Life and Legend of Agoston Haraszthy
He added acreage to his original purchase, eventually holding more than 5,000 acres of valley and hillside. He was a proponent of hillside plantings, arguing that vines should be permitted to grow without irrigation. He divided some of his acreage into smaller plots, inducing prominent Californians to come to Sonoma, where he planted vineyards for them. He was a vocal advocate of Chinese immigration, arguing that Chinese should be permitted to come to California and provide much-needed labor. He built a Pompeiian-style villa in the middle of the Buena Vista vineyards, in which he lived with his family.
In 1858, Haraszthy wrote a 19-page "Report on Grapes and Wine of California," which was published by the California State Agricultural Society. With practical advice for planting vines and making wines, it encouraged the planting of grapes throughout the state. In later years, Haraszthy s "Report" was recognized as the first treatise on winemaking written and published in California, and praised as the "first American explication of traditional European winemaking practices."
Haraszthy had by this time achieved recognition as California s leading winemaker. He contributed articles to newspapers and made speeches to gatherings of agriculturalists. He entered his wines in the competition of the California State Fair and received the highest awards. On April 23, 1862, he was elected president of the California State Agricultural Society.
In 1863, Haraszthy incorporated the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society, the first large corporation in California (perhaps in the United States) organized for the express purpose of engaging in agriculture. With the support of prominent investors, he greatly expanded his vineyards in Sonoma, making wine which was sold as far away as New York. In 1864, an article in Harper s Magazine proclaimed that Buena Vista was the largest establishment of the kind in the world.
Monday, February 2, 1863, Daily Alta California, San Francisco, California
Haraszthy's Book on Wine-Growing
A copy of a book entitled Grape Culture, Wines and Wine-Making, with notes upon Agriculture and Horticulture, by A. Haraszthy, Commissioner to report on the Improvement and Culture of the Vine in California, with numerous illustrations, New York, Harper & Brothers, has been placed upon our table by A. Roman & Co. It is an octavo volume of 420 pages, printed and bound in elegant style.
The first part of the book, 160 pages, contains the journal of Col. Haraszthy's trip through the wine districts of Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, the Rhine, Piedmont, Genoa, and Malaga, with a final chapter upon the author's experience in cultivating the grape and making wine in this State. So far as the notes of travel are concerned, they do not differ in any remarkable degree from other books of travel, unless here and there a little turn in the language reminds us that English is not the author's mother tongue. The style, however, is clear, forcible and grammatical. While we cannot praise the journal for any rare literary merit, we must give it credit for containing a large number of facts, and many important suggestions in relation to the main object of Col. Haraszthy's expedition. The second part, of 30 pages, is a translation of a German treatise, by J.C. Leuchs, on wines. The third part, of 40 pages, is a translation of a German treatise, by J.C. Leuchs, on wine-making. The fourth part, of 65 pages, is a translation of a German treatise, by Dr. L. Gall, in improvements in wine-making. The other parts are translations, or extracts, from F. Rubens, on the cultivation of the vine; J. Beyre, on sparkling wines; E. Lucas, on drying fruits; A. Ziegler, on the silkworm; P.W. Phillippi, on potato starch and grape sugar; K.J. Eberton, beer sugar, and H.S. Olcott, on sorgho and imphee.
Such are the main parts of the work, which is so comprehensive that we cannot undertake in one article to comment on each of its chapters. It is a substantial book, full of the most valuable information upon all the branches of wine-growing. We do not hesitate to assert that it is worth not only more than any other English book, but more than all other English books put together, on the same subject. We speak knowingly, because we have examined all the accessible English works on wine, and we have found most of them to be written for ornamental gardeners who may have a few vines in green-houses . . .
Grape Culture, Wines and Wine Making
In 1856, a ship sailed through the Golden Gate with thousands of cuttings of Europe's choicest vines -- the Flame Tokay, Zinfandel, Muscat of Alexandria, Seedless Sultana, Black Morocco -- all selected by Haraszthy. That Zinfandel grape is now the most planted grape in California. Haraszthy bought more land and named his new domain Buena Vista or "Beautiful View Again." By the end of 1857 he had more than tripled the total grape acreage of Sonoma Valley. In that single year he had planted 80,000 vines on about 118 acres.
Later after one of his wine cellars containing vintages of two years was destroyed by fire, Haraszthy traveled to Nicaragua where he bought a sugar plantation.
In 1861 he was appointed by the governor as special commissioner to visit European vineyards and report thereon; the result of his report was the introduction of 400 distinct varieties of apples into the Golden State.
In 1868 he went to Nicaragua, where at the head of a company of friends he obtained valuable privileges for the manufacture of wines and spirits, suger and lumber, acquiring 100,000 acres of the best land in Center America. In 1868 his wife came down with yellow fever and died. It was upon his plantation, the Hacienda San Antonio near the port of Cornito, that he met his death (July 6, 1870).
The Naval Order of the United States has a history dating from 1890. Membership includes a wide range of individuals, many with highly distinguished career paths. When it was established, the Founders provided "that any male person above the age of eighteen years who either served himself, was still presently serving, or was descended from an officer or enlisted man who served in any of the wars which the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, or Revenue or Privateer services was engaged was eligible for Regular membership." Today, the Order is a "by invitation only" society, and includes men and women who have served or who assist in accomplishing its Mission, including research and writing on naval and maritime subjects.
The San Francisco Commandery meets the first Monday of each month in San Francisco, California and holds two formal dinners each year:

domain: history


Third-Quarter Business Jet Deliveries, Billings Fall
November 10, 2016
During the first nine months of this year, general aviation manufacturers delivered 1,504 aircraft, down 3.5% from the same time in 2015. Billings for the nine months, meanwhile, fell from $15.7 billion in 2015 to $13.4 billion, a 14.4% decline, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers...
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We have just picked up the PAW Patrol: Grand Prix achievement list.
There are 15 achievements worth a total of 1,000 Gamerscore, none of which are secret.
|Unstoppable||Win 10 Races||40|
|First Victory||First Race Win||40|
|Every pup is the best pup||Unlock all characters||40|
|Let’s do it!||Win 30 Races||80|
|Challenger||Win a race in split-screen||80|
|Win with Friends||Win a 4 player split-screen race||80|
|Booster||Step on a boost pad 30 times||80|
|A different Strategy||Use a Skill for the first time||40|
|A new driver||Finish The Tutorial||40|
|Master||Use all skills||80|
|Just getting started||Win the first adventure race in first position||40|
|A sky full of stars||Win the adventure with all pups||80|
|Unbeatable||Win all the adventure races in the first position||80|
|Hero's journey||Finish the Adventure||100|
|Collector||Unlock All Esthetics Items||100|
The PAW Patrol are on their fastest mission yet – To win the Pup Cup! Race around iconic locations including Adventure Bay, Jake’s Snowboarding Resort and The Jungle in this 4-player-championship to find out who will be crowned the winner.

