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We're Not in Decline or Retreat
We are about to have a major foreign policy debate in the guise of a confirmation battle over Chuck Hagel's nomination as secretary of defense and the related argument over how long U.S. troops should stay in Afghanistan. President Obama should use this opportunity to stand up for his broader vision of how American power can be sustained and used.WASHINGTON — We are about to have a major foreign policy debate in the guise of a confirmation battle over Chuck Hagel's nomination as secretary of defense and the related argument over how long American troops should stay in Afghanistan. President Obama should use this opportunity to stand up for his broader vision of how American power can be sustained and used, even if that doesn't come naturally to a pragmatist who likes making decisions one at a time.
Underlying this clash will be another over whether the United States is in long-term decline. We are not, and the decline discussion should not scare us. We seem to have it every few decades.
We had it in 1960 when John F. Kennedy promised to "get the country moving again." We had it in 1980 after Vietnam, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the taking of American hostages in Iran. Ronald Reagan pledged to "make America great again."
And in 2008, with China rising, our country bogged down in a dispiriting war in Iraq and an economy in free-fall, Obama came along touting "hope" and "change we can believe in." The operative verb was "believe," and in 2012, Mitt Romney paid Obama the compliment of using the very same word in his "Believe in America" slogan. We desperately want to believe in ourselves.
Obama's harshest critics are essentially charging that he has accepted American decline. They are convinced he wants to pull back from the world and slash the Pentagon budget to make room for more domestic spending. He's often accused of making the Western European choice: less for the military, more for the welfare state. Hagel, a critic of Pentagon bloat and of America's engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, is seen as Obama's nominally Republican agent in achieving this transformation.
Let's look first at the partial truths embodied in a critique that otherwise misreads Obama's intentions.
The president always considered our intervention in Iraq a distracting mistake. Most Americans are happy our troops are out. He's been far more ambivalent about Afghanistan, for political as well as substantive reasons. Like many Democrats, he saw the war in Afghanistan as justified by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, in a way Iraq was not. But time and conditions on the ground have persuaded him that there are limits to what the United States can accomplish there. He's trying to extract our troops in a careful but expeditious way. He has been reluctant to commit to large-scale public action in Syria on the grounds of prudence: The calculus of costs and benefits is not at all clear to him or to his advisers.
In the meantime, he is reorienting our foreign policy toward a surging Asia and concentrating on rebuilding the American economy. (We also should be paying more attention to Latin America, but that's another story.) The appointments of Hagel and of John Kerry as secretary of state could have the additional benefit of strengthening our ties to Europe. The personal histories of both, as Financial Times columnist Philip Stevens observed last week, show they have "Atlanticism in their blood."
None of this is about retreat, decline or isolationism. It's an approach rooted in realism about the true sources of American power and the urgency of getting our domestic and economic act together. It's the view reflected in the well-chosen title of a forthcoming book by Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a quintessential realist: "Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America's House in Order."
Haass is a Republican and has his differences with Obama, but this only underscores the quiet consensus that's developing around what our priorities must be now. Preserving America's influence abroad depends upon first restoring economic growth, upward mobility, fiscal stability and enhanced social solidarity at home. This will require a somewhat leaner defense budget for a time, but the idea that Obama will slash it indiscriminately is absurd.
The declinists are wrong because they underestimate the resilience of the American economy, the magnetism of our culture, the continuing appeal of the democratic idea, and the difficulties our competitors, particularly China, confront.
Only our rancid domestic politics stands in our way, and getting beyond our divisions requires Obama to build support for the new consensus that's waiting to be born. That's why he should not shrink from a broad debate about our purposes in the world. He should welcome it, and join it.
E.J. Dionne's e-mail address is ejdionne(at)washpost.com.
© 2013, Washington Post Writers Group
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Raoul Pleskow, composer, was born in 1930 in Vienna, Austria and educated in New York City. His principal teachers in composition were Karol Rathaus, and Otto Luening. Stefan Wolpe was his close friend and colleague. Pleskow has been recipient of many honors, the most recent of which include awards by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
His works have been performed by the Cleveland Philharmonic, the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, the Plainfield Symphony, the Orchestra de Camera, the South Dakota Symphony, the Pierrot Consort, the Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players, the Queens Symphony Orchestra and many others. Commissions include those by the Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center, the Aeolian Chamber Players, the New York Virtuosi, Camarata, the North/South Consonance and the Unitarian Church of All Souls. He was Chairman of the music department at C.W. Post University from the late 1960s until 1994. His work can be found on CRI, Serenus, Ars Nova-Ars Antiqua, Golden Crest, Centaur, CRS, Capstone, and North-South Records.
His music has been published and administered by American Composers Alliance since 1966 and ACA regrets to announce his passing May 18, 2022 in Douglaston, NY.
From Bill Hammel's website 1998
Much of this discussion is derived from discussions with Pleskow as teacher and as friend that go back to about 1963. When I can attribute exactly, I do; otherwise, the reader must understand that what I say is my understanding of what Pleskow has written and has said. As to the authencity of what I say regarding Pleskow's music I can only say that it is a product of those experiences as well as my own personal and independent understandings and observations of the scores themselves. As Pleskow laughingly said to me, "I'm not an authority on my own music."
The music of Raoul Pleskow is always a music of contrasting material, but which has evolved to ever higher densities of relationships and lower densities of material whose syntax and semantics is always conscious and referential of the various streams of musical literature from which it arises. This music is never far from song in its attention to lyricism and time, and in its own dramatic telling of itself.
A separate page, [General Remarks on the Music of Raoul Pleskow] describes overall structural consistency while in this page I seek to divide the compositions into three successive periods, by examples showing how they are different.
The following are the three artificially constructed compositional periods which in reality are well connected developments each to the next.
In his earlier works, in a postwebernian atonal idiom, contrasts appear in pitch, duration, sonic density, and tempo in an exuberant, explosive, sometimes violent expressive language that explores extremes. Within these extremes there is always a passionate yet refined lyricism as laconic as that of Webern. While there is a sure consciousness of the circulation of the twelve tones, the material is not serialistic, and avoids any hint of the density relationships in its easy plasticity; rather, the pitch material waxes and wanes as the material undergoes regroupings and exchanges within and between lines and activities. This is a music of exceeding drama, of operatic proportions, though they be chamber works; it enlists the aid of an equally high level of virtuosity. The conscious grouping of pitches as a kind of generalized tonal center begins to appear here. The deft expositions of pitch sets that might seem to have an air of mathematical precision to them, are actually intuitively artistic constructions that give that illusion. They are natural expressions of structure and transformation in the language.
- [Movement for Oboe, Violin and Piano 1966]
- [Music for 9 players 1967]
- [Piece for Piano 1967]
The later works, more than extremes of expressive contrasts, explore new concepts and methods of tonality in a language where tonality and atonality become additional sources of contrast. As in the great tonal period of Western music, the tonal concept here is also the natural wellspring of musical architecture. While the earlier pieces tended to be brief and condensed, forms that are in accordance with an architecture dictated by their atonal nature, now, an emerging tonal coherence brings forth the possibilities of a larger architectural coherence for larger pieces.
- [Motet & Madrigal 1973] [Analysis]
- [Six Brief Verses 1983]
- [Oscar Wilde songs 1987]
In addition to the creation of the possibilities of larger architectural structures, the emergence of new tonal structures and longer pieces also naturally encourage the development of higher order lyrical structures that can fit within the enlarged timescales where there now also appear subtle allusions to, and illusional snapshots of earlier Medieval music, enriching the perceptual palette even further. Again, this is a contrasting material against echos of earlier compositional passions. While the fire of the earlier works is far from extinguished, the tendency is to explore the newly created lyrical and tonal possibilities within larger structures.
- [On Latin fragments - borders II 1972]
- [Piano Sonatas #1 1989]
- [Piano Sonatas #2 1993]
- [Piano Sonatas #3 1997]
- [Soliloque et Diologue 1998]
- [Piano Sonatas #4 1999]
- [Trio violin, Cello & piano - NEW]
- [Unpublished Sketches]

