If you happened to pass through AOL's offices in Palo Alto last November or December, you might have had your first run-in with the elusive creature "founder squatter." Say what? Following in the grand boot-strapping, couch-surfing tradition, last winter, Eric Simons spent two months squatting at AOL's office, sleeping on couches and pilfering Ramen noodles and other snacks left out for employees. Simons was hard at work building Class Connect, a platform on which teachers can post and share lesson plans.
Our memory is something we never want to lose. It is possible to prevent memory loss with a few simple steps. By being educated about memory loss and ways to prevent it, you will save yourself agony later in life. You can never start too early with memory loss prevention. This article will give you plenty of tips on how to prevent memory loss.
Link bits of information together in your mind by constructing a memory chain to facilitate learning. Finding things about the information you?re trying to memorize that logically go together can help you make the association and recall it. On the other hand, sometimes it?s equally helpful to think of things that are illogical associations. For instance, the chemical elements of the periodic table can be memorized by finding different meanings for their acronyms. These sorts of odd connections are memorable because of how odd they are.
When studying, be sure to put the entirety of your focus on the information at hand. Information that is learned must be transferred to long-term memory if it is to be recalled for more than a few seconds. You won?t be able to store anything in your long term memory unless you?re completely focused.
Fish oil can help your memory. A lack of any good Omega-3 source in your diet can easily lead to memory issues. The easiest way to include it in your diet is by taking a pill.
Stress can cause forgetfulness. When you?re attempting to recall where you placed something, try to relax. Do not get upset or frustrated: leave yourself enough time to remember.
Laughing and enjoying yourself has been shown to strengthen your brain and make storing memories that much easier. By hearing jokes and figuring out brain teasers and punch lines, you are activating the same areas in your brain that are in charge of creativity and learning. Do not be afraid to laugh, tell some jokes and let others in on your new found secret memory weapon, laughter.
Few things are more exasperating than grasping at straws as you try to remember an important idea. By clearing your mind, only for a minute, you may have an easier time recalling this memory. Sit down in a quiet place and take a few deep breaths while your mind clears. After a moment, try to remember what it was you could not bring to mind.
Repeat items that you are trying to remember aloud. When you learn something simple like someone?s name, say it out loud. Repeating the information aloud reinforces the information you just learned, making it easier to remember later. Find a way to sneak your repeat of the information into casual conversation, it does not need to be obvious you are practicing a memory trick.
You must drink water every day. Your brain is mostly made of water, and if your brain begins to be dehydrated, you are going to feel fatigued and your brain function will begin to decrease. It can be hard to remember both long term and short term events. Drink at least eight glasses of water every day.
In conclusion, there are ways to prevent and treat memory loss. If you turn these tips into daily habits, you can age without suffering from memory loss and improve your current memory skills. There is no such thing as a bad time to exercise your brain or memory. Every little bit can help, just like with physical exercise.
A huge cloud of gas that looks like the head of a seagull shines brightly in a gorgeous new picture snapped by a telescope in Chile.
The photo, taken by a telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory, shows the head portion of the Seagull Nebula. The cloud of gas spotlighted in the image glows intensely due to radiation blasted out by a hot young star at its heart, scientists said.
Like other nebulas, the Seagull is a stellar nursery ? an enormous cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases where stars are being born. Nebulas come in a variety of sizes and shapes, some of which spur astronomers' imaginations and evoke comparisons to animals or familiar objects.
The Seagull Nebula is so named because it resembles a gull in flight. The nebula, which is formally known as IC 2177, spans about 100 light-years from wingtip to wingtip. It's found about 3,700 light-years from Earth, on the border between the constellations Monoceros (The Unicorn) and Canis Major (The Great Dog).
The nebula appears to be close to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. But IC 2177 actually lies more than 400 times farther away from us than Sirius, researchers said.
The bright star lighting up the Seagull's head is known as HD 53367. This star, which is visible in the center of the image and could be taken to be the bird's eye, is about 20 times more massive than our own sun, researchers said.
Radiation streaming from the nebula's young stars causes surrounding hydrogen gas to glow a rich red color. Light from these hot bluish-white stars also scatters off tiny dust particles, creating the blue haze seen in parts of the picture.
Parts of the Seagull Nebula complex were first observed in 1785 by the famed German-British astronomer Sir William Herschel, but the region imaged in the new picture weren't photographed until a century later, researchers said.
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Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Jimmy Carter waving at the 1976 Democratic National Convention in New York City.
Photo by Warren K. Leffler/Library of Congress.
If elected, Mitt Romney ?would arguably be the most actively religious President in American history,? according to a profile in the latest New Yorker. Who?s been our most religious president?
Jimmy Carter, probably. It?s impossible to know the contents of a man?s heart, but historians who study the religious lives of the presidents point again and again to the words and deeds of James Earl Carter Jr. The Georgia Baptist set a new standard during his 1976 presidential campaign when he described himself as ?born again,? and he was frank about his religious beliefs throughout his presidency. While in office, Carter attended church wherever he went, even while on the road, and continued to teach Sunday school when at home. He prayed daily and read the Bible, and when he wasn?t reading the Bible he read theologians like Reinhold Niebuhr. Like Romney, he also knocked on doors as a missionary, addressing potential converts by saying, ?I?m Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer. Do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior?? Since his presidency he has continued his Christian mission on annual trips for Habitat for Humanity, and when he accepted the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, he spoke of Jesus Christ as ?the Prince of Peace.? His Secret Service codename was ?The Deacon.?
President James A. Garfield.
Library of Congress.