domain: hobby


To the Editor:
Mark Jordan did a nice job in his list of Movies to Dine For [February 12th issue]. However, he did miss the greatest one: Big Night. Please rent this one and rewrite the column.
Flinn and Childrens Radio
To the Editor:
As an avid reader of The Memphis Flyer, I know of your commitment to get the facts. Unfortunately, The Buzz [a Fly on the Wall item in the February 5th issue] omitted some important information.
You reported that Dr. [George] Flinn, owner of AM 1430, changes formats like some stations change songs, citing that he had switched from childrens programming on WOWW to Relationship Talk. Though it is true that a format change has taken place, the decision to abandon childrens programming did not rest with Dr. Flinn.
From February 13, 1997, to January 30, 1998, Dr. Flinn put considerable dollars into Radio AAHS, a 24-hour-a-day syndicated format for children. Despite the fact that advertiser support for such a positive influence in our city was lacking, Dr. Flinn continued to be committed to keeping the format on the air in the Mid-South. It was, however, the Childrens Broadcasting Corporation which pulled the plug on Radio AAHS. The CBC, which provided the programming for Radio AAHS, was no longer financially able to produce what the public wouldnt support. Therefore, after seven years of producing some of the finest programming I have ever heard, childrens or otherwise, the network was forced to fold.
As someone who has worked in broadcasting for nearly 20 years, I find it personally disheartening that positive programming for our children has received such a cold shoulder. When Radio AAHS signed off the air at 12 midnight on January 30th, Dr. Flinn was one of the few who listened with deep regret, not for his own personal interest, but for the interest of the children and families of the Mid-South.
Flinn Broadcasting Corporation
(Editors Note: As the article reported, numerous calls to WOWW point man Steve Kelly concerning the format change were not returned.)
To the Editor:
In Out-Frenching the French [Viewpoint, February 12th issue], Richard Cohen wrote in conclusion:
The real scandal of the present scandal is how it is still misperceived. It is no longer about sex. It is about law.
About law? Like everything else, it is about justice! I am surprised and disturbed that Cohen made no mention of justice. Without justice, there can be no law! Without justice, there can be no order. To leave out the concept of justice is to make a mockery of law (and order) and all that it symbolizes.
Yes, as Cohen pointed out, America is a nation of laws, not men But, please tell me, dear editor, what happened to the concept of justice? We dont see much justice these days. At least I dont.
Arthur H. Prince
To the Editor:
In the eight years since I met Jackson Baker, although he is warm and friendly when I meet him in person, I cannot recall a single positive comment he has ever made about me in any of his columns. In your January 28th issue, he goes out of his way to resurrect one of the most miserable years of my life.
In 1990, I lost my state executive committee seat to Mark Flanagan and my late father lost his Chancery Court election to Chancellor Floyd Peete. In his column Baker suggested that Governor Ned Ray McWherter asked me not to run for a second term as chairman of the state Democratic Party because I had lost my state executive committee election to Flanagan. I had many discussions in January of 1991 about the governors wishes for the party chairmanship. His advisors told me that the party needed a full-time chairman who resided in Nashville with ready access to the Capitol Hill media. I really dont think my loss to Flanagan (after winning in 1974, 78, 82, and 86) had much to do with it.
Since your readers have not learned anything positive regarding my performance as state party chair, I want to share a few of the Partys accomplishments from 1988 through 1991.
n Tennessee Democrats were on top when I left in 1991. We had six of nine members of the congressional delegation, both United States senators, the governors office, both houses of the legislature, the public service commission, and all five members of the Supreme Court. Only a small part of the credit for staying on top should go to leadership of the party during that period, but we did do pretty well in those good old days.
n At the time I took office, we were operating without any governing charter or by-laws. I drafted and passed a comprehensive set of by-laws for the party.
n We designed and implemented a smooth and fair Supreme Court nominee-selection process. We elected all five nominees to the court.
n I am proud to say that I was the first Southern state chair, McWherter the first Southern governor, and Tennessee the first Southern Democratic National Committee delegation to support Ron Brown, the first African-American chair of the DNC.
I freely acknowledge that I have many faults, but I remain proud of our successes and wanted your readers to be aware of some of them. I actually enjoy reading Bakers columns and he is truly friendly when I see him in person. Maybe Ill give him a chance to say something nice about me someday.
George T. Lewis III
The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 687, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at email@example.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.
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- New In
Our chalcedony pendant is crafted in brass and 22 carat gold plated. This piece is finished with a textured golden disc, faceted blue chalcedony and smaller aqua chalcedony and amethyst stones.
Total necklace length is 70 cm.
or 6 weekly interest-free payments from £20.00 today & 5 weekly interest-free payments of £120.00 with what's this?

domain: design


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Rex Ryan didn’t throw a strike, but wasn’t half bad, either.
The Jets coach – donning Mets jersey No. 30 in honor of Nolan Ryan – threw the ceremonial first pitch last night at Citi Field and managed to reach home plate from the rubber. Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum wore No. 15 in honor of catcher Jerry Grote and caught Ryan’s heave just off the corner.
Ryan said it was a relief to have Darrelle Revis at minicamp yesterday. The All-Pro cornerback skipped a practice last week because he does not have a new contract in place.
“[Revis] made like three interceptions today – one of them is not possible to make, so it’s always good to see him out there,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he’s not worried about Revis’ contract becoming an issue with the team.
“That is somebody else’s job,” Ryan said. “I just hope it’s going to work out for both sides where both sides are happy. I think he’s the best corner in football and it’s a lot easier to win with him.”
Ryan said he asked his players how many thought he would throw a strike last night and two hands went up.
“I’ve never pitched before a day in my life,” Ryan said.


By Mark Troester, VP of Strategy at Progress
Since the first customer walked the earth, the same question has been asked:
How do you improve customer experience?
In recent years, whole industries have built themselves up trying to help others answer that question. Analyst houses such as Forrester and Gartner release regular reports that identify the best new technologies to enable customer experience (CX). Conferences are dedicated to the question.
You can’t interact with LinkedIn without seeing tips and tricks being touted from every direction.
For a while it looked like chatbots could help with this. They offer the means to free up human resources which saves time and money, they can be deployed easily and scaled up accordingly during times of demand, and they can answer simple requests which are below the skill level of human operators.
The only problem with chatbots is that they are terrible.
We have all been there as the same question is first tapped, then hit a little more aggressively, and then finally shouted down the phone as we give up trying to find out the answer using our computers. Traditional chatbots have certainly helped alleviate some of the pain points around resources, especially through their ability to answer simple requests, but ultimately banks and other institutions still find themselves looking for more seamless alternatives when it comes to helping customers.
So, what’s the answer?
But chatbots are terrible
It seems strange to spend the first two hundred words criticising chatbots, only to say they are the answer to themselves, but the gulf between traditional chatbots and those being deployed today is vast to say the least.
We are seeing a significant change in the technology underpinning chatbots that will take them to a whole new level of performance and interaction. The increased availability of data and cognitive machine learning capabilities will radically change what is expected of chatbots and how consumers view their relationship with them. Increasing levels of autonomy, alongside the ability to handle complex tasks beyond even human abilities, will see them take an even greater role within banking applications across the customer journey touch points.Through being able to introduce conversational UI into the applications, banks will be able to successfully introduce natural conversational flow, alongside ‘training’ the chatbot like a person with a set of goals, examples and data from existing backend systems.
So, what do customers get out of it?
Everything from winning new customers to retaining existing ones will be impacted by the use of chatbots.
Here’s a few examples:
- Winning new customers
In the modern age, the first experience many potential customers will have with a bank will be online. If this experience is clunky or unenjoyable, then it’s likely that they will fall into the arms of a competitor. The use of a cognitive chatbot helps improve the accuracy and efficiency of the response, meaning that you won’t send a customer down the rabbit hole.
- Saving for a rainy day
No one enjoys saving. The trick though is to get better at it, and this is where cognitive chatbots can help. In being able to replicate the advice of a human bank manager, chatbots can help make payments, improve existing spending habits, check balances and provide personalised advice through the month to help keep us out of the bank and out of the black.
- Waiting in a line of one
When it comes to an area that is guaranteed to test the patience of customers, you can’t get a more potentially frustrating one than customer requests or complaints. No-one likes standing in a line, but cognitive chatbots are available 24/7 and can provide smart responses quickly. They also possess the ability to remember previous conversations with customers, alongside evolving as they talk more to understand the specific customers’ personality. This improves the experience that the customer has and makes them less likely to require a follow up interaction with a human.
Everything should be geared towards making the customer happy. To this end, everything that helps enable this should be embraced. Cognitive chatbots offer an exciting, efficient and effective solution to improving the CX of your organization.
Mark is the Vice President of Strategy at Progress, a global enterprise technology company, providing its customers the ability to facilitate enterprise integration, data interoperability and application development, including Software as a Service (SaaS) enablement and delivery.
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Bucks have regained peak form now that they're healthier
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo is scoring at an unprecedented rate in his extraordinary career, and he also has most of his top teammates playing alongside him again.
That combination has helped the Milwaukee Bucks regain their title-contending form.
The Bucks have won six straight and will try to complete a four-game homestand unbeaten Saturday against the Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo has scored at least 50 points in two of his last three games, including a 54-point performance Thursday as the Bucks rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-105.
“Have I ever had 50 and lost the game? Yeah, I have,” said Antetokounmpo, indirectly referring to a 2019 game in which he scored 52 points, but the Bucks lost to Philadelphia. “You can have 50 and still lose the game. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to win the game. I’d rather have 22 and win the game. It’s all about winning.”
The Bucks are doing plenty of that.
Milwaukee has gone 6-0 since Khris Middleton came back from a sore right knee, though the Bucks remain two games behind the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Bucks’ three biggest stars – Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Holiday – played together in just five of Milwaukee’s first 45 games. Middleton missed the Bucks’ first 20 games while recovering from offseason wrist surgery, returned to play in seven games, then missed 18 more due to his knee issue.
That resulted in some disjointed play from the Bucks earlier this season. They won their first nine games, but went 20-17 over their next 37 contests.
Middleton has been coming off the bench since his return, so he hasn’t spent much time on the floor with Antetokounmpo and Holiday. Even so, the difference has been apparent.
The Bucks hadn’t scored as many as 135 points in any non-overtime game this season before Middleton came back on Jan. 23. Their winning streak includes a 150-130 victory at Detroit, a 141-131 triumph at Indiana and a 135-110 win over New Orleans.
“We opened things up a bit more offensively for us in transition, just to play quicker and things like that,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said. “It’s been good for us.”
The Bucks still aren’t at full strength. Bobby Portis, who is averaging 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds, sprained his right ankle and the medial collateral ligament in his right knee at Detroit on Jan. 23.
In their first game without Portis, the Bucks beat the Denver Nuggets 107-99 despite getting outrebounded 51-49. But they have outrebounded their last four opponents by an average margin of 9.8 boards.
The Bucks already had been playing quality defense for much of the season.
They rank second in the league in defensive rating, third in field goal percentage defense and fifth in scoring defense. The Bucks beat the Clippers, in part, because Holiday and Wesley Matthews led a perimeter defense that caused Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to shoot a combined 2 of 13 in the fourth quarter.
Holiday’s an elite defender who also emerged as a go-to scorer when Antetokounmpo missed five games last month with a sore left knee. He’s heading to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2013, which represents the longest gap between All-Star selections by an individual in league history.
“While both Khris and Giannis were out, he carried us there for a while,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Now, it’s Antetokounmpo once again filling that role.
Antetokounmpo’s three 50-point performances over his last 11 games matched his previous regular-season career total. He has averaged 40.2 points and 14 rebounds and has shot 59.5% during the Bucks’ current winning streak.
“It’s been impressive, his kind of competitive fire, his attack mode, getting to the free-throw line, mixing in some made jumpers, mixing in some made 3’s,” Budenholzer said. “He’s just doing a little bit of everything.”
With Antetokounmpo at the peak of his powers, Holiday performing at an All-Star level and Middleton working his way back into peak form, the Bucks once again are showing they can play as well as anyone in the league.
“They’re getting their guys back and they’re getting healthier and you can tell they have an urgency to get going,” Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford said after his team’s 124-115 loss at Milwaukee on Tuesday. “I saw that in the Indiana game and the New Orleans game. Obviously they’ll be right there.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


