Celebrity chefs, TV shows and Internet change how we cook

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Dawn Jackson Blatner of Chicago has been reading Gourmet magazine for several years and was sad to hear that the November issue will be the last one.
But the truth is, when she wants to find a new recipe these days, she often goes online. Just the other day she searched the Internet for a simple tomato soup recipe. "Out popped a million entries," she says.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, a New York City mother of three who loves to cook, says she reads "cooking magazines and cookbooks like other people read novels." She devours her favorites from cover to cover. But she, too, surfs the Net for recipes and information.

Last week, Condé Nast announced that it would stop publishing Gourmet, which was launched in 1941 and has been the darling of food devotees for decades. Throughout its history, the magazine focused on America's unfolding culinary scene, pitching articles toward an upscale audience.

Today's economy and dwindling advertising revenue were at work against Gourmet, but the bigger picture is that the food world has changed. People such as Blatner and Taub-Dix who love to cook now have a dizzying array of choices when they're looking for information and recipes. They can search online, watch cooking shows, flip through personality-driven magazines, read food blogs.

It's a world of celebrity chefs, social networking and recipe cyber-swapping, specialized niche websites and blogs, ingredients of all sorts easily ordered online.

Television has been one of the most powerful forces in this new world, rocketing to stardom such cooking gurus as Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, Paula Deen, Christopher Kimball, Bobby Flay and Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss.

"The Food Network is like MTV was in the '80s," says Lee, host of Sandra's Money Saving Meals and Semi-Homemade Cooking With Sandra Lee.

Just good eating

The TV chefs and their shows have distinct personalities that appeal to their particular fans.

For instance, Ray, bubbly host of the Food Network's 30 Minute Meals With Rachael Ray and editorial director of her own magazine, Every Day With Rachael Ray, says she believes fans of her cooking show are attracted to it because of its accessibility and her "can do" attitude.

"We want people to be successful with recipes and not intimidated by their kitchens," she says. "When you are done with a recipe from our shows or magazine, it should look like the picture. Our recipes are that easy, and you don't need any specific skills to make them."

And Deen, down-home star of the Food Network's Paula's Best Dishes and Paula's Home Cooking and editor of her own magazine, says viewers are attracted to her shows because she's "not fancy and more like their neighbor and family. I cook real-people food. I like to talk about issues that affect the everyday person who is trying to keep it together for their family."

Kimball takes an almost scientific approach. The bow-tied host of PBS' America's Test Kitchen and founder and editor of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines says the challenge for food magazines and TV shows in this new world "is to create a brand that is unique."

His focus is on testing recipes to make the best possible dish. Some recipes are tried 50 times or more. The magazines also give test-kitchen tips, explanations of why the chefs prepared the dish the way they did and make-ahead advice.

Kimball says the goal is to make great food and explain where things can go wrong. "We explain why bad things can happen to good recipes. Our readers want to understand why we are doing things."

Michael Clinton of Hearst Magazines, which publishes the Food Network Magazine, says he was amazed by the star power of the celebrity chefs at a recent food and wine festival.

"When Bobby Flay walked in, you would have thought Sting arrived. When Paula Deen walked in, you would have thought Elizabeth Taylor arrived."

When Lee meets fans, they often ask to have their photo taken with her, and they pepper her with questions, she says. "When people walk up to me, I'm expecting them to ask me for some information. In grocery stores they do. They want to know — if I don't have X, can I use Y? If I don't have Y, can I use Z? They'll say, 'My son doesn't like this kind of cheese. What could I use instead of it in that recipe?"

One reason there has been such an explosion of food information is that today "everybody is a foodie," says Lee, who also is editor of her own magazine and author of three new cookbooks.

And it's all more personal now. There's a wide range of publications, TV shows and websites because there's a wide range of opinions and tastes, she says.

Make it fast, make it healthy

So what do foodies today want? "They want it quick, and they want it healthy," Lee says. "We have a triple A factor: It has to be aspirational, accessible and affordable."

Lisa Gosselin, editorial director of EatingWell magazine, says nutrition has become increasingly important to many consumers, and the amount of time they have to prepare meals has shortened considerably.