Prior to Jimmy Carter, the most God-fearing U.S. president may have been James Garfield. Garfield is the only president who was actually a clergyman. At a young age Garfield became a minister for the Disciples of Christ, where he was lauded for his skill as a preacher, and he learned Greek?the original language of the New Testament. Though it was not his full-time job, he continued to preach and minister for years until his presidency. When he left his position to become president, he said, ?I resign the highest office in the land to become President of the United States.? However, as Garfield only got to be president for six months before his death (he was assassinated by a religious zealot), there wasn?t much time for him to demonstrate divine pursuits while in office.
Other presidents who number among the most devout are the Methodist William McKinley, the Presbyterian Woodrow Wilson, and Unitarian John Quincy Adams. All of these men were fervent believers who attended church, prayed, and read the Bible regularly. Adams worshiped at three different churches (Unitarian, Presbyterian, and Episcopal) and would attend service even in heavy snow. He was also vice president of the American Bible Society and wrote religious poetry. During an 1846 debate over the Oregon territory (when he returned to Congress after his presidency), he cited the Book of Genesis. Abraham Lincoln is sometimes named among our most religious presidents, and indeed he had deep struggles with questions of religion. However, he did not widely profess his private believes and is known to have doubted the divinity of Jesus. Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have been among the presidents to use the most religious rhetoric in their speeches, though this is partly due to the precedent set by Carter.
Bonus Explainer: Who was the least religious president? James Monroe or Ulysses S. Grant, perhaps?it?s difficult to say. There is little surviving evidence of Monroe?s religious beliefs, but what evidence there is suggests that from his 20s onward, Monroe wasn?t very religious and attended church infrequently. Grant seems to have refused to ever profess his faith, even when a bishop of his wife?s Methodist denomination pressed him on his deathbed. While Thomas Jefferson was called an atheist?he rejected the virgin birth, called the Book of Revelation the ?ravings of a maniac,? and described the Trinity as a ?hocus-pocus phantasm??in his private life he was still a religious man who went to church and prayed.
Got a question about today?s news??Ask the Explainer.
Explainer thanks Darrin Grinder and Steve Shaw, authors of The Presidents & Their Faith;?David L.?Holmes, author of The Faiths of the Postwar Presidents;and Gary Scott Smith, author of Faith and the Presidency.* Correction, Sept. 25, 2012: This article originally misidentified the author of the recent book?The Faiths of the Postwar Presidents. The book's author is David L. Holmes.
The rich colors of a cosmic seagullPublic release date: 26-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Richard Hook rhook@eso.org 49-893-200-6655 ESO
Nebulae are among the most visually impressive objects in the night sky. They are interstellar clouds of dust, molecules, hydrogen, helium and other ionised gases where new stars are being born. Although they come in different shapes and colours many share a common characteristic: when observed for the first time, their odd and evocative shapes trigger astronomers' imaginations and lead to curious names. This dramatic region of star formation, which has acquired the nickname of the Seagull Nebula, is no exception.
This new image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the head part of the Seagull Nebula [1]. It is just one part of the larger nebula known more formally as IC 2177, which spreads its wings with a span of over 100 light-years and resembles a seagull in flight. This cloud of gas and dust is located about 3700 light-years away from Earth. The entire bird shows up best in wide-field images (http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1237c/).
The Seagull Nebula lies just on the border between the constellations of Monoceros (The Unicorn) and Canis Major (The Great Dog) and is close to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. The nebula lies more than four hundred times further away than the famous star.
The complex of gas and dust that forms the head of the seagull glows brightly in the sky due to the strong ultraviolet radiation coming mostly from one brilliant young star -- HD 53367 [2] -- that can be spotted in the centre of the image and could be taken to be the seagull's eye.
The radiation from the young stars causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow with a rich red colour and become an HII region [3]. Light from the hot blue-white stars is also scattered off the tiny dust particles in the nebula to create a contrasting blue haze in some parts of the picture.
Although a small bright clump in the Seagull Nebula complex was observed for the first time by the German-British astronomer Sir William Herschel back in 1785, the part shown here had to await photographic discovery about a century later.
By chance this nebula lies close in the sky to the Thor's Helmet Nebula (NGC 2359), which was the winner of ESO's recent Choose what the VLT Observes contest (ann12060: http://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann12060/). This nebula, with its distinctive shape and unusual name, was picked as the first ever object selected by members of the public to be observed by ESO's Very Large Telescope. These observations are going to be part of the celebrations on the day of ESO's 50th anniversary, 5 October 2012. The observations will be streamed live from the VLT on Paranal. Stay tuned!
###
Notes
[1] This object has received many other names through the years -- it is known as Sh 2-292, RCW 2 and Gum 1. The name Sh 2-292 means that the object is the #292 in the second Sharpless catalogue of HII regions, published in 1959. The RCW number refers to the catalogue compiled by Rodgers, Campbell and Whiteoak and published in 1960. This object was also the first in an earlier list of southern nebulae compiled by Colin Gum, and published in 1955.
[2] HD 53367 is a young star with twenty times the mass of our Sun. It is classified as a Be star, which are a type of B star with prominent hydrogen emission lines in its spectrum. This star has a five solar mass companion in a highly elliptical orbit.
[3] HII regions are so named as they consist of ionised hydrogen (H) in which the electrons are no longer bound to protons. HI is the term used for un-ionised, or neutral, hydrogen. The red glow from HII regions occurs because the protons and electrons recombine and in the process emit energy at certain well-defined wavelengths or colours. One such prominent transition (called hydrogen alpha, or H-alpha) leads to the strong red colour.