subset: commoncrawl


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ISC West 2013: Day 1 & 2
By Martha Entwistle
Updated Fri April 12, 2013
Lots of people on the show floor on Wednesday! 29,900 square feet of exhibit space and 1003 booths, is what I heard.
Wednesday started for me with the Axis Press Breakfast, where the network camera company introduced three new cameras and an upgraded Axis Camera Companion. In 2012, there were 60,000 downloads of the software, according to Axis' Fredrik Nilsson.
The cameras of the future will be customized for customers with apps, the same way we currently customize our smartphones, Nilsson said. With that in mind, Axis also announced a partnership with the Wentworth Institute of Technology, a college in Boston, where students will design apps for cameras. One professor, Charles Hotchkiss, and two students, Joshua Ramirez and Nicholas Gelfman,� attended the breakfast and the two students talked about the apps they've already developed.
Gelfman is working on a 3D multi-tracking app that is intended to alert operators if someone is trying tamper with a camera. The app determines where an approaching person or object is distance-wise from the camera and sends an alert if it gets too close. Gelfman put it in simple terms for me: "Cameras see in 2D, this app basically allows it to see in 3D."
Ramirez is a sophomore computer information systems major from Hanover, N.H., who is the station manager of Wentworth's radio station WIRE. ?"I had a selfish reason for developing the app" he said. Students who work in the radio station are supposed to sign in and out when they come to work at the station, but they often don't do that, he explained. So Ramirez developed an app that automatically records the time that a student comes into or leaves the station, and it sends Ramirez an email alert under certain conditions.
He named the app Alibi. It "tracks students and if they log in, [the app] is their alibi to say that they were [at the station]," he said.
"It's still a work in progress. I've spend six weeks on it but it was during exams and finals," Ramirez said.�
Nilsson said that Axis didn't give the students any ideas about kinds of apps to develop. They approach the project with no preconceived notion of what kinds of apps to develop. Axis has been amazed with the results, he said.
After the Axis breakfast, I did a video interview with Renae Leary and Matthias Ernst of Tyco Global Accounts were I got an update on how Tyco's global enterprise customers are standardizing their security systems across in offices spanning the globe.
At a press conference Bosch launched 110, count 'em, 110 new video products and previewed its '4K Ultra HD' camera. It also announced its integration partner program and is showing integration with 5 VMS providers in its booth.
Next, I interviewed Mark VanDover of Tyco IS for ssnTVnews. He talked about the progress the integration giant has made as a standalone entity over the past year and a half.
More mobile news: Jay Hauhn, Tyco IS Chief Technology Officer, also did an interview for ssnTVnews. We talked about Tyco's launch of� MSM, Tyco's Mobile Security Manager.
Next up was an interview with Tony Byerly, Felix Gonzales and Jeremy Brecher of Diebold, where I got to see a demo of their very cool "SecureStat" enterprise security platform. I heard about it at ASIS and saw if for the first time at the show. Here's a YouTube video about the platform.
At a NICE press conference, Tony Ruiz, City of San Diego, talks about implementing NICE's Situator, to manage protection for its critical infrastructure, and for the city too. The implementation is new, but Ruiz said it's already saving training time and money for the city and taxpayers.
Back on the show floor, I met with Bryan Schmode, EVP of Global Sales at Avigilon. We talked about Avigilon's the Adaptive IR in its new bullet camera, and the company's new Dallas headquarters.
Also had a chance to swing by Next Level Security Systems and talk to Bill Jacobs. I got to see some of the stuff I spoke to Bill and Jumbi Edulbehram about in this story.
Next I had a chance to visit with Stan Oppenheim and Dan Oppenheim at Affiliated Monitoring. Looking forward to seeing their new monitoring station the next time I get to NYC.
And, I wrapped up Day 1 after catching up with Will Schmidt and other CapitalSource folks.
THURSDAY, April 11
Is Thursday Day 2 or Day 3 of the show? Officially, it's Day 2, but with so many events scheduled for Tuesday, it really is Day 3 for most of us.
Whichever day it was,� it kicked off brilliantly with the fourth annual Security 5K!
We had a different course this time. Rather than starting near the Fashion Show Mall, the 2013 start line was a half-mile jog or bus ride away from the Sands in an office park of sorts. The course was a completely flat out-and-back labyrinth of switchbacks. Best course yet in my opinion. It wasn't exactly bucolic, but the office park was considerably greener and cleaner than past year's courses, and it was fun to watch the crowd of runners ahead of you snaking back and forth around the park. And because of the switchbacks, the finish line appeared closer than it really was.
More than 400 finished the 5K and there was a big crowd for the 2K as well.
Most important, we raised more than $90,000. Mike Perkins of Anixter raised more than $7,000 with his company match. Jesse and Nicole Foglio raised $2,350, and Bob McKee raised $1,685.
Mission 500's George Fletcher said that 650 people registered for the race. If each person raised $100, we would raise $65,000 before any extra fundraising efforts—something to think about for 2014.
Back on the show floor on Thursday morning I did an ssnTVnews interview with John Mack, managing director and head of M&A for Imperial Capital. We were talking about the availability of financing and the flow of PE money into the industry. Here's an interesting statistic: More than half of the top 20 alarm companies are now owned or have majority ownership by private equity firms. Five years ago "it was just a handful," he said.
It's a great time for alarm company owners and integrators to refi their debt or make acquisitions, Mack added.
I stopped by the Stanley booth on my way to Denis Hebert's HID Global Strategy Briefing, which was packed, as usual. Hebert gave a great presentation. His focus this year was on the opportunities and potential pitfalls the security industry needs to be aware of as access control goes mobile. The move to mobile will "redefine credential use and management" he said. As a result, "best practices" for end users and integrators will become more important than ever. Privacy is an increasingly crucial element for all stakeholders to consider, he added.
Next I met with George Farley at Observint Technologies. Owned by The Carlyle Group, Observint was formed in 2006 with the goal of acquiring security-focused companies. Observint acquired Supercircuits in 2006. It subsequently bought Security Cameras Direct, DIGIOP and SC Technologies. Last summer it helping LG Electronics relaunch its security products in the United States, and this past November it acquired access control provider infinias. Farley said the last six months have been "all foundational work for us. � [building] a comprehensive sale and support solution." That was Phase 1, he said. Observint is in Phase 2 now, he said, which is centered on its distribution partnership. Digiop and Infinias had distinct partners before the acquisition, and Observint is finalizing relationships with a variety of distributors, Farley said. The next phase will focus on the dealer, "building a robust and differentiated program � that will include demand generation support and sales support."
At Milestone, I spoke with Courtney Dillon Peterson, about the company's new Arcus product� "It's a super-streamlined VMS that's only for our technical partners to embed, not Milestone." Partners embedding the solution, and present at the booth were Veracity, which is offering "Coldstore Arcus" for enterprise customers; Lenovo EMC (formerly Iomega), which is offering two different versions of what it's calling LenovoEMC NVR; and, Razberri, which is offering its "Netswitch" appliance. "They each target a different audience and each offer a different form of VMS," Peterson said.
The bottom line differentiation for this product? That it's multi-platform, Peterson said. "It runs on Linux, MacOS and Windows. Others are Windows-based." The product is "versatile � [and will enable partners to sell a] preconfigured, pre-installed, simplified VMS," she said.
Samsung is in the midst of a "massive hiring campaign," Frank DeFina told me during our meeting. Samsung was talking about its new 6000 Series line of cameras driven off its "core WiseNet II chip." The full line of cameras are "available in every skin. � are 2.4 megapixel, with full 1080p. The clarity is second-to-none," Samsung marketing director Janet Fenner said. Among the analytics available in this line is a "defogging" analytics, which gets rid of smoke or fog.
Back at our booth, I interviewed Don Erickson, CEO of SIA, and SSN's own group publisher Tim Purpura. We spoke about two collaborative efforts SIA and SSN are working on—the distribution of SIA's "Fiscal Year Informer," a quarterly insert available through SSN with information about government grants; and, a webcast series on security technologies, moderated by me, and featuring a variety of speakers. The next webcast is scheduled for April 24. Here's a link to that.
I did two other video interviews. One with Matthew Ladd, president and CEO of The Protection Bureau. We talked about how The Protection Bureau is saving money by sharing certain operational metrics with employees.
The other interview was will Bill Savage, CEO of Security Control Systems in Houston, and one of Security-Net's original founders. Security-Net, a group of independent integrators that functions as a national integrator, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. We talked about how the group has grown� from 5 to 20 integrators and the efforts it makes to ensure its employees are up to date on technology.
Next, I spoke to Pierre Racz, CEO of Genetec about the company's new cloud-based video surveillance as a service solution for small and medium sized businesses. This offering takes Genetec "out of its comfort zone � into the realm of small camera-count� jobs, the 6-14 camera jobs [that represent a huge growth opportunity] for integrators and installers," Racz said.
Thursday ended with the Security 5K reception. Mike Keegan of Magnasphere, who was honored for his community service efforts, gave a simple and compelling argument for getting involved with causes like Mission 500, the beneficiary of the Security 5k. "The ripple effect [of these efforts] is incredible," Keegan said.