"For many people," she says, "cooking has become 'What is going to be good for me, what is going to be good for my family and how can I prepare something that is going to be fresh, quick and healthy?' "

Most of EatingWell's recipes take less than 45 minutes to make and use about 12 ingredients, she says.

"What Gourmet covered and the recipes they presented might have represented what was the forefront of a trend but may not be what you cook for dinner on a Tuesday night."

People want practical food preparation, so EatingWell's recipe testers grocery-shop for their own ingredients so they know which things might be hard to find, Gosselin says.

Then there's money. Ray says budget is a major factor for her readers and viewers.

"Right now we are strongly focusing on value and stretching a buck," she says. "We want people to get quality meals for their money. I think value will continue to be very important."

Deen says the economy "is definitely having an impact on how people cook for their families. People want good healthy meals at a good value. Everyone is watching the bottom line."

From farm to table

Readers today are much more aware of where their food is coming from, too, and they want their food to be from local sources as much as possible, says Barbara Fairchild, editor of Bon Appétit. "Our readers have always shopped farmers markets and what I like to call the 'fringes' of the supermarket for fresh produce, fresh fish, dairy."

People everywhere are realizing the importance of seasonality, she says. "So they want recipes and information that show working with fresh ingredients doesn't have to be any more difficult or time-consuming than using ready-made food."

Ray agrees. "Farm to table is very popular right now, and I think that trend will continue … helping put the focus back on where food is coming from."

In general, Fairchild says, what's exciting about the food world now is it's changing all the time. She says people are interested in the full range of the food experience.

That certainly applies to Chicago's Blatner, who finds the new world an exciting place where a wealth of information is available to her whenever she wants it.

"For someone like me who loves to eat food, prepare food, read about food and talk about food," she says, "it's great to have so many resources right at my fingertips."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-10-11-recipe-for-change_N.htm

Brooklyn Native Fulfills Dream, Becomes Certified Chef at Age 81

After 40-Year Career Designing Commercial Kitchens Salesman Didn’t Know ‘How to Boil Water’
By Robert Reid, CEC, CCA
Special to the Brooklyn Eagle
American Culinary Federation

How old is too old to enter the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) certification process? Have you pondered the idea of certification only to find yourself pushing it onto the back burner? I recently had the pleasure of working with Alvin Friedman, who at 80 years old, went back to the culinary classroom with the goal of certification in mind. After completing the written and practical exams, Alvin became one of ACF’s oldest members to earn the certified culinarian (CC) designation.

Alvin was born into the restaurant business. 1928 was a busy year as J.P. Friedman welcomed both his son, Alvin, into the world and opened a new restaurant equipment business in Brooklyn. Through the years, both son and business prospered. In the 1940s, Alvin enrolled at New York University (NYU), but the U.S. Government and Uncle Sam had other ideas. After serving his country proudly through the U.S. Army Air Force, Alvin was awarded an honorable discharge and returned to Brooklyn. His father, never one to mince words, gave him two options. “Son, come work with me, or get out of the house,” he said. Alvin promptly joined his father and spent many years selling equipment and designing commercial kitchens in the greater New York area.

Friedman & Friedman were well known throughout the industry for carrying only top-of-the-line equipment. At one point in his career, the president of Vulcan Hart tried to lure him away to a position as national sales manager, but Alvin remained loyal to the family business. But soon, both the family business and Brooklyn went through some changes. In 1978, a rash of burglaries to the establishment was the impetus for closing the doors.

Alvin was ready to make the big move. He brought his wife and children to San Diego, where he continued to represent large restaurant equipment manufacturers on the West Coast. He developed an expertise with the “cook-chill” method of food preparation and worked with his wife to bring this technology to many prison systems. Alvin jokes that they were known as the “prison couple.”

Upon his wife’s passing, Alvin knew it was time to retire and rekindle his desire for education. After spending his 40-year career designing commercial kitchens, he was curious to find out exactly how many mistakes he had made. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that the basics in a professional kitchen, although evolved, hadn’t changed much. Alvin breathed a sigh of relief to know that perhaps he really did know what he was talking about. But being able to survive in these well-designed kitchens was another story, especially since Alvin’s culinary knowledge was rudimentary at best. He needed to learn the basics; he needed to learn how to boil water.

