Say goodbye to pantry moths: Effective methods for elimination
Identify and Remove Infested Food Items
Infestation of food items can be a common problem in households and commercial establishments alike. Not only can it lead to the spoilage of food, but it also poses serious health risks. Therefore, it is crucial to promptly identify and remove any infested food items to prevent further contamination.
One way to identify infested food items is by examining the packaging or containers for signs of damage or pests. Look for chew marks, holes, or tears that may indicate the presence of insects or rodents. Additionally, you may notice the presence of droppings or webs, particularly in dark and hidden areas of your pantry or storage space. These visual indicators serve as red flags and should prompt further investigation.
In some cases, the smell can also be indicative of food infestation. Certain pests, like rodents, have a distinct odor that can be detected even before any visible signs. If you notice any unusual or foul smells around your food storage areas, it is essential to inspect the items carefully.
Once you have identified infested food items, it is crucial to remove them immediately to prevent the infestation from spreading. Start by carefully sealing the contaminated items in a plastic bag or container to minimize the risk of further contamination. It is essential to dispose of the infested items properly, following local waste management guidelines. Avoid simply throwing them in the trash bin, as this can attract more pests and lead to further issues.
Maintaining a clean and organized storage area and practicing good hygiene habits are vital in preventing infestation. Regularly inspect your food items, monitor for any signs of infestation, and take prompt action if you detect any issues. By being proactive and vigilant, you can ensure the safety and quality of your food, protecting yourself and your loved ones from potential health risks.
Clean and Vacuum the Pantry
Cleaning and vacuuming the pantry is an essential task that often gets overlooked. A well-maintained pantry not only improves the overall hygiene of your kitchen but also ensures that your food items stay fresh and free from pests. To keep your pantry organized and clean, follow these simple steps.
First and foremost, remove all the items from your pantry. Take this opportunity to sort through them and discard any expired or stale items. This not only eliminates clutter but also reduces the risk of pests infesting your pantry. Once the pantry is empty, wipe down the shelves with a mild cleaning solution to remove any dust or residue.
Next, vacuum the pantry thoroughly. Use the brush attachment to clean the corners and crevices, where crumbs and debris tend to accumulate. Be sure to pay special attention to the back of the shelves and the floor of the pantry. Vacuuming not only removes loose dirt but also helps eliminate any potential pest habitats.
After vacuuming, organize your pantry in a way that makes it easy to find and access your items. Group similar items together and use labeled containers or bins to keep things organized. This not only reduces clutter but also makes it easier to keep track of your pantry inventory. Additionally, consider using shelf liners to protect the shelves from spills or leaks.
Regularly cleaning and vacuuming your pantry not only keeps it looking tidy but also extends the shelf life of your food items. By getting rid of expired or stale items and keeping pests at bay, you can ensure that your pantry remains a safe and healthy storage space for your food supplies. So, make it a habit to clean and vacuum your pantry regularly for a clean and well-organized kitchen.
Use Natural Repellents
Using natural repellents is a great way to keep pests away without relying on harsh chemicals or pesticides. Natural repellents can help protect your home and garden from unwanted intruders like insects, rodents, and other critters. Not only are these repellents effective, but they are also safer for you, your family, and the environment.
One popular natural repellent is essential oils. Certain essential oils, such as peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus, have strong scents that repel pests. You can mix a few drops of these oils with water and spray the mixture around your home or garden to keep pests at bay. Additionally, using essential oils as natural repellents can add a pleasant aroma to your living space.
Another effective natural repellent is vinegar. This pantry staple is a versatile ingredient that can be used for various purposes, including pest control. The strong smell of vinegar is a major turn-off for pests like ants, spiders, and mosquitoes. Simply mix equal parts of vinegar and water in a spray bottle and apply it to areas where pests are often found. This natural repellent is not only effective but also affordable and readily available.
If you're dealing with outdoor pests like deer or rabbits, consider using garlic as a natural repellent. These animals are repelled by the strong scent of garlic, making it an effective deterrent. You can create a garlic spray by blending cloves of garlic with water and straining the mixture. Then, spray it around your garden or on plants to keep these pesky pests away.
In conclusion, natural repellents are a safe and effective way to keep pests at bay. Whether it's essential oils, vinegar, or garlic, there are various natural options available to suit your needs. By using these repellents, you can enjoy a pest-free environment without compromising your health or the environment.
Seal Cracks and Entry Points
Seal cracks and entry points are crucial steps to prevent unwanted pests and insects from infiltrating your home or workspace. By sealing these areas, you can ensure a more secure and comfortable environment for yourself and your family.
Cracks in walls, floors, and windows are common entry points for pests. These tiny gaps may not be noticeable at first glance, but they can serve as access points for pests such as ants, spiders, and even rodents. By sealing these cracks with appropriate materials, you create an effective barrier that prevents pests from entering your premises.
Additionally, sealing entry points is not only beneficial for eliminating the risk of pest infestation but also for improving energy efficiency. Even small gaps around doors and windows can lead to drafts and air leakage, causing your heating or cooling systems to work harder and increasing energy consumption. Sealing these entry points ensures that your heating and cooling efforts are not wasted, resulting in potential cost savings and a more comfortable indoor environment.
To effectively seal cracks and entry points, you can use various materials such as caulk, weatherstripping, or expanding foam. It is important to assess the size and location of the cracks to determine the most suitable sealing method. For larger cracks or gaps, expanding foam can be an excellent option, as it expands to fill the space completely. On the other hand, smaller gaps can be easily sealed with caulk or weatherstripping.
Overall, taking the time to seal cracks and entry points in your home or workspace can have significant benefits. It not only prevents pests from invading your space but also improves energy efficiency and reduces utility costs. By addressing these potential vulnerabilities, you can create a more secure, comfortable, and environmentally-friendly environment.
Maintain a Clean and Organized Pantry
Maintaining a clean and organized pantry is essential for a well-functioning kitchen. A clutter-free pantry not only makes it easier to find ingredients but also allows for better inventory management and reduces the chances of food spoilage. With a few simple steps, you can transform your pantry into a tidy and efficient space.
First and foremost, regularly decluttering your pantry is key to maintaining its cleanliness. Remove expired items and donate any unopened items you no longer need. This will not only free up valuable space but also ensure that you're only working with fresh ingredients. Consider using clear containers or labels to easily identify the contents of your pantry items – this helps in avoiding unnecessary purchases and duplicates.
Next, organizing your pantry items in a logical manner can save you time and effort. Categorize your food items into groups such as grains, canned goods, spices, and snacks. Utilize storage solutions like shelves, baskets, and drawer organizers to maximize space and keep similar items together. By doing so, you'll know exactly where to find what you need, preventing the frustration of searching through a jumbled mess.
Lastly, maintaining cleanliness should be a priority. Regularly wipe down shelves and containers to keep dust and dirt at bay. Avoid spillage by properly sealing containers and implementing a "first in, first out" system to ensure that older items are used before newer ones. This practice not only keeps your pantry clean but also helps in reducing food waste.
A clean and organized pantry not only improves the functionality of your kitchen but also enhances your overall cooking experience. By decluttering, organizing, and maintaining cleanliness, you can enjoy a stress-free and efficient pantry where you can easily find the ingredients you need for your culinary adventures.
If you want to know other articles similar to Say goodbye to pantry moths: Effective methods for elimination you can visit the category Pantry Moths.


"A very destructive weapon that fires rockets with a large blast radius."
The Rocket Launcher is a weapon in the original and 2002 remake of Resident Evil.
Available only for the final battle against the Tyrant (T-002 Model) and loaded with four rockets, the Rocket Launcher is thrown to the player by Brad Vickers and used to destroy the monster in a single shot. However, it is possible for the Tyrant to actually deflect a rocket fired at it. In the original 1996 game, a version of the Rocket Launcher with unlimited ammo can be unlocked with a cleared file after finishing the game in less than three hours with an A grade.
The Rocket Launcher can be difficult to use as it cannot be aimed at high or low angles and takes some time to steady before firing, therefore it is highly recommended that the character be positioned far from the enemy as possible, especially against agile opponents such as the Hunter that can close in on the player.