More information
The year 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world's largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning the 39-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".
Links
* Photos of the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=mpg
* Other photos taken with the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&facility=15
* [Photos of La Silla: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/category/lasilla/
Contacts
Richard Hook
ESO, La Silla, Paranal, E-ELT & Survey Telescopes Public Information Officer
Garching bei Mnchen, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
Cell: +49 151 1537 3591
Email: rhook@eso.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The rich colors of a cosmic seagullPublic release date: 26-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Richard Hook rhook@eso.org 49-893-200-6655 ESO
Nebulae are among the most visually impressive objects in the night sky. They are interstellar clouds of dust, molecules, hydrogen, helium and other ionised gases where new stars are being born. Although they come in different shapes and colours many share a common characteristic: when observed for the first time, their odd and evocative shapes trigger astronomers' imaginations and lead to curious names. This dramatic region of star formation, which has acquired the nickname of the Seagull Nebula, is no exception.
This new image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the head part of the Seagull Nebula [1]. It is just one part of the larger nebula known more formally as IC 2177, which spreads its wings with a span of over 100 light-years and resembles a seagull in flight. This cloud of gas and dust is located about 3700 light-years away from Earth. The entire bird shows up best in wide-field images (http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1237c/).
The Seagull Nebula lies just on the border between the constellations of Monoceros (The Unicorn) and Canis Major (The Great Dog) and is close to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. The nebula lies more than four hundred times further away than the famous star.
The complex of gas and dust that forms the head of the seagull glows brightly in the sky due to the strong ultraviolet radiation coming mostly from one brilliant young star -- HD 53367 [2] -- that can be spotted in the centre of the image and could be taken to be the seagull's eye.
The radiation from the young stars causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow with a rich red colour and become an HII region [3]. Light from the hot blue-white stars is also scattered off the tiny dust particles in the nebula to create a contrasting blue haze in some parts of the picture.
Although a small bright clump in the Seagull Nebula complex was observed for the first time by the German-British astronomer Sir William Herschel back in 1785, the part shown here had to await photographic discovery about a century later.
By chance this nebula lies close in the sky to the Thor's Helmet Nebula (NGC 2359), which was the winner of ESO's recent Choose what the VLT Observes contest (ann12060: http://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann12060/). This nebula, with its distinctive shape and unusual name, was picked as the first ever object selected by members of the public to be observed by ESO's Very Large Telescope. These observations are going to be part of the celebrations on the day of ESO's 50th anniversary, 5 October 2012. The observations will be streamed live from the VLT on Paranal. Stay tuned!
###
Notes
[1] This object has received many other names through the years -- it is known as Sh 2-292, RCW 2 and Gum 1. The name Sh 2-292 means that the object is the #292 in the second Sharpless catalogue of HII regions, published in 1959. The RCW number refers to the catalogue compiled by Rodgers, Campbell and Whiteoak and published in 1960. This object was also the first in an earlier list of southern nebulae compiled by Colin Gum, and published in 1955.
[2] HD 53367 is a young star with twenty times the mass of our Sun. It is classified as a Be star, which are a type of B star with prominent hydrogen emission lines in its spectrum. This star has a five solar mass companion in a highly elliptical orbit.
[3] HII regions are so named as they consist of ionised hydrogen (H) in which the electrons are no longer bound to protons. HI is the term used for un-ionised, or neutral, hydrogen. The red glow from HII regions occurs because the protons and electrons recombine and in the process emit energy at certain well-defined wavelengths or colours. One such prominent transition (called hydrogen alpha, or H-alpha) leads to the strong red colour.
More information
The year 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world's largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning the 39-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".
Links
* Photos of the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=mpg
* Other photos taken with the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&facility=15
* [Photos of La Silla: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/category/lasilla/
Contacts
Richard Hook
ESO, La Silla, Paranal, E-ELT & Survey Telescopes Public Information Officer
Garching bei Mnchen, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
Cell: +49 151 1537 3591
Email: rhook@eso.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
On opening weekend, Clemson had a fourth and goal on Auburn?s one, up four, with a chance to put the game away. Unfortunately, Tajh Boyd, whose legs they rode down the field, just lost his helmet for the third time of the game. Per NCAA rules, Boyd had to sit out. Clemson had to kick a field goal instead and give the ball back to Auburn with a chance to tie.
Last Saturday, Missouri?s James Franklin lost his helmet twice against Georgia. He and coach Gary Pinkel said that Georgia ripped his chinstrap off on purpose to get him out of the game. You cannot blame Georgia. They saw Auburn take advantage of a new rule and keep themselves in the game. For a player and coach, it?s no different than holding a defensive lineman ? keep playmakers from making plays.
Neither incident appeared to change the game?s outcome, but eventually it will. Coaches will continue to use the misguided rule to their advantage. Offenses have no way to protect their players if a tackler wants to pull off the helmet. They can only hope the officials catch it. The NCAA has just enacted a law that punishes players for not protecting themselves without giving them any way to do so.
Clemson?s staff ?could not secure [Boyd?s] helmet anymore,? according to head coach Dabo Swinney. ?[They] basically had to cut off his circulation trying to keep it on.? What would the NCAA suggest, Boyd reshape his head?
I expect to see every running quarterback face the same problem. His helmet will unexpectedly (not) pop off after a second and long, and the officials will pull to safety on the sideline. Boyd, Franklin, and others better watch out, because until this rule changes, they will be targets. Defensive coaches would be poor strategists not to get players to separate opponents from their helmets. Auburn appeared to target Boyd?s helmet, and rightfully so. Taking advantage of a silly rule is gamesmanship, and it almost helped them beat a superior team.
If the NCAA wants to protect these guys and keep players from exploiting the rule and purposefully endangering other players, protect them before play starts. Make sure they have the appropriate gear, and if not flag them for it. If an official notices someone without his chinstrap on, blow the play dead before it starts and flag his team for five yards. All we can do is tell the guys to wear their gear properly. Anything after that is just a shortcoming of the equipment, not the user.
The times have brought us a vast number of different spaceship games. The older gaming generations have memories of simple games that came with graphics that were as plain as they could be but they still provided plenty of fun. Many of these older games demanded an older gaming system like Atari or the Original Nintendo. But younger generations are not used to the minimalism of these games since they are used to the high level graphics of Xbox, Wii and Playstation products.
Yet, today we have computers that can serve as all-in-one machines, providing us with the Internet and games without an additional gaming console. Computer spaceship games have really come a long way since the DOS operated old style Apple computer games only gave basic block-shaped graphics in black and white. Now our computers are are able to do much more than what they were capable of in the past since they can provide graphics that are nearly on par with costly gaming consoles.
Playing games on computers today suggests that you do not have to purchase compact discs that are very expensive like you generally do with gaming consoles. Alternatively, you get to play free games on the Internet without ever downloading the game to your computer. You may discover that a lot of games found on the Internet are now called MMOs, otherwise known as massively multiplayer online games. This means that players play against real opponents in a user enhanced environment rather than a computer simulated version of the situation and enemies.
The unique platform of these kinds of games and their convenience help to make them a very popular option. Since the Internet hosts the game on a server, you can access your game at any time as long as you have a computer, the Internet and your username and password. Gaming on a single computer and only at home is not a setup that gamers have to be limited to anymore. You will be able to access your game regardless of where you are and you will be able to flip flop from one computer to the next to play your game.
The free price on a lot of these MMOs, including many of the online spaceship games also makes them extremely popular. This suggests that people can try them risk free and there is no fear of wasting money if the game is not enjoyable. So as to make the game more enjoyable, once you have determined that you truly like it, the whole thing can become more fun by spending money in the game. But keep in mind that any money that you spend in these games is discretionary because they can be won without spending anything.
It is difficult to fit everything into one article, so here is a place to get more information on helicopter game or Darkorbit.com.
Latest Anti Aging Auctions | Tips and advice for women, men and children health, with focus on health, fitness, weight loss, nutrition, sex and relationships, diet, beauty ,style and more
Battling cancer is difficult enough without your mortgage lender deciding to foreclose on your home just weeks after saying it was trying to help. Yet that appears to be what?s happening to Cindi Davis, a North Carolina woman diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.
Back in July, Davis's struggle to keep her home after falling behind on her mortgage payments due to her medical bills became a national story, appearing on The Huffington Post and elsewhere. After the media scrutiny, it seemed Wells Fargo, her lender, had relented on foreclosing on Davis, and the bank even wrote a letter to a local radio station indicating it was seeking "assistance" from nonprofit organizations for her, the Charlotte Observer reports.
But it appears Wells Fargo has had a change of heart: The bank now has set the foreclosure auction date for Davis's home for Dec. 19, less than a week before Christmas.
"I don?t know what to do at this point,? Davis, who said the news brought her to tears for the first time ?in a long time,? told WCNC. ?I mean, it?s not much, but it?s been mine for eight years and it?s where [my husband and I] built a life together," she said of the house.
Sadly, cases of cancer patients facing foreclosure are fairly common. Most recently, Detroit single mother of two Kelly Parker made headlines for vandalizing her own home in an attempt to stave off its sale at auction, after she was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer.
Not long before, Texas homeowner Alicia Ramirez was threatened with eviction by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, her loan provider, when she fell behind on her payments due medical bills resulting from the cancer that claimed her late husband.
But there is hope for those facing the trials of both cancer and eviction. Earlier this year, a North Carolina cancer patient avoided being kicked out of her rental after local television stations contacted her landlord on her behalf. Likewise, a Seattle cancer survivor and her husband avoided foreclosure after getting a lawyer involved.
Whether Davis will be so lucky, however, may depend on a hearing currently scheduled for November.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing cookbook author Norene Gilletz. Norene lives in Toronto, Canada. She?s the author of several well known cookbooks, including The New Food Processor Bible, Norene?s Healthy Kitchen, Healthy Helpings, and several other dietary cookbooks. Norene is well known for her healthy Jewish and kosher cooking; her site Gourmania.com is a popular resource for recipes, cooking advice, and more. She also has a fun cooking group online called Norene?s Kitchen, which is where I first ?met? her online. I had a great time speaking with her on the phone and getting to know her better. The interview appears below.
After the interview, you?ll find Norene?s recipe for?Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup from The New Food Processor Bible. It?s a healthy soup with a lightly sweet and fresh flavor, including fresh herbs, honey (you can omit the honey to make it completely vegan), and a touch of lemon juice.
?
What?s your ancestry Norene?
My mother was born in Russia. My father?s family came from Poland.
How long ago?
My mother came when she was 6, so in about 1921. My father was born in Winnipeg. My mother passed. She?d be 98 today, so almost 100 years. She never needed a recipe. She could cook anything.
When you were growing up and celebrating Rosh Hashanah with your family, what were your favorite dishes that your mom made?
My mother always made potato knishes and carrots and honey cake. Some sort of chicken. The joke was, well my mother didn?t really go to shul, she sent us with my father. So my mother would say, ?your bubbe is going to ask you what I made, so tell her that I made roast chicken.? And I?d say, ?but Mama, you didn?t, how can I tell a lie?? And she?d say that my grandmother would expect to hear that she made roast chicken, so tell her that. She?d always make a carrot dish that I have the recipe for somewhere. She made honeycake with buckwheat honey, because it had a different flavor. And she always made her honeycake with tea, not coffee. I remember the buckwheat honey was very thick. And I don?t really have her recipe, I just take my recipe and modify it. I remember in my mind how my mother made it.
So would you say your mom was a major influence on your culinary career.
Absolutely. Without a doubt.
Norene, you?re the master of the food processor. Your book,?The Food Processor Bible, was recently released in a 30th?anniversary edition. How did you get into the whole food processor thing?
Years and years ago, I was part of a committee that did a fundraising cookbook called?Second Helpings Please. We were all in our 20s, and we were really trying to capture our mother?s and our grandmother?s recipes to put them into print. We thought it would take us about 3-4 months to collect everything, and it took about 3.5 years. So we worked hard to promote the book, and as a result people would call me asking how do you make this, how do you do that? so I was cooking and baking a lot. Then I went to a trade show and saw the food processor in action. I had started writing my own cookbook, everyone was saying ?you should do something yourself,? and I felt I could. I had lots of energy and nobody could keep me down. So by then I had done about half a book. You know, all of my favorite kinds of recipes? and I met my first food processor. After about a month of using the machine, I thought, you know what? I?ve got this thing mastered, and I can do things quickly and efficiently, and it just saved time. My mother was always looking for shortcuts. She had a little hand grater, she had a hand-turning-thing where you would change the disc, almost like a meat grinder. I forget what they called it. But suddenly here was this food processor, and the results were fabulous. And the machines were so simple to use. So I took all of my recipes and converted them for the food processor.
I?m curious about what drew you to a career in cooking.?
When I was working on the fundraising book, I leaned that I could explain recipes very clearly, so that people could reproduce them. I had taught swimming when I was in my teens, so I was very good at presenting visual images. In my own learning pattern, if I would have a visual image, then it was very easy for me. Everything I write has a visual image, because otherwise I don?t understand the instructions myself. Because of that, my instructions are very clear. The deficit made me a much better writer. And I love food. I was very fascinated by how things were made. Everything was new. I had an instinct for a good recipe; I just knew it was good. I knew how to capture it and write it down. There were no computers then. When we did Second Helpings, we typed the recipes on 4 x 6 cards. And then we made a binder, and I kept moving things around. You know the little photo holders? Every time we got a new recipe, I kept having to move everything all the way down to add to a section. I love to teach and share. I was always bringing things to my kids? school, and I was very involved the community. I cooked all the time and I was brought up that you prepared it at home. My mother would come to visit or I would go to Winnipeg and watch how she made things.
When did you decide that food would be your life?s work?
I joined the IACP. There were no cooking classes available in Montreal. I went to an IACP conference, and I met people who understood me. My friends thought I was crazy because all I was interested in talking about was how you make this thing or that. And when I went to IACP, everybody understood what I was about. I had people I could talk to. I wasn?t interested in playing games or tennis. That just didn?t ring my chimes at all. I love the art of creating. You know, I watched Julia Child, learned how to make puff pastry. I used to go in the kitchen after my kids were asleep and cut onions different ways, and I would make onion blooms with different garnishes. I?m left handed, so I had challenges in learning how to do things that were pretty or fancy. I?m not a fancy cook, but I write very clearly. If I give you a recipe, it works. My conscience knows it?s right. When I try other people?s recipes, I know the error. I just know. I create a visual image when I write, when I edit my own work or anybody else?s work, and I can find an error in a book like you wouldn?t imagine.
You obviously love to teach and share your cooking knowledge. I?ve noticed that some people are protective of their recipes. Can you relate to that at all? Do you have a few recipes that you will never share because they?re so special, or are you an open book?
I always share, and I?ll tell you why I share. A woman told me a story about a dozen years ago about her father?s bakery in Winnipeg, which is where I grew up. And I remember going to that bakery as a little girl and I remember the smell of everything, you know that wonderful yeasty smell? I?d go in with my mother and it was such a good sensation to be able to smell everything? the warm baked goods on the walk home. So, she told me her father owned the bakery, and his head baker had a bread recipe that he would never share? and then he died. What?s the point of knowing something? I know some people have these secret ingredients that they would never share. Like my aunt made these amazing cinnamon buns, and she used real butter, and her technique with the yeast was so incredible. She could pull dough so thin you could really read the newspaper through it. And I would tell my aunt her cinnamon buns were so good, and my mother would ask what was wrong with her cinnamon buns. Like it was a competition. So people cooked their trademark dish. And there was an issue with people taking their recipe and turning it into a commercial product. It?s an issue of intellectual property. You know, it doesn?t matter what the recipe is., if someone gives you a recipe there?s always something missing or changed. I don?t do that, though. I like sharing.
I always think of recipes as being short stories. And people often do share. They?re looking for a taste memory, because a memory of food will literally transport you back to that table as a child or whenever. There?s a group called Montreal Memories and they go into these raptures about food they remember from their childhood. I remember cherries from when I was 3 or 4 years old with my zayde (grandfather). I don?t remember much else, but that he smelled like tobacco and the cherries. The cherries bring back a strong memory. Me sitting on the grass and wiggling my toes. It?s an old one.
If you could pick one food that?s your favorite in the world, what would it be?
Kasha. I love the fried onions. I usually cook one box of kasha with one egg. I love the aroma. I?ll double the amount of liquid. And lots and lots of fried onions that are nice and crispy golden brown. I cook them in olive oil, and sometimes I put mushrooms in. I?ll make a meal from it. Kasha and bowties, or any type of pasta that I might have. My bubbe used to make handmade dough. She would make a pasta dough, roll it out and cut it into squares and boil it very quickly. And I like matzo balls. I like all of my old traditional stuff. My tastes have changed. I can?t eat a lot of the heavy stuff anymore. I?ll have a steak once in a while. I like a good salami sandwich, but not very often. Growing up we always had a dried salami hanging in the closet next to the broom. Now I can?t eat it the same way because of all of the salt. It?s a treat. I eat a lot of vegetarian. I love a dairy kugel or a vegetable kugel. I like potato latkes. And I love to share food with friends.
?
After interviewing Norene, I decided to make a recipe from one of her most popular cookbooks, The Food Processor Bible. While the recipe isn?t specifically a Rosh Hashanah dish, it incorporates sweet, natural flavors like carrot, sweet potato, and honey. It?s very low fat and healthy (like many of Norene?s recipes), with a lovely garden-fresh flavor from the addition of fresh dill and basil.?Norene says:
?This easy, nutritious soup is packed with beta-carotene. You can use a combination of carrots and squash for a tasty variation.?
This soup would make a nutritious vegan addition to the Rosh Hashanah menu. It?s also a great option for Sukkot because of the beautiful autumn color and the inclusion of seasonal root vegetables. Enjoy!
Servings:10
Kosher Key: Pareve
Ingredients
2 clovesgarlic
1 slicefresh ginger, peeled (about 1 tbsp)
1large onion, cut in chunks
1-2 stalkscelery, cut in chunks
1 tbspolive oil
1 1/2 lbscarrots, cut in chunks (4 cups)
2 mediumsweet potatoes
1 mediumpotato
8 cupswater or vegetable broth
2 tspsalt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbspfresh basil
2 tbspfresh dill
1-2 tbspfresh lemon juice (or to taste)
1-2 tbsphoney (or to taste - omit to make soup vegan)
Sprigs of fresh dill for garnish (optional)
You will also need
Food processor, large soup pot, immersion blender (optional- recommended)
Prep Time:20 Minutes
Cook Time:35 Minutes
Total Time:55 Minutes
Place the steel blade on your food processor. Drop garlic and ginger through feed tube while machine is running.
Process until minced. (Use mini-bowl and mini-blade if available) Set aside.
Process onion and celery with quick on-off pulses, until coarsely chopped.
Heat oil in large soup pot. Saute onion and celery for 6 or 7 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if the vegetables begin to stick.
Process carrots with quick on/off pulses, until coarsely chopped.
Add to soup pot along with reserved garlic and ginger; cook 2 minutes longer.
Coarsely chop potato and sweet potatoes. Add to soup pot along with water or broth, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Process basil and dill until minced, about 10 seconds. Reserve.
When the vegetables are nice and tender, puree the soup. Because of the quantity, it is easiest to use an immersion blender and puree the soup directly in the pot.
Alternatively, to puree soup in processor, place a strainer over a large bowl or saucepan. Strain soup, reserve cooking liquid. Puree solids on the steel blade attachment until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Stir pureed vegetables into the reserved cooking liquid.
Add minced basil, dill, lemon juice and honey to the soup (I used the immersion blender to blend them into the puree). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add additional water if the soup is too thick.
Serve hot. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill, if desired. Keeps 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheats and/or freezes well.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, one of the few European leaders to survive an election during the euro zone crisis, is expected to form a coalition with his close rival, Labour, and stay committed to a policy of fiscal discipline.
The victory of two centrist, pro-European parties in the general election on Wednesday was hailed by analysts and investors as a sign that one of Europe's richest countries remained a close ally of Berlin.
Liberal Party leader Rutte's last government, which fell after two years, repeatedly urged fiscal discipline on the indebted countries of southern Europe, while insisting that the Netherlands also needed to implement painful austerity measures to meet European Union deficit targets.
The pro-business Liberals won 41 seats in the 150-seat chamber, while Diederik Samsom's Labour Party came second with 39 seats, results showed on Thursday.
Coalition talks will start later on Thursday and typically take weeks or even months in the Netherlands.
The chairwoman of the lower house of parliament, Gerdi Verbeet, spoke by telephone to all the party leaders on Thursday morning, and will meet them at 0800 EDT.
Afterwards, she will inform Queen Beatrix about which procedure parliament will follow in forming a new cabinet.
While Labour is seen as the most obvious partner, Rutte may lose his ally, the outspoken Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager, whose Christian Democrat party - which has dominated the Dutch post-war political landscape - crashed to its worst result ever, coming fifth.
Voters in one of Europe's last countries with a triple-A credit rating roundly rejected two anti-European fringe parties that dominated the early stages of the campaign, reassuring investors who feared the Netherlands might reject Berlin's strategy for dealing with the euro zone debt crisis.
"Moderate parties that are firmly in the pro-euro camp and committed to fiscal discipline emerged as the winners at a crucial time for the euro zone," said Riccardo Barbieri Hermitte, chief European economist at Mizuho International.
Together, Labour and Liberals would command a comfortable majority in the lower chamber of parliament, although they would need a third party to have majority support in the senate, or upper chamber.
TOUGH TALKS AHEAD
Party leaders were expected to meet in The Hague later on Thursday to begin coalition talks, which at least one senior Liberal figure said would be difficult.
"There are two clear winners who are substantially different from each other," Jozias van Aartsen, the mayor of The Hague, told Dutch radio.
During its campaign, Labour called for a slower pace of cuts in order to allow for fiscal stimulus at home, and Samsom said he was prepared to allow Greece more time to meet its targets "if that is good for Europe".
In contrast, Rutte emphasized that fiscal discipline was essential, and Greece should not get a third bailout.
Whatever the differences, parliamentary arithmetic means it would be almost impossible to form a coalition that did not include these two leading parties of left and right.
"Whatever coalition is formed it will include these two," said Rudy Andeweg, professor of politics at Leiden University.
Rutte and Samsom were keeping their cards close to their chests on Thursday, with Rutte telling reporters he would be "silent" about attempts to form a cabinet. Samsom has not yet commented.
WILDERS SUPPORT FADES
The leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, tried to turn the election into a referendum on Europe, saying he would pull the country out of the 27-nation bloc and reintroduce the Dutch guilder. He won 15 seats, almost halving his parliamentary representation.
The Socialist Party, which opposed austerity at home and abroad and characterized euro zone bailouts as hand-outs to banks, also won 15 seats, unchanged from the previous election.
Rutte made increasingly eurosceptic noises as the campaign progressed, though analysts saw this as a part of a strategy to win over Freedom Party supporters.
Sweder van Wijnbergen, a University of Amsterdam economist and former Labour junior minister, said the differences between the two parties on fiscal policy and the euro zone were far from insurmountable.
"In the end, Samsom is right that the Greeks should get help as long as they continue their reform program," he said. "Rutte has wiggle room inside his campaign commitments, and he may be in power for as long as four years, so he has the time to back down."
The parties' differences on meeting the budget deficit target set by the European Union were exaggerated, he said. "The difference is about how quickly you get to the 3 percent limit, not about whether to do so," Van Wijnbergen said.
The budget deficit is forecast at 3.6 percent of gross domestic product this year, falling to 2.7 percent of GDP next year.
Rutte is almost certain to remain prime minister. Traditionally, the second-largest coalition partner names the finance minister, which would come from Labour if the two parties form a government.
Leading Labour candidates for the job include Ronald Plasterk, a former academic biologist and education minister who is the party's finance spokesman, and Coen Teulings, the head of the CPB, the government's economic forecaster.
(Additional reporting by Svebor Kranjc in Leiden, Christian Levaux in The Hague, Sara Webb, Gilbert Kreijger and Thomas Escritt in Amsterdam; Editing Paul Taylor, Stacey Joyce, John Stonestreet)
Daniel Kahneman's 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' wins best book award from academiesPublic release date: 13-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lauren Rugani news@nas.edu 202-334-2138 National Academy of Sciences
WASHINGTON -- Recipients of the 10th annual Communication Awards were announced today by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. Supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation since 2003 as part of the Keck Futures Initiative, these prestigious awards -- each of which includes a $20,000 prize -- recognize excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the general public in four categories: books, film/radio/TV, magazine/newspaper, and online. The winners will be honored during an Oct. 12 ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C.
"The last 10 years have seen many changes in these awards," said NAS Vice President Barbara A. Schaal, who chairs the communication awards selection committee. "The number of outstanding nominees keeps increasing, with carefully crafted pieces that cover topics of scientific achievement and social importance. The nature of communication with the public continues to evolve, which led to creating a fourth category -- online -- in 2009."
Selected from more than 300 print, broadcast, and Internet entries, the recipients of this year's awards for works published or aired in 2011 are:
Book
Daniel Kahneman for his book Thinking, Fast and Slow (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux)
An outstanding and accessible book that brings to the public key scientific insights about how we think and make decisions.
Film/Radio/TV
Paula S. Apsell (senior executive producer), Michael Bicks (writer, producer, and director), and Julia Cort (senior producer, writer) for "Smartest Machine on Earth" (NOVA)
An imaginative television documentary that captures the challenge of programming a computer to mimic the way we think and explores a key question of 21st century science: Can a machine ever beat a human at the incredibly complex game of intelligence?
Magazine/Newspaper
Crocker Stephenson, Guy Boulton, Mark Johnson, John Schmid, and the Journal Sentinel staff for the series "Empty Cradles" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Distinguished reporting about medical, cultural, and economic dilemmas in the delivery of health care in Milwaukee.
Online
Daniel Engber for the series "The Mouse Trap: How One Rodent Rules the Lab" (Slate Magazine)
A clear focus on an unappreciated problem in scientific research: Relying exclusively on laboratory mice can be a big mistake.
The following were finalists:
James Gleick -- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood (Pantheon Books)
Charles Mann -- 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created (Alfred A. Knopf)
Dennis Overbye -- for the series "Live Out There" (New York Times)
Alan Zarembo -- "Unraveling an Epidemic" (Los Angeles Times)
The winners of the 2012 Communication Awards were selected by an 11-member committee.
###
The Keck Futures Initiative was created in 2003 to encourage interdisciplinary research and is funded by a 15-year, $40 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Nominations for the 2013 Communication Awards will be accepted beginning Jan. 9, 2013, for work published or broadcast in 2012. For more information on the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative and the Communication Awards, please visit www.keckfutures.org. For more information about the W.M. Keck Foundation, please visit www.wmkeck.org.
Members of the media who would like to attend this year's award ceremony on Oct. 12 in Washington, D.C., should e-mail commawards@nas.edu to receive complimentary tickets.
The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. For more information, visit national-academies.org.
Contacts:
Lauren Rugani, Media Relations Officer
William Skane, Executive Director
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Daniel Kahneman's 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' wins best book award from academiesPublic release date: 13-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lauren Rugani news@nas.edu 202-334-2138 National Academy of Sciences
WASHINGTON -- Recipients of the 10th annual Communication Awards were announced today by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. Supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation since 2003 as part of the Keck Futures Initiative, these prestigious awards -- each of which includes a $20,000 prize -- recognize excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the general public in four categories: books, film/radio/TV, magazine/newspaper, and online. The winners will be honored during an Oct. 12 ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C.
"The last 10 years have seen many changes in these awards," said NAS Vice President Barbara A. Schaal, who chairs the communication awards selection committee. "The number of outstanding nominees keeps increasing, with carefully crafted pieces that cover topics of scientific achievement and social importance. The nature of communication with the public continues to evolve, which led to creating a fourth category -- online -- in 2009."
Selected from more than 300 print, broadcast, and Internet entries, the recipients of this year's awards for works published or aired in 2011 are:
Book
Daniel Kahneman for his book Thinking, Fast and Slow (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux)
An outstanding and accessible book that brings to the public key scientific insights about how we think and make decisions.
Film/Radio/TV
Paula S. Apsell (senior executive producer), Michael Bicks (writer, producer, and director), and Julia Cort (senior producer, writer) for "Smartest Machine on Earth" (NOVA)
An imaginative television documentary that captures the challenge of programming a computer to mimic the way we think and explores a key question of 21st century science: Can a machine ever beat a human at the incredibly complex game of intelligence?
Magazine/Newspaper
Crocker Stephenson, Guy Boulton, Mark Johnson, John Schmid, and the Journal Sentinel staff for the series "Empty Cradles" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Distinguished reporting about medical, cultural, and economic dilemmas in the delivery of health care in Milwaukee.
Online
Daniel Engber for the series "The Mouse Trap: How One Rodent Rules the Lab" (Slate Magazine)
A clear focus on an unappreciated problem in scientific research: Relying exclusively on laboratory mice can be a big mistake.
The following were finalists:
James Gleick -- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood (Pantheon Books)
Charles Mann -- 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created (Alfred A. Knopf)
Dennis Overbye -- for the series "Live Out There" (New York Times)
Alan Zarembo -- "Unraveling an Epidemic" (Los Angeles Times)
The winners of the 2012 Communication Awards were selected by an 11-member committee.
###
The Keck Futures Initiative was created in 2003 to encourage interdisciplinary research and is funded by a 15-year, $40 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Nominations for the 2013 Communication Awards will be accepted beginning Jan. 9, 2013, for work published or broadcast in 2012. For more information on the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative and the Communication Awards, please visit www.keckfutures.org. For more information about the W.M. Keck Foundation, please visit www.wmkeck.org.
Members of the media who would like to attend this year's award ceremony on Oct. 12 in Washington, D.C., should e-mail commawards@nas.edu to receive complimentary tickets.
The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. For more information, visit national-academies.org.
Contacts:
Lauren Rugani, Media Relations Officer
William Skane, Executive Director
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Skype's got a new audio codec that it thinks you should be pumped about, and it's called "Opus." It's been kicked around at Skype since March 2009, though work didn't begin in earnest until June of the same year, and it was just certified by the IETF as a standard of online audio. Senior Skype architect Koen Vos lead a team of audio engineers to create the hybrid audio codec, combining Skype's own "SILK" codec with Xiph.Org's "CELT" codec, intending to create a low-bandwidth codec "designed for the internet." But what does that mean for us? It means "CD quality" audio (fullband stereo sound) over Skype, regardless of internet connection. And what about those pesky packet loss issues that cause Skype calls to often sound choppy? "It has multiple mechanics to deal with and recover from packet loss plaguing the network," promises audio/video product engineering director Karlheinz Wurm. So ... uh, less of a chance of sounding like an Autobot then? Great!
Wurm says the new codec "will make a quiet but crystal clear entry into the world" without naming exactly when. And yes, Opus is expected to become standard across all Skype platforms. What's that, you want to watch a 45 minute speech about Opus? We've got you covered, just below the break.
If you happened to pass through AOL's offices in Palo Alto last November or December, you might have had your first run-in with the elusive creature "founder squatter." Say what? Following in the grand boot-strapping, couch-surfing tradition, last winter, Eric Simons spent two months squatting at AOL's office, sleeping on couches and pilfering Ramen noodles and other snacks left out for employees. Simons was hard at work building Class Connect, a platform on which teachers can post and share lesson plans.
President James A. Garfield.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 26-Sep-2012
Share ] 
Process until minced. (Use mini-bowl and mini-blade if available) Set aside. 
Process onion and celery with quick on-off pulses, until coarsely chopped.
Heat oil in large soup pot. Saute onion and celery for 6 or 7 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if the vegetables begin to stick.
Process carrots with quick on/off pulses, until coarsely chopped. 
Add to soup pot along with reserved garlic and ginger; cook 2 minutes longer. 
Coarsely chop potato and sweet potatoes. Add to soup pot along with water or broth, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Process basil and dill until minced, about 10 seconds. Reserve.
When the vegetables are nice and tender, puree the soup. Because of the quantity, it is easiest to use an immersion blender and puree the soup directly in the pot.
Alternatively, to puree soup in processor, place a strainer over a large bowl or saucepan. Strain soup, reserve cooking liquid. Puree solids on the steel blade attachment until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Stir pureed vegetables into the reserved cooking liquid.
Add minced basil, dill, lemon juice and honey to the soup (I used the immersion blender to blend them into the puree). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add additional water if the soup is too thick. 
Serve hot. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill, if desired. Keeps 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheats and/or freezes well.
