The neatly stacked plastic containers that cover the top of Marie Macpherson Gordons refrigerator speak volumes about her generosity in the kitchen.

She uses them constantly to dish up leftovers for guests to take home.

My enjoyment is feeding others, she says in her soft Scottish lilt.

Gordon, 74, spends her mornings in a choreographed routine. She rises at 3 am and watches tv news programs until the newspaper arrives.

She reads each section with her 14-year old Boston terrier Bogey by her side, does the crossword and maybe some laundry and a bit of cleaning.

Then she starts cooking.

Every day. Whether its hours of chopping ingredients for soup or preparing her often-requested smothered pork chops, its what she loves to do. She works in the kitchen throughout the day and retires each night by 7.

Gordon moved to the states in 1964 from her hometown of Campbeltown, Scotland, at the invitation of her Navy beau, Larry Gordon.

Larry promised her that, if she followed him home, they would marry and she would never have to work another day in her life. She followed, and they married.

And she worked for the next 42 years as the office manager and bookkeeper of JCF, a real estate investment and development company in Norfolk.

She never learned to drive, so her husband took her to work and picked her up for the first 26 years. When Larry became ill and couldnt drive, Gordon began using public transportation.

Shed hop on the bus every day with her giant tote full of home cooking to share with her co-workers.

Thats where she met Janice Cabacungan, whom she mentored to take over her work responsibilities when she retired in 2006.

Cabacungan nominated her friend of 14 years as an Everyday Chef because Gordons food is always fresh, healthy, and theres plenty to share.

Shes a widow and lives alone, but you wouldnt know it by her grocery bill, Cabacungan said. Her homemade soups are to die for!

Gordon makes a variety of soups, including a tasty Beef, Potato and Barley and an Easy Split Pea, but shes also known for her desserts.

Gordon was once asked to bring her famous trifle to a holiday dinner party. But when it came time to serve the desserts, hers was nowhere to be seen.

Gordon asked the hostess if shed forgotten it, and the hostess replied, No, I didnt forget it. I am keeping that all for myself!

Which is the opposite of what Gordon would do. She would have gladly shared it and sent everyone home with leftovers.

Judy Cowling, jcowling3@cox.net

RECIPES

Beef, Potato amp; Barley Soup

2 beef shin bones
10 cups water to make beef stock (or 8 to 10 cups of store-bought beef stock*)
1/2 cup rinsed barley
6 cups diced white potatoes
1 cup sliced celery
3 cups sliced leeks or onions
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice from half a lemon
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

In skillet, brown shin bones a couple of minutes on both sides. The browner they are, the more flavorful the soup and the richer the final color of the broth will be.
To make stock: In soup pot, put browned shin bones with 8 to 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 11/2 to 2 hours. Remove meat, let cool, shred or chop into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate. Let stock come to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove and discard fat solids on top of broth.
Return pot with stock to stove, and add barley, potatoes, celery, leeks, bay leaves and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for 11/2 to 2 hours. Add meat just long enough to warm thoroughly, about 20 minutes, before serving.
Before serving, add lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.
*Note If using pre-made beef stock, add to stock pot with browned meat, barley, potatoes, celery, leeks, bay leaves and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 21/2 hours. Remove meat, let cool, shred, then add back to soup.
Source: Marie Macpherson Gordon

Easy Split Pea Soup

1/2 pound cooked diced ham
1 pound split peas, rinsed well
8 cups water (add up to 2 more cups, if needed, during cooking)
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced leeks or sliced onions
1 cup sliced celery
2 bay leaves
Juice from half a lemon
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to soup pot, bring to a boil and simmer on low for about two hours, stirring every 15 or so minutes.
Before serving, add lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Source: Marie Macpherson Gordon

Team Sanya is nearing the home stretch with only the frustration of testing beating conditions standing between them and the Leg 2 Stage 1 finish at the safe haven in the Indian Ocean.

