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Iona, population 175, is a small island (1 mile wide, 3.5 miles long) of the Inner Hebrides, Scotland, famous for the monastery founded by St Columba of Iona and as the centre of the Christianisation of Scotland.
In 563 St Columba of Iona, exiled from his native Ireland, founded a monastery here, and from here Orthodox Christianity spread to the rest of Scotland. Numerous martyrs and other saints were produced from Iona, including not only Columba but also St Aidan of Lindisfarne and others. Many believe that the Book of Kells was produced on Iona at this time. The monastery survived until the Protestant Reformation.
Iona also became the burial site for the kings of Dál Riata and their successors.
Modern era
In 1938 the Church of Scotland Minister George MacLeod founded the Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian community of men and women from different walks of life and different traditions in the Christian church that is committed to seeking new ways of living the gospel of Jesus Christ in today's world. Despite its ecumenical scope, the Community is primarily affiliated with the Church of Scotland, to whose General Assembly it reports annually. It has care of the abbey.
The community is doctrinally liberal, strongly committed to working for social justice and produces much contemporary Celtic Christian material through its Wild Goose arm. Such material, however, is sometimes at wide variance with Orthodox Christianity (e.g. in its frequent avoidance of the Trinitarian name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and its replacement with economic descriptions of divine action, such as 'Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier'). This said, the community is not tied up with any form of neo-pagan Celtic religion.
Iona Abbey is of particular historical and religious interest to pilgrims, and also of note is Iona Nunnery, a site of 13th century ruins and a colourful garden. Iona is popular among visitors for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is often described by Iona community members as a 'thin' place, at which God is less hidden than in the city. Its geographical features include the Bay at the Back of the Ocean and the Hill with His Back to Ireland, said to be adjacent to the beach where St Columba landed.
Friends of Orthodoxy on Iona
In 1997, Friends of Orthodoxy on Iona was founded, being the 1400th anniversary of the repose of St Columba of Iona. They are an informal group of friends who go on pilgrimage together who are mainly Orthodox Christians from across the British Isles (but increasingly a growing proportion are from the USA, Canada, and European countries such as Germany, Russia and Greece).
The Friends have organised pilgrimages to Iona and other Columban sites in the British Isles such as Donegal (the birthplace of St Columba); Columban sites in Strathclyde; and to Holy Island (Lindisfarne) which had close links with Iona.
The Chairman of the Friends is Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia and the friends have the blessing of many of the ruling hierarchs.
See also
External links
Categories > Church History
Categories > Church History
Categories > Liturgics > Feasts
Categories > People > Saints > Saints of the British Isles
Categories > Places
Categories > Places > Monasteries
Categories > Places > Monasteries > British Monasteries
Categories > Spirituality > Asceticism
Categories > Spirituality > Asceticism


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A Catholic bishop in California has resigned his post after revealing in December that he has two children.
"The Vatican announced the bishop's resignation Jan. 4 in a one-line statement that cited church law on resignation for illness or other serious reasons," reports the Catholic News Service from Vatican City.
Pope Benedict reportedly accepted the resignation of Gabino Zavala, an auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, in December.
CNS published the contents of a letter that Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez sent to his parishioners, in which he provides more details about the circumstances of Zavala's resignation.
In the letter, dated Jan. 4, Gomez states that Zavala "informed me in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state."
Gomez goes on to say that after Zavala submitted his resignation, he left the ministry. And Gomez says that Zavala's children have his support.
"The archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs," he wrote. "The family's identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy."
The BBC reports, "Bishop Zavala is 60 and was born in Mexico. He has campaigned against the death penalty and for immigrants' rights."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ricin Suspect Described As Conspiracist, Elvis Impersonator
Paul Kevin Curtis, the 45-year-old Mississippi man arrested Wednesday in connection with the possibly ricin-tainted envelopes sent to President Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is "better known to some as a celebrity impersonator," The Clarion-Ledger writes.
The Jackson, Miss., newspaper adds:
"According to GigSalad.com, a website dedicated to booking live entertainers, Curtis does impersonations of '70 of the biggest names in music history,' including Elvis, Johnny Cash, Prince, Bon Jovi and Kenny Chesney."
On the suspect's "Kevin Curtis Live" Facebook pages, he's posted photos of his performances as "Elvis," "Hank Williams Jr." and others. He has also posted a certificate that purports to show he's a member of Mensa, the high-IQ society.
His YouTube channel has more than 30 videos of Curtis performing.
He is also known for believing in conspiracy theories.
Messages on the Facebook pages "paint a picture of a man obsessed with conspiracies," the Clarion-Ledger reports. His messages include claims that "he is on the front lines of a hidden war against the mafia and a black market organs harvesting scheme," the newspaper says.
The Associated Press adds that "online posts on various websites under the name Kevin Curtis refer to the conspiracy he claimed to uncover when working at a local hospital from 1998 to 2000. The author wrote the conspiracy that began when he 'discovered a refrigerator full of dismembered body parts & organs wrapped in plastic in the morgue of the largest non-metropolitan healthcare organization in the United States of America.' "
According to the AP:
"An FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said the two letters were postmarked Memphis, Tenn. Both letters said: 'To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance.' Both were signed, 'I am KC and I approve this message.' It was not immediately known what charges Curtis faced.
Update at 6:38 p.m. ET. Lab Testing Confirms Ricin:
The FBI said that laboratory tests have "confirmed the presence of the toxin ricin" in the letters sent to a lawmaker and President Obama.
"To date, the FBI is not aware of any illness as a result of exposure to these letters," the FBI said in a statement.
Update at 1 p.m. ET: Charges Filed:
"A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi charges Curtis with threatening to harm President Barack Obama and making other threats through the Postal Service," The Associated Press reports. "Curtis is expected to appear in court today."


