Hasta La Gadget!

PHOENIX (AP) — As if wishing made it so, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell described his league — and himself — as having addressed missteps on difficult matters such as domestic violence and being ready to move on.

“As an organization, and as an individual, it’s been a tough year,” Goodell said Friday during his pre-Super Bowl news conference, “but a year of great progress, and I’m excited about the future.” Nearing the end of a season he acknowledged was filled with “plenty of challenges,” Goodell was asked whether he thought he deserved a pay cut — “That’s up to the owners,” he replied — and whether he could envision resigning or being fired.

“No, I can’t. Does that surprise you?” Goodell said. “We’ve all done a lot of soul-searching, beginning with yours truly. And we have taken action.”

Goodell brushed aside a question about whether there are conflict-of-interest problems with paying those who head up “independent” investigations, such as into the league’s handling of the Ray Rice case or the ongoing look at the New England Patriots’ use of deflated footballs in the AFC title game.

“We have had people who have had uncompromising integrity” run those inquiries, Goodell said. Then, speaking directly to the reporter, he added: “Somebody has to pay them … unless you’re volunteering, which I don’t think you are.”

Rice is the former Baltimore Ravens running back who punched his now-wife in an elevator, drawing an initial suspension from Goodell of two games. Goodell changed that to an indefinite ban after video from inside the elevator was posted by TMZ. Rice later appealed, and an arbitrator reinstated him.

That and other domestic violence cases led the league to design a new personal conduct policy, which was approved unanimously by owners but has been criticized by the players’ union.

“We’ve made enormous progress,” Goodell said Friday. “We’re in a good place.”

On the main topic of conversation heading into Super Bowl week — the deflated footballs used by the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game — Goodell said: “Whether a competitive advantage was actually gained or not is secondary in my mind to whether that rule was violated.”

A resolution will not come until after the Super Bowl.

“We don’t know enough in this investigation to know who was responsible or whether there was even an infraction,” Goodell said.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has said he expects the investigation to determine his team did nothing wrong — and he expects an apology from the NFL. Kraft did not attend Friday’s news conference.

Another issue that won’t be resolved until after the season’s final game, Goodell said, is whether Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch will be fined for refusing to answer any questions at required media sessions this week. The NFL docked Lynch $100,000 earlier this season for not talking to reporters.

“I understand it may not be on the top of his list,” Goodell said, “but everyone else is cooperating, everyone else is doing their part.”

On other topics, Goodell said:

— Any club’s move to Los Angeles, without an NFL team for 20 years, would have to be approved by owners, and “there have been no determinations of us going to Los Angeles, any particular team going to Los Angeles or going to any particular stadium.” The St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers have been viewed as the teams most likely to try to head to L.A. Goodell also noted that San Diego needs a new stadium, as does Buffalo.

— The league will take a look at possibly expanding instant replay reviews to include whether a penalty was committed and consider rotating officiating crews during the regular season. Crews currently work together all season long.

— Adding more playoff teams is also on the table, but there are concerns, including “the risk of diluting our regular season and conflicting with college football in January.”

— The league is hiring a chief medical officer to oversee health-related policies.

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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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Online:

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

There is no escaping it — Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and those chalky candy hearts staring at you in the drug store are proof of it. In this world of mass-produced love, it can often be hard to find that feeling of authentic romance. This year, instead of packing yourself into an overstuffed restaurant filled with irritated wait staff sloppily handing out sandbagged entrees — take control of cupid’s arrow and aim for a table for two a little closer to home.

Creating a romantic menu can be a bit tricky so I have added some easy tips to keep your mojo moving and make it a meal you can savor.

(1) Don’t over-shoot. This is Valentine’s Day, not a last meal, so keep it elegant and light. No one wants second dessert after a heavy stew or a reminder of Mom’s homemade meals. Seafood is by far my choice ingredient — simple, different and with a bit of sex appeal. Try out a tuna tartar or some simple chilled shrimp cocktail. Keep in mind that if you’re doing a three-course menu, which I hope you are, you can play with temperatures and textures; if you’re having a warm entrée start with a cold appetizer.

(2) Heat it up. Choosing products that can handle high heat will speed up your cooking process and get you out of the kitchen and enjoying your menu before you know it. For example, choosing an entrée like lamb chops or filet mignon are excellent options because they require a short cooking time and are succulent. Pair them with couscous, another time saver, and you’re headed to dessert before you can lick your fingers.

(3) It takes two to tango. The kitchen should be an area where both of you are doing work and enjoying the spoils. For dessert I suggest fondue. It’s simple and elegant and it takes a light touch — get him on chopping duty while you master the chocolate stirring.

With just a little rhythm in the kitchen you can make this Valentine’s Day the juiciest and most tender ever.

Why are some women more comfortable discussing love, intimacy, diets and stomach bloating but not finances with their spouses? I admit to being one of those women for many years. I think much of it was due to my upbringing where discussing money was not appropriate; neither were religion or politics. Both of my parents worked full time earning decent incomes, but their approach to spending and saving money was not in sync, and I remember as a child listening to their fights over money. Perhaps that’s why I clammed up over money talk with my intended husband.

I am not a financial or legal expert. I am a businesswoman and wife who has learned the price of not being open about having a frank conversation about finances when you enter a marriage. Fortunately my marriage is still strong, but my lessons are ones that I am willing to share. I call them, “before you say ‘I do’…don’t be fearful about discussing finances.”

1. Don’t use pillow talk time to discuss money talk. Take the talk about money away from the bedroom or meal time. Relegate it to a specific room in the house where you can talk quietly without distraction.

2. Don’t spring a conversation about money on your spouse. Set aside a time and prepare a list of what you want to discuss.

3. Don’t be hasty to put a ring on your finger if his credit score will ding yours. Know each other’s credit ratings. It impacts your ability to obtain credit including a mortgage.

4. Don’t be blindsided by his past. Know going in if he has had a history of arrests, DUIs or other legal dealings. My protective father ran a background check on my intended.

5. Don’t have a blind eye to his paperwork. If you see unopened bills strewn around his desk offer to help to get his files in order and address your concerns immediately if you suspect he is neglecting to pay his bills. You do not want his creditors calling at all hours and coming after you.

6. Don’t go into the marriage deep in debt. It may be better to wait until you are both financially stable. Love should not have a deadline attached to it.

7. Don’t go into debt paying for your wedding and honeymoon. The magic of the wedding day dims when you are still paying off the debt — with interest — years later.

8. Don’t feel pressured to sign any legal documents or paperwork without taking the time to review them thoroughly to understand your obligation. If you do not understand what you are signing, ask your legal or financial adviser to review and explain any questions you have.

9. Don’t spring a prenuptial agreement on your intended spouse a few days before the wedding. Discuss and plan a prenuptial agreement in advance with each of you hiring separate lawyers to advise you.

10. Don’t delay writing wills or reviewing and planning for insurance coverage when starting out in a marriage. You need to know how finances will be managed while you are both alive and healthy and also if one of you becomes disabled or dies.

Marriage is a union that requires fluency in both the language of love and finances. This means being open with each other about what you earn, how you spend and save, financial planning for the future and financial protection should one of you become ill or should the marriage dissolve. You may have different attitudes about saving and spending but you must meet at a common ground that has a strong foundation to build upon. You want marriage ties that bind not strangle.

College is an interesting time in a young person’s life. You’re pretty much an adult, at least legally you are. Of course, as an adult you’re expected to use your four years of undergraduate study to learn the necessary skills that will make you employable upon graduation. If and when you find employment, it will likely be in an entry-level position with an annual starting salary somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000 . This is often referred to as your first “real” job.

When you’re currently in college however, it is rare to have one of these jobs. If you’re employed, it’s usually flipping burgers or sweeping floors part time while studying full time to earn your degree. There is one type of work however that is often considered not to be a job at all. That type of work is the unpaid internship.

I have been an unpaid intern in two offices during my time at Towson University. In both cases, I found the experiences I had to be invaluable to my professional development and future career prospects. I did however at times; catch some flak for calling my internships my job, as well saying I was “going to work” as opposed to “going to my internship.”

There are three reasons usually cited by those who would say that an unpaid internship is not a job. The first is always of course, that they are unpaid, the second is that the work being done is often of an unskilled nature, and the third is that internships emphasize educational learning during the intern’s tenure and not professional development. None of these reasons are valid.

Although an unpaid internship is by its very definition unpaid, it can often lead to gainful employment. Whether it be through direct promotion from unpaid intern to paid staff, or through an internship being the crucial line on a resume that lands you your first “real job”, Internships are both a professional and monetary investment.

While it is true that you’d make more money in the short term working a minimum wage job than an unpaid internship, you’ll end up making more money later with a job that was obtained due in large part to the skills and connections you gained from an internship. Frankly, I’d rather be broke now but equipped to obtain gainful employment after or perhaps even shortly before my graduation, than getting paid very little at minimum wage jobs which do nothing to boost my career prospects. In short, a career in the long term is more important than a job in the short term for any thoughtful college student.

Also, regarding the idea that intern work is not skilled or meaningful work. None of my superiors at the offices I’ve worked at had me getting them coffee, or even worse, just sitting at my desk twiddling my thumbs. At both of my internships, my duties revolved around research, data entry and secretarial work. That all sounds like a job to me. It took skill to do those things. I had to develop communication, organizational and cognitive abilities to complete the tasks given to me by my superiors. That’s more than can be said for many paying jobs, especially those available to college undergraduates.

The environment of any halfway decent internship is very professional. College students who are serious enough about their careers to get internships want to be treated like professionals. At least in my experience, internships satisfy this desire. None of my supervisors talked to me as though I was a student in a classroom. They treated me like an employee. Though the internships were educational, I learned by virtue of the work I was doing, not because I wrote papers or took tests on it as I would in a traditional academic environment. An internship is educational, but it is also professional.

So consider taking advantage of this investment. If you want to have prior experience in your field to put you ahead of other job applicants within your major, get one or several internships. Assuming your internship is with any halfway decent organization that you researched before applying to, you should never hesitate to proudly call it your job.

Black magic and sorcery and deals with the devil and breaks in The Matrix and possibly other dimensions. That’s what super hydrophobic material is made out of. Like this super hydrophobic knife that just slices through a water droplet and cuts it in two. Are we really sure science can explain what my eyes are seeing?

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