text: The Collefertile Estate, a captivating property spanning 430 hectares (900 acres) in the heart of Mugello, stands majestically above Vicchio, the birthplace of the Medici family and the famous painter Giotto. Previously owned by the noble Roti Michelozzi family, the estate was acquired by the Giannotti family in 2018, who restored it to its former glory through two years of meticulous restoration work on the buildings and surrounding land. This exclusive property, immersed in peace and tranquility, is completely private and with the access forbidden to any vehicle, an extremely rare feature in Tuscany. The sounds that permeate the environment are the melodious song of birds, pheasants, and the gentle breeze rustling through the trees. Collefertile Estate is a paradise for hunting enthusiasts, being a private reserve where only the owners and their guests can practice this activity. Pheasants and wild boars are abundant in the area, which can also be enjoyed for wildlife watching. The estate also offers the opportunity to explore the surrounding nature through walking, horseback riding, or mountain biking, admiring breathtaking views in every season of the year. Situated 750 meters above sea level, the Collefertile Estate enjoys a mild climate in both winter and summer, with good chances of encountering pheasants, hares, and deer during excursions. Within the property, there are four enchanting lakes, six natural springs, two productive truffle fields, a sumptuous 980 sqm villa with a swimming pool, and two tennis courts. There is also a 1000 sqm agricultural building that houses two apartments, one for the caretaker couple and the other, consisting of four bedrooms and four bathrooms, available for guests. The estate also boasts a second villa with a swimming pool, featuring four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large living room, and a kitchen. The property includes the right to plant a one-hectare vineyard and a helicopter landing area. Surrounded by 40 hectares of cultivated land and lush forests, the estate offers a perfect balance between nature and comfort. All buildings face south, ensuring excellent sun exposure to maintain the properties in excellent condition. Just 15 minutes away is the village of Vicchio, which offers a variety of restaurants, shops, and shopping centers. In addition, the A1 highway and the airports of Florence and Bologna are easily reachable in less than an hour, making the Collefertile Estate an ideal place for those who want to immerse themselves in the beauty of Tuscany while maintaining convenient connections to major urban centers.

domain: geography


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Tia Levings (@TSLevings) is a writer based in Jacksonville, Florida, currently with several exciting projects in the pipeline. In this episode, Tia and Rebecca discuss everything from motherhood to fictionalizing memoirs. This was a great conversation with surprising twists and turns...we hope you enjoy the unexpected journey!
The conversation starts off with sharing birth stories, which provide an important look into Tia's backstory, before turning to talk more about her second love, writing, including topics such as pulp writing, deep work and writing coaches.
They finish up with some talk about HitRecord, where they have worked on some comedy projects together, and a story about a kitchen sink. Rebecca and Tia realize they have more in common than they even knew.
Visit Tia's Website: www.tialevings.com
Books We Mentioned:
Not Nosy may earn a commission for purchases made through the following links:
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
- Love Warrior: A Memoir by Glennon Doyle

domain: artistic


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A major feature of this year's show was a design that brought the show more out into the audience. Three satellite stages with scenic LED backing screens were place out onto the main floor of the Galen Arena. Using the whole floor of the arena brought the presenters and the game demos closer to the audience and created a more intimate look on camera.
This year's set featured an ultra aspect ratio screen with track masking elements to close it down when needed. This created many technical challenges. We chose to solve them by attached integral lighting to the scenic elements so their lighting quality traveled with them as they moved. It also allowed the programming of the show to be agnostic from the position of the scenic walls. If the creative team chose to change the placement of a tracking cue it did not requite a refocus on our part
Erin Hearne Williams, Zed's Creative Director for the show also wanted to immerse the audience more into the show and have that be reflected on the broadcast. She added LED bracelets from Pixmob that could be controlled as part of our lighting system. This opened up a whole new world of visual effect that turned the audience into surrounding backdrop for so many of the camera shots seen at home.
This year both Manny and Brian also designed the Xbox Showcase. The location is always an iconic downtown venue. This year was no exception and the event took place at the recently renovated Ace Theater. Its rich architecture, painted in the brand colors of Xbox become a photogenic backdrop for debut of game play from so many of the new titles coming out this year.