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Timothy W. Jahn
(Born 1977)
Red Handed
Oil on canvas
44 x 58 inches
BIOGRAPHY - Timothy W. Jahn (Born 1977)
"We're living in this interesting moment when representational art is more acceptable." Timothy Jahn's 2012 comment about contemporary painting reflects his optimism about the art historical tradition which forms the foundation of his own work. He also noted that although his technique often captures viewers' attention first, there "must also be some sort of narrative to hold their attention and engage them in the work". In Jahn's work, whether paintings or charcoal drawings, the images offer a starting point for further contemplation. Sometimes that might be an appreciation of an elegant, patterned still-life and sometimes, it might be a meditation on identity or mortality.
As a boy growing up in New Jersey, Timothy Jahn discovered that drawing and painting were not only his best subjects in school, but that they offered an opportunity to study the world in ways that consistently fascinated him. By the time he was in high school, Jahn was taking whatever art classes were available as well as spending one day per week studying art at the county college. In 1995, just as he was completing high school, he showed his work in the Emerging Artist Exhibition at the Nabisco Company headquarters, then located in East Hanover, New Jersey.
Unsurprisingly, Jahn's next step was to enroll in an art school where he could receive additional training in drawing, painting and illustration. The duCret School of Art in Plainfield, New Jersey, founded in 1927, provided a curriculum based on learning the techniques of representational art, which was already the foundation for Jahn's work. With guidance from instructors J. Brian Townsend and Paul McCormack, well-respected representational painters, Jahn eventually expanded his studies at the Art Students League in nearby New York City.
The historic Art Students League was founded in 1875 as an organization run by artists for artists. Today, it maintains the same open attitude toward curriculum that it established over 130 years ago, with a variety of instructors who teach in a diverse range of stylistic expressions. In the late 1990s, Jahn studied with Ronald Sherr and Mary Beth McKenzie, both of whom are part of a long-standing figural painting tradition in American art. Eventually, Jahn also worked with McKenzie as a teaching assistant at the National Academy School of Fine Arts, introducing him to the challenges of being an art instructor while simultaneously continuing to paint.
The next step in Jahn's study and exploration of painting came with a stint in France at the SCAD-LaCoste School of Art residential program in LaCoste, Provençe. Like generations of artists before him, Jahn's experience abroad raised many questions about his career decisions and how he wanted to define his future as an artist. The intense studio time in France centered around a postmodern curriculum and immersed Jahn into a exhausting study of non-representational painting. "In art school I invested a large amount of time extensively exploring abstraction.The experience has been invaluable to me; every type of painting that I have studied has fused into my aesthetic."
Back in the US, Jahn not only began working at the Swain Galleries in Plainfield, New Jersey where he had his first one-man show, but he also went back to duCret School of Art to finish his degree. After graduation, he began teaching at duCret; eighteen months later, he petitioned the school to start a new program called Academy duCret which would focus on teaching representational art to a small group of students. It was during this time that Jahn met Tim Reynolds, a painting student at duCret and a very successful businessman who would later form a global art education project.
In 2008, Jahn furthered expanded his painting and drawing skills at The Waichulis Studio, where he completed a three-year apprenticeship working with Anthony Waichulis Founded in 1998, this nationally respected atelier is dedicated to teaching representational art utilizing a step-by-step methodology that Waichulis developed. As Jahn notes, "The time I spent working and learning from Anthony Waichulis has had a profound and lasting effect on my artistic endeavors."
Midway through this apprenticeship, Jahn introduced his former student, Tim Reynolds, to Waichulis, which ultimately led to the development of an innovative concept for providing art education internationally. The goal is to provide step-by-step training for artists throughout the world with the hope of facilitating the growth of international creative connections. Reynolds proposed using the word 'Ani' which is a variation on the Swahili word 'Andjani', meaning the "road" or the "path ahead". In 2010, the first of these schools opened when The Waichulis Studio became the Ani Art Academies Waichulis. Jahn was the first graduate in 2011, and would immediately become the first instructor at an international Ani Art Academies funded by the Tim Reynolds Foundation.
Reynolds built the first new school on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. Now known as the Ani Art Academies Anguilla, Jahn began educating the first group of local students in drawing and painting in 2012. In return, Jahn notes, "Every chapter of my life has taken my art work into new and interesting directions. The inspiration for my art comes from my life experiences and living in Anguilla with its beautiful light and color will to have a profound effect on my work. These new experiences will surely add to the narrative of my future works."
Janet Whitmore, Ph.D.
Browse by Artist | ||||||


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Adapted from a recipe by Mindy Johnson of Prettyveggie.com
When was the last time you had a Gyro? How 'bout tonight? All that lovely, creamy Tzatziki sauce..... mmmmmm.......
Veggie Chicken Cutlets- 2 packages/4 cutlets *
Whole Grain Flatbread or Pita
Greek Yogurt- 1 container
Cucumber- 1 small to medium
Mint- fresh, if possible, chopped
Tomato- sliced
(Onion- if you like it)
Garlic Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Salt
Saute chicken in a little oil and while browning, prepare Tzatziki (Make in advance, if possible, so flavors can meld.)
Peel cucumber and cut in half the long way, then in half the short way. Scoop out seeds. Chop. Mix into yogurt. Add chopped mint, some garlic powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly and taste. The flavors will become stronger as they develop, so don't add too much- too early. Add more seasoning if you really think it needs it, but it's better to add later on. Put in fridge.
As chicken browns, add cumin, oregano, and salt. (Check package to see if chicken has already been seasoned.) Taste as you go, and add seasonings according to your taste.
Warm bread, either over stove or in microwave and place on plate. Slice chicken in strips and add chicken, sliced tomato, onion, and top with Tzatziki sauce.
Fold, and enjoy. Have lots of napkins on hand!
*Vegetarian/kosher "Chicken"- Lightlife Smart Cutlets
Mindy creates recipes with no specific amounts listed, only approximations. Be creative, have fun and enjoy!
Recipes: Meatless, Vegetarian, Kosher


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Mancos closed the gap to within a point at the end of the third quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Dolores turned it into a laugher.
Whether it was Cody Carroll driving the lane for two or dumping it off to towering Tyler Weir, the rival Bluejays simply didn't have an answer for the dynamic Dolores duo.
"We need to give the ball to Tyler Weir," Carroll said. "He's the biggest guy out there. He's huge! We give him the ball and he puts it in, he makes free throws and that's the game. That's our objective."
Carroll's last driving layup gave the Bears a 14-point lead, as the senior point guard laughed his way down the court.
In the end, it was all smiles for Dolores, as it defeated rival Mancos, 58-50, last Wednesday night at Dolores High School.
"It was another great rivalry game with Mancos," Bears coach Larry Schwartz said. "They're a really well coached team. I know they're going to be ready for us when we go over there."
Weir scored off an assist from Carroll to make it a 56-40 game for Dolores (3-4, 1-1 2A San Juan Basin League), its biggest lead of the game. Mancos (3-3, 0-1 2A SJBL) closed the contest on a 10-2 run, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome.
"They did a good job of shutting us down," Bluejays coach Mike Glover said. "It comes down to, we just didn't get things done. Dolores played good. They did things right when we didn't."
Turnovers were prevalent on both sides, as they are so often in a rivalry game.
However, it was the Bears that took advantage of the Bluejays miscues and turned them into transition points. Mancos actually forced more turnovers, but couldn't convert them on the offensive end.
"We got to work on limiting our turnovers," said Bluejays guard Nigel Henry. "and having to score on turnovers we create. It's pretty simple."
The game started out like a classic rivalry, as the enemy squads went back-and-forth in the first half. Behind enemy lines, Mancos drew even, 22-22 at halftime. Henry and Jayden Peacock were solid shooting from outside.
Meanwhile, a disgruntled Dolores squad walked to its locker room. But the Bears came out fired up in the third.
Carroll fed Weir down low for two to regain then lead. On the next Bears' possession, Jackson Vermule faked Kyle Cox off his feet and drained a 3, which emphatically set off the home fans, as Dolores led 27-22. After a Branson Mitchell bucket pulled the Bluejays back within three, Austin Blackmer answered from downtown to up the Bears margin at 30-24.
Dolores kept its 6-point lead at 38-32 after the teams continued to trade baskets. But a Mitchell layup and a Peacock 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer brought Mancos very close at 38-37.
But the Bears ran away in the fourth, opening the final frame on a destructive 18-3 run.
The Bluejays fought back within 56-50 near the end. But Chaz Thompson's layup at the final horn was the exclamation point for Dolores.
"I'm just proud of how the boys stepped up. Our defense has really, really improved," Schwartz said. "I thought we ran the ball when we had chances. I thought we boxed out and rebounded really well. Down the stretch, we took care of the ball. It was a game of spurts and we had the last spurt at the end."
For Mancos, the Bluejays go into Christmas break with some issues to address.
"We got to get after it," Glover said. "We come back and got Dove Creek that first game. We got to be ready right away. We just got to work hard."
Mitchell led the Bluejays with 14 points, while Peacock and Henry each totaled 13 and 11, respectively.
"That 3 Jayden hit at the end of the third quarter, we pretty much thought that momentum was going to carry into the fourth quarter. It ended up not," Henry said. "We missed simple layups, free throws weren't going in and they were playing good defense."
Carroll scored a game high 22. Weir chipped in 15 points and Blackmer tallied 10.
"This whole week, we've been practicing so hard. We've been getting after it," Carroll said. "How I see it, is whoever practices harder the week before, is going to win the game. So..."
[email protected].


