MENOMINEE—Another couple of hot starts for the Menominee girls basketball team allowed the Maroons to stay undefeated on the season as the Maroons routed Kingsford 64-22 on Thursday and then traveled to Marquette on Friday for a 61-37 victory to move to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the Great Northern Conference.
“We’ve been coming out of the gates really well in all of our games and I can’t say enough about how well we’ve been playing defensively in the half court, and then being very efficient offensively,” Menominee coach Lucas Chouinard said. “We’ve really been putting a lot of pressure on teams when we’re able to do that so early, and then it just sparks the rest of the game for us too. In all of our games we’ve kind of had a lapse after halftime, so it was nice to see our girls come out with the same energy after halftime as they did to start the games.”
Against Kingsford on Thursday, Erin Barrette swiped a pass and brought it in for a layup to start things off but Kingsford’s Laura Bracket quickly answered with a baseline drive for a basket to tie the game.
From that point on, Menominee was suffocating on the defensive end and rarely allowed the Flivvers a chance to cross half court as the Maroons went on a 9-0 run over the next five minutes before Jenny Olkkonen ended the run with a basket as Menominee led 11-4 with under three minutes left in the quarter.
Barrette answered Kingsford’s basket with a 3-pointer and Kennedy Olson knocked one down on the Maroons’ next possession to hike the lead to 17-4. After a triple from Kingsford’s Christina Glodowski, Menominee ended the quarter with an offensive rebound and putback from Makenzie Wellner and then Wellner was fouled with no time on the clock and knocked down both free throws to take a 21-7 lead after the first.
A 9-0 run to start the second quarter on baskets from Olson, Anderson, Barrette and Wellner bumped Menominee lead to 30-7 before a basket from the Flivvers’ Zoie Geronimi ended the run, but Josie Hofer answered with a 3-pointer for Menominee against Kingsford’s zone defense after some good ball movement from the Maroons.
“We know we’re going to see a lot of zones this year so we really have focused on our ball movement and we work on that a lot,” Chouinard said. “When we have good ball movement and player movement against zones it really shows how dynamic we can be on the offensive end.”
Kingsford cut Menominee’s lead to 37-13 on four straight points from Talia Wallis, but Menominee ended the first half with Anna Nerat splashing a 3-pointer from the corner to go into the break with a 40-13 advantage.
The Flivvers were only able to muster one basket in the third quarter when Olkkonen got free inside for a basket and the Maroons totaled 14 points to head into the final eight minutes ahead 54-15.
Menominee’s lead grew to 40 early in the fourth quarter when Rylee Wickstrom knocked down a triple, and it ended at 42 after back-to-back baskets from Rylee Doyle to close out the game.
Barrette led a balanced attack for Menominee with 14 points and four assists; Anderson added 12 points and Olson finished with eight.
Against Marquette on Friday, Menominee scored the first 18 points of the game as Anderson, Hofer and Jenna Nolde all knocked down 3-pointers in the opening four minutes as Menominee forced Marquette into seven turnovers on its first eight possessions.
Menominee held a 22-8 lead after the first quarter and extended that to 40-12 at halftime for its second straight 40-point opening half, and Marquette was never able to close the gap in the second half as Menominee coasted to another victory.
Menominee (6-0, 5-0 GNC) will now host West Iron County on Tuesday in a non-conference game.
Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management CEO Phil Blancato shares his advice for saving for the golden years.
Retiring can be a daunting prospect. When you're used to collecting a steady paycheck, the idea of losing it and relying on savings and Social Security can be overwhelming.
The good news? A few simple moves on your part could set the stage for the retirement you've always imagined -- one that's fulfilling and devoid of financial stress. Here's how to pull that off.
Giving your savings time to grow is just about the best thing you can do for your retirement. Imagine you start socking away $300 a month at age 22, right when you first enter the workforce. If you invest that money at an average annual 7% return (more on that in a minute), you'll wind up with just over $1 million by the time you reach age 67. Wait just five years to begin saving, however, and you'll end up with $719,000. That's still impressive, but it's a lot less money to live on.
The 7% return we just used in our example? That assumes an IRA or 401(k) that's invested heavily in stocks. If you play it safe with your investments, you could end up scoring a much lower return that limits your savings' growth. If you were to go heavy on bonds in your retirement plan, you might only enjoy an average annual 4% return on your investments. And in that case, you'll end up with just $436,000 instead of over $1 million, assuming that same $300 monthly contribution and 45-year savings window.
Racking up debt can wreck your retirement, even if you accrue that debt years before your career ends. First of all, the more debt you accumulate, the more money you'll throw away paying interest, and the less money you'll have the option to save. Additionally, if you carry debt into retirement, it'll be one more monthly expense you'll need to grapple with, straining your Social Security benefits and retirement plan withdrawals. A better bet is to steer clear of unhealthy debt and limit yourself to the good kind, like mortgage debt or a car loan as needed.
While you should make every effort to save a nice amount of money to supplement your Social Security benefits, you'll still want those payments to be as generous as possible. And one guaranteed way to get more money from Social Security is to simply delay your benefits past full retirement age, which is when you're entitled to your full monthly benefit based on your wage history. For each year you hold off on filing past that point, your benefits increase by 8%, up until age 70. Wait long enough, and you could end up sitting on thousands of dollars in extra benefits per year.
Maybe your dream retirement involves exotic vacations and dinners at fine restaurants. Or maybe it means getting to stay in the home you raised your children in and enjoying local activities and hobbies. No matter your vision, these simple moves could be your ticket to fulfilling the goals you set for yourself.
Many expectant moms plan to make homemade organic baby food for their little ones—until they give birth and discover they don’t have the time. The DIY approach has gotten even more challenging since the coronavirus pandemic arrived and many moms have been juggling caring for infants with online school for other children and working from home.
Jessica Sturzenegger, 31, has built a business around making their lives easier. Her San Francisco-based company, Amara, co-founded in 2016 with the chef Vicki Johnson, sells shelf-stable organic meals such as “potato kale mash” and “apple maqui berry” that are dehydrated in a proprietary process that preserves both their flavor and texture once consumers add water, breast milk or formula. Amara also sells a line of yogurt melts and a "Baby's First Meal" box.