It wasn’t long after that Alvin became involved with his synagogue’s foodservice and preparation. He quickly worked his way up from a volunteer to chief cook and bottle washer, aka the foodservice manager. He took his on-the-job experience and enrolled in an education program at North County Culinary Academy in San Marcos, Calif. The more he learned, the more his desire grew. He set his sights on becoming certified by ACF.

By the end of 2008, Alvin was ready to participate in the practical examination component of the certification process. As the site administrator for practical exams, I was contacted and thoroughly pleased to help make the necessary arrangements.

I don’t know that I’ve ever met a more dynamic and enthusiastic individual. Even at 80 years old, Alvin was prepared for the challenge and flew through the requirements. Shortly after his 81st birthday, Alvin received notification from ACF that he was now a bona fide certified culinarian.

After spending his life supporting the culinary profession, Alvin was now able to add the distinction of CC to both his résumé and his chef’s jacket. He is proud to be one of more than 4,000 culinarians with this designation. Never one to rest upon his laurels, he now has his sights set on the next level of certification, certified sous chef.

Alvin volunteers three days a week at a local synagogue and is assistant to the chef at Interfaith Community Services, Escondido, Calif., where he serves meals to fellow veterans. He is a proud member of ACF Chefs and Culinarians of San Diego.


* * *

Questions? Comments? Sound off to the Editor

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© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net

How To Work Better with Generation Y

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/28/news/economy/gen.y.fortune/index.htm?section=money_latest

So-called 'milennials' are confident, ambitious, and tech-savvy, says one expert. They also need constant coaching.QuizWhat Kind of Manager?A psychologist says whether you take all the credit (or blame) when things go well (or badly) means a lot for you and how best to motivate your team.

1. When I succeed at a task, it is usually because I worked hard.
Strongly Disagree
Somewhat Disagree
Neutral
Somewhat Agree
Strongly Agree

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Dear Annie: Once again this year I've been put in charge of our division's summer internship program, and to be honest, I'm dreading it. I'm not a big fan of generalizations about entire generations - I'm a Boomer and never feel like the stereotypes describe me - but I find "millennials," a.k.a. Generation Y, just baffling.

For one thing, they seem both overly ambitious and not ambitious enough. For instance, last year, one very bright and talented intern asked me how long it had taken me to get to my level in the company (14 years), then said he could do it in half the time. Yet he wasn't a hard worker and left on the dot of five every single day, no matter what was going on. I did my best to try and explain the connection between effort and advancement, but I doubt that it sunk in.

This year we have a new crop of 22 college seniors coming in, and we're going to expect them to accomplish some real results.Do you have any advice on how to communicate effectively with people in this age group? -Open to Suggestions

Dear Open: Have I got a book for you. Bruce Tulgan, head of a consulting firm called Rainmaker Thinking, has made a career out of counseling hundreds of companies, from Abbott Laboratories (ABT, Fortune 500) to Walt Disney (DIS, Fortune 500), on how to attract, motivate, and keep young employees. His latest book is Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y (Jossey-Bass, $24.95).

Tulgan agrees with you that not all members of any generation are alike. Still, "there are broad trends and patterns of behavior that can be useful in understanding what makes someone in a given age group tick." Gen Y, roughly defined as anyone born 1978 and 1990, has been "coached and tutored and guided and over-parented at every step of the way" in their short lives so far, Tulgan observes, so they may strike you as much more high-maintenance than you or your peers ever were.0:00 /02:05Gen Y moneymakers"

The sink-or-swim method of management many Boomers experienced, where you're expected to figure things out for yourself, does not work with Gen Y," he says. "They need all-day, every-day coaching, and it has to start as soon as they walk in the door.

