Figuring out what you want to cook for a meal isn't always easy. You have to factor in what you've had recently, and then try and figure out what you want in advance. Over on TUAW, one writer suggests keeping a rolling to-do list of meals to find inspiration.
Assuming that you don't go out of your way to try a brand new recipe for every single meal, TUAW's method makes sense. Using the to-do app Clear (although any will work), all of your meals can be kept in a rotation where you can see what you've cooked recently. TUAW explains:
That list stores my rotation of standby meals: the ones I know I can cook in a reasonable amount of time, and the ones I know my wife and I will always enjoy eating...The trick is, I never mark any of those meals as "complete." I'm not using the app to track what I've done. Instead, after cooking any particular meal, I merely drag it down the priority order to the very bottom (you can do this with a simple tap-and-drag in Clear, which is one of the reasons I really like the app). Then, when I find myself pondering "what am I making for dinner tonight?", I look at the top of the list for my inspiration. That way, I get a natural reminder of the things I haven't cooked in a while.
If you find yourself struggling to figure out what you want to cook, this might be a method worth trying. A good meal plan goes a long way to cutting stress from shopping, but sometimes inspiration is hard to come by. It's especially handy if you ever find yourself in the rut of making the same five or six meals every week.
Lifehack: Use a to-do app for cooking inspiration | TUAW
Study finds flame retardant pollutants at far-flung locationsPublic release date: 8-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steve Hinnefeld slhinnef@iu.edu 812-856-3488 Indiana University
Research supports effectiveness of tree bark as novel sampling medium for contamination
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Chemicals used as flame retardants are present as environmental pollutants at locations around the globe, including remote sites in Indonesia, Nepal and Tasmania, according to a study by researchers from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
The study, published this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, makes use of a novel but highly effective sampling technique: measuring concentrations of the chemicals in the bark of trees, which absorbs compounds in both vapor and particle phases.
"These findings illustrate further that flame retardants are ubiquitous pollutants and are found all around the world, not only in biota and humans but also in plants," said Amina Salamova, a research associate in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Bloomington and co-author of the study with Ronald A. Hites, Distinguished Professor in SPEA and in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The study measured concentrations of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants collected in tree bark samples at 12 locations around the globe: three sites in Canada and single sites in Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Czech Republic, South Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, Tasmania and American Samoa.
The highest concentrations were found at an urban site: Downsview, Ontario, Canada, near Toronto. However, the second-highest concentration of one type of flame retardant, Dechlorane Plus, was found at a remote site at Bukit Kototabang in Indonesia. Researchers don't know the cause of the relatively high concentrations at the site but suspect it may be near a source.
The study was carried out in cooperation with the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling network, an international monitoring initiative established in 2004 on six continents.
Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants have been used for several decades in consumer products made of plastic, foam, wood and textiles to prevent combustion and slow the spread of fire. They persist in the environment and bio-accumulate in ecosystems and in human tissues. Exposure to the compounds has been associated with thyroid and other endocrine system disruption and with adverse neurological development. As a result, the production and use of certain flame retardants has been restricted in North America and the European Union.
Researchers measured a variety of flame retardants, including widely used polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDE, as well as nonregulated compounds such as Dechlorane Plus and "older" flame retardants that were used in the 1980s. Findings included:
Most of the compounds were detected at all the locations, with concentrations varying widely.
Concentrations were associated with population density, suggesting the compounds most likely entered the environment through their use in nearby homes and offices.
Concentrations found in tree bark are correlated with those measured in previous atmospheric sampling at the sites by the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling network.
Higher concentrations of flame retardants in bark and the atmosphere have been found by Hites and others in previous studies of the Great Lakes region, especially urban areas near Chicago and Cleveland, and also at cities in China. Even higher concentrations were found in southern Arkansas and at Niagara Falls, N.Y., near the sites of manufacturing facilities for PBDE and Dechlorane Plus, respectively.
The study also confirms the effectiveness of using tree bark as a sampling medium, a technique that Hites and colleagues have used in previous studies of persistent organic pollutants such as flame retardants.