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Facebook CEO turns 28, IPO could be $100B gift
NEW YORK (AP) — He famously wears a hoodie, jeans and sneakers, and he was born the year Apple introduced the Macintosh. But Mark Zuckerberg is no boy-CEO.
Facebook's chief executive turned 28 on Monday, setting in motion the social network's biggest week ever. The company is expected to start selling stock to the public for the first time and begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Friday. The IPO could value Facebook at nearly $100 billion, making it worth more than such iconic companies as Disney, Ford and Kraft Foods.
At 28, Zuckerberg is exactly half the age of the average S&P 500 CEO, according to executive search firm Spencer Stuart. With eight years on the job, he's logged more time as leader than the average CEO, whose tenure is a little more than seven years, according to Spencer Stuart.
Even so, the pressures of running a public company will undoubtedly take some getting used to. Once Facebook begins selling stock, Zuckerberg will be expected to please a host of new stakeholders, including Wall Street investment firms, hedge funds and pension funds who will pressure him to keep the company growing.
Young as he may seem — especially in that hooded sweatshirt — Zuckerberg will be about the same age as Michael Dell and older than Steve Jobs when those two took their companies, Dell Inc. and Apple Inc., public. In his years as Facebook's CEO he's met world leaders, rode a bull in Vietnam while on vacation, started learning Mandarin Chinese and as a personal challenge, wore a tie for the better part of a year.
Facebook, of course, got its start in Zuckerberg's messy Harvard dorm room in early 2004. Known as Thefacebook.com in those days, the site was created to help Harvard students — and later other college students — connect with one another online. The scrappy website later grew to include high-schoolers, then anyone else with an Internet connection. Today more than 900 million people log in at least once a month, making Facebook the world's definitive social network.
All along, Zuckerberg has shown a maturity beyond his years. As the site grew rapidly and caught the eye of big media and rival Internet companies, Zuckerberg consistently rebuffed mouth-watering buyout offers, including those from Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
"Simply put: we don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services," Zuckerberg wrote in his letter to prospective shareholders. "And we think this is a good way to build something. These days I think more and more people want to use services from companies that believe in something beyond simply maximizing profits."
People who've observed Zuckerberg closely say his age is an asset. His is the generation that grew up with social networking, with computers all around them and the Internet as something that's always existed. Many of his employees are younger than him, as are a lot of the up-and-coming technology entrepreneurs with whom he competes.
"I don't think you could build a company like this if you were an old guy like me," says David Kirkpatrick, a 59-year-old author who chronicled the company's early history in "The Facebook Effect."
Kirkpatrick, who is also founder of Techonomy, a media company that hosts conferences on the relationship between technology and economy and social progress, first met Zuckerberg six years ago. He says he was impressed with his vision, even then.
"It's the willingness to take risks, the willingness to abide by a very contemporary vision ... I don't think that he's too young. I think most CEOs are too old."
Zuckerberg, who lives in Palo Alto, Calif. with his girlfriend and a white Hungarian Puli dog named Beast, has matured as a leader with the help of experienced mentors.
One of his closest advisers is Sheryl Sandberg, whom he hired away from Google in 2008. Zuckerberg, known for sometimes-awkward public appearances, realized that the razor-sharp, people-savvy advertising executive complements his own shortcomings. Sandberg is Zuckerberg's No. 2, the chief operating officer who oversees advertising and often serves as Facebook's smiling, public face.
Then there's Donald Graham, the 66-year-old CEO and chairman of The Washington Post Co., who serves as a mentor to Zuckerberg and holds a seat on Facebook's board of directors.
Rebecca Lieb, analyst at the Altimeter Group, says Zuckerberg has assembled a team of "truly exceptional lieutenants." David Ebersman, Facebook's chief financial officer, who hails from biotech firm Genentech, is another example. Zuckerberg hired him in 2009, saying that Ebersman's previous job, helping to scale the finance organization of the fast-growing biotech company "will be important to Facebook."
He was right. Facebook's revenue grew from $777 million in 2009 to $3.7 billion last year. In the first quarter of 2012 it was more than $1 billion.
Even so, Zuckerberg still has a lot to learn. As part of Facebook's pre-IPO "road show" last week, Zuckerberg visited several venerable East Coast financial institutions wearing his signature hoodie. While Silicon Valley insiders defended his fashion choice, others saw it as a sign of immaturity. Was it, as some speculated, a sign of a rebellious 20-something acting out?
For Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush Securities, Zuckerberg's attitude and attire symbolizes "a level of aloofness to stakeholders."
"He seems very customer focused and very employee focused. I am not sure he cares about anyone else. ... If he's going to go public, he has to answer to shareholders," Pachter says. "That's why Google hired Eric Schmidt. That's why Steve Jobs was ultimately forced out of Apple."
Jobs, in fact, was another Silicon Valley luminary who had Zuckerberg's ear. He was 25 in 1980 when Apple went public. He was ousted five years later after clashing with John Sculley, the former Pepsico executive Apple hired as chief executive. Jobs famously returned to lead Apple in 1997 and the company has thrived since.
Not much is known about the relationship Jobs and Zuckerberg shared, but Jobs reportedly told his biographer Walter Isaacson: "We talk about social networks in the plural, but I don't see anybody other than Facebook out there. Just Facebook, They are dominating this. I admire Mark Zuckerberg ... for not selling out, for wanting to make a company. I admire that a lot."
When Jobs died last October, Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."
Jon Burgstone, professor at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the University of California, Berkeley, believes that Zuckerberg will need to keep his perspective and continue developing.
"He has already become one of the world's most famous people, and also the richest," he says. "He walks into a room and you can feel people's excitement and the rush to be near him. He's already had time to learn how to deal with such fame and fortune, but now it's advancing to an entirely new level. How will he handle it, emotionally and professionally?"
Lieb marvels at the life Zuckerberg has led so far. Imagine being in your 20s, a self-made billionaire, your life the subject of a Hollywood movie, 2010's "The Social Network."
"It's a lifetime and the guy isn't 30 yet," Lieb says.
He's made big mistakes, especially with regard to users' privacy. One example is Beacon, Facebook's misguided advertising product that broadcast user's activities on outside websites without their explicit consent. Still, he took steps to correct them. On blog posts about Facebook's privacy blunders, he's admitted the company has made mistakes. His 2007 post about Beacon showed his straightforward, methodical thinking:
"We've made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we've made even more with how we've handled them. We simply did a bad job with this release, and I apologize for it. While I am disappointed with our mistakes, we appreciate all the feedback we have received from our users. I'd like to discuss what we have learned and how we have improved Beacon," he wrote five years ago. Facebook shut down Beacon two years later.
Zuckerberg has done well for himself so far, but he'll be pulled in many directions once Facebook is public.
"There is going to be a tremendous amount of scrutiny on this company," Lieb says. "Who really is qualified" to carry such a weight?
Follow Barbara Ortutay on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BarbaraOrtutay


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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Animals at the Oakland Zoo were treated to a buffet of tropical fruit after a truck spilled its shipment on a freeway.
The Oakland Tribune reports about 13,000 pounds of plantains and jackfruit were donated to the zoo Wednesday after the fruit truck overturned on Interstate 580. Nobody was hurt.
Bears, giraffes and elephants dined on the treats, though zookeepers say some of the animals initially were hesitant to taste the unusual fruits.
Zoological manager Darren Minier said only fruit in good condition without major bruising, broken skin or insects would be fed to the animals.
The newspaper reports the Alameda County Food Bank received about 35,000 pounds of fruit, as well.
The fruit spilled after the truck collided with a pickup early Monday in the Altamont Pass.