7 Predictions For The Auto Industry In 2018
Forecasting the four-wheeled weather for the New Yearby Jonathan Lopez, on
Pretty soon, we’ll mark yet another rotation around that giant glowing ball of hydrogen and helium we call the Sun by setting off explosives, cracking open the bubbly, and wishing one another a “Happy New Year” amidst a flurry of streamers and ridiculous light-up glasses. And that makes it the perfect opportunity to look back at exactly what happened during the last 12 months, a chance to remember both the good and the bad. That said, it’s also a chance to start thinking about the future. What lies ahead in the year 2018? What opportunities will be presented? What will change? What will fade away? While we might not have all the answers, we do have a good idea about what we might see in the near future with the following automotive predictions.
In total, we’ve got seven of ‘em for you, dear reader, ranging from which segments will see growth, which technologies will see big advances, and what the automotive landscape might look like as the planet heads into its roughly four-and-a-half billionth lap around the solar system. Read on for our shot at car-themed crystal ball reading.
Continue reading for our Seven Predictions For The Auto Industry In 2018.
Even More Crossovers And SUVs
We saw a lot of new SUVs and crossovers this year, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. Back in 2014, the segment became the most popular choice for U.S. consumers, outselling sedans in terms of raw percentages, and demand doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all. The latest numbers point to a continued decrease in passenger car sales, as well as a continued increase in crossover, SUV, and truck sales.
Why the dramatic shift? The reasons are many, but we can generalize by saying consumers these days are interested in a vehicle that can do everything, be it cruise comfortably on the highway commute, load up for a weekend outing, or even dabble in a bit of off-roading (yeah, few buyers actually takes these vehicles into the rough stuff, but it’s more about the idea it can tackle a trail that really matters). Throw in low fuel prices, and the SUV/crossover segment makes a lot of sense to a lot of people.
Few manufacturers can deny the siren call of this booming segment. Even traditionally sporty manufacturers are getting in on the action – for example, Lamborghini just unveiled its first SUV entry, dubbed the Urus, earlier in December. If the trend we’ve seen over the last few years continues unabated, expect to see the SUV and crossover segment make even stranger bedfellows. I’m looking at you, Ferrari.
More Top-Shelf Performance
Once upon a time, the supercar segment was tiny, consisting of just a handful of high-profile models. Now, the number of uber-powered mega machines has exploded, with 2017 seeing the release of the McLaren Senna, the Mercedes-AMG Project One, the Aston Martin Valkyrie, and the Hennessey Venom F5, to name just a few. Things have been so crazy, we had to ask –Is There Such A Thing As Too Many Hypercars?
We’ll let you read the article and decide the answer to that question for yourself, but long story short, 2018 will surely bring along even more outrageous performance machines. With automotive technology continuing onwards into the stratosphere, and the rich becoming even richer, this segment is ripe for growth. Indeed, these millionaire toys are getting scooped up as quickly as they can hit 60 mph, and the automakers will respond accordingly.
Electric Vehicle And Battery Technology Goes Crazy
Speaking of automotive technology, electric vehicles and battery technology will also likely see some impressive development in 2018. Even as the Trump administration makes moves to take a step back on fuel-economy regulations, the pressure to make cars more efficient isn’t going away any time soon. The current requirements won’t change until 2022, and it remains to be seen what sort of rules will be set forth afterwards. Furthermore, the U.S. isn’t the only market in the world, with plenty of pressure for higher mpg numbers coming from Europe and Asia. Even within the U.S., there’s a growing lust for electric cars (California and its self-imposed clean air restrictions is a great example).
All told, the stage is set for more investment into EV and battery tech. Then when you throw in the potential for jaw-dropping all-electric performance (did someone say 2020 Tesla Roadster?), and it looks like everyone could benefit.
Autonomous Technology Spreads
2017 brought out all kinds of advances in autonomous tech, from new and updated safety systems, to wide-spread testing on public roads, to the announcement of additional technology investments. The tech promises a lot, and automakers are racing to be the first to bring it to consumers in a big and meaningful way.
We aren’t quite at fully autonomous robo car sans steering wheel yet, but the advances are coming fast and furious. Expect to see more announcements in 2018 as the various makes assert their lead, plus the possibility of software and other non-car companies (Google, Apple, etc.) throwing their digital hat in the ring. The race is on.
The Rise Of The Connected Car
Along with new self-driving capabilities, we expect the cars of 2018 to bring a new level of connectedness, offering an opportunity to integrate more fully with your digital life. The Renault Symbioz concept that appeared at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show is a good example of this trend taken to its extreme. This thing integrates so completely, it actually becomes a part of your house, offering an entire living space that can be adapted to suit a plethora of needs.
Granted, we won’t get anything like the Symbioz in the real world in 2018, but the ideas it presents are a decent representation of where we could be headed. Imagine controlling your home lighting, heating, and entertainment from the passenger seat, turning off the lights on your way to work, turning down the thermostat on long trips, and watching a movie from the cloud on the rear-seat digital screen. Or maybe you could pay a toll without breaking out the small bills, or order take out with voice command, or automatically reroute around an upcoming traffic jam. If it makes your life more interesting, more social, or more convenient by connecting to the Internet, it could be happening very soon.
Adding to this is further integration of digital instruments and touchscreens as well. Analog is old school – digital is the way of the future. Scratch that – digital is the now.
New Ownership Models, New Car Purchasing Experiences, New Show Models
The advent of new technology isn’t just altering how cars are driven and experienced, it’s also changing the fundamental basics of purchasing and buying a new car. As companies like Lyft and Uber take over the taxi business, carmakers are anticipating new subscription-based ownership models that’ll open up transportation solutions to folks who’ve never even considered buying a car outright, something that’s particularly suited for younger consumers. Volvo and Porsche are both toying with the idea, and if it picks up, expect to see others join the fray.
Then there’s the car buying experience, which is moving away from the traditional dealership test drive. Rather, virtual reality is providing digital experiences without ever leaving the showroom floor, with buyers getting a chance to ring it out on the track and sit in a bespoke interior thanks to a simple headset.Mazda is already doing exactly that in the U.K.
Finally, there’s the old car show format, where manufacturers descend on a particular city convention center, set up a bunch of expensive booths, and push through crowds of eager enthusiasts hoping to get up close and personal to some fresh metal. While we enjoy the experience and encourage folks to get out there and try it for themselves, the format seems to fading a bit as of late. With rising costs and diminishing participation from the makes, the old show format is gonna need to change to stay relevant in an age when an experience is just a mouse click away
Chinese Manufacturers Enter The U.S.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of manufactured goods consumed in the U.S. come from China, the stigma against Chinese passenger cars remains. However, that hasn’t stopped Chinese companies from getting in on the action. For example, Geely now owns Volvo, and builds four-doors in Chinese factories for the U.S. market. U.S. marques are doing the same thing – for example, GM is making the Cadillac CT6 Plug-in Hybrid and Buick Envision in China, while Ford is making the Focus there as well. Look for that trend to continue to gain steam, possibly even resulting in a fully-fledged Chinese marque breaking into the market without all the U.S. dress up.


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Curr Opin Gastroenterol 2021 May;37(3):245-254
2nd Department of Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and University Hospital, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
Purpose Of Review: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is a rare, autosomal dominant, hereditary polyposis syndrome defined by gastrointestinal hamartomas and mucocutaneous pigmentations, caused by a germline mutation in the serine/ threonine kinase 11 or liver kinase B1 (STK11/LKB1) genes. Hamartomatous polyps located throughout the gastrointestinal tract can be complicated by bleeding and small bowel intussusception, potentially leading to the need for emergency surgery. Individuals suffering from Peutz-Jeghers syndrome have an increased lifetime risk of various forms of cancer (gastrointestinal, pancreatic, lung, breast, uterine, ovarian and testicular). Read More

domain: medical


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At first Vavilov (1926) suggested six main geographic centres for cultivated plants, but subsequently (1935) increased their number to eleven.
(1) China: A total of 136 endemic plants are listed. e.g. Foxtail millet, soybean, bamboo, crucifers, onion, lettuce, tea etc.
(2) India: 117 plants are considered to be endemic, which mainly includes rice, sugarcane, mango,orange, oriental cotton, eggplant, Sesame etc.
(2 a) South East Asia: 55 plants are listed, including rice, banana, coconut, clove, hemp etc.
(3) Central Asia: 43 plants are listed, prominent among which are common wheat, pea, common millet,buckwheat, Alfalfa, Hemp, cotton etc.
(4) Near East: 83 species are included in this region. At least nine species of wheat as well as rye are indigenous to this centre. Many of our subtropical and temperate fruits are native to this region. 7
(5) Mediterranean: 84 plants are known to have originated here including olives and many cultivated vegetables; forage plants; oil yielding plants (rape, black mustard) and wheats (durum and emmer).
(6) Ethiopia: Previously known as Abyssinian centre. 38 species are native to this region, includes wheat and barley, Sesame, castor bean, coffee etc.
(7) Mesoamerica (South Mexican & Central American Centre): Plants native to this region are
extremely varied, and include maize, bean, squash, sweet potato, red peeper, papaya, guava, tobacco, etc.
(8) South America: This region is believed to be the native of potato, tomato, egg plant, pine-apple, rubber tree, cashew nut etc.
(8 a)The Chiloe Centre: It is an island near the coast of Southern chile. It is thought to be region of origin of common potato.
(8 b)The Brazilian –Paraguayan Centre: It is known to be the region of origin of groundnut, cassava, cashew nut, pineapple, peppers, potato, rubber etc.
learn interactively using these tools below
check this article on major rice pests and their management –> Click me

domain: biology


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Avocado toast is all the rage on any social media platform and also in any trendy coffee shop. I’m always a fan of a good avocado toast, but I also love plain old toast with butter. So why not combine them? This Avocado Butter Spread is exactly that!
It takes literally minutes to make and is a great thing even kids can make. Once it’s made, you can smear it on any kind of toast for a quick flavor upgrade. Slide a few eggs on top if you have them or just enjoy it plain!
Give it a shot and I think you’ll find it a nice, and simple, upgrade on the classic avocado toast!
- Want a different toast option? Try this Ricotta Tomato Toast breakfast!
How to pick ripe avocados
Picking a ripe avocado can be tricky. You can’t really go by color although unripe avocados will tend to be a lighter green color. That’s not always true though so you have to test further.
A ripe avocado will give if you press on the skin of the avocado slightly. If it gives very easily then it is probably overripe and brown on the inside.
You can also take off the small stem of the avocado and if the undersection of flesh is green, then your avocado isn’t overripe.
What kind of butter to use for this spread
I’m not going to be a butter gatekeeper here, but I would recommend using a salted butter. Unsalted butter is great for baking but for a recipe like this the salt in the butter is a wonderful addition to the spread.
If you do use unsalted butter, you will probably want to add a pinch of salt to your finished avocado butter spread.
How to Make the Avocado Butter Spread
There are two methods on how to make this spread. The easiest way is to add your ripe avocados and butter to a food processor and pulse it until it’s smooth. Done deal!
The second way involves a bit more manual labor. But basically, you just smash it together with a fork!
When it comes to ingredient ratios, I like to start with half a cup of butter for each large ripe avocado. This means a little more avocado than butter in your ratio and you could adjust to your liking.
The thing about the smashing method is that you won’t be able to get it as smooth as with the food processor version. This shouldn’t be a surprise. I like both methods just fine! The smashed version is just a bit more rustic.
How to Serve the Avocado Butter Spread
This avocado butter is best served at room temperature so if you are taking it out of the fridge, it’s best to let it sit for 30 minutes to warm up slightly and it’ll be easiest to spread.
This spread was absolutely made for toast. I like it with an egg on top, but just the spread on toast is really delicious.
Or, of course, you can take it all the way with eggs, hot sauce, and thyme or cilantro. AMAZING!
If you’re looking for an easy upgrade to the morning toast right now, this is a must-try!
- Garlic Fan? Try these with some homemade garlic confit!
How to store avocado butter
This avocado butter will store well in the refrigerator for a few days. To help prevent it from browning, you can add some lemon juice to the top of the spread and cover it with plastic wrap.
Avocado Butter Spread
- 1 ripe medium avocado
- ½ cup salted butter
- Crusty Bread
- Hot Sauce
- Method one:
- Dice avocado and add it to a small food processor with the Butter. Process until it’s smooth.
- Method two:
- Dice avocado and add it to a bowl with Butter. Mash together well with a fork until smooth. It won’t get as smooth as the food processor version, but will still be delicious!
- Serve avocado butter spread on toast with eggs, cilantro, and hot sauce.
- Leftover avocado butter spread will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the spread to prevent browning.
Did you make this recipe?
Here are a few other great simple breakfast recipes!
If you’re looking for a few other great breakfasts to try that are fast and delicious, check out this fun breakfast tortilla recipe which is cheesy and easy to make. For something equally hearty, check out this Honey bacon Breakfast Skillet which is buried in the Macheesmo archives but always a winner. I also like this Breakfast Salmon Sandwich which is kind of an open-faced sandwich that is always a winner. For something on the lighter side, I love these Egg White Muffins from Kirbie Cravings