Bark makes an effective sampling medium because of its large surface area and high lipid content. The samples are easy and inexpensive to collect, an advantage in developing countries that lack funding for extensive environmental monitoring programs. Tree bark also collects both vapor and particle phase pollutants, while other samplers collect one or the other.
###
Support for the study came from the Great Lakes National Program Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The article is available online. To speak with Salamova or Hites, contact Steve Hinnefeld at IU Communications, 812-856-3488 or slhinnef@iu.edu, or Jim Hanchett at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 812-856-5490 or jimhanch@indiana.edu.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Study finds flame retardant pollutants at far-flung locationsPublic release date: 8-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steve Hinnefeld slhinnef@iu.edu 812-856-3488 Indiana University
Research supports effectiveness of tree bark as novel sampling medium for contamination
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Chemicals used as flame retardants are present as environmental pollutants at locations around the globe, including remote sites in Indonesia, Nepal and Tasmania, according to a study by researchers from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
The study, published this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, makes use of a novel but highly effective sampling technique: measuring concentrations of the chemicals in the bark of trees, which absorbs compounds in both vapor and particle phases.
"These findings illustrate further that flame retardants are ubiquitous pollutants and are found all around the world, not only in biota and humans but also in plants," said Amina Salamova, a research associate in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Bloomington and co-author of the study with Ronald A. Hites, Distinguished Professor in SPEA and in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The study measured concentrations of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants collected in tree bark samples at 12 locations around the globe: three sites in Canada and single sites in Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Czech Republic, South Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, Tasmania and American Samoa.
The highest concentrations were found at an urban site: Downsview, Ontario, Canada, near Toronto. However, the second-highest concentration of one type of flame retardant, Dechlorane Plus, was found at a remote site at Bukit Kototabang in Indonesia. Researchers don't know the cause of the relatively high concentrations at the site but suspect it may be near a source.
The study was carried out in cooperation with the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling network, an international monitoring initiative established in 2004 on six continents.
Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants have been used for several decades in consumer products made of plastic, foam, wood and textiles to prevent combustion and slow the spread of fire. They persist in the environment and bio-accumulate in ecosystems and in human tissues. Exposure to the compounds has been associated with thyroid and other endocrine system disruption and with adverse neurological development. As a result, the production and use of certain flame retardants has been restricted in North America and the European Union.
Researchers measured a variety of flame retardants, including widely used polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDE, as well as nonregulated compounds such as Dechlorane Plus and "older" flame retardants that were used in the 1980s. Findings included:
Most of the compounds were detected at all the locations, with concentrations varying widely.
Concentrations were associated with population density, suggesting the compounds most likely entered the environment through their use in nearby homes and offices.
Concentrations found in tree bark are correlated with those measured in previous atmospheric sampling at the sites by the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling network.
Higher concentrations of flame retardants in bark and the atmosphere have been found by Hites and others in previous studies of the Great Lakes region, especially urban areas near Chicago and Cleveland, and also at cities in China. Even higher concentrations were found in southern Arkansas and at Niagara Falls, N.Y., near the sites of manufacturing facilities for PBDE and Dechlorane Plus, respectively.
The study also confirms the effectiveness of using tree bark as a sampling medium, a technique that Hites and colleagues have used in previous studies of persistent organic pollutants such as flame retardants.
Bark makes an effective sampling medium because of its large surface area and high lipid content. The samples are easy and inexpensive to collect, an advantage in developing countries that lack funding for extensive environmental monitoring programs. Tree bark also collects both vapor and particle phase pollutants, while other samplers collect one or the other.
