Stratum Insurance Agency LLC?can help mobile beauty professionals, including barbers, hair stylists, manicurists, masseuses / masseurs, facialists, and more.
Learn about different types of policies:
Options for individual beauty professionals and masseuses
Options for businesses that have multiple stylists, masseuses and professionals
Quotes are available by phone at 949-270-0609 or online at the?Beauty Insurance Quote Link.
Several Types of Insurance are often included in the Quote?(options may vary by policy and or location):
General Liability Insurance ? to protect against claims from bodily injury or property damage.
Professional Liability Insurance (Errors and Omissions) ? to protect you in the event of a claim that arises from a professional service that you perform.
Coverage for equipment (often referred to as business personal property)
Do I need both types of insurance ? E&O and General Liability?
Yes, in most cases. In these professions, the lines of general liability and professional liability (E & O) may be blurred, so it is important to purchase both coverages to protect yourself adequately. As only you know your entire financial and business situation, you should consider the many types of insurance available. ?Due to the nature of the professions, general liability coverage may not be enough to cover bodily injuries that may occur, thus professional liability (E&O Insurance) is also highly recommended and can be added to most quotes.
What unique coverages should mobile beauty professionals consider??(this is only a partial list, many other options are available):
Coverage for equipment not at a fixed location (for your beauty tools) ? did you know that many policies only cover equipment at the location listed on the policy?
Commercial Auto Insurance ? are you using a vehicle for business purposes? Let us help.
Coverage for equipment and tools off the premises
If you have a specific risk that concerns you, tell us about it and we can work to find a policy that suits your needs.
Are quotes available in most states?
Yes!?Quotes are available in over 46 states with many types of coverage. ?Payment plans are available on most quotes, including bill by mail and automatic checking account deduction.
Request a Beauty Industry nsurance Quote
What about Beauty Salon Insurance?
Broad coverage options are available for salons. ?Beauty salons?that perform the services listed above, or offer other treatments for their customers should also request a quote. ?The business owners package for salons may include general and professional liability, as well as coverage for your equipment, business income, tenant improvements, signage, awnings, and more. ?E-signatures and payment plans are generally available for these quotes, making it even easier to obtain coverage quickly. Do you accept credit cards or maintain client files? ?Consider purchasing data breach or cyber liability as well. ?Do you have employees? ?Ask about employment practices liability insurance and workers compensation. ??Request a quote online for?beauty salon insurance?or talk to one of our team members today.
Other Quotes for the Beauty and Salon Industry:
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What about my personal insurance?
Our team would love to be your personal insurance agency as well. ?You can request quotes for many types of personal insurance at http://www.stratumins.com. ?Quotes are available for homeowners and renters insurance, as well as auto, cycle, and watercraft insurance,
Report: New Mexico inmate steals money walking out of jail
Written by By Associated Press ??
Tuesday, 23 October 2012 15:05
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) ? A New Mexico inmate on his way out of jail was quickly thrown back in after authorities say he stole another inmate's cash then treated himself to a hearty lunch.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office told KOAT-TV (http://bit.ly/TQnEJ2) that 20-year-old Frank Rodriguez-Tapia swiped $80 in cash while a guard's back was turned as Rodriguez-Tapia was walking out of jail. The money belonged to another inmate who was just coming into the Santa Fe jail and going through booking.
Police say Rodriguez-Tapia was supposed to report immediately to the electronic monitoring office, but bought lunch at Blake's Lotaburger. He later admitted to the theft, turned over the remaining $67 and was sent back to jail.
Rodriguez-Tapia is now facing new larceny charges.
Please tune in at 1 p.m. Wednesday for a hangout on winter weather in Oklahoma with reporter Bryan Painter and state experts on NewsOK Live.
We?ll be joined by Gary McManus, associate state climatologist with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey and Terri Angier,?the Oklahoma Department of Transportation?s chief of media & public relations.
You can participate in the discussion by posting comments and questions on a thread in the right rail of the page at http://newsok.com/live
Please make plans to join us?at 1 p.m. Wednesday!
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Panthers general manager Marty Hurney was fired Monday.
But the clock on his tenure really started ticking on Feb. 1, 2009, the day Panthers owner Jerry Richardson underwent heart transplant surgery.
Since then, Richardson has been a man aware of his mortality, and time to build was no longer the first priority for the 76-year-old owner.
How the Panthers are closer to winning now than they were last night is a mystery, because many of the moves Hurney made in recent years were strictly of the owner?s bidding.
From taking a hard line on franchised defensive end Julius Peppers to paying loyalty contracts to players such as Jake Delhomme to keep the 12-4 2008 division title team together, many of the moves Hurney was criticized most heavily for had Richardson?s thumbprints all over them. Likewise using the uncapped year in 2010 to clear the books for a post-lockout splurge on fan favorites such as DeAngelo Williams were moves dictated from upstairs.
The former sportswriter turned salary cap manager handled those moves, and built as best he could after the Panthers once-happy marriage with coach John Fox fell apart in 2009.
The current mess is as much about the coaching staff he hired not using the players he acquired properly, but Hurney was an easy fall guy for a team which had won nine games since the start of the 2009 season.
That overshadows a stable base of talent he?s assembled, including quarterback Cam Newton.