The crew clocked up speeds in excess of 20 knots overnight before hitting the head winds early on Tuesday morning. At 1000 UTC they were cruising at 12 knots of boat speed in a northerly breeze of the same measurement.

Media Crew Member Andres Soriano said the overnight racing was fun, full of enjoyment and over all too soon.

We exited the trades at around 1700 and shot forward ticking off the miles at an average of 15 knots, ploughing through warm waves and then being rinsed off by cool short rain squalls that brought a few hours of 20 kts plus sailing, he said. Spirits were high as we sent it towards the mark.

Helmsman/trimmer Ryan Houston described the experience as being similar to the freedom of escaping the clutch of the daily nine to five grind.

The Doldrums is like a bad week at work, but then comes the end of the week, and you have that blast of a drive home on Friday afternoon, thats the westerly trades, he said.

For now, the indulgence of the trades may well be over and the rigors of upwind sailing a reality for the seven-strong crew.

Tiger Teng Jiang He is starting to fancy himself a helmsman as he continues to notch up time with the wheel in his grip, reported stand-in skipper Richard Mason.

Tiger has been having a great time this trip, he said. I think Moose (Mike Sanderson) could have a few issues when we get in because Tiger rates himself pretty highly as a helmsman.

You should have heard him on deck last night. You would have thought he was driving a Formula 1 car. We were reaching along doing 22 knots and Tiger was on the helm he was the happiest man in the world.

Its fantastic to see. Heres a fish who in many regards couldnt be further out of water but boy oh boy has he learnt to swim.

Under race rules, Team Sanya will pick up four points for Leg 2 Stage 1, one point for Leg 2 Stage 2 and two points for the Etihad Airways In-Port Race, providing they arrive at the safe haven under racing conditions.

The remainder of the fleet continues to transit the worst affected piracy waters on board a ship, with racing set to resume around January 22

Event media.

See Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 images

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 January 2012 )

At a ecent multi-generational gathering, we began talking about ways that we waste time. We unanimously agreed that cell phones, social media and the Internet were responsible for countless misspent hours.

We were also quick to recognize that electronic gadgets weren#x92;t the only culprits. In fact, any activity that we do too much or that interferes with daily responsibilities becomes a candidate for wasted-time status. Even supposedly lofty pastimes, such as reading, practicing a musical instrument or going to the gym can be distracting if we do them instead of completing our chores.

I AM STILL having fun with my old frying pan. Two years ago it lost its non-stick and looked prettier outside the kitchen window than doing nothing on the shelf.

How the birds love its shallow depth and rim to perch upon. Down they go as if on hinges and pulled by strings.

This January I have had the usual flocks of finches from afar. I know that both redpolls and siskins breed in Sussex but I have been getting flocks of a hundred up in the tops of the trees, swirling about in the westerly winds like leaves.

In this week’s photograph I snapped through the window is a goldfinch with six redpolls. They return several times to drink, when I can see how tiny the redpolls are, much smaller than goldfinches and half the size of a greenfinch. You can see two of the birds are showing their forked tails which easily distinguish them from such tinies as blue tits when viewed as silhouettes.

The siskins have displayed bright emerald feathers and the cock birds quite black crowns as well, together with that black crown of the male and a much brighter wing-bar than redpolls ever show.

Anyone with a downland home like mine can attract woodland birds from a wide area because there is often no water to drink except in wet weather.

I noticed this week pheasants drinking out in the woods from the puddle in a piece of litter somebody threw over the fence from the bridleway. So I have placed another couple of old plastic trays that once held supermarket meat into the leaf mould so that shy denizens can enjoy a drink if I am away.

Another photo I took last autumn was of eleven blue tits tumbling about together in the frying pan. They were splashing and turning upside down, somersaulting and fighting while a chiffchaff and a blackcap warbler were having a shower outside.

Then along came a blackbird and stopped the fun.