domain: food


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Though the outcome of Saturday’s loss against the Alabama Crimson Tide was what many expected, not even the most diehard of Texas Longhorn fans could’ve scripted out the game we witnessed Texas play.
Going toe-to-toe against the No. 1 team in the nation, Texas nearly pulled off the improbable, and seemingly impossible, task of upsetting Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. In fact, in many facets of the game, Texas looked like the better team. For much of the game, the Horns held the reigning Heisman winner to paltry passing numbers. Texas even held the lead for much of the fourth quarter, and after 59 minutes and 45 seconds of play, led Alabama 19-17.
But alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as Alabama was able to escape Austin with a 20-19 victory on a field goal with 10 seconds remaining.
Of course, this quick synopsis does no justice to how well Texas played, how shockingly disorganized Alabama looked for most of the game, how poor the officiating was, and how eerily similar this game stacks up to the 2010 National Championship between these two schools.
Here’s a few takeaways from yesterday’s game:
Was this loss actually a win?
In college football, there’s never such a thing as a “moral victory.” But if there was, yesterday’s loss was as close as they come. Longhorn nation seems to agree, as much of the news coming out of the Forty Acres has been overwhelmingly positive in respect to the boys in burnt orange and white. The AP Poll even rewarded the Longhorns by moving the team UP and into the top 25 in its most recent poll.
A 1-point loss to No. 1 Bama (now No. 2) gets Texas into the Top 25. Horns make their AP debut at No. 21 this season.— Nick Moyle (@NRMoyle) September 11, 2022
Other ranked Big 12 teams: No. 6 Oklahoma (+1), No. 8 Oklahoma State (+3), No. 17 Baylor (-8)
(And A&M dropped 18 spots to No. 24.) pic.twitter.com/GpGn5pH3lz
I can’t remember the last time a team lost and its ranking improved in the AP poll the next week. But that kind of respect was earned after Texas took the *former* No. 1 team in the country to the brink. And for now, Texas has grabbed the attention of many — in a good way. It’s put the Big 12 and the country on notice, that it can play with the big boys and Alabamas of the world. Despite the loss, Texas came out of yesterday’s game with more hope for the future than it has in any single game since the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia nearly four years ago.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian even said as much postgame. “You know in the end, that’s the best team in the country. In a weird way, we can kind of feel pretty good about ourselves.”
These aren’t your 2021 Texas Longhorns
In the offseason, we were treated to quotes and sound bites declaring this year would be different than last year’s disappointing 5-7 team. Perhaps the largest declaration of change came from Sarkisian, who told ESPN during Big 12 Media Days, “The kids knew not everybody in that locker room was all-in last year... I think they could feel it, and they wanted to weed out some of the warts, some of the bad apples.”
We didn’t know how much of this was coach speak, and how much of that statement was rooted in truth. But after yesterday’s game, it looks like many of Texas’ key players alluded to a similar sentiment that Sarkisian gave this summer.
Senior running back Roschon Johnson said, “Last year, I think that game wouldn’t have been close around the third quarter. They probably would have separated.”
Another senior leader on the team, defensive tackle Keondre Coburn, added “The past five years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen a team just grind as hard throughout the whole game.”
Last season, the Longhorns consistently petered out in close games and failed to overcome moments of adversity. They went 5-7 overall, going 2-5 in one-score games. Of those seven losses, Texas either led or was tied in the fourth quarter in four of those games. In short, and most simply put, when the going got tough, this team routinely folded like a lawn chair.
Yesterday could’ve just easily gone the way of last season, and there wasn’t a lack of momentum-killing moments Texas endured through yesterday. They could’ve given up after giving up an 81 yard touchdown run to Alabama running back Jase McClellan to go down 10-3. Or after quarterback Quinn Ewers left the game following a sprained clavicle injury. Or after your choice of terrible refereeing calls; the targeting/roughing the passer that should have been an intentional grounding or any of the missed facemask calls that impacted the game. Oh, and I almost forgot the no-call pass interferences on Alabama. Really, anything mentioned here would suffice.
Instead, this team fought to the bitter end against a team more talented than them. “Let’s call it like it is: Nobody gave us a chance in this game,” Sarkisian said. “None of you. None of the national media. Nobody gave us a chance, okay? But we believed in our locker room we could go win this game, and we played like a team that believed they could win this game.”
Amen to that, Sark. That belief showed and palpitated throughout DKR. The record crowd of over 105,213 fans bought in to the hard play and gave Texas a home-field environment that we haven’t seen for quite some time.
Bama LB Will Anderson says that the Texas atmosphere was the loudest and craziest he’s ever experienced in his college career.— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 10, 2022
This team played hard for sixty minutes, never gave up amidst bad officiating and bad breaks, and brought enough pride to blanket over the Forty Acres and then some. This year’s team looks like they’ve bought in, and that’s brought a newfound sense of excitement to a football team that hasn’t had much to celebrate recently. And don’t just take my word for it..
Man this year is going to be fun with this team— DeMarvion Overshown (@AGENT0__) September 10, 2022
If the defense plays like this every game, there’s no reason Texas can’t make a run
As mentioned above, for much of this game, the Texas defense bottled the Alabama offense and made the reigning Heisman winner look rather pedestrian through three quarters of the game. In fact, up until midway through the fourth quarter, Ewers still led Bryce Young in passing yards for the game. It wasn’t until late in the game and deep into the fourth the Longhorns defense began to give way to the heat and minutes played.
The Longhorns had a few plays they would like to have back — the 81-yard run and of course the final Alabama drive, to be exact. But for the most part, the Texas defense was disciplined, played with intensity, and swarmed Alabama’s skill position options at receiver and out of the backfield. They were largely dominant over one of the best offenses in the country. If they play like this every week, there’s no limit to how well the Longhorns can do in the Big 12 this year — after all, that Alabama offense is better than anyone they will face in conference this year.
Before the injury, Ewers looked every bit the part of a winning, Bama-beating QB.
“It wouldn’t have been close.” That’s what former head coach Mack Brown said when asked in 2010 what the outcome of the 2010 National Championship would have been had quarterback Colt McCoy not gotten hurt in the first quarter of the game. In a similar, cruel repetition of history, Texas’ starting quarterback exited the game early due to an injury in the first quarter against Alabama. It may be wishful thinking, it may be some extreme homerism veiled as Armchair analysis. But I have to agree with Mack here in regards to Quinn Ewers — if he didn’t get hurt yesterday, this game wouldn’t have been close.
Ewers built upon the good he showed in his debut against Louisiana-Monroe, showcasing an improved deep ball and connecting on deep routes that were sorely missed in his absence. Below is possibly his best throw of the day.
Preceding this huge throw to Worthy was an out route throw traveling over 30 yards in the air that I legitimately don’t think I’ve seen a Texas quarterback make in over a decade.
Before his exit, Ewers went 9-of-12 passing for 134 yards. HIs average yards per attempt of 11.2 yards was nearly twice as much as Alabama quarterback Bryce Young’s 5.5 yards per attempt. The future is bright at the quarterback position, folks.
In the meantime — we’ll be ok with Hudson Card (if he can get that ankle healthy)
Throughout much of the offseason, Card battled Ewers for the starting role before ultimately being named the backup quarterback. However, Card will now get his chance at QB1, with Ewers likely to be out up to two months while he recovers from a sprained clavicle.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with two sprains at his clavicle, according to my sources. The earliest Ewers could return is for the Oklahoma game on Oct. 8.— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 11, 2022
Though last year’s tape on Card isn’t exactly one that will set a room full of scouts on fire, Card is still a capable quarterback who has experience starting for this team, and is well liked and respected by the locker room and coaching staff. After all, don’t forget that Card was the QB1 entering last season, and came to Texas with plenty of pedigree as a Lake Travis standout and Texas’ second highest-rated recruit of 2020 (behind only running back Bijan Robinson). Card’s floor as a game-manager type quarterback should be plenty of talent to keep Texas competitive while Ewers heals from his injury.

domain: news


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Pro-democracy demonstrators hold signs ahead of a ceremony marking China's 65th National Day following over night protests in the Wanchai district of Hong Kong on October 1, 2014. Hong Kong has been plunged into the worst political crisis since its 1997 handover as pro-democracy activists take over the streets following China's refusal to grant citizens full universal suffrage. AFP PHOTO / XAUME OLLEROSXAUME OLLEROS/AFP/Getty Images
Content engaging our readers now, with additional prominence accorded if the story is rapidly gaining attention. Our WSJ algorithm comprises 30% page views, 20% Facebook, 20% Twitter, 20% email shares and 10% comments.