How they proceed at this point is a mystery, though it?s reasonable to assume team president Danny Morrison (the man Richardson hired to run the business when he fired his sons) will have a strong hand in the process.
Either way, the next football man will be on a short leash, because the man who brought football to the Carolinas believes he?s on borrowed time.
BERLIN (AP) ? Siemens AG announced plans to give up its loss-making solar business and concentrate its renewable energy business on wind and hydroelectric power.
The German industrial conglomerate, whose products range from trains to turbines, said Monday it's in talks with possible buyers, but offered no details. It said the move is part of a wider effort to increase its productivity and efficiency.
The solar power industry has been hit by falling subsidies, weaker sales and increasingly stiff price competition, especially by Chinese manufacturers.
Siemens said that "due to the changed framework conditions, lower growth and strong price pressure in the solar markets, the company's expectations for its solar energy activities have not been met."
Several German solar manufacturers, including Q-Cells SE and Solar Millennium AG, have filed for insolvency over the past year. Another German company in the solar market, SMA AG, announced last week that it will slash up to 1,000 jobs ? about a fifth of its global workforce ? amid falling revenues and a possible annual loss in 2013 due to the growing price pressures.
Last month, the European Union launched an anti-dumping probe into Chinese solar panels after an industry association claimed the products were being exported for less than the cost of making them.
The U.S. government introduced steep tariffs on Chinese solar panels earlier this year, with the Commerce Department saying China's government is subsidizing companies that are flooding the U.S. market with low-cost products ? a tactic known as "dumping."
Siemens, based in Munich, said it will keep on offering equipment for use in solar power plants such as turbines and generators.
The company's solar and hydroelectric division has some 680 employees ? far fewer than its wind power business, which has more than 7,000. Overall, Siemens has some 360,000 employees worldwide.
Siemens shares edged up 0.2 percent to ?78.43 in Frankfurt trading, roughly in line with the market's overall performance.
ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2012) ? Most big galaxies fit into one of two camps: pinwheel-shaped spiral galaxies and blobby elliptical galaxies. Spirals like the Milky Way are hip and happening places, with plenty of gas and dust to birth new stars. Ellipticals are like cosmic retirement villages, full of aging residents in the form of red giant stars. Now, astronomers have discovered that one well-known elliptical has a split personality. Centaurus A is hiding a gassy spiral in its center.
"No other elliptical galaxy is known to have spiral arms," said lead author Daniel Espada (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan & Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics). "Centaurus A may be an old galaxy, but it's still very young at heart."
Centaurus A isn't your typical elliptical to begin with. Its most striking feature is a dark dust lane across its middle -- a sign that it swallowed a spiral galaxy about 300 million years ago.
Centaurus A slurped that galaxy's gases down, forming a disk that we see nearly edge on. From our point of view, any features in that disk have been hidden by the intervening dust.
To tease out the disk's structure, Espada and his colleagues used the sharp vision of the Smithsonian's Submillimeter Array. This radio telescope can see through dust to pick up signals from naturally occurring carbon monoxide gas. By mapping the gas, the team unveiled two distinct spiral arms within the galaxy's core.
These gaseous tendrils have sizes and shapes similar to spiral arms in galaxies like the Milky Way. Also like the Milky Way's spiral arms, they are forming new generations of stars.
"Centaurus A has been given a new lease on life by that past merger," said Espada.
Computer simulations suggest that the spiral features might endure for hundreds of millions of years to come.
Although Centaurus A is the first elliptical galaxy found to have spiral arms, it may not be the last. Since it's only 12 million light-years away, it's relatively nearby and easy to study. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) potentially can find more split-personality galaxies with its improved radio "vision."
"We definitely will use ALMA to search for other objects that are similar to Centaurus A," added Espada.
These findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the universe.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
D. Espada, S. Matsushita, A. B. Peck, C. Henkel, F. Israel, D. Iono. Disentangling the Circumnuclear Environs of Centaurus A: Gaseous Spiral Arms in a Giant Elliptical Galaxy. The Astrophysical Journal, 2012; 756 (1): L10 DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/756/1/L10
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
In today?s uncertain real estate environment, it?s not uncommon for someone to have a second home or investment property that is difficult to sell, or for someone to dream of owning a home without having the finances or credit required to make it happen. Rent-to-own, or rental purchase, is a tactic that is commonly used to solve this conundrum, as it allows property owners to sell their home more easily and with more guarantee, and for tenants to work towards finally owning their own home.
Whether you are a real estate investor who would like to move on from their rental property, or a homeowner who hasn?t had luck selling their home in the conventional way, then the rent-to-own strategy might just work for you.
What is rent-to-own?
The entire process of rent-to-own is quite similar to that of leasing a car. Essentially, renters will pay a certain amount of money each month to live in your house, and at the end of the contract period ? which is generally within three years ? they have the option to buy it. The rent they pay each month within the contract period will become income for you, and a small portion of it will be kept aside as an eventual down payment for the tenant to purchase the home.
Making it happen
Before any agreement can be made, you first need to determine the sale price as well as the rent you will require from the tenant. Before the rental agreement is signed the sale price can still be negotiated, but after it is signed the price of the house is locked in until the end of the rental term, even if housing prices change throughout that time.
In the beginning of the rental term, the tenant also has to pay you an option fee in addition to rent premiums. You will work together to come up with the value of the option fee, which will then either become part of the tenant?s down payment, or, in the case of the tenant reneging on the purchase, will become part of your income regardless. The rent premiums will be paid in addition to the monthly rent and will be stowed away as the eventual down payment.
Rent-to-own advantages and disadvantages
As with any real estate contract, there are mutual risks and benefits for both parties. The following are some of the pros and cons that you can expect in a rent-to-own contract:
Pro: If it seems as though housing prices are falling or are about to fall, you can lock in a better price for your house than perhaps you would get a few years down the line.
Pro: If your tenant ends up backing out of the agreement, you still get to keep the option fee and the rent premiums as income. So you won?t suffer a financial loss, although you would still be stuck with the property you didn?t want!
Con: If a new buyer comes along and offers a higher selling price, then you are out of luck. Since you entered into a contract with the tenant, you must carry it out.
Con: You may be relying heavily on the rental income to pay off a new mortgage or investment, so if the tenant backs out or cannot make the payments, then you risk extra financial burden.
Talk to your real estate agent to see if rent-to-own is the right direction for you. As the seller you have less to lose financially, so it is a strategy that is well worth your consideration.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? Jeff Driskel threw four touchdown passes ? three of them after turnovers ? and No. 3 Florida matched its win total from last season with a 44-11 drubbing of ninth-ranked South Carolina on Saturday.
The Gators avenged consecutive losses to the Gamecocks, including one two years ago that ended with Steve Spurrier and his players celebrating a division title in The Swamp.
Florida's latest whatever-it-takes win kept coach Will Muschamp's team undefeated and put it on the cusp of the Southeasten Conference's Eastern Division title. The Gators (7-0, 6-0 SEC) can clinch a spot in the SEC championship game by beating No. 13 Georgia next week in nearby Jacksonville.
Florida won this one with turnovers, stellar defense and more halftime adjustments ? the kind of successful tweaks that are making Muschamp and his staff seem like the right fit in Gainesville.
The Gators finished 7-6 last season, barely avoiding the program's first losing season since 1979. The struggles had outsiders questioning whether Muschamp could get them back to national prominence.
He's got them there now ? even if it hasn't always been pretty.
Florida managed just 29 yards and two first downs in the first half against South Carolina (6-2, 4-2). But the Gators led 21-6 thanks to three turnovers.
Loucheiz Purifoy knocked the ball out of Connor Shaw's hands on the first play. Lerentee McCray recovered, giving Florida the ball at the 2-yard line. Driskel hooked up with Jordan Reed on third down, giving the Gators a lead they would never relinquish.
It also was a sign of things to come for the Gamecocks, who had trouble holding onto the ball all afternoon.
Ace Sanders fumbled on a punt return, Florida recovered and drove 29 yards for a 14-3 lead. Driskel found Quinton Dunbar for a 13-yard score. Dunbar spun out of DeVonte Holloman's grasp before coasting across the goal line.
On the ensuing kickoff, Solomon Patton forced Damiere Byrd to fumble. Chris Johnson picked it up and nearly scored. He was stopped at the 1, setting up Driskel's second TD pass to Reed. Driskel faked a handoff and found Reed alone in the back of the end zone, which made it 21-3.
The Gators could have had a first-half shutout, but penalties set up two field goals for the Gamecocks.
Florida forced South Carolina to punt before one, but a questionable, roughing-the-snapper penalty kept the drive alive. Adam Yates ended the possession with a 35-yarder. His 51-yarder on the final play of the first half came after an offside penalty on McCray.
Muschamp wasn't pleased with all the flags.
But they turned out to be fairly meaningless.
The Gators scored on all three possessions in the third quarter, getting a 6-yard TD run by Omarius Hines, a field goal and a 6-yard pass from Driskel to Frankie Hammond Jr.
They made South Carolina's defensive front, which dominated in the first half, look suspect. They also better controlled standout end pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who gave them fits early. And they kept South Carolina off balance with creative play-calling that included tight end Trey Burton in the wildcat.
Driskel completed 11 of 16 passes for 93 yards. Mike Gillislee ran 19 times for 37 yards. Reed caught four passes for 44 yards.
Florida's defense and special teams were much more impressive.
The Gators held South Carolina to 191 yards, including minus-1 in the third quarter. Marcus Lattimore, who didn't start because of a hip injury, ran just three times for 13 yards. And Florida dominated every aspect of special teams. In addition to the two forced fumbles, Kyle Christy had seven punts of at least 50 yards.
Davidsbarter Community?s ?Social Marketing Social Network Technology? platform has enabled small business expert David Leopold to simply and efficiently start several new businesses.
Orlando, Fla. ? October 19, 2012 ? The economy of the United States is not creating enough new jobs. ?For the last two months, only 256,000 new jobs have been created. ?That?s less than half the number of new jobs that must be created if we are return to some sort of normalcy, according to research that was done about three years ago by the Kauffman Foundation, ?The Foundation of Entrepreneurship?, headquartered in Kansas City.
?New Small Businesses have always been the foundation of new job creation?; so recently stated ?SmallBizDavid? Leopold in a YouTube video about ?Starting a New Small Business.? (YouTube.com/SmallBizDavid) ?David quoted Barbara Weltman, ?America?s #1 Small Business Tax Expert? who stated, ?Historically, small businesses have created 60-80% of all new jobs.?
It was for this reason that David ?SmallBizDavid? Leopold committed any available Davidsbarter Community resources to the Startup America Partnership, on January 31, 2011. What has developed over the last several years is a proprietary ?very optimized, very Google-ized? Community Landing Page. ?Davidsbarter Community?s ?Social Marketing Social Network Technology? platform has enabled ?SmallBizDavid? to Start several New Businesses, very simply, very efficiently.
?Just do what I do with your Intellectual Property, your product, your service; there?s no reason why you can?t successfully launch a New Small Business as I have done numerous, times.?
?SmallBizDavid? ?s ?business model? includes creating 20 YouTube videos weekly, telling Google+ about the subject matter, and embedding the Google code on a unique Landing Page inside davidsbarter.com.
?SmallBizDavid? Leopold, with 40 years of Small Business Marketing/Sales/CustomerCare experiences, created DavidsBarter.com as his commitment to the StartUp
America Partnership. The Social Marketing/Social Network Technologyplatform, developed for DavidsBarter Community, guarantees Internet traffic to the Members ?Managed Optimized Bandwidth??an ideal platform to Start A Business?and this country needs 1000?s of businesses started NOW?to create JOBS!?
In 2004, David Leopold began to develop his current Small Business Model embracing the Business2Business discipline under his ?Dreaming With Entrepreneurs? brand.? Nearly three years ago, he began to build The David Leopold Network Community, including http://www.DavidsBarter.com focused upon simplifying the Marketing/Technology of Starting A Business.? SmallBizDavid has evolved as the DavidsBarter ?avatar?. The SmallBizDavid Foundation, LLC has been formed and will be accepting 10,000 Charter Lifetime Members.? The SmallBizDavid foundation will get 10,000 New Businesses started; each of those ?Entrepreneurial Ambassadors? will be charged with ?mentoring? 10,000 New Businesses to be started. David is also a best-selling co-author of the business book, Counter-Attack: Business Strategies for Explosive Growth in the New Economy for which he was honored with a Golden Quill Award from The National Academy of Best Selling Authors? in 2011. In January 2008, he self-published his first book, ?How Do You Answer These 749 Questions About Your Small Business??.? Today, that book serves as the foundation of more than 1000 Small Business Key Words, which are ?at the heart of Search within davidsbarter Community.?
Davidsbarter and SmallBizDavid have now achieved the ?top spot? in Google Search Rankings.
To learn more about David Leopold, please visit http://www.DavidsBarter.com
About David Leopold:
Being born into a family of Entrepreneurs, David Leopold really did not put his Dream in place until his father?s death, when he was 23.? Publishing was the pre-chosen field, as his Father lived most of his own life before he realized his own dream of owning a publication.? David personally struggled having his mother as a business partner.? He did what any Entrepreneur would do; he bought the business from his Mother, in a deal brokered by his maternal Grandfather, a successful businessman.
That was in the 1970?s.? Prior to his first business investment, David had displayed an interest in Publishing, but his college journey actually took him into a different direction.? He has never taken a business or marketing class, but has had numerous classroom experiences with college and high school students who have!
While being involved in three different publishing businesses in the 70?s, he chose to pursue other marketing efforts in the 1980?s. He was involved in at least six separate Direct Marketing/Direct Mail endeavors.? It was in that decade that he developed his keen understanding of Return on Marketing Investment.
In the 1990?s, he spent most of his time in ?partnership? with 19? Fortune 500 companies.? The marketing discipline was Teleservices.? He established a national reputation in Insurance Direct Marketing and was asked to participate in numerous speaking opportunities while interacting with 19 of the largest 52 Insurance Companies, generating approximately $100 MM in revenue with his Insurance Direct Marketing business ?partners?.
On January 1, 2000, he began to learn how to effectively use the Internet as a Marketing tool.? Privately, he worked with three international service providers in the Insurance industry.? In 2004, he began to develop his Small Business Model embracing the Business2Business discipline under his ?Dreaming With Entrepreneurs? brand.? Two years ago, he began to build The David Leopold Network Community. Small Businesses could realize unlimited business opportunities with the Optimized Landing Page Application he developed with his 24-year-old Applications Developer partner.
Ultimately, the SmallBizDavid Foundation, LLC will become a non-profit Foundation, with the mission to assist other Entrepreneurs with David?s Marketing expertise.
SmallBizDavid Barters Small Business Key Words (Search) everyday @ YouTube/Facebook, LinkedIn/Twitter and at his DavidsBarter.com/SmallBizTV (10:00 AM EST-11:00 AM EST (M-F) and 8:00AM EST-10:00AM EST on Sundays.
Despite a hundred mostly-green tomatoes that are being eaten one at a time by mice, our garden has been a joy this summer.? We got dozens of adorable little carrots, gorgeous lettuces and arugula, rhubarb, of course, by the several pounds, and lots of green peppers and poblanos.? The marigolds we grew from seeds to keep away the bugs have grown gigantic on woody stems, leaning over into other people's kale. ? Now if only I knew the flower to chase away mice.
It is harvest-time, it is past harvest-time.? Still you note your gardens are producing if indeed you have a garden: these plants push it till the bitter end, tomatoes still dangling from sagging vines, leaves gone yellow and crispy and still the tomatoes are there.? Pepper plants still producing flowers, absurdly.? Marigolds getting thicker and thicker and oranger and oranger until the whole thing seems like it's going to blow.? They must know what's coming--winter, the end.? So they're throwing every last bit of wild life-force they have left, throwing it out like sparks, bright orange and smoking, ephemeral, until the lights burn out.
I love this about a garden.? About living green things.? They really go for it, they go nuts, they live while they're living.
And best of all, you get to eat what they work so hard at creating.
Here are four garden stories, with recipes.
But It Was Labelled Eggplant
Kay more or less runs the community garden adjacent to her south side high rise.? It is a beautiful place, roomy and quiet, with grassy paths between each patch, a blend of flower and vegetable gardens, and a tidy composter in the way back.??? Indoors there is a shared garden tool room; "well-organized" doesn't even begin to describe this immaculate space.? Another room holds everyone's boxes of their own supplies, and again, neatness rules here.? Outdoors there is a wide expanse of open lawn with the occasional bench, and 40 private patches plus 2 which are shared.? Several gardeners put plants in the shared patches, used for vegetables mostly this year.
One of those plants was a bit of a mystery for awhile.? "They told us it was an eggplant at the Hyde Park Garden Fair," Kay said as she showed me around the garden.?? "But as we began to see the leaves, we knew it wasn't an eggplant."
"Mrs. Hano, she's 94, our oldest gardener, she has eggplants."
She showed me more eggplants in the back...
...by "our gooseberry collection."? My heart skipped a beat at the mention of gooseberries.? Gooseberries are old school.? "Do you do anything with these?" I asked as we waded through the 6 foot tall bushes.? "Every year I put them up for my friend whose plants these are," Kay told me.? "But gooseberries come in the spring, nothing left to see now."
Well that not-an-eggplant-after-all grew taller, much taller.? Past squash, past cabbage, past kale.? The leaves grew broad.? The gardeners wondered.
My neighbor and garden-sharer Shawn saw them and knew.? It was collards: thick broad leaves, fan-like, springing out all the way up a tall stalk.? He also knew how he wanted to prepare them.? So he asked for a few leaves, took them home, and subjected them to a treatment for kale: crispy chips.
The end result definitely retains that distinctive collard flavor with only olive oil and salt to compete.? It would seem healthier to eat them if they weren't so addictive.? When Shawn made them they were bright green, salty, and to my son's mind, like eating autumn leaves right off the ground.? Tasty leaves.
I made them again because they were so delicious and because I wanted to try chopping the pieces in small rectangles, like fritos, to see if I could get a less leafy experience.? For sure they were more beautiful Shawn's way, and they were certainly more of a chip-like experience my way.? If you want your crispy collard chips artsy, cut them large; if you want them junk-foody, cut them small and square.? My daughter and I ate an entire pan with no help from anyone.
The high-rise community garden was absolutely a delight, as was talking to Kay, collard-supplier, gardener, organizer, baker, gooseberry jam maker.
Is Oregano Supposed to Taste Like a Slap Across the Face?
In our community garden space we inherited two plants, two giant plants.? Rhubarb, which you can read about here and here, and oregano.? When the oregano was bushy, but before it had flowered, I grabbed armloads and proceeded to wash it and hang it inside my house upside-down from ceiling beams, window frames, and door frames.
This may sound charming, but trust me, the effect was a? little more unkempt garden shed than French provincial kitchen.? My family wondered how long they were going to have to duck their heads going from the dining room to the stairs.? I wondered too, never having dried oregano before.? I kept it there all summer until I considered the threat of hibernating insects finding a nice winter home in the bunches.? I cut them down and crunched off the leaves into a large ziploc bag, removed the woody twigs, rolled the leaves with a rolling pin, and bottled them up adorably for my family, and for friends.
Then I tried a little pinch.
Suffice to say, this was not your Spice Islands oregano.
It practically burns going down, this oregano.? It makes me worried that it's not actually oregano at all, maybe it's nightshade, or hemlock, or some other evil herb of fairy-tale fame.? I only need use the tiniest pinch in whatever I'm cooking, and it goes a long way.
So far it's graced, or dared to destroy, some cabbage soup, a chicken pot pie, and a pot of stock.? Since we have all survived the consumption of these dishes I think we're not actually dealing with evil fairy tale herbs, just an occasional robust slap across the face.
What I Was Waiting For All Along
When last we spoke of them, my poblanos were thread-wispy seedlings being shuttled from sunny windowsill to sunny windowsill.
Look at them now, back in the windowsill:
This, my friends, in case you don't know what you're looking at, is a miracle.
They're robust and sizable and gorgeous, actual edible delicious peppers that came from a seed the size of a crumb that you'd hardly bother sweeping up off the floor. Well anyway I would hardly bother.
I made them into a big platter of of chiles rellenos and we ate them with our garden-plot sharing neighbors, just as planned way back in April when the poblanos were just a slender reed of hope.? Neither of us--the poblanos nor I--knew what sort of summer lay ahead, what sort of dry punishing heat would characterize the whole growing season.
Fortunately for poblanos, they love that weather.? The hotter the better, and they don't even care too much about being thirsty.
And most happily of all, these peppers all seem to be mild, kind poblanos, not the evil, trickily too-hot variety.? You never know when you're going to get those--either in the garden, the market, or the restaurant.? This time, we didn't.
We got golden-fried, queso-filled, roasted poblanos and it was exactly what I was waiting for all along.
There Are Two Kinds of People in The World.? Those Who Get Chutney, and Those Who Don't.
David is a south side home gardener with a single 8 foot by 3 foot raised bed.? He built it several years ago and the bounty has reached nearly ridiculous levels.? This year they planted and harvested: yellow pear tomatoes, gathered by the thousands, peppers--serranos, jalapenos, and poblanos, melons, cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash, concord grapes, raspberries, blackberries, and red currants, and yes folks, an apple tree.? I actually can't even picture this, and since I offer no photograph you'll just have to use your imagination.
He buys most of his plants from an enormous greenhouse and nursery an hour south of Chicago in Grant Park, IL called Woldhuis Farms.? It is a long way to go for plants, David admitted, but they are just better than he can find around here.
What could he possibly do with all this bounty?? Beyond eating it, he cans.
As readers of Cook's County know, I am a little phobic about canning and am fascinated by anyone brave enough to do it.? This is not how David looks at the matter.?? He comes by his canning honestly, coming from a serious canning family.? Preserving, freezing, and canning were a way of life for David's grandmother.? She? used to have a little shed outside just for home canned good storage--shelves and shelves full, which the family ate all year long, fresh summer produce all year.? David especially remembers the green beans--something many canners won't do today at all because of the higher risk associated with them.? When his parents got married, his grandparents' wedding gift to them was a deep freeze filled with home-grown, put up produce.? What an awesome present!? Perhaps because of her mother's overacheiving awesomeness in this regard, or simply due a diminished necessity for continuing the work, David's mom preserved less food.? Mainly she would do beets, David says, "when she was feeling nostalgic."
The tradition carries on now with the grandson.? David freezes some of his produce, cans a few things.? Mainly a few jams and some chutneys.? Such as, for your consideration, this green tomato chutney.
It's the second year he's made this, and it's exactly what he wanted it to be.? He wanted it to be like ploughman's lunch pickles.? Ploughman's lunch? you ask.? So did I.? You know, the English rustic lunch of cheese, bread, and pickles or chutney that can be found in the rustic English working class pub, or here, in hipper Britishy joints.? It's not a horseradishy chutney that he's after, it's more of a vinegary one, and this green tomato chutney is it.? In this batch he mixed three types of vinegar: malt, sherry, and apple cider--mostly because he needed them all to get enough for the recipe.
What do you do with this?? Who eats it?? How do you eat it?? The questions come pouring forth.? Because I am one of those people who just don't really get chutney.? David admits: many don't.? But those who do--love this.? It's best eaten with bread and a strong cheddar--just like a ploughman's lunch.?? And if you're lucky enough to be on the receiving end of David's green tomato chutney, but benighted enough not to know what to do with it, now you do.
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Crispy Collard Chips This recipe was adapted from a Food and Wine kale treatment.?
Preheat the oven to 275 or 300 degrees, no hotter.? Wash your collard leaves and dry them well.? Remove the center stem and chop the leaves up as you wish.? Place them on a cookie sheet and brush olive oil on both sides of each piece.? Sprinkle generously with kosher salt.? (Well, I like kosher salt best.? You can use whatever you have.)? Pop your pan, or pans, in the oven, and let them cook for 20 minutes or so.? Keep a close eye on them, though, because they can turn from glorious green to an unappetizing brown very quickly.? Remove frompan and eat them all at once, feeling virtuous.
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Chiles Rellenos To me there is only one way to fix this dish.? Do not overthink it, do not overdo it.? Stick with the basic treatment and you will never go wrong.
10 poblanos 1/2 lb. queso, Mexican white cheese, cut in finger-size pieces flour, salt, pepper 3 eggs, separated oil for frying, about 1/2" depth in the pan
First, the tedious part.? Roast the chiles.? Put them under the broiler, turn frequently and watch like a hawk; or a 450 degree oven for a longer time, flipping occasionally to get all sides roasted.? Pull the roasted peppers off the pan and place in a large ziploc or paper bag, zip or roll up.? You are letting the peppers sweat it out, and their skins will ostensibly be easy to remove after this treatment.? Give them 15 minutes or so to cool off.
Take them out and under lightly running water, laboriously remove the skins.? When you've finished this, now cut a tiny lengthwise slit in each pepper and run the water inside to get out the seeds.? If you like to play Russian roulette with poblano seeds, leave them in and then you can worry about whether they will be too hot to eat.? I hate those pesky seeds, so I take the extra time to remove them.? At the top of the poblano, a large clump of seeds is connected very ferociously to the stem, so remove this part with a knife.
After ten of these you may be ready to give up and go take a nap.? If you're not up to this kind of thing, and I'm not, ever, except for those precious poblanos I raised from seeds, then you can buy very nice roasted seeded whole peppers at the grocery store.? I'm not above this.
For a break from your peppers you may now beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.? Stir up the yolks but otherwise set them aside for the moment.
Fill each pepper with a few of your sticks of cheese so they're nice and plump.? When the whole plate is done, sprinkle them with a few tablespoons of flour that you've seasoned with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of pepper.
Heat the oil in the pan--fairly hot, you're going to be doing a shallow fry and you want to achieve golden brown.
Now fold the yolks into the whites and turn them into a large shallow bowl.? Gently roll each stuffed poblano in the batter until it's covered.? This is a complete pain in the ass.? I'm just saying.? Don't give up, though.? Drink a swig of wine and carry on.
Put each one in the hot oil as you complete it.? When you have a pan full--say, three or four--stop the dipping for now and turn your attention to cooking them evenly.? Turn carefully when golden, till you have golden all around.? Remove each poblano when you've reached that, and place them on paper towels to drain a bit.? Serve that pan full, then repeat the process with the rest.
These are best eaten right fresh out of the pan with your favorite salsa and a tortilla.?? So someone else will have to keep cooking as you eat the first round.
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Green Tomato Chutney David loosely follows this recipe from the Southern Food category at About.com. As mentioned above he tweaks with the vinegars, and did not use apples.
2 1/2 pounds firm green tomatoes, about 6 cups diced 1 cup golden raisins 1 cup chopped onion 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups cider vinegar 1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
Trim the stem and blossom ends from tomatoes and cut into 3/4-inch dice (you should have about 6 cups). Combine all ingredients in a heavy kettle; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 1 hour, until thickened.
Spoon chutney into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.? Be sure you listen for the schwoop.
LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - State oil company Rosneft tightened its grip on the Russian oil industry on Thursday, lodging a cash and shares bid for British oil company BP's 50 percent stake in the country's third-largest oil producer, TNK-BP.
Sources familiar with the actions of BP, Rosneft, their advisers and financiers said a bid had been submitted to BP that valued the whole of TNK-BP at over $50 billion. Rosneft has already made an offer to BP's partners in the venture.
"BP is reviewing options (with regard to the offer)," said one source.
The sources in London, Moscow and elsewhere have painted a picture of a potential three-way deal that could emerge over the coming weeks, with some details set to be hammered out during a visit by Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin this week.
They said the British oil company and the four Soviet-born tycoons who own the other half of the business could emerge with minority stakes in an enlarged Rosneft plus billions of dollars in cash in exchange for a highly profitable company.
The combined group would dominate Russia's increasingly state-controlled oil industry and would be producing well over 4 million barrels of oil and gas a day - more than U.S. No.1 Exxon Mobil, the biggest producer among the world's investor-owned oil companies.
According to two sources familiar with the matter, Rosneft agreed on Tuesday to pay the tycoons' AAR consortium $28 billion. However, financial sources said it was unlikely all of this would be in cash, especially if Rosneft intends to buy out BP as well.
About $15 billion could be met through a loan agreement Rosneft has been negotiating with international banks for weeks, and it can get another $3 billion from Russian banks, said the financial sources.
However, "There is a point where raising debt would have a negative impact on Rosneft's credit rating," said one banker, while another said $20 billion was the most Rosneft can borrow without putting a strain on its ability to refinance later.
BP, Rosneft and AAR all declined comment.
(Reporting by Andrew Callus in London and Doug Busvine in Moscow, Writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Will Waterman)
This photo provided Oct. 9, 2012, by the Minnesota Department of Health shows shows vials of the injectable steroid product made by New England Compounding Center implicated in a fungal meningitis outbreak that were being shipped to the CDC from Minneapolis. About 17,700 single-dose vials of the steroid sent to 23 states have been recalled. The outbreak involves 10 states, including Minnesota. (AP Photo/Minnesota Department of Health)
This photo provided Oct. 9, 2012, by the Minnesota Department of Health shows shows vials of the injectable steroid product made by New England Compounding Center implicated in a fungal meningitis outbreak that were being shipped to the CDC from Minneapolis. About 17,700 single-dose vials of the steroid sent to 23 states have been recalled. The outbreak involves 10 states, including Minnesota. (AP Photo/Minnesota Department of Health)
Map shows states affected by the meningitis outbreak and those receiving suspected tainted medications.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The fungus found in tainted steroid shots matches the one behind the national meningitis outbreak that has killed 20 people, federal health officials said Thursday.
The match confirms the link between the outbreak and the maker of the steroids, New England Compounding Center of Framingham, Mass. Officials previously said they found fungus in more than 50 unopened vials from the company, but needed more tests to determine the kind of fungus.
The specialty pharmacy has been at the center of a federal and state investigation into more than 250 fungal meningitis cases. The death toll rose Thursday to 20.
The victims in the outbreak had all received steroid shots made by the pharmacy, mostly to treat back pain. The company last month recalled three lots of the steroid made since May. It later shut down operations and recalled all the medicines it makes.
The fungus was confirmed in one steroid batch made in August, according to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has linked outbreak illnesses to all three lots; tests are continuing on the other two lots.
The initial recall involved about 17,700 single-dose vials of the steroid sent to clinics in 23 states. As many as 14,000 people got shots from the three lots.
The company released a statement Thursday afternoon that said, in part; "We are eager to review these findings as part of our continued cooperation with the CDC and FDA to identify the cause of this contamination."
The fungus in the vials ? Exserohilum rostratum (pronounced ex-sir-oh-HIGH-lum ross-TRAH-tum) ? is the same as that found in at least 45 people sickened with fungal meningitis.
"We were able to link the organism in these vials to the organism in the patients," said the CDC's Mary Brandt, whose lab did the testing.
The FDA-CDC announcement did not say how many tested vials had that kind of fungus.
Exserohilum is common in dirt and grasses, but it rarely causes illness and has never before been identified as a cause of meningitis, CDC officials have said.
Meningitis is caused by the inflammation of protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Tainted spinal injections would directly put germs into that part of the body.
Also on Thursday, the CDC said New York has reported a fungal illness, making it the 16th state with outbreak cases. The others are Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Officials say 254 of the cases are meningitis related to shots for back pain. Three others are infections in the joints, including the New York case.
The new death reported was in Michigan, bringing its total to four.
I'm watching Battlestar Galactica again, for the third time (it always starts with "let's just watch the first episode"). Their deck doesn't look very different from this hangar at the Andersen Air Base, Guam. More »
PetStore.com supply online pet store and non-profit Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. asking pet owners to help troops call home by donating gently used cell phones. Despite the ever-changing landscape of the military, as well as the soldiers who have served in 290 thousand American soldiers in foreign countries around the world. With a donation of Cell Phones for Soldiers, pet owners can provide the troops with connections value to their loved ones back home.
Into iPhone 5 was released just five days ago, so there are a lot of people looking to upgrade to a new phone, said Ben Ros, Director of Operations PetStore.com. PetStore.com includes a pre-paid envelope phones for soldiers in the package we send pet owners during the month of October. We hope people will take advantage of this opportunity to help our soldiers overseas stay in touch with their families, including pets. Into Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist at the age of 12 and 13. The charity since delivered more than 168 million minutes of free talk time to soldiers stationed and women all over the world. The proceeds from the recycling of used cell phones to buy prepaid international calling cards. On average, Cell Phones for Soldiers distributes 12,000 cards each week to bases around the world, care package programs, deployment ceremonies and VA hospitals. Into Military Deployment Center Benefits list to keep in touch with loved ones in the top five How to Survive distribution strategy, says Ros. There is only so much you can watch online videos bring the soldiers with their families and pets, after a tour of duty before they feel compelled to do something for the volunteers in bold
. Into Some quick facts about mobile phones for Soldiers program:
Into???? In 2011, Cell Phones for Soldiers share a communication tool with 690,000 military families, providing more than 41 million minutes of talk time.
???? The program collected and recycled 1.5 million phones in 2011.
???? Since 2004, more than 10.5 million mobile phones were recycled, reducing the impact on landfills. ???? A donation sent $ 5 to 2.5 hours of talk time, donations of $ 100.00 provides 50 hours or 3000 minutes of talk time
???? There are approximately 15,000 collection points across the country, including headquarters PetStore.com in Garden Grove, CA.
??? In 2012?, Cell Phones for Soldiers has launched its latest program, Helping Heroes Home. Heroes House to help provide emergency funds for veterans returning to alleviate communication problems and difficulties of assimilation physical, emotional and
Into Each year we have been humbled by the number of people and organizations as PetStore.com who take the initiative to support our troops, says co-founder Brittany Bergquist. We want to continue to improve the communication gap between the armed forces and their loved ones, as troops continue to serve our region.
Into phone donations be sent to Michigan-based ReCellular for recycling. For every donated phone valued at $ 5, Cell Phones for Soldiers is able to provide two and a half hours of talk time free of deployed soldiers. Into Approximately half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and reused. Phones and components that can not be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to recover the fillers, including:
Into??? Gold? silver and platinum from circuit boards
???? Copper wiring from phone chargers Nickel ??, Iron, cadmium and lead-acid batteries
???? Plastic from phone cases and accessories
Into the U.S. military will always have an important role in peacekeeping missions around the world, said co-founder Robbie Bergquist. Then connect our troops with their loved ones is the least we can do for the daily sacrifice for us.
For more information about Into Phones for Soldiers, please visit http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/. For thousands of pet supplies shop and handed the envelope phones for soldiers to you for free with your order, please visit http://www.petstore.com. Into Who PetStore.com
PetStore.com is the only pet store online was founded in 1999. This family-oriented store has 30,000 pet products from 400 popular brands like Purina, Frontline and Zoo Med equity PetStore.com most popular products found at your local pet store, but they sell for less. There is also a Best Price Guarantee to ensure buyers always pay the lowest price for their purchases. Pet fans have contributed more than 30,000 product reviews for the website that provides the buyer with a partial view on all toys, treats and tanks are available for their pets. Flat rate shipping is available for just $ 5.99 and orders over $ 75 ship for free. All products are new with factory warranty PetStore.com over to his shop warranty 60-day money back guarantee. A team of experts from the company a free technical support and consulting sales from sites with telephone, e-mail and social.
Cell Phones for Soldiers who
Inc. Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing no-cost communications services to members on active duty and military veterans. Headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts, Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then 12 and 13 years. This organization has provided more than 168 million minutes of free talk time to military members deployed. Started in 2012, the House Helping Heroes will provide emergency funds for veterans returning to alleviate communication problems and difficulties of assimilation physical, emotional and. For more information, visit http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com, http://www.helpingheroeshome.org or http://www.facebook.com/JoinCellPhonesforSoldiers.