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I've never met a single person who became a zealous Christian after being presented an intellectual reason to believe. In fact, I would dare to say that there has not been one real conversion in history that can be entirely attributed to a simple, unemotional presentation of facts. That's not how religion works. Religion finds fertile ground in the field of a person's emotions. If a few random twigs on the periphery of a Christian's faith suffer damage during a violent storm of logic, the roots of that faith tend to remain deeply buried, far out of site, and untouched.
I've never been accused of being overly sensitive or romantic, yet my own conversion to Christianity was highly charged with emotion. Tears ran down my face. I trembled uncontrollably. I felt that I was having a face-to-face meeting with the everlasting Godhead. Even today, the experience is strong in my memory. "How to Witness" classes I attended in following years encouraged me to rely on my subjective emotional conversion with statements like, "Unbelievers can't argue with your personal testimony," which meant no one could refute your personal experience.
Here I was in a witnessing class learning how to "disciple the nations," yet the most reliable weapon against unbelief is subjective personal experience?
Is an emotional experience really that reliable? Does an emotional experience provide solid enough ground on which to build a life?
Admittedly, much of life rests on just exactly that type of foundation. For instance, do any of us scientifically and analytically pick a mate? Or, is our selection usually based on something less well defined, such as emotions and/or hormones? Do we choose our food after a thorough nutritional analysis? Or, is our dinner choice usually based on something considerably less researched, like what would taste good today?
Our religious choices fall along the same lines.
While a Christian, I was also a musician, heavily involved in the music ministry at a Charismatic church. I understood music's power and knew how to use music to play on the emotions of the congregation. If you doubt that music has this ability, to play on your emotions, try watching an adventure or mystery movie with the sound turned off – just read subtitles instead. See if your anticipation for "what will happen next" is nearly as intense as compared to when the soundtrack is playing underneath the action.
When the music at church was "right," and the volume swelled just so, ecstatic utterances — tongues, words of knowledge, prophecies — would bubble out of people's mouths like milk boiling in a pot. After the service I'd hear, "Wow, the Spirit was really moving today," and "The Lord really ministered to me today," and "I felt the Lord all morning," and so on.
I'd speculate about what would happen if we abandoned music during the services. I questioned whether anyone would still enjoy worshipping God. I wondered if the Holy Spirit would be felt at all.
Feelings. That's really what the bulk of Christianity and religion is really all about: fabricated, fluffy, feelings.
Although I eventually wearied of the shallow emotionalism, I didn't immediately give up on faith in the magical Christ. "People will disappoint you, but Christ is faithful!" That's what I told myself for the next 15 years.
I went from church to church, searching for the real thing. "I" never "found it" in church. Along the way I catered to my appetite for deeper truth by consuming theological, historical, apologetic, and inspirational books of every stripe. My education wasn't formal, but it was extensive. Gaining that knowledge altered my views dramatically. In time I began to realize how much Christianity had mutated over the centuries, and how nearly every "truth" that modern day believers hold dear evolved over time. Today's 20-century-old Christianity would be unrecognizable to its First Century progenitors.
The details of each Christian "testimony" are varied, but the root of every conversion is some sort of a spiritual (emotional) epiphany. And the "high" that religion can bring will carry a new believer along for a considerble while. Eventually, if the believer has a questing mind, doubts will arise, and that's when the vast libraries of apologetic books are brought into play.
As an aside, apologetic books sell by the millions, to believers. Unbelievers don't generally purchase apologetic books. Apologetic books are not a tool for evangelism. Conversion is based entirely on emotion and not because the unbeliever finally collected enough information to be converted. While I've never known of a single person who was converted solely from reading an apologetic book, I do know people who have "backslidden" and later rededicated their lives to Christ after reading an apologetic book. However, rededication is not the same as conversion.
Christian logic is primarily the armchair variety: "When I look at the stars, sky, trees, and my new baby, it just seems logical to conclude (insert here: 'It just feels right to me') that the world was created by an incomprehensible, loving, spiritual entity. Therefore, Jesus is the Son of God!" And, "This experience was wonderful. I was filled with a feeling of love so powerful, it was simply overwhelming. Therefore, Jesus is the Son of God."
So, how to interpret personal conversion experiences? If a harbinger of truth is knocking at the door, talking about his or her unquantifiable ecstatic "miracle," and seems dogmatically sure of his spiritual experience, what's a skeptic to do? Is it true that no one can argue with a Christian's personal experience?
If Christianity were the only modern religion that provided powerful, life-changing, mystical experiences, then those things might add validity to their beliefs. If only Christianity provided these unexplained feelings, it might be reasonable to conclude that Christianity is unique. The problem is that disciples of other religions also have dramatic stories.
Here's one:
I was born in China during the Cultural Revolution and brought up as a typical atheist. We were educated to believe that religious theories were made up by rulers to manipulate people's minds and maintain their political power.
I came to this country in 1996 as a graduate student at the University at Albany. A few months after I arrived, a lady approached me outside a post office in Latham. When she offered me a religious pamphlet and asked if I believed in God, I proudly answered, "No!"
I can never forget the shock and pitying expression on her face. She said, "You don't believe in God? You don't believe that God created human beings?"
I found that idea inconceivable and pitied her for thinking that way.
One day in 1997, my best friend showed me a book she recently got from her parents in China. It was entitled "Zhuan Falun" (Turning the Law Wheel) by Li Hongzhi, founder of a traditional Chinese spiritual practice known as Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa. I opened it and could hardly put it down. Page after page, my lifetime questions were being answered one by one. I recalled my encounter at the post office, thought about the true meaning of life and moved away from atheism. The world became new to me. I finished reading the book in two days -- the happiest days in my life. — Yu Chen
Here's another:
(The) Hindu religion is a source of happiness in this and the other world. No other religion seems to be equal to Hindu religion. Those having mean and unwise bent of mind and give up this religion are wicked and base. Such people suffer greatly in this world and even Yamraj (god of death) does not get satisfied while punishing them. We are wise and learned. Why should we forsake Hindu religion? We have a permanent commitment and love for protecting our religion. — Guru Teg Bahadur
And this one:
"While I was speaking in Southern California a number of years ago, I met four young men who were members of Hare Krishna. It wasn't a planned meeting, we just happened to strike up a conversation as we were crossing the same busy street in Los Angeles. To my utter shock, three of these lost souls were Jews. As I listened attentively to the testimonials of these oddly dressed fellows, each of them carefully described how their newfound religion had transformed their lives. They joyfully spoke of their joining this eastern sect and I could sense the elation and inner peace they felt. They were certain that what they believed was true and it was quite apparent that they were more spiritual now than they had ever been in their former lives." — Rabbi Tovia Singer
I'd like to wind this down with a quote from George Boyd
Conversion by fundamentalistic groups is begun by introducing doubts about one's fundamental beliefs about life, and using irrational fear to coerce confession of sin, repentance, and adoption of a primary religious belief system (faith). After this primary belief system has been established, basic guidelines for belief, morality, lifestyle, and behavior are inculcated and shaped through socialization into the "new family" of the Church. Finally, through asking for and challenging individuals to make progressively deeper commitments to the Christian community and spiritual life, they are led to a greater participation in the works of Christian charity, development of the church and active ministry. Rare individuals may undergo the transformation of character and reliance on inner guidance indicative of holiness.
Fundamentalists need to recognize, however, that viable and personally rewarding solutions to the quest for personal meaning and value, and spiritual growth, across cultures and throughout history, have not been restricted solely to the Christian Church. They also need to appreciate that the same free will they so highly respect, does not function either freely or rationally when conflict is introduced into the subconscious mind through conversion tactics using fear, shame, guilt and the creation of doubt. If we are to survive into the 21st Century, we must recognize that we live in a world of multiple cultures and pluralistic religious beliefs, and tolerance and respect for others' choices, however different from our own, must guide our actions.
OK, so what's the point?
Christian conversion is emotional, much like falling in love, or going into an angry rage, or having an episode of hysterical laughter. Once the passion subsides, it's often difficult to explain why it was ever felt in the first place. Emotional feelings can't be proved or disproved, but they aren't reality. Emotions exist, in essence, only in the mind.
In the decades since my emotional "real-to-me" conversion, I've left Christianity, obviously. I now have a better understanding of how my own mind processes information and the role my imagination plays in filling out my psyche. I realize now that I was initially so convinced of the truth of Christianity, so affected by the emotional appeal of an evangelist, so wanting to connect with the true God, so filled with guilt over my 11-year-old sinful life, that when I knelt down and prayed the prayer of faith, my mind fabricated a significant emotional experience that absolutely blew my mind. But that's the only place that experience existed — in my mind.
What do you think?


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Men's golf has an evident problem: The Tiger Problem.
What does it say about the sport when "Where did Tiger finish?" consistently eclipses "Who won?" (Unless Tiger IS who won.)
Oh, sure, the media goes through the charade of first saying "So-and-so (say, Zach Johnson) won the Masters." But, in the next breath, it's: "Tiger finished in Xth."
In this case, maybe it's that Tiger finished so close to first that makes it that notable, but I'd say it's bigger than that.
It has gotten to the point where fans care mostly about Tiger, then everyone else. That's not a cult following of the sport; it's a cult following of a single personality.
No other sport seems to have this issue. Imagine if the story read: "The Mavs win the NBA title!
I guess it's that no other sport orbits around a single personality like men's golf does around Tiger. I like him, too, but doesn't that strike you as a bit unhealthy for any sport?
More of today's big stories:
More Masters: Does posting the highest winning score in Masters history make Johnson's jacket any less green? Hell no. I say: More power to him. They can't take that blazer away from him, no matter what happens the rest of his career (and no matter how he won it).
Meanwhile, to follow with my own analysis above, I can't NOT talk about Tiger: It did seem like Tiger was a little off his game, didn't it? I had argued that pending fatherhood would inspire him to Masters victory. Perhaps pending fatherhood was just enough of a burden on his brain to knock him slightly off? (Past and present pending fathers can relate to what I'm talking about.)
NBA: Dwyane Wade returns! 27 minutes, 12 points and 1 loss. But give it two months; he'll be leading them to a second straight NBA title. (And his long black left sleeve will surely become the NBA's signature on-court fashion look of the spring.)
More NBA: (1) LeBron held to 20 in Cavs loss to Pistons. Preview of Eastern Conference playoffs. (2) Suns top Lakers. Another playoff preview. (3) How about this: Chris Bosh for NBA MVP? (4) I know he's a FreeDarko poster guy, but how underrated is Gerald Wallace (30 points in Bobcats win over
NBA Draft:
Quickie analysis: He is the most versatile frontcourt player in college basketball. (Comps: At best, a slightly shorter Kevin Garnett. At worst, a slightly tougher Lamar Odom.)
MLB: Anyone's fantasy team get wiped out this weekend along with the snowed-out Indians-Mariners games in
(Should MLB move the Indians' home-stand vs. the Angels to
UPDATE: Amazingly, I flashed a rare bit of prescience on this. MLB moved the game to Milwaukee, which is close enough to Cleveland that fans could have a chance to get to the game -- and Milwaukee fans will get a kind-of-cool novelty of seeing two top AL teams play.
Real-life Crash Davis: 32-year-old Marlins RP Lee Gardner earned his first MLB save yesterday after racking up 130 minor-league saves. The real sign of legitimacy: How many fantasy owners have him on their rosters? A few more saves and that total will increase.
Stud (batter): Ivan Rodriguez
Stud (pitcher): Johan Santana
Schilling bounces back in primetime: I was curious how quickly Curt Schilling would update his blog after pitching (well) against the Rangers last night. When I popped open his blog at 8 this morning, there was his post. And a long one, too. That's pretty damn impressive.
(As many have noted: Why do I need the local
CBB: Wichita St's Mark Turgeon to Texas A&M. Somehow, I don't think Turgeon will pull a Dana Altman and run back to the Missouri Valley after his announcement as new coach at a different school.
(More: John Pelphrey to
Reality-TV UFC top-dog Matt Serra winning the real UFC welterweight title from champ Georges St. Pierre in a fairly substantial upset will only help the sport (until skeptics ask if the storybook ending was a little TOO good).
NFL Draft: Look for the first glimpse of the Tirico-Kornheiser-Jaworski troika during ESPN's draft coverage. The draft format is PTI-ish enough that it is MUCH more in TK's wheelhouse than your standard MNF game. I think they'll do well enough that it will trigger a buzz for next season.
Today's 15 Minutes: Elsie McLean, the 102-year-old woman who hit a hole-in-one, becoming the oldest golfer ever to hit a regulation-course hole-in-one. Yes, your golf skills suck by comparison.
ESPN Ombudswoman Earns Blog Cred: By taking on the Colin Cowherd story and getting a response from ESPN before the weekend was over (remember, the incident happened Thursday), she instantly proves herself an infinitely more effective ombudsman (ombudswoman?) than her predecessor – all in her first official week on the job. Oh, and she just got off on the right foot – the very right foot – with the sports-blog community.