"Not Everyone Gets a Trophy is chock full of mini-case studies from the companies where Tulgan has helped managers get great results from Gen Y employees - while keeping them happy so they don't leave - and I wish I had the space to reprint the whole book here.I don't, so here are five suggestions (from Chapter 8) for firing up your interns:

1. Set clear ground rules at the outset. "Managers tell me every day that Gen Yers fail to meet a lot of unspoken expectations about behavior in the workplace," says Tulgan. "I have an idea: Speak them." Of course, this requires you to figure out in some detail exactly what your expectations are. Then state them in no uncertain terms."The more you spell out clear ground rules up front, the better things will go," says Tulgan. "Write them down. They will serve as an easy point of reference whenever you want to remind one of your interns of something that matters to you: 'We both know that this is one of my ground rules.' "

2. Establish a regular time and place for one-on-one meetings. "Remember that Gen Yers have grown up hyperscheduled," Tulgan says. "They thrive on that kind of structure, and they thrive on one-on-one, personalized attention."So you, and any of your peers who are working with this crop of interns, need to sit down with each one to discuss his or her work as often as you can - every day if possible, but if not, then at least once a week. It's a chance to set goals, talk about problems, and find out what your interns might need from you."Making a plan to meet regularly, no matter how busy things get, is a huge commitment for both of you. It's a powerful statement that you care enough to spend time setting this person up for success," says Tulgan. "It's also a lot of pressure on both of you. But it's good pressure."

3. Focus on solutions, not problems. As one executive with a successful track record of managing Gen Y employees told Tulgan, "They want to improve. If you talk about continuous improvement, they are all ears." So teach them how, by concentrating on what happens next. Whenever something goes wrong, says Tulgan, "keep asking: Exactly what concrete actions - next steps - are you going to take now? What can you do to improve? What do you need to revise and adjust?" There was a reason Socrates asked his pupils so many questions. When people figure something out on their own, the lesson sticks.

4. Keep track of their performance. It may be tempting not to bother monitoring and evaluating your interns' performance the way you would with a "real" employee. But if you want great results from these young people, skipping the evaluation process would be a mistake. Tulgan recommends asking customers for feedback on the interns' work, asking other managers, and asking Gen Yers themselves to describe and evaluate what they're accomplishing. When in doubt, err on the side of excessive attention to detail.As one Gen Yer told Tulgan, "I'd rather have a manager who is keeping really close track of what I'm doing than one who doesn't know who I am or what I'm doing and doesn't care."

5. Teach them how to get what they need from you. Managers often tell Tulgan that Gen Yers make a lot of requests and demands. "I tell them, 'They're doing you a favor by asking for things. Once you know what they want from you, you have the key to getting what you want from them.'

"Without bogging down in endless negotiations, come up with a quid pro quo: You can have A if you'll agree to do (or stop doing) B. Handled correctly, a demand from a GenYer can turn into an opportunity to offer him or her a reward linked directly to performance - which is what really motivates most millennials.

If this all sounds like a lot of work, it is. "I'm not saying that taking on this constant coaching is good news for managers," says Tulgan. "I'm just saying it works." Whatever else you may think of this generation, Tulgan notes, they bring "a wealth of technical knowledge, energy, enthusiasm, and a tremendous openness to new ideas." And what company couldn't use more of those? "They're worth the trouble," says Tulgan. "Don't humor them. Take them seriously, and they'll reward the effort." Here's hoping.

Readers, what do you think? If you manage Gen Y employees, do you think they differ from other generations? What do you like and dislike about their work? Any tips on communicating effectively with them? Gen Yers, what do you like or dislike about the way your boss deals with you? What motivates you (or doesn't) to do your best work?

Post your thoughts on the Ask Annie blog.First Published: April 28, 2009: 9:48 AM ET

Farm Fresh Markets

http://www.starchefs.com/features/farm_fresh/html/index.php

Imagine having access to fruits and vegetables directly from a local farmer’s market. Use our new Farm Fresh Markets listing to visit the farmer’s market in your city. They in turn will provide you with seasonal ingredients that will make your recipes a hit!

We will be adding farmers markets on a regular basis. If you know of one that is not listed in your neighborhood, please let us know and we will add it to the list.(Just send the information to farmersmarketinfo@starchefs.com.) Please visit again to see what markets have been added.

Thank you for supporting your local farmers by shopping at Farmer’s Markets.

StarChefs’ Recommended Book List for Farm fresh, Organic, Whole food, and Farmer’s Market cooking.

Cooking Up A New Career in the Food Industry

Cooking up a new career in the food industry

Restaurants alone expected to add 1.8 million jobs in the next 10 years
Anne Rettig / The Culinary Institute of America
By Eve Tahmincioglu

Contributor

It’s all about food lately.

