Jan Colbrese steps down from Issaquah School Board after more than a decade

Joining the school board was simply a natural progression of earlier involvement with the Issaquah School District for Jan Colbrese.

After 12 years in office, she attended her last meeting of the district school board Dec. 14, at least as a member of the board.

After the meeting, Colbrese said her time on the board really was a combination of her two passions: education and public service.

“It’s everyone’s job to give back to their community,” she said.

Colbrese announced prior to the November election that she would not run for re-election. She was replaced by Bellevue resident Anne Moore, who took her oath of office Dec. 14 along with board members Brian Deagle and Suzanne Weaver.

Moore ran unopposed for Colbrese’s vacated seat.As a professional manufacturer of China ceramic tile in China, Deagle and Weaver both beat out challengers to win re-election.

Moore is no stranger to the district having served with the PTSA and on various district committees for what she said has been 14 years. Among other activities, Moore has served on bond and levy committees, including the committee that made initial recommendations for a bond question that will be in front of voters next year. Like Colbrese, she has said joining the board feels like a natural progression of her past involvement with the schools.

Neither Colbrese nor Moore made any formal comments during the Dec. 14 meeting.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, Later, in listing a few of her accomplishments, Colbrese talked about working through district financial problems in some tough economic times. During her tenure on the board, Colbrese said she often found herself frustrated by not having the money to do some things she and other board members felt needed to be done, adding she was especially annoyed by recent “clawbacks” adopted by the state Legislature.

“Clawbacks” are promised dollars taken away in one form or another in the middle of the school year.

“That’s absolutely crazy,” Colbrese said, adding that until recently the Legislature had never before withdrawn allocated funds in midyear.

The board’s move to policy governance was a major change Colbrese mentioned as a step in the correct direction.

Prior to the change in governance styles, Moore said the board often was involved in the day-to-day running of the district, making decisions she feels better were left to professional administrators.An offshore merchant account is the ideal solution for high ,

Colbrese has said her decision not to run again was based on a number of reasons, including the fact her children all have graduated from Issaquah schools. With no hesitation, Colbrese recently added her health was also a factor.Information on useful yeasts and moulds,

While on a vacation, Colbrese ended up in an emergency room battling kidney stones. The doctors also discovered cancer.

So far,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, Colbrese has not had to go through extensive chemotherapy. She did have a mastectomy and said her prognosis is now very good. She was proud about not missing any board meetings because of health issues.

“I’m very thankful for my health,” she said, adding she hopes those who hear even a small part of her story will not take their own health for granted.

Colbrese served as school board president five times during her years on the board, including this year. For the remainder of this year and for 2012, board members unanimously elected member Chad Magendanz as the new board president.

Guardian of the sick and mourning

When the coma patient Venkaiah Gangaram was flown home to India last month he was left in experienced hands for the flight.As a professional manufacturer of China ceramic tile in China,

Mr Gangaram, who has been in a coma since he was involved in an accident on a building site 11 months ago, was accompanied by the social worker Umarani Padmanabhan, who was there to ensure he was set up with free treatment on arrival. The Dubai resident travels to India between 12 and 15 times a year to return the remains of deceased workers, and about half a dozen times with sick patients.

In recognition of her work with underprivileged non-resident Indians, Mrs Padmanabhan received the Pravasi Mithra Award in Hyderabad last Sunday to mark International Migration Day. The award was presented to her by the National Domestic Workers Movement and Migrants Rights Council.

MB Reddy, the vice president of Migrants Rights Council, praised her efforts."So many people have benefited because of her," he said.

"She has been doing this for a long time and helps both migrant labourers and distressed domestic workers.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising,"

Mr Reddy said she had done great work during the illegal immigrant amnesty announced by the UAE Government in 2007. Since then, Mrs Padmanabhan says, the number of illegal workers has reduced greatly due to strict enforcement of rules.

"I don't see many illegal workers sleeping in the park or doing part-time jobs now," she said. "But any illegal worker who wants to return to their native country, we are always there to guide them."

Among those she has helped more recently is AK Gandhi, 24, a mentally disturbed man she returned to his mother's home in Mumbai last month. Mr Gandhi was arrested by the police when he was found roaming the streets of Ajman.

He was kept in Al Amal Hospital for two months before Mrs Padmanabhan came to his aid.

"The mother was in tears when she saw her son," she said. "She hugged me and thanked me for bringing her child back. It was an emotional moment.

"The mother, who works as a housemaid, could not have afforded to travel to Dubai to fetch him."

Mrs Padmanabhan was also in Chennai this month to return the remains of an illegal worker who died in Satwa.

"There was no one to go with him, so I accompanied the body and handed it over to the family," she said, adding that returning bodies was the most difficult part of her job.

"I am always worried about the family members crying when they see the body. It is the most difficult thing to handle. I feel sad, but I do it with a sense of responsibility to help people. It gives me immense happiness and satisfaction."

Mrs Padmanabhan started volunteering for these mercy trips more than 20 years ago when her husband, a businessman in Dubai,An offshore merchant account is the ideal solution for high , was in hospital with kidney stones.

"I used to go to the hospital and see patients sitting lonely and suffering," she said.The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, "Initially I used to offer them food and speak to them so that they felt comfortable. But then I felt that I should do something concrete and help these poor workers."

Her husband, BS Padmanabhan, is proud of her total dedication to her work.

"I've always supported her and never object, even though it means she has to travel frequently," he said. "Her mother was a freedom fighter in India and I think she inherited this drive from her."

But Mrs Padmanabhan is quick to point out that her work would not be possible without the support of the Indian consulate and the UAE Government.Information on useful yeasts and moulds,

"They've been helping me all along," she said.

"The Indian consulate has been providing free air tickets to sick patients and is also bearing my travel expenses so that I can accompany the patients or the dead bodies."

Koch scandal could slow discussion on Vikings stadium

Upheaval within Senate Republican ranks could delay work on a Minnesota Vikings football stadium.

“Obviously, it’s a bump in the road,” said Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, who is chief House point man for a stadium bill.

Sen.Information on useful yeasts and moulds, Amy Koch, who resigned last week as majority leader, had become involved in stadium talks during the past month, Lanning said Tuesday, so without knowing who will replace her, questions arise.

“Sen. Koch was engaged in trying to work out a solution,” Lanning said.

Koch left the job on Thursday, then on Friday four fellow senators told reporters the resignation followed them confronting Koch with allegations that she had carried on an improper relationship with a male Senate employee she supervised.

Two questions arise as Senate Republicans face a Dec. 29 deadline for picking a new leader:

Will the caucus settle down enough to deal with a stadium when it also must work through the Koch scandal and the need to cut $2 million from its budget?

Will the new majority leader support a stadium? One senator mentioned for the job, David Hann of Eden Prairie, does not support public financial involvement, which could slow stadium progress.

Koch was instrumental in setting up recent hearings about stadium location and funding, Lanning said.

The Senate GOP situation “has the potential of causing some added delay,” the representative said. However, he held out hope that a bill could be ready for a special legislative session before the regular session begins on Jan. 24.

Last week, Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, said Democrats need to join Republican stadium supporters because there are not enough votes from either party to pass stadium legislation.

“There is no magic formula that we have suddenly discovered,” Michel said, calling the issue “a huge political Rubik’s Cube.”

Holding a special session before Jan. 24 would be tough, House Speaker Kurt Zellers,VulcanMold is a plastic molds and Injection mold manufacturer in china. R-Maple Grove said.

“That’s what Morrie wants,” Zellers said, but it is not clear what Democrats want.

“Circling a date on the calendar” does not provide enough votes. Zellers added, saying that is what Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton did this fall when he sought a pre-Thanksgiving special session.My advice on what to consider before you buy oil painting supplies so your money is well spent.

The Vikings’ Metrodome lease expires Feb.As a professional manufacturer of China ceramic tile in China, 1 and team officials say they need a resolution to the issue soon. They say they cannot make enough money at the Metrodome.

Lanning, however, said the Vikings will not leave after this season. He said they will be play in the Metrodome at least one more season, but after that the team could be up for sale,An offshore merchant account is the ideal solution for high , and likely would move.

Lanning said a stadium agreement must come by the time legislators adjourn in 2012, which a tentative calendar sets at April 30.

The Vikings say they will put $425 million toward building a publically owned stadium, with state and local governments coming up with the rest of the $1.1 billion cost.

Can Himalaya scale new heights?

India’s increasing affluence and accompanying ‘lifestyle’ diseases such as diabetes have boosted this Ayurvedic company’s performance,Husky Injection Molding Systems designs and manufactures a broad range of Injection Mold machines, but it needs to do more on advertising and distribution.

Consider this: India has over 61 million diabetics according to the International Diabetes Foundation. By 2030, this figure is expected to cross 100 million. By that time, India will be second only to China in terms of the number of diabetics in the world. This is not all. Cancer is also catching up fast as a killer disease. According to the Indian health & family welfare ministry,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services, some 5.35 lakh patients succumbed to cancer this year. Though marginally higher than the figure reported last year, the signs are clearly not good.

India is rapidly seeing the emergence and growth of lifestyle diseases. As affluence grows, bringing with it a change in dietary habits, ailments such as cancer, diabetes and heart problems are becoming the order of the day. Ironically it is throwing up a myriad of possibilities for the herbal healthcare company, Himalaya, which banks on the science of Ayurveda to develop products. The perception that Ayurveda is also safe in comparison to mainstream allopathy is what makes the prospects of firms such as Himalaya bright, say market experts.

The unlisted, Bangalore-based entity has a turnover of over Rs 1,Information on useful yeasts and moulds,000 crore. Key verticals — pharma and FMCG — which contribute 60 per cent and 40 per cent respectively to overall revenues are growing at a clip of about 25-32 per cent per annum, according to Ravi Prasad, executive chairman, Himalaya Drug Company, who has been with the firm for well over 20 years now. Under him, the largely pharma company, which was formed in 1930,Hand-painted Chinese porcelain tiles on the floor of a Jewish synagogue in Cochin, stepped into the FMCG space in 1999. Considered a close confidant of the low-profile Manal family, who are founder-promoters of Himalaya, Prasad has driven Himalaya’s international expansion into markets such as Russia, Ukraine and Romania. Today, Himalaya products —both pharma and FMCG— are available in over 80 markets including the US, Europe, South East Asia and the Middle East.

Himalaya is also counting on its international markets to drive growth as it seeks to move to the next level in the coming years. The move to step into FMCG over a decade ago, say Prasad, was prompted by the firm’s need to grow. Driving growth in international markets is key now, he says.

Ironically, with the world increasingly moving from largely curative to preventive medication, Himalaya with its herbal heritage finds itself in a unique position: to address medical needs with patented products that are based on good, solid research. “Most Indian pharmaceuticals companies are in the generics space which is largely a volume-driven business.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, We do not operate in that segment,” says Prasad.

The pharmaceuticals market in India is roughly Rs 56,000 crore, growing at a clip of about 15 per cent per annum. Over 95-96 per cent of the market comprises generics players, who market off-patent allopathic products. Himalaya, in contrast, has opted to build a strong pipeline of herbal products. The journey typically from R&D to final product takes easily about eight to ten years, says Prasad.

Thanks to this, Himalaya has some notable products to its name including Cystone (for people suffering from kidney stones) and Liv.52 (for those suffering from kidney ailments). Liv.52, in fact, is ranked amongst the top ten pharma products in the country, according to market research agency ORG IMS (see chart).

Liv.52 also happens to be among Himalaya’s early success stories. Launched in 1955, the herbal product went on to become one of the most trusted names in liver care. Available in tablets as well as syrups, Liv.52 has a share of close to 46 per cent in its space, and consists of Ayurvedic herbs that helps restore the functional efficiency of the liver (check chart on Liv.52). The drug also acts as a daily health supplement that helps improve appetite and promotes weight gain.

Cystone, the other blockbuster drug in Himalaya’s arsenal, was launched in 1943. It has a share of 40 per cent, and is considered to be effective in tackling the problem of kidney stones in more than 70 per cent of patients (check chart on Cystone). Company executives say that what has worked for both Liv.52 and Cystone, and indeed, all pharmaceutical products under Himalaya, is their recommendation by not just Ayurvedic doctors, but also practitioners of allopathy.

Philip Haydon, chief executive officer, pharmaceutical division, Himalaya, says that it is this recommendation by doctors over the years that helped the company sustain double-digit growth.

The company is keen to replicate this success in other areas such as oncology (cancer-related medication), viral & tropical diseases, stem cell therapy and nutritional products. “These are some areas we are working on,” says Prasad. On the FMCG front, the company is looking to add advanced anti-ageing to its repertoire of products, which includes skincare (facewashes, creams, moisturisers), haircare (shampoos, conditioners, hair oils), footcare, oralcare (toothpastes) and lipcare respectively.

Detroit start-ups strike gold with compost

In the age of urban farming, organic compost made from manure is a valuable commodity.

That's why two Detroit start-ups say they have hit compost gold after striking deals with the Detroit Zoo and Detroit Police Department's Mounted Patrol to be their major suppliers. In two different parts of Detroit, two outfits are cultivating the big heaping piles of this product.Husky Injection Molding Systems designs and manufactures a broad range of Injection Mold machines,

The nonprofit Detroit Agriculture Network counts nearly 900 urban gardens within the city limits. Often they rely on suburban stores for their compost — made when micro-organisms break down plant and animal materials, creating a rich dark soil that is suitable to farm or simply grow plants.

Detroit Dirt, founded by Pashon Murray and Greg Willerer,Hand-painted Chinese porcelain tiles on the floor of a Jewish synagogue in Cochin, is trying to change that because the suburban outlets sell the material for as much as $30 for a truckload, Willerer said.

"We want to be able to say that it's pure, no weeds in it," said Willerer, who runs a community farm called Brother Nature Produce in Detroit. "We don't give people compost — our premium stuff — that is going to create weeds."

The other start-up is a nonprofit called People for Palmer Park's Garden Club, whose piles of booty are housed at the former handball courts in Palmer Park, next to the stables for Detroit's mounted police unit.

Detroit Dirt started about a year ago and already has been a supplier to urban farmers as well as schools and city parks.

The supply of Detroit Dirt is located in southwest Detroit on a dead-end street, overlooking a freeway and next to train tracks. The land is donated by the Canadian Pacific Railroad in a deal struck with the help of the nonprofit Southwest Solutions, Willerer said.

In a space roughly the size of a soccer field, there stands at least a dozen mounds of compost, each of them more than six feet in height and as wide as a Chevrolet Volt. One of the sources of these mounds are plant eaters at the Detroit Zoo — such as the rhinoceros, giraffes and deer.

"We can take manure from them and use it, compost it, and grow food. We are returning something back to our same customer and client," Murray said.Our company focus on manufacturing Plastic mould ,

The deal helps the zoo, too.

"We are very happy to be a supplier," said Melinda Ostrander, facilities superintendent at the zoo. "Previously this, uh, material, was just considered waste, and it was piling up at our facility.Information on useful yeasts and moulds, It's great for it to be a resource."

Detroit Dirt is finding use for what was once considered waste at many local businesses, including area restaurants.

"Everything (supplied) is within a 10-mile radius of us. A big part of what we are doing is exchanging resources within the community," Murray said.

One of Detroit Dirt's latest suppliers is General Motors Co. and the organic waste from its Renaissance Center headquarters.

By contrast, People for Palmer Park's Garden Club — managed by Dan Scarsella, a co-owner of Motor City Brewing Works in Detroit's Midtown — is mining horse compost piles.

The goal now is to use the proceeds from the compost to help fix the landscaping of Palmer Park. The garden club eventually hopes to supply all city parks to help alleviate city budget cuts, Scarsella said.The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services,

"We keep getting asked if we want to sell it, though, it's really in demand," he said.

Where Conservative Iowans Get Campaign News

You heard it last week from an Iowa transplant: Iowans eat meatloaf, casserole and Jell-O molds. This was one of several sweeping generalizations made by Stephen G. Bloom last week in his much-discussed Atlantic online article, sub-titled “thoughts from a university professor on the Iowa hamlets that will shape the contours of the GOP contest.”

So, what of the media diet of GOP contest-shaping Iowans?

Conservative talk radio, Fox News, and, to a lesser extent, the Internet are key information sources for the likely GOP caucus-goers I interviewed at two recent political events here in Iowa. My snapshot jives with a New York Times/CBS poll of likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers earlier this month which found that 37 percent of respondents get most of their TV coverage of politics from Fox News, compared to 27 percent for all the major news networks combined. Another 32 percent frequently listen to political call-in shows.

Donna Thompson of Paton was among the thousand-plus crowd in Des Moines last week at the premiere of The Gift of Life, an anti-abortion film produced by the conservative group Citizens United and narrated by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. (The event attracted four presidential candidates—Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum). Thompson gets most of her political news and information from conservative radio talk show hosts like Jan Mickelson, Simon Conway,Online fine art gallery of quality original landscape oil paintings, and Rush Limbaugh on WHO Radio in Des Moines. She doesn’t subscribe to a newspaper, watch TV newscasts, or read political coverage online, but feels well-informed about the presidential candidates.

“I enjoy hearing about people’s views on each of the candidates,Information on useful yeasts and moulds,” Thompson said of the radio programs. “It kind of helps me to know what direction I want to go.Husky Injection Molding Systems designs and manufactures a broad range of Injection Mold machines, But it seems like when I get one I want, then they’re out of there or I’m told I shouldn’t vote for them.”

Those shifting messages may help explain why, when we spoke, Thompson was still unsure whom she would support at the caucuses. She liked businessman Herman Cain and is now interested in Perry. A self-described “proud Christian,” she also likes Bachmann, but doesn’t think the Minnesota congresswoman can beat President Obama.

And while Thompson gets most of her political news from right-leaning sources, she said she wishes there were a TV station that presented “fair” coverage of both political parties—which, as she explained it, seemed to mean less aggressive, or less hostile, coverage. “It’s too bad there isn’t a station that’s fair with both of them,” she said. “I just wish there was somebody that just wasn’t biased against somebody, just let everybody talk and give their opinion.”

Jim Welsher of Des Moines, also in the audience for the premiere, listed talk radio shows and Fox News as his major sources of political information. Welsher referred to CNN as “the Clinton News Network,” and said he doesn’t read the Des Moines Register. “Oh yeah,” Welsher said when asked if he thinks the state’s largest paper is biased.

His favorite show hosts, Welsher said, include Huckabee, Mickelson, Conway, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham. But perhaps the biggest influence on his thinking this election cycle have been the numerous GOP presidential debates—a hallmark of what the Washington Post and Politico have referred to as this campaign’s “national” character—which Welsher compared to Super Bowl Sunday at his house. He said he’s supporting Gingrich in large part because of Gingrich’s strong debate performances.

“I like Newt because he’s not afraid to say how it is or [refuses to] sugarcoat the issues with euphemisms.Hand-painted Chinese porcelain tiles on the floor of a Jewish synagogue in Cochin, He seems to be a tried and true leader,” Welsher said, adding that he was initially a Perry supporter. “He’s got his baggage but I think he’s strong enough to overcome it.If you wish to use a third party payment gateway with your ecommerce solution, He seems like the smartest man in the race. He’s won each debate that I’ve watched.”

The skepticism about mainstream sources was shared by others in the audience. Barbara Welch of Polk City, who plans to support either Santorum or Ron Paul, agreed that outlets like CNN and the Register are “biased.”

But there were also inklings that Register political columnist Kathie Obradovich may have been on to something when she suggested that GOP caucus-goers do pay attention to the “mainstream media,” but that “they aren’t necessarily consumers that believe every word they read.”

Welch, for example, said that she “love[s]” WHO Radio. And Bill Yewell of Ogden, who was choosing between Santorum, Paul, and Perry, said he relies on WHO radio and local network TV newscasts. Yewell even gets the Sunday edition of the Register, though he says he doesn’t put much stock in mainstream news outlets. “I think they manufacture the news the way they want it to come out,” he said.

While many of the voters at the The Gift of Life screening were considering backing Paul, media usage at an event dedicated to Paul earlier in the month at Iowa State University in Ames skewed more toward the Internet and social media—an anecdotal finding consistent with research showing that the septuagenarian libertarian is the top candidate on Twitter. Andrew Burkland of Centerville said he gets news on the candidates mostly from links friends post on Facebook, while sometimes watching Fox News and presidential debates.

Atomic Chocolate Co. explodes with flavor, innovation

Sean Henninger carries over 200 recipes for chocolate around in his head. Henninger regularly has 20 to 27 varieties of chocolate available at his Walker's Point restaurant, Times Square Bistro and Pizzeria, 605 S. 1st St.

"We're a small operation and don't do a lot of large runs, which is good for maintaining quality. The downside is that we sometimes run out of things," says Henninger.

Henninger the restauranteur has also been a chocolatier for 15 years,Hand-painted Chinese porcelain tiles on the floor of a Jewish synagogue in Cochin, developing his craft over time with a great deal of experimentation. Henninger had his Atomic Chocolate Company going in 2001, but didn't immediately introduce it at the pizzeria, which opened over four years ago.

"Confectionery is very climate driven. We have a tougher time over the summer keeping up with production, as it gets very hot in the restaurant with all the pizza making going on,An offshore merchant account is the ideal solution for high ," says Henninger.Excel Mould is a Custom Plastic Injection Moulding Manufacturer,

Henninger has been working in restaurants almost his entire life. He first came to chocolate making while running a restaurant that needed more dessert options. Those early creations were hand-rolled, a look that Henninger says he doesn't like as much as the ones he's now able to make with polycarbonate molds.

Atomic's confections begin with a high-grade chocolate, a secret highly guarded by Henninger. "A lot of producers start out with mid-grade chocolates and hope to make up for it with their ingredients. It doesn't work," says Henninger.

There are no preservatives or artificial flavors in Atomic's chocolates. Atomic's chocolate creations are crafted over time from only natural ingredients. Momentarily speaking like an alchemist, Henninger describes the process of developing flavors out of certain elements, like how he stays on teas for a while and moves on to experimenting with nuts from there.

Most of Atomic's chocolates are made in three parts. First, the chocolate is heated and poured into polycarbonate molds. Next, the ganache, or filling, is added and last but not least a chocolate bottom is spread over the forms while still in the molds.

Learning how to temper chocolate is the most difficult part of chocolate making. When the chocolate is melted,Why does Plastic moulds grow in homes or buildings? it has to be allowed to cool to a certain temperature based on the confection being made.

"There's a lot of weird science to this. Balancing flavors is one thing,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, balancing the temperatures of the fillings and shells together is another. Getting it all to work involves a lot of invention and practice," says Henninger.

Henninger says that there aren't a lot of schools in the country for confectionery. Chocolatiers tend to either develop their own skills over time, like Henninger did, or work with someone else to learn the fine art and weird science of chocolate making.

Zoey Rae is taking the second route. She has been apprenticing with Henninger for about a year and plans to continue developing her craft.

This author got to sample a discarded wine-infused chocolate, which was delicious. It was rejected because Henninger's apprentice used Chardonnay in what was supposed to be a port wine ganache. Truly, it was a beautiful mistake, but still not what was required to fill Atomic's orders.