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Human service organizations in Trenton are business concerns that address the human condition rather than producing a product. Such organizations provide programs of service to address the needs of individuals, groups, and communities through the planning, provision, and evaluation of a wide range of services to prevent personal, interpersonal, community, and social problems. Human service organizations adopt their purpose from societal needs and priorities at any point of time.
Some human service organizations in Trenton focus on a specific set of services, like- mental health or child and family services, education, legal issues, health care services etc; while, some of those provide a number of services. Human service organizations operate under different auspices and address different types of problems, provide different services oriented to different treatment goals, serve different client populations and employ different modalities. However, these organizations share the common orientation to the prevention, amelioration, or resolution of physical health, mental health, social, or environmental problems that affect human beings.


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Hmm I enjoy walking, light hiking, the beach, nature, reading anything interesting, my ps3 (love rpgs), container gardening or at least trying to, and of course tea.
I brew everything western style with a spoon of honey if not then a teaspoon of rock sugar and resteep atleast 3 times.
My absolute favorite is Milk Oolong but also Dan Cong, Ali Shan, Ti Kuan Yin, Dong Ding, Siver Needle, Genmaicha, Jasmine Pearls. I love most teas but cannot drink most black teas because I get really bad headaches from them.
Always on the lookout for the perfect milk oolong, the pefect apple cider and pumpkin spice/pie that is not a tisane or BLACK TEA BASED
New Jersey


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Monday, June 29, 2009
Red Cooked Pork - Girl with Red Ribbon - Ruby Tuesday
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We call her "The Girl with Red Ribbons" and thought she was a fit subject for the Work of the Poet: Ruby Tuesday meme. She was a lovely child. The photograph was taken in an outdoor cafe in the Muslim quarter of Xi'an China. The call to prayer had interrupted her meal and she was fascinated by the stream of believers pouring into the mosque compound. Though the area was a Muslim enclave, the restaurants outside the mosque served an incredible array of food, including pork. Obviously, not all the merchants and visitors were Muslim, so it was only mildly surprising that red cooked pork was a popular item in the cafes. Today's recipe is for an incredibly good version of red cooked pork. When this is made with pork belly or not-to-lean pork ribs you have the makings of an unbelievably easy feast. My friends and teachers, Lily, at Lily's Wai Sek Hong, and Ning, at Heart and Hearth have wonderfully authentic recipes for this great entree. Here's my westernized version of the classic.
Red Cooked Pork...from the kitchen at One Perfect Bite
1-1/2 pounds pork belly or boneless pork ribs cut into two inch cubes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves of garlic peeled
3 whole star anise
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine, mirin or dry sherry
1 can (14.5-oz.) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Garnish: chopped scallions
1) Melt sugar in vegetable in a medium pot over medium high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar is slightly brown, about 3 minutes. Add pork cubes to pan and cook in caramelized sugar until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
2) Place garlic, star anise, dark soy sauce, rice wine and broth in pot. Simmer, covered, over low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer meat to a bowl and tent with foil. Boil sauce to reduce by half. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to pan. Stir until sauce comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Return meat to pan. Toss in sauce until all surfaces are coated. Transfer to a platter, garnish with scallions and serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.
54 comments :
- La Bella Cooks said...
All the ingredients sound delicious and the photo has my mouth watering. What a lovely dish.
- June 29, 2009 at 12:15 AM
- My Little Space said...
It's a delicious seasoning you putting in there!
- June 29, 2009 at 1:25 AM
- Katy ~ said...
What a beautiful little girl! And I love the red ribbons in her hair.
Red Cooked Pork very good indeed! I like the addition of the star anise; it has really piqued my interest. - June 29, 2009 at 4:26 AM
- Donna-FFW said...
Those seasonings sound fantastic on that pork. I love the name. Your photos are enthralling.
- June 29, 2009 at 6:02 AM
- Heather S-G said...
Oh wow...this looks out of this world! What a sweet little girl w/a red ribbon in her hair :) Enjoy your day, Mary!
- June 29, 2009 at 7:51 AM
- Ning said...
Thank you so much for the reference :) Yours is quite authentic because you added star anise. I would not put in too much of that spice because my kids don't like it. I also do not reduce the sauce because my kids like to slather their rice with it. But then, red-cooked pork is a flexible recipe... :)
Your dish looks so rich and delicious! Beautiful photography! - June 29, 2009 at 8:23 AM
- foodcreate said...
These ingredients look so delicious !
The little girls with red ribbon she is so cute!
Thanks for sharing your recipe:) - June 29, 2009 at 9:19 AM
- SmilingSally said...
Sweet face. Your pork sounds good.
- June 29, 2009 at 11:24 AM
- Laura said...
Just lovely. Can you save me some?
- June 29, 2009 at 11:56 AM
- Gaby said...
wow everything sounds delicious... I love pork and I think its unappreciated by so many so I am so happy to see such a fabulous recipe!
- June 29, 2009 at 12:17 PM
- Marta said...
Lovely curry recipe! Surprising, indeed, to find this in restarants surrounding mosques, but it makes sense, gotta cater to everyone!
- June 29, 2009 at 12:18 PM
what a cute girl! this sounds delicious
- June 29, 2009 at 12:35 PM
- Southern Lady said...
Mary, your Red Cooked Pork looks like it would melt in your mouth, but then, everything you share with us looks scrumptious.
I always enjoy your photos ... the little girl is so precious with her pretty red bows, and I love your photo of the blue corn in yesterday's post. - June 29, 2009 at 12:47 PM
- Susan/Wild Yeast said...
Wow, Mary, even though I don't usually fare well with cooking meat, this one looks too good to pass up!
- June 29, 2009 at 12:51 PM
- Joy Tilton said...
This sounds delicious and will satisfy a craving we've been having for something different. Thanks so much Mary for your comments at GrannyMountain today. I wanted to share the saving aspects of living green. Everyone dreads the summer bills and they don't have to.
- June 29, 2009 at 1:07 PM
- Mary said...
Red pork and blue muffins, very patriotic! And I,m sure also very delicious too! I hope you have a great 4th. :O)
- June 29, 2009 at 1:15 PM
- Designs on 47th Street said...
I am so happy to meet you. Thank you most sincerely for stopping by my blog recently.
I will have to come back to see more of your blog.
The little girl with red ribbons is just precious!
Donna - June 29, 2009 at 1:31 PM
- Hootin Anni said...
I love anything doing with the Orient...food? Yummy. Decor...pretty and delicate. People? Beautiful!!!
This is a perfect post from you my dear....at Perfect Bite!!
[I'll put my Ruby Tuesday up tomorrow sometime.[
Happy day to you Mary. - June 29, 2009 at 1:46 PM
- Southerncook said...
This sounds like a delish pork recipe. Will try it soon.
Carolyn/A Southerners Notebookac - June 29, 2009 at 1:48 PM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
Laura, I've kept a portion on the back burner to warm. Stop by again and it's yours.
- June 29, 2009 at 1:55 PM
- The Blonde Duck said...
Awww! I love the title.
- June 29, 2009 at 2:45 PM
- Unknown said...
The pictures are making my stomach growl this looks great.
- June 29, 2009 at 3:54 PM
- Shellbelle said...
What a wonderful story you shared today.
I cam by to let you know I made the Tuscan Pork and Raspberry Ripple for guests this weekend and, of course, they were a huge hit. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes.
Now excuse me while I go get that recipe for blue corn muffins! - June 29, 2009 at 5:02 PM
- James said...
Yum. That looks good.
- June 29, 2009 at 5:15 PM
- Jim said...
Happy RT, Mary! This indeed is a pretty girl with the red ribbon.
I have been to Xi'an and saw your Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses. It was magnificant! Isn't it something that it was found!
A part of those warriors and the horses are on exhibition here in Houston, Texas, this summer. Since we saw even more of them in China we won't be going down into Houston this time.
.. - June 29, 2009 at 5:49 PM
She is so cute - I wish I could stick a red bow to my boy's head, but husband would not approve :)
- June 29, 2009 at 6:09 PM
- Lori said...
Red cooked prok. Wow Mary, always something amazing at your place.
- June 29, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Hi Mary and it's so nice to meet you! Oh, my you are the cook, aren't you? This sounds so good. When's dinner? ;)
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;0 - June 29, 2009 at 7:28 PM
- theUngourmet said...
Yum! I would love to try Star Anise sometime!
What a sweet little face! - June 29, 2009 at 7:50 PM
- Meikah said...
Red pork! I have yet to see one. :) Thanks for sharing this interesting trivia, too.
My first Ruby Tuesday entry is here:
http://brandsforgrabs.blogspot.com/2009/06/ruby-tuesday-going-red-for-pizza.html - June 29, 2009 at 9:01 PM
- Maria's Space said...
The girl is adorable.
Now I want Red Cooked Pork.
http://reesspace.blogspot.com/2009/06/ruby-tuesday-gems-and-jewels-of-garden.html - June 29, 2009 at 10:34 PM
- Claudia said...
I am searching for star anise - and I know I need to go to a specialty store. This recipe is incredible! Just mouth-watering. ANd the photo - what a little beauty.
- June 29, 2009 at 11:11 PM
- Carletta said...
Oh she is a cutie with a very sweet smile!
Pork looks delicious.
My post is here: Carletta's Captures. - June 29, 2009 at 11:44 PM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
Claudia, you can get star anise through Penzey's catalogue.
- June 29, 2009 at 11:54 PM
- Deborah said...
That pork looks amazing!
- June 30, 2009 at 12:15 AM
- NKP said...
Looks so amazing and authentic! How did you get that great colour?
The picture of the girl is so sweet and striking. - June 30, 2009 at 12:36 AM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
Natashya, That is the color I get when I cook in soy sauce. I didn't do anything special to get the color.
- June 30, 2009 at 12:48 AM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
Your red cooked pork looks amazing and I love the picture of the little girl with the red ribbon too.
- June 30, 2009 at 4:42 AM
- SouthLakesMom said...
As soon as I read the title, I thought, "oh I hope this is a recipe!" Thank you! The photos are lovely and the recipe mouth-watering. Maybe tomorrow evening...and if people ask, star anise is available at any Asian grocery store.
- June 30, 2009 at 7:58 AM
- Magical Mystical Teacher said...
Girl with red ribbons,
do you follow the rainbow
with your searching eyes?
My Ruby Tuesday - June 30, 2009 at 9:04 AM
- G6 said...
I love the little girl!
I love photographing children but I'm always concerned about posting photos of children i don't know.
Does anybody know the legality of this? It's such a pity because children make the BEST SUBJECTS! :D - June 30, 2009 at 10:30 AM
- Nukke said...
Oh boy ! That food looks so delicious !! I have to show this to my daughter. She is a very good cook. And that girl is lovely :)
- June 30, 2009 at 10:31 AM
- Sherrie said...
Great photos! The recipe sounds really yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Have a great day!!
http://sherrie-plummer.blogspot.com/2009/06/ruby-tuesday_30.html - June 30, 2009 at 10:42 AM
- SallyBR said...
Loved the photo of the girl, she is so beautiful!
and the red cooked pork matches her level of beauty very well :-) - June 30, 2009 at 11:24 AM
- LADYHIGHTOWER said...
Oh, now I'm hungry! Great pics for Ruby Tusday! Love that little girl!
- June 30, 2009 at 11:25 AM
- MaR said...
What a precious little girl with red ribbon!! wonderful shot and delicious recipe, thank you!!
- June 30, 2009 at 12:04 PM
What a cute little girl!
- June 30, 2009 at 1:04 PM
- maryt/theteach said...
Mary, I'm definitely going to try RED-cooked pork. The recipe looks wonderful! Your photos are marvelous and p[erfect for your introductory post for Ruby Tuesday! Welcome and thank you for joining us! :)
- June 30, 2009 at 4:26 PM
- maryt/theteach said...
Forgot to say your grandsons are adorable! :)
- June 30, 2009 at 4:27 PM
- yyam said...
What a sweet little girl..love the red ribbon.
That dish looks so yummy! :) - June 30, 2009 at 10:30 PM
- Desert Songbird said...
Lovely photo of a lovely little girl.
Thanks for visiting my Ruby Tuesday post. I'll try to come back and check out the rest of your blog! - June 30, 2009 at 11:58 PM
- Patti said...
I love the red ribbons in that little girl's hair. So sweet.
Your beautiful blog is making me hungry..
Happy Ruby Tuesday! - July 1, 2009 at 7:42 AM
- srp said...
This looks good enough to run out and eat right now... if only I had some. Great post and I will give your site to my mom... she cooks more than I do and she loves to read cookbooks... like novels! Thanks for stopping by.
- July 1, 2009 at 10:15 AM
- Franchise Takeaway said...
Wow it looks wonderful on photo! Recipe seems pretty easy to make, that's what i like :)
- July 11, 2012 at 9:43 AM