domain: politics


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By protecting women, we protect families. As a former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, I have long fought to protect the rights of women, including full and equal economic opportunity through equitable pay and employment opportunities. In 6 in 10 families, a mother is the primary or co-breadwinner. The persistent gaps in wages and opportunities for women have limited the resources available for families to purchase homes, save for college, and save for retirements. I am dedicated to working to prevent violence against women and establish transitional housing for women and children who are victims of abuse. As a leading member of the Pro-Choice Caucus, I have also fought for reproductive freedom.
More on Women's Issues
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Energy and Commerce Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, introduced H.R. 6137, the Innovative Maternal Payment And Coverage To (IMPACT To) Save Moms Act. This bill is one several included in the new, historic “Momnibus” package of legislation to address the Black maternal health crisis in the United States.
This week, SCOTUS heard a case challenging a Louisiana law that would decimate abortion access in the state and could shape the future of abortion rights in our nation. After marching to the Court, I spoke on the House floor about why I'll fight for #MyRightMyDecision.
Washington, DC - Today, Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) led a letter, signed by 11 Members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, to Match Group President Shar Dubey calling on the company to check users against sex offender registries and disclose its efforts to respond to reports of sexual violence that were a result of users meeting through Match Group services.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip, voted in favor of H.J.Res.79 , which passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 232 to 183. The legislation would facilitate timely ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution by removing the arbitrary deadline to ratify the ERA. If passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President, this would pave the way forward for including women in the foundational document of our democracy.

domain: sociology


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You might not have thought it but rather ladies and slot machines have a great deal in like manner. In the event that you ever go into the center of the casino, close your eyes and simply stop for a minute you’ll know precisely what I am discussing. Next time you visit the casino, take care of business and you will recollect this correlation and recognize what you read here is the sound truth.
In the event that you don’t visit a casino frequently you will see how the slot machines get another set aside a few minutes you set foot in one. The machines come in all groups and sizes as well. For instance, the new machine could be loudest one on the casino floor ringing out as if a big stake has been hit each time the littlest of wins happens.
The maker will discover some kind of problem with the prior adaptation of a specific machine and low and observe return to the planning phase for all the more gaming energy and a new look. At that point, the as good as ever form will be louder and brighter, with significantly more interest than the prior manifestation.
Like slot machines, a few ladies require more incessant or sensational make-overs than others. The ladies you find in casinos are from all kinds of different backgrounds; some come in dribbling with costly precious stones and pearls and make a beeline for the $100 machine. You additionally observe another “category” in T-shirts and pants, spilling out the remainder of their youngster advantage into the nickel machine. The size thing doesn’t generally should be tended to, however ladies resemble slot machines, that is true.
On the off chance that you are as yet remaining in the casino with your eyes shut you will hear the slot machines over whatever else. Be that as it may, in the event that you listen truly nearly, you will hear something like a howl. It’s a lady who’s chattering endlessly, totally unmindful of the correlation that we have made today.
In the event that she wins at the slots, we know precisely what will happen. Everybody in the casino will hear her whiny, shrieking voice over the clamor of the one-outfitted highwaymen and the casino all in all.
So whenever the casinos have another slot adaptation to hit the floor and the woman your with is driving you up the wall with her hand stood out for “additional”, contemplate internally, what might the casino do?

domain: entertainment


asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the fact that he proposes to extend the Hungerford Footbridge on the south side for the Festival of Britain, he will also take steps to extend it into Charing Cross Station.
This extension has not previously been suggested to me, and I cannot see that it would help the Exhibition traffic. There may be some case for it on more general grounds, and I find that this is under examination by the Railway Executive, who are responsible for the footbridge.
Is my right hon. Friend aware that the cost of this extension would be negligible, and that unless this footbridge is extended, people coming from the Exhibition will be decanted at the bottom of Villiers Street instead of being able to go to Charing Cross Station?
I think that my hon. and gallant Friend is unaware of the fact that a special Bailey bridge will be constructed right on to the Exhibition site.
Can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that it is part of the long-term policy of his Department to get rid of this hideous footbridge?


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Robert Scevers, a dancer, choreographer and teacher who worked extensively with Rebekah Harkness, died on Thursday at his home in Dallas. He was 54.
He died after a long illness, said Nikita Talin, a colleague.
Mr. Scevers was born in Aransas Pass, Tex. He took dance classes at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he was studying lighting design for the theater, then began intensive dance training with Mr. Talin. In 1965 he went to New York City and began a long, colorful career with Harkness and her school and ballet companies.
He was an accomplished teacher and a serviceable dancer, but he was best known for his relationship with Harkness. Tall, blond and handsome, he was put to work as an onstage partner and offstage companion for the eccentric millionaire. One of the few employees Harkness never dismissed, Mr. Scevers remained her friend until she died in 1982. He helped Harkness to direct dance enterprises, and his choreography was created for the most part for her companies.
Mr. Scevers also taught dance at Southern Methodist.
He is survived by his mother, Ruth Scevers of Mason, Tex.Continue reading the main story

domain: artistic


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The &Now Awards Volume 2: The Best Innovative Writing
The &Now Awards Volume 2: The Best Innovative Writing
Edited by Davis Schneiderman
&NOW Books, 2012
400 pages / $19.95 Buy from Amazon or Northwestern University Press
The second volume of The &NOW Awards: The Best Innovative Writing is a twin set: one book, two parts, bound together in opposing orientations. There is one side, and then there is an other side. As editor Davis Schneiderman informs us in both introductions, “these ‘sides’ mirror each other, except when they do not.” Craig Dworkin’s “The Cube” on one side mirrors, on the other, a cube-shaped stamp story by Alissa Nutting. Kate Durbin’s appropriative “Anna Nicole Show” corresponds with Joe Atkins’ appropriative “Boxxy Foar 4DD1@!!!!1!!” Visual poetry shows up in the same slot on both sides, Nico Vassilakis’s STARINGS matching up with A.J. Patrick Lisziewicz’s Alphabet Man.
Then there are pieces that don’t (seem to) match at all, but whose correspondence contrives a relationship anyway. The split design comes across as both arbitrary and quite savvy, a description that could easily be applied to the anthology itself—probably to anthologies generally. How does one archive “innovative,” or any category of, writing? Through a book that might as well be two books. Through inverse relationships. Through matches and clashes. There are two sides to innovative writing, the anthology suggests: more than two, obvs, but alas, we must surrender to the limitations of the book.
The &NOW Awards doesn’t purport to claim anything about the “best” innovative writing except that the field is diverse: this is its best feature. It inhabits the “best of” anthology coyly and subversively, and it casts the net far and wide—vastly more so than, say, Houghton Mifflin’s staid Best American Series. The &NOW series is uninterested in genre boundaries, and offers a richly diverse, if necessarily selective, archive of (mostly) US-based contemporary literary writing. Whereas the first &NOW Awards, published in 2009, collected mainly writers who are or have been associated with &NOW as an organization and biennial festival, Volume 2 spreads out more both aesthetically and demographically. This edition includes more writers unassociated with the festival, more poetry, and more variety overall, including several pieces designed to be read on a screen, and, especially welcome, a number of works recently translated into English: for instance, excerpts from three novels written by radical French writer Antoine Volodine (a pseudonym) and two of his heteronyms, translated from the French by Brian Evenson and Antoine Cazé; and an excerpt from Song for his Disappeared Love by Chilean poet Raúl Zurita, originally published in 1985 and translated from the Spanish by Daniel Borzutzky.
The anthology’s dominant mode is arguably appropriation-based writing. Gretchen Henderson opens one side with a metappropriative work: an essay in fragments, On Marvellous Things Heard draws from a selective inventory of literary appropriations of music. On the other side, David Shields opens with an excerpt from Reality Hunger. According to the prefatory statement, &NOW was permitted by Knopf to republish only those parts of the book written by Shields; given that the whole text is a collage of other texts, they republished the Shield’s introduction to the appendix, and the appendix itself, which lists all of the book’s sources. “Who owns the words?” Shields asks. “We do—all of us.” Except we don’t, as Knopf’s restrictions remind us.
These opening pieces foreground concerns central to the anthology overall: issues of authorship, ownership, (un)original writing. The volume is an intertextual feast, or an anti-authority riot, with authors lifting from a broad range of texts, many of them canonical. In her excerpt from The Whiteness of the Foam, Evelyn Reilly amalgamates Moby Dick with a nano-fuel price list and diagrams of synthetic materials to structure a study of literary and environmental immortality. K. Silem Mohammad combines canonical appropriation with web-generated and constraint-based writing in his Sonnagrams, which rework Shakespeare’s sonnets after feeding them line by line into an internet anagram engine. Noncanonical sources show up as well: Kate Durbin chillingly transforms the notorious clown video used in court as evidence against Anna Nicole Smith’s boyfriend and attorney Howard K. Smith; Ken Taylor writes a cento composed of Charlie Sheen quotes (“there are parts of me/ that are dennis hopper”).
October 9th, 2013 / 11:05 am
The &NOW AWARDS 2: The Best Innovative Writing is out now.
Just out: The &NOW AWARDS 2: The Best Innovative Writing…
This second volume of The &Now Awards recognizes the most provocative, hardest-hitting, deadly serious, patently absurd, cutting-edge, avant-everything-and-nothing work from the years 2009-2011. The &NOW Awards features writing as a contemporary art form: writing as it is practiced today by authors who consciously treat their work as an art, and as a practice explicitly aware of its own literary and extra-literary history—as much about its form and materials, language, as it about its subject matter. The &NOW conference, moving from the University of Notre Dame (2004), Lake Forest College (2006), Chapman University (2008), the University at Buffalo (2009), the University of California, San Diego (2011), and Paris (Sorbonne and Diderot, 2012)—sets the stage for this aesthetic, while The &Now Awards features work from the wider world of innovative publishing and serves as an ideal survey of the contemporary scene.
The anthology features:
Harold Abramowitz (.UNFO)
Rachel Gontijo Araujo
Jose Perez Beduya
READ MORE >
Excited about &NOW coming up this weekend. Will you be there?
Reporting more soon, during & after the conference.
Literature’s Material Circumstances
Blake already posted about &Now, but I want to put up more about one panel titled “Writing’s Dirty Secret: An Investigation of Literature’s Material Circumstances.” This panel was run by Jeremy Davies and AD Jameson and was really interesting because it tried to get at some of the more process-based questions about writing habits. How do we write? What do we use to write? Time of day? And so on. Standard questions really, but questions that might not get the focused treatment they deserve.
The panel led to more discussion between Matt Kirkpatrick, Lily Hoang, and myself later that night. Lily echoed a remark that panelist Vanessa Place made: that to answer these kind of questions was somewhat frustrating because of how predictable our answers are, as the questions and our answers are so bound up in what we think a writer ought to say when asked “how do you write?” Place asked during the panel something like this: how many of our writing habits come not from what works best for us but what we think ought to work best for us based on some idealized notion we have about what it means to be a ‘writer’?
October 20th, 2009 / 4:16 pm
Just got back from a long weekend at the &Now Conference in Buffalo. It was a great long trek with many heads and panels, focused on the termed ‘experimental’ end of things. Lots of discussion and reading going on and heads chomping. The social elements aside, here’s a report from the field of things I attended.
October 18th, 2009 / 1:09 pm