One day I had eight bullfinches around the frying pan – a record number here in one group. I think they were two families with their children that bred in the garden, which is wild and has blackthorn bushes and a yew tree both of which they favour as habitat.

Bullfinches are becoming far less common these days and need dense bushes and a lot of weed seeds to feed on. So far I have counted twenty species drinking and bathing in the frying pan. They include wood pigeon, nuthatch, marsh tit, and french partridge.

The best sight every evening is a family of long-tailed tits which come to bathe. They curl their long tails over their heads and splash each other like naughty children.

I seem to get more enjoyment from this frying pan than ever I did at the kitchen table when it was used for cooking.

MIAMI — As the Florida Legislature sprints into action on Tuesday for its annual two-month session, lawmakers will face the politically volatile task of redrawing the electoral map (sure to attract a court challenge) and devising new ways to plug a $2 billion deficit in the state budget.

Enlarge This Image

Bill Cotterell/Tallahassee Democrat, via Associated Press

State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff and State Representative Erik Fresen, both Republicans, are co-sponsors of a measure to allow three large private resort casinos to open in Florida.

Election 2012 iPhone App

A one-stop destination for the latest political news — from The Times and other top sources. Plus opinion, polls, campaign data and video.

• Download Now | Learn More

But it is the “do we, don’t we” battle over whether to allow resort casinos into the state that has the state capital’s adrenaline pumping. The bill, which proposes opening the door to three large casinos in Florida, is expected to be one of the few major nonbudget-related pieces of legislation to be voted on this busy session.

With a few powerful Republican lawmakers either opposed to the bill or skeptical of its benefits and the session packed with other business, odds that resort casinos will be setting down stakes this year in South Florida, where major casino companies have shown the most interest, are getting longer. Some lawmakers worry that casinos will do more harm than good by tarnishing Florida’s wholesome beach-and-theme-park image, a position espoused by the influential Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and Walt Disney World.

The first test will be on Monday, a day before the session’s official opening, when the bill, which was revamped last week to try to garner more support, is scheduled to face an initial Senate committee vote. The biggest change made to the bill involves giving voters a say on the casino issue, a tactic that could make it more difficult for lawmakers to oppose it. A referendum would let voters decide whether to expand gambling in their county and allow all counties to compete for one of the three casino permits. The casinos would have to invest at least $2 billion to qualify.

“Let the voters decide if they want or don’t want it,” said the Senate bill’s author, State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, a Broward County Republican.

State Senator Dennis L. Jones, the Republican chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Regulated Industries, which is to vote on the bill on Monday, said Friday that he would support it. Ms. Bogdanoff, he said, had addressed most of the committee’s concerns in her revised bill. Mr. Jones also pointed out that while the bill would expand casino gambling, it would also pave the way for much-needed large convention centers and hotels in the state.

“We have cut the budget in the last three years, and when they get up there and realize we are another $2 billion short, you get the feeling maybe the time has come,” Mr. Jones said. “We need some new revenue.”

But one of Ms. Bogdanoff’s chief opponents is State Senator John Thrasher, a Republican from north Florida who is the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, the bill’s final stop before it reaches the Senate floor. He has made it clear that he believes the bill would harm the state and could dissuade families from visiting, a position taken by most conservatives in the Legislature. Republicans hold a supermajority in the Florida House and Senate.

“I do not believe we ought to be expanding gaming,” Mr. Thrasher said. “I think we have enough gaming in the state of Florida. We are not known as a gaming state, in spite of what some folks have said. We are known as a tourist-oriented, family-friendly tourism state. And to change the brand of Florida at this point to a gaming state, to me, is going in the wrong direction.”

Ms. Bogdanoff said she had received assurances from the Senate president, Mike Haridopolos, that if the bill cleared the committees, he would allow an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.

Some Democratic leaders said they were concerned about allowing private casinos in South Florida. They said they worried that the bill was moving too quickly.

“I think that the bill has serious problems,” said State Senator Nan H. Rich, the Democratic leader, who sits on the committee scheduled to vote Monday.