“We always say, ‘Home-made is best. Let’s give you the next best option,” says Sturzenegger.
Jessie Sturzenegger says many families have discovered her baby food brand Amara during the ... [+]pandemic.
Amara
Amara is one of a number of natural and organic baby food businesses that have thrived during the pandemic, with more consumers eating at home more and ordering groceries on the web. In one sign of the trend, Neptune Wellness, which owns a portfolio of brands, announced the acquisition of Sprout Foods, a fast-growing organic plant-based baby food company, in February.
Meanwhile, consumers are becoming more vigilant about what goes into their babies’ food. The House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy published a report in February noting that “commercial baby foods are tainted with significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury." Several baby food makers are now facing related lawsuits alleging they violated state consumer protection laws.
Sturzenegger, who once considered becoming a chef, has found the business to be an ideal fit for a foodie like herself. She was born in Switzerland—her mother is Swiss—before her family moved to Pennsylvania. Both of her parents loved to cook, and she grew up accustomed to eating freshly made meals. “Food was a big part of our house,” she says. “You had dinner at 8 p.m. and sat around the dinner table for two hours. Friends would come over. The dinner table was 10-people long.”
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Sturzenegger started the business while consulting with women entrepreneurs at Startup-Chile, an accelerator in Santiago that was created by the Chilean government, through the Princeton fellowship program PiLA.
When Sturzenegger noticed a gap in the baby food marketplace, she applied to Startup-Chile herself and secured $40,000 to get started. Amara later raised additional funding from friends and family and closed a funding round of more than $2 million in March 2020. Today, Amara has three full-time employees.
Amara caught on, and with the brand now selling in 1,000 stores, as well as through its own website—the global dried baby food market is expected to see a compound annual growth rate of about 13.5% from 2021-2026, according to Global Market Estimates—investors are taking note. The company’s latest funding round in March 2020 attracted the ex-chairman of Hershey’s CPG group, the distributor Pharmapacks, and Moses Ventures, an investment fund.
"We've seen the average purchase value skyrocket," says Sturzenegger. “A lot of people have discovered us online.”
Nonetheless, the organic baby food market isn't an easy one to break into, with big players such as Gerber, Earth’s Best and Happy Baby well-established. Here’s how Sturzenegger and her ultra-lean team pulled it off.
Build a brain trust. When Sturzenegger launched Amara, she quickly realized how much she needed to learn about the industry. Using Facebook and LinkedIn to make contact, she reached out to experts—"I am the queen of cold calls," she says—and also asked friends for introductions.
That is how she found pros such as a nutritionist and food engineers to guide her. “I’ve always been surrounded by experts and people who know way more than me,” she says. Although she couldn’t afford to hire full-time employees at first, she found that many of the pros she needed were available on a consulting basis.
Take the time to perfect your product. To offer dehydrated baby food that tasted great once it was rehydrated, Sturzenegger and her team had to develop the right methods—a painstaking process. “The technology behind it is very complex,” she says. “It’s nothing you can produce in your own kitchen.”
Complicating the challenge was her desire to make the meals affordable—under $3 a meal, as opposed to the $5-9 a meal that other startup brands were offering. “It has to be something accessible that people can use day in and day out,” she says.
Working with their nutritionist and food engineers, chemists and a pharmaceutical manufacturer, she and Johnson gradually developed a process for making it and now have a patent pending on it. “It was so important to find the believers early on that understood the vision and what I wanted to do with it,” she says.
Put the right systems in place. One of the team’s most important tasks was identifying 15 suppliers who could provide the high-quality organic ingredients Amara needed. Sturzenegger wanted the experience of eating the company's packaged meals to be similar to eating the fresh version. "With our bananas, if you open them up, it smells like bananas," she says. That took additional time spent networking and cold calling.
To protect the company’s intellectual property, Amara opted to spread out the manufacturing process among several partners. “It gives us far greater control but also makes it more complicated,” she says. A director of operations now works exclusively with the suppliers and helps the company navigate any ingredient shortages during the pandemic.
When all was said and done, it took about three years to develop Amara’s first products and get ready for the company’s first small production run, even with a chef involved in developing the recipes from day one. “Babies are such a sensitive category,” she says.
Be willing to do the legwork. As Sturzenegger reached out to stores and broke into Whole Foods and other markets, she made herself available to do product demos, instead of hiring someone to do this on-the-ground work.
She found it was a great way to get the brand established there and to take the pulse of the market. “There were months when I was doing three demos a day,” she recalls.
Stay open to unexpected opportunities. Although she needed funds to grow, Sturzenegger was hesitant to take on too much investment capital at first, worried that some investors would not share her commitment to quality. “I always tell the investors I will not cut corners on ingredients," she says. So, in the early days, she focused mostly on stretching every dollar—the brand grew mostly by word of mouth—and making the most of freelance talent when she needed help.
Still, she remained open-minded about fundraising. She was willing to take a meeting when the CEO of Pharmapacks called after noticing that his wife—who'd made baby food for their first child—had switched to Amara for their second. “He said, ‘My wife is obsessed with your food. Can I come in?’ she recalls. Pharmapacks later became an investor.
Never forget who is buying your product. Amara originally launched on Amazon and in stores, but it now sells through its own website, which Sturzenegger coded herself. She’s found it to be another valuable conduit to the marketplace. “More than anything, it’s our chance to talk directly to moms, which has been incredible,” she says. “I feel like we know more about our moms and why they buy from us.”
Sturzenegger sets aside time every Friday to phone random customers from the company’s email list to get feedback. "Sometimes they're excited to talk. Sometimes they ask, 'Why are you calling me?' she says.
This might seem like something the CEO of a fast-growing startup would delegate, but it's one of her top priorities. She finds it helps her keep stay connected to her core customers.
“You can get so lost in the numbers you lose focus on whom you're selling to,” says Sturzenegger. “Parents are really knowledgeable about what they want, what they need.”
