Monday, November 28, 2011

Occupy L.A.: Several arrested, but protest remains mostly peaceful

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Police arrested several people early Monday at the Occupy L.A. demonstration outside City Hall, but then the commotion quickly died down.

Shortly after 5 a.m., police issued an order to disperse to those demonstrators gathered at the intersection of 1st and Main streets. Most people complied, but a few demonstrators refused to leave.

At one point, some protesters started throwing things at police. Several people were then arrested; one person was carried away by officers.

PHOTOS: Occupy L.A. eviction

Police said that there are still no plans to begin evicting people from the City Hall park, which was officially closed at midnight Sunday. They said their main intention was to clear the streets for morning commuters.

Hundreds of officers wearing helmets and carrying batons lined the streets but continued to show restraint.

Credit : latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/several-occupy-la-protesters-arrested.html

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey Pot Pie

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Sitting on a mound of leftover turkey? No worries! Bake up a tasty turkey pot pie that's bound to satisfy the whole family. When it comes to pot-pie filling, once you have your roux, you can use the leftover turkey or even experiment with using the leftover side dishes too. I kept my pot pie really simple with onions, celery, and leftover roasted sweet potatoes but I can only imagine that if your family's stocked up on cream of mushroom soup, green beans, or brussels sprouts, they'd be great addition to a pot pie, too.

To keep things really stress-free, pull out the food processor for this incredibly simple flaky pastry crust — or, easier yet, pick up some premade pie dough. Don't let those leftovers go to waste; instead, read more to get the recipe for this comforting leftover turkey pot pie.

For the filling:
2 cups leftover turkey meat, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock, preferably homemade
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onions, chopped (1 onion)
1/4-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup medium-diced carrots
1/2 cup medium-diced celery
1 cup sweet potato, small diced
1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped

For the pastry:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/8 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 to 1/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot stock to the sauce.
Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the turkey, carrots, celery, onions and thyme. Mix well and set aside.
For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour.
Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together.
Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle.
Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Serves 4-6.

Credit : yumsugar.com/Leftovers-Turkey-Pot-Pie-Recipe-20531929

Watch Beyonce's Dance For You HERE!

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Take a break from all that online shopping! It's sultry time!

Beyonce has just released the official music video for the very sexy Dance For You track!

It looks like she was inspired by the classic LAPD films, and we're definitely diggin' the vintage feel that comes with that.

As for the song itself, it's just all right to us. Nothing too special, nothing bad. But her hair in this video is fantastic!

Credit : perezhilton.com/2011-11-25-beyonce-dance-for-you-music-video/?from=top-headline#.TtEAXFaWYTA

Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday's Online Sales Leap 20 Percent Over Last Year

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LOS ANGELES -- Online shoppers didn't wait around until Cyber Monday to start their holiday shopping.

According to IBM Corp. research unit Coremetrics, U.S. consumers spent 20 percent more online on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, this year than last, while online sales jumped 39 percent on Thanksgiving Day.

Coremetrics measures sales data from more than 500 online retailers, including half of the top 50. It doesn't reveal its partners or specific dollar figures.

Both Coremetrics and e-commerce payment site PayPal, a united of eBay Inc., said shopping by mobile phone is increasingly substantially this year. PayPal said it saw five times more mobile payments worldwide this Thanksgiving, compared with last year.

And Coremetrics said about 17 percent of Black Friday visitors to retail websites came via mobile devices, up from about 5 percent a year ago.

There were sporadic reports of shoppers having trouble with crowded websites. Some visitors to Walmart.com reported problems paying for their merchandise at checkout, according to posts on GottaDeal.com and other websites.

Toys R Us Inc. spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh said Friday that the toy retailer's site experienced "some slowness" when it unveiled some online deals at 9 p.m. Eastern time Thursday. She said the company's online sales are up "extensively" from a year ago.

Online sales typically account for about one-tenth of total sales in November, one of the biggest shopping periods of the year, said John Squire, an executive with IBM's e-commerce marketing unit.

That share looks to rise this year.

IBM's Coremetrics predicts online sales will grow about 15 percent this year, compared with growth of a few percentage points for brick-and-mortar stores.

Some retailers save their online deals for the first business day of the week following Thanksgiving, now known as Cyber Monday. And Squire predicted that Cyber Monday's online sales will exceed the total reached on Black Friday by early afternoon.

Credit: huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/25/black-friday-online-sales_n_1113728.html

Witten: It's time For Cowboys to pick up the pace

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 IRVING -- The season is halfway done, and tight end Jason Witten said it is time for the Dallas Cowboys to start rolling.

"There comes a point in every season for every team that you start to separate yourself, and you see the league do that every year," Witten said. "For us, we've had some tough losses to bear, obviously some big wins, but we're at that point where we need to stack them up."

The schedule favors the Cowboys. While this week's opponent, Buffalo, has a winning record, the next three teams -- Washington, Miami and Arizona -- do not.

The Cowboys are coming off a split against teams with losing records, a loss at Philadelphia and a win against Seattle.

So the team is in the midst of a stretch where they play five losing teams in six weeks.

"You don't get caught up in what the schedule looks like," Witten said. "... But you've got to start stacking them up to stay in the hunt, and really, the best teams -- and for that matter, the best players -- they start playing their best football at this time of year. I think we're that type of team. But I think we've got to show it. We've got to go do it."

Receiver options

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said the team will look inside and outside as it considers adding a receiver in the wake of a second hamstring injury to Miles Austin. The veteran could miss two to four weeks.

The Cowboys have receivers on the practice squad, but they are all in developmental stages. Teddy Williams is a former college track athlete, and Dwayne Harris and Andre Holmes are rookies. A fourth receiver, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, is a converted safety.

Two punters

The Cowboys are not ready to put punter Mat McBriar on the injured-reserve list, which would end his season. But Jason Garrett said the Cowboys know the cost of carrying two punters. The team already has two place-kickers.

"You have to make priorities, and having a kicker that you feel good about and a punter that you feel good about, those are important priorities," Garrett said. "We feel like a kickoff guy, a David Buehler, can be very helpful.... We feel like there's good value there. But at the same time, to have a second punter, it can be a difficult deal. So we're going to have to manage that situation."

Return game

Jason Garrett said the injury to Miles Austin could affect how much Dez Bryant is used to return punts. "We'll cross that bridge as we go," Garrett said.

When Felix Jones is healthy, he could be used more on kickoff returns.

"That's certainly something we would consider at some point, but we just want to get him healthy and get him going again as a running back," Garrett said.

Witten on Garrett

Witten said it's too bad Jason Garrett's record through his first 16 games with the Cowboys doesn't reflect better on the job he has done.

"He's been brilliant," Witten said. "Obviously, the way we play, the accountability and the urgency -- when you turn on that film, the opponents that have played us, win or loss, I think they would say they feel the way we play them and the style we play with. I think that starts with him, the way he coaches and the way he demands that."

CREDIT : star-telegram.com/2011/11/07/3507872/witten-its-time-for-cowboys-to.html
 

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