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This weekend, a 25-year-old woman from the Chicago suburbs was killed in Afghanistan. Anne Smedinghoff was a State Department officer delivering books to local schools when she and four other Americans were killed by a roadside bomb. By all accounts, she was smart, dedicated, and idealistic, and wanted to do good things around the world, an ambition for which she paid with her life.
Unsurprisingly, this led to a renewal of the chorus of "What are we doing in Afghanistan?" One local talking head averred that "you can't export democracy to countries that didn't have the benefit of our Judaeo-Christian traditions." Others asked, "how is it in our national interest to be fighting and dying in Afghanistan?"
As I said over ten years ago, when George W. Bush got the country started in the "war on terror," the big risk in that kind of endeavor is that it will take a long time, and we are an impatient people. I feared we would not have the staying power for a protracted struggle against an enemy too amorphous to defeat convincingly. That prediction did not require much prescience.
But I think the questions deserve to be answered nonetheless. First off, democracy does not need a particularly Western culture or philosophy to thrive: look at Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, even Indonesia, the biggest Muslim country in the world. All of them have solid democratic traditions, some older than others, that enable the peaceful change of governments and public acceptance of the new regime. Many of them have grave problems, social strife, and serious political dysfunction; but who couldn't say that about the United States?
Nor can one say, as the anti-war crowd are wont to do, that you can't export democracy, or impose it at the point of a gun. We did precisely that in Japan at the end of World War II, and in Germany as well. Perhaps there were elements of culture in both countries that fortuitously favored the adoption of democracy, but perhaps as well it was just better, more thought-out execution of the task.
One thing I think we have gotten lazy about – and I charge the Bush administration with this as much as Team Obama – is that there is a lot more to democracy than elections. Too many fledgling democracies have one election, for the sake of international legitimacy, and then tuck the whole idea away for the foreseeable future: one man, one vote, one time. Then the people are worse off: stuck with a dictator perversely celebrated as a legitimate ruler.
As much as elections – more so, in fact – democratic societies need other institutions to give the process public legitimacy. First and foremost, they need institutional checks on the power of the government: an independent judiciary that can overrule acts of the government, and a free and unfettered press to call officials to account for malfeasance.
Another critical element of a democracy is that governmental power should not be the path to riches. When an official position means one can appropriate public wealth for oneself or one's tribe, the legitimacy of the government is fatally compromised, and the cost of losing elections becomes far greater to the incumbent. This is particularly the case in socialist economies, where the government controls so much of the nation's economic activity, and the temptation of corruption is the greater.
So, in a word, it is not the case that democracy is a lost cause, but it's not easy. Bush was rightly leery of getting into the business of "nation-building," but ended up there anyway. And that leads to the second point.
It is easy at this point to look at the frustrations in Afghanistan and ask what interest is served by being there. But one must not lose sight of this: when we went into Afghanistan in late 2001, the whole country was behind the effort, or nearly so. Even as late as 2008, Barack Obama was calling it the "good war" to contrast it with Iraq. We justifiably went to Afghanistan when the Taliban would not break with bin Laden, and brought down the government. So to those who now question why we are there, I would ask, "then what?"
Afghanistan became a haven for al Qaeda because it was a failed state run badly by zealots. To topple that government and leave the wreckage behind would have been to leave the field wide open for a repeat. We had to replace it with something.
Perhaps we were more successful after WWII because we were less bashful about establishing a protectorate or a regency, with our own forces running the place until a satisfactory successor government could be established. As it was, we attempted to form a political system in decidedly suboptimal circumstances, and failed utterly to eradicate corruption and to deal with tribalism, two traits that gravely undermined our efforts.
But our interests were served not merely by trying to establish a legitimate government responsive to the people in Afghanistan. We have far broader interests in being known and recognized as the guarantor of the rule of law and the workings of the international system. One of the principle reasons the late twentieth century was a period of remarkable economic advancement for hundreds of millions around the world is because the US maintained the shipping lanes, pressed for free trade, upheld treaty obligations, and generally acted to maintain peace and security for all nations.
In fulfilling that role, we need to be seen as a nation that can be relied upon. We have done terrible damage to that reputation over the last several decades, from the abandonment of South Vietnam to the similar betrayal of the Iraqis after the 1992 war. It does not serve us well to cut and run in Afghanistan as well.
For better or worse, the US is the global "hyper power," as the French like to say (somewhat sniffily). We have a national interest in being respected, even feared, but not in being scorned.
So what is our national interest in Afghanistan? Put simply, it is not failing. We have an obligation to the world, and need to be good enough to fulfill it.


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This morning I have most of my vision back. The swelling in my left eye has been markedly reduced, so things ought to be back to normal shortly.
In the meantime, I have a bunch of domestic chores to catch up on, which I had neglected the past couple days. Sigh.
Thanks you all for the kind words, and to VX for adding more to the discussion on aircrew equipment. It's always welcome!. I'll have another Cold War post up later today or tonight, hopefully.

subset: commoncrawl


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By the way, Thierry is a private consultant specialized in farm management, and he gets out and about in Aveyron, especially in farm country, a lot more than I do. Some of the photos on La France Profonde, and occasionally on Cuisine Quotidienne, are his. Look for the credit at the bottom of the post.
(Photos courtesy Thierry Jouanneteau)


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More evidence is emerging that last month's Swaziland elections were not free and fair.
Even though official election observers including the African Union and the Pan-African Parliament were quick to declare the poll free and fair widespread bribery may have taken place.
The Swaziland Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) which oversees elections in the kingdom has announced it is so concerned about malpractice at the election that it is to investigate complaints of bribery.
Among claims are that newly-elected MPs offered voters alcoholic drinks, money, cabbages and bread amongst other things, to win the electorate's support.
The chair of the EBC Chief Gija Dlamini is reported to have said Swaziland could not afford to have parliament made up of corrupt individuals.
The Times of Swaziland reported yesterday (1 October 2008) Dlamini saying, 'As a Swazi I know that bribery is not the right thing to do and I guess every other Swazi knows that for a fact thus there is a need to bring it to a stop.'
As I reported yesterday some aspiring senators are accused of attempting to bribe newly-elected MPs into electing them. In Swaziland MPs choose 10 senators, while King Mswati III chooses the other twenty. In Swaziland senators are not elected by the general public.
The EBC is to investigate claims that aspiring senators are offering between E15 000 (about 2,200 US dollars) and E20 000 to the new MPs in a bid to have their names raised in the House of Assembly and be voted into Senate.
See also