When you want to make a difference in a very competitive industry, it’s important to stay one step ahead of that.
February 28, 2021 at 05:44AM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2021/02/27/by-making-it-easy-for-moms-to-order-organic-baby-food-online-she-built-a-fast-growing-startup-brand/
By Making It Easy For Moms To Order Organic Baby Food Online, She Built A Fast-Growing Startup Brand - Forbes
Just say yes to the power of flowers. For much of the United States, it has been a frigidly cold, extra snowy and icy winter. Thankfully, spring is around the corner: March 20. Get a jump on the joy that new blooms bring, by resting your eyes on soothing florals from five of our nation’s many gorgeous public gardens. Since most of us are staying close to home as we ride out the pandemic, these virtual peeks at pretty petals are more appreciated than ever.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Superb tulips at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
getty
Orchid Daze — a fragrant and fantastical exhibition — has already sprung forth (through April 11) at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which nurtures one of the prodigious collections of orchid species in the U.S. At 30 acres, this urban oasis proves that big jewels can come in small(er) packages.
Orchid heaven at Atlanta Botanical Garden.
getty
Thousands of crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips boost spring’s transformative mood, as young stems push skyward. A hybrid deciduous azalea (named My Mary) is a favorite here for its fragrance and golden yellow hue. Also look for Creeping Mazus, native to the Himalayas, a small purple flower that makes lovely ground covering. This Southern-charm garden excels with the unique, tranquil 600-foot-long Kendeda Canopy Walk — a 12-foot-wide, treetop-level, pedestrian walkway perched 40 feet in the air — that overlooks Storza Woods, home to hickory, oak and tulip poplars, as well as several gardens, such as Azalea Walk and Camellia Walk.
The 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, masterfully tends exceptional gardens and grounds (see video above), originally designed by famed American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also orchestrated plans for New York City’s Central Park.
Biltmore's bountiful tulip plantings are extraordinary.
This horticultural wonderland surrounds the largest privately owned home in the United States today, built as a lavishly elegant 250-room French Renaissance-style château in 1895 by George Vanderbilt, grandson of renowned industrialist and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Biltmore’s spring blooms number into the hundreds of thousands: daffodils, hyacinths and tulips among them — in a rainbow of hues, patterns and flourishes. Its Walled Garden, near the grand glasshouse Conservatory, was even commemorated as a U.S. postal Forever stamp. The Rose Garden, during summer, cultivates more than 250 beguiling rose varieties with prize-winning and trend-setting flair. The Azalea Garden has often been called magical.
Biltmore's expansive landscape is a flower-and-sports lover's getaway.
Clusters of crabapple, flowering dogwood and saucer magnolia trees have long drawn arboretum aficionados from far and wide. Meadows — lushly dotted with wildflowers — and verdant forests offer enchanting escapes. More than 20 miles of hiking trails, as well as horse-, Segway- and bike-riding paths, crisscross the meticulously groomed landscape.
Take a virtual walking tour, powered by Google, directing your computer cursor to move forward along winding paths. At the Lakeside Gardens, 300 flowering crabapple trees ring the Great Basin and are mirrored in the water. Stare at profusions of lilacs, as well as videos of breeze-dancing tulips and daffodils. Experienced gardeners and aspiring green thumbs are grateful for the wheelbarrows of expert tips provided.
A serene retreat amid Big Apple bustle, the 250-acre New York Botanical Garden — a National Historic Landmark — is transforming its beloved annual spring orchid extravaganza for a more compact yet still exquisite Spotlight on Orchids (through April 4) this year. Because of limited visitor admissions due to Coronavirus precautions, a more intimate view of delicate Orchidaceae stems will be set against backdrops of aroids, bromeliads and ferns at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
Wrap your thoughts around this fabulous fecund fact: More than one million plants from around the world grow at the New York Botanical Garden in 50 specialty gardens and collections. Pay keen attention now to its spring offerings (click the “spring” season button). This mesmerizing “museum of living plants” digs deep to serve up insight and delight in its gardens of azaleas, flowering cherries, crabapples and daffodils — all of which have online anticipatory bloom-time trackers. Magnolias are also a treasured spring blossom. And lilacs fill the garden air with an intoxicating scent. Concentrate on the photos and you may imagine sweet results.
A particularly pleasing place is the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden (see video above), applause-worthy for both its exemplary roses (750 different varieties, including some of the oldest known species), as well as its sustainable cutting-edge gardening. The Native Plant Garden heralds the diversity of northeastern North American plants. Plus, there are 30,000 diverse trees, many more than 200 years old.
For more virtual exploration near the New York Botanical Garden, go to NYC Go and I Love NY.
Get ready to be wowed. More than 250,000 tulips and other spring buds will brighten the new season at astounding Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Its 1,100 acres of floral splendor, elaborate fountains and picturesque woodlands include a 4.5-acre conservatory (see video below; which will close on March 1 for an expansion, enhancement and preservation effort: Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience).
Revel in fun, whimsical indulgences at Longwood: giant tree-houses and artistic topiaries. In spring, the Meadow Garden displays Eastern redbuds, flowering dogwoods, Carolina silverbells and azaleas. Celebrated are the flowering magnolia and cherry trees — odes to spring’s rebirth.
For more virtual exploration near Longwood Gardens, go to Historic Kennett Square, Visit Philly (the Philadelphia region — known as America’s Garden Capital — embraces more than 30 public gardens) and Visit PA.
February 28, 2021 at 10:44PM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauramanske/2021/02/28/feel-happier---easy-ways-to-gaze-at-americas-most-gorgeous-spring-gardens/
Feel Happier — Easy Ways To Gaze At America’s Most Gorgeous Spring Gardens - Forbes
Needing to clear the hurdle that was mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim on Saturday in order to begin an ambitious 2021 plan to unify all four super middleweight world titles, unified champion Canelo Alvarez looked every bit of the audaciously large betting favorite he was coming in.