Culinary shows like “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen” are all the rage. Tainted peanuts have us worried about what we eat and how to make it better. Books such as “The Omnivore's Dilemma” and “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics” are bestsellers. And even first lady Michelle Obama is getting in on the act, planting a vegetable garden at the White House.
Not surprisingly, more and more laid-off workers, those switching careers and young people just starting out are contemplating jobs in the food industry.

Jack Bernowitz, a 44-year-old laid-off broker from bankrupt Lehman Brothers, enrolled in New York’s Institute of Culinary Education this past November with his sights on becoming a chef.

“For 20 years I loved going to work,” he says about his tenure at the brokerage house. “But in the last four years, with the greed, corruption on Wall Street, the love was gone.”

He was ready for a career overhaul. “I always loved cooking for my family and friends, even bringing food in for the people at work,” says Bernowitz, who has more than 120 cookbooks at home. “Sometimes you need a tragedy to push you to do what you want to do.”

Last year, the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) saw a record-setting 20,000 inquiries for enrollment, up more than 12 percent from the previous year.

“Surging interest and growing enrollment at ICE is directly related to the current economic climate,” says Rick Smilow, president of The Institute of Culinary Education.

“People are re-pondering the importance of food in our lives,” adds Mark Erickson, vice president/dean for The Culinary Institute of America. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that food is a topic on the national agenda. People are thinking about the health, social and political implications food has, and it’s a wonderful time to think about a career in the food profession.”
A growing but competitive industryWhile many individuals like Bernowitz have aspirations of working in a restaurant kitchen, cooking jobs can be very competitive.

The jobless rate among food preparation and related occupations in 2008 was 9.5 percent, compared to the overall national unemployment rate of 5.8 percent last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But take heart, the food job opportunities go beyond the standard restaurant digs.

“Food is the second-largest employer after the federal government,” says Irena Chalmers, author of “Food Jobs: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers.”

When people think of food-related jobs, they tend to think of cooks or chefs in a restaurant, Chalmers says, but that’s just a small part of a huge industry.

There are a host of other opportunities, says Chalmers, including jobs as a cook in nursing homes or retirement centers, personal chefs in people’s homes, and even behind-the-scenes at supermarkets, which are offering more prepared food for time-crunched consumers.

Non-cooking jobs run the gamut from nutritional experts to food safety jobs to research and development positions for corporations, she says.

el Bulli

http://www.elbulli.com/

About Atlanta Restaurants

Mere mention of Southern food brings to mind church picnics, dinner at Grandma's, and overflowing breakfast feasts. It's fried chicken, barbecue, hushpuppies, shrimp and grits, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, banana pudding, and peach cobbler. In short, it's comfort food par excellence. And thanks to places like Dreamland BBQ and Fat Matt's Rib Shack, you can still get a taste of the good life. More often than not, though, Atlanta's chefs have taken these venerable culinary traditions and updated them, adding a Continental touch that enlivens the basics. Canoe, for example, offers mountain trout and local rabbit, dressed with fresh herbs and light sauces. The bounty only continues from there, and modern cuisine runs rampant in this food-loving city. Elegant Bacchanalia's international reach, Joël's French dishes, and Floataway Café's eclectic ambience all hint at Atlanta's fabulous options. Great steaks and seafood are welcome standards too, and although high-end establishments are abundant, so too are low-brow eateries. The Varsity, a local landmark, showcases this end of the culinary spectrum with easy grace – burgers, fries, and onion rings served car-side have a tendency to level all playing fields, as lawyers, high-school juniors, and blue-collar folks similarly attest.-- Kelly Sigmon, Senior Editor

http://www.10best.com/Atlanta,GA/Restaurants/




Best Restaurants
in Atlanta
Ritz-Carlton Dining Room
Bacchanalia
Chops and Lobster Bar
Rathbun's Restaurant
Nan Thai
Aria
Joël
Nam
Bone's Restaurant
Nikolai's Roof
... View all 10 »
USER PICKS
User Suggested
in Atlanta
Fox Bros BBQ
Mediterranean Grill
Chef Pete's
Ruby Tuesday
Uncle Wong's
Starfish Japanese Restaurant
Commune
Granny's Soulfood
PIZZA BAR
Goodstone Cafe