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Everyone got more than their money's worth at Lord's
Mudassar Nazar
Photo © CricInfo
I give full marks to the left-handed opener, who made the most of a dropped catch when on 5 and very nearly won the match for England.
A brilliant running catch in the deep by Afridi meant Trescothick's wicket had at last fallen when England needed just 6 off the last 5 balls with only Mullally to come. There was a sickening collision between Afridi and Shoaib Malik and I fear that Malik may get added to Pakistan's injured list. Already Sami and Shoaib Akhtar are out and returning home with Wasim nursing a sore shoulder.
Marcus Trescothick celebrates his wonderful century
Photo © CricInfo
Getting into their act at a poor 26 for 3 in the 11th over, after Knight, Stewart and Vaughan had gone cheaply, they made maximum use of the Pakistani slow bowlers and fielders' relaxed attitude.
Trescothick was looking really ominous when he sent the relatively inexperienced Shoaib Malik out of the attack, having taken 37 off his 4 overs - the last hit for 16 including two sixes off consecutive balls. What hitting!
With runs coming off every ball, the Pakistan side looked ragged and they looked to be praying for a miracle.
Well, luck did come their way in the form of a run out. A direct throw from Younis Khan cut short Owais Shah's fine innings. He paid for backing up too far. With the next three wickets of Hollioake, Cork and Ealham, going in quick succession I saw the Pakistanis shoulders and chests pump up again. They thought they were back in the game, were they?
Unfortunately, the only hurdle in their way was Trescothick.
Abdur Razzaq is overjoyed at getting the wicket of Gough
Photo © CricInfo
But that brilliant catch by Afridi, who had held on despite the collision, followed by a last-ball stumping, saw Pakistan through in this cliffhanger.
A word on the Pakistan innings: Put into bat, Pakistan openers - Afridi and Saleem Elahi - were made to struggle in seaming conditions, after Saeed Anwar had opted out due to his daughter's ailment.
Pakistan's bulwark, Inzamam only made it worse, coming in at 59 he played another ridiculous shot, making it two in a row after that infamous slog against Warne that helped Pakistan slide to a loss at Cardiff. He fell for a clear 'set-up' that had Caddick grinning ear to ear.
Yousuf Youhana acknowledges the applause with teammate Rashid Latif after scoring his half-century
Photo © AFP
Now, it was up to Yousuf Youhana (81 off 119) who steadied the innings with yet another sensible knock. He seems to be back in form now. Getting help from Younis Khan (41 from 56), Rashid Latif (23 off 26), and Azhar Mahmood (27 off 21), he moved Pakistan to a respectable 242 for 8.
After today's defeat, England's hopes of making it to the final must have suffered more, they've had the short stick and lost all of their three matches so far.
However, they must realize after being dumped by 108 runs at Edgbaston, they have made a great comeback by playing two very good close games that could have gone either way.
In today's game, Trescothick's effort was simply superb, so was Pakistan's fight back. I think the huge crowd at Lord's got more than their money's worth, don't you?
Ed: Mudassar Nazar is a veteran of 76 tests and 122 ODIs. He is currently the chief coach of Pakistan's National and Regional Cricket Academies. In view of the overwhelming interest of users in CricInfo's articles, we have invited him to write for us.


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I got tagged for a meme by Lizzy at My Ice Cream Diary. Hers was pretty entertaining. Here's mine:
4 things that should be removed from off the face of the earth:
1. Prostitution and pornography. I hate anything that exploits women, especially since it's usually women with very few choices in life.
2. Domestic abuse, especially child abuse. Perhaps it's because it's just so horrible.
3. War in Darfur. It's just wiping out an otherwise pleasant enough country.
4. AIDS. It horrifies me to see what the virus is doing to communities in Africa.
3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently:
1. Yell at or bellittle their children in public. I think there's a time to discipline your children, but it's rarely in a public place.
2. Gossip about people or situations that are speculative at best. I guess I don't like gossip even when it's spreading information that's true, but it's especially bad when it's speculative.
3. Act like jerks in traffic. I think traffic wouldn't be such a bad thing if everyone would play nice. I guess that applies to a lot of things in life though.
2 things you find yourself moaning about:
1. Work. And I have no place whining about it. I have a great job at a great company with great benefits and a great salary. I have NO EXCUSE. If you hear me complaining about work, tell me to knock it off.
2. Getting up in the morning. At least I have a good reason for this one. No one in their right mind should be getting up at 5:00 a.m.
1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself:
There are so many people in the world in situations that are much worse than mine that I really shouldn't be caught moaning at all. My life is really great! This makes me think I need to add one more thing to the meme that wasn't there before...
5 things that are great about my life
1. I have a wonderful husband who loves me A LOT.
2. I have an amazing family that supports me and has come to my rescue in many ways.
3. I have a great job that gives me lots of temporal blessings, like good food, a gym membership, a nice house to live in, plenty of heat in the winter, and all the other good things I have.
4. I live in a beautiful place. The pacific northwest has so much to offer and I've taken advantage of only a fraction of it.
5. I have amazing friends that I love and that enrich my life in ways that would take much more than a meme to describe.
So, I challenge myself and everyone else to quit yer moanin' and focus on the really great things we have. It would also be a good idea to see what you can do locally and globally to help get rid of some of that ugly stuff. But don't just moan about it. Do something.
You DO think I'm beautiful, don't you, Charlie Brown? ... You didn't answer me. You had to think about it first. Didn't you? If you really didn't have to think about it you would've answered me right away. I know when I've been insulted. I KNOW WHEN I'VE BEEN INSULTED.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Quit yer Moanin'!
Posted by Lucy van Pelt at 10:51 AM
4 comments:
- An Ordinary Mom said...
I love your optimism and upbeat attitude, it certainly is contagious. You are a remarkable example to me!
- PJMcD said...
Hey, I get up at 5 AM. Are you saying Im nuts?? Never mind, most of these readers already know me.
Im nuts about you sweet-pea.
- Penny Longstockings said...
- My Ice Cream Diary said...
Aw, I wish I had been cool enough to think up that last part. I love it!
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"I am so sick of hearing about the East Africans. Their time is over. This is our time."
Yes, blatantly stolen from Kurt Russell's Herb Brooks in "Miracle." Don't get me wrong, I have enormous respect for the Africans' athleticism and motivation, and watching their running is nearly hypnotic it's so perfect. But really, how great would it be to see an American flag draped across the winner of a Marathon Major (like it was on Meb a couple of years ago), or even the Olympics?
Here's the thing. There's only one NFL, and aside from the extremely rare walk-on, if you don't get drafted out of college then you're not playing pro football. Sure there's the arena league and a few full-contact regional and local leagues, but that's not the same as "any given Sunday." Similar situation in hockey, except in that sport (especially in Canada) you have to decide early on in your high school years whether you're going to make the push to develop into an NHL draft prospect. By the time you're 18, your fate may already be decided. Likewise NBA. In both of these sports if you don't make the big leagues here you can go play in Europe (especially if there's a lock-out going on), but what kid growing up dreams about playing for (six-time Euroleague champion) Panathinaikos?
Then there's running. Just about any given weekend, in any given town or city across America, there's sure to be a 5K, 10-Miler, or marathon taking place somewhere within driving distance. In the spring and fall you usually don't have to go much farther to find an open track meet. Nearly any one of these events could be where a young runner qualifies for the US national championships, a national team, or even the Olympic Trials. Most college athletes would give just about anything for the opportunity to continue playing their sport at a satisfying competitive level after graduation. Running offers these opportunities almost every week. So why do some many runners hang up their spikes on the last day of their final season, and what has that done to the state of American distance running and our prospects for reclaiming the podium at the Olympics and major marathons? Many runners do not peak until they are in their mid- to late-20's, so how many potential world-class athletes are we losing when graduation day equals retirement day?
If we want to have more runners competing at the world level then we need to keep my runners competing – not participating, competing – in races at the local level. The first thing we need to do is find out why we lose so many runners after college, and stop the outflow. Then we need to offer these athletes the opportunity to be competitive, professional athletes. The current system is not working, and we need to increase and expand the prize money, sponsorships and support available to aspiring athletes. Given the current state of running in America, all these changes will have to come from local, individually-initiated grass roots efforts, until a large-scale critical mass is reached. So get active, get involved, stay tuned, and as always, keep running.