• 1
• 2

Next Page »

Christine Sexton contributed reporting from Tallahassee, Fla.

Three things have happened in recent months that promise to change the nature of human relationships forever. A recent report indicates that the marriage rate in the United States is lower than its ever been and the birth rate continues to decline as well.

The fact that the marriage rate continues to fall is proof that men and women today are making up their own minds about who to marry and when rather than letting those things be determined by family or finances as they have been in the past. With women continuing to take a more prominent role in the work-force, they no longer have to be economically dependent on their husbands as they have been throughout history. This frees them up to choose who they want to be with, rather than who they have to be with and thats a crucial change in marital relationships.

On top of that, two inventions promise to change the nature of romantic relationships even more. In last weeks edition of Time magazine that featured the years 50 best inventions, the one that promises to change us more than anything else is the development of mind reading software. This will allow people to not only know what somebody else is thinking but to actually see it. Its a process called quantitative modeling and when it becomes available to the general public, and it will as all things that work eventually are, we will no longer have to wonder if that special person in our life is lying to us or not, well be able to see it with our own eyes.

Ive written before about a love detector machine that works much like the lie detector machine except that it would tell us whether or not someone actually loved us or not. I thought that would always remain in the science fiction category but I was wrong. Quantitative modeling IS the love detector machine because it will tell us what a person is thinking that goes far beyond what theyre saying. A lot of people think one thing and say another and up until now, weve had no ability to tell the difference. We place some emphasis on the things they do but a lot of people are very good at covering up their lies so, in the end, we have to just believe they mean what they say until they prove to us they dont. That proof often comes with a sudden shock that we didnt anticipate. Numerous people have had the sky fall on their heads when their loved one leaves them without any indication beforehand that was going to happen. When quantitative modeling becomes mass produced, that will put an end to the lies and deceit some people run their lives by and that will be a good thing.

The other invention is even more mind-boggling. We all know that robots are becoming more of a norm than an exception and there are now robots that do a lot of the work humans used to do. But thats just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what theyll do in the future. Work is already being done on robots that will, in effect, replace our life partners. Within the next 20 to 30 years, we will be able to have robots built for us according to our specifications and requirements. Well be able to design their physical features, which will include their skin color, hair fiber, eye color and everything else that has to do with the way they look. Well be able to give them not only the voice we want them to have but the emotions as well. They can be programmed to be loyal only to us, to love only us and to have any emotion we want them to have. So, if we choose, they will always be true, they will always act the way we want them to act, and they will never lie to us or betray us. And if you get tired of it, you can simply redesign a different model. Its suspected that when a person has the option to choose a robot that has all the human qualities of a person with none of the imperfections, marriage may become a thing of the past.

These things arent the mental ramblings of mad scientists anymore. Theyre real today and will become more advanced and perfected as time goes by. There have been more life-changing inventions in the past century than there were in all the years man has lived on this planet before and that geometric progression of ideas will continue.

Progress is not always good but its always progress. We will continue to progress as a civilization rather than regress and that means life 50 years from now will bear little resemblance to life today. But we will adapt, adjust and move forward, because progress and advancement wont allow anything else.

Each NFL team will be represented, along with cars dedicated to the Super Bowl and the AFC and NFC champions.

Its a huge deal to incorporate our biggest legacy of racing with one of the nations favorite pastimes, said Kinsey Collins with Dallara.

The cars will first appear together on Monument Circle on Jan. 27-30 before being spread out across central Indiana on Feb. 2.

The Colts car will be at the new Near East Side Legacy Center near Arsenal Technical High School on Michigan Road. The other car locations will be kept secret until Feb. 2.

Visitors can get a map of the locations and could win a prize if they check in at all 36.

Four cars featuring the 2012 Dallara chassis will be wrapped to celebrate the AFC and NFC champion teams and will be on display at Super Bowl Village.

Most of the cars are show vehicles with the Indy Racing Experience. Others belong to private owners or individual teams.