10 Best Restaurant Cities

Which is the most exciting restaurant city in the world right now? Hint: It’s not Paris, and it’s not New York.... It’s Tokyo, hands-down, thanks to the city’s ultra-diverse, thrillingly dynamic food scene.
1. Tokyo
2. Paris
3. New York City
4. London
5. Barcelona
6. Sydney
7. Madrid
8. Chicago
9. Stockholm
10. Vancouver, Canada

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-worlds-10-best-restaurant-cities-go-list-2008

Improper anchoring caused boat accident

Report: Improper anchoring caused boat accident
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO, Associated Press Writer 34 minutes ago

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—An agency investigating a deadly boating accident involving two NFL players and their friends in the Gulf of Mexico has concluded it was caused when the vessel was improperly anchored and the boat capsized after one of them tried to throttle forward to pry loose the anchor.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s investigation also cited carelessness and operator inexperience as contributing factors. The combination of errors came at the time a storm front was moving in, making conditions on the water very rough.

Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith, and former University of South Florida players William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler departed from Clearwater Pass, Fla., early Feb. 28 to go offshore fishing for amberjack.
Schuyler, found clinging to the boat two days later, was the lone survivor. The other three men have not been found.

In an in-depth interview with the agency, Schuyler gave this account of the accident:
Early that morning, the men went more than 50 miles offshore in Cooper’s 21-foot vessel. It was loaded with two large coolers filled with ice, drinks, food and beer. All of the friends were dressed in warm clothes, sweat suits and jackets.

Around 5:30 p.m., they went to pull up the anchor and head back to port, but the anchor was stuck. Bleakley suggested they tie it to the transom and use the boat’s motor to pull it loose.
When Cooper tried to thrust the boat forward, the vessel became submerged and capsized, tossing the men overboard. All four tried uprighting the boat by standing on one side of the overturned vessel. When that didn’t work, Bleakley swam underneath and was able to retrieve three life vests, a large cooler and a portable, cushion-type flotation device.

Bleakley, who Schuyler has credited with saving his life, used the makeshift flotation device, which has been described previously as a cushion. The other three wore the vests.

The men appear to have tried everything in their power to rescue themselves: Schuyler told the agency they tried retrieving and using flares, but they were wet, agency Investigator Jim Manson said. They got their cell phones, which were in plastic baggies, but there was no signal.
They knew how many hours were passing because Schuyler had a watch with a light on and was able to keep track of the time. He said that around 5:30 a.m. the next day, Cooper became unresponsive. Schuyler and Bleakley tried to revive him without success.

Cooper’s flotation device was removed and Bleakley put it on. The Oakland Raiders linebacker then became separated from the boat.

About an hour later, Smith started to show “possible extreme symptoms of hypothermia.” He removed his flotation device and also became separated from the boat.

The two college teammates were the only ones left. They hung on together for about 24 hours, until Bleakley grew weak and removed his life vest as well.

Schuyler said that his friend appeared to die as he was holding onto him. He let his friend go and Bleakley drifted away.

Manson said moving the anchor line to the stern, or back of the boat, contributed to the vessel’s instability and flooding when they tried to free it. He described it as a mistake that probably happens every day, but one that a more experienced boater would be aware of and could handle.
Manson recommended cutting the line if boaters are not able to easily free their anchor. The agency advises boaters to take a boating safety course and leave a detailed float plan with friends or family.

Cooper, the boat’s owner, had more than 100 hours of boating experience but no formal education, and had been drinking, according to the report.

“Overall, it’s just a mistake in anchoring,” Manson said.

The Coast Guard released its records on the accident last week. According to the agency, Schuyler told them the boat capsized after their anchor got caught in a reef.

The accuracy of that account was somewhat unclear because Schuyler was suffering from hypothermia and spoke to them shortly after he was pulled from the boat. His doctor said he probably could have only lived another five to 10 hours.