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Innovators and Legends: Generations in Textiles and Fiber
Innovators and Legends: Generations in Textiles and Fiber
Amid the social and artistic upheavals of the 1960s and 70s, artists began using traditional "craft" media to make sculptural and conceptual works that expanded our definitions of the visual arts. Innovators and Legends, an exhibition organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art, features over seventy pieces by fifty artists from the U.S. and abroad who belong to the first, and subsequent, generations of these artists who explore the myriad possibilities inherent in fabric, thread, fiber and yarn. Weaving, knitting, soft sculpture, embroidery, felting and other techniques are featured, used in ways that are by turns painterly, sculptural or fashionable and often surprising and amusing.
This exhibition is on view through September 7, 2014.
Companion Exhibiton: Local Threads Exhibition
Organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art
Mary Bero, Stuffed Head; Self-Portrait, 2006, cotton, silk. Courtesy of the Collection of Marcia Docter. Photography: Courtesy of the Artist.
Karen Hampton, The Model, layered digital prints, hand stitched, 2011. Photography: Courtesy of the Artist.


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Baku-APA. Israel's two largest political parties endorsedBenjamin Netanyahu for prime minister Wednesday, all but guaranteeing him a third term at the beginning of the post-election process of forming a new government, APA reports quoting Associated Press.
Netanyahu's Likud Party and the new Yesh Atid Party made their recommendations to President Shimon Peres, who consults with all 12 parties that won parliamentary seats in last week's election before deciding whom to choose as prime minister-designate. Peres is expected to make his decision by Friday.
With Netanyahu at the head of the largest faction in parliament, Peres is almost certain to appoint him. Netanyahu would then have up to six weeks to form a coalition government. Netanyahu's Likud-Yisrael Beitenu list won 31 seats in the election, far ahead of all rivals.
"There is really only one candidate who can build a government in Israel, one which must be as broad as possible," Education Minister Gideon Saar, a top Likud official, told Peres, referring to Netanyahu.
Netanyahu would need to control 61 seats to secure a majority in the 120-member parliament.
Yesh Atid's leader, political newcomer Yair Lapid, told Peres on Wednesday evening that Netanyahu should be premier.
"Yesh Atid's platform says that the party with the most seats should lead the government," Lapid said.
The comments removed some of the drama from the coalition-building process in the coming weeks. Lapid is expected to become Netanyahu's main coalition partner. His party won 19 seats.
The composition of the rest of the government is still up in the air as Netanyahu and Lapid prepare to discuss policy guidelines. The two share common ground on some key domestic issues but could find themselves at odds over the critical issue of pursuing peace with the Palestinians.
Lapid, a former TV talk-show host and newspaper columnist, campaigned as an average citizen fighting for Israel's struggling middle class. He criticized the country's high cost of living and its expensive system of handouts and draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox seminary students.
He has vowed to force ultra-Orthodox men to join their secular counterparts in performing compulsory military or national service.
While peacemaking was not a major part of Lapid's campaign, he has been critical of Netanyahu's failure to advance peace efforts and said he won't join a government that doesn't pursue peace. Lapid has indicated he is willing to make more generous concessions to the Palestinians than Netanyahu.
To ensure a parliamentary majority, Lapid and Netanyahu need at least one more mid-sized partner. The most likely candidates appear to be either the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which seems likely to fight any reform in the draft law, or the pro-settler Jewish Home, which would resist any attempt to reach peace with the Palestinians.
With peace talks deadlocked for the past four years and the draft dispute a key campaign issue, the next government could end up focusing more effort on domestic concerns.
In a gesture to Lapid, whose strong showing in the election surprised the country, Netanyahu has said his next government would pursue three major domestic policy goals: bringing ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the military, increasing the stock of affordable housing and changing the fragmented multiparty system. Netanyahu has only vaguely alluded to peacemaking as a priority.
In an attempt to get negotiations back on track, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he wants to meet with newly elected Israeli parliament members, including Lapid, to lay out his views on peace.
The post-election process officially got under way Wednesday as Peres was handed the official results of the election, shortly before he began hosting party leaders.
Once chosen, the premier-designate has 28 days to present his coalition to the parliament for approval, with an extension of 14 days if needed.


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I have recently been forcibly transplanted from Princeton, New Jersey to Burleson, Texas. I've been recovering from culture shock ever since. When I'm not dodging scorpions and pickup trucks, I'm a college student, drummer, lover of music and animals, Harry Potter freak, and a vegetarian. I just got a job at a bookstore, which is the perfect place for somebody like me.
Burleson, TX


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Dr Zalloua says in Lebanon the Phoenician signature is distributed equally among different groups and that the overall genetic make-up of the Lebanese is proving to be similar across various backgrounds.
"Whether you take a Christian village in the north of Lebanon or a Muslim village in the south, the DNA make-up of its residents is likely to be identical," says Dr Zalloua.
But, from another older BBC story referring to the actual study:
The team analysed the Y chromosomes of 926 Lebanese males and found that patterns of male genetic variation in Lebanon fell more along religious lines than along geographical lines.
and from the study itself:
In the present study, 926 Lebanese men were typed with Y-chromosomal SNP and STR markers, and unusually, male genetic variation within Lebanon was found to be more strongly structured by religious affiliation than by geography.We therefore tested the hypothesis that migrations within historical times could have contributed to this situation. Y-haplogroup J*(xJ2) was more frequent in the putative Muslim source region (the Arabian Peninsula) than in Lebanon, and it was also more frequent in Lebanese Muslims than in Lebanese non-Muslims. Conversely, haplogroup R1b was more frequent in the putative Christian source region (western Europe) than in Lebanon and was also more frequent in Lebanese Christians than in Lebanese non-
If a Christian village and a Muslim village are likely to have "identical" DNA makeup, then why is genetic variation strongly structured by religious affiliation and not by geography?
Since contradictions don't exist in nature, the explanation is simple: in the published scientific article, which had to go through peer-review, someone could not claim that there are no differences between Christian and Muslim Lebanese. But, to the polloi of Lebanon, it is apparently alright to sell a vision of national unity and identity.
I don't know what % of modern Lebanese are descended from Phoenicians, but I detest the idea of mixing science with politics.
More on the topic of "Lebanese Phoenicians":


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Project Members
- Bernard Comrie
- Sabine Reiter
- Eliane Camargo (CELIA, Université Paris X)
- Philippe Erikson (Université Paris X)
- George Nick Clements (CNRS, University of Paris III)
Animacy and mythology in Hantxa Kuin (Cashinahua)
Cashinahua – or Hantxa Kuin as it is called by its speakers – belongs to the Panoan family. All Panoan languages are concentrated in one geographic region, the Amazonian lowlands in Eastern Peru and in adjacent parts of Brazil and Bolivia. The project aimed at building up a comprehensive documentation of the Cashinahua language and culture at its current stage in Peru and in Brazil.
This documentation was a contribution to the efforts of the respective Cashinahua communities and associations in both countries to preserve and fortify their language and culture. In addition, the annotated texts in the archive as well as the reappraisal of a corpus of historical and mythological texts assembled one hundred years ago by Capistrano de Abreu may become the basis for monolingual teaching material used by Cashinahua teachers in the village schools. The documentation gave an idea about Cashinahua way of life to a general audience, provided available data - including older material collected by Camargo and other researchers (esp. in Peru) - and the analyses
Data archive
- 58 sound files (wav)
- 3 video files (mpeg)
- 5 annotation files (eaf)
Contact: lingarchive@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de


text: A successful, wealthy businessman, Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) has always done what's expected of him, whether it's assuming the helm of his father's company, tolerating his brother's misbehavior at the office or planning to marry his beautiful but restless fiancee, Natalie (Gabrielle Union). But Wesley is jolted out of his predictable routine when he meets Lindsey (Thandie Newton), a down-on-her-luck single mother who works as a cleaning person in his office building. Outspoken, impulsive and proud- and also recently evicted- Lindsey struggles to make ends meet for herself and her young daughter. But when Wesley offers to help her get back on her feet, his innocent good deed ignites and unexpected attraction- and suddenly Wesley finds himself caught between the life he thought he wanted and the powerful desires of his heart .A moving, uplifting romantic drama about relationships and the defining choices we make in our lives, 'Tyler Perry's Good Deeds' is written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry, and stars Perry, Thandie Newton, Brian White, Rebecca Romijn, Jamie Kennedy, Eddie Cibrian, Jordenn Thompson, Beverly Johnson, with Phylicia Rashad, and Gabrielle Union.


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It has been a while since the last time that I participated in the food blogging event No Croutons Required but when I heard that this months theme was Thai inspired, I just had to join in with the fun. Although there are a ton of great Thai inspired soups and salads out there I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I remembered coming across a Thai inspired black rice salad a long time ago and all of the vibrant colours contrasting with the black rice had caught my attention and it was finally time to try making it. To the black rice I added, red peppers, yellow mangos, green onions along with some green freshly chopped herbs. I finished the salad off with some cashews and a simple Thai inspired dressing consisting of fish sauce (feel free to use soy sauce for a vegetarian version), lime juice, sugar and of course a birds eye chili for some spicy heat. The salad was nice and easy to make and it turned out really nicely! I enjoyed the chewy texture of the black rice and all of the different flavour, textures and colours came together beautifully. The leftovers were just as good still cool from the fridge as it was when it was when it was still slightly warm from the freshly cooked rice. I imagine that this would also make for a really nice light meal with the addition of some shrimp.
Thai Black Rice Salad
- 1 cup Thai black rice
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 1 mango (stoned, peeled and diced)
- 3 green onions (sliced)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1/4 cup mint (chopped)
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 lime (juice and zest)
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar (grated or sugar)
- 1 birds eye chili (chopped)
- Cook the rice as directed on the package.
- Mix the black rice, red pepper, yellow mango, green onions, cilantro, mint and cashews in a large bowl.
- Mix the fish sauce, lime juice and zest, palm sugar and birds eye chili in a small bowl.
- Toss the salad in the dressing and enjoy.
Thai Cucumber and Pineapple Salad
Green Mango Salad
Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad


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The Smithsonian's National Zoo has announced the birth of a pair of Sumatran tigers, a species that has dwindled to less than 500 in the wild. Both mother and cubs are reportedly doing well.
There was no immediate word Thursday on the sex of the cubs.
Four-year-old Damai gave birth on Monday. The new arrivals appear healthy, and so far, "Damai is being a great mom, and is nursing and grooming both cubs," the zoo says on its website.
"All I can do is smile because the team has realized our goal of producing critically endangered tiger cubs," great cats curator Craig Saffoe says.
According to the zoo's website:
"The Sumatran tiger cubs' eyes have not opened yet, so Damai is spending most of her time grooming and nursing them. Damai lets the cubs crawl all over her, as if her body is a jungle gym."
The new family will likely not be on exhibit until late fall because "bonding time is critical for mom and her cubs," the zoo says. Until then, you can view the zoo's Tigercubcam or follow developments on Twitter at #CubWatch.
For the past few years, the National Zoo has been trying to encourage Damai and Kavi, the 12-year-old father, to breed. On June 21, officials confirmed via ultrasound that Damai was expecting.
Only about 400 to 500 Sumatran tigers exist in their native habitat on the Indonesian island. Their Javanese and Balinese cousins are already extinct.
The Zoological Society of London notes that "the vast majority of captive tigers are known hybrids or of unknown origin and so are not useful for conservation breeding purposes. Only tigers whose single subspecies ancestry can be traced back through written records can be included in conservation breeding programmes."
The history of such breeding programs appears to have been relatively successful. Damai was born at the San Diego Zoo, one of about 25 cubs to be bred there over the years –- including a pair of males as recently as March.
There are similar programs in places such as Melbourne, Australia, where four cubs were born in 2010.
Update At 1:00 p.m. ET:
Saffoe tells NPR that "we don't know what the gender is of either cub."
"We have our internal guesses because we like to play the same games that people at home like to play," the great cats curator says.
"The first cub that came out, I think every single keeper remarked how big that cub looked, so we said 'that's got to be a boy,'" he says.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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On the menu (see Jessica Brogan's blog "In Search Of Dessert" and her "Flickr" page in order to read her post on the subject and see her pictures of the meal) there were several courses and nine (!) different dishes, all made from scratch as well as with much care in order to stay truthful to the original recipe.
We ate "Jerusalem-Style Hummus" (see recipe), "Turkish Eggplant Purée With Yogurt", "Moroccan Lamb Cigars", "Tiropitakia Or Greek Cheese Triangles", "Moroccan Lemony Beef And Potato Tagine" (see recipe), "Lebanese Tabbouleh", "Turkish Ekmek Bread" (see recipe), "Moroccan Batbout Bread" (recipe follows) and "Maple Walnut Ice Cream". Jessica had also made extremely scrumptious "Upside-Dowm Cheesecakes" (see recipe) with Sardinian honey...
Needless to say that we stuffed ourselves until we literally exploded! As I love that kind of spicy, flavorful and exotic food, I was so glad that both my friends enjoyed the food, had a second serving (even a third serving!!!) and cleaned their plates as if there would be no tomorrow!
As you might have guessed, today, I'm delivering you the recipe for one of the specialities I made on that occasion: a very popular Moroccan flatbread called "Batbout" and which is traditionally cooked in earthenware tajines. It is also known under the name of "Metlouâ (Matlouh)" or "Bouchiar", depending on the regions where it is made.
Bread, one of the most essential stables, is sacred in Morocco and is treated with the utmost respect. As in most Arab countries and households, the Moroccans bake bread every morning in a atmosphere of communion. Before commencing the sacred act of kneading, an invocation to God is made. Once the bread has been properly shaped, each family puts it's own mark/stamp on it and then, sends it via the children to a common bakery oven made of terra cotta.
Bread is eaten with every meal, except during the holy month of Ramadan, during the fasting. It is generally used as a "fork" or "ustensil" for conveying food when eating with the fingers. Many varieties of fermented or non-fermented breads exist. The choice is vast (Msemmen, Khobz, Anise Bread, Fried Bread, Bhagrir, Mella, Ftayer, etc...).
"Batbout" bread is chewy (like Bagels), soft-crusted, pliable, delicately spongy and overall delicious. It is ideal for dipping into the savory sauces of "Tagines", scooping into any kind of dip or for making sadwiches/wraps.
Those Pita-like loaves are very versatile and will rejoice any gourmet eater in search of new gastronomic horizons to discover. With their pleasant as well as delicate flavor and their scrumptious texture, it will soon be impossible for you to plan any Middle-Eastern, Mediterranean or North African meal without including this flatbread as accompaniment!
~ Moroccan "Batbout M'Khamer" Bread ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums and highly inspired by Minouchkah at "Passion Culinaire" (France).
Makes 3 flatbreads.
300g Plain white flour
100g Fine semolina (Durum Flour/Semolina Di Grano Duro)
1 1/4 Tsps salt
1 Package (7g) Dried yeast
300-320ml Water, lukewarm (not hot)
1. Sprinkle the yeast into the water in a bowl.
2. Stir to dissolve and leave for 5 minutes, until it becomes frothy.
3. In a big bowl, mix together the flour, semolina and salt.
4. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture.
5. Stir in the flour to form a stiff dough.
6. Knead for 8-10 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces.
8. On a lightly floured (with Durum Flour) surface, roll out each piece to form a round 1cm (1/2 inch) thick.
9. Let rise, covered with a tea towel, for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until doubled in size.
10. Heat a frying pan or a griddle over medium heat, until very hot.
11. Place one of the dough rounds in the hot pan and cook on both sides until golden brown.
12. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds.
13. Let cool on a wire rack.
The dough should not be too sticky.
Add more water if it's too dry or more flour if it is too wet.
If you wish, you can add a little oil in the pan. It is not necessary, though.
Serving suggestions:
Eat those breads alone or with honey, "Hummus" (see recipe), "Baba Ganoush" (see recipe), "Lemony Beef And New Potato Tagine" (see recipe) or the dips/sauces of your choice (see my recipes).
Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums et fortement inspirée par Minouchkah de "Passion Culinaire" (France).
Pour 3 pains.
300g de Farine blanche/fleur
100g de Semoule très fine (Semolina Di Grano Duro)
1 1/4 CC de Sel
1 Paquet (7g) de Levure sèche
300-320ml d'Eau tiède (pas chaude/en dessous de 50° C)
1. Mettre l'eau tiède dans un bol et saupoudrer avec la levure.
2. Mélanger pour dissoudre et laisser reposer, à température ambiante, jusqu'à ce que le mélange devienne mousseux, pendant environ 5 minutes.
3. Mélanger la farine, la semoule et le sel.
4. Faire un puits et ajouter le mélange eau/levure.
5. Mélanger afin d'obtenir une pâte homogène et pas très collante.
6. Pétrir pendant 8-10 minutes.
7. Diviser la pâte 3 trois portions égales.
8. Sur une surface farinée (avec la semoule), rouler chaque morceau de pâte afin d'obtenir un rond de 1cm d'épaisseur, puis couvrir avec un linge.
9. Laisser lever, à température ambiante, jusqu'à ce que la pâte ait doublé de volume, pendant 1 1/2 - 2 heures.
10. Chauffer une poêle épaisse à feu moyen, jusqu'à ce qu'elle devienne très chaude.
11. Cuire des deux côtés, jusqu'à ce que vos pains soient joliment dorés.
12. Répéter l'opération avec les 2 autres pains.
13. Laisser refroidir sur une grille.
La pâte ne doit pas être trop collante.
Ajouter un peu plus d'esu si elle est trop sèche ou un peu de farine si elle est trop collante.
Vous pouvez ajouter un peu d'huile dans la poêle bien que ça soit pas vraiment nécessaire.
Idées de présentation:
Les "Batbouts" se dégustent nature, sucrés avec du miel, servis avec du "Hummus" (voir ma recette), du "Baba Ganoush" (voir ma recette), un "Tajine Marocain Au Boeuf, Pommes De Terre Nouvelles Et Citron Confit" (voir ma recette) ou les dips/sauces de votre choix (voir mes recettes).


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Clayton Kershaw (13-9, 2.58) vs. Ryan Vogelsong (14-9, 3.46).
I'm going to today's game, despite the fact that the outcome is irrelevant. I am excited to see Kershaw's last start of the year. I am hoping we bean a Giant or four. And I'll eat my last Dodger Dog of 2012.
Hey, at least it's getting me out of work early.


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Yay!!! My Blogging by Mail package has arrived!!!
And all these fantastic things were sent to me by the sweet Molly, from the wonderful blog Batter-Splattered - all the way from Alaska!! Not only is she a terrific baker, but also a very thoughtful person!
She sent me these delicious chocolate bars (it was sooo hard NOT eating them before taking the photo) and I was so glad because I've read about Dagoba chocolate but it's impossible to find it here in Brazil; some environmental friendly paper bags I knew nothing about (I'll be filling one of them today with freshly baked cookies), these lovely napkins and a moose cookie cutter!
Molly, I was delighted to receive these gifts - thank you, thank you, thank you!
And I also want to thank Steph, from Dispensing Happiness, for organizing and hosting this magnificent event!


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Shopping Bag: (0)
Complimentary shipping will automatically be applied during checkout This offer applies to standard shipping on continental U.S and Canadian DavidYurmancom orders only.
Does not apply to David Yurman in-store purchases or out-of-stock items The $8 charge added to each additional shipping address and the additional $5 charge applied when shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or some U.S territories still applies.
Canadian orders will still be subject to all applicable duties, fees, and taxes We are unable to accept non-Canadian international orders at this time. . Source


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Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, while the world's eyes were focused on the momentous events taking place in Iraq, a constitutional referendum was held in the war-torn region of Chechnya. The referendum was held as part of the Russian Government's attempt to "normalize" the situation in that tortured part of Russia's North Caucasus.
For the last ten years, Chechnya has been the scene of a bloody war between armed Chechen rebels and Russian military forces. Hostilities were precipitated in late 1994 when, in the wake of Chechnya's attempt to secede from the Russian Federation, Russian military forces launched a full-scale assault on the Chechen capital of Grozny. There was a restive peace from 1996 until the summer of 1999, when the armed clashes erupted anew. The roots of this conflict go back to Tsarist conquests in the 19th century and Stalin's brutal deportation of the Chechen people to Central Asia during World War II. Unfortunately, certain radical Islamic militant elements linked to international terrorism have become involved on the Chechen side, though the State Department has stressed that not all Chechens are terrorists.
Despite Moscow's repeated claims that heavy-handed Russian tactics in Chechnya are part of the war against global terrorism, the situation is far more complex. Many Chechens have taken up arms against what they believe is a repressive colonial power and wish to see Chechnya as an independent state that will be able to make the critical choice regarding the future of its people. As is so frequently the case, the civilian population has suffered terribly from the war. While both sides are guilty of violations of international humanitarian law, the Russian military and special operations units have been responsible for numerous and well-documented instances of gratuitous, brutal and mass violence against the civilian population.
During my years in the leadership of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Commission has conducted eight hearings and briefings on Chechnya. Witnesses, including a nurse who was present in a Chechen town where some of the worst atrocities by Russian forces took place, have described the appalling fate of the civilian population.
According to the U.S. State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001, "The indiscriminate use of force by government troops in the Chechen conflict resulted in widespread civilian casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of persons, the majority of whom sought refuge in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia. Attempts by government forces to regain control over Chechnya were accompanied by the indiscriminate use of air power and artillery. There were numerous reports of attacks by government forces on civilian targets, including the bombing of schools and residential areas." The report continues: "Command and control among military and special police units often appeared to be weak, and a climate of lawlessness, corruption, and impunity flourished, which fostered individual acts by government forces of violence and looting against civilians." Among the examples of such lawlessness and impunity in the Country Reports were "…reports of mass graves and 'dumping grounds' for victims allegedly executed by Russian forces in Chechnya" and "cleansing" operations directed against guerrillas but resulting in deaths and the disappearance of non-combatants.
The State Department points out that Chechen forces also committed serious abuses: "According to unconfirmed reports, rebels killed civilians who would not assist them, used civilians as human shields, forced civilians to build fortifications, and prevented refugees from fleeing Chechnya. In several cases, elderly Russian civilians were killed for no apparent reason other than their ethnicity."
Against this unsettling backdrop, with an estimated 100,000 internally displaced persons living in refugee camps in neighboring Ingushetia, and under the guns of approximately 80,000 Russian soldiers in Chechnya, the Chechen people have reportedly voted overwhelmingly for the proposed new constitution. Nevertheless, it is difficult to believe that a genuine assessment of the public will would have been determined under such circumstances. I would ask the same question I asked in a Helsinki Commission press release over a month ago: "Are we supposed to believe that this referendum will stabilize Chechnya while armed conflict between the Russian military and Chechen fighters continue to produce death and destruction?'"
The well-respected Russian human rights group, Memorial, has charged that Chechens were pressured to vote with the threat of losing their pensions or humanitarian aid. A joint assessment mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe stated that "no group has been able to campaign officially against the referendum in the mass media or distribute literature arguing against the referendum," although some opposition opinions were voiced in the media. Incidentally, in the concluding communique of the 1999 Istanbul OSCE Summit, the Russian Government agreed that all sides should seek a political solution to the conflict, and avail themselves of the assistance of the OSCE. This commitment was seriously undermined when the Russian government evicted the OSCE Assistance Mission to Chechnya at the end of last year.
Mr. Speaker, the Bush Administration has stated that "…we hope [the referendum] can be the basis for a political solution to that tragic conflict." I find that rather optimistic. The Russian Government might better instruct its military to stop terrorizing the civilian population, prosecute human rights violators and rebuild Chechnya. Then perhaps it would not have to hold referenda in Chechnya under armed guard.


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Disturbing news from Nigeria about girls kidnapped last week from their school by Islamist extremists grew even more distressing on Monday when parents told authorities that 234 of the young women are still missing.
That's nearly triple the number — 85 — that officials have been reporting.
According to The Associated Press:
"The higher figure came out a week after the kidnappings when the Borno state governor insisted a military escort take him to the town [of Chibok]. Parents told the governor that officials would not listen to them when they drew up their list of names of missing children and the total reached 234.
"The discrepancy in the figures could not immediately be resolved."
Since extremists thought to be from the group known as Boko Haram attacked the school a week ago:
-- Authorities claimed that 100 had been kidnapped, but all but eight escaped or were freed within 48 hours.
-- Authorities retracted that claim after the school's principal said at least 100 girls were still missing.
Now, as the AP says, there's this "latest confusion." According to the wire service, "parents and other town residents have joined the search for the students in the Sambisa Forest which borders Chibok town and is a known hideout for the militants."
As we said, Nigerian authorities suspect the radical Islamist group Boko Haram is behind the abductions. It objects to Western culture, and in particular Western schools.
Boko Haram also is being blamed for a deadly attack last week near Nigeria's capital, Abuja. More than 70 people were killed and dozens more injured when a bomb went off at a bus station. The explosion set off other blasts as vehicles in the vicinity burned.
We have posted about Boko Haram many times in the past two years. Among previous attacks blamed on that group:
-- February 2014. More Than Two Dozen Boys Killed In Attack On Nigerian School.
-- September 2013. Militants Kill Students In Dorms At Nigerian College.
-- June 2012. Church Bombings And Reprisal Killings In Nigeria.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Hawaii's Inouye was current longest-serving senator, war hero
On Dec. 7, 1941, high school senior Daniel Inouye knew he and other Japanese-Americans would face trouble when he saw Japanese dive bombers, torpedo planes and fighters on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor and other Oahu military bases.
He and other Japanese-Americans had wanted desperately to be accepted, he said, and that meant going to war.
"I felt that there was a need for us to demonstrate that we're just as good as anybody else," Inouye, who eventually went on to serve 50 years as a U.S. senator from Hawaii, once said. "The price was bloody and expensive, but I felt we succeeded."
Inouye, 88, died Monday of respiratory complications at a Washington-area hospital. As a senator, he became one of the most influential politicians in the country, playing key roles in congressional investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals. He was the longest serving current senator and by far the most important for his home state of Hawaii.
"Tonight, our country has lost a true American hero with the passing of Sen. Daniel Inouye," President Barack Obama said in a statement Monday. "It was his incredible bravery during World War II — including one heroic effort that cost him his arm but earned him the Medal of Honor — that made Danny not just a colleague and a mentor, but someone revered by all of us lucky enough to know him."
Inouye turned toward life as a politician after his dreams of becoming a surgeon became impossible in World War II. He lost his right arm in a firefight with Germans in Italy in 1945.
Inouye's platoon came under fire and Inouye was shot in the stomach as he tried to draw a grenade. He didn't stop, crawling up a hillside, taking out two machine gun emplacements and grabbing a grenade to throw at a third.
That's when an enemy rifle grenade exploded near his right elbow, shot by a German roughly 10 yards away.
He searched for the grenade, then found it clenched in his right hand, his arm shredded and dangling from his body.
"The fingers somehow froze over the grenade, so I just had to pry it out," Inouye said in recounting the moment in the 2004 book "Beyond Glory: Meal of Honor Heroes in Their Own Words" by Larry Smith.
"When I pulled it out, the lever snapped open and I knew I had five seconds, so I flipped it into the German's face as he was trying to reload," he said. "And it hit the target."
In 2000, when then-President Bill Clinton belatedly presented Inouye and 21 other Asian-American World War II veterans with the Medal of Honor, Clinton recounted that Inouye's father believed their family owed an unrepayable debt to America.
"If I may say so, sir, more than a half century later, America owes an unrepayable debt to you and your colleagues," Clinton said.
Inouye became a senator in January 1963. As president pro tempore of the Senate, he was third in the line of presidential succession. He broke racial barriers on Capitol Hill as the first Japanese-American to serve in Congress.
Less than an hour after Inouye's passing, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Inouye's death to a stunned chamber. "Our friend Daniel Inouye has died," Reid said somberly. Shocked members of the Senate stood in the aisles or slumped in their chairs.
He was elected to the House in 1959, the year Hawaii became a state. He won election to the Senate three years later and served there longer than anyone in American history except Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who died in 2010 after 51 years in the Senate.
Inouye died after a relatively brief hospitalization. Once a regular smoker, he underwent treatment in 1960s after a misdiagnosis for cancer. Just last week, he issued a statement expressing optimism about his recovery.
Despite his age and illness, Inouye's death shocked members of the Senate.
"I'm too broken up," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who becomes president pro tem of the Senate. Leahy also is poised to take over the Senate Appropriations Committee, which Inouye helmed since 2009.
"He was the kind of man, in short, that America has always been grateful to have, especially in her darkest hours, men who lead by example and who expect nothing in return," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie will appoint a replacement, choosing from a list of three candidates selected by the state Democratic Party. "We're preparing to say goodbye," Abercrombie said. "Everything else will take place in good time."
Abercrombie met with the chairman of the state party on Monday afternoon, and the party leader said afterward that he hoped to have a replacement in office by the first day of the January session.
Whomever Abercrombie appoints would serve until a special election in 2014.
Inouye was handily re-elected to a ninth term in 2010 with 75 percent of the vote.
His last utterance, his office said, was "Aloha."
Inouye spent most of his Senate career attending to Hawaii. At the height of his power, Inouye routinely secured tens of millions of dollars annually for the state's roads, schools, national lands and military bases.
Although tremendously popular in his home state, Inouye actively avoided the national spotlight until he was thrust into it. He was the keynote speaker at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and later reluctantly joined the Senate's select committee on the Watergate scandal. The panel's investigation led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Inouye also served as chairman of the committee that investigated the Iran-Contra arms and money affair, which rocked Ronald Reagan's presidency.
A quiet but powerful lawmaker, Inouye ran for Senate majority leader several times without success. He gained power as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee before Republicans took control of the Senate in 1994.
When the Democrats regained control in the 2006 elections, Inouye became chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. He left that post two years later to become chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.
Inouye also chaired the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for many years. He was made an honorary member of the Navajo nation and given the name "The Leader Who Has Returned With a Plan."
He is the last remaining member of the Senate to have voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Inouye was serving as Hawaii's first congressman in 1962, when he ran for the Senate and won 70 percent of the vote.
In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson urged Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who had won the Democratic nomination for president, to select Inouye as his running mate. Johnson told Humphrey that Inouye's World War II injuries would silence Humphrey's critics on the Vietnam War.
"He answers Vietnam with that empty sleeve. He answers your problems with (Republican presidential candidate Richard) Nixon with that empty sleeve," Johnson said.
But Inouye was not interested.
"He was content in his position as a U.S. senator representing Hawaii," Jennifer Sabas, Inouye's Hawaii chief of staff, said in 2008.
Inouye joined the Watergate proceedings at the strong urging of Senate Democratic leader Mike Mansfield. The panel's investigation of the role of the Nixon White House in covering up a burglary at Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate in June 1972 ultimately prompted the House to initiate impeachment proceedings against Nixon, who resigned before the issue reached a vote in the House.
In one of the most memorable exchanges of the Watergate proceedings, an attorney for two of Nixon's closest advisers, John Ehrlichman and Bob Haldeman, referred to Inouye as a "little Jap."
The attorney, John J. Wilson, later apologized. Inouye accepted the apology, noting that the slur came after he had muttered "what a liar" into a microphone that he thought had been turned off following Ehrlichman's testimony.
Inouye achieved celebrity status when he served as chairman of the congressional panel investigating the Iran-Contra affair in 1987. That committee held lengthy hearings into allegations that top Reagan administration officials had facilitated the sale of weapons to Iran, in violation of a congressional arms embargo, in hopes of winning the release of American hostages in Iran and to raise money to help support anti-communist fighters in Nicaragua.
"This was not a happy chore, but it had to be done," Inouye said of the hearings.
The panel sharply criticized Reagan for what it considered laxity in handling his duties as president. "We were fair," Inouye said. "Not because we wanted to be fair but because we had to be fair."
Inouye was born Sept. 7, 1924, to immigrant parents in Honolulu. After the Pearl Harbor bombings changed the course of his life, he volunteered for the Army at 18 and was assigned to the famed Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The team earned the nickname "Go For Broke." Inouye rose to the rank of captain and earned the Distinguished Service Cross and Bronze Star.
His military unit became the most highly decorated ever for its size and length of service.
Unlike the families of many of his comrades in arms, Inouye's wasn't subjected to the trauma and indignity of being sent by the U.S. government during the war to internment camps for Japanese Americans.
"It was the ultimate of patriotism," Inouye said at a 442nd reunion. "These men, who came from behind barbed wire internment camps where the Japanese-Americans were held, to volunteer to fight and give their lives. ... We knew we were expendable."
Inouye spent the next 20 months after losing his right arm in military hospitals. During his convalescence,Inouye met Bob Dole, the future majority leader of the Senate and 1996 Republican presidential candidate, who also was recovering from severe war injuries. The two later served together in the Senate for decades.
"With Sen. Inouye, what you saw is what you got and what you got was just a wonderful human being that served his country after the ill-treatment of the Japanese, lost an arm in the process," Dole said Monday. "He was the best bridge player on our floor. He did it all with one arm."
Despite his military service and honors, Inouye returned to an often-hostile America. On his way home from the war, he often recounted, he entered a San Francisco barbershop only to be told, "We don't cut Jap hair."
He returned to Hawaii and received a bachelor's degree in government and economics from the University of Hawaii in 1950. He graduated from George Washington University's law school in 1952.
Inouye proposed to Margaret Shinobu Awamura on their second date, and they married in 1949. Their only child, Daniel Jr., was born in 1964. When his wife died in 2006, Inouye said, "It was a most special blessing to have had Maggie in my life for 58 years."
He remarried in 2008, to Irene Hirano, a Los Angeles community leader.


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Stop saving for the down payment and get help with it
Despite having decent credit, a good job and the ability to pay for a home every month, the dream of buying a home is somewhat elusive for those with little to no cash to put down.
This is why our younger generation isn't buying homes at the rate that previous generations did.
With student loan debt weighing them down, there is little money left at the end of the month to set aside for the down payment on a home.
And, sadly, most lenders require you to have some skin in the game before they'll lend you money for that home.
Thankfully, there is help – both state and municipal agencies offer down payment and closing cost assistance to homebuyers across the country.
While it will take some work on your part, you can get around saving that huge chunk of cash known as the down payment.
Down payment assistance programs
Down payment assistance comes in the forms of grants (that don't have to be repaid) and loans — some at no interest or very low interest and some don't have to be repaid until you sell the home.
State Housing Finance Agencies (HFA) offer many opportunities so check into yours first. You can find a list online at ncsha.org.
Counties and cities also offer down payment assistance programs as do certain non-profit agencies and employers. In fact, some of the larger labor unions, such as the Culinary Workers Union, offer assistance.
Then, there are special programs for teachers and first responders. See HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door program for information on these programs.
Find state and local government programs on HUD's website, here.
No down payment loans
1. If you are a current member of the military, a veteran or a surviving spouse, look into the VA Loan.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't actually grant loans; they guarantee the repayment of a portion of the loan should the borrower default.
The loan is granted by a private lender but not all lenders participate in the program so you may have to shop around for one. We are happy to refer you to a lender that participates
The VA-backed mortgage requires no down payment and there is no requirement to purchase private mortgage insurance, which will make your monthly payment lower than with a conventional loan.
There is, however, a funding fee but it can be wrapped into the loan amount, so you won't have to come out-of-pocket for it.
2. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers the Rural Development home loan program which also requires no down payment.
They offer two different loan programs. The first is very much like the VA loan in that it offers the lender a government-backed guarantee.
The second program is a direct loan from the USDA and it's for low-income borrowers.
These loans are for homes in rural areas and you can learn if a home you are interested in qualifies by using the USDA website's eligibility tool.
Low down payment loans
Yes, FHA is popular for its low down-payment requirement, but when they changed the mortgage insurance requirement, the loan program became a lot less popular.
Today, the Mortgage Insurance Premium for the FHA loan sticks with it for the life of the loan.
If you need a low-down payment loan, however, this may be your program of choice. You'll pay either 3.5 or 10 percent of the loan amount, depending on your credit score and lender requirements.
Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac
The HomeReady® loan from Fannie Mae actually offers a lower down payment requirement than the FHA program – 3 percent. You will also have the option of cancelling the PMI when your equity in the home reaches 20 percent.
This loan is best for low-to-moderate income borrowers with credit scores of 680 or more. You do not need to be a first-time homebuyer to qualify.
Home Possible®, Freddie Mac's low-down payment program, offers down payment options as low as 3 percent. Learn more about this program online at freddiemac.com.
We are happy to share with you our information on no-to-low down payment loans. Give us a call.
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In the age and place I live, people are strange. They do not drink tea. Even if they do, it is the weird stuff, the echinacea tea, the dandelion tea, "please-don't-drink-me" tea but very rarely ever the simmering on the stove-frothy-milky-sweet-dhaba-style Indian tea.
I like the last kind. I patiently wait for the milk and water to simmer and froth, to put a teaspoonful of Lipton Red Label, to soak an Earl Grey tea bag in it, to sweeten it with sugar or Truvia when feeling guilty and then dunking my Marie Biscuit in that hot tea before I take a sip.
I do that every afternoon disregarding cries from my neglected kids who haven't seen their Mother all day. But I just need my tea exactly so, I need my inner strength to face home after a long day and so I brew my tea. The kids get a Marie Biscuit each, they are allowed to dunk their biscuits in my steaming cup. Their baby hands falter and often a sliver of Marie sinks into my tea, it's lumpy form settling at the bottom of my cup. Some days I don't mind. On rough days I do, I want to sip my tea in peace without a lump of Marie in the dredges.
But I never have a tea party. I don't call people and invite them to one. Not that anyone would come if I asked. Unless I said I would fry some pakodis and promised a dinner after wards. I have great friends that way. People don't have time to sit down and talk over only tea, they would rather grab a coffee and go and call to chat.
People have changed. They don't call out for "duto half cha"(two half tea) to justify their sitting and smoking all day on the rickety bench by Montuda's canteen. They don't acknowledge your hard work. No one thinks twice about passing your Mom's recipe as their own.They don't give you credit if it was actually you who inspired them. Being polite is no longer the norm.
So I drink my tea all by myself. I like it that way better. Even with the sunken Marie.
These Raspberry Cup Cakes are from Madhuram's Vegan Strawberry Cup Cakes. It was HC's raspberry cup cakes which had actually pushed me towards baking some. But I wanted an eggless version, and I wanted raspberry. Madhuram's strawberry cup cakes came to the rescue. They have vinegar. Can you believe...VINEGAR ? I was so awed by vinegar in the cake thing that I simply had to do it. And it is amazing, those cakes actually rise and are so moist inside without the buttery richness.
Since I used raspberry and not strawberry the measures were a little off for me. I added almost 3/4 th cup of milk and 2 tbsp of oil extra because my batter had become very thick. But those cakes were awesome. While serving I slathered some raspberry jelly on top and made a butter cream frosting like Happy Cook does. Only mine weren't as pretty as hers. Thanks Madhuram and Happy Cook.
I don't have any measurements so the recipe I have here is exactly like the original . But I did have to make some adjustments and I will add that as a Note.
Cup Hanger from Mother's Day
And yes I did have them with my tea, only I had my tea in under 6 minutes and that cup that you see in the first pic does not have tea. It is so pretty, a friend got me a pair from Italy and I don't drink from it. I just stare at it while I drink from my regular cup, that one I got from the job fair, the job fair which never resulted in a job...ok whatever.
Does this make this post good enough for a Tea Party at Anita's ? If yes, over there it goes.
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Original Recipe
Raspberry Cup Cakes
Preheat Oven to 350F
In a saucepan put about 20 raspberries, sprinkle with 2tbsp sugar, a little lime juice and let it sit for 30 mins. Then make a raspberry filling like this, only I didn't make mine very thick. Or else just puree the raspberrys.
In a mixing bowl combine together
1 & 3/4 cup flour,
1 tsp baking soda and
1 cup sugar.
In another bowl, mix
1/2 cup oil,
1 tbsp white vinegar/apple cider vinegar and
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add the raspberry filling that you made to above and mix. It won't mix well but try.
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir together but do not over stir.
Note: At this point my batter was very thick. So I added almost 3/4 cup of Milk and 1-2 tbsp of oil. I did this gradually starting with little milk so that I did not add excess milk.
Grease 12 muffin cups or cup cake liners. Pour the batter in them
Bake for about 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When cool, slather the cupcakes with raspberry preserve, butter cream and top each with a whole raspberry.


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Rolling Stone Puts Boston Marathon Bomber on Cover, Lots of Folks Not Happy About It [UPDATED]
Alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhohkar Tsarnaev will be on the cover of next month's Rolling Stone. The decision has sparked a great deal of controversy, with many condemning the magazine for glamorizing the suspected terrorist.
The issue includes an in-depth story, called "Jahar's World," by Janet Reitman, who spent two months interviewing Tsarnaev's friends and former acquaintances, law enforcement officials who investigated the bombing, and dozens of other sources to put together a piece that, as the cover suggests, shows "how a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster."
But that's not what's upsetting people. Tsarnaev's image on the cover clearly makes him look like one of the hundreds of rock stars who have been on the front of the iconic music magazine over the last five decades. There are already well over 1,000 comments posted below a preview of the story on the Rolling Stone website, most of them negative, some harshly so.
On Rolling Stone's Facebook page, the most popular comment thus far says "Jeff Bauman, who lost both legs, should be on cover." Bauman was in one of the most haunting, widely seen photos in the bombing's aftermath, and was recently featured in The New York Times in an extensive follow-up story about his recovery.
The decision to put Tsarnaev on the cover may well help to sell issues, or it's possible that the backlash will cause a loss in subscriptions for Rolling Stone.
UPDATE (4:30 p.m. EST): Rolling Stone has issued a statement on their Facebook page:
"Our hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and our thoughts are always with them and their families. The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone's long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day. The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens. –THE EDITORS"
A local Boston TV station, WCVB, spoke with residents: