What is a Moroccan tagine? Two things, really.

One is a cooking vessel — a round plate of glazed clay with a fitted conical dome. Steam swirls under the dome, condenses and then trickles down the lid’s sides to the circumference of the plate and rejoins the simmering juices. yet a tagine is also the preparation — the name you give the melded braise beneath the lid. It is both the container and the tasty business it contains.

Review by John Kessler

The best tagine you can find in the metro area is at Imane Moroccan Restaurant in Duluth. Named for the coastal city of Rabat, this tagine ($9.99 at lunch) comes to the table with wicker trivet and a warning not to touch. The waitress lifts the 2-foot-high lid to reveal a fragrant, bubbling plateful of small meatballs and fast-setting eggs in tomatoey sharmoula sauce. You’ll never finish it, you think, and then you can’t stop, spearing one beefy meatball after another, swiping house-made semolina bread through the sauce, prying crisp edges of egg from the plate, all under a hovering cloud of steam. there is something special in the flavor of food cooked in clay.

The other tagines at Imane are good but more typical of Moroccan restaurants — there to be beautiful serving dishes. there is no trivet, no warning, and the lid comes off with a tacit voilà to reveal a nicely plated lamb shank or salmon fillet that had been cooked in the kitchen.

Maghreb salad (all photos by Becky Stein)

Such are Moroccan restaurants in America — places that first and foremost seduce diners with their trappings. Carpets, cushions, filigreed metalwork furniture, lustrous fabrics, belly dancers and, yes, decorative tagines are all part of the vision of exotic otherness. I suppose there are Moroccan restaurants in France (and in Morocco, for that matter) where the thick overlay of atmosphere is the predominant seasoning to the food. It is a great cuisine for tourists.

At first look, the richly decorated Imane appears to be another den of exotica, but it also proves itself as a fine place to explore a cuisine woefully underrepresented in Atlanta. Don’t expect the six-course rigmarole and high prices you may have encountered in other Moroccan restaurants; do go for the food.

Owner-chef Imane Sannoun, who opened the place about a year ago, cooks to satisfy her compatriots as well as the many Americans and Levantine Arabs who’ve discovered it. that means you’ll find some only marginally convincing falafel, baba ghannouj and whatnot to satisfy her customers, but you should really focus on the true Moroccan fare — the couscous, the salads and the tagines.

If you go on Friday or Saturday night, the raucous scene will include a peripatetic belly dancer and a fair amount of hookah smoke. at other times, the entertainment comes from a flat-screen television showing Arabic music videos of songstresses with fabulous hair, handsome suitors and villas by the Mediterranean. You settle into banquettes and low chairs around lovely low tables of hammered metal and glass from Marrakesh and drape a satiny burgundy moiré napkin on your protruding knees.

Sannoun’s food tastes fresh and well thought out, though it doesn’t zing with spice. You want zing? Make sure to ask for a dish of her fiery homemade harissa chile condiment.

Sannoun makes a soul-warming bowlful of harira ($4.99), a tomato-based soup with lentils, chickpeas, wiggly little bits of vermicelli and herbs that dance on the tongue. Also very fine: the maghreb salad ($5.99), a gorgeously composed starburst of red beets, potatoes, carrots and green beans with drizzles of dressing and a deeply fruity flavor of olive oil. a vegetarian could order these two and leave happy.

Fried calamari ($7.99) that my daughter insists on ordering brings another winner. The rings are tender under their crisp, crumbly coating, and their yogurt-based dipping sauce, though milder than mild, grew on me. this kitchen takes care with small things.

It is also shy with seasoning, and I do need to warn you that a few shakes of salt and a bit of harissa may be up to you. I like the chicken couscous ($14.99) for its tender, spice-rubbed half bird, its fluffy mound of clumpless couscous and its fantastic presentation in a double-decker couscousière made of hand-painted yellow clay. The vegetable stew that you use to moisten the couscous, though, is a bland business — carrot, potato and lots of cabbage running away with the show. Seasoning definitely perked it up, but I’m still looking for a couscous to fall in love with somewhere in Atlanta.

Better are the merguez sausages ($15.99) hot off the grill, snappy and spicy. Sannoun brings these skinny lamb sausages (skinny because they’re packed in lamb casing) from Morocco, and they’re some of the best I’ve ever tried, juicy with a sweet heat that blooms on the tongue. if you want a bargain, go for lunch and get the merguez sandwich ($8.99), served in a hot, pillowy pita with crunchy veggies, creamy sauce and a side salad.

Casablanca Mrozia Lamb tagine

Then again, if you don’t want to commit to lamb sausage as your dinner entree, try the assorted grilled platter ($18.99) that comes heaped with enough meat for two people to share, including one sausage. I give two tagines up to the rosy-centered beef brochette and the juicy chicken brochette on the platter. But I found the lamb chop sapped of its juices and the kefta (ground beef) dry and crumbly. I’ve had kefta that sparkles with the flavors of parsley and garlic, and this isn’t it.

Even though they are classified on the menu for their serving vessels only, I have really enjoyed the two lamb shank tagines I’ve tried here. Sannoun braises them just to the point between cuttable and fall-off-the-bone tender, yet manages to render out all the fat. they are marvels of good technique. The Marrakesh ($16.99) comes with a braise of artichoke heart and sweet peas in a tingly sauce, while the Casablanca Mrozia ($16.99) opts for sweet spices, raisins, honey and almonds. I promise you, it does not taste like lamb fruitcake but rather that elusive missing link between sweet and savory that we all search for.

I wish I could say the same for the chicken b’stilla ($14.99), but this version of the crisp poultry pie blanketed with powdered sugar and cinnamon is not my favorite. (Often Moroccan places serve this as an appetizer.) I think this dish only appeals when its phyllo crust shatters in a cumulus of sugar that contrasts with the steamy, savory insides. But this pie has a dense and drably seasoned filling and cuts without a lot of shatter, so that chicken-salad-meets-Cafe-du-Monde-beignet thing feels strange.

The restaurant serves a few Moroccan wines, as well as others identified only by grape and country of origin. if you don’t want a $10 glass of mystery German riesling, you might be better with a Dos Equis on draft or a small pot ($3.50) of the excellent green tea flavored with mint and sugar.

No, the waitress doesn’t pour the tea from a vertiginous height as you may have seen at other Moroccan restaurants, but Imane really isn’t that kind of place. for once, the focus is as much on the food as the show.

-by John Kessler, Food & more blog

IMANE MOROCCAN RESTAURANT3455 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., DuluthFood: Moroccan as well as some Middle Eastern dishes; the food can be a little under seasoned but it is well-prepared.Service: Very friendly but understaffed, so it can be slow when a few tables arrive at once.Best dishes: Rabat tagine, maghreb salad, harira soup, merguez sandwichVegetarian selections: side dishes, salads, soup and couscousCredit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, DiscoverHours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays; 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays; noon-10 p.m. Sundays; open every other Monday for women onlyChildren: Perfectly fine if you’re cool with the hookahs and weekend belly dancer.Parking: in lotReservations: Yes, and you’ll need them for Friday and Saturday nights.Wheelchair access: yesSmoking: noNoise level: moderatePatio: yesTakeout: yes

<a href="http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2010/12/10/imane-moroccan-restaurant-dining-review-duluth/?cxntlid=sldr_hmtag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2010/12/10/imane-moroccan-restaurant-dining-review-duluth/?cxntlid=sldr_hmFri, 10 Dec 2010 17:00:48 GMT 00:00″>Imane Moroccan Restaurant dining review, Duluth

This was one of the projects that I was really excited for, however, whenever I start a new project I start to stress and with your arrival just around the corner you can imagine how I am feeling. I would say that at this point the nursery is about 90% done. we just need to do a deep clean and closet sweep before you get here. I want you to know that as easy as it sounds putting your room together was not a breeze. I immediately had an idea and knew what colors I wanted to do and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I just had to be different from the usual baby nursery, in other words, I had to make it difficult. first, we had to find bedding. When I started my baby bedding search I couldn’t find one that I liked that wasn’t out of my budget. this led me to the idea of having it made. My bedding adventure now turned into my fabric adventure which ended in total failure. Everything I liked was too expensive and although I wanted you to have the cutest most perfect bedding set, I am realistic and spending $400 on 3 pieces of bedding is crazy! I know some of you reading this have gone to the lengths of spending that much but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Babies grow faster than my pocket book and I thought that with a little creativity we’d get what we needed AND we did just that. I found this bedding set on Wal-Mart.com for a whopping $100!

Doesn’t the price tag make it that much cuter? it originally came with a polka dot sheet set but I swapped it out with the aqua in order to make it a little more masculine and to stand out from all the black and white in the room. I also bought a matching changing table sheet to add color.

as for the décor, my goal was simplicity. you don’t have the biggest room so I wanted to make sure we didn’t clutter it with decorations. I saw the idea of hanging Japanese lanterns and was going to do that but then I thought, we aren’t Japanese! Haha. no, I then thought I would try something a little different so I could use the colors that I wanted and wasn’t limited to what Zurchers had in stock. I took some Styrofoam craft balls, a little fabric, and VOILA, this is what I made. They turned out so cute and they were exactly what I wanted.

We already had these shelves in the room for our RSL pictures and I decided to keep them. The books were originally put there just to get out of my way but I actually kind of like them, so they’ll stay. Your Aunt Stef also gave us her glider. I wish I would have taken a before picture to show you just what a little spray paint could do but I am a slacker and totally forgot. this was originally a nude wood color and we painted it black to match your room. I’ve covered the ottoman with the same fabric as the hanging craft balls and Stef is working on the cushions for me now. I’m sure glad we have a handy dandy sewing lady close, she saved us some money by throwing this together.

Now I can’t take all of the credit for your room, your dad helped me out with one of the cutest parts. Once we decided on your name I went to Hobby Lobby and bought the letters to hang on the wall. I also bought some paper that matched your bedding and modge podged them to each letter. I then added some fabric and buttons to add a little texture and went around the edges with paint. Your dad built me this awesome frame to go around your name. right when you walk in the door this is what you see. He did such a good job and he was excited to be apart of the creation as well Ü

Now, for the baby bedroom finale….. THE RUG.
You see B, I had found a rug online that would have been perfect for your room BUT as usual, it was well out of my price range. so, I again thought, I’ll just make one. I jumped online and Googled “how to make a rug”. there were so many results and I found a blog from a lady who had made one for her nursery. it looked so simple. nothing more than a couple t-shirts, a latch hook, and some spare time. it was simple B, so simple that it took me about 50 hours to make! Haha! I bet when you read this you’ll think that I’m exaggerating a little, well, I’m not. although time consuming, and causing arthritis, it is EXACTLY what I wanted and it turned out so cute! here is how I did it…

Instead of using t-shirts I used fleece (again, I wanted colors to match) and we struck gold when we found the latch hook canvas we needed for $6. I went to JoAnn’s and spent about $40 on fleece, cut it up, and got to work. Cutting the fleece alone took hours on hours to complete. Each row took me at least an hour and as you can imagine that got old really fast. I would have finished it a lot sooner had I just buckled down to do it but I had to take breaks in between or I would have gone insane. I also made a pillow for the glider, turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself….

Now, we have a while before you turn destructive but I’m warning you now B. this rug will be your favorite thing around and you will not damage it in any possible way. you will never get it dirty or even think about getting it dirty, you will protect it with your life. Who am I kidding? this rug will probably have a short life BUT I can say that I did it on my own and it was exactly what we needed for our finishing touches.
I hope you like your room B, it was so much fun putting it all together, now all we need is you to make it complete.

Love you Baby B,
Mom

Baby Britt: The Nursery…

I am going to be an intern at outdoor school in two weeks and have started a packing list but I am sure I am missing a few items. can you help? I will be sleeping in a cabin with about 11 other people.

Here is what I have so far:
2 sheets (fitted)
light blanket
heavy blanket
sheet
pillows
lysol
trash bags
clothes pins
chargers (phone)
book
water bottle
spending money
clock
lamp
gum
hair brush
tooth brush
shampoo
facewash
tooth paste
listerine
soap
towels
fingernail clippers and tweezers
mirrors
rags
lotion
chapstick
pads/tampons
sunscreen
my medications
3 pairs of jeans
6 shirts
6 pairs of socks
sandles
3 pj pants
1 longsleeve shirt
1 hoodie
4 pj shirts
6 underwear
2 pairs of shoes

I feel like I am forgetting a lot of stuff (since I am an intern I should supply basic things to the girls in my cabins like the lysol and clothes pins). Any ideas? Any recommendations to kind of personalize my space and some icebreakers

Ok well Always have an extra pair of panties or 2. Have a supply of pens and pencils. A razor and shaving cram would be good. Note books. Family pictures and friends. A lint brush.well that is all I can think of. Have a good trip. be a good Intern. GOOD LUCK!!!

Packing list for Outdoor School>?

Janet Land brings dogs on death row in Arkansas to her home on Saturna Island for adoption in the Victoria area.

If this isn’t an upbeat Christmas story — certainly for canine readers, and astonishing to the human variety if they sit back on their haunches and reflect on the unlikeliness of it all — what is?

Even if animals bore you, there’s a wine angle. Wine columnist Jurgen Gothe, take note.

As somebody has said, a man (or woman) never stands so tall as when he stoops to help animals. often the closest animal needing help is the canine — the Romans didn’t call it Canis lupus familiaris for nothing. As visitors to your house may note, the family dog’s nose tends to be more familiaris than some people are comfortable with.

Janet Land — I’ll call her Janet in this space, since she’s a friend and a resident of Saturna, a first-name kind of island where my wife’s family has had a cottage since the 1950s — began her remarkable role as an importer and distributor of dogs slated for execution five years ago. She calls the operation Mosaic Rescue.

(Don’t fidget, oenophiles, wine will soon be served. and how could you resist it, with the name Woof White?)

She learned of “the deplorably high kill rate in animal shelters in the southern United States. Through the Internet I connected with a wonderful woman who runs last Chance Arkansas, and after visiting there began bringing dogs from the little Rock pound to my home on Saturna, and then finding homes for them in the Victoria area. Soon after the first trip I founded Mosaic Rescue, a non-profit society.”

Apparently some American southerners have a decidedly different dog culture than the more tender-hearted inhabitants of colder climes. Who could forget the photo of President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texan, good-naturedly hoisting a big hound dog by its ears, claiming it didn’t hurt dogs a bit? really? would you trust a man like that to tell the truth about Vietnam?

Little Rock Animal Services, Janet said, “takes in more than 4,000 dogs a year and has a 70 per cent kill rate. I save about 25 dogs a year, small to medium-sized, mostly mixed breeds. I call them “mosaics” because most seem to have a little bit of everything in them.”

One might suspect there are difficulties about bringing dogs into Canada that almost by definition have been neglected, abused, or are sick and unwanted.

“The dogs are carefully vetted in Arkansas to make sure they are healthy before travelling here,” Janet explained. “They are tested and treated for diseases and parasites common to the south.

“One common parasite is heartworm. It is more complicated and expensive to treat than intestinal parasites, and, because few potential adopters at southern shelters are willing to pay for the cost of treatment, dogs testing positive face an almost automatic death sentence, but for rescue.

“I’ve always been willing to pay for treatment out of my own pocket, but fund-raise when I can to help with expenses.”

Janet’s Arkansas contacts drive the dogs from little Rock to Memphis. They’re put on Delta Airlines planes (“they’ve been great . . . we get a bit of a break”) to Seattle where Janet picks them up.

The first, Reggie, arrived covered with sores and fleas. but he’s still alive and thriving. one stipulation: Janet will adopt out dogs only to the Victoria area, to keep them within travelling range for her personal vetting and subsequent attention. A touching “reunion” of the adoptees can be seen at mosaicrescue.ca.

A few years ago Janet had a bright idea for helping the cause. She talked to painter Jack Campbell, whose house and gallery are also on Saturna. (The island is knee-deep in artists and writers and present, former and dead newspaper people, including Pat Carney, Eric Nicol, Charles “Jock” Campbell, Alf Strand, Aileen Campbell and Doug Collins.)

“I commissioned Jack to paint a mosaic,” Janet said. “Jack describes his paintings as pieces of colour, and that seemed to fit with the multi-breed nature of “mosaics.” I sold the mosaic prints as part of an Art for Heart campaign.” The Campbell mosaic is a dazzlingly colourful image of a dog with other dogs within it.

Janet’s bright idea got brighter. She arranged with Saturna Island Family Estate Winery — Saturna boasts a towering rock cliffside that reflects the sun’s heat onto the vineyards, emulating something like a Mediterranean climate — to have Jack Campbell’s dog mosaic used as a label for its Woof White wine, launched this summer. The winery gives $2 from each bottle to Mosaic Rescue.

“It’s a great partnership,” Janet said. “Woof White has been the most popular selling wine at the Saturna wine shop this summer. People like not only the taste but the fact that their purchase helps support a good cause.”

Bellevue Wine, 1471 Bellevue in West Van, stocks three Saturna wines in the $15 range, but not Woof White, which isn’t distributed beyond Vancouver Island. (Unsolicited plug here: I’d defy the most globe-trotting oenophile to name a more stunning setting for wine-sipping than the winery’s patio on a sunny summer day. Outta this world.)

My other favourite animal organizations are Judy Stone’s Animal Advocates (), North Vancouver; SAINTS (Senior Animals in need Today Society), Mission; PADS (Pacific assistance Dogs Society), Burnaby; and Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, Manotick, Ont.

It’s the uniqueness of Janet’s Mosaic that caught my eye. Bringing dogs from little Rock to little England? Unique.

Of course Janet has her own dog. Sammy, himself “a mosaic, a mutt,” dances like Fred Astaire and defends like Bobby Orr — repeatedly winning the Best Tricks Trophy at the yearly Saturna dog show, and a Saturna Talent show hit in freestyle dancing with a human being.

You’d also expect Janet to have a lifetime companionship with dogs. no. As a child she wasn’t allowed to have a dog — didn’t until she was well into her 30s. She’s innovatively made up for it since.

Enough sweetness-and-light. is CKNW so desperate for advertising income that it allows a moronic, off-key commercial sung to the music of the Christian hymn “Joy to the World” to mar its good reputation? I switch off when it starts and don’t stay to hear the fool advertiser’s name (and sometimes forget to switch on again).

CKNW would never allow such a travesty involving . . . just fill in any other religion’s sacred music.

While I’m spoiling someone’s “holiday season,” I look with derision at the businesses, charities and card companies — intimidated, not by non-Christian so-called ethnic immigrants, but by “progressive” white academics, bureaucrats and atheist bores — that are terrified to blurt out “Merry Christmas.” anyone that frightened to lose business deserves to.

I strike out the flabby “Season’s Greetings” on cards and substitute the real thing: Merry Christmas!

Consumer advice: Here’s a second unsolicited plug in this column: If you’re looking for 2011 diaries, choose Blueline, an old Canadian company. Some of its excellent diaries are produced here, some in Mexico. at least one big-box store floods its diary section with Moleskine, a cheap product.

The pocket-sized Moleskine I unwisely bought last year didn’t admit to its origin, but it looks like a bottom-rung job. of course Letts of London is a slim, elegant and expensive choice. You’re welcome.

And once again it is time to quote hard-drinking actor Pat O’Brien: “Never drink on New Year’s Eve. That’s amateur night.”

© Copyright (c) North Shore News      

Mosaic Rescue shows a pattern of caring

What benches would you choose for your garden?

Maybe by color, or you will choose by the materieal?

Either way the bench in the garden would look terrific!

Sitting on the bench in the garden or the park, reading a book and drinking hot tea or coffee.

My best days include such memorable calm action: reading, enjoying, dreaming.

Each bench looks very nice.

If it has simple design, you can decorate the bench with the pillows.

Pillows on the bench can be combined with the colors in your garden.

I would combine pillows with the bench cover.

The colors would be soft and warm.

Orange and red would add comfort to any garden and this cosy place for talking, reading or just dreaming.

White outdoor furniture looks gorgeous.

It seems like such benches add sun to your garden.

A great benefit is that you can choose any decoration to such garden furniture.

White color is perfectly combined with classical black, hot red and positive yellow.

I think that big pillows in the garden are on the top of the list for garden decoration.

Sitting on the bench with big pillows would give the sense of comfort.

Benches that are made of metal look not inviting at first glance.

But when you add some curves to the bench.

Then you add beautiful color.

You would have increadible result.

The main advantage of such bench is that it would look perfect in any weather.

Rain or snow would even add romantic  mood to the outdoor metal bench.

Just don’t forget that you need to have warm covers or a fireplace near the metal bench.

Making fire near the wooden bench can spoil at least your outdoor furniture. So be attentive.

While metal bench is the perfect choice for garden and people who adore warm nights near the fire.

Benches made of stones is the furniture that can be used forever.

I personalyl don’t feel relaxed in such gardens.

But who knows, maybe I just didn’t see great stoned benches in great gardens:)

People decorate gardens with the stoned benches combining with the stoned paths.

You can easily imagine ancient times and people eating meat on these benches.

Romantic place for everybody who loves life.

A lot of people are so busy that they can’t stand these curves and romantic style.

I would say that people who are truly happy and calm would like such bench.

Wood is the material that is responsible for stability.

If you like wooden things then you like stability and want to be with it.

Let’s add more romance and comfortable things to our life:)

We live to be happy! So be happy!

Garden Benches « Feng Shui and Home Interior Site Free Info

CHICAGO — Ken Williams has always lived by the theory of “If you are going to dream, you might as well dream big.”

So, when the White Sox general manager presented his plan for a significantly increased 2011 budget to chairman Jerry Reinsdorf at the start of the offseason, Williams humorously reached for the highest limits and beyond.

“Well, I suggested we go to the level of the Yankees,” said Williams with a laugh, speaking Friday at the U.S. Cellular Field Conference and Learning Center following the introduction of free-agent signee Adam Dunn.

“I can’t even repeat the words that were uttered,” a smiling Williams continued. “I can say that we are stretching it, and we are going on faith for the type of ballclub we are going to have and excitement to be built off it. I must really like putting myself out there on that limb.

“It’s uncomfortable sometimes, but you either are all in or you are not. and if you are not, then present that message to your fans. be straight and say, ‘I don’t think we are going to do very much and here’s the plan going forward.’ if you are in it, stand up and show you are.”

Williams certainly did not stand alone on Friday in the team’s early pursuit of its second World Series title since 2005.

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Dunn was right there with him, as the four-year, $56 million contract agreed upon Thursday became official. Manager Ozzie Guillen also made his way to the news conference, as did a host of other White Sox front-office personnel.

Before the question-and-answer portion of Dunn’s introduction to the media even began, the return of catcher A.J. Pierzynski was also announced via a two-year, $8 million deal. But here’s the truly interesting part concerning these two:

Adding Paul Konerko to the mix certainly has not been hidden as the White Sox next goal on the offseason agenda, with the club meeting Monday with Craig Landis, Konerko’s agent, at the Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. In order to help facilitate this move, Dunn and Pierzynski back-loaded their new contracts.

Pierzynski receives $2 million in 2011 and then $6 million in 2012. Dunn earns $12 million, $14 million, $14 million and $15 million over his four years.

“They literally put their money where their mouth is so we can put a better offer on the table for Paulie,” said Williams.

“Hopefully things will work out, because I would love to have Paulie back,” Dunn said. “I know how much he means to the White Sox organization and the clubhouse and the city and everything else. He’s a great person and a great guy, and I think he is needed just as much off the field as on the field.”

At that point, Dunn offered to call Konerko or do whatever he can to help the process. his contractual gesture was a great start, one pointed out by Guillen as going against the notion of how people don’t want to play for the White Sox or for their energetic, but sometimes, controversial manager.

“You don’t see that many people do that,” Guillen said. “But they are putting money away for their teammates. They want to win here.”

If Konerko eventually goes elsewhere, the White Sox will move slugging youngster Dayan Viciedo into a more prominent role. But that role figures to come off the bench at first base or designated hitter. Williams still would target another hitter, and with the addition of Dunn and Pierzynski, that bat can come from the right or left side.

One priority for that Konerko replacement would be strong defense at first base. of course, Williams won’t just settle for a partial skill-set as he tries to build another champion.

“Do I want defense or hitting from that player? I want both,” Williams said. “Why should I set my sights on something lower? and we can get both. there are guys. … if Paulie doesn’t work out, we’ll be OK.”

They will be OK with a payroll close to $120 million for 2011, and Williams said Friday the team won’t have to make any cost-cutting moves unless they make good baseball sense. there was a good chunk of time during the early part of the offseason when much debate went on within the White Sox organization as to whether they were better served going young and sort of building up again.

Instead, as Williams pointed out, the White Sox went all in. It’s a credit to Reinsdorf, whose bottom line simply stands as winning titles, giving Williams and Guillen the opportunity to mold this talent into champions.

“We were having dinner [this week], and Kenny told me what we might be doing,” Guillen said. “I started sweating and said, ‘Well, we got money now.’ it was a very pleasant surprise.”

“Yeah, I make [Reinsdorf] uncomfortable a little bit sometimes,” said Williams, who quipped the White Sox were looking for money under couch cushions to pay for the budget increase. “Hopefully we can continue to build the best team possible and people will get excited and support us, and then I get to keep my job.”

<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101203&content_id=16249874&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlbtag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101203″>White Sox going 'all in' with recent moves

Hi,

I've had a problem with fleas inmy house for a while now. I have two 6 month old kittens and at first I didn't even notice they had fleas because I didn't know the 'black dirt' was actually flea droppings! They must have caught fleas during the hot weather throughout june and july so I'm guessing they've had them for about 4 months now. my friend noticed they had fleas around july so I deflead them and continued to do so next month, however I went on holiday in august and my friend who was looking after the kittens said they definitely still had the fleas. on my return I took them to the vets who gave me front line combo which I used a few weeks ago. I also thoroughly hoovered and sprayed everywhere with the best cat firendly house hold flea spray I could find.

Over the past few weeks I've been hoovering everwhere daily, spraying with flea spree things the kittens touch on a daily basis and also washing on 60 degrees cushion coveres, the kittens bedding and any soft furnishings I can. I have banished the kittens from my bedroom and thouroughly sprayed with flea spray. I also groom each kitten with a flea comb daily. on one kitten I'm finding almost nothing (i.e no fleas maybe 1 or 2 droppings however on the longer haired kitten I'm finding lots of droppings which means there are still fleas somewhere in my home jumping on her and feeding on her during the day and then pooping all over her I also found 2 fleas on her yesterday.

There seem to be less droppings on her than a few weeks ago but the front line combo doesnt kill the fleas just stops them breeding which is why theres less fleas, however i want to now kill whats left but i would have thought spraying flea spray and hoovering and washing everything would have done it by now. I'm taking long haired kitty to the vets today as she needs to be booked in for spaying but I'm thinking while shes in she could be shaved as this would help stop the fleas going on her as they seem to favour her longer fur as opposed to my boy kittens short sleek burmese coat.

Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated the vet told me to put moth balls in the hoover bag but ive got a bagless hoover and ive read that the heat from the hoover can make the toxic stuff from the moth balls come out and is dangerous to the kittens. Do i just need to be persistent and continue hoovering every nook and cranny and front line cobo -ing each kitten every month? Or do i need to get a pro in. how about flea bombs? I havnt tried them yet but I want to use a method that doesnt have to innvolve keeping the kittens out of the house for 24 hours or something as they dont go outside on their own yet, only went out in the warm weather a bit supervised which is probably how they brought fleas in the first place. that said I must need to treat the area outside the house too yes? Can i just use my normal flea spray?

I would continue with the daily clean up, also try this:
Fill a deep bucket with warm water add some shampoo gently stir in then take each kitten in turn and VERY slowly lower the kitten rear feet first into the water….the idea being that the fleas will seek out drier areas of fur and as you continue to lower the kitten they will flee toward the kittens nose… do not drown the kitten. as the fleas emerge they will be caught in the soapy water which will disable their jumping ability and they will die by drowning…. do this outdoors to prevent any escapees from breeding once more within your house….(It's something we did many years ago when we could not afford vet fees)
Good luck.

Flea bombs!

I've used to mortein ones, I had fleas in my carpet so bad just walking over it would make about six fleas jump on you.

so flea bomb the house THOROUGHLY one can per room and get your kittens collars or I think Front-line also make a pump spray that can be used on kittens from just a few days or weeks old – (its what we use on our puppy).

WARNING: do not leave any pets/children/the elderly in the house when flea bombing it's very poisonus stuff to breath untill the vapour settles.

I don't think vacuuming will do any good because I don't think you'll get all the flea/eggs.

You can also get powders and sprays that will work well but i personally prefer the bombs because if you do the whole house i think the stuff gets in every nook and crany and you know that you haven't missed a spot. plus it will knock down other house hold pests like cockroachs spider and stuff.

I'm sure you know that the most important thing is just making sure that you do the kittens and the house at the same time.

It sounds like you have such a persistent problem that you should call a professional exterminator. This is beyond what you can handle. Tell him that you are using Frontline so he doesn't use an products that can react to it.

You will need to use Frontline on your cats once a month, every month to avoid having problems in the future. It's totally worth it to avoid problems like this, and really effective.

I wouldn't want to use mothballs, either. My vet said just to vacuum and then throw the bags into the trash immediately so the fleas can't come back out into your house. but once you've had an exterminator in, it won't be an issue

I wish you the best and hope that your home and kitties are flea free soon!

I treated my cats with Frontline twice in the summer and it did not get rid of them. I then was advised by my Vet to use Stronghold and that did the job. I think Frontline has become ineffective as the fleas have got used to it.

It sounds like you are already taking good advice and are doing most of the recommended steps.

Frontline is the best way to treat your pet and flea spray for the house is also very good.
What I would recommend is for you to get the flea spray from the vets, normally they have 2 different strengths, one mild and one other stronger variety which may require the cats to be out of the house (or certain parts of the house via isolating to another room). if the mild one is not working as expected then try the stronger variety and follow the instructions very carefully, ensuring that every possible place is thoroughly covered and contiune with your strict washing regime.

In addition you may want to consider others ways the fleas can get in, perhaps you have a cat flap fitted, or leave doors / windows open, you should definitely put a stop to this if it is the case.
Also make sure the cats do not leave the house until this problem is completely resolved.

Hopefully this type of lock-down method, combined with stronger sprays may lead to a solution, if not then your only option is to get the place fumigated. unfortunately it is vital that you get this resolved soon as cats have a tendency to start biting themselves which is an even more difficult problem to deal – as I have found out recently!

Good luck with this.

Persistent fleas help!!!?

We are all aware that having to carry your preferred deck chairs in and out of our home normally takes the fun from unwinding. sometimes you discover that you don’t remember to bring your chairs inside and they might get rained on.

For those who have all climate chair cushions on your chairs then you haven’t anything to bother with. you could have your cushions in climate tolerant material, letting you leave them outside if you want.

The first place that you can go to is plowhearth.com.  this place has all the normal chair cushions accessible we will take a look at a number of them in the passage underneath. for people who have Adirondack chairs; you will find the vintage outdoor Adirondack cushions.

These are available in various prints and hues to make them simply blend in very easily with other products you may possibly have. for instance you can obtain your just about all climate chair cushions to match any kind of umbrellas or carpets you have.

The cushions are Ultraviolet safe to withstand fading and they’re fast drying even after a storm. they have been dealt with to resist soil together with stains for several years.

 These are filled with padded foam as they are very cozy. they either have ties or utilize straps to hold them in position. the cost of Adirondack all climate chair cushions vary from $49.00 to $55.00.

It is possible to get cushions for whatever kind of chair you’ve got from this particular place. they have got the Classic Multi Hinge Chaise selling for around $90.00. the luxurious blended seat and chair cushion for around $100.00.

These kinds of all climate chair cushions will not be affected by mildew won’t lose colour and they’re not going to rot.  There are actually means of taking care of your cushions to ensure that they last you for a longer time.

you can even look up some of the ones at amazon.com. Don’t forget purchasing climate-proof cushions does not imply you can forget about them.

I urge you never to ignore the authors views as they carry important points to use

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Do add this site to your bookmarks and check it later on, because more and more content is being added

this entry was posted on Saturday, November 27th, 2010 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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The snow may have arrived a little early, but over the next three weeks there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the season.

Saturday, 4 December 2010

At the other end of Britain, Scotland – the king of bah humbug for 500 years, after banning the "Popish" festival in the 16th century (Christmas Day was declared a national holiday only in the 1950s) – is in overdrive. The Glasgow loves Christmas campaign kicked off at the end of November, celebrating the city’s festive credentials – there’s a programme of yuletide events plus a "pop-up" Harvey Nichols to tempt shoppers in the St Enoch centre (glasgowloveschristmas.com). across in Edinburgh, meanwhile, Princes Street has once again been turned into a winter wonderland, complete with a giant Ferris wheel, ice-skating rink and Christmas market (edinburghschristmas.com).

In fact, many British towns now seem to have a "traditional German Christmas Market". The Meisters are to be found in Birmingham, which has a successful Frankfurt Christmas Market (birmingham.gov.uk/frankfurtmarket), with 180 stalls offering bratwurst, stollen, gingerbread and marzipan sweets. A new arrival to the scene, Chester (chestermagic.co.uk) is going down the Victorian route, with roast chestnuts, a skating rink in front of the grand County Court (adult

Back in Gilroy, the teen girls who make up the Latina Leadership Program struggle with an array of serious issues in their lives. But on a sunlit fall afternoon, 11 of them are exploring new possibilities during a hike along the rural hillsides of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The natural setting “makes me calm and relaxed,” says Gilroy High School 10th-grader Brenda Loeza, 15. “It makes me not think about my problems, just about what I will do with myself when I am older.”

The hike, sponsored by Rebekah Children’s Services, is part of the leadership program Rosalva Vargas, a therapist at Rebekah, started four years ago. The program is aimed at Latina girls, ages 13 to 18, whose problems range from difficult home lives to gang involvement to depression.

Besides such events, the mentoring program is designed to give the girls a safe place to talk and form bonds with the bilingual program counselors and the other girls.

They also regularly embark on field trips designed to connect them with their Latina heritage, exposing them to the culture and wisdom of their ancestors. last year, participants watched Aztec dancers in San Jose and visited a gallery of works by influential Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. They attended the San Francisco meeting of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, a cultural group working to preserve traditional ways of life.

In a mark of the program’s impact, all seven girls in the Latina Leadership program last year who graduated from high school also entered college, becoming the first members of their families to do so.

Public schools and community mental health agencies refer girls to Latina Leadership, as do counselors at Rebekah Children’s Services. some of the teens bring friends they think could benefit. When the program began in 2006, just four girls participated. now, 18 are enrolled. More information about Rebekah Children’s Services is at rcskids.org.

Bertha Perez, 17, was referred to the program three years ago because she was struggling with schoolwork and not getting along with family members and friends.

But she was nervous about joining because she didn’t know anyone else in the group and doubted it would be fun. “I didn’t really want to go,” Perez says. “But when it started, I didn’t want to leave.”

Perez is preparing to graduate from high school in December, a semester ahead of schedule, and head to Gilroy’s Gavilan College. she credits the leadership group for helping spark her turnaround.

“You just start trusting people, and they become like your second family,” Perez says. “You feel good about yourself and you know you are moving on with your life, that you’re not just stuck in one place.”

The experiences of the girls in the Latina Leadership program mirror social problems endemic in Gilroy, such as unemployment and crime, say officials at Rebekah Children’s Services.

One-third of the girls in the leadership program this year live in foster care, Vargas says, while about one-third are trying to extricate themselves from youth gangs. “They have issues, but they also have the potential” to become future leaders in their communities, says Vargas, herself the child of migrant workers who raised her in California and Mexico. Girls in the program can really achieve, Vargas says, if they “could just get a little support and hang with the right crowd.”

The girls’ discussions during their gatherings are kept confidential, which builds a bond of trust among participants. during their recent mountain outing to the 42-acre property owned by a Gilroy engineer, one teen revealed that support from the leadership group had helped her stop cutting herself whenever she was sad.

Everyone applauded, counselors and girls alike. “You know we’ve got your back,” one girl says.

After three hours of hiking, laughing, talking and eating, crickets chirped as the cool evening air settled in. Just before they packed up to leave, the students settled on a patio and were handed sketch pads to draw or write down their feelings about the visit.

In silence, girls drew pictures of the richly hued sunset and the velvety green hills stretched out before them.

Donations in increments of $10 will pay for writing journals the girls use, and healthy snacks and drinks for the program; $35 will help buy prom dresses for these low-income youth, as well as holiday gifts for girls whose family lives don’t always include such treats. Donations of $100 will help send some girls to Texas to the annual Global Youth Peace Summit conference held by the nonprofit Amala Foundation.

Comments about wish Book stories? E-mail wishbook@mercurynews.com or call coordinator Sue McAllister at 408-920-5833. “Like” our Facebook page at facebook.com/mercurynews.wishbook.

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