Tears of Joy
- Created on 25 October 2016
- Last Updated on 31 January 2017
- Written by Administrator
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National Park Service Recommends Landmark Status for Pauli Murray Home
October 24, 2016. Brenda Coakley and Chandra Guinn Board members of the Pauli Murray Center react (at right) to the unanimous vote by the National Park Service History Committee of the Secretary of the Interior's Advisory Board to recommend that the Pauli Murray family home in Durham North Carolina become a National Historic Landmark. The full Secretary of The Interior's Advisory Board will meet in Philadelphia in November. We hope—and expect—they will also support this nomination and that the Secretary of The Interior Sally Jewell will designate it a National Historic Landmark before the next presidential administration. (View the Nomination. Click on photos for larger images.)
A dozen supporters attended the committee hearing with Heather Fearnbach presenting the nomination to the committee which received her excellent presentation very well. Several committee members spoke in favor of the nomination and the requests for changes were minimal. It was a very positive and exciting experience. The National Collaborative for Women's History Sites (NCWHS) was definitely recognized for our efforts as were the Pauli Murray Center and the National Trust for Historic Preservation which has been a partner with us throughout the process, strengthening our relationships with the National Trust. The National Trust ran a petition in support of the nomination and received 2,500 signatures. In addition 35 letters were presented from NCWHS and other organizations, individuals and elected official's showing the breath and complexity of this amazing woman who so gave for all of us and whose efforts have been improved every one of our lives because of her efforts to include “sex” in the 1965 Civil Rights Act. She understood the intersection and overlap between race and gender long before anyone else, identifying it as Jane Crow which she suffered from her whole life being denied opportunities first as a Black and then as a female. She was the first African-American woman ordained an Episcopal priest an event that was the culmination of her lifelong seeking to live the Gospel. A representative from the National Organization for Women (NOW) also spoke as the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray was a founder of NOW. She was also a poet, lawyer, historian and lifelong activist. The NHL nomination was brought under the Women’s History theme study and the LGBTQ theme study. Congrats to all and stay tuned for the next steps.


After two consecutive weeks of the media fanfare over the Calgary city hall and its Mayor vs. the Calgary Home Builders Association (CHBA) verbal spat, I have to admit that this ping pong game of jab is starting to make for a lot more of an exciting read than the antics of certain Hollywood starlets' run-ins with the law and rehab.
But what I do find surprising is that this dissension has brought forth little or no voice from the very group that is the subject of this debate - Us, the residents of this city! It's kinda playing out like the verbal fight on the school playgrounds between two dudes over a girl, while in the presence of the girl, without ever asking the girl whom she prefers.
Now I do not claim to know all the facts to make any informed judgement on who is right or wrong in this debate. And it does not matter. Because the real point is being missed in this volley of words. Let me explain.
The crux of this debate appears to be over the critical assumption made by the CHBA regarding the restriction of urban sprawl (meaning less subdivision lands to build homes upon) by the city planners. One can see why their members would be concerned. They are in the business of subdividing land and building expansive homes on it.
The city claims that such an assumption is overly ambitious and the city is keeping its options open regarding curtailing urban sprawl. This is my interpretation of the debate based on various media reports. Correct me if I am mistaking.
Now some really dubious claims have been brought forth by certain members of the media who seem to have taken the voluntary role of voice for the CHBA and the residents of Calgary. Lets look at just three common ones being thrown our way.
The city is trying to curtail our rights and freedom by restricting choice
Ummm..Yes. (and that's a yes in a John Stewartish deadpan face).
My freedom to drive at 180 km/hr in my vehicle is curtailed by those radar pointers, my freedom to hold a mini Burningman party inside my home is dampened by those calendar boys in overalls, my freedom to say "just shove it" to a certain federal collection agency is cut short by some dude sitting out there in the cold in Windsor or Winnipeg.
You get the point. Yes, that's what a legal system and the government is there for - to curtail the unrestricted freedom to do whatever the heck we want. And the government usually always gets its way. Just turn to Ontario and see how things worked out in the end for homebuilders after they enacted the Greenbelt Act (Hint: They innovated).
Restricting suburban land development reduces affordability by increasing home prices
Oh my! What are we to do. Yet another thing to worry about in a city that is still recovering from the recessionary period, facing uncertainty over the future of its major export, and witnessing a daily butchering of its precious commodity price in the global market. All that talk of shortage of workers and new hordes of people moving is, well, just talk. Calgary has seen several booms and busts and has witnessed housing peaks and troughs. Unlike in most other places, residents in this city seem to be quite the mobile lot. And even if we are to accept the notion of increasing density and reduced affordability, let us not forget that there are other bigger, richer, larger cities in this world than Calgary, that are getting along just fine by going this route (Hint: Hong Kong).
I like to have a backyard with a fence where my kids can play
Have you even been to your backyard lately, sir? Like with the snow cover for a good part of the year, and for the rest being manicured in the style of Home and Garden magazines, I have yet to see kids running around in backyards. Kids are on the playground. With other kids. Under the watch of a parent.
The way I see it, the debate has not touched upon the real crux of the matter affecting planning policy solutions, which in my opinion, in fact, has very little to do with housing itself.
High density living in condominium towers are considered the antithesis to harassment-free living. For those who have been on the unfavorable receiving end of condo board decisions, myself included, understand this point well. This may be true. But that is a legal construct instituted by us. So laws can be amended if it turns out to be unfavorable. If the economics and personal tastes favor dense urban living, so be it. We will in time become conditioned enough to enjoy the confines of a smaller space and lack of backyard. It was the prevalence of these factors that kept me a happy condo owner for the longest time while I lived in Toronto. (For the record I am a homeowner in the suburbs in Calgary now).
Business and employment is the core of any city and housing tends to revolve around it. Given the limited downtown land, it is obvious why ever taller office towers keep getting built to accommodate staff by day. But one cannot fathom an ever expanding suburb to accommodate the residents by night. There are eventual dis-economies of economies of scale. This means we need business and companies to evolve away from the downtown core concept to a more spread out satellite office concept. This is starting to happen already with certain major energy companies moving out of the core in to suburban office campuses. And live-work units is all but the norm in San Francisco and has been experimented with initial success in Toronto. This is a policy issue.
Transportation corridors need to be able to sustain the increase in suburban to urban commutes. While our Deerfoot Trail may not make the cut for World's Most Congested Highways, one only need to leave at 3:30 PM from downtown for the airport in order to catch the 5:00 PM flight to realize the grievances (and potential cardiac arrests) of our nascent congestion problem. Its all well and good to have those fancy marketing brochures advertise proximity to major arterial roads and 'just steps to' transit, but that's not solving our real commuting concerns. So now you have an engineering and urban design problem.
So there you have it. The resolution to our so called housing ills lies in legal, policy, engineering and urban planning issues more than it does in the housing product issue. And this is being lost in the ongoing debate between the two parties.


I Bet They Would Have Preferred Subway Passes
Edward Cardinal Egan of New York is criticizing Hizzoner Michael Bloomberg for spending $1.5 million public funds to hand out 26 million condoms on the streets of the Big Apple.
"Our political leaders fail to protect the moral tone of our community when they encourage inappropriate sexual activity by blanketing our neighborhoods with condoms," the statement continued.
"The taxpayers' money that is being spent to distribute condoms and promote the
attitude that 'anything goes' would be far better spent in fostering what is true and what is decent," they said.
If the purpose was to "save lives," I think the money could have better been spent by handing out 26 million copies of "The Thrill of the Chaste." My two cents . . .
Yeah, He's a Joke, All Right
His friends say Broward Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin could have been a stand-up comedian and should have been the first judge to preside over The People's Court on TV.But he shocked many television viewers who watched as the robed Seidlin, leaning back in his chair in chambers, pronounced that Anna Nicole Smith's "body belongs to me now" and "that baby is in a cold, cold storage room."
I could not believe the whiny, petulant sound bite I heard coming from the judge overseeing what will be done with the remains of Anna Nichole Smith. "I need help . . . I need guidance . . ."
You want guidance? Shut up talking about the boring details of your life, remember that you are dealing with the remains of a human being, and make a friggin' decision without wasting any more time in front of the cameras. If you want my personal advice: the next-of-kin gets the body, who is Anna's baby daughter, and whose parent, until otherwise shown, and who has the most rational argument, that of course a mother would want to be buried next to her son. Thank you, we can all go home now . . . if you don't like the decision, go get a writ.
According to feng shui experts, Sunday's Chinese New Year that marks the start of the Year of the Pig brings bad news.
Sunday marks the start of the Chinese New Year and it's a lucky one for those starting out in life. But the rest of us are in for a rough ride. Expect epidemics, disasters and violence in much of the world.
Is that all? When you think about it, ain't much different from last year. Or the year before that. Or the year before the year before . . . But there is always some room for levity:
Ronald Reagan was a pig. So are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Woody Allen and Elton John. Not to mention Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Heh, heh, yessssssssss . . .