text:
Apple Cider Vinegar is an all-natural substance derived from the acetous fermentation of sweet apple cider. The apple is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals, and these nutrients are also present in Apple Cider Vinegar. Get your apple a day every day with NOW Apple Cider Vinegar capsules.
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Caution: Please discard the inedible freshness packet enclosed.
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Brand: NOW Foods
Apple Cider Vinegar 450 mg – 180 Capsules


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- Dynamic Web Development with Seaside
Stéphane Ducasse, Lukas Renggli, C. David Shaffer, Rick Zaccone, Michael Davies. - Seaside Tutorial
Software Architecture Group, Hasso-Platter-Institut.
- Soek: Exploring the Seaside Library
Soek is a Smalltalk application to navigate through documentation and source code of Seaside. - Seaside: A Flexible Environment for Building Dynamic Web Applications
Article part of IEEE Software. Ducasse, Lienhard, Renggli. - Seaside: A Multiple Control Flow Web Application Framework
Paper accepted for ESUG 2004. Ducasse, Lienhard, Renggli. - Using WATableReport
A tutorial on using and extending the built-in reporting components, from C. David Shaffer. - Date Components
A tutorial on using Seaside's date entry components from C. David Shaffer. - A Day At The Beach
An article about exploring Seaside from Sven Van Caekenberghe, November 2003. - Controlling the Backbutton in Seaside
An article from Avi Bryant and Stephane Ducasse. - Programming with Seaside
Slides from Alexandre Bergel. - Seaside
A series of articles in Czech by Pavel Kivánek.


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How to root on HTC Raider expand the capabilities of your mobile device, read the full article and follow our instructions.
What is Root
This superuser account in the operating system that has elevated privileges. Superuser can delete or modify system files, make backup of data, the ability to change fonts, manage performance, establishing special programs to accelerate the processor clock frequency.
The possibilities are endless: you can delete the system application, make the LEDs flash a different color, change the icon and notification bar, and more.
To learn more, you can use this article possible root access.
How to root HTC Raider
To become root, we need a microUSB cable, mobile device and computer.
- Turn on your mobile device via USB debugging
- Connect it to your computer via MicroUSB wire
- Download and run the program Rootkhp PRO 3.5 or an older version on your computer. The program has the Update button, with which you can get to the developers website and check whether there is a new version of
- Take advantage instructions Started with Rootkhp PRO
The process of obtaining root access is not difficult, important to follow the instructions.
Video how to use Rootkhp Pro
Video instructions on using the program on your computer.