Alvarez, (55-1-2, 37 KOs), the sport's biggest star and best pound-for-pound fighter, made quick work of his limited foe while defending his WBA and WBC titles at 168 pounds via third-round TKO in front of 15,000 socially distanced fans at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
The 30-year-old Mexican star put on quite the performance amid fireworks and a live concert on his walk to the ring alone. After Yildirim (21-3, 12 KOs) hid behind his high guard for the first two rounds, he finally succumbed to a stiff right cross from Alvarez that dropped him in Round 3.
After trainer Joel Diaz warned his fighter between rounds that he needed to show something or the fight would be stopped, the 29-year-old Yildirim stared with a blank expression on his face that caused his corner to stop the fight.
"It doesn't matter if they are taller and have more reach or whether they have a good new trainer or no trainer, it doesn't matter," Alvarez said after the win. "I come here to do my job and win and I come to make history and I have the best trainer in the world [Eddy Reynoso] in my corner."
Alvarez made a quick return to the ring just two months after dominating unbeaten champion Callum Smith to unify a pair of super middleweight titles. But he opened as an alarming 50-1 favorite over Yildirim, a native of Turkey who didn't seem to deserve the mandatory shot considering he was fresh off a two-year layoff and a loss in his last fight.
"It's great to be active. It's wonderful to be here in Miami. I wanted to have a great fight here and I'm happy it's a knockout. That's what I wanted to do," Alvarez said. "I will fight anyone. I fight the best and I always fight the best. I fight the best at 168 and here I am, making history. I had to fight Yildirim to get the opportunity to fight the best at 168 and I had to do it. I defended my titles and am ready for what's next."
What's next was confirmed for May 8 by promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, who has one fight remaining on a two-bout deal Alvarez signed to open the year. Hearn said Alvarez will challenge unbeaten WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders at a location to be announced.
In addition, Alvarez is hoping to fight twice more in 2021 after the Saunders bout and has shared his interest in closing the year by defeating Caleb Plant, the unbeaten IBF champion, to become boxing's first undisputed super middleweight champion.
"[Saunders] is a very difficult fighter and he has the championship, the WBO. We want to unify," Alvarez said before being asked about Saunders' ability to trash talk his opponents. "People talk but I'm a mature fighter. I know how to control myself. All I have to do is get into the ring, win and make history. Words are just that.
"I [want to unify] because it hasn't been done. At 168, no one has done that in the world. I want to make history."
As far as Saturday's fight, Yildirim appeared outclassed from the beginning. He refused to throw his right hand and attempted a style of patiently stalking that left him as target practice for the much quicker and confident Alvarez.
The champion picked Yildirim apart to the body and finally dropped him with a two-punch combination. This was after Alvarez stood directly in front of Yildirim for a sustained stretch showing no fear of the power coming back at him.
In all, Alvarez outlanded his hapless opponent by a margin of 67 to 11, according to CompuBox. Of the 67 punches Alvarez landed, 58 were power shots.
"It's something that makes me feel strong. I feel fast and comfortable," Alvarez said about fighting at 168 pounds. "I think it's one of the best moments of my life.
"I want to make my own history. I don't want to be equal to anyone. I respect everyone in history but I want to make my own history so that when they one day talk about the sport of boxing, they talk about Canelo."
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday. Check out all the highlights and updates from a fun event in Miami below.
Fight card, results
Canelo Alvarez (c) def. Avni Yildirim via third-round TKO (corner stoppage)
McWilliams Arroyo (ic) def. Abraham Rodriguez via fifth-round TKO (ref stoppage)
Zhilei Zhang vs. Jerry Forrest declared a majority draw (95-93 Forrest, 93-93, 93-93)
Diego Pacheco def. Rodolfo Gomez Jr. via unanimous decision (79-73, 79-73, 79-73)
Marc Castro def. John Moraga via second-round TKO
Aaron Aponte def. Harry Gigliotti via unanimous decision (40-34, 40-34, 40-34)
Keyshawn Davis def. Lester Brown via second-round TKO
Alexis Espino def. Ashton Sykes via fifth-round TKO
February 28, 2021 at 11:46AM
https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/canelo-alvarez-vs-avni-yildirim-fight-results-alvarez-overwhelms-foe-for-easy-tko-to-retain-titles/live/
Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim fight results: Alvarez overwhelms foe for easy TKO to retain titles - CBSSports.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Despite its earliest start of the season, Arkansas finally got its bats going from the jump Saturday.
In a game that started at 11 a.m. because of expected bad weather in the evening, the Razorbacks scored all nine of their runs in the first four innings and were able to cruise to a 9-3 win that clinched their four-game series against Southeast Missouri State.
“I mean, we had a team breakfast at 7 a.m. and we took batting practice in the fog,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “I give guys credit for coming out with a lot of life and getting after the starter, knocked him out early, took control of the game, it looked like.”
Most of the damage was done in the first third of the game, as Arkansas scored four runs in the opening frame and tacked on two more in both the second and third.
The Razorbacks pounded out nine hits in 18 at bats during that stretch, which was a stark contrast to their 5-for-49 (.102) performance in the first three innings of the previous five games combined.
Making his season debut after missing some time because of stomach issues, Matt Goodheart played a role in the quick start. He followed an RBI single by Christian Franklin with an RBI single of his own to make it 2-0 in the first inning.
He ended up coming around to score on a Brady Slavens ground out and finished the day 1 for 3 with a pair of walks.
“Having Goodheart in the lineup, it brings a little more depth to our lineup I feel like,” Van Horn said. “He did a tremendous job. He hadn't had batting practice until today. … I thought his pitch recognition was pretty good and obviously one of the top hitters in the league.”
The Razorbacks got a two-run home run from Franklin in the second inning, an RBI single by Robert Moore in the third and an RBI double by Jalen Battles in the fourth, with a pair of runs on wild pitches mixed in.
That was plenty of offense for Arkansas, which picked up its first drama-free win of the season after needing to come from behind in four of its first five games. The Razorbacks are now 6-0.
Pallette Solid Again
While his teammates were providing him with a lot of run support, Peyton Pallette did his part by turning in a second straight scoreless start.
The right-hander scattered three hits and a walk across five innings and three of those four base runners were put on with two outs, so he was never really threatened Saturday.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Pallette’s start was his command. In the first two innings, only two of his 21 pitches were called balls and at the end of the day, 73.8 percent of his pitches were strikes.
“He just has a really classic arm action,” Van Horn said. “He can repeat his delivery. … He's all around that zone. He doesn't have a lot of bad misses with his fastball. Maybe every now and then with an off-speed pitch, (but) when he's throwing a fastball, it's going to be around the zone.”
OCCUPATION: Retired social services program director at Jonnycake Center, one of the most rewarding and memorable jobs I’ve had.
RESIDENCE: Ashaway.
BORN, RAISED & GREW UP IN: Born in Far Rockaway, Queens, and grew up on Long Island.
RIGHT NOW I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF: Volunteering as the resource advocate at the Westerly Library and serving on the Board of the Friends of the Westerly Library.
I AM COPING WITH LIFE IN THE AGE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BY: Catching up on my reading, cooking and baking more than is necessary! Also adjusting to life on Zoom and communicating through email.
MY PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: My first answer would be raising two successful sons and being happily married for 40 years. However, COVID has given me a lot of time to think things over, and looking back, I would say it's all that I have accomplished professionally. I have been lucky enough to find something I loved doing.
TOP ON MY BUCKET LIST: Continuing to visit and hike in the beautiful national parks in this country.
I ALWAYS CARRY: My phone.
WHAT I WANTED TO BE WHEN I GREW UP: I knew I wanted to work in a profession in which I could continually assist people in making their lives a little better.
MY HEROES ARE: These days I would have to say any and all first responders ... I don’t think I have the guts to do what they do on a daily basis!
FAVORITE AUTHORS: That’s a tough one because I read all kinds of books depending on my mood, I can be in the middle of three books at once. For a good escape I do like Harlan Coben though.
BOOKS ON MY NIGHT STAND: I don’t read in bed but my coffee table presently has a pile of seven books that I will eventually get to ... including books by Harlan Coben, John Grisham, and within a day or so my pile will include "The Last Kings of Shanghai" by Jonathon Kaufman.
TOP THREE SONGS ON MY PLAYLIST: I don’t have a playlist, but if I did it would include something by Adele, Stevie Nicks, and Elton John.
FAVORITE THREE MOVIES OF ALL TIME: The most recent "A Star is Born," "Almost Famous" and "and Forrest Gump."
FAVORITE TV SHOWS: "Hometown" on HGTV and "All Creatures Great and Small" on PBS.
FAVORITE RADIO STATION/SHOWS: I listen to WBMW while on my treadmill.
TOP COMFORT FOOD: Cheese and wine, and homemade bread.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES I USE MOSTLY: Facebook and Instagram.
TRAITS I MOST ADMIRE: Honesty above all because you can’t have trust without honesty.
PET PEEVES: Dishonesty first and foremost.
FAVORITE QUOTATION: Usually it’s the one I've most recently read. Today it’s "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well," from Virginia Woolf.
MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT OUR LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD: The hiking trails in the woods.
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Cheese, wine and bread.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: After college I joined VISTA, was sent to Memphis, Tennessee, for a year and worked with families of incarcerated men in the Tennessee state prison system. I was even locked in “The Hole” by the warden, who thought it was amusing.
BEST ADVICE I EVER RECEIVED: This too shall pass.
ADVICE I BEST LIKE TO GIVE: IF you think something is important, then focus on it and do the best you can do.
IF I RULED THE WORLD I WOULD: Focus on peace.
IF I WON THE LOTTERY, THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS: Donate to many animal shelters and children’s cancer hospitals (funny thing is, I’ve planned this out many times ... haven’t won yet though).
I DRIVE A: White Audi.
I WISH I DROVE A: White Audi! It's my dream car and I love it!
ALWAYS IN MY FRIDGE: Cheese.
IF I COULD INVITE ONE SPECIAL PERSON TO JOIN ME FOR DINNER AND CONVERSATION, I WOULD INVITE: Michelle Obama.
— Interview arranged and edited by Nancy Burns-Fusaro
February 28, 2021 at 08:40AM
https://www.thewesterlysun.com/lifestyle/in-the-easy-chair/in-the-easy-chair-with-susan-rosen/article_64ca2ee4-6af7-11eb-ba4a-d7a8a8f59aa7.html
In the Easy Chair with Susan Rosen - The Westerly Sun
After the freeze, drivers may notice their car is not performing as well as it did before.
Here's some tips for your car:
If you haven't driven in the last week, the very first problem you might notice is that your car won't start.
It's most likely because of a dead battery. But don't worry, there's good news! Jumper cables are relatively easy to use and will likely start your car right up. If your battery is more than three years old, you may want to go ahead and replace it.
Below freezing temperatures can also wreak havoc on windshield wipers. The blades can become brittle or crack. You should replace your wipers every six months, so go ahead and swap them out if it's time.
And we've all experienced deflated tires after cold weather. When the air in your tires get colder, the air shrinks and your tires become underinflated. Check your tire pressure frequently, and inflate your tires to the proper pressure. Your tire's recommended PSI is on a sticker just inside the driver's side door.
Cold weather can also compromise the performance of electric vehicles. In fact, they can lose range. So if you are taking a long trip, make sure there's an opportunity to charge before your vehicle loses power.
FORT MYERS, FLA. – The Twins' Grapefruit League opener against the Red Sox on Sunday will last only seven innings, the teams have agreed. In fact, it's likely that all of the Twins' spring training games in the coming week will stop after seven innings, as pitchers slowly build up their arm strength.
With no minor league camp to draw upon and only 32 pitchers among the 75-player limit, the Twins, like most MLB teams, are concerned that they don't have enough depth to cover nine innings every day for a month, at least not early in camp. Starting pitchers are normally limited to 30 pitches in their spring debut, and relievers roughly 20. In a normal year, the Twins use between 95 and 100 players over the course of spring training, with the late innings generally featuring Class AA and even Class A players.
A couple of other twists: The bottom of the seventh will be played even if the home team is ahead, so the visiting team can plan its pitching with some certainty. Innings can be declared over before three outs are recorded if a pitcher has thrown at least 20 pitches. And players who are removed from games are allowed to be reinserted later, to protect teams in case of injury.
"There will be a bunch of quirky things. There may not be as much attention paid to the scoreboard and the lineups and things like that," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Teams are intent on being able to prepare, and less so on sticking to all of the rules that we normally play by."
One other big change: Fans will be watching. The Twins sold 2,400 seats, roughly one-fourth the capacity of Hammond Stadium, so they will be playing in front of the public for the first time since last March 11, the day the pandemic was declared.
"I'm so happy. It's going to be so cool," outfielder Jake Cave said. "Even in spring training, just having people cheering for you, it's cool. I know for my fiancée and my daughter, it will be cool for them to come back out to some baseball games. So I'm really excited."
Happ closer to return
His mandatory 10 days of isolation nearly over after testing positive for COVID-19, J.A. Happ will take another test Monday, the first step toward being reinstated to the active roster. The veteran lefthander must also undergo a cardiac evaluation to detect any damage done by the virus, and be cleared by an MLB Health and Safety committee, so it could still be a few days before he is in uniform.
Happ exhibited no symptoms of the virus when he reported to camp, and he has remained in contact with head athletic trainer Michael Salazar, so the Twins don't expect any setbacks. And Baldelli doesn't believe missing the first week of workouts will be an obstacle toward preparing the veteran for the start of the season.
"With his ability to move his arm and stay in pretty good throwing shape, he's going to have the ability to break [camp] and contribute in the first week of the season," Baldelli said. "Whether J.A. is completely built up by the end of camp, or it's an extra week, I don't think that's a very big deal one way or the other."
Etc.
• Royce Lewis' right knee was successfully repaired on Friday, Baldelli said, with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Chris Camp sewing up the top prospect's anterior cruciate ligament during surgery in the Twin Cities. "It went very smoothly," Baldelli said.
• Kenta Maeda has been an Opening Day starter five times in Japan, but never in his five major league seasons. Would he like that to change on April 1? "It would be a great honor if I were to be able to throw the opening game," Maeda said through an interpreter. "But we have other great pitchers. It's up to Rocco and our coaches to decide who gets the nod."
Billionaire investing icon Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B, BRK-A), reiterated his “never bet against America” maxim on Saturday in his annual letter to shareholders.
“Today, with much of finance, media, government and tech located in coastal areas, it’s easy to overlook the many miracles occurring in middle America,” Buffett wrote in the widely-read letter.
The 90-year-old Omaha, Nebraska native, who has an estimated net worth of $92.7 billion, is widely considered the greatest investor of all time.
Buffett, who has long been bullish on America, wrote that “success stories abound throughout America.”
“Since our country’s birth, individuals with an idea, ambition and often just a pittance of capital have succeeded beyond their dreams by creating something new or by improving the customer’s experience with something old,” he said.
In his letter, he highlighted two communities that “provide stunning illustrations of the talent and ambition existing throughout our country.”
Omaha
To no surprise, he began with Omaha, sharing a story about a 1940 Omaha Central High School graduate named Jack Ringwalt. According to Buffett, Ringwalt started a property/casualty insurance company with $125,000 called National Indemnity. This “pipsqueak operation” competed with the “big boys” by focusing on “odd-ball risks.”
“Jack was honest, shrewd, likeable and a bit quirky," Buffett wrote. "In particular, he disliked regulators. When he periodically became annoyed with their supervision, he would feel an urge to sell his company."
In 1967, after a 15-minute conversation, Ringwalt sold National Indemnity to Berkshire Hathaway on a handshake deal.
“I never asked for an audit," he said. "Today National Indemnity is the only company in the world prepared to insure certain giant risks. And, yes, it remains based in Omaha, a few miles from Berkshire’s home office."
Buffett pointed out that Berkshire has purchased four additional Omaha-based businesses, most famously the Nebraska Furniture Mart, founded by the legendary Rose “Mrs. B” Blumkin, a Russian immigrant who arrived unable to speak or read in English.
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett (L) walks with Kevin T. Clayton, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary Clayton Homes, out of one of the company's houses prior to the Berkshire annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska May 2, 2015. Billionaire investor Buffett on Saturday defended his Clayton Homes unit against accusations that the manufactured home seller had preyed on lower-income purchasers with its lending practices. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Knoxville
The next city he pointed to was Knoxville, Tennessee, where Berkshire now owns 100% of Clayton Homes and 38% of Pilot Trade Centers, with plans to own 80% by 2023.
The respective founders — Jim Clayton of Clayton Homes and “Big Jim” Haslam of Pilot Travel Centers, graduated from the University of Tennessee and chose to build their businesses in Knoxville.
“Neither had a meaningful amount of capital nor wealthy parents. But, so what? Today, Clayton and Pilot each have annual pre-tax earnings of more than $1 billion. Together they employ about 47,000 men and women,” Buffett wrote.
Buffett emphasized that there’s an “army of successful entrepreneurs who populate every part of our country.” What’s more, entrepreneurs need America’s “framework for prosperity” and America needs people willing to build businesses.
“In its brief 232 years of existence, however, there has been no incubator for unleashing human potential like America," he wrote. "Despite some severe interruptions, our country’s economic progress has been breathtaking. Beyond that, we retain our constitutional aspiration of becoming ‘a more perfect union.’ Progress on that front has been slow, uneven and often discouraging. We have, however, moved forward and will continue to do so. Our unwavering conclusion: Never bet against America."
CHAMPAIGN — Nathan McNeal wasn’t exactly desperate to live closer to his family based in the Chicago area.
But Temple football’s former director of player personnel was open to hearing about jobs that might land him back in the region he’s most familiar with.
“I didn’t really get to understand this until last year, when COVID hit,” McNeal said Thursday. “I was out in Philly. First three months, I had some roommates and they were from (Pennsylvania), so they were able to get in their car and go home to their families. So they did that, and I was in the house. I was there by myself for three months, just alone. Couldn’t fly, didn’t want to drive anywhere. That really put it in perspective.”
So McNeal’s ears perked up when Illinois football staffer Pat Embleton reached out during a recent weekend with news that Illini coach Bret Bielema would give McNeal a call.
“You’re not guaranteed to work where you’re from or close to where you’re from,” McNeal said. “So I think when you get the opportunity ... in this profession, it’s something you have to ... at least think about. So it means a lot to be back.”
McNeal was announced as Illinois’ new recruiting director on Wednesday, a move made simultaneously with the promotion of Embleton to executive director of personnel and recruiting.
While Embleton will oversee all Illini recruiting efforts and manage an associated staff that includes McNeal, the former Northern Illinois safety will be heavily involved with drawing high school athletes to Illinois and “just helping manage everything and making sure (Bielema’s) vision comes to life.”
“With the in-state guys, I’m going to be really involved in that process,” McNeal said. “Actually, before I just sat down (for Thursday’s Zoom press conference), I was with one of the coaches and we were going over some Chicago kids, just cross-checking lists and stuff like that.”
Thursday’s announced hire of Jay Kaiser as Illini director of college personnel and NFL liaison further clarified Bielema’s direction for the program’s recruiting efforts.
“When (Bielema) told me his vision for it, it just clicked in my head and it made sense,” McNeal said. “This is where college football is going, so we have to adjust as a department. So I was all in.”
If McNeal’s name sounds at all familiar to Illinois fans — especially those who are also high school football coaches in the state — that’s because McNeal was the Illini’s director of high school relations from 2016 through 2018 under former Illinois coach Lovie Smith.
“Obviously, I take pride in this state,” McNeal said. “(Bielema) kind of laid out his plan and what he wanted to do, and that kind of drew me back because this is something I want to be a part of at the ground level.”
When asked to offer a comparison between the recruiting philosophies of Bielema and Smith, McNeal noted that “every staff is going to be different” before diving into why Bielema’s strategy can pay dividends at Illinois.
“When I came in, me and Pat’s offices are right next to (Bielema’s),” McNeal said. “It’s a priority for him to be able to recruit. That, to me, speaks a lot. And then just being able to meet with him every day on recruiting stuff and the directions he wants to go in, to me, I think that’s invaluable coming from the head coach.”
McNeal spent three years on his alma mater’s staff, including one as director of player personnel, before jumping to the Illini and then eventually departing to work for Temple coach Rod Carey, the former NIU coach.
“I got a chance to be a leader of people,” McNeal said of his gig with the Owls. “Biggest thing I found is that you don’t manage people, you manage the processes.”
That’s what the Thornwood product aims to accomplish with Illinois’ recruiting moving forward. And he’s been presented an interesting wrinkle right off the bat — from an in-state standpoint — with the IHSA’s 2020-21 season not beginning until next month.
“It’s been a benefit,” McNeal said. “Some of these guys need that junior film. ... We’ll know who we need to see and what the targets are, and when they start, we’ll have the games to go off of and all that to make decisions.”
February 27, 2021 at 09:00PM
https://www.news-gazette.com/sports/mcneal-pretty-easy-decision-to-return-to-illinois-football/article_8a20528e-4a01-5e28-ba2f-58b56338f1ee.html
McNeal: 'Pretty easy' decision to return to Illinois football - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
Dust settles on everything, even plants. Besides providing your in-home greenery with sunlight, water and nutrients, you need to keep them clean as well. A layer of dust can clog a plant's pores and affect photosynthesis. In some instances, you can just set your plants outside on a rainy day to clean them up. Unfortunately, that won't work in every case, so you may need to do a little research to discover what's best for your particular plant.
February 27, 2021 at 09:04PM
https://www.chicagotribune.com/consumer-reviews/sns-bestreviews-home-how-to-spring-clean-20210227-dp747v5lh5akfl57m3lo2c2aei-story.html
How to make spring cleaning as easy as possible this year - Chicago Tribune
As someone who has spent much of her 20s in New York, there are few things that make my heart sing in the morning as much as a breakfast sandwich.
I've been missing my local bodega's delicacies, so I was excited to discover that Ina Garten has her own easy version of a bacon, egg, and cheddar sandwich in her new cookbook "Modern Comfort Food."
And when I saw that Garten actually uses a microwave to cook the eggs for this recipe, I knew I had to give it a go.
An estimated 22 million Americans have sleep apnea and of those cases, 80% are undiagnosed, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association.
Trinitas Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
For the millions of Americans who don’t get enough sleep, it’s never been a better time to be tested for sleep apnea, and now it can be done from the comfort of home.
An estimated 22 million Americans have sleep apnea and of those cases, 80% are undiagnosed, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. Now, thanks to the safety concerns brought on by COVID-19, the Trinitas Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center can test individuals in their homes.
WatchPAT™ is a revolutionary FDA-cleared portable home sleep apnea test and diagnostic device that accurately detects sleep apnea. Unlike more complicated diagnostic devices, the WatchPAT™ is an easy to use, accurate, and reliable Home Sleep Apnea Test (HSAT) and ambulatory sleep study device.
WatchPAT™ was designed with patient use in mind for ‘in-home’ sleep apnea testing.
“Getting a good night’s sleep is an essential part of healthy living,” said Vipin Garg, MD, director of the Trinitas Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center. “But for the millions of Americans who suffer from sleep disorders, getting enough rest can be difficult, if not impossible. Left untreated, sleep disorders can have harmful, even life-threatening effects on health, well-being and safety.”
Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening disorder that causes an individual to stop breathing properly during sleep — often several hundred times a night — and wake up multiple times. It is associated with snoring, which indicates obstructed breathing, and may result in decreased levels of oxygen in the blood.
The center, which is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, is the first hotel-based sleep center in New Jersey, located at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, in Cranford.
The condition can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, which may have serious consequences, including car accidents, workplace accidents and poor decision-making. Research also has shown a link between sleep apnea and hypertension, congestive heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.
WatchPAT™ was designed with patient use in mind for “in-home” sleep apnea testing. It’s simple operation and robust, noninvasive design, ensures the best possible sleep experience in an environment that is more representative of personal sleep habits.
The center also is equipped with pediatric equipment to measure children who are as young as 12 months. Research shows that sleep disturbances in children can result in hyperactivity and inattention (ADD or ADHD). If a child has these symptoms, snores or has restless sleep, it is important to speak with their physician to see if a sleep study is warranted.
WatchPAT™ is a revolutionary FDA-cleared portable home sleep apnea test and diagnostic device that accurately detects sleep apnea.
Additionally, the center, which is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, is the first hotel-based sleep center in New Jersey, located at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, in Cranford, providing patients with state-of-art equipment in rooms with private bathrooms, showers and more. Diagnostic sleep studies are performed by specially trained sleep pulmonologists, registered polysomnographers and licensed, credentialed respiratory therapists. They can diagnose any sleep problem and, working closely with each patient’s primary physician, provide expert treatment and follow-up.
“The private, comfortable testing is performed in home-like suites with soft designer sheets, pillows and a private shower,” Dr. Garg said. All overnight sleep studies include a complimentary breakfast. For more information or to make an appointment, call 908-994-8694 or visit the expanded web site for the Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center at www.njsleepdisorderscenter.com.
Take Our Sleep Quiz!
Please check all that apply.
No. 1:
I’ve been told that I snore.
I’ve been told that I stop breathing while sleeping.
I suddenly wake up gasping for air during the night.
I feel tired or sleepy during the day even thoughI slept all night.
If you’ve checked any of the above, you should be evaluated for sleep apnea, a potentially life-threatening disorder that causes you to stop breathing properly during sleep — often several hundred times a night. It is associated with snoring, which indicates obstructed breathing.
No. 2:
I have difficulty falling asleep.
Thoughts race through my mind and prevent me from sleeping.
I wake up during the night and have trouble going back to sleep.
I wake up earlier in the morning than I would like.
I sleep better on weekends.
I sleep better when traveling than during the week or in my own bed.
If you’ve checked any of the above, you should be evaluated for insomnia, a persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.
No. 3:
I have been told that I kick at night.
I feel aching or “crawling” sensations in my legs.
I sometimes can’t keep my legs still at night.
I sometimes have leg cramps that keep me awake or awaken me.
I wake up with sore or stiff muscles.
If you’ve checked any of the above, you should be evaluated for periodic leg movement disorder, or restless leg syndrome.
No. 4:
I wake up with heartburn.
I wake up with a bitter or bile taste in my mouth.
I wake up at night coughing or wheezing.
I take antacids frequently.
I gained weight in the past year.
If you’ve checked two or more of the above, you should be evaluated for gastroesophageal reflux, caused when stomach acid “backs up” into the esophagus during the night.
No. 5:
When I’m angry or surprised I feel like going limp.
I experience vivid dream-like scenes upon falling asleep or awakening.
No matter how hard I try to stay awake, I sometimes fall asleep anyway.
I feel unable to move when I’m waking or falling asleep.
If you’ve checked any of the above, you should be evaluated for narcolepsy, a chronic disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks during the day.
Security professionals are widely adopting MITRE ATT&CK™ for network threat hunting. ATT&CK stands for Adversarial Tactics, Techniques and Common Knowledge, and it represents a globally accessible information base of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-world observations. MITRE ATT&CK provides several benefits for security teams.
Network Threat Hunting with MITRE ATT&CK
MITRE ATT&CK provides a common language, which describes threat tactics and techniques across the enterprise, that is useful for all roles in a security organizations, from CISOs to security analysts. There is tremendous value in using MITRE ATT&CK and its associated matrices with automated detection and network threat hunting capabilities. That’s why we integrated the MITRE ATT&CK framework natively into our network threat detection and response platform.
Network Threat Hunting with a Built-in MITRE ATT&CK Engine
To date, security vendors have used the MITRE ATT&CK framework to demonstrate the efficacy of their product. Vendor A, for example, might claim how their product covers X% of the endpoint tactics and techniques. Meanwhile, Vendor B might stake claims around coverage for network tactics and techniques. Well, here’s the deal:
While some vendors may use MITRE ATT&CK as a point of reference, MistNet Network Detection and Response (NDR) by LogRhythm is the first and only threat detection and hunting platform to integrate the MITRE ATT&CK matrix natively into the product. MistNet NDR also delivers broad coverage and defense for a complete set of endpoint and network tactics as defined by MITRE ATT&CK.
MistNet NDR provides an intuitive visualization of the Enterprise ATT&CK Matrix and shows any threats detected in your enterprise and their respective mappings to ATT&CK tactics and techniques in real time to simplify network threat hunting.
Figure 1: Enterprise ATT&CK Matrix in MistNet NDR
MistNet NDR also integrates a Threat Group view that allows you to see groupings of tactics and techniques mapped to various known threat groups. So, say you want to see if the threat group Comment Panda is in your network or the Dynamite Panda threat. Click on APT1 and APT18 in the Threat Group window, and the tactics and techniques associated with those threat groups will instantly light up and show any anomalies or vulnerabilities detected.
Figure 2: Threat Group view in MistNet NDR
The integrated MITRE ATT&CK engine also serves as an effective foundation for compliance and audit checks. Security teams can run exercises against specific tactics or techniques to measure efficacy of security practices. Teams can also perform real-time network threat hunting exercises with the built-in MITRE ATT&CK engine, looking for vulnerabilities or gaps with just a few clicks. And with this, your team is empowered with a data-driven approach to prioritizing and scaling cybersecurity programs, practices, and budgets.
Get Started with Machine Learning-Driven Network Threat Detection and Response
MistNet NDR by LogRhythm provides a machine learning (ML)-driven network detection and response (NDR) solution helps you detect threats like lateral movement, exfiltration, malware compromise, and ransomware in real time. Combined with a built-in MITRE ATT&CK engine, MistNet NDR eliminates blind spots and maximize your network threat detection capabilities.
The Link Lonk
The Link Lonk