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News from The Business Journals
Nov 22, 2013, 6:00 am EST
It’s fair to say The Laclede Group’s Michael Spotanski is bullish on the future of natural gas.
Sep 17, 2013, 7:46 am EDT
Missouri Gas Energy, which is now a part of Laclede Gas Co., is seeking a rate increase that would provide an additional $17 million in revenue for th ...
Sep 5, 2013, 7:30 am EDT
Now that Laclede Gas owns Missouri Gas Energy, it plans to make major investments in pipeline and infrastructure in western Missouri for its new subsi ...
Sep 3, 2013, 3:52 pm EDT
Laclede Gas Co. on Tuesday completed its planned, $975 million purchase of the assets of Missouri Gas Energy from Houston-based Southern Union Co., ef ...
Aug 30, 2013, 3:52 pm EDT
Laclede Group has narrowed its search for a headquarters location to three buildings downtown, including the vacant General American Life Building at ...
Aug 29, 2013, 11:55 am EDT
Jackson County Circuit Court will consolidate lawsuits involving the JJ's Restaurant fire for the discovery process, a judge announced Thursday.
Aug 13, 2013, 2:08 pm EDT
The Laclede Group’s Laclede Gas Co. subsidiary has sold $450 million in debt securities in a public offering, with the proceeds to fund the company’s ...
Aug 12, 2013, 3:00 pm EDT
Despite the Aug. 8 approval of a third Houston company’s request to export liquefied natural gas to countries that don’t have a Free Trade Agreement w ...
Aug 7, 2013, 1:59 pm EDT
The U.S. Department of Energy has approved a bid by Houston-based Lake Charles Exports LLC to ship liquefied natural gas to non-Free Trade Agreement c ...
Aug 7, 2013, 7:18 am EDT
The Laclede Group's Laclede Gas Co. subsidiary plans to sell $450 million in debt securities in a public offering, with the proceeds to fund the compa ...
Jul 31, 2013, 2:07 pm EDT
Laclede Group expects to reduce nonfuel operating and maintenance expenses after its acquisition of Missouri Gas Energy by $25 million to $34 million ...
Jul 18, 2013, 9:06 am EDT
The Missouri Public Service Commission has approved Laclede Gas' $975 million acquisition of Kansas City-based Missouri Gas Energy from Southern Union ...
Jul 8, 2013, 3:51 pm EDT
The owner of an office building near the Country Club Plaza has filed a lawsuit in connection with the gas leak and explosion at JJ's Restaurant.
Jun 28, 2013, 6:00 am EDT
No one can touch Exxon Mobil.
Jun 3, 2013, 8:56 am EDT
Lawsuits have begun to emerge following a deadly gas explosion in February at JJ's Restaurant in Kansas City.

domain: finance


text:
Kong is King.
I don't think Peter Jackson will choose Lord of the Rings as the movie most representative of him. LOTR was just an intermediate step, a step for him to get the green light for King Kong. He managed to do it, and now he has made a masterfull film.
LOTR I didn't find it very interesting. Of course it has great visuals, and diretion, but Jackson was not allowed to intervene with the sacred story of Tolkien. However with King Kong he can direct and change the story at will, and I believe that only now do we see the real Jackson.
I think this movie is superior than LOTR. It has awesome action scenes, a great Naomi Watts, a great CGI ape, a love story, a beautiful 1930's depression NYC, and incredible visuals. We watched the movie at Vmax, the largest screen in europe. The size was great however the colors at the village cinemas lately are washed out for some reason (or am I used to Arclight standards now?).
The story builds up very well, and I was never bored despite the fact that the ape doesn't show up until 70min in the movie. And it just gets better and better after that point. The toughest thing was to make the characters more than 1D, and Jackson has little scenes and details here and there that achieve that goal. I also liked the connection between the ape and the girl, the facial CGI expressions really did a great job here. I will be surprised if it doesn't win a Special effets Oscar, and for sure it will be nominated for Best Movie and direction.


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All patients require an appointment to be seen by Dr. Innes. If this is your first time visiting the office, please be sure to bring the following:
Photo ID (Drivers License, Passport, Work ID)
Please arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment time and be sure to bring any prior imaging you have received from your referring physician (MRIs, X-rays, etc.). Staff will verify your personal and clinical history.
Please plan 1 to 1 ½ hours for your total visit. You will meet Dr. Innes for your appointment, where, depending on your diagnosis, you will learn about treatment options.
You will receive a written copy of your post-surgery instructions from Dr. Innes. It is important you, your family, and your caretakers read all of the instructions. Generally, Dr. Innes recommends the following:
Have someone available to take you home, as you will not be able to drive for at least 24 hours.
After arriving home, wait until you are hungry before trying to eat. Begin with a light meal and try to avoid greasy food for the first 24 hours.
If you had surgery on an extremity (leg, knee, hand or elbow), keep that extremity elevated and use ice as directed. This will help decrease swelling and pain.
Take your pain medicine as directed. Begin the pain medicine as you start getting uncomfortable, but before you are in severe pain.

domain: medical


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THE TREES HAVE EYES: Horror stories from the forest
If someone screams in the forest and no one is around, will they regret ever making a sound?
Stepping into the forest, you’re surrounded by the natural grandeur of a world which has no need of you. The silence is so heavy that you can hear your blood thundering through your veins. The stir of dry leaves in the darkness could be your friend finding his way back, but it sounds more like a primordial monster stalking its prey. And the lights between the trees? And the haunting songs which lure you ever deeper?
It’s time to admit that you aren’t afraid of being alone in the woods. You’re afraid of not being alone.
Journey through the minds of 22 horror authors who have teamed up to reveal the most terrifying aspects of the forest. Over 400 pages of original supernatural and psychological horror stories include: ghosts, demons, serial-killers, true stories and unsolved mysteries, unique monsters, classic myths and legends, and above all else, a profound respect for the terror hidden within the mysterious trees.
Love, Death, and Other Inconveniences
Ever start a relationship with a guy and think he’s a little too perfect? That’s probably because he’s a shape-changing serial killer. Or how about when you got stood up on that tinder date and go home disappointed, only to realize it was all a trick so he’d know where you live? Then there’s those letters your dead wife keeps writing you… There can be no light without darkness, pleasure without pain, or love without loss. 17 authors have teamed up to collect all our favorite supernatural and psychological horror stories about love.
Jealous murders, monstrous doppelgangers, heart-rending romances, devils and angels, cannibals and virtual worlds — over 350 pages of your most desperate longings and worst nightmares all rolled into one. Shocking twists and absolute mind-fuckery will thrill and terrify you to the last page!
Great way to discover more authors in the horror genre.

domain: library


text:
So, my first attempt at recreating the apple quinoa salad I had at thebar last month wasn’t exactly a knock-it-outta-the-park home run, but I’d call it a base hit.
After some recipe hounding and some creative guessing, I came up with the first draft of the recipe:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 apples, diced
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Toast the quinoa dry, in a saucepan, for 3 minutes while dicing the apples. Add OJ and apple juice to the quinoa, along with all the spices. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Add the apples, raisins, and maple syrup, and simmer 10 more minutes. Stir in almonds and serve.
It smelled wonderful and looked wonderful….
… but alas, it’s just a little too sweet for my taste.
That said, I have a *very* low sweetness threshold these days, as I don’t really eat anything sweetened anymore. My sweets come from fresh fruit. So this may be spot-on for somebody with a “normal” sweet tooth. I mean, there’s not even any added sugar, unless you count the maple syrup.
Next time I make this (and it’s definitely good enough to try again), these are my planned modifications:
- Prep the quinoa with water instead of the apple juice/OJ combo.
- Use 1 apple instead of 2. (This is just a preference thing – I was hoping the quinoa would be the star, but with so much apple, the apple was the star – which is fine if that’s what you’re going for!)
- Cut the maple syrup back to 1 tbsp.
I’d say this recipe made 8 small servings. I enjoyed it warm last night and chilled this morning, and it works well either way. It reminds me of the flavors of apple pie – a nice twist on an American classic for this Independence Day weekend!

domain: food


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“ Love is a magic comfort food for the weak and uneducated.”—Connor Mead
Charles Dickens is surely rolling over in his grave over this non-romantic rip-off “comedy” of his hallowed holiday classic.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a modern-day by-the-numbers serious-comedic spin on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, is such a smarmy, unfunny and hypocritical riff, that DVD-viewers will pound their own stake of holly through its heart by giving it amiss come the next round of rental picks. Maybe it’s a telling point that this “Holiday Movie” wasn’t even released at Christmas, but made an untimely arrival last summer. In any event, yours truly chose the Chick Flick assignment to stretch my range of cinematic scrivening, but five minutes into it, was already regretting that I hadn’t turned to the, say, infinitely more healthy romantic banter of Ed Lee’s Header.
Directed by Mark Waters (he of the fairly decent Mean Girls and Freaky Friday), and scripted by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (The Hangover, Full of It), the movie, like its repulsive, womanizing photographer protagonist Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey), flashes a fair set of visual choppers, a decent cast, and well-scrubbed production values. But in the end, the flat, banal jokes, phony plot, and general mean-spiritedness wreck any chance of creating audience sympathy or selling its seasonal “All You Need Is Love” bromide. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a right nasty hum-bug, buoyed only occasionally by some decent turns in the minor parts.
Anyone familiar with Dickens’ novelette, and all its cinematic incarnations, will have no problem guessing how this version is going to play. Replacing miserly, X-Mas-loathing Ebenezer Scrooge with a heartless fashion photographer who earns $150K-a-year, the film presents its “hero” as a vile, womanizing jerk, who is so commitment-shy that he can’t even bring himself to consider “spooning” with any babe he dates and so contemptible in the cold exercise of his “love ‘em and leave ‘em philosophy” that he breaks up via conference call with his three latest victims – which is a fair indication of how superficial and smug the rest of the film is going to be. There is no doubt that a rude wakening lies ahead for Connor, and its easy to guess how the Dickens formula will sign-post each plot point before the inevitable happy conclusion.
McConaughey, who is one of the mainstays of the modern romantic comedy (How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, and Failure to Launch to name just a few of his recent vehicles), is as tanned and toothy as a TV televangelist, and the actor essays Connor with reptilian, narcissistic style. The problem with McConaughey in the role is that the actor’s good-natured presence is totally at odds with the despicable character he is playing, and because of this, you can’t take him seriously as Lady Killer or Reformed Cad. He wavers between the two extremes, and never registers as anything approaching a real human being; Mead is so vile and off-putting that there is no way that one could believe for one tiny second that so many beautiful women would buy into his shtick. Credibility is strained from the onset with this hateful playa’ cypher, and it only gets worse. In fact, it’s hard to really envision this movie as a sought-for “Chick Flick” rental because it is so outrageously insulting to the distaff set. Renting Fellini’s City of Women would probably be a better use of time.
When Connor heads to New England for his brother Paul (Brecken Meyer)’s wedding to long-time girlfriend Sandra (Lacey Chabert), he wastes no time making the rehearsal as rancorous as possible by bashing on the institution of marriage and deriding love as “magical comfort food for the weak and uneducated.” Given Connor’s general attitude and predatory ways, you have to wonder why they invited him in the first place, let alone entrusting him with the wedding toast. Of course, you have to wonder why his nebbish brother is marrying Chabert’s Sandra – a shrill harridan who screams and bellows every line of trite dialogue. To complicate matters, Connor’s childhood love, and former conquest, Dr. Jenny Perotti (played with the usual awkward, coltish charm by Jennifer Garner), is the maid of honor. It should be no great revelation that Garner’s hottie doctor character believes that Connor The Conqueror, deep-down, is really a “sweetheart”: this character is another of the movie’s blatant and implausible elements: how could Dr. Jenny still believe in such an unrepentant, sleazy dog. The answer to that question is simple: because the dictates of the plot demand that she does.
Hashing through his ambivalent feelings toward Jenny (as shallow as Connor is, you can’t really say he’s wrestling with his conscience), and relishing the chance to bed the one bridesmaid (Amada Walsh) he hasn’t managed to seduce, Connor receives an unexpected jolt when he is confronted by the ghost of his legendarily libidinous Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas, having fun with the Marley role). He informs Connor that he will be visited that night by the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Present and Future who will show him the folly of his self-centered ways, and that if he does not change his life, he will wind up as alone as Wayne was when he died. The aforementioned statement is actually rather misleading: strictly speaking only one of the “Ghosts” of Girlfriends Past is actually a “girlfriend” (she lasted 32 seconds!).
This is where the cinefantastique elements kick in, such as they are. When Connor repairs to his bedroom expecting a tryst with said bridesmaid, he encounters his first spirit guide, the Ghost of Girlfriends Past: brace-wearing, frizzy-haired teen Allison Vandermeersh (Emma Stone), Conor’s first sexual partner. Allison takes Connor back to the ‘80s and shows him how, after being rebuffed by Jenny at his senior prom, Connor apprenticed himself to his womanizing cad of an Uncle Wayne (“the power of a relationship lies in who cares the least”, Uncle Wayne advises). This is probably one of the movie’s finer segments because at least Stone’s Allison and Douglas’ Wayne are a shade fun and lively. The rules of Haunting are a little muddled as Douglas and Stone can go from physically substantial to phantom insolubility at any given time. Yet, Wayne is downright creepy in his committed misogyny: when he takes Connor to a bar to give him his first lessons in defeating the opposite sex, you have to wonder why Child Services isn’t tearing Connor away from such an irresponsible and dangerous guardian.
The next “spirits” on the horizon are a bit of a cheat: the Ghost of Girlfriends Present is neither a Ghost nor one of Connor’s conquests but Melanie (Noureen DeWulf) – Connor’s long-suffering assistant and the only healthy relationship Connor has with a woman (you almost hope that they’ll wind up together). Melanie takes the time to show Connor the emotional wreckage of his harem lifestyle by showing him the weepy aftermath of his three-way break-up. It’s indicative, however, of the sloppy writing that Melanie’s “ghostly” persona shows up at the Happy Ending as the same time that the Real Melanie makes an appearance. Still, these scenes do have at least one effective and poignant moment of fantasy when a torrential downpour falls on Connor – composed of “all the tears of the women who have cried over him.” Unfortunately, even this scene ends in a vulgar payoff.
That takes us then to the “Ghost” of Girlfriends Future (again, not a Girlfriend), personified by an anonymous, ethereal beauty (Olga Maliouk) who shows Connor how his life will go if he continues to reject these last opportunities for love. She also reveals the equally tragic consequences for his brother Paul (this character kind of serves as the “Tiny Tim” figure by default), who after he has spent most of the movie defending his lecherous bro (Connor pretty much raised him), is headed for his own downward spiral after Sandra has discovered that he had had a years’ past indiscretion with one of the bridesmaids (the news leaked by Connor of course). So, with Jenny slipping away and Paul and Sandra’s nuptials in tatters, will Connor sink fully into the slime or will he seize redemption, reunite with Jenny, and save his brother’s wedding?
The major problem is the strong whiff of toxic hypocrisy at the heart of this fluff that is totally at odds with the narrative’s feel-good message. As much as the Ghost of Girlfriends Past trashes the McConaughey character for his selfish, predatory ways, it also unabashedly celebrates his womanizing by parading as much femme eye-candy on-screen as possible, and relishing the fall of every vacuum-minded boy-toy. Aside from a couple discerning female characters (Melanie and Anne Archer, slumming here), the rest of the chicks in this Chick Flick are shallow, vicious ditzes who exist only to feather Connor’s bed. This is the kind of world where all bridesmaids and fashion models are brainless, masochistic sluts eager to throw themselves at any conscienceless seducer. You wind up shaking your head and wondering “Doesn’t this guy’s reputation precede him? Don’t the gals possess a whit of esteem or emotional self-preservation?” On the flip-side, with the exception of one male wedding guest Brad (Daniel Sunjada), who has been invited for Jenny’s benefit, the groom’s men are all homely, spastic dweebs. This really is the kind of film that will send the most committed feminists into a fury.
It’s hard to put a finger on what is more outrageous: the total cynicism, or the filmmakers’ hard-sell of the hateful main character’s change of heart. Piled on top of Jenny’s laughable assertion that Connor is really a decent guy, is the unconvincing bid to give Connor a “heart” by portraying him as an orphan who had to singled-handedly raise his brother. Even worse, though Michael Douglas’ Hugh Hefneresque Marley character (who calls everyone “Dutch”) has been sent back to earth to convince McConaughey to mend his hedonistic ways, he himself shows no signs of repenting his past indiscretions. He’s still a randy swinger’on The Other Side. This really indicative of the objectionable smirky wink-nudge nature of Ghost of Girlfriends Past and effectively deflates the moral dilemma here: How can you accept the hero’s transformation if the ghostly moral messenger still waxes nostlgic for his lothario days? Even after the Big Change, I was unconvinced that either Connor or Wayne truly repented their lifestyle choices.
That’s not to say that Ghost of Girlfriends Past is absolutely awful or without merit. The basic structure of the Dickens plot definitely has its appeal, and there are a clutch of decent supporting performances on hand. It’s good to see the usually fine Robert Forster in anything these days, and he gets a good chuckle as Sandra’s dad, a USMC sergeant-turned-minister who offers a wholly inappropriate wedding toast to the bride and groom. Stone is energetic, annoying and sprightly, and is, at least, a character that’s wholly alive. Noureen DeWulf brings some much needed level-headedness to her role as Connor’s go-to girl (“There’s apple, bubble gum and Tandoori. I know it sounds gross, but have two of them and you won’t feel your face,” she openes as she comforts a trio of Connor’s victims). Anne Archer, in a brief appearance as the bride’s sexy mom, is sweet and savvy as one of the few women who see through Connor’s games, though getting a laugh out of the chase. Garner is good as Jenny, despite the character she’s playing, and Douglas gets a number of decent laughs as Wayne. Daryn Okada’s photography and Bruce’s Green’s editing is brisk.
The DVD offers no special features: it includes Wide-Screen and Full-Screen versions, and language choices of English, English for The Hearing Impaired, and Spanish.
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (May 1, 2009). Directed by Mark Walters. Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore. Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Emma Stone, Breckin Meyer, Lacey Chabert, Robert Forster, Anne Archer, Daniel Sunjata, Noureen DeWulf.


-- GIGABYTE Announces Pentium G6950 Overclocking Contest on HWBOT --
-- Win a GIGABYTE X58A-UD7 Motherboard and Intel Core i7 930 CPU --
TAIPEI, Taiwan - June 1, 2010 - GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions today announced a new overclocking completion in conjunction with HWBOT.org called the Pentium G6950 Overclocking Contest.
During the month of June, GIGABYTE would like to test your skills at overclocking the Intel Pentium G6950 CPU. Each week, we will offer a different benchmark challenge, and at the end of the 4th week, the overclocker with the most points wins a new upgrade of both a GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 motherboard and retail Intel Core i7 930 CPU.
Rules: Contestants must use any GIGABYTE H55 or P55 motherboard and an Intel Pentium G6950 CPU. Scores must be submitted and approved by HWBOT.
Week 1: Super Pi 1m
Week 2: Super Pi 32m
Week 3: Wprime 32m
Week 4: Wprime 1024m
1st Place: 10 points
2nd Place: 8 points
3rd Place: 6 points
4th Place: 5 points
5th Place: 4 points
6th Place: 3 points
7th Place: 2 points
8th Place: 1 point
About GIGABYTE Upgrade Your Life
GIGABYTE, headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, is known as a global leading brand in the IT industry, with employees and business channels in almost every country. Founded in 1986, GIGABYTE started as a research and development team and has since taken the lead in the world's motherboard market. On top of motherboards and graphics accelerators, GIGABYTE further expanded its product portfolio to include notebook and desktop PCs, digital home entertainment appliances, networking servers, communications, mobile and handheld devices, servicing every facet of people's lives at home or business. Everyday GIGABYTE aims to "Upgrade Your Life" with the most innovative designs and impeccable quality and services. Visit http://www.gigabyte.com for more information.
Latest News Posts
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The FDA brings strict instructions to Endo Pharmaceuticals for turning down Opana ER, Now, more Opioid based painkillers are likely to be pulled off from the market soon.
The FDA recently announced a nationwide recall for a certain contraceptive pill which has reportedly been packed wrongly.
Insurance companies want the practice of money back guarantees for prescription drugs to catch on. The major talking point coming out of it, is if that policy really wants to benefit consumers.
Codeine and Tramadol are pain relievers. Just recently, the FDA stated that its not safe to give or prescribe these for kids.
Ocrevus antibody for the treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RMS). Patient taking partin the clinical trial shares that she's feeling great again with the ocrelizumab infusion.
The FDA has approved the sale and marketing of a genetic test for disease risk called the Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk from the company 23andME.
The US Senate will discuss the nomination of Dr. Scott Gottlieb to the Food and Drug Administration but Democrats believe he is not fit for the job as he is deemed too close to the pharmaceutical industry.
People suffering from severe eczema can finally have their treatment. It does however, come with a huge price tag.
Weight-loss products dazzle consumers by claiming to eliminate excess body fat by simply taking pills or special drinks. Some pills really work and curb a person's appetite, but not all of them can do this.
The US Food and Drug Authority has recently announced the approval of the first treatment for nocturnal polyuria.
There is no cure for Duschenne muscular dystrophy. Patients' life expectancy is usually 20 to 30 years. Symptons commonly begin between ages three and five, and boy boys are affected much more than girls.
There have been no reported illnesses or injuries caused by the recalled product. Consumers may exchange or get a full refund from PetSmart stores.
Belladonna is commonly known as deadly nightshade, which is a toxic substance. FDA laboratory assessment of Hyland's homeopahtic teething products confirmed on Friday inconsistent amounts of belladonna.
Genentech, member of Roche's company has found positive results for Phase III of their GiACTA study. FDA granted priority review to ensure that Actemra can be made safe and available for patients with giant cell arteritis.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the first drug intended to treat Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL).


Things are on the up for French talent KHEMIS. With monthly releases, the 20-year-old Frenchman is establishing himself as a well-known name in a genre he is pretty much carving out of a rock himself.
With a hint of his compatriots Ofenbach, KHEMIS blends funk, house and disco into poppy dance tracks full of horns and other organic elements. With Israeli singer Hadar Sopher on his side, ‘Love It or Hate It’ turns out to be an incredibly catchy track that won’t have you standing still. Love It or Hate It? We know you’ll love it!


This is really the only option America has if Japan or South Korea want US nukes based there
As the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program heats up, some are calling for the return of American tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, or possibly basing them in Japan.
And while the notion of America deploying so-called “tactical” nukes to South Korea or Japan may send arms controllers into a fit, there are actually few options if the US does get the nod from Asian nations.
During the Cold War, the United States had a variety of delivery platforms for the tactical nukes. There were artillery rounds like the W48. There were missiles like the MGM-52 Lance. There were also air-dropped tactical nuclear bombs.
But arms control agreements through the 1990s and later cut America’s options way down — no more cruise missiles, artillery rounds or ballistic missiles were allowed after the treaties were signed, so today the only US option available other than full-on doomsday weapons are air-dropped bombs.
If Tokyo or Seoul want US nukes there, America could deploy the B61 bomb. According to the Nuclear Weapons Archive, this bomb has been in service with the United States since 1966 – meaning it’s got over 50 years of service. Its most notable feature is its versatility thanks to “dial a yield” technology, meaning it can provide the force equivalent to 300 tons of TNT all the way out to 340,000 tons of TNT.
Any combat plane in the United States arsenal has been fitted at one time or another to use this bomb. Five versions of the bomb are currently in the stockpile, the B61 Mod 3, B61 Mod 4, M61 Mod 7, B61 Mod 10, and B61 Mod 11. A sixth version, the B61 Mod 12, is in development, adding the ability to use an internal guidance system, according to Popular Mechanics.
Deployment to South Korea and Japan would place the weapons next to the most likely delivery platform for tactical nuclear strikes: F-16 Fighting Falcons. The 8th and 51st Fighter Wings at Osan and Kunsan Air Bases in South Korea and the 35th Fighter Wing in Japan combine for five squadrons of the planes.
The deployment of this system does come with the need for added security. During the Turkish coup of 2016, the security of the nukes became a concern, prompting their eventual evacuation.
Nigeria will spend a billion dollars to fight Boko Haram
Boko Haram, once one of the most feared groups in Africa, is still a problem. Nigeria, however, has decided they aren't putting up with them anymore.
ISIS may have obtained anti-tank missiles from the CIA
Somehow, ISIS has gotten a hold of weapons purchased by the CIA and Saudi Arabia and dispersed, without permission from either, to allied fighters.
How the Army plans to counter massive drone attacks
The United States military is experiencing more and more drone attacks in combat zones, and they have a plan to start shooting them down faster.
Marines want to swarm enemy defenses with hundreds of small boats
It looks like the Marine Corps is ready to get their own boats instead of borrowing them from the Navy all the time. Is this the end of water taxis?
This bearded Marine brings joy to the Corps
He's making a gear list. He's checking it twice. Gonna find out who's boot or grunt. Gunny Clause is coming on base. So stand at ease, kiddos.
This new device helps amputees manage phantom limb pain
Amira Idris designed a device helps amputees experiencing the phenomenon known as phantom limb pain (PLP) — and now she's giving the device to vets.
5 stories you may have missed for the week of December 16th
With everything going on in the world, it's difficult to keep track of every story that pops up. Check the stories you may have missed this week.
This is why the U.S.military uses 5.56mm ammo instead of 7.62mm
A common debate among gun enthusiasts revolves around why the U.S. chose to implement the 5.56mm N.A.T.O. round into service instead of the 7.62mm.
Combat Flip Flops are all about freedom — and not just for your feet
Buy a comfy pair of flip flops — put Afghanistan to work. Buy your lady a sarong — put an Afghan girl through school. This is global democracy, step two.


Memo to House Dems: Just say no to Obamacare.
The Democratic Party is lashed to health reformeven in the face of polls showing tepid public support. Thus Politicos Carrie Brown paraphrases senior Democratic aides. As unappealing as that predicament may sound, Brown writes that those same aides say it would be politically disastrous to flip-flop now.
Not so. What would be politically disastrous for Democratic congressmen is to keep turning a deaf ear to the American people and to forge ahead with a highly unpopular bill. Among the mantras that might help Democrats emerge victorious in November, this one isnt likely to top the list: The people dont want it, so wed better give it to them.
President Obama has echoed this line of thought. In a speech to House Democrats on January 14, he said,
[I know] some of you have gotten beaten up at home. … But I also know what happens once we get this … bill into law: The American people will suddenly learn that this bill does things they like and doesnt do things people have been trying to say it does.
So were to believe that after months of extended debate and discussion, the American people would suddenly learn that this billwhich wouldnt go into effect in any meaningful way until 2014is really not so bad. At least the president doesnt pitch such fanciful comments directly to the American people.
All wishful thinking aside, Americans know that the bill would raise spending, taxes, deficits, premiums, and overall health costs; would cut Medicare and cost jobs; and would inject the federal government into the historically and rightfully private relationship between patient and doctor. None of this would change simply because President Obama puts his signature on the bill.
In truth, the president and his aides are happy to sacrifice a few dozen congressional Democrats on the altar of Obamacare. They are focused on three immediate goals: passing a very unpopular bill before its window of opportunity closes, increasing the federal governments power over our society, and giving President Obama something to talk about in his State of the Union address.
But individual House Democrats care a great deal about their own fate. And its not too late for them. Evidence from 1994 suggests that Democrats who opposed Hillarycare were largely spared by the voters. It was those who supported it who felt the voters wrath.
In Hillarycares wake in 1994, the more conservative Democrats did far better than run-of-the-mill Democratseven though the opposite is normally true (see our Real Lessons of 1994, in the December 21, 2009, WEEKLY STANDARD). This time around, nothing will mark a Democratic member as one who should be spared more than his final vote on Obamacare. Contrary to the not-so-helpful advice of senior Democratic aides, many members could save their own seats with just one vote.


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However biased Fox "News" has been to the Obama administration, there's a near left-right unanimity that it was foolish for them to attack the network, in part because it elevated Fox's ratings and, stretching the metaphor, you don't fight with folks who "buy ink by the barrel."
The CW is wrong. It was smart to explain that Fox is more an arm of the Republican party than a news organization.
First, criticism that it was Nixonian is absurd. No one will be burglarized or audited. One doubts we'll ever hear a recording of Obama later saying, "Remember, the press is the enemy, the press is the enemy."
Second, it's facile and false symmetry to argue that MSNBC has been as anti-Bush as Fox is anti-Obama. When has MSNBC's news reports been as biased as Fox's ad nauseam coverage of the Birthers, tea baggers and crazed town meeting protestors? And when has any other broadcast or cable network actually organized rallies against a sitting president, as Fox unashamedly did with the tea bag protests? As Rachel Maddow alone editorialized, why should Gibbs, Dunne, Emanuel, Axelrod et. al. cooperate with what has been an arm of the opposition party? Did Bush go on Olbermann?
As president of Air America Media, I obviously have no problem with opinion radio or TV. But we and The Nation magazine don't pretend to be "fair and balanced," only interesting and accurate. When Roger Ailes tried to spin me at a Christmas party last year that "We really have both sides on our news," I sort of admired his audacity. But I was also thinking that a gutsy Federal Trade Commission could charge Fox with false and misleading advertising. It's one thing to be almost impressed at his message discipline, but what fool could possibly swallow his talking points whole?
Still, should the White House have made a point of calling out Fox? Yes, because the only way to deter or slow bullies is to stand up to them. Chiding Fox won't convert them into MoveOn members but one doubts they'll organize the next tea bag rally. And others will now more likely flinch before flinging falsehoods realizing that the administration may actually respond to phony attacks. At the least, they won't be able to assume that Obama will invariably turn the other cheek with his post-partisan temperament. Indeed, any politician is in a weak position -- whether in a public debate or a legislative negotiation -- if he has just one register, whether it's always nasty (Giuliani) or always nice (Obama).
By telling the truth about Fox, Cheney et. al., Obama has thrown his more virulent critics off-stride. When a batter knows that the pitcher can throw brush-back pitches, it's harder to dig in and swing away. The squeals we hear from the Far Fright is the sound of those who have to think twice the next time they're tempted to call a President a racist or socialist or fascist or whatever to goose ratings.
A president who took the oath of office on the bible of another lanky Illinoisian could do worse than imitating Lincoln's approach, who was said to have had "an iron fist in a velvet glove."


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The Cost of Procrastination
Procrastination can be costly. When you get a late start, it may be difficult to make up for lost time.
Have A Question About This Topic?
Help determine the required minimum distribution from an IRA or other qualified retirement plan.
From the Dutch East India Company to Wall Street, the stock market has a long and storied history.
If you’re thinking of leasing a new car, then you shouldn’t forget about gap insurance.


No Moore money
How can a very successful businessman like Richard Uihlein, who by all accounts is a great boss and has developed a fair and great place to work, give money to a child predator? It must be a Republican thing.
Sound of silence
I finally found out the way to stop Donald Trump's lies. Hit the mute button.
What is the matter with us anyway? I think it's funny as hell that that Lake Villa policeman told that teenager he was being detained because he was white. The policeman was obviously being sarcastic, and we are so thin-skinned that people can't say anything to us anymore without somebody taking offense. And everything's on Facebook. Please, lighten up.
No fan of the plan
This comment is about the Republican tax plan which will screw us middle-class people later on down the line, of which I am one. I feel the tax plan should be scrapped. You want a tax plan, go to a flat tax whereby nothing from the personal side can be deducted off your taxes, and that's including all the Republicans and Democrats and independents and what not. Also, no donations to the political parties or candidates of any kind can be written off on taxes. This is a tax plan for everybody, not just so the rich will be getting richer.
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