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Last week was the second week of summer break and Bryce was busy each morning with baseball camp. He was super excited that Chase signed up at the last minute!
It rained on the second day of camp so they got to go to the coach's indoor shop for batting practice!
Group pic of all the players.
We celebrated the end of camp with our first trip to the snow shack.


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Woo Yin
One of my biggest issues with the female human race in Jedi Academy was that she just didn\'t seem to have enough options. In colors, clothes, hairstyles. I mean, y\'know, you have to give women
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choice! Which is why I\'m so glad we have Plasma! He always gives the girl gamers (and the perverts) of the community some very tasty skins to use. :) Woo Yin is the third installment of The Oriental Flava Collection. This is probably my favorite of the series. She wears a very asian-inspired dress. As I\'ve said before, it wouldn\'t be from Plasma if no skin were showing. ;) Not only is there a lot of leg showing, but also a very deep plunge in the neck to show off her ample cleavage. I like the little touches though, like the necklace and I really love the design on the back of the dress. The team skins are exactly what you\'d expect. Red and blue versions of the default. Do I really need to tell you that there\'s bot support and new sounds? Plasma always includes that. :) All three skins in this collection are just beautiful and I\'m so glad I have more choices now! :D Bot Support: Yes Team Colors: Yes New Sounds: Yes ~AmosMagee
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- sknwooyinja.zip
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- 19/04/2004
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We want to limit use of e2e encryption, confirms UK minister
- June 6, 2017
- articles
The UK government has once again amped up its attacks on tech platforms use of end-to-end encryption, and called for International co-operation to regulate the Internet so that it cannot be used as a safe space for extremists to communicate and spread propaganda online.
The comments by UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, and Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, come in the wake of another domestic terrorist attack, the third since March, after a group of terrorists used a van to plow down pedestrians in London Bridge on Saturday evening, before going on a knife rampage attacking people in streets and bars.
Speaking outside Downing Street yesterday, May swung the finger of blame at big Internet companies criticizing platform giants for providing safe spaces for extremists to spread messages of hate online.
Early reports have suggested the attackers may have used YouTube to access extremist videos.
We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed. Yet that is precisely what the internet and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide, May said. We need to work with allied, democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorist planning. And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online.
We need to deprive the extremists of their safe spaces online, she added.
Speaking in an interview on ITVs Peston on Sunday program yesterday, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd further fleshed out the prime ministers comments. She said the government wants to do more to stop the way young men are being groomed into radicalization online including getting tech companies to do moreto take down extremist material, and also to limit access to end-to-end encryption.
UK Home Secr Amber Rudd: Internet firms should "work with us to limit end to end encryption that is being used by terrorists" #Peston
Joe Lynam BBC (@BBC_Joe_Lynam) June 4, 2017
Rudd also attacked tech firms use of encryption in the wake of the Westminster terror attack in March, although the first round of meetings she held with Internet companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter in the wake of that earlier attack apparently focused on pushing for them to develop tech tools to automatically identify extremist content and block it before it is widely disseminated.
The prime minister also made a push for international co-operation on online extremism during the G7 summit last month coming away with a joint statement to put pressure on tech firms to do more. We want companies to develop tools to identify and remove harmful materials automatically, May said then.
Though it is far from clear whether this geopolitical push will translate into anything more than a few headlines given tech firms are already using and developing tools for automating takedowns. And the G7 nations apparently did not ink any specific policy proposals such as on co-ordinated fines for social media takedown failures.
On the extremist content front, pressure has certainly been growing across Europe for tech platforms to do more including proposals such as a draft law in Germany which does suggestfines of up to50 million for social media firms that fail to promptly takedown illegal hate speech, for example. While last month a UK parliamentary committee urged the government to consider a similar approach and UK ministers are apparently open to the idea.
But the notion of the UK being able to secure international agreement on harmonizing content regulation online across borders seems entirely fanciful given different legal regimes vis-a-vis free speech, with the US having constitutional protections for hate speech vs hate speech being illegal in certain European countries, for example.
Again, these comments in the immediate aftermath of an attack seem mostly aimed at diverting attention from tougher political questions including over domestic police resourcing; over UK ally Saudi Arabias financial support for extremism; and why known hate preachers were apparently allowed to continue broadcasting their message in the UK
Story on Theresa May and police cuts is red herring. Instead, should be asked how Anjem Choudary allowed to radicalise + recruit until 2015.
Peter R. Neumann (@PeterRNeumann) June 5, 2017
Blaming social media platforms is politically convenient but intellectually lazy, tweeted professor Peter Neumann, director of theInternational Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence. Most jihadists are now using end-to-end encrypted messenger platforms e.g. Telegram. This has not solved problem, just made it different.
Responding to the governments comments in a statement, Facebooks Simon Milner, UK director of policy, said: We want to provide a service where people feel safe. That means we do not allow groups or people that engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for terrorism. We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists. Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it and if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someones safety, we notify law enforcement. Online extremism can only be tackled with strong partnerships. We have long collaborated with policymakers, civil society, and others in the tech industry, and we are committed to continuing this important work together.
Facebook has faced wider criticism of its approach to content moderation in recent months and last month announced it would be adding an additional 3,000 staff to its team of reviewers, bringing the global total to 7,500.
In another reaction statement Twitters UK head of public policy, Nick Pickles, added: Terrorist content has no place on Twitter. We continue to expand the use of technology as part of a systematic approach to removing this type of content. We will never stop working to stay one step ahead and will continue to engage with our partners across industry, government, civil society and academia.
Twitter details how many terrorism-related accounts it suspends in its Transparency Report the vast majority of which it says it identifies using its own tools, rather than relying on user reports.
On the controversial topic of limiting end-to-end encryption, a report in The Sun newspaper last month suggested a re-elected Conservative government would prioritize a decryption law to force social media platforms which are using e2e encryption to effectively backdoor these systems so that they could hand over decrypted data when served a warrant.
The core legislation for this decrypt law already exists, aka the Investigatory Powers Act which was passed at the end of last year. Following the General Election on June 8, a new UK Parliament will just need to agree the supplementary technical capability regulation which places a legal obligation on ISPs and communication service providers to maintain the necessary capability to be able to provide decrypted data on request (albeit, without providing technical detail on how any of this will happen in practice).
Given Rudds comments now on limiting e2e encryption it seems clear the preferred route for an incoming Conservative UK government will be to pressure tech firms not to use strong encryption to safeguard user data in backed up by the legal muscle of the country having what has been widely interpreted as a decrypt law.
However such moves will clearly undermine online security at a time when the risks of doing so are becoming increasingly clear. As crypto expert Bruce Schneier told usrecently, the only way for the UK government to get the access it wants is to destroy everyones security.
Moreover, a domestic decrypt law is unlikely to have any impact on e2e encrypted services such as Telegram which are not based in the UK, and would therefore surely not consider themselves bound by UK legal jurisdiction.
And even if the UK government forced ISPs and app stores to block access to all services that do not comply with its decryption requirements, there would still be workarounds for terrorists to continue accessing strongly encrypted services. Even as law-abiding users of mainstream tech platforms risk having their security undermined by political pressure on strong encryption.
Commenting on the governments planned Internet crackdown, the Open Rights Group had this to say: It is disappointing that in the aftermath of this attack, the governments response appears to focus on the regulation of the Internet and encryption. This could be a very risky approach. If successful, Theresa May could push these vile networks into even darker corners of the web, where they will be even harder to observe.
But we should not be distracted: the Internet and companies like Facebook are not a cause of this hatred and violence, but tools that can be abused. While governments and companies should take sensible measures to stop abuse, attempts to control the Internet is not the simple solution that Theresa May is claiming.
Meanwhile, asked about his support for encryption back in September 2015given the risks of his messaging platform being used by terrorists Telegram founder Pavel Durov said: I think that privacy, ultimately, and our right for privacy is more important than our fear of bad things happening, like terrorism Ultimately the ISIS will always find a way to communicate within themselves. And if any means of communication turns out to be not secure for them, then they switch to another one. So I dont think were actually taking part in this activities. I dont think we should feel guilty about this. I still think were doing the right thing protecting our users privacy.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/05/we-want-to-limit-use-of-e2e-encryption-confirms-uk-minister/
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Wednesday Writing Assignment
How much power does art have? Can it change minds and hearts? Politics? The World, even?
Start with yourself. Has a piece of art moulded or changed you? What was it? How?
Too deep for a Wednesday? Forgive me.
the original kStyle blog.
Wednesday Writing Assignment
I don't know if art can change anyone's mind; I think it's more likely to speak to or give voice to something that is already in someone's mind. that would classify as molding, I suppose--in some ways, that's a good analogy, in that it can take relatively amorphous thoughts/feelings and give them a particular shape. I would say that some music has given powerful voice to my own life's experience, and I would say that some books have told their stories so well as to reinforce the power of words to provide a vision for us. Visual art--paintings, movies, photography--doesn't do much more than entertain me (which is not trivial). I think of art in general as a good story, well told, and many things qualify; I think of that as profound, because I think that stories are one of the primary means by which we communicate.
I think so, but my reasons aren't fully formed. Not always.
Greek epic was immortality. The hero was to live forever in his epic. And in the Iliad, Achilles has a choice: go home to a quiet life of comfort, or die on the battlefield and gain immortal fame. Achilles chose to battle and die, and we STILL read his story today. Isn't that wild? It gives me goosebumps.
See Art Objects by Jeanette Winterson and Democracy, Culture, and the Voice of Poetry by Robert Pinsky for my answers.
Art--and responses to art--makes me think about things I would otherwise not notice, particularly the role of meaning and order (and narrative and rules and communication) in contemporary America.
Art also makes some illogical spot in my brain illogically happy. Sometimes something I see or hear or taste makes me think, "Oh my God, this is so good," but it doesn't really do anything else, doesn't change or influence anything.
I think that art transcends to something greater than its components, and its aspirations inspire us. Kitsch does not transcend; perhaps does not even attempt transcendence. Art helps us to see the beauty everywhere and maybe sometimes inspires us to be better people, to transcend, ourselves.
Perhaps a very Classical definition, but I have a classicist's heart and Bachelor's degree.
I don't think it's so much transcendence as thoughtfulness, or awareness. It challenges us to look at something in a way that we wouldn't consider otherwise, to make connections that we may have ignored.
Transcendence implies a moral or ethical improvement on part of the viewer or reader or listener, and a lot of art simply doesn't have that effect. A lot of it has, or is intended to have, or is born out of, an opposite sensation, shock and anger, discomfort, contempt.
But art that one might describe as clever or urbane rather than"transcendent", doesn't it ultimately transcend through its wittiness or urbanity? Trancendence may lie in the very connections you describe.
I agree: transcendance doesn't have to come overtly. It can come just through experience something beautiful. A note that follows perfectly the note before it. Rhythm in good prose. Exactly the right color in exactly the right place on a canvas.
Philip Roth's 1959 short story "The Conversion of the Jews" transformed me. Not just with its suggestion of the limitless possibilities of a new artist employing his skills in such specific ways, but also with its telling such a uniquely brave tale, contending with issues of faith and identity that many novelists don't dare broach in their entire careers. When I go back and read that story now--it appeared in Roth's first book, "Goodbye, Columbus"--it astonishes me to think of what he accomplished later, mostly because I suspect that if he'd only published just that one book, we'd still call him a genius.
What I mean is this: it's a story that transformed me by example. Like Hawthorne's "Wakefield," Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O.," and Hemingway's "The End of Something," it showed me what stories could do.
Ann, I think I know what you mean about art being shocking or anger-producing rather than transcendent.. But, could not the shock/anger lead the audience to a higher place?
Also, being the snotty Classicist that I am, I sometimes look at art and say, That's Not Art. I went to the Guggenheim once. The walls were covered wih porn. porn movies. The artists filming themselves doing porn. I said, this is Crap. But, as Eric pointed out, we are all ariters of taste.
You know, I took a philosophy class called Aesthetic Theory, and we discussed all of this, and now I've forgotten what we said!
Also, Carla, I like your point that stories are the way we communicate. Myth, stories, shape us as a people, give national or cultural identities.
I did say that, Karen, it's true. But I agree with your instinct. Porn-covered Guggenheim walls are to art what "performance art" is to acting. (Your word for it, "Crap," is as good a one as any.) One of my rules of thumb is, if they're calling it an "installation," it ain't art.
Besides, everyone knows that porn belongs at home. What the hell is anyone going to do with it in a museum?
Yes, I agree that all art can lead to transcendence--but I don't think transcendence is required in order for something to be classified as art. For some people, Precious Moments figurines are transcendent, and Matisse isn't.
I mean, it always comes back to "What is art?" and I have no answer to that question. It's as difficult as identifying the basic human personality. Maybe there is no definition, or maybe it's so expansive and fuzzy-edged and subjective that it doesn't matter. Which doesn't answer the original question, but I always end up here, so.
Sidenote: I tend to believe that if it's in a famous art museum, it is art, no matter what I think of it. I'm not the one who went through years of schooling for the privilege of being a curator. This doesn't work for all professions, but art is such a subjective field, and I can't define it, so I rely on someone else to do the categorization and winnowing-down.
But if this curator to whom you're happy to cede such power went to a school that taught her that throwing porn on the walls was art, why credit her education with making her more qualified than you?
Put another way: if art is as subjective as you say, and as impossible to classify as you say, than her education would make her no more qualified to evaluate it. Education can do two things: train us in the objective, and enhance our sensibilities so that our judgments of the subjective might be more refined. And I would submit that, these days, something's getting space on the wall of a major museum is indicative of nothing except that it is likely to get people in the door to see it. That's the unfortunate financial position museums find themselves in today. I'd bet my house that the Guggenheim board of directors, not to mention the curatorial staff, was pretty heavily divided on whether that "exhibition" should have gone up.
In any case I continue to reject the idea that "art" is sufficiently vague a term that defining it is an impossibility. Yes, there will always be what I like and what you like, and yes, these reactions inform our cirtical judgment, as they should. It would be a sorry world if the primary force behind our judgments were anything other than "It did something for me."
But at the same time, all art that has lasted has been sophisticated in technique and broad in meaning. There are effective and ineffective ways of using words, meaningful and unmeaningful ways of moving a film camera, clumsy and sophisticated ways of putting paint on a canvas, tonal and atonal words of combining musical notes. While it's true that much great art breaks the very rules of its traditions, artists must know and master those rules before they can break them in ways that are interesting.
So a first step in evaluating art can become, "How has this artist employed his craft?" All art is craft before it is art. What medium is the artist working in? What came before him? What are his influences? How does he build on them? How is he saying what he's saying? How effectively does he do it? What is new and original here that was not in the world before?
All of these, while not objective questions in a strict sense, require informed judgment based on precepts that are at least semi-objective. And while it's true that someone schooled in the history of an art might be more equipped to answer them than someone who isn't, I'm not about to hand all that influence to the so-called educated. Art is for each of us to not only define and contend with. If we assume everything can be art, then nothing is.
Something's being presented as art should not give it the benefit of the doubt of being such. Too many decisions--most of them having nothing to do with quality--go into whether a film gets a distributor, a novel gets a publisher, a play gets a producer, or a painting gets a wall. Public presentation is a separate issue--fundamental but separate--from any consideration of something as art, at least if art is retain whatever honor it has left as something whose dignity is untouchable by man.
Ah, what the hell, I'll wade in again, though mostly with observations rather than a single narrative.
I have, on more than one occasion, put a cat among the pigeons by persistently asking someone (usually someone who's being a jerk) to define art, and then finding something that he or she would want to call art but that doesn't fit the definition proffered.
Also, I note that Eric has distinguised between "art" and "craft," and I have a hard time with that; always have. I think it's an even more artificial distinction than many of the others we're employing here.
One of the essential problems with the way Art is presented is that it's presented in museums--in principle, this should be a good thing, because it makes works available to many people rather than merely to those rich enough to have their own. On the other hand, I really don't like art museums; they put me to sleep. A couple of weeks ago, though, I was at someone's house, and his walls were absolutely covered with art--really incredible stuff, though I don't know that any of it was transcendent. In short: I liked to look at it. I loved the way it made the spaces in the house look and feel. There's a contradiction, then--visual art often doesn't look as good in a museum as it would in a home, but the latter venue doesn't permit sharing. Other arts don't have this same problem, of course, though they have different ones. In many ways, though, this conundrum has a historical context, as best i can tell: art usually has patrons, who then get first dibs on the art, no matter the type of art it is. Art for the "public," then, is another kind of thing entirely, and it's not at all clear what its meaning, intent or worth is--hence the "installations" and "performance pieces." (Dave Barry is much much funnier on this.)