The town of Speedway is putting up Super Bowl banners along Main Street and is welcoming the attention.

Weve had TV stations in town from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the New York area just taking back video clips to their markets, so its been great, said Scott Harris with the Speedway Redevelopment Commission. I think with the new Dallara building, were going to drive visitors down to Main Street.

The Super Cars effort marks the first time the NFL had branded another sport.

SINGAPORE: The top three leisure activities among Singaporeans are eating, shopping and surfing the web.

A survey of more than 600 Singaporeans on their preferred leisure activities came up in this order.

More than two-thirds – or 68 per cent – cited food or dining-out as the top leisure activity in the MasterCard Survey on Consumer Purchasing.

Shopping was next with 65 per cent votes while surfing the web was third with 60 per cent.

Interest in languages and literature as well as learning crafts made the bottom of the list of preferred activities.

Only about a fifth — or about 20 per cent — of those who responded liked these.

In terms of preferred dining outlets, the food courts and hawker centres reigned supreme as the most popular.

About 90 per cent cited these as their top choice for eating out.

The survey said Singaporeans visit hawker centres and food courts an average of 16 times a month.

This is followed by fast-food restaurants and other quick-serve restaurants where they visit about seven times a month.

- CNA/wk

ENID
A popular downtown restaurant is closing until Enid Renaissance Project construction is concluded. The last day Pastimes will be open is Saturday.

However, Todd Humphrey, co-owner, said he plans to reopen after construction is done.

Pastimes, 223 S. Grand, is directly across the street from the site where a new event center will be built, adjacent to Cherokee Strip Conference Center. The event center is the main part of the $24.5 million Enid Renaissance Project, which also includes renovation of Convention Hall into a ballroom and meeting facility.

Humphrey, who owns the restaurant with his brother, Monte, said recent construction activity has created some operational problems.

Recently, my wife looked out the front window about noon and Grand was blocked off. We had no notice, and wed been open an hour and already had some customers. Another time they cleaned the sewer and we had gas smells and sealer smells, and people had to take their dinner and leave, Humphrey said. You cant win those battles.

Humphrey said he and his wife have operated their business since 1998, and people are creatures of habit. They want to park in the same place they always have and now dont have the availability. He said construction was not the only reason, as there are other factors involved, but construction issues are out of his control.

I have been one of the biggest supporters of the Renaissance project, and I still am, he said. Were fighting alligators here. We knew there would be some, but didnt think it would be as devastating as its been. It just goes with the project.

About 25 employees of the restaurant were notified last week of the decision, to give them an opportunity to make other arrangements. Humphrey said they have some good and loyal employees.

I dont know how long … were not turning out the lights, but you cant continue with things outside your control, Humphrey said.

Initial construction work has been ongoing about three months and will get worse, he said. Pastimes has been open since July 1998. At the time it opened, Richills cafeteria was the only other eatery open downtown.

Now look at whats there, and if the Renaissance does what I think it will, there will be more, he said. I only wish I was a block away instead of across the street.

When the restaurant is reopened, Humphrey said the business may do something different to add a little excitement. The restaurant business is cyclical, he said, and about 60 percent of restaurants that open dont make it the first year.

This is a cyclical business, and I hate to say this is what were doing for the next few months, but its not worth beating your head against the wall, he said. We may look at different options when we reopen. It may be exciting to do something different than what we have done.

The construction isnt the main reason, but it had a direct impact. We know street closings are coming, sewer work, street repairs, and when it gets into actual construction, it will be worse than it is.

Emerging Markets

Its a good thing Singapores national pastimes are shopping and eating, since the petite island nation is bursting at its seams with malls. Lately, however, the countrys mind-numbing malls seem to be under a bit of a cloud. Gadgets like iPads and smartphones still fly off the shelves, but retail sales have started to slow. Worried about a global recession, tempered tourism and government measures to cool the red-hot property market, Singaporeans are showing rare restraint in their competitive consumption.

Such moderation has spooked retail stocks and real-estate investment trusts, which have corrected in recent months. Take CapitaMall Trust (CT.Singapore), which controls a fifth of Singapores retail-mall market and which Macquarie Capital calls one of the best retail managers. Since peaking in late May at two Singapore dollars (about US$1.57), shares have slipped 13% to S$1.75. Last week, the REIT reported distributable income fell 2.5% in the fourth quarter, leading analysts to cut profit projections and price targets.

Yet Singapores retail REITsand CapitaMall in particular, which pays a yield pushing 6%might be worth a look. For a start, Singapore has five million residents in a tiny country less than a quarter the size of Rhode Island, and the dearth of destinations accessible without a passport makes mall-going a popular, if regrettable, sport. Economic growth year-over-year may have slowed to 3.6% last quarter from 5.9% in the third quarter, and retail-sales growth in November has retreated to 6.4% from 8.4% in October, but the economy is still doing just fine. With unemployment near just 2%, and per-capita income that the International Monetary Fund ranked third on the planet, Singaporeans have the wherewithal to spend.

Unlike, say, office or industrial trusts, retail REITs earnings have been resilient, with occupancy remaining above 90% through the financial crisis and some landlords even managing to renew at higher rents. Managers also have taken advantage of low interest rates and generous liquidity to spruce up and enhance assets, which could pad future returns.

Of course, Singapores booming tourist trade wont be spared if the global or regional economy sputters, what with visitors accounting for an estimated 15% of retail sales nationwide, or 30% to 40% along the mall-laden, tourist-thronged Orchard Road. But while some anchor tenants like Borders Group have expired, there has been no shortage of replacements jostling for a foothold, including Michael Kors (KORS) and Abercrombie amp; Fitch (ANF), whose recent introduction of buff, shirtless greeters to Singapore is causing quite a tizzy.

CapitaMall, which has some 16 malls valued at more than S$8 billion, has an edge. Key tenants include supermarket chains like Cold Storage and NTUC. Macquarie estimates that 69% of its earnings are skewed toward necessity shopping. Also, CapitaMalls real estate isnt clustered just along the tourist belt and draws more than 40% of its earnings from more residential neighborhoods. Such so-called suburban occupancy and rent is stickier than Orchard Roads prime spare during recessionary periods, notes DBS Vickers analyst Mun Yee Lock.

CapitaMalls portfolio was 95% occupied at the end of 2011. While distribution per share slipped last quarter, gross revenue grew 4.3% and distribution rose 2.3% for the full year. Bears fret about the risk of dilution if CapitaMall decides to issue more stock and debt to acquire from its developer parent, CapitaMalls Asia (CMA.Singapore), its 50% stake in the centrally located ION Orchard mall. That stake could be worth well over S$1 billion. But CapitaMall recently raised S$250 million in a private placement, and income will be further boosted by the 2012 opening of glitzy projects like the JCube, which boasts 200,000 square feet of leasable space and an Olympic-size ice-skating rink. Shares also trade at just over book value, near the low end of its historical range.

Citigroup last week upgraded the REIT to Buy, citing the 6% estimated yield after recent share declines. It calls CapitaMall the most transparent of Singapore REITS, with a record of identifying underutilized assets and creating value through asset enhancement.

AS STOCK-PICKING CRITERIA GO, quality did mightily well in 2011 as Asian stocks swooned. But with analysts now in their 27th month of earnings downgrades, how long should investors keep flocking to quality?

What happened in 2011 was that equity investors didnt want to buy equities at all, says Markus Rosgen, Citis head of Asia-Pacific equities strategy. They wanted to buy bonds, and the easiest way to mirror this within the equity asset class was to buy stocks with the lowest risk. Hence the beeline for quality. But heres a contrarian idea to begin the Chinese year of the dragon: Rosgen argues it may be time to de-emphasize quality and add some risk to the portfolio.