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Saturday, September 12, 2009
Smoked Salmon Frittata - Pink Saturday
Sides of Atlantic salmon hanging in a smoke shack.
Fillets of Pacific salmon in a backyard smoker.
This lovely frittata is wonderful for brunch or a light supper. While smoked salmon is expensive, I've learned that small amounts of it can raise fairly ordinary fare, such as this frittata, to new heights. We have a modern smoking facility here in town and it's fascinating to watch the salmon being cured and smoked. It can be done in one of two ways. Hot-smoked salmon is smoked from 6 to 12 hours at temperatures that can range from 120 to 180 degrees F. The size of the fish will determine the time and temperature at which it is smoked. Proximity to the source of the smoke can also affect the flavor of the fish. Cold-smoked salmon is smoked for 1 day to 3 weeks at temperatures that range from 70 to 90 degrees F. Within those two categories there are many types of salmon. Indian-cured salmon, which is like a jerky, is brined and cold-smoked for up to 2 weeks. In the United States, kippered salmon usually comes from chunks, steaks or fillets of Chinook salmon that have been brined and hot-smoked. In Europe, a kippered salmon is a whole salmon that has been split before being brined and cold-smoked. Lox is brine-cured, cold-smoked salmon that tends to be saltier than other types. Nova or Nova Scotia salmon is a designation used in the eastern United States to describe cold-smoked salmon. Scotch-smoked, Danish-smoked and Irish-smoked salmon are all cold-smoked Atlantic salmon that are named for the region in which they are caught. I used thinly sliced lox for this very simple recipe. My frittata bakes in the oven rather than cooking on the stovetop, so it's super simple and nearly foolproof. Here's how we do it.
Smoked Salmon Frittata ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
6 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 pound smoked salmon, torn into pieces
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
5 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon butter
Optional garnish: dill sprigs, sour cream
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Combine eggs, sour cream salt and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Add flour and whisk to blend. Stir in salmon, cheese, green onions and dill.
3) Using a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, set pan over medium heat, add butter and heat until butter sizzles. Pour in egg mixture. Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until eggs are set and the top is brown. Cut into wedges and garnish with sour cream and dill if using. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
They post is being linked to Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.
58 comments :
- chow and chatter said...
this looks wonderful smoked Salmon is big in Scotland where I grew up
- September 11, 2009 at 11:40 AM
- Mary | Deep South Dish said...
Mmmmm, I'm sure I would love this!
- September 11, 2009 at 1:40 PM
- La Cuisine d'Helene said...
I love smoked salmon. We can find good one around here. Frittata looks perfect.
- September 11, 2009 at 1:57 PM
- Jamie said...
I love smoked salmon. I have made omelets with it, but wow this frittata is amazing. Looks more like a quiche, so thick and rich. Looks delicious!
- September 11, 2009 at 1:58 PM
- NKP said...
Yum, I love smoked salmon.
That smoker is great, I have to get hubby one some day. - September 12, 2009 at 12:21 AM
- My Little Space said...
Frittata with smoked salmon, sounds delicious! And I need extra cheese for that!
- September 12, 2009 at 1:39 AM
- Cucinista said...
This does look like the perfect brunch. Love the photos of the salmon!
- September 12, 2009 at 3:23 AM
- Linda said...
We had a little smoker when I was young and we had a boat (I am on the Pacific coast so west coast salmon)...I remember my Mom staying up all night to tend the smoker when she was smoking salmon. She canned it, froze it, smoked it..LOL...but I was allergic to it! She would have enjoyed your recipe for the Fritata I think. Happy Pink Saturday!
Linda - September 12, 2009 at 4:14 AM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
What a perfect and pretty frittata and smoked salmon is so good!
- September 12, 2009 at 5:55 AM
- Katy said...
We don't, as a rule, eat fish, but this looks so good, I would like to try a sliver!
- September 12, 2009 at 8:04 AM
- Selba said...
A wonderful dish for weekend. I like the smell of smoke salmon :)
- September 12, 2009 at 8:30 AM
- Gee said...
The smoked salmon frittata looks yummy. Thanks for sharing and happy pink saturday.
- September 12, 2009 at 8:41 AM
- Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...
I love smoked salmon and also frittatas. Have never combined them although I've seen recipes. Yours is very inspiring - I'll bookmark it and give it a try.
Happy pink Saturday. This is my first Saturday to participate. Fun stuff.
Sam - September 12, 2009 at 9:41 AM
- Bumble Bee Cottage said...
I love smoked salmon and frittata so thankyou for this tasty recipe. I think my kids will like this one too. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
- September 12, 2009 at 9:52 AM
- Dawn said...