###
Support for the study came from the Great Lakes National Program Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The article is available online. To speak with Salamova or Hites, contact Steve Hinnefeld at IU Communications, 812-856-3488 or slhinnef@iu.edu, or Jim Hanchett at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 812-856-5490 or jimhanch@indiana.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Lego's Mindstorms kits were born into a world where the PC reigned supreme for control; the company is ushering in 2013 with an acknowledgment that its build-it-yourself toy is part of a much wider universe. Its updated Mindstorms EV3 runs on new Linux firmware that's ready for Android and iOS control out of the box, creates an overall more hackable platform and allows further programming on the core Intelligent Brick itself; accordingly, there's an SD card slot for local storage. A built-in infrared sensor expands the possibilities for a more autonomous design, as well -- Lego suggests that EV3 constructs can follow other moving gadgets, or even their creators, around the room. It should also be the first Lego bundle with its own 3D construction guide, as a new app built with Autodesk's help lets builders see the process from every angle. We won't have the chance to put a kit together until the EV3 line ships in the second half of the year, but Lego already expects the core unit to sell for $350.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Zero Dark Thirty" made the most of its expansion this weekend, running up a very strong $45,834 per-screen average from 60 locations in 11 U.S. cities.
Kathryn Bigelow's tale of the hunt for Osama bin Laden brought in $2.75 million, after expanding from five locations in two markets this weekend in the wake of several nominations from the Producers Guild (PGA) and Writers Guild (WGA).
Its overall total after three weeks is $4.4 million. Sony plans to go wide next week, after Thursday's Oscar nominations.
The Weinstein Company's "Silver Linings Playbook," which also earned nominations from the PGA and WGA, appeared to have received a boost, too.
It dropped just 11 percent - the best of any film in wide release - and brought in $3.6 million from 745 screens, a $4,847 per theater. It has now brought in $34.6 million over its eight weeks.
"We think we're positioned very well for the long haul," Erik Lomis, Weinstein's head of distribution said. The studio plans to go wide with the dark comedy from David O. Russell on January 18, the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
Sony Classics' "Amour" averaged $21,199 after taking in $63,596 from three screens. The overall gross for Michael Haneke's dark and unsparing look at old age and death, a front-runner in Oscar's Best Foreign Language race, is now $315,011 after 17 days.
"There's nothing like a hot tub and ski-in, ski-out lodging, but a great ski town needs more than that," says Steve Kopitz, founder of specialty gear shop Skis.com.
We certainly won't argue with a man who has traveled to more than 40 ski towns across America. As Kopitz suggests, our favorites not only deliver the bars, restaurants and adventures that winter vacationers want but also have a certain small-town appeal, a sense of history and the carefree vibe that brought downhillers there in the first place.
You don't need to be a part of that black-diamond club to appreciate all that these ski towns have to offer. Visitors to Bend, OR, for example, can sample more than 12 microbreweries in between runs or go rock-climbing in Smith Rock State Park. In Taos, NM, take shelter from the cold in galleries and museums that display masterpieces by the likes of Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe, artists who found inspiration in the surrounding desert and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Or simply lounge by the kiva fireplace in your adobe inn.
Sure, there are other great places where you can base a ski trip, such as Salt Lake City, which provides easy access to the renowned Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird resorts, or Aspen, CO, which went from modest silver-mining roots to a swanky favorite among the rich and famous. We've set our sights, however, on the towns that prove ski vacations aren't just about the slopes or mega-resorts or chic chalets. They are about embracing a lifestyle -- and they are just plain fun.