domain: library


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School district cancels rest of high school football season
Deadly shooting shatters quiet at Washington school
Ship a Primanti Brothers sandwich anywhere in the USA
Cyanide Poisoning Trial: Stumped doctor ordered cyanide test on dying woman
Police say victim in fatal crash was missing since Saturday


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Best Bites and Sips is a roundup of the outstanding dishes we had within the last week: Those which renewed our love for established venues, caught our attention at a new opening, or freshly impressed upon us the creativity and skill of Hong Kong’s talented chefs and mixologists.
From casual street snacks to meticulously prepared cocktail creations, these are the best dishes and drinks to try in Hong Kong — the ones we’d recommend you make a special trip for.
The best dishes and drinks we supped on and savoured this week:
The dish: Drunken Crab with 25-year Hua Diao Wine (market price)
I’m always down to eat Shanghainese cuisine, and so when I was invited to try some dishes from the first restaurant to open at the Forty-Five multi-concept venue, I couldn’t turn it down. I’ve known the creators of the concept for some time and so when they teased this ambitious project, I was excited and curious to find out how they would add their “sauce” to the entire venue.
Tasted at The Merchants, every detail has been fused with the owners’ personal stories as well as the origins of Shanghainese influence in Hong Kong. The dish I tried was Drunken Crab with 25-year Hua Diao Wine. I love anything given a Shaoxing wine bath but was a bit hesitant with this one as this is one Shanghainese dish I had never tried before…, and it is raw crab.
I appreciate how refreshing sashimi can be as well as the textures experienced from eating raw meat, but this dish for me was more about the flavours of the wine and spice working with the clean meat. Those that are turned off by mushy textures may want to avoid this, but for me, it was a great starter to wake up my senses, and it didn’t leave me sluggish for the rest of the day. — Ambrose Leung, Editor-in-Chief
Forty-Five, Gloucester Tower, Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2155 4141
The Mandarin Grill + Bar
The dish: Risotto with Raspberry and Herbs Cream (HKD 2,288, part of The Silk Road dinner menu)
This dish was an olfactory bomb before it was placed in front of us. A signature dish of two Michelin-starred chef Antonio Guida, it’s part of an exclusive menu at the Mandarin Oriental’s Mandarin Grill + Bar, which is hosting Chef Guida from Seta, Milan, as the first of a string of dining pop-up events to celebrate the hotel’s 60th birthday. Truly one of the more unique and wonderful things I’ve eaten this month, the raspberry risotto sounds like a dessert menu item — or at least dessert-adjacent — but it is not. The powdered raspberry lends a layer of perfume tartness to the creamy risotto underneath. It’s also hard to shake the feeling you’re eating a painting. The event ends tomorrow, 6 May, so book a table this weekend while you still can. — Vanessa Lee, Managing Editor
The Mandarin Grill + Bar, 1/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2825 4004
The dish: Tuna Sashimi (HKD 3,480, part of Hiroki’s Omakase menu)
The baby tuna sashimi paired with a marinated egg yolk was one of the best things I ate this month. Part of Chef Hiroki’s new, 19-course spring omakase menu at Sushiyoshi, the combination of melt-in-your-mouth tuna and jammy egg yolk created an almost sauce-like effect of unctuous fatty richness that felt both decadent and wonderfully simple at the same time. — VL
Sushiyoshi, 1/F, The Otto Hotel, 8 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 2657 0280
The Lobby, The Peninsula Hong Kong
The dish: Turkish Afternoon Tea (HKD 488 for one, HKD 868 for two)
To celebrate the opening of The Peninsula Istanbul, the Hong Kong location of the luxury hotel has spiced up its traditional afternoon tea set with a Turkish twist.
I made two separate trips to Istanbul and Antalya during the height of the pandemic in 2021, even with the 21-day quarantine in place, so I would say I’m somewhat of a Turkey expert. And as a self-proclaimed expert, I reckon the tea set is spot-on when it comes to capturing the essence of the Turks and their flavours.
My favourite dish from the Turkish Afternoon Tea was the Salad of Kisir, Chicken Breast, Bulgur, Tomato, and Mint, a light and healthy start to the meal. I also really enjoyed the Beef Cacik Wrap made with Birds Eye Lettuce, Potatoes, and Pomegranate Seeds, which took me back to the Mediterranean shores of Antalya at first bite.
The time-limited set is only available until the end of June. You’d be a fool to miss it! — Charmaine Ng, Editor
The Lobby, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 2696 6772
The dish: Seafood Paella (HKD 398)
For our belated first Lifestyle Asia team dinner this year, we got to try out the updated menu at Cassio. Before this meal, I’d always thought that Cassio was a nightclub, but turned out it also doubles as a Spanish restaurant. One dish that stood out from the night was the Seafood Paella. As a carb lover, I take my rice and noodles very seriously — the texture of the rice, the proportion of sauce and ingredients, and the flavour when everything is mixed. This particular dish ended up ticking all my requirements and made me return for seconds, not to mention the freshness of the seafood balances perfectly with the creamy sauce. Come and try this if you’re looking for a spot for larger dishes to share, especially in a good location for pre-night out bites! — Leanne Lam, Social Media Manager
Cassio, 2/F, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 3792 0129
Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba
The dish: Premium Tokyo Mazesoba (HKD 109)
“Not ramen” is written in huge letters on the wall. So, what is maze soba? It’s soup-less ramen and a delicacy I never quite had before. I was more than excited to try it out. I ordered the first thing on the menu, the restaurant’s most popular item, the Premium Tokyo Mazesoba.
Covered in a bunch of delicious toppings, the noodles underneath are soaked in the sauces from the ingredients. The instructions said to first mix, then use pepper, followed by vinegar. After following the steps, I dug in.
To my surprise, the noodles were hot. In the past, when I’ve had soup-less noodles, they were cold. Full of creamy flavour, the maze soba felt like a fusion between an Italian and Japanese dish.
After finishing the noodles, the instructions said to add some rice. Although all the toppings were gone, the sauce and whatever lingered were a great pairing to rice. Overall, I was very satisfied with my meal and the portions were generous enough to keep me going for a while. I will definitely be coming back. — Ryan Putranto, Multimedia Editor
Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba, Shop 1C, G/F, Sun Hey Mansion, 68 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, +852 3751 6966
The dish: Japanese-Style Stewed Ox Tongue with Radish (HKD 1,900, part of the dinner tasting menu)
This dish was part of a special tasting menu I tried from Sagano. The restaurant is located in New World Millennium Hotel and is spearheaded by chef Yusaku Suzuki. It’s one of the eight dishes from the menu and I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be my favourite. I don’t generally eat ox meat (or any meat that’s not pork, beef, or chicken). I think I was impressed at the fact that the ox tongue was cooked for a very long time, giving it a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Besides the meat, the sauce is also special. It complements the strong flavour of the ox tongue thanks to its sweetness. But at the same time, it’s not tangy like you’d expect from Japanese sauces. The radish is also a great addition because it sort of waters down all those flavours. It’s best eaten at the end. I think I slurped up everything on the plate including the vegetables! — Jianne Soriano, Digital Writer
Sagano, 1/F, New World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel, 72 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 2313 4222
The dish: Buffalo Chicken (HKD 63) and Shack Attack Frozen Custard Treat (HKD 42)
Shake Shack in ifc finally reopens! If like me, you didn’t know that it was actually closed, then it’s time to head over there. It’s my second time trying the Buffalo Chicken burger and I have to say, it’s better the second time around. I like how the sauce has an extra kick but one that’s perfect for my non-spicy palate. The chicken is simply juicy!
Just be careful though, as it can get a little messy to eat. The meal isn’t complete without getting the limited-edition Shack Attack Frozen Custard Treat. This time, it’s a collaboration with Cookie DPT so you can expect sweetness oozing from the chocolate bits. It’s also just a great finish after having a Buffalo Chicken burger. — JS
Shake Shack, Shop 4018, 4/F, IFC, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2522 5611
This story first appeared here.
(Lead and featured images courtesy of Forty-Five)


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The latest range from Team Manwhore is here! Team what? Team Manwhore is a loose collective of former pro snowboarders. They’ve been around since ’91, mostly partying and fixing contests/parties.
With the coming season they’ve made it big and bring us some cool sweaters and tees. Our favourite is the Aargh. An unholy cross between a peacock coat and a hoody. Thanks to the good peolpe at Item we’ve managed to get our hands on this beauty. For the rest of you – the collection is to drop….soon.

domain: sports


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Our pantomime production will take place in January 2015, with performances from 1st to 4thJanuary, with a break in rehearsals over Christmas. “Sleeping Beauty” is a traditional pantomime including the usual well-loved characters of principal boy, principal girl, comedy duo, wicked fairy and pantomime dame.
Please contact Ann Page on 01939 251094 or e-mail email@example.com if you are interested in getting involved in any way with this production.
Readings (and informal auditions) will take place on Sunday 14th September at 3-4.30pm and Wednesday 17th September with children from 6.30pm to 8.00pm, and teenagers and adults from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. Please note that children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for this reading.