But the difference between craft and art is essential in talking about art. Craft is the utilization of specific skills of the form: language, for writing; a camera, for filmmaking; paint, for painting. Etc. A work can have consummate skill but no art. A painter can be an excellent draftsman but no artist. The world is full of artless craft. (Less prevalent, but still there around the fringers, is art without craft.) Art is where the meaning dwells; it's where the gods are at work.
(This is what I meant in my previous post, when I said that art is untouchable by man. It's the provence of something much greater than we, I think. Which is why, when we attend the performance artist's show or the installation of urine at the museum, we demean much more than art.)
Craft is the objective part. An awkward sentence is an awkward sentence: dangling participles and choppy sentences are irrefutably there, if they're there. A director is simply inept who can't shoot and cut a scene so as to reveal where the viewer is oriented in its space. A playwright who puts exposition into the mouths of the characters is breaking rank with centuries of what we know works in his medium. Craft is difficult to master but, to those who understand it, fairly easy to recognize as good or bad.
Art is what gets harder. I don't pretend to have any definition of it, but I think the debate is fundamental to who we are as humans, which is why I argue so vehemently against the passiveness of "Who knows, so let's not try," or "If someone sees something in it, it's as worthy of the word as anything else is." The debate is fundamental because art is fundamental. And to the extent that art is the communication of some kind of meaning, it is communication whose means is a specific craft. Which is why it's so important to keep them distinct: art is the what, and craft is the how.
What I don't understand are artists who choose a medium and then pretend the medium is unimportant, that craft is in the eye of the beholder. If you want to put yourself out there, walk on the high wire, create meaning in the world, no one's ordering you to choose an art form that's existed for hundreds or thousands of years. Why take up a craft if you're uninterested in its mechanisms?
Eric, perhaps you're confusing a what-is-art argument with a different what-is-good-art argument. I'm having enough trouble with the former, so I'm not particularly concerned about the latter.
(I'm sticking with visual art for now; most if not all of this applies to other forms.)
In saying that I tend to trust museum curators, I'm trying to make two points. One is that art's impossible to classify. The other is that our culture demands classification, or at least narrowing down. Museums narrow; artists whose work is displayed on their walls have a better chance of "lasting" than unknown artists. Therefore, while I'm sure there's much outside of museums that is also art, I tend to believe that what's inside them is art, even if I hate it.
I don't see why it wouldn't be; at least a few people think it's art, so what makes them wrong? (Again, whether or not it's good art is another matter.) I mean, we could go on a case-by-case basis if you like, starting with Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain," which has been influencing the art world since 1917.
(And if you leave it to time to narrow things into art, then you are indeed relying on someone else's experience. Art doesn't just last; people have to make it last. Which means we've probably saved a lot of "bad" art and lost a lot of "good" art, relatively speaking.)
Art is for each of us to not only define and contend with. If we assume everything can be art, then nothing is.I'm a little confused about the grammar of the first sentence, but here it seems like you're saying, "Art is subjective in that everyone defines it his or her own way, but we must agree that art has an objective definition." So which is it? If I say piece X is art, and you say no, piece X is not art, who's right?
Couple final questions:
What can someone "get" out of abstract art? Viewers and artists don't always have a common language; "red" and "busy" doesn't always mean the same thing to both parties. If people "get" different things out of abstract art, doesn't it follow that anything could be art?
You say, "If you want to put yourself out there, walk on the high wire, create meaning in the world, no one's ordering you to choose an art form that's existed for hundreds or thousands of years." So who's ordering you to follow pre-conceived rules about craft? In other words, why demand that an artist do X, but not Y?
And if you're claiming that "Piss Christ" isn't art, well, good luck with that...
A few disjointed thoughts to throw in the mix:
1. There's a difference between good/bad and "not to my taste". Most people can look at, say, a Kandinsky or a Chuck Close, and say, damn, that's good, even if they don't like it. (I don't like Close, but I recognize his skills as an artist.) Some people can look at Precious Moments and say, "I like it, even if it's not fine art". Dig? So I think we can make a distinction between art/not art, as difficult and fuzzy as it might be. Like McDonald's. No one says McDonald's is fine food, but billions of people eat there and enjoy it.
2. I think it's sad that much modern and postmodern art is made in a language for other artists or for the artist himself, and I think art loses much from that. There was some art I studied in Startegies of Abstraction that I would say…eh. Not art. Just a messy visual statement.
3. How do we define anything anyway? You know? I mean, trying to define Art leads us down the slippery philosophical path of Etiology. We can look at Plato's Forms, Constructivism, Creationism, even, in the context of this discussion. Do we create art or does art create us? Do we sort of channel" art; is there a funnel of creativity we tap into? See what I mean?
A few disjointed thoughts to throw in the mix:
1. There's a difference between good/bad and "not to my taste". Most people can look at, say, a Kandinsky or a Chuck Close, and say, damn, that's good, even if they don't like it. (I don't like Close, but I recognize his skills as an artist.) Some people can look at Precious Moments and say, "I like it, even if it's not fine art". Dig? So I think we can make a distinction between art/not art, as difficult and fuzzy as it might be. Like McDonald's. No one says McDonald's is fine food, but billions of people eat there and enjoy it.
2. I think it's sad that much modern and postmodern art is made in a language for other artists or for the artist himself, and I think art loses much from that. There was some art I studied in Startegies of Abstraction that I would say…eh. Not art. Just a messy visual statement.
3. How do we define anything anyway? You know? I mean, trying to define Art leads us down the slippery philosophical path of Etiology. We can look at Plato's Forms, Constructivism, Creationism, even, in the context of this discussion. Do we create art or does art create us? See what I mean?
Oh sure, it won't post for 10 minutes and then posted twice.
Someone delete the first one for me? Please?
There was a day when all the art came to life.
That would be great--but only if all the not-art died, and then we'd know which was which!
Carla: Very witty. :)
Ben: Why does that sound familiar? Did you write a story about that once?
I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell or not... it's the premise of a project that was imagined when I went to visit Charlie in Japan. A huge top secret project that may be somewhat impossible to ever really do.
It's also possible that it's from something else, too, but you may have heard about it from Charlie or me or maybe the bits that are on Xebra.
Hopefully I haven't given away anything that will upset the people involved. Since the last bit of progress I know about is dated Jan 3, 2002 I probably haven't.
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Last night I brought home my first half-decent harvest from the allotment. I got a good handful of broad beans, cornsalad, perpetual spinach, and new potatoes. Yum!
Hopefully, from this point onwards, with a bit of careful planning, I'll have a fairly continuous supply of goodies...
The other day I picked a big bagful (is that a word?) of juicy cherries from a tree in a park just outside town. The park also has a few plum trees - I'm eagerly awaiting the fruit from those as they were very sweet and tasty last year. They were early too - along with some wild cherries they made a fine "June jam".
Friday, 13 June 2008
Summer harvest begins...
Posted by Sarah Wainwright at 10:06
Labels: allotment, broad beans, cherries, cornsalad, foraging, harvest, jam, leaf beet, perpetual spinach, plums, potatoes, wild food
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3 days ago
Monday, January 3, 2011
Welcome to 2011
Puppies! January 2010.
I am currently down to TEN dogs. Yes, JUST ten dogs. We've not had such a low number in quite awhile. Sad that this is a low number for this house.
Freddie's visit went well; I think it's going to stick and be a fabulous home for him. AND she is very interested in Stanford. It's like a new year's miracle. I literally cried like a baby after that visit out of sheer happiness and relief.
Clara is currently on a trial visit. It could go either way depending on how long they try it out. We really think if someone gives it several days it would work out. But we'll see...
I am basically down to two "cycles" within the pup shuffle - Tyler and then everyone else. Like I've been saying we hope to get Tyler to a better place ASAP. Sigh.
Going from 14 to 10 makes things much more manageable for me. Ha, I remember when 8 was overwhelming! They are starting to seem more like pets/companions and less like a part-time job. Part of me is terrified that all who have gone will come back, and I'll be back at 14 dogs all alone.
Hoping this momentum continues in 2011!
Labels: Clara, foster adoptions, foster dogs, Freddie, Tyler
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and everyone tells us we'll miss these days?
sometimes I wonder.
Some how it looks organized in the picture. Rita
Um...are you standing on the countertop? First the ladder, now that counter. Yeesh-ka-bibble! (Hee, hee). Cute shot.
Love the picture. There's a lot going on. Is Jake checking to see if his deodorant is still working? Love how Ms. Scarlett has taken center stage.
so sweet!
do you homeschool?!
love this picture!
and you for sure will miss it!
according to Hannah, Jake's deodorant is not working at the moment.
That's what they say... But somehow I am still excited to crawl into bed in a quiet house someday...
How lucky you are to have a smart husband to help with the homework. My kids gave up even asking for help from me...
@Tara no I don't homeschool, although I admire those who have the patience, dedication and determination to do so. I guess I enjoy my peaceful and quiet afternoons too much :-)
@Becca my kids don't ask me for help with their homework either. apparently, I've lost too many brain cells over the years...
love it!
Yes you will miss this...you can still see them and gather them close. From an old mom of many who have grown up....


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See the glave in the picture...that was to hold the shed once it was separated - made it much easier to knit the heddles. Would have been even better had I had another piece of closet rod, but I didn't.
This is a close up of the above shot...
Almost finished doing it...wrong :)
Up close of almost done...wrong...
Picture done the write way. Notice how you can see a lot more green and the threads are much further away from the heddle bar.
This is what the spacing and loom looks like when all the heddles are knit.
A closer look...
This is the natural shed that happens when the heddle bar in resting in the brackets. I'm holding it open with my sword beater, but you can see all the heddles and how they work.
This is the second shed that is formed when the heddle bar is moved back so that it rests against the uprights.
Now the loom is all set to do so simple tabby weave....we'll see how simple it really is :)


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Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
How to pop a cloud
"Popping the Clouds" is a blog created to dream. Imagine a world where dreams could come true, and clouds could be popped like balloons. Tell a story, write a poem, share a recipe, talk about your ideas. Mention your latest book, a song, a sentence, a dream... Feel free to fly and reach the "popping clouds".
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Posted by FarinhaMood at 5:51 PM
Labels: Movies
2 comments:
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Here what we're dealing with in the top left corner of the country:
Friday 21 December 2007 Pacific Standard Time
Sunrise 7:56 a.m.
Sun transit 12:09 p.m.
Sunset 4:21 p.m.
Ugh. That's a whopping 8 hrs and 25 mins of daylight, people. Happy Winter Solstice. Watch out, better get out the sunscreen!
Compare that to Tampa, where my sister lives:
Friday 21 December 2007 Eastern Standard Time
Sunrise 7:17 a.m.
Sun transit 12:28 p.m.
Sunset 5:39 p.m.
Yes, they're enjoying a full 10 hrs 22 mins*.
Be forewarned: I will brook no whining from anyone receiving more than 10 hours of sunlight today unless the temp outside is below freezing.
*Wish I had thought to have her get a shot of the sun at her house @ 12:28pm EST.


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I was diagnosed with PA 2 months ago and completed the initial loading B12 injections. My results show an instrinsic factor autoimmune issue and 2 gene MTHFR mutation. My B12 lab values are now normal but I still have neurological and other symptoms. Balance, confusion, sore toung, tingling hands, unexplained bruising, pins and needles on thigh where I had a very large bruise.
My most recent lab values show
Low WBC
High RDW
low neutrophils
High eosinophils
These lab values have not improved since the initial diagnosis and are getting worse.
Does anyone know how long it should take to feel better?
Are the neutrophils and eosinophils related to PA or could something else be wrong?
Thank you


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The story is based on showing a regular day of an average teenager with some typical features of rock'n'roll genre such as careless attitude to life and a simple wish for fun and play. The video timeline starts in the morning as the main character wakes up and then follows him meanwhile the daytime as he goes to school, comes back home, meets up with some friends etc. The video ends when the day is over so he goes to sleep.
Point 19; Key elements
The check list of things which should be included in the video to conform the expectations of the genre and of the audience:
- Musical instruments
- Most common attributes of the youth (trendy clothes, skateboards ets)
- Things associated with social protest (anarchy, communist or pacifist attributes)
- Atmosephere of joy and fun
As I looked through Andrew Goodwin's theory of music videos I can say that his ideas can be applied to my video as well in terms of relationship between the song and the visuals and the technical aspect of the video.
Point 18;Research of the institutions
The only option to produce a music video for an unknown director, in my opinion, is either an idependent production company or indipendent record lable as major lables will not be interested in making and advertising any new stars because they already have their own stars.
The number of opportunities for exhibition of music videos are quite limitted but I think the only possible for me option is YouTube as it gives equal chances for all the artist, no matter how popular or unpopular they are, to express themselves and to share their work with all the world.
Point 17;How to attract audience
Being original and independent personalities people of the "Alternative" tribe tend to oppose them to the pop-culture even though they are not afraid of following the general trends if they honestly agree with them. Rock and and rock'n'roll music appeared as a form of social protest to the pop-culter and within some time the became a part of that culture so I think this makes this kind of music interesting for members of the "Alternative" tribe.
Point 16; Perfect audience member
My perfect audience member belongs to the tribe "Alternative". Members of that tribe tend to be quite unique and original. However they are not afraid of following the general trends as the Alternative segment is motivated by a need to be themselves.
Point 15; Audience research
According to my research people choose the music according to their own preferences as music in some ways presents their personality or it can even inspire them. Music video is a specific type music release and it is of course different from the other types. It mostly attracts the fanbase of a curtain band or artist who are interested in their creations of any kind, not only musical but visual as well . Music videos are not very convenient for listening as they require watching and paying constsant attention to the screen. So they are less popular then audio recordings.
Point 14; Moodboard
This moodboard presents most popular things associated with rock'n'roll genre such as rampant fun, joy, carelessness, vintage and social protest.
Point 13; Storyboard
Point 12; 9 key shots
I have chosen a famous song "Smells like teen spirit" by Nirvana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg&list=PL3485902CC4FB6C67&index=2
- 0:01 – First storyline (band performance)
- 0:18 – Second storyline (dancing janitor)
- 0:21 – Typical featers of rock\rock'n'roll video: school, teenagers, drums, guitars etc.
- 1:23 – Chorus part, emotional reinforcement, a man jumps in the crowd (another rock\rock'n'roll stereotype)
- 2:06 – The crowd comes to the improvised stage
- 2:50 – The dance of the crowd whichshows the rapture of the people (typical of rock videeos)
- 4:20 – singer breaks his guitar/emotional peak of the video (another rock cliche)
- 4:27 – end of the first storyline
- 4:31 – end of the second storyline
Point 11; Research of 2 videos
The first video is AC/DC's 'Hells Bells": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etAIpkdhU9Q&list=PL3485902CC4FB6C67&index=31
Cinematography: the video is made as a stage performance of the band so mostly mid-shots and wide shots are used to show the musicions in action (singing and playing). Sometimes close ups are used to put emphasis on their emotions.
Editing: as the song gets more emotional, the editing gets more and more dynamic.
Sound: diegetic sound only is used as the only location in the video is the stage where band is performing.
Mise-en-scene: props (instruments) and lighting are corresponding to the settings which is just the stage.
The second video is "Gimme All Your Lovin'" by ZZ Top: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae829mFAGGE
Cinematoghraphy: various shots and angles are used however they do not serve to add something to the video apart from just telling the story.
Editing: quite fast as the video is full action.
Sound: both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds as part of the song is sung by the band who appear in the shots and part of it is sung behind the scene while the action in the video take place.
Mise-en-scene: props, costumes, settings and lighting are very bright and colourful in order to show the joy and playfulness of the video.


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This'll go great with the prostate exam I got KB for Christmas:
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Dear Santa...
Posted by JB at 11:05 AM
Labels: Funny HaHa
2 comments:
- jenicini said...
- December 26, 2009 at 12:39 PM
- ASP said...
Damn, I'm so sorry about your FIL. That sucks. Yeah, things that just come out of the blue like that can really put things into perspective. I hope that your family is coping okay and your FIL is comfortable. Stage IV doesn't sound very good, but sometimes you really never know. I think that whether your FIL beats this or not, using his name is a great tribute to the man that he is. All my best with this. Cancer sucks.
I will definitely let you know when we have the "Burn Party." I'd love to have you over and we have plenty of room, so you wouldn't have to worry about anything but bringing shit to burn! Woot!
2010 *has* to be our year. Seriously.
- December 26, 2009 at 7:35 PM
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Yao Ming's Retirement
Yao Ming is the player who changed the history of NBA. First of all he is the first Asian player ever to join a NBA team. That means he managed to connect Asia with the NBA, he made the dream look possible for people all over the world.
Now let's talk about his career and why he decided to retire.
He started his career playing for the Shanghai Sharks for 5 years. He averaged 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 76.6% from the field. In his rookie season at the age of 17 he averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds a game. In his second year in the CBS he broke his foot.
This decreased his vertical for 5 inches (13cm). The Houston Rockets picked him at no1 of the 2002 NBA draft. After three years of successful playing in the NBA he started to get continuously injured at his knee and foot. These continuous injuries made him retire at his 31 years. At his last NBA season he played only 5 games. He managed to get in the playoffs many times in his career and he is an 8 times NBA all-star


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TRX at Hooked on Fitness!
Mar 27 7:00PM - 8:00PM
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21 Aug 2016
New Delhi: A head constable attached to Sarai Rohilla Police Station in North District was suspended after a woman accused him of trying to rape her. In her complaint filed on Saturday, the woman has charged head constable Raj Kumar with 'constantly' harassing her and trying to rape her day before yesterday, police said.
02 Sep 2016
New Delhi: Delhi Police Crime Branch on Thursday started a probe in the "objectionable" CD episode which led to sacking of AAP minister Sandeep Kumar, within hours of a BJP delegation meeting Commissioner Alok Kumar in this regard. The probe into "objectionable" CD, which surfaced on Wednesday showing Sandeep Kumar in a compromising position with a woman, has been given to Crime Branch on the order of commissioner of police, sources in the Delhi Police said.
21 Aug 2016
New Delhi: A court here will pronounce the quantum of sentence to three men convicted for murdering and robbing IT executive Jigisha Ghosh in 2009 on Monday, with the Delhi Police seeking death penalty for them saying they killed her for 'pleasure' and showed no remorse.
20 Mar 2016
New Delhi: In a bid to improve its riot control capabilities, the Delhi Police is all set to acquire pepper-ball launchers, a non-lethal device used by police in the US, China and several European nations.
25 Oct 2016
New Delhi: One person was killed and several others were left injured after a blast rocked Naya Bazar area of Chandni Chowk market in New Delhi on Tuesday.
25 Jul 2016
New Delhi: A 14-year-old Dalit rape victim who was repeatedly sexually assaulted and was forced to drink a corrosive substance, died at a hospital here today, prompting an anguished Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief to lash out at the Centre and Delhi Police on the issue of women's safety.
26 Feb 2016
New Delhi: A team of Delhi Police took JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested in connection with a case of sedition, to an undisclosed location after he was sent to one day police custody, from Tihar jail.
15 Feb 2016
New Delhi: Justifying the arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi today claimed that he had raised anti-national slogans during the controversial event in the campus but said police have so far found "no evidence linking the LeT" to the incident.
12 Feb 2016
New Delhi: In a scathing attack, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has accused the BJP-led Central government of "saffronising" the Delhi Police, which has had frequent run-ins with the AAP government.
30 Aug 2016
New Delhi: Eight people including a couple was arrested by in Delhi for human trafficking, police said on Tuesday. The police said that the culprits, ran a sex racket and a syndicate suspected to have trafficked girls from Nepal to India.


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Healthy New Year: 'Nana-Oat Muffins4
January 28, 2010 by skwishface
Years ago, when The Husband was still just The Boyfriend and we were living in glorious sin, my Mom gave me a recipe book. Not just any recipe book, no. This one is special.
It's a little spiral notebook, and on its wide-ruled pages she wrote out by hand a couple dozen of our family's favorite recipes. Everything from cheesy lasagna to homemade playdough.
At the time, I wasn't nearly the cooking enthusiast that I am now and so I didn't appreciate this book enough. But I do now. Oh wow, do I ever.
See, I've been struggling for a while with bananas and baked goods. They have thwarted me. I do not enjoy being thwarted. Frustrated and badly needing inspiration, I turned to Mom's book. And lo, there was a recipe for banana bread. A simple recipe with sensible instructions. A recipe that I know will work because I remember eating it back in The Day when my Mom was my primary source of home-cooked food. Brilliant!
Because I can never leave well enough alone, and The Husband and I are trying to eat healthier, I added oats to the recipe. Oh, and I muffinized it. Which is a word.
'Nana-Oat Muffins
(1) 1 cup sugar
(2) 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
(3) 1/2 cup softened butter
(4) 1/4 cup milk
(5) 1 teaspoon vanilla
(6) 2 whole eggs
2 cups flour (I mixed whole wheat and regular)
3/4 cup quick oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
(wander over to Tasty Kitchen for the printable version)
The bananas should be very ripe indeed. Ripe = sweet. Mom says so. And Mom, I increasingly discover, is often right.
But all I had was fresh bananas on a Saturday. And a need to have the muffins baked on Sunday. So I cheated.
Why yes, that's an apple. Did you know that apples naturally give off an aura of ripening? It's a gas or a chemical or something that someone smarter than me can identify, but it totally works. I shall demonstrate!
Food is magic.
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and take out your frustrations on those bananas.
Bananas, the whipping boy of the kitchen. For today, at least.
Next, mix together the first 6 ingredients on that list. See how I numbered them? Don't start thinking I'm super smart for doing that. I just numbered them because that's how Mom did it.
From YOU, okay?! I learned it from watching YOU!
(name that PSA!)
Anyway, mix the first 6 together. Forget to photograph mixing them until you've already pushed the button on your mixer.
Once that's all blended together, add the rest of the ingredients. Forget to take a picture of that until you've already mixed it a bit and realize you've forgotten to add the oats.
Don't go crazy with the mixing, here. You really only need to mix it just enough to get everything moistened. It's okay if there's lumps. It's okay if you see a little dry spot of flour here and there. Please trust that these will resolve in the baking process. Over-mixing leads to tough, dense muffins. Which are edible, but barely. For soft, fluffy muffins, just a few strokes of the mixing spoon will do!
Drop some cupcake wrappers into your friendly neighborhood muffin pan and fill up the cups. You really can fill them up practically to the top – that's how you get the lovely puffy muffin-tops that have given womanly hip-fat rolls a bad name. I didn't fill mine up quite enough, so I ended up with one extra muffin in a whole other pan. If you're not like me and you do this right, you should end up with an even dozen muffins.
Be sure to forget to take a picture of this until after you've gotten them into the oven.
Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Really, it depends on your oven. Check them at the 20-minute mark – if you stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean, they're done!
And once they're done, you have yourself a tidy little army of healthy little muffins. Full of sweet banana flavor and oaty goodness. They're beautiful and fluffy and tasty and it's all thanks to my Mom taking the time to write out her recipes for me years ago.
4 thoughts on "Healthy New Year: 'Nana-Oat Muffins"
Your blog always makes me giggle.
It is the bananas that give off a higher concentration of the ethylene gas- you could have just put the bananas in a bag overnight. You should always keep bananas away from other fruit due to this. http://www.banana.com/howtobuy.html
So glad the book's getting used! Gee, I wonder if I should make one for The Sister. So far, she's expressed ZERO interest in cooking; but you never know!


text: Here's a recitation of the famous darood sharif by Sidi Abd-as-Salam aMashish (RA). He was the master of the great Imam of tasawwuf Sidi Abul Hasan as-Shadhili (RA) and regarded as the Qutb of his time. It's a beautiful litany summarizing the sufi understanding of the greatness of the rank of the Blessed Prophet (upon him be Peace and Blessings). God willing, I'll post the words in the future. Do listen.


text:
Forever, life passes before my eyes
but only one moment has gone by.
Only a blink in the eye and the head
of the everlasting timeless dead.
A whirl of smoke and dreams obscure
my inconsequential search for the cure.
Fevers cross my imagination
bringing with them subtle invitation
to join the cured and blissfully damned
within the palm of the Devil's hand.
Crashing waters pull me from the fettering grasp.
A cool hand reaches in from the past.
Fervently I call to him,
a Savior sung of in the hymns.
His image releases me, I am once again
Thrown to the pointed tongues
a love lost now is cursing me among.
Blood pours from my soul as the double-edged sword
does for what is was designed.
My creations lay in my hands,
treasures once deeply protected from their kind.
Dismembered bone for bone
by my own.
Printed in the 2000 poetry.com compilation, A Fleeting Shadow