<a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-ski-towns/9" target="_hplink">See More of America's Best Ski Towns</a> Nearly a million annual visitors descend on Park City, whose Main Street still has the rugged good looks of a 19th-century western mining town. It puts skiers in easy reach of mountain resorts, hosts the Sundance Film Festival, and has become a culinary hotbed. The ski-in distillery High West Distillery & Saloon offers customized flights of craft creations paired with dishes like Kentucky whiskey beer cheese and bourbon three-onion soup. The seasonal tasting menu at Talisker on Main incorporates vegetables and herbs grown on its rooftop, while the Canyons? Bistro restaurant is the first and only certified kosher restaurant at a U.S. ski resort. With the restoration of the 1889 Washington School House into a 12-room hotel, you?ve got a new home base?plus complimentary transportation to your preferred slopes. <em>Photo courtesy of the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau</em>
Truckee, CA
<a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-ski-towns/9" target="_hplink">See More of America's Best Ski Towns</a> There are 12 downhill and eight cross-country resorts within about 10 miles of Truckee in North Tahoe, which averages 275 days of annual sunshine and 400 inches of snowfall (that includes Squaw Valley ski resort, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics and debuted the world?s first ski-through Starbucks). As if that weren?t appeal enough, you can alternate skiing with activities like guided astronomy snowshoe hikes, paddleboarding (in wetsuits) on Lake Tahoe, and winter lake cruises. Be sure to pay your respects to the old-time Truckee Hotel, a local institution with hearty dishes served at on-site Moody?s Bistro. Finer dining restaurant Cottonwood looks over downtown Truckee from one of the nation?s oldest ski lodges. <em>Photo courtesy of Moody's Bistro.</em>
Ketchum, ID
<a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-ski-towns/9" target="_hplink">See More of America's Best Ski Towns</a> The artsy town of Ketchum is 1.5 miles from Sun Valley Resort, built in 1936 with a lift that serves the entire elevation (3,400 vertical feet) on a high-speed quad. The resort also claims the world?s largest automated snowmaking system and a year-round skating rink where Olympians are known to perform. With Ketchum as your home base, dine out at B. Restaurant and Bar, overlooking the mountains from its second-floor deck; at Vintage, with its cozy log cabin ambience; and at Cristina?s Restaurant, where the menu reflects owner Cristina Ceccatelli Cook?s Tuscan childhood. Stop in for a wine tasting at Frenchman?s Gulch Winery, which uses Washington grapes, and take advantage of Sun Valley Gallery Association?s free tours. <em>Photo courtesy of Sun Valley Resort</em>
Stowe, VT
<a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-ski-towns/9" target="_hplink">See More of America's Best Ski Towns</a> A church steeple rises over this quaint colonial town chartered in 1763 amid the Green Mountains. Vermont?s highest peak, Mount Mansfield, is here, as are both double-black-diamond trails and plenty of beginner runs. Aside from skiing six distinctive areas at Stowe Mountain Resort, there are simple pleasures like the Ben & Jerry?s ice cream plant, old-fashioned Shaw?s General Store, and Solstice, whose dreamy views of Spruce Peak and seasonal, locavore dishes conspire to make it one of America?s most romantic restaurants. If you?re in the mood, splurge on a stay at Topnotch, where a hot-stone massage caps off a day on the slopes. <em>Photo courtesy of Stowe Mountain Resort.</em>
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Hisense gave us a tease of its TV future late last year with reasonably-sized 4K sets. We now know that it's bringing a lot more to CES -- and we do mean a lot. Its 2013 lineup will include the XT900 line, which brings 3D-capable 4K displays to 65-inch, 85-inch and slightly staggering 110-inch sizes. If extreme resolution isn't top on the list, there's still the 55- and 65-inch XT780, which port Hisense's Google TV interface from a set-top box to the set itself. Glasses-free 3D rounds out the previews: while just a concept, the 60-inch GF60XT980 is promising through its combination of face tracking and a 2160p display to avoid the usual 3D eyewear while preserving detail. Unspecified models across the entire mix carry MHL-capable HDMI ports to handle devices like the Roku Streaming Stick. Prices and ship dates will have to wait until closer to release, Hisense says, but many more details (including a snapshot of the XT780) await after the break.
BOSTON (AP) ? The Republican Party seems as divided and angry as ever.
Infighting has penetrated the highest levels of the House GOP leadership. Long-standing geographic tensions have increased, pitting endangered Northeastern Republicans against their colleagues from other parts of the country. Enraged tea party leaders are threatening to knock off dozens of Republicans who supported a measure that raised taxes on the nation's highest earners.
"People are mad as hell. I'm right there with them," Amy Kremer, chairman of the Tea Party Express, said late last week, declaring that she has "no confidence" in the party her members typically support. Her remarks came after GOP lawmakers agreed to higher taxes but no broad spending cuts as part of a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff."
"Anybody that voted 'yes' in the House should be concerned" about primary challenges in 2014, she said.