The Coast Guard called off its search after three days of scouring 24,000 miles of ocean.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-missingboaters-nfl&prov=ap&type=lgns

Family: Suspect in Oakland cop deaths feared jail

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090323/ap_on_re_us/police_shot_ca


OAKLAND, Calif. – Relatives of the man suspected of fatally shooting three Oakland police officers said Sunday the 26-year-old parolee was frustrated about not finding work and feared returning to jail.
The suspect Lovelle Mixon was slain in a gunfight with police during which two officers were killed Saturday, authorities said. Another officer was fatally shot earlier in the day and a fourth gravely wounded after the two of them pulled Mixon over for a routine traffic stop, police said.
Mixon's family gathered Sunday at his grandmother's East Oakland home, where he had stayed on and off since being released from a nine-month sentence for a parole violation, family members said.
He had previously served six years in state prison for assault with a firearm during an armed robbery in San Francisco, the family said. While he was in Corcoran state prison, he married his childhood girlfriend, they said.
Mixon's uncle, 38-year-old Curtis Mixon of Fremont, said his nephew had become depressed because he could not find work as a convicted felon. His nephew expected authorities to issue an arrest warrant for missing parole meetings, even though the he felt he was not to blame, he said.
"I think his frustration was building up, but he was trying to better himself," Curtis Mixon said.
Mixon was wanted on a no-bail warrant for violating his parole when Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and Officer John Hege, 41, both on motorcycles, stopped a 1995 Buick sedan in east Oakland just after 1 p.m., police said.
The driver opened fire, killing Dunakin and gravely wounding Hege, Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said.
Police initially issued a statement Sunday saying Hege had died but later backtracked, saying the officer had been declared brain dead but remained on life support while a decision was made about donating his organs.
Reached by telephone, Dr. John S. Hege said his son was attached to a ventilator and "looks fine" except for a black eye behind which the bullet was lodged.
"He does not have vital brain function to sustain life and will not regain that," Hege said, adding that the family would soon make a decision about continuing life support.
After shooting Hege and Dunakin, the gunman fled on foot, police said, leading to an intense manhunt.
Two hours later, officers found the gunman inside a nearby apartment building. When a SWAT team entered, the gunman opened fire, police said. Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35 were killed and a third officer was grazed by a bullet, police said.
Officers returned fire, killing Mixon, police said.
Mixon's sister, Reynete Mixon, 16, said she was sleeping when police kicked in the door and threw flash grenades, one of which struck her and caused minor burns on her leg. She said she did not know her brother was in the apartment when she fled as shots rang out.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags at the state capitol flown at half-staff Sunday. Schwarzenegger returned from Washington, D.C., to meet briefly with Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and members of the police department Sunday afternoon.
Police said never in the department's history had so many officers been killed in the line of duty in a single day.
Relatives and co-workers of the four officers requested privacy as they absorbed the enormity of the deaths. Oakland had never lost even two officers on the same day.
Yet some details about their lives and motivations for joining law enforcement emerged Sunday.
Friends who knew Sakai from his days at the University of California, Berkeley and his continued involvement in his college fraternity said he was married to a campus police officer and was a father. He and his family lived in Castro Valley.
Oren Levy, a fraternity brother of Sakai, said his friend grew up in Big Bear and was an accomplished mountain biker and outdoorsman who majored in forestry and graduated in 1995.
As an undergraduate at Berkeley, Sakai worked for the campus police department as a student volunteer. After graduation, Sakai spent a year in Japan teaching English.
"His honor was extremely important to him. Whenever there was a situation where someone could take the path that was less honorable, he always advocated doing the right thing," Levy said. "Being a police officer was really perfect for him."
Hege's father said his son, who lived in Concord, loved being a policeman. He worked well with people and was an Eagle Scout. He played high school football and wrestled. He umpired and coached even as a youth, and joined the Oakland Police Department reserves.
After graduating from St. Mary's College in Moraga, he taught high school physical education for a few years in nearby Hayward before joining the police department a decade ago.
He recently became a motorcycle traffic patrol officer, Hege said, adding, "He liked excitement."
As for the slain shooting suspect, Hege said, "The man was evidently terribly desperate. It is a sad story."
LaTasha Mixon, 28, of Sacramento said Sunday her cousin was "not a monster."
She said her family's prayers were with the slain officers' relatives.
"We're devastated. Everybody took a major loss. We're crushed," she said.

Barack Obama elected 44th president

By Alex Johnson
Reporter
msnbc.com
updated 3:10 p.m. ET, Wed., Nov. 5, 2008


Barack Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, shattered more than 200 years of history Tuesday night by winning election as the first African-American president of the United States.