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Four Fantastic Fountains You Can Make Yourself
Beautiful fountains look like they cost thousands. However, tt turns out that while some do, quite a few do not. You don't have to be a professional plumber to plumb a fountain yourself (although with certain designs, you will need advanced DIY skills). In fact, some fountains do not need to be hooked up to a water source; you simply fill them with water which they recycle. Using repurposed objects from old teapots to empty wine bottles, you can build a fountain yourself.
DIY bottle Tiki fountain: Hometalker Megan rang the changes on that DIY fave -- the wine bottle fountain. Since she describes herself as more a "tropical, frozen drink with an umbrella kind of a girl" than a wine lover, she lavished a store-bought bottle with colorful silk flowers galore to adorn a fabulous Tiki fountain. Mounted near her hot tub, it brings a feel of the tropics to her backyard.
Terracotta fountain: You can find step-by-step instructions for making a terracotta fountain on the blog Flying Kitten. You'll need several terracotta pots, waterproof tape, small rocks, a level and a fountain pump to make this project. It's worth the investment in materials (unless, of course, you have these things already in your garage). This fountain will give you that organic sound of water running that people crave to hear.
DIY tea pot fountain: Who doesn't have an old teapot in the basement that she's like to upcycle? A rusty old teapot can have a second chance at life as a fountain. Again, you'll need a fountain pump and a few supplies to make this happen, but once you do, you'll have a whimsical fountain that will make you smile.
DIY bubbling rock water feature: A bubbling rock water feature is perfect if you are worried about children getting into a fountain, since it has no standing bowl of water. Making your own DIY bubbling rock fountain involves some drilling, electrical wiring, and plumbing. It takes more technical skills than the other projects in this article. It is not clear if Theresa Hathaway, who posted the project on Hometalk.com, had the help of her local Chicago electrician when completing her bubbling rock water feature. In any case, judge for yourself whether or not you have the skills to do this. The results are stunning!
Chaya Kurtz writes for Networx.com.
Updated July 3, 2018.
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Websites which have sensitive information need to be patched to ensure its not exploited because of session issues.
In earlier versions of apache cookie reliability was not assumed and hence the default method was always using url-rewrite which meant every url link, every form submission etc would have a PHPSESSID=<sessionid> passed along to inform the server about the active session. New versions have turned this off using
session.use_trans_sid = 0
in the /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini file.
Well one might safe the offline page as a bookmark or pass the link across to others not realizing that the session id information is also sent. So someone who quickly accesses these pages could possible get logged on, this was also true wrt search engines, and I guess in some cases it being seen as duplicate content as the same page will have a different session id every time the robots scan the website.
But having this set does not mean you are protected. Let me explain.
What prevents me from presetting the session id! Assume there is a banking site www.example.com which has a login screen at www.example.com/login.php
I can send you can email with a link to the bank site as http://www.example.com/login.php?PHPSESSID=12345
When you click on the link it presents the session id as 12345 rather then asking the server to generate a new one. This is called session fixation. Keep in mind even with session.use_trans_sid = 0 this will work as this sets it only not to use url-rewrite. To prevent this altogether set session.use_only_cookies = 1 which ensures that only cookies will be used, but this could cause problems when dealing with transaction which involve switch sites, i.e. siteA forwards to site B for payment which forwards to siteA for thank you, in which case a phpsessid inform might be used to revive the old session.
A good approach would always be to at the login screen and immediately post login to force a new session id generated using random numbers
$newsessid = somerandomnumberfunction();
you can also use session_regenerate_id() function to generate a new id
Also its always good to ensure every valid session is checked against an ip. One good method is to store the session id and remote ip information in a table, or better store the ip as a session variable itself, once the user logs in and ensure that this is continued for remaining pages for security. This ofcourse wont work when users use the same office or shared network as the ip to the outside world is the same.
https is always a good idea for sensitive sites, but keeping it persistent for all pages which use session is important if you really want a foolproof system else anyone can always sniff your packets.
So to quickly go through the bits
- set session.use_trans_sid = 0 in /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini file.
- Ensure you always use a new self generated session id on successful login attempt.
- Try setting session.use_only_cookies = 1 and check if all works fine.
- Use https throughout to ensure no one can sniff your session id.
- Store session id, remote IP information and compare for successive pages


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Real Estate Glossary
This guide is meant to assist you in understanding the language of your real estate transaction and the contracts and forms that you will be signing. If you are unclear about any of the definitions or find a term is missing, reach out with your questions!
Real Estate Terms
Addendum: Something added. A list or other material added to a document, letter, contractual agreement, escrow instructions, etc., to modify the original. (See Amendment)
Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM): Mortgage loans under which the interest rate is periodically adjusted, in accordance with some market indicator, to more closely coincide with the current rates. The extent and number of these adjustments are agreed to at the inception of the loan.
Agency: Any relationship in which one party (agent) acts for or represents another (principal) under the authority of the latter. Agency involving real estate should be in writing, such as listings, buyer/broker agreements, power of attorney, etc.
Amendment: A change either to correct an error or to alter a part of an agreement without affecting the essential intent.
Appraisal: A report from an independent third party detailing the estimated value of real estate.
Appreciation: An increase in value to real property due to positive improvement or the elimination of negative elements in the surrounding area.
Assessed Value: The valuation placed on real property for purposes of taxation. This valuation does not necessarily correspond with the market valuation.
Balloon Note: A form of promissory note that calls for the minimum payment of principal and the payment of interest at regular intervals. This type of note requires a substantial final payment, which represents all the remaining principal.
Beneficiary (of a Trust): The recipient of benefits from a trust.
CC&Rs: A term used in Arizona to describe limitations in the deed on use and improvements to real property, frequently in a subdivision.
Clouded Title: An irregularity, possible claim or encumbrance that, if valid, would adversely affect or impair the title.
CLUE Report: (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) A report listing any insurance claims against the risk address which may affect the insurability of the property.
Conventional Loan: A mortgage or deed of trust not obtained under a government insured program, such as FHA or VA.
Comparable Sales (Comps): Real estate sales on properties of similar age, location and features to subject property used for price analysis and appraisals.
Conveyance: The transfer of title to real property from one person to another.
Deed: A document through which a conveyance of property is effected.
Deed of Trust: An instrument used in Arizona and many other states in place of a mortgage. Real property is transferred to a trustee by the borrower (trustor), in favor of the lender (beneficiary) and re-conveyed upon payment in full.
Depreciation: Loss in value occasioned by ordinary wear and tear, destructive action of the elements, or functional or economic obsolescence.
Earnest Money: A deposit of funds by the purchaser on a piece of real estate as evidence of good faith.
Easement: A right to use all or part of the land owned by another for a specific purpose. An easement may, for example, entitle its holder to install and maintain sewer or utility lines or provide access to a piece of property.
Encroachment: Any building, improvement or structure (such as a wall, fence or driveway) located on one property that intrudes upon the property of another.
Encumbrance: Any interest, right, lien or liability attached to a parcel of land (such as unpaid taxes or an unsatisfied mortgage) that constitutes or represents a burden or charge upon the property.
Equity: The market value of real property less the amount of existing liens.
Fair Market Value: The average of the highest price that a buyer, willing but not compelled to buy, would pay and the lowest price a seller, willing but not compelled to sell, would accept.
Foreclosure: The legal process by which a lender or creditor exercises its legal rights to sell the property which was security for its loan at public auction and the owner's rights are terminated. Bank Owned Properties are those properties where the property was acquired by the former owner's lender after such an auction.
Fixed Rate Mortgage: A mortgage having a rate of interest that remains the same for the life of the mortgage.
Fixtures: Personal property that is attached to real property and is legally treated as real property while it is so attached. Examples: medicine cabinets, window blinds, and chandeliers.
Hazard/Homeowners Insurance: Real estate/property insurance protecting against loss by fire, certain natural causes, covering liability, etc., depending on the terms of the policy.
Impound Account: An account held by the lender for payment of property taxes and insurance or other periodic debts against real property. The mortgagor (in this case the property owner) pays a portion of these debts with each monthly loan payment. The lender pays the billing parties from the accumulated funds when due.
Interim Financing: Temporary or short term loans. Often used with new construction. Usually replaced with a permanent long-term mortgage.
Intestate: Designates the estate or condition of failing to leave a will at death. "To die intestate."
Judgment: A decree of a court. In practice this is the lien or charge upon the lands of a debtor resulting from the Court 's award of money to a creditor.
Legal Description: A description of a parcel of land recognized by law, based on surveys identifying the exact boundaries of the property.
Lien: A monetary charge imposed on a property, usually arising from a debt or obligation. All liens are encumbrances, but not all encumbrances are liens.
Lender's Policy: Also called "mortgage policy." A title insurance policy insuring a mortgagee, or beneficiary under a deed of trust, against loss caused by invalidity or unenforceability of a lien, or loss of priority of the mortgage or deed of trust.
Loan Origination Fee: A one time fee frequently charged by the lender to set up a loan.
Marketable Title: Real property ownership free of liens, defects, encumbrances or claims.
Mechanic's Lien: A lien on real estate, securing the payment of debts due to persons provide labor, services or materials incident to the construction of buildings and improvements on the real estate.
Mortgage: An instrument by which real property is pledged as security for repayment of a loan.
Owner's Policy: A policy of title insurance insuring an owner of real estate against loss occasioned by defects in liens against or unmarketability of the owner's title.
PITI: A loan payment which combine Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance.
Plat: Also called "plat map." A map dividing a parcel of land into lots, as in a subdivision.
Power of Attorney: An instrument in writing by which one person, the principal, authorizes another, the attorney in fact, to act in the specific actions described in the instrument.
Principal: (1) A sum of money owed as a debt on which interest is payable. (2) A person who empowers another to act as his representative or agent. (3) The person having prime responsibility for an obligation as distinguished from one who acts as a surety or endorser.
Public Records: Records which by law impart constructive notice of matters relating to land.
Purchase Agreement: See Sales Contract.
Quitclaim Deed: A deed which transfers whatever interest the maker of the deed may have in the particular parcel of land. A quitclaim deed contains no covenants or warranties.
Real Property: Also called "real estate." (1) Land and anything permanently affixed to the land, such as building, fences and those things attached to the buildings, such as plumbing and heating fixtures, or other such items that would be personal property if not attached. (2) May refer to rights in real property as well as the property itself.
Recordation: Filing instruments of a legal nature with the recorder of the jurisdiction – such as a deed or mortgage – affecting the title to real estate. When such an instrument is properly recorded, it is considered to be a matter of public record. Legally, that means that all subsequent purchasers are deemed to have constructive knowledge of that information.
Right of Way: See Easement.
Sales Contract (Purchase Agreement): The legal document contractually binding the terms of Buyer's and Seller's agreement to sell/purchase real estate, usually completed by the real estate agent and signed by both parties.
Short Sale: A real estate transaction in which the sales price is insufficient to pay the loans(s) encumbering the property, in addition to the costs of sale, and the seller is unable to pay the difference. The approval of the seller's lender(s) is required for the sale to proceed.
Special Assessment: A lien assessed against real property by a public authority to pay costs of public improvements, such as sidewalks, sewers and street light, which directly benefits the assesses property.
Subdivision: A tract of land surveyed and divided into lots for purposes of sale.
Survey: The measurement of the boundaries of a parcel of land and its area.
VA Loans: Housing loans to veterans by banks, savings and loans, or other lenders that are guaranteed by the Veterans Administration, enabling veterans to buy a residence with little or no down payment.
Warranty Deed: A deed in which the grantor warrants or guarantees that good title is being conveyed.
Zoning: Laws passed by local governments regulating the size, type, structure, nature and use of land or buildings.


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Well I have to say I got lucky this time. Imagine my surprise at seeing that this month's Daring Bakers' challenge was to be gorgeous macarons. If I was poetic enough I would write an Ode to Macarons. That's how much I am liking making macarons at the moment. It's probably because of the success I experienced the very first time I made the pistachio lemon cream macarons not too long ago.
So, yes it's true - I went into this challenge fairly relaxed. I knew what to expect and what tweaks I wanted to make to improve the macarons from the first time around. The only difficulty was on deciding what flavors to go with. My head is full of macaron flavors and if given the chance I would make a flavor a week, but I do not want to overkill my macaron love affair.
Then my dear Persian friend B. brought a big packet of the finest Iranian saffron from her recent trip to Iran and when she placed it in my hands I knew straight away how I would flavor my macarons.
Give this Indian girl a French delicacy and this is how she'll spice it up! I adore the subtle and rich flavors of saffron intermingled with the unique, slightly sweet with a hint of savory aromatic cardamom. Together the flavors are incredibly exquisite and enticing.
The 2009 October Daring Bakers' challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming's The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.
The challenge called for making the macaron shells as given in the recipe, flavoring and filling them however we wished to. I grinded my own almonds to make almond flour and slightly deviated from the recipe. Instead of using 5 egg whites I used only about 4 and as my first macarons were fairly successful I used that as a rough guideline for the ingredient amounts. The egg whites aged in the fridge for 5 days this time and then for a day on the countertop to come down to room temperature.
For the filling I used a simple white chocolate ganache recipe, a recipe I often use as a basis to make pralines and truffles, flavoring the ganache with bold Indian cardamom pods.
As I gently crushed the saffron strands the beautiful scented spice filled my nostrils with pure pleasure, which turned into true excitement as the rich color melted into the egg whites turning them into a warm sunny yellow.
Then as the cardamom steeped in the cream a second intense perfume filled the kitchen interlacing with the aromatic saffron. I knew then that these macarons were going to be good.
Just like the last time, I did my prep work by making a stencil to help me pipe perfect round shells and as the macaron batter rested to dry I noticed that they were gorgeously sprinkled with bright orange speckles of ground saffron. Delightful!
As they went into the oven, Soeren and I had our noses stuck to the oven window waiting for the true sign of great macarons. And soon enough we had macaron feet! Phew!
The recipe below is the one with my tweaks but you'll find the original to print here.
Saffron Macarons with Cardamom White Chocolate Ganache
Printable version of recipe here.
For the saffron macaron shells3-4 egg whites (approx. 90g), aged for at least 24 hours or a max of 5 days
200g icing sugar
110g almonds, without skins
1/2 tsp saffron strands, crushed
40g granulated sugarFor the cardamom white chocolate ganache
250g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 cardamom pods, cracked
100 ml creamMethod
For the saffron macaron shells
- Prepare your baking tray and baking sheets with a stencil of circles. Draw circles on some baking paper using a (mathematical) compass about 3.5 cm in diameter. Then place some white parchment paper on the baking tray and flip the baking paper back around.
- In a large mixing bowl mix the egg whites with an electric hand beater (alternatively you can use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until it is thick and frothy. Sprinkle in the crushed saffron strands, then gradually add the granulated sugar, whisking all the while, until the mixture turns into a thick glossy meringue. The consistency should be similar to hair mousse or shaving foam. Make sure the meringue is not over-beaten or else it will be too dry.
- In a food processor pulse together icing sugar and almonds until the nuts are finely ground and powdery. Sift the mixture to make sure there are no lumps.
- Place the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the meringue and give it a quick fold using the macronnage technique described in my macaron tips section. Fold a few times to break the air. Continue until you get a smooth and supple mixture, thick in consistency so that when you lift the spatula it flows back in thick ribbons. Test a small amount on a plate – should the tops fall back and flatten by themselves then it is ready, if not give it a few more folds.
- Fill a piping bag with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (3.5 cm in diameter) on your prepared baking paper. Leave the macarons to rest and dry for about 30 - 45 minutes.
- In the meantime preheat the the oven to 140 degrees C. When the macarons are ready bake the shells for 10–15 minutes depending on their size. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Use a flat offset spatula to gently remove the shells from the baking paper and allow to cool further on a rack.
Storing Macarons
If you are not going to be using them right away you can store the shells in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
They freeze well too but it is recommended to freeze them unfilled. To fill them take the shells out of the freezer 48 hours prior to serving and without defrosting fill them. This way the flavors will be allowed to blend as they thaw.For the cardamom white chocolate ganache
- Place the cream and the cardamom in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to stand for at least 20 minutes.
- Carefully reheat the cream and discard the cardamom pods.
- Slowly pour the cream into a bowl with the chopped chocolate, stirring to dissolve the chocolate. Continue stirring gently until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly. The ganache will thicken as it cools.
Assembling the macarons
Fill the cardamom white chocolate ganache in a plain tipped piping bag and pipe small dollops on one of the shells then gently cover with another. Do not press. Continue to do this until you have used up all of the filling and shells.
Food Guide Tips:
- Making perfect macarons – helpful tips and tricks- Saffron – the Queen of Spices
- Cardamom – a sensational and versatile spice
- White Chocolate – decadent and rich
On the first day these macarons tasted good Soeren and I happily munched away breaking every eloquent macaron eating rule. But the next day they tasted even better. The cardamom flavor was more intense and the saffron aroma deep and refined. I took the remaining few to a little get-together and had to coax my Japanese friend to eat them. She said "They were too pretty to eat!" Finally when she did take a delicate bite I could literally see how she savored each minute bite.
These macarons were wonderfully flavored, had a great texture and the perfect bite. I thank Ami with all my heart for choosing macarons for this month's Daring Bakers' challenge. Any excuse to make macarons is always welcome. Please head on over to the Daring Kitchen to check out many more magical macaron creations.
You might like these Saffron delights from WFLH:
Saffron and Cardamom Panna Cotta | Saffron Coconut Ice Cream | Saffron Rice Pudding |
Monthly Mingle Reminder
I would like to invite you all to a fantastic party this mingle. Come and join me for a grand Brunch.
Make your favorite brunch recipes and bring send your creations to me by November 16th.
See you there!
European Food Blogger Connect Update
November 28th is the day to circle in your calendars. That's when the first European Food Bloggers Connect is taking place in London. I've booked my tickets already and am looking forward to seeing many fantastic fellow food bloggers there. Hope you'll be able to make it. So far the response has been amazing and foodies are coming from all over the world to be there. Besides just good food there'll be a few brilliant presentations of a selection of talented bloggers. Subjects like basic food photography and food styling, social networking and writing style are just a few topics that will be presented. Check out the updated Food Blogger Connect flyer for more information on speakers and presentations.
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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Vegas Casino Seeking Britney Spears Residency
After weeks of speculation, Caesars Entertainment is confirming that it's trying to lure Britney Spears to Las Vegas for a recurring gig at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.
Spokeswoman Emily Wofford said Friday the company is in negotiations to install the pop princess on the Las Vegas Strip.
The 31-year-old "Scream & Shout" singer stoked residency rumors last week by responding with a "Viva Las Vegas" hashtag to a post from her dog's Twitter account asking if puppies can gamble in Sin City.
Spears left her position on the television singing contest "The X Factor" in January, telling fans she wanted to refocus on her music.
Photo: AP Photo
Revolution Monument, Mexico City, Mex.
Caesars Entertainment currently is promoting residencies by singers Cee Lo Green at Planet Hollywood and Shania Twain at Caesars Palace.