At the same time, one of the GOP's most popular voices, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, blasted his party's "toxic internal politics" after House Republicans initially declined to approve disaster relief for victims of Superstorm Sandy. He said it was "disgusting to watch" their actions and he faulted the GOP's most powerful elected official, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
The GOP's internal struggles to figure out what it wants to be were painfully exposed after Mitt Romney's loss to President Barack Obama on Nov. 6, but they have exploded in recent days. The fallout could extend well beyond the party's ability to win policy battles on Capitol Hill. It could hamper Republicans as they examine how to regroup and attract new voters after a disheartening election season.
To a greater degree than the Democrats, the Republican Party has struggled with internal divisions for the past few years. But these latest clashes have seemed especially public and vicious.
"It's disappointing to see infighting in the party," said Ryan Williams, a Republican operative and former Romney aide. "It doesn't make us look like we're in a position to challenge the president and hold him accountable to the promises he made."
What's largely causing the dissension? A lack of a clear GOP leader with a single vision for the party.
Republicans haven't had a consistent standard-bearer since President George W. Bush left office in 2008 with the nation on the edge of a financial collapse. His departure, along with widespread economic concerns, gave rise to a tea party movement that infused the GOP's conservative base with energy. The tea party is credited with broad Republican gains in the 2010 congressional elections, but it's also blamed for the rising tension between the pragmatic and ideological wings of the party ? discord that festers still.
It was much the same for Democrats in the late 1980s before Bill Clinton emerged to win the White House and shift his party to the political center.
2012 presidential nominee Romney never fully captured the hearts of his party's most passionate voters. But his tenure atop the party was short-lived; since Election Day, he's disappeared from the political world.
Those Republican leaders who remain engaged ? Christie, Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus ? are showing little sign of coming together.
Those on the GOP's deep bench of potential 2016 presidential contenders, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, have begun staking out their own, sometimes conflicting ideas for the party.
Over the short term at least, the party's divisions probably will continue to be exposed.
Obama has outlined a second-term agenda focused on immigration and gun control; those are issues that would test Republican solidarity even in good times. Deep splits already exist between Republican pragmatists and the conservative base, who oppose any restrictions on guns or allowances for illegal immigrants.
It's unclear whether Obama can exploit the GOP fissures or whether the Republican dysfunction will hamper him. With Boehner unable to control his fractured caucus, the White House is left wondering how to deal with the House on any divisive issue.
Fiscal issues aren't going away, with lawmakers were agree on a broad deficit-reduction package. The federal government reached its borrowing limit last week, so Congress has about two months or three months to raise the debt ceiling or risk a default on federal debt. Massive defense and domestic spending cuts are set to take effect in late February. By late March, the current spending plan will end, raising the possibility of a government shutdown.
Frustrated conservative activists and GOP insiders hope that the continued focus on fiscal matters will help unite the factions as the party pushes for deep spending cuts. That fight also may highlight Democratic divisions because the party's liberal wing vehemently opposes any changes to Social Security or Medicare
"Whenever you lose the White House, the party's going to have ups and downs," said Republican strategist Ron Kaufman. "My guess is when the spending issues come up again, the Democrats' warts will start to show as well."
The GOP's fissures go beyond positions on issues. They also are geographical.
Once a strong voice in the party, moderate Republicans across the Northeast are nearly extinct. Many of those who remain were frustrated in recent days when Boehner temporarily blocked a vote on a disaster relief bill.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said campaign donors in the Northeast who give the GOP after the slight "should have their head examined."
Boehner, who just won a second term as speaker, quickly scheduled a vote on a narrower measure for Friday after the new Congress convened, and it rushed out a $9.7 billion measure to help pay flood insurance claims.
Weary Republican strategists are trying to be hopeful about the GOP's path ahead, and liken the current situation to party's struggles after Obama's 2008 election. At the time, some pundits questioned the viability of the Republican Party. But it came roaring back two years later, thanks largely to the tea party.
"If we have learned anything from the fiscal cliff fiasco, conservatives discovered we need to stand firm, and stand together, on our principles from beginning to end," said Republican strategist Alice Stewart. "It's frustrating to see the GOP drop the ball and turn a position of true compromise into total surrender. The Democrats succeeded in their strategy of divide and conquer."
___
Associated Press writers Ken Thomas and Ben Feller in Washington contributed to this report.
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Public release date: 8-Jan-2013
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