A crowd of nearly a quarter-million jammed Grant Park and the surrounding area in Chicago, where Obama addressed the nation for the first time as its president-elect at midnight ET. Hundreds of thousands more — Mayor Richard Daley said he would not be surprised if a million Chicagoans jammed the streets — watched on a large television screen outside the park.

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” Obama declared.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27531033/

Boater found; NFL players still missing, Coast Guard says

CLEARWATER, Florida (CNN) -- One of four missing boaters was found Monday clinging to an overturned fishing vessel off Florida's Gulf Coast, and the search for the other three, including two NFL players, has narrowed, the Coast Guard said.

"We now know we are looking for persons in the water, not a boat," said Coast Guard Capt. Tim Close.
Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida football player, was the only person still with the small fishing boat when a Coast Guard cutter came across it about 50 miles west of Clearwater Beach on Monday, the Coast Guard said.

Still missing Monday afternoon were Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper; NFL free agent Corey Smith, who played for the Detroit Lions for the past three seasons; and former University of South Florida football player William Bleakley.

Schuyler told his rescuers that the boat was anchored Saturday evening when it was overturned by waves during a storm, Close said. He told them that all four men were clinging to the boat for a time, but became separated, Close said.

The four men embarked in a 21-foot single-engine boat from the Seminole Boat Ramp near Clearwater Pass about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said. The search was launched early Sunday after friends and relatives realized they had not returned from their fishing trip.

Schuyler appeared to be conscious and talking in video showing him being removed from a Coast Guard helicopter Monday afternoon.

Although he was initially able to answer a few questions to help with the search for the three missing men, officials decided to wait until he was treated for hypothermia before talking with him again, Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Simpson said.

Schuyler's parents, Marcia and Stu Schuyler, told reporters in Florida on Monday they were ecstatic that their son had been found alive. But Stu Schuyler said his "heart is still out" for the three missing men.
"We're not going to talk too much until we find these guys. We're all praying for them," Stu Schuyler said.

The Air Force Reserve sent a C-130 airplane and a Pave Hawk helicopter to assist the Coast Guard's search, which also included several other helicopters and airplanes. Three Coast Guard cutters were also on the water, Close said.

Rough seas and high winds that hampered the search Sunday continued Monday. The Coast Guard reported winds of 15 to 20 knots and waves up to 9 feet in the search area Monday.

"It feels like my greatest fear coming true -- it doesn't feel real," Cooper's wife, Rebekah, told CNN affiliate WTSP-TV in Tampa on Sunday. "I'm just waiting for a phone call."

Watch relatives, friends express concern for missing boaters »

Cooper said she became worried Saturday night when she didn't hear from her husband. She called her husband's fishing buddy, Brian Miller, who contacted the Coast Guard with the coordinates of where the men planned to fish.

"Usually I'm on the boat. It's a little difficult wondering if something would have been different if I had been there," Miller said.

He said it was clear something was wrong when Cooper didn't call Saturday night.

"He should've been within range to use his cell phone, and he knows enough to shut it off when he goes out so the batteries are still there," he said.

Rebekah Cooper said her husband was aware of Sunday's weather forecast and for that reason picked Saturday for the trip.

"Fishing is his first love, it always has been," she said, adding, "I have a lot of faith in him out there."

Cooper's father said he learned of the situation Sunday morning from Rebekah. His son "routinely stays out on the water 12 to 14 hours," Bruce Cooper, a sports anchor for CNN affiliate KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, said in a statement.

He called his son an "avid fisherman."

"He goes deep-sea fishing any opportunity he gets," Cooper said in the statement. "Two years ago, I went deep-sea fishing with him. I swore I would never do so again; I didn't like the fact that I couldn't see land. Needless to say, I am very concerned. I am praying and hoping for the best."
Smith and Cooper were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for part of the 2004 season, when Cooper was a rookie, according to the NFL's Web site. Smith, who entered the league with Tampa Bay in 2002, went on to play for the Washington Redskins before moving to the Lions for the 2006 season. Cooper has played for six teams in his five-season career.
Cooper played college football at the University of Washington. Smith played at North Carolina State University.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/02/florida.missing.boaters/index.html