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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the shortlist of 6 projects competing for the Stephen Lawrence Prize. Now in its 20th year, the prize is the highest honor in the UK awarded to projects with a construction budget of less than £1 million.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is delighted to announce the second edition of the RIBA International Prize, the highly prestigious award for the world’s best new building.
Now open for entries, the RIBA International Prize will be awarded to a building which exemplifies design excellence, architectural ambition and delivers meaningful social impact. The prize is open to any qualified architect in the world, for a building of any size, type or budget. Entries close on 17 October 2017.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Hull UK City of Culture 2017 have jointly commissioned Chile-based architects Pezo von Ellrichshausen and Swiss artist Felice Varini to design an ambitious temporary outdoor structure in the historic heart of Hull, a port city on the country's east coast. The project, which is part of the Hull 2017 "Look Up" programme of public art installations, will "transform Trinity Square with sixteen galvanized steel columns arranged in a grid formation in front of Hull Minister to highlight the symmetry of its façade."
http://www.archdaily.com/877941/pezo-von-ellrichshausen-and-felice-varini-unveil-designs-for-a-civic-installation-in-hull-2017-uk-city-of-cultureAD Editorial Team
In a world in which the "happy" architectural image feels all-pervasive, the British architect and academic Dr. Timothy Brittain-Catlin reveals its darker side suggesting why, and how, we might come to celebrate it. You can read Brittain-Catlin's essays on British postmodernism here, and on colorful architecture, here.
"Contemporary buildings celebrate openness, light and free-flowing movement," says the President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in the March 2017 issue of the Institute’s journal. This is what at my school we call an "announcement", rather than a statement of fact. Indeed, all architects and architecture students hear these words all the time. But are they true? Should they be?
For a discipline that thinks of itself as learned, scholarly research eludes the architectural profession. This is a long standing problem. “Failure,” John Ruskin wrote in his 1848 introduction to The Seven Lamps of Architecture, “is less frequently attributable to either insufficiency of means or impatience of labor, than to a confused understanding of the thing actually to be done.”
Roughly 150 years later, Harry Nilsson—surely singing to architects—opined in his song, Joy that if you’re unable to find the answer to a question, you may not have a question worth asking (and probably don’t have a problem worth solving). In between Ruskin and rock and roll, is William Peña, the author of the architectural programming guide, Problem Seeking, who nearly a half-century ago wrote that “you can’t solve a problem unless you know what it is.”
The 2017 winner of the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, the Stirling Prize, will be announced on October 31. Leading up to the main event, The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has released its list of the six shortlisted buildings, a collection that has left many critics scratching their heads. What the list left out seems to be as noteworthy as what was included, and while critics’ opinions on individual buildings differ, they seem mostly united in finding the overall list uninspiring and underwhelming. Read on to find out what they had to say.
A new exhibition of commissioned work by artist Pablo Bronstein at London's Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) will explore "ubiquitous" neo-Georgian developments as exemplar of a British vernacular. The show—Pablo Bronstein: Conservatism, or The Long Reign of Pseudo-Georgian Architecture—will feature fifty new drawings of buildings constructed during the second half of the 20th Century in "an ostensibly neo-Georgian style." These will be presented alongside historical Georgian and neo-Georgian material chosen by Bronstein from the RIBA’s collections.
Architecture, as both a profession and the built environment, currently finds itself at a crossroads in trying to adapt to a world in constant flux. Cities and its people face continuous socio-economic, political and environmental change on a daily basis, prompting a necessary rethink in the evolution of sustainableurbanization. With a focus on housing, society and cultural heritage, RIBA’s International Conference, Change in the City, aims to offer insight into the “New Urban Agenda” and how architects can play an interdisciplinary role in future urban development.
Speaking in an interview ahead of the conference, Norman Foster is a strong advocate for a careful consideration of what aspects of urban life need to be prioritized when designing cities of the future. For an increasingly global society, Foster stresses the need for architecture to surpass buildings and tackle its greatest obstacle – global warming, honing in on its roots and factors involved to create viable urban solutions.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has released an official statement on design for fire safety following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire on June 14. The causes and aftermath of the catastrophic fire, which ravaged 27 storeys of the council estate in the London borough of North Kensington are currently under investigation, with a team of 250+ working on operations including recovering and identifying victims (the death toll has risen to 80+) according to recent reports from the BBC and the Met Police. The aluminium-composite cladding Reynobond PE - identified as one of the main reasons for the fire’s spread up the building’s façade has sparked outrage over failed safety regulations and debate over the lack of responsibility behind the building’s (and many others) construction overall. Further fire safety tests revealed the cladding to be present in up to 60 similar council estates with more being urged to submit samples for testing.
For a quick summary, we’ve covered some key points from each of the 3 sections addressed RIBA's statement below:
The Royal Institute of British Architects' (RIBA) new national architecture center, RIBA North, will open this week (June 17th) in Liverpool as part of the Mann Island project – a complex of waterfront buildings designed by Broadway Malyan and completed in 2013. At the core of the launch of the Institute's largest national outpost will sit an exhibition, located in the new City Gallery, exploring Liverpool’s "long, often maverick, history of architectural ambition, its willingness to take risks and consider audacious [architectural] schemes."
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced 7 projects as winners of the 2017 RIBA North West Regional Awards, with top prize of North West Building of the Year going to Foster + Partners’ Maggie’s at the Robert Parfett Building. These seven buildings will now continue on to compete in the RIBA National Awards, whose winners will make up the shortlist for the prestigious Stirling Prize.
“This year’s awards represent two parallel but linked trends. One is characterised by a dominant interest in the value of re-used existing buildings that benefit from regeneration. The other is the regenerative effect of new buildings themselves,” commented Graham Morrison, North West Regional Jury Chair.
“Though ‘ordinary’ buildings such as housing or offices are coming close to an award-winning level, they are, in their nature, ‘pathfinders’ and there is an understandable caution in their level of investment. This risk pattern favours the existing buildings that more obviously benefit from previous investment but when this caution is eclipsed by confidence, the truly exceptional emerges and this is evidenced by this year’s overall winner.”
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named 50 projects as winners of 2017 RIBA London Regional Awards, including the London Building of the Year, “Photography Studio for Juergen Teller” by 6a architects.
“The year has demonstrated once again the breadth of the capital’s architectural output at the very high level that the RIBA programme requires, and the juries took enormous pleasure in selecting a most exemplary set of schemes,” said Jury chair Matthew Lloyd.
Selected from a 85-strong shortlist, these 50 projects will now go on to compete in RIBA's National Awards program, the winners of which will create the shortlist for the RIBAStirling Prize – the highest award for architecture in the UK.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced 17 winning projects in the 2017 RIBA East Awards. Topped by Walters & Cohen Architects' Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre in Suffolk which won the RIBA East Building of the Year Award, these 17 regional winners will go on to compete in RIBA's national awards, with the best in the national awards ultimately going forward to compete for the Stirling Prize.
"It was just fabulous to see the diversity and exceptional quality of buildings around the region," said RIBA East Regional Director Louise Todd. "The jury had a really difficult task in selecting the winners, which says a lot for the strength of the shortlist and the creativity of the architects involved."
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the first wave of their 2017 RIBA Regional Awards, beginning with the West Midlands region. Six projects were selected as winners from the region, which includes the city of Birmingham and its surrounding area.
“This year's winning projects prove that a good architecture should allow its user a space and time to absorb and to reflect,” commented Regional Jury Chair, Natalia Maximova. “The selected designs frame our experience of the buildings and spaces rather than dictate it. They highlight the fact that there is no true architecture without a clear vision and a strong concept. Originality remains a highly valued commodity and a source of inspiration for others and therefore should be recognised.
“At RIBA North, we have a building with museum conditions which will offer a magnificent opportunity to view RIBA’s world-renowned historic collections showing hundreds of years of the UK’s extraordinary architectural history,” explained RIBA President Jane Duncan. “We are particularly proud to strengthen our cultural and creative offering in the north of England, and to enable many more people to explore and understand the enormous impact that architecture and design has on all our lives.”


Prodajem Zemljište, Prigradica, Korčula, €520.000
: Prodajem ZemljištePodručje
: Island Korcula, PrigradicaCijena
: 1.653 m2
: Fantastic waterfront land plot of 1653m2 for sale in Prigradica, on the island of Korcula meant for LUX villa with mooring possibility!VALID BUILDING PERMIT!Unique opportunity!The land is located on the north side of the island of Korcula with a view of the island of Hvar and the Peljesac peninsula. It is about 1 km from the center of Prigradica town, and about 4 km from the town of Blato.The land has a location and building permit and is located in the first row by the sea! There is a main project for the construction of a family villa of 300m square meters, as well as a location and building permit. It is possible to change the project and build a larger or smaller building, two buildings or a complex of apartments.There is an excellent aAccess to the construction site by an asphalt road about 4 m wide....


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Can you really grow bleeding heart (dicentra) from seed??
I'm wondering if you really can grow this plant (the regular and the eximia species in both pink and white) from seed?? I've heard a lot of people say that you can but with a plant like this it just doesn't seem possible. Isn't this a tuberous plant that should be propagated asexually?? Am I wrong in thinking this?? If you really can propagate dicentra from seed, I have a little area on the side of my house that gets shade for about half the day and I think it would look great there.


