Flakes Around the World

Spence, I wish you were going to France. But I guess you can't have it all..but it looks like you will have pretty close, you guys are going to have such a blast!!! Shelley, i am happy to hear all went well and see you beautiful baby. I hope you are fully recovered soon. We are doing great!

Ally

I need to find a bunch of the cool places to visit in Europe becaus I'm the navagator. here is a list of countreis we will visit please help:

Belgium:5 hours
Germany:2 days
Austria/Czech Republic:1 day
Astria/Slovakia:1 day
Hungry/Slovenia:1 day
Italy:2 days
Switzerland:2 days

Spencer

I was also quoted in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat over the weekend where they quoted me by name (I hope by boss does not find out). Here is a link to the article - this one is one wheat thank goodness! http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070224/NEWS/702240306/1033/NEWS01

The funny thing about this is it was late on Friday and I was really tired and I sound like such a country bumpkin. Here are some nice quotes

This is as tight as it's been in about 10 years," said Levin Flake, international wheat and barley analyst for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "U.S. wheat production this year was pretty low. Production in pretty much all our competitors was smaller this year. That is supporting our price."

With stocks this low around the world, everyone will be watching the weather to make sure crops are big this year," Flake said.

"pretty low", "pretty much all", "crops are big". And I went to Oxford??

To All,

I recently made a big mistake and this email is Alan's way of making be do penance for it. I was quoted by name today in the Financial Times talking about the U.S. barley market (and this led to a request by CNBC for a T.V. interview which we had to turn down). It all started innocently with me just answering a question on some of our PSD numbers but then we started talking more and I did not tell the Financial Times reporter that I did not want to be quoted in his article. So Alan wanted me to send out an email to the branch reminding everyone of the 2 rules in regards to giving outside interviews
1. NEVER BE QUOTED
2. NEVER HAVE YOUR NAME APPEAR
If any reporters have questions or would like to quote you they need to first clear it through the Public Affairs Division.
Levin

Wow, I am so dumb. So a lady from USDA public affaris called me and said that CNBC picked up on the financial times article and wanted to have a T.V. interview with me at 2:55 tdoay to talk about U.S. domestic barley policies and the price of beer! She sent an email to all of the high bosses in FAS about it. First of all, I cannot overemphasize the fact that although I am very knowledgable about wheat, I know nothing about barley - I spend 10 minutes a month on barley numbers. If I got on live T.V. it would be a disaster of colasul porportions - I mean I would be injured for life and it would go down in history as the worst TV interview ever. And on top of that I do not know anything about beer either (heck, I did not even know it was made from barley!). But believe it or not I was about to say yes and do the interview just for laughes until my boss told me I was being ridiculous and dont know the first thing about domestic barley policies and fobade me. He called the lady back and gave her some names of other USDA people from other agencies to have the interview with (they will also be mad at me cause they dont know much either and they will have to respond to what I was misquoted as saying in the Financial Times article). The public affairs lady also told my boss to give me a very stern talking to about the whole ordeal. He likes me so much though that he just thought it was funny how dumb I was giving my name to a reporter. Oh well!

Well, I have learned a very important lesson today - when you dont know something it is better not to just make things up because you may get quoted on the Front page of the commodities and business section of the Financial Times. This reporter called me late on Friday and needed some of our public numbers which I give him no problem, but then we just started chewing the fat and I was trying to show how much I know about Barley (which is very little). Well sure enough, I gots on the Front page of the Financial times section and most of what I said actually was not true (I swear I was misquoted). Oh well, I hope nobody reads it and I dont get into trouble - but hey, whats the worst they could do - send me to NIGERIA.

Beer fears as biofuels crowdout barley
By Kevin Morrison, Commodities Correspondent
Published: February 26 2007 02:00 Last updated: February 26 2007 02:00
The rapid expansion of biofuel production is welcome news for environmentalists but for beer drinkers it is a different story.
Strong demand for biofuel feedstocks such as corn, soyabeans and rapeseed is encouraging farmers to plant these crops instead of grains such as barley.
Jean-François van Boxmeer, chief executive of Heineken, the Dutch brewer, warned last week that the expansion of the biofuel sector was causing a "structural shift" in agricultural markets.
One consequence could be a long-term rise in the price of beer. Barley and hops account for 7-8 per cent of brewing costs.
The price of barley, which is used for beer, whisky and animal feed, has soared in the past year. Futures prices for European malting barley have risen 85 per cent to more than €230 (£154) a tonne since last May.
Barley feed futures have risen by a third to C$180 (£79) a tonne on the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange over the same period.
Barley production in the US fell to 180.05m bushels in 2006, the lowest since 1936. The value of the crop was the lowest since 1970 - at $498m. The area of land used for growing barley dropped to about 2.95m acres - the lowest since records began in 1866.
The rise in barley prices has also been driven by the Australian drought and heavy rains in Europe.
In the US, the department of agriculture estimates that global barley production will reach 138m tonnes, level with 2006 but down 10 per cent on 2005. Global demand has risen 2 per cent to 145.5m tonnes, the fourth year in the last five in which demand has exceeded supply.
Global stockpiles have shrunk by a third in two years.
"In the US, land that was cultivated for growing barley has been given over to corn because of ethanol demand," said Levin Flake, grains trade analyst at the US department of agriculture.
The US, which in the 1980s was a leading exporter of barley, was now a net importer, he said.
The USDA expects US barley acreage in the next 10 years to remain flat. That might not be the case for the price of beer.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Spencer, I hope you are planning to visit Verdun - it is the best place for WW1 history - me and Lincoln saw some neat stuff there - it is by the town of Bitch France - or is it bitchen france - I forget.

Oliver

That is awesome you are doing so well. I think I might have my kids do the same thing when they get to Junior High. Congratulations! Love, Aunt JaLayne

Congratulations Spencer. You know your grandmother is proud of you - I am sure everyone else is also. Everyone - Spencer is really into World War I stuff so send him anything you find. Shelley - I hope we hear about your safe delivery before we leave but things are going to be fine. We hope we get our connections all right. There are storms in Chicago but we are in for an adventure. After hearing Phillip give his farewell talk at his Stake Conference today, I am ready to go on a mission. This trip to India will help us get in the mode of traveling to strange places. Phillip gave the most amazing talk on the atonement I have ever heard. He is a spiritual giant and I didn't even know it. Ferren is doing amazing things too. He and the welfare department are looking at humanitarian efforts that are to members to help them built small agricultural plots and better their circumstances. Allyson and Moema's friends the Davidsons did it in South AFrica and Ferren is going to meet with them. Who knows where this will end. Maybe we will be a part of all that. All I know is I have the best children, their spouses and grandchildren in the world. I love you all. Next blog will be from INDIA! Love Mom

for any one who's inrerested schools going great. Im learning about ww1 in history which makes me even more exited about my trip to Europe. all A's and a B so farr.

spencer

Yes I agree with mom we need to resurrect the blog - Amber and Jalayne are the only contributors with pictures. Let me get things going with a controversial statement: marriage should be between a man and wife and children adopted from foreign countries have all the same rights and priviledges of natural born children. Furthermore, parents and children of the same blood should not refer to themselves as the "originals" and the adopted kids as the "dirty commi ruskees" Amber this comement is directed to you.

Oliver

We are finally able to publish stuff on the blog. We got our new lap top working the other day and we are grateful for it. Thank you all for giving that to us. We are getting excited for our trip to India. Really excited. I am so glad I am going with Dad. That way if we go down, we go together. We have a lot of things to remember in our prayers - foremost at the time is Shelley and her soon to be born baby. Please everyone pray that it will all go safely. We need to start taking more use of this blog to get information to each other. I love you all so much. Mom

Four LDS Missionaries Kidnapped In Nigeria
8:55pm mountain, Tues Feb 20SALT LAKE CITY
Four missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been abducted and are being held hostage near Port Harcourt, Nigeria, a church spokesman said Tuesday. All four men are Nigerian nationals between the ages of 19 and 21, church spokesman Mark Tuttle said. It was unclear Tuesday when the four had been taken and who was holding them, Tuttle said. A story posted on The Salt Lake Tribune Web site said the abduction occurred Saturday. The church is not commenting on the kidnappers' demands but is working with local officials to secure the missionaries release. The Salt Lake City-based Mormon church has 74,055 members in Nigeria, Tuttle said, with 109 congregations or wards. There are 352 young missionaries serving there, Tuttle said. "We pray for the welfare of these young men and are doing everything possible to resolve this matter," he said, reading from a statement. The kidnapping comes amid increasing unrest in the country's southern oil region. Hostages are generally released unharmed, Tuttle said. Scores of foreign workers have been kidnapped in the Niger Delta region since January.The LDS Church released an official statement regarding the four Nigerian missionaries:"Four young missionaries, all Nigerian citizens, serving in the Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were taken as hostages and are being held near the city of Port Harcourt.Abductions have recently increased in this troubled oil-rich region, but hostages are generally released unharmed.We are working with authorities to secure their safe return.We pray for the welfare of these young men and are doing everything possible to resolve this matter."

Just a little update on us here in Hawaii. I now have two jobs, one working at the school of business as assement coordinator, I work for the Dean. Basically, I am in charge of making sure the School is ready for its upcoming accredidation. It will be fun and challenging. I am also working at night at the Polynesian Cultural Center, in one of the restraunts. MOema is also working there at night so we get free luau food everynight! Moema is doing very well in school and enjoying it. He seems to be a natural at all of this. I am continuing to improve in my cooking and cleaning responsibilies - I am domestic afterall. WE are enjoying our ward, and have a great primary class. We still don't have a car but it is great to walk and enjoy the never ending scenery. It will help us work off all that luau pork. WE are hoping to have visitors soon.

our gardener has filled our yard with flowers!

Mom and Dad, I think you two would have such a blast just taking off a weekend together to some romantic European destination.

First thing firsts, your trip already has two firm dates established. From the 13th till the 16th Siobhan and I will be in Rome. From the 19th until the 23rd is our Scotland Trip. SO that leaves two four day windows on either side of those dates for you to take a honeymoon vacation. (Please remember these dates whilst buying trans-Atlantic tickets)

June 8-11 and June 25-28.

As far as destinations there are two categories: 1) ryanair.com flights that are free but you pay the $150 worth of tax (that’s 150 combined for both of you). 2) Then there are the other cheap airlines like easy jet where the tickets range from 30 to 40 pounds each. Still cheap but not free.

The Ryan air Top destinations:

1) Porto, Portugal – no ones been there, but you will need a rent-a-car, I hear that city is not too impressive.
2) Granada, Spain – no one’s been to this Moorish city. A city I have longed to visit.
3) Riga, Latvia – Baltic get-a-way, been there on a number of occasions, nice feel to it.
4) Stockholm – Only I, Justin and Siobhan have been, numerous advantages, temple accommodations, no rent a car needed, easy to navigate, and a world class city rivaled by few. My personal favorite option

The Easy Jet Options:

1) Sofia, Bulgaria
2) Romania
3) Istanbul, after India you might opted out of this one for a more civilized city like Stockholm!
4) Lisbon

More expensive option:

St. Petersburg in the summer!

The Ryan air tickets are free until tomorrow, although they will most likely be on sale again.

Mom and Dad,

In order to take advantage of some great airfares, I wish to run something buy you quickly. I found cheap tickets for Siobhan and I to fly down to Rome for three days/two nights before my graduation. My graduation dates are June 19-22nd and we would go to Rome from the 13th to the 16th. The tickets right now are free and we would love to fly down with Dad. Three days, Rome, Pompeii and Paestrum (greek ruins best in the world, ask lulu). Siobhan and I will just sleep in the rent-a-car, Dad can get a hotel.

I need to know:

1) how serious are you about coming to the graduation. (no pressure, I would not be offended if you backed out, seriously)
2) Do you plan on visiting for two weeks?
3) Mom, Do you mind watching the kids for three days?
4) Dad do you wish to come!?

The sales ends Midnight today my time. So please respond presently.

Thanks

Lincoln

My mom and dad are leaving today.... so sad! They helped take a new picture of us today at a garden near our house. Natalya looks silly, but cute anyway!

here is a picture of us at one of the many crumbling forts in delhi.
that cookie recipe is really a good one, there is a similar one in the flake family cookbook, and we thought it was great too!

Hey, could someone please record the masterpiece theater thing on Sunday. (Jalayane - if you do it I will return all the of the DVDs I borrowed :-) ) It looks like it could be a little good but we will be away at the CES fireside. Also, just a reminder Elder Bednar is speaking at that fireside on Sunday. Thanks

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/

Good Luck on your Interview Allyson!

Levin

Magic Peanut Butter Middles

Cookie Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
Filling:
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar

In small bowl combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; blend well. In large bowl beat sugar, brown sugar, margarine and 1/4 cup peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Stir in flour mixture until blended; set aside. In small bowl, combine filling ingredients; blend well. Roll into 30 (1-inch) balls.

For each cookie, with floured hands shape about 1 Tbsp. dough around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees 7 to 9 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool on wire racks. Decorate as desired. Makes 30 cookies.