Just wanted to say thanks for coming by last Pink Saturday! It took me a while to get by after a busy Labor Day weekend and a week with a sick daughter.
The salmon looks wonderful. I'm ready for breakfast now!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Dawn - September 12, 2009 at 9:59 AM
- Elena said...
Why is it that I always start to feel peckish when I visit here, lol ? Yumm.
Have a happy pink weekend and great week.
ciao for now,
Elena :) - September 12, 2009 at 10:09 AM
- Maggie said...
I love to make a frittata with left over vegetables and such, and smoked salmon is something we both enjoy.
This sounds like a recipe I have to try.
Thanks for sharing.
Maggie - September 12, 2009 at 10:56 AM
- Seams to Sew and Quilt said...
I love smoked salmon and that looks so tasty. Have a good PS.
Vera - September 12, 2009 at 12:27 PM
- ♥Mimi♥ said...
L♥ve your pink goodies this week. Just when I think I have enough pink in my life I participate in Pink Saturday and see even more sweet things I'd enjoy having in my home or flowers for my gardens or just to look at☺ What could be better than the color pink dancing in your head all morning?
I'll be makin' this over the weekend! Thanks for another idea for me to use salmon in my cooking!
Thanks so much for sharing. Hoping your weekend is filled with sunshine and the comfort of those you love and who love you. - September 12, 2009 at 12:28 PM
- Gabriela said...
Happy Pink Saturday!
I am crazy about Salmon! Awesome post!
~ Gabriela ~ - September 12, 2009 at 12:37 PM
- La Bella Cooks said...
Wow, look how delicious and fluffy this turned out! My grandmother used to get her frittatas so fluffy like that as well...too bad I didn't appreciate their flavor as a kid! I love the use of sour cream as I have only tried it with heavy cream. I am trying this!
- September 12, 2009 at 12:59 PM
- Sara Chapman in Seattle, USA said...
Your recipes sound so great, and the photos are gorgeous, too! Wish I was cooking for more people. Thanks for visiting!
- September 12, 2009 at 1:12 PM
- meandering pearl said...
oh im such a fan of salmon!!!
happy pink saturday to you!! - September 12, 2009 at 1:16 PM
- stefanie said...
you always have the best pictures, have a wonderful weekend, thanks for all the recipes
- September 12, 2009 at 1:39 PM
- Angela said...
Thanks for visiting me! I'm glad I visited your blog! When your header came up I was in awe of that fork with the perfect bite!
This is my kind of post! I love one that shows some pinks plus has a little recipe or some type of an educational aspect to it! Although I've never had salmon and I'm not much of a seafood eater at all, I am going to sit down and take a good long look at some of your other recipes! I'll probably join in on the fun also!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Angela - September 12, 2009 at 1:49 PM
- Kathy said...
What a beautiful frittata! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Have a great weekend...Kathy
- September 12, 2009 at 2:12 PM
- Catharina Maria said...
I love smoked salmon. And I will try this !!
Love from the Netherlands , Rini - September 12, 2009 at 2:27 PM
- Jany Schindler said...
Happy Pink Saturday. Yuummy... Salmon is one of my favorites.
Fall is in the air here today. The high today is 58 and the low is going to get down in the 30's Time to bring in some firewood.
Don't forget to "Look in the Nook" - September 12, 2009 at 3:07 PM
- Amy said...
Yum! I was just telling a friend I wanted a smoked salmon frittata for brunch tomorrow. I'm adding this to the list!
- September 12, 2009 at 3:30 PM
- Char said...
Oh my, that looks so good. You are making my mouth water. Happy PInk Saturday and thankyou so much for the recipe. I will try that for sure, Char
If you haven't already done so, make sure to stop by my blog and enter into the shabbylaneshops giveaway. Many of us have donated beautiful items for a monthly giveaway. The value is around $100.00 and there are lots of pretty things there, good luck, Char - September 12, 2009 at 5:08 PM
- Martha@A Sense of Humor is Essential said...
Yum, I love salmon, my husband makes a delightful salmon with dill cream sauce, served with cooked spinach, piped mashed potatoes, and poached sliced apples. Heavenly! Thank you for a wonderful recipe and comment also. Happy P.S.
- September 12, 2009 at 6:36 PM
- LV said...
Guess I am going to have quit looking at your post. All that great looking salmon and cannot eat any of it. You are no doubt a great cook ,and I would enjoy one of your meals.
- September 12, 2009 at 6:40 PM
- Jillian's Bella Rosa Antiques said...
Oh my, that looks yummy!
- September 12, 2009 at 7:24 PM
- Sarah said...
Thanks for the recipe, salmon and frittata...what a perfect combination. Thanks for stopping by on this rainy afternoon. Happy Pink Saturday! ~ Sarah
- September 12, 2009 at 7:28 PM
- Vicki said...
Hi, Mary,
Mmmm. . . everything looks delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe, too. Happy Pink Saturday! Vicki - September 12, 2009 at 7:38 PM
- Abatevintage said...
Mary thank you for stopping by, and your wonderful comment. I hope this weekend is finding you and that you are having a blessed pink Saturday, I loved your post on the pink salmon lovely done, and it looked delicious.
P.S. Please come back and see me anytime. Thank you again. - September 12, 2009 at 7:50 PM
- Sue McPeak said...
I just finished dinner, but I would make room for that Salmon Frittata. Thanks for the recipe. I will give it a try. Also, thanks for stopping by CollectInTexas Gal on this, my first Pink Saturday...Sue
- September 12, 2009 at 8:04 PM
- Terri Morse said...
I adore salmon! I didn't used to like fish at all, and it was the first seafood that I actually developed a love for. It looks yummy. Hope you're having a lovely weekend.
- September 12, 2009 at 8:27 PM
- Lisa said...
Oh yummy!! Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Hugs, Lisa - September 12, 2009 at 8:53 PM
Mmm, looks good! my family would never eat it though , they are sooo picky!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Missy - September 12, 2009 at 9:40 PM
- Charlene said...
I LOVE SALMON!! Thank you for stopping by to visit & view my back splash featured for Pink Saturday. You asked if that was a window. No, that is a wall behind Sandra's stove that the artist took china plate & broke/cut each one & then pieced them together using grout like you would use in tiling a bathroom shower. Isn't it amazing. The artist was so talented. I just fell in love with it. If you go to the site you can see her lovely cottage. Have a blessed day. I always love to see what yummy goodies you have to share.
- September 12, 2009 at 9:40 PM
- Sue said...
Thank you for stopping by to visit. My lunch today looked a lot like this but was actually spinich and artichoke quiche. It was yummy! I love meals like that. Have a great week!
Blessings~LillySue - September 12, 2009 at 10:17 PM
- theUngourmet said...
This is the only way my husband will eat salmon. Smoked, I mean.
Your frittata is lovely! - September 12, 2009 at 11:23 PM
- Unknown said...
Salmon ....Mmmmm
Thanks for your sweet comment.
Happy Pink Saturday!!! - September 12, 2009 at 11:28 PM
- Martha's Favorites said...
Your blog always makes me hungry. It looks so good. Blessings, Martha
- September 12, 2009 at 11:57 PM
- Country Wings in Phoenix said...
Oh Mary!
I so love this Pink Saturday post. I love pink salmon. This frittata looks amazing. I am going to have to share this with my Moma when I go home the end of the month as my brother loves salmon, and she will have to make it for him. He would love it. Sounds and looks delish. Thanks for sharing and Happy Pink Saturday sweetie. Country hugs, Sherry - September 13, 2009 at 12:30 AM
delicious think I will make it for lunch at work this week hope you have a fab pink week
Val - September 13, 2009 at 3:21 AM
- Ruth said...
Such mouth watering dishes! Happy Pink Saturday and thanks for stopping by suburbia.
- September 13, 2009 at 5:54 AM
- test it comm said...
A smoked salmon frittata sounds so good!
- September 13, 2009 at 10:30 AM
- Olga said...
Mary, this looks awesome! Love smoked salmon and dill together. I've made a similar omelet, but your frittata is so much more impressive.
- September 13, 2009 at 11:42 AM
- Unknown said...
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your kind comments!
Oh how wonderful! I'm having a friend over for a crafting afternoon and am providing lunch. I was going to make a quiche, but this will be perfect! Thank you so much for sharing!! I love it!
Teresa - September 13, 2009 at 12:24 PM
- Happily Retired Gal said...
You always share the most tantalizing dishes and your recipes make me THINK about cooking again. Smoked salmon is a huge favorite of mine but the pork tenderloin in Sunday's post looks mouth watering. Thanks for visiting my very first Pink Saturday post. I've enjoyed meeting new bloggers but it's taking me a while to get caught up. Hope you've had a lovely weekend!
Hugs and blessings, - September 13, 2009 at 4:40 PM
- Patricia said...
Another wonderful recipe - your photos are so pleasing to the eyes. Happy Pink Saturday and wishing you a wonderful new week.
- September 13, 2009 at 7:47 PM
- Jeanie said...
Thanks so much for visiting The Marmelade Gypsy on Pink Saturday.
Now salmon -- that's my kind of pink! Great idea! - September 14, 2009 at 5:25 PM
- Susie Jefferson said...
Hi - I finally got here! The computer crashed, so I had a fair bit of rejigging to do... talk about late! Anyway, Happy Pink Saturday (although it's now Wednesday....)
I love the look of that balsamic marmalade. - September 16, 2009 at 12:48 PM
- Kathy said...
Wow, that sure looks wonderful! I was thinking about getting my husband a smoker for Christmas - now I'm thinking I REALLY need to!!! ;)
- September 16, 2009 at 1:49 PM
- MC said...
Ok, I made this last night (blog post and it's actually pretty amazing! The addition of the cheese is just superb, great choice!
I'm a huge fan of breakfast type foods and often make "brinner" as a result, so this was totally up my alley and it was delicious! - October 27, 2009 at 9:30 AM
- Big Dude said...
The frittata sounds delicious Mary and I really like the shot of the whole smoked fillets.
- January 4, 2014 at 7:10 AM


text:
'Dear Abby,' who delivered advice from the heartland, dies at 94
MINNEAPOLIS — Pauline Friedman Phillips, who under the name of Abigail Van Buren, wrote the long-running "Dear Abby" advice column that was followed by millions of newspaper readers throughout the world, has died. She was 94.
Publicist Gene Willis of Universal Uclick said Phillips died Wednesday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Phillips' column competed for decades with the advice column of Ann Landers, written by her twin sister, Esther Friedman Lederer. Their relationship was stormy in their early adult years, but later they regained the close relationship they had growing up in Sioux City, Iowa.
The two columns differed in style. Ann Landers responded to questioners with homey, detailed advice. Abby'sreplies were often flippant one-liners.
Phillips admitted that her advice changed over the years. When she started writing the column, she was reluctant to advocate divorce:
"I always thought that marriage should be forever," she explained. "I found out through my readers that sometimes the best thing they can do is part. If a man or woman is a constant cheater, the situation can be intolerable. Especially if they have children. When kids see parents fighting, or even sniping at each other, I think it is terribly damaging."
She willingly expressed views that she realized would bring protests. In a 1998 interview she remarked: "Whenever I say a kind word about gays, I hear from people, and some of them are damn mad. People throw Leviticus, Deuteronomy and other parts of the Bible to me. It doesn't bother me. I've always been compassionate toward gay people."
If the letters sounded suicidal, she took a personal approach: "I'll call them. I say, 'This is Abby. How are you feeling? You sounded awfully low.' And they say, 'You're calling me?' After they start talking, you can suggest that they get professional help."
Asked about Viagra, she replied: "It's wonderful. Men who can't perform feel less than manly, and Viagra takes them right off the spot."
About working mothers: "I think it's good to have a woman work if she wants to and doesn't leave her children unattended — if she has a reliable person to care for them. Kids still need someone to watch them until they are mature enough to make responsible decisions."
One trend Phillips adamantly opposed: children having sex as early as 12 years old.
"Kids grow up awfully fast these days," she said. "You should try to have a good relationship with your kids, no matter what they do."
The woman known to the world as Ann Landers died in June 2002. Later that year, the family revealed that Phillips had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. By then Phillips' daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who had helped her mother with the Dear Abby column for years, was its sole author.
Pauline Esther Friedman, known as Popo, was born on Independence Day 1918 in Sioux City, Iowa, 17 minutes after her identical twin, Esther Pauline (Eppie.). Their father was a well-off owner of a movie theater chain. Their mother took care of the home. Both were immigrants from Russia who had fled their native land in 1905 because of the persecution of Jews.
"My parents came with nothing. They all came with nothing," Phillips said in a 1986 Associated Press interview. She recalled that her parents always remembered seeing the Statue of Liberty: "It's amazing the impact the lady of the harbor had on them. They always held her dear, all their lives."
The twins spent their growing-up years together. They dressed alike, they both played the violin, they wrote gossip columns for their high school and college newspapers. They attended Morningside College in Sioux Falls. Two days before their 21st birthday, they had a double wedding. Pauline married Morton Phillips, a businessman, Esther married Jules Lederer, a business executive and later founder of Budget Rent-a-Car. The twins' lives diverged as they followed their husbands to different cities.
The Phillipses lived in Minneapolis, Eau Claire, Wis., and San Francisco, and had a son and daughter, Edward Jay and Jeanne. Esther lived in Chicago