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- Traditional Medicine > Traditional, Complementary and Herbal Medicine
- Quality and Safety: Medicines > Regulatory Support
(1998; 49 pages) [French] [Spanish]
The growth of the pharmaceutical industry and the unceasing development of new and more effective synthetic and biological medicinal products has not diminished the importance of medicinal plants in many societies. On the contrary, population growth in the developing world and increasing interest in the industrialized nations have greatly expanded the demand for medicinal plants themselves and the products derived from them. Regulations in countries for the assessment of the quality, safety and efficacy of medicinal plants, and the work of WHO in supporting the preparation of model guidelines in this field, have been helpful in strengthening recognition of their role in health care. It is hoped that assessment of these traditional remedies could become the basis for a future classification of herbal medicines, as well as for evaluative studies on their efficacy and safety, and their potential use in national health care systems in different parts of the world.


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Foot Locker Forges Ahead
Chairman and CEO of Foot Locker discusses the retailer’s strategy and next steps.
Online? In store? As far as Foot Locker’s Dick Johnson is concerned, it’s immaterial.
Almost 18 months after integrating its digital and in-store operations, and a year into an intensive back-end overhaul to speed up its site, Foot Locker has reaped the rewards of a unified strategy that makes its web, mobile and brick-and-mortar operations faster and more seamlessly connected. It’s a correction, Johnson said, that’s overdue.
Foot Locker ended 2018 with sales of $7.9 billion, energized by a fourth quarter where comp-store sales jumped 9.7 percent and sales hit $158 million — a far cry from the final quarter of 2017, where the retailer saw a loss of $49 million.
“We missed a shift in 2017 and we got punched pretty hard, but the truth is that it was a great wake-up call,” said Johnson, Foot Locker’s president, CEO and chairman. “We have to make sure we’re relevant with our consumers, that we’ve got great connectivity with our consumers and we build engaging retail spaces for them, whether those spaces are physical or digital.”
That’s meant change ups on the in-store piece as well. In January, Foot Locker announced its new Power Store model, which emphasizes connection to the local community and shop-in-shops dedicated to kids and women’s product. At the same time, the retailer said it would wind down its women’s focused SIX:02 banner, which it debuted in 2012 and had grown to 30 doors even as it struggled to find the right mix to appeal to style-focused women’s shoppers.
Under Johnson, who’s served as president and CEO of Foot Locker Inc. since 2014 (and was named chairman in 2016), the firm also entered a new era of extension: The New York-based company made a slew of investments in the fourth quarter of 2018, re-upping its investment in women’s online athletic fashion player Carbon38 with an additional $10 million, taking a $12.5 million minority stake in kids’ subscription box firm Rockets of Awesome and a $3 million minority stake in kids’ sneaker brand Super Heroic. The firm also put $2 million into a continuing partnership with sneaker design school Pensole, and most eye-poppingly a $100 million minority investment in secondary sneaker market powerhouse GOAT Group, which operates its eponymous sales site as well as Flight Club, one of the first names in the resell market.
And Johnson wants to push the envelope even farther in 2019. One example? A new loyalty program that rewards frequent buyers with desirable options like early access to coveted sneaker drops and concert experiences.
“We have to be more than just a retailer,” Johnson told Footwear Insight. “The retail of tomorrow doesn’t look like the retail of yesterday.”
Here, Johnson sounds off on navigating the brick-and-mortar/digital divide, the importance of retail basics and all those new partnerships.
The growth in Foot Lockers’ same-store sales took analysts by surprise — in a good way — in the 4th quarter. What changed about your understanding of what the consumer wants?
“It’s taken us a long time to truly understand that our customer’s driven by cool — that they don’t necessarily buy a brand, they don’t necessarily buy a category. With the digital device and the access our consumer has to data and visuals from all over the globe, our consumer’s really motivated by whatever is the coolest, [and] they want to see the options presented to them in a great environment, either physical or digital. They want us to be the place that has the best of the best.”
Getting the company onto a new digital platform was a priority in 2018. What made that behind-the-scenes investment critical?
“Our core consumer starts their journey with us on their digital device all of the time — their window into our store is however we represent ourselves digitally. The customer didn’t really see it, but they saw that the site worked faster and worked better. The ‘store’ is a combination of how we relate to the consumer digitally and then deliver on their expectations both physically and digitally. There’s lots of discussion in the retail industry of what’s a digital sale and what’s a physical sale these days. If you happen to click the ‘buy now’ button when you’re looking at your phone and you choose to have that delivered to a store and pick it up — the inventory’s coming out of the store potentially but the click happened online. So is that a digital sale or is that a physical sale? For me, it’s a Foot Locker sale. We all have to remove more friction from the experience — whether it’s digital friction or physical friction or delivery friction, last-mile friction, whatever it is. We all need to be willing to remove that and figure out the cost of doing that.”
During your Q4 earnings call, EVP and CFO Lauren Peters called out a metric that doesn’t always get a lot of attention: inventory turns. She was celebrating the fact that, as a company, Foot Locker had surpassed its long-time target of three turns. What made that a priority?
“After people, inventory is our biggest asset, so getting our people to be more productive and to generate more sales per hour is just part of the productivity gains that we needed to make. Did we celebrate it? Yeah. But the truth is it’s sort of like Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile, right? It wasn’t possible, it wasn’t possible, it wasn’t possible, finally Roger Bannister did it and all of a sudden a bunch of people can do it. Our inventory hasn’t been as productive as it could, so breaking through that threshold and showing people we could drive a 9.7 percent comp or a low-mid-single digit comp for the year and turn our inventory three times says hey, we can do that.”
You recently announced your revamped loyalty program, FLX. What makes it different from past iterations?
“It’s not just discounts; it’s really about being able to experience things that are relevant to youth culture. It might be tickets to a concert, you might be able to get earlier access to launch shoes, there’s all sorts of things that we’ve got in mind. It provides a much more robust value to the consumer.”
After years of testing it, why was now the time to shutter the SIX:02 concept?
“We had a couple of false starts with SIX:02. First it was far more workout-led and really athletic, then we shifted probably too far to fashion, and then we sort of found a little bit of runway in an active-lifestyle. What we learned is that she’s got very discerning taste and she moves very quickly, so you’ve got to be willing to move with her.”
What did you learn about the women’s business from SIX:02?
“When we opened up our [flagships], we put a SIX:02 in each of those and gave her a space that was dedicated for her, we had associates who were committed to serving her and the assortment was different then she could find other places, and she loved it. She could walk out of that store with two SIX:02 bags in her hands and if you asked her where she shopped, she would tell you, Foot Locker. Right? So it was more about the experience than it was about the brand over the door. You’ll see us start to repurpose some space and make a lot of those experiences for her — I mean, certainly in the Power Stores you can see some really unique dedicated spaces for her. And a lot of that really was driven by the learnings from SIX:02. The core foundation of the women’s business for us will be in sneakers, and we’ll be able, through Foot Locker, Champs, Footaction and EastBay in the U.S., to attack the apparel side of it from a different angle in each of those banners.”
You’ve made two strategic investments in kid-focused brands, Rockets of Awesome and Super Heroic, in the past few months. What drew you to those labels?
“Rachel [Blumenthal, the founder of Rockets of Awesome] and her team have figured out how to make both [parents and kids] feel like they win. And Jayson’s sense of urgency around getting kids active is just an incredibly noble cause. Every business has to have a purpose, and [with Super Heroic], Jayson’s is aligned so well with our being active in the community. Kids is important: It’s a customer acquisition opportunity for life.”
Is customer acquisition or customer relevance what drove the investment into GOAT?
“It’s a really unique opportunity for us to extend sneaker culture, to extend the reach of sneakers. There’s a lot of people that play in the secondary market. How we manifest that across sneaker culture and youth culture, we’ll figure that out over time, but we felt it was just really the right time for us to enter the secondary market a bit, and we entered, in my opinion, with the best.”
Are there any concerns, as a primary, full-price retailer, of aligning with a reselling business? Where are there synergies?
“There is tension between the primary and secondary markets, and one of the things we’re going to be really clear with is that we’re not going to violate that line. It’s not like we’re going to take products out of the primary market to try and push them into the secondary market. This is about creating convenience for the customer. If we simply used Foot Locker as a pickup and dropoff spot or maybe there’s a Flight Cub space inside one of our Power Stores. The ideas are endless, quite honestly.”
You’ve been vocal in the past that you don’t see brick-and-mortar retail going anywhere. Are you still bullish on stores?
“I don’t believe there is a retail apocalypse. We’re in a lot of malls, and handicapping risk against the mall’s livelihood, these things occupy us. You just have to be really agile with the consumer these days and be confident in where you’re going — and we are.”

domain: economics


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Over the past several days of rain, some WCCO viewers have emailed us wondering: Why do some drivers not turn on their lights in the rain? “Some people are forgetting and some people aren’t aware, and I think some people are choosing to ignore that,” said Lt. Chris Erickson with the Minnesota State Patrol. “I hope that’s not the case.”
There’s a lot that you can say about this winter. Some of the words are even fit for print. While it’s undeniable that many of us have had our fill of the cold, spring-winter (I call it “Sprinter”) has been a boon for at least some industries across Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Wet weather continues to keep Minnesota farmers out of their fields, but the rain is helping improve soil moisture. In the latest crop report for Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says only 1.7 days were rated suitable for fieldwork statewide last week. That compares with an average of 3.2 days.
Miss something from today’s show? Click the LINK ABOVE to find Dave’s Podcast Page!
We survived the polar vortex — now, the rain vortex? So far, April has poured 4.5 inches of rain in the metro. That’s nearly 2.2 inches above normal and there’s no sight of sunshine in the next couple of days.
Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander isn’t thrilled that he got Sunday off, but he had no choice. Verlander was scheduled to start for the Tigers against Minnesota before the game was postponed because of heavy rain. No makeup date has been announced.
A batch of wintry weather is in line to hit Minnesota in the days leading up to Halloween, and it could make your commute messy by as early as Tuesday morning. WCCO-TV Meteorologist Matt Brickman said after midnight tonight, wet snow will begin to move in to southwestern Minnesota.
Cool, wet weather has slowed Minnesota’s corn and soybean harvests in the past week.
Thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain in and around the bluff town of Winona early Saturday morning. WCCO Weather Watcher Dan Amundson reported eight inches of rain in the area. Flash flooding washed away part of a road on Bob Dunn’s property, and the force took out a walking bridge. “You can actually see the mud build up. You can drive across there before. I used to have a decent road,” Dunn said. “That used to be a bridge, used to have a bridge going right across here.”
Two weeks ago, the metro was moments from a historic storm, as more Minnesotans ended up losing power than ever before. And then there were the downed trees – and some home owners are still trying to figure out how to remove trees in their own yard, a process that often costs thousands of dollars.
With a cold spring and recent storms, a lot of Minnesota farmers are expecting to lose out on this year’s corn crop. Corn in Minnesota is only about 10 inches high on average. It’s usually more than double that by now.
Following the torrents of rain received over the past several days has arrived the inevitable rising of our rivers. The Crow River is among the first to get a flood warning tag from the National Weather Service, and in excess of 15 feet, it is set to crest sometime Thursday.
Another week of wet weather has held up crop progress across Minnesota.
Another night of stormy weather is forecast for Minnesota, following high winds and heavy rains that uprooted trees and knocked out power across a large part of the state early Friday. The NWS has issued a tornado watch for roughly the southwest quarter of the state.
There’s one bright side to the dark clouds we’ve seen day after day — a better drought outlook. Meteorologist Matt Brickman said while some of the state is still in a severe drought, recent moisture has helped make big improvements.
Yet another week of wet weather has prevented Minnesota farmers from getting their planting done.
Wet weather has put some farmers way behind schedule. Corn and soybeans have been a struggle this year, so has alfalfa.
After a miserable winter, you’d think Mother Nature would cut us a break. Think again. The 6 1/2 inches of rain since May 1 is three times what Seattle, Wash., has experienced.
The dreary spring has cast clouds over the fishing business. The St. Croix Outdoors bait and tackle shop said its down 85 percent right, and that the ice-out conditions during the fishing opener was the first punch.
Drive down any major freeway around the metro and you’re bound to hit some type of road construction. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has dozens of projects underway in the Twin Cities, but this construction season is off to a slow start. The dreary weather is putting a damper on how often crews are able to get to work.
Ryan Doumit’s two-run triple off Tom Wilhelmsen with one out in the ninth inning sent the Minnesota Twins to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday afternoon. This was the third blown save of the season for Wilhelmsen (0-1), all in his last four tries.
On this last day of May we’re looking back at what’s been a pretty gloomy month. In fact, solar radiation measurements at the University of Minnesota show this month was the third dreariest since 1963. The worst May of all was in 2005.
For the Twin Cities, the cold and rainy weather has dramatically slowed landscaping and gardening projects. Whether it’s a major patio project, or planting a home garden, everything seems to be a month behind.
A stretch of wet weather has slowed planting of crops in Minnesota.
Burning restrictions have been lifted in all or parts of 32 Minnesota counties thanks to wetter conditions lowering the fire danger, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR said to still check with local authorities to obtain proper permits before burning.

domain: agronomy


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Bailey’s 2016 Short List Review: The Improbability of Love Hannah Rothschild
While Jen is away at Book Expo America, I’m making my way through the Bailey’s Prize shortlist. Next up? The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild. Here’s what I thought.
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild
Published in: 2015
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Find it here: The Improbability of Love
This ARC was provided by Bloomsbury Publishing (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Goodreads: A dazzling, witty and tenderly savage satire of London life and the art world that is also a surprising and wonderful love story.
When lovelorn Annie McDee stumbles across a dirty painting in a junk shop while looking for a present for an unsuitable man, she has no idea what she has discovered. Soon she finds herself drawn unwillingly into the tumultuous London art world, populated by exiled Russian oligarchs, avaricious Sheikas, desperate auctioneers and unscrupulous dealers, all scheming to get their hands on her painting – a lost eighteenth-century masterpiece called ‘The Improbability of Love’. Delving into the painting’s past, Annie will uncover not just an illustrious list of former owners, but some of the darkest secrets of European history – and in doing so she might just learn to open up to the possibility of falling in love again.
Book Worm’s Thoughts: Warning –Do not read this book if you are hungry since it contains beautifully detailed descriptions of historical meals. The main character, Annie, creates these meals as her own form of art.
I really enjoyed this intriguing story about a famous lost painting called The Improbability of Love I enjoyed discovering how the painting was meaningful to its variety of famous and infamous historical owners over the last 300 years. The painting itself is meant to be the ultimate declaration of love, and its historical provenance was fascinating not least because those sections of the story are told by the painting itself. That’s right, even the painting is given a voice in this sweeping, satirical novel.
The central love story is also a welcome relief from some of the heavier works I have been reading recently. It is perfectly paced and very believable and I confess it did give me that glow that only a happily-ever-after can produce.
This is a well researched novel about great works of art and their historical importance. It is also an amusing look at the perceived monetary value of art and what collectors will do to own the latest must-have masterpiece. The author is a trustee of Tate and chair of the National Gallery and she infuses her insight about the art world into her novel.
While I enjoyed this book there was one glaring inconsistency that really upset me and it relates to this quote “A girl jogged past, personal stereo in one hand, water bottle in the other. A middle aged woman and her child came past on micro scooters” Personal stereos are from the 80’s/90’s micro scooters are from today, surely the girl should have an Ipod or is she uber trendy and going for the retro look? Maybe I am too picky but this bugged me.
There are also a few sentences that could have done with editing, but this is a first novel so I am willing to overlook them.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been neglected. Human beings are a capricious lot, slaves to fancy and fashion. They are destined to be perpetual amateurs – they don’t live long enough to be anything more”
“Your aunt Joanna has let herself go,’ Barty said. ‘I saw her at the Devonshire’s the other night. She sat down and her bottom spread over the sofa like a ripe Brie.'”
“They bored on with endless reminiscences, each as scintillating as a wet sponge on a winter’s day”
“Love can, for limited periods of time, stave off boredom and hunger but let’s not get carried away. Death is the only thing humans have to look forward to.”
“He often wondered how the aristocracy had survived so much longer than their brain cells.”
“I must say the PM is a bit of a bore, but probably have to be a little dull to want to go into politics and even duller to stay there.”
So who would like this? I would recommend this to those readers who have an interest in art and food. Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries or romantic stories will also enjoy this book.
Want to try it for yourself? You can find a copy here: The Improbability of Love
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?
I’m kind of immediately turned off to books that have the word “love” in the title, so there’s a good chance I would never get around to this, even if it ends up winning. But I am intrigued by the description—I do have an interest in art and food, and I love reading about historical works. I may have to check it out after all.
Oh I have also had bad experiences of books with the word Love in the title. Such as my book group choice of Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love. I was the only one who thought it was so sentimental it made me angry. Our next one is called The People’s Act of Love. I thought that this book was OK, some nice descriptions, but a bit trite.
For me, it’s not necessarily that I’ve had bad experiences—I actually don’t think I have—just that I’m sort of prejudiced against them. Of course it depends on the way the word is used in the title, who the author is, the genre and plot and all that. But if it sounds like romance, it’s going to have to prove itself before I want to read it. 🙂


- Nigerians may soon join the UK and other countries where the vaccination against COVID-19 has commenced
- According to the minister of health, the vaccine should become available in the country by the end of January 2021
- The minister said work is ongoing to determine which of the approved vaccines the country will go for
Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, has said that Nigerians should expect to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of January 2021.
Channels TV reports that the minister stated this on Wednesday, December 16, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja.
Legit.ng gathers that the minister said a technical working group in the Ministry of Health is already working on which vaccine will best suit Nigeria.
Earlier, the federal government said it has put in place the machinery for receiving 20 million doses of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine.
The executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, broke the news at the presidential task force on COVID-19 media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, December 10.
He noted that Nigeria is a member of COVAX, an international coalition, under the World Health Organization (WHO) umbrella.
Meanwhile, the government of the United States of America has recognised the efforts of Onyema Ogbuagbu, a Nigerian doctor in Yale School of Medicine who helped to develop a coronavirus vaccine.
It should be noted that the Nigerian is also an associate professor of medicine at the same school where he has been a principal investigator on numerous vaccine trials.
The US Embassy in Nigeria on Monday, November 23, in a tweet said they "doff" their "hats" to the Nigerian.
In other news, the federal government has raised the fears that Nigeria could be entering the second wave in the spread of the COVID-19 virus following the rise in the number of cases.
The minister of health said he had directed isolation and treatment centres in the country to prepare for reopening over the new development.
COVID-19: Is Nigeria ready for another lockdown | - on Legit TV


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Paintings conservator Cristina Morilla takes a close look at Peter Paul Rubens’s oil sketch Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion, commissioned by King Philip IV of Spain. Although the larger painting of Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion that once hung on the walls of the Royal Palace of Madrid is now lost, Morilla discusses how different analytical investigations of the sketch, such as infrared photography and other scientific methods, shed light on Rubens’s technique and reveal the secrets of the master.
This video is part of our Art Talks series, in which our team of curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students will share short, informal videos that offer an up-close look at works from our collections.
Cristina Morilla, Associate Paintings Conservator, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies
Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish, Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion, c. 1639. Oil with traces of red chalk on cradled panel. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Dr. Charles and Nobuko Kuhn in honor of Charles L. Kuhn, Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1930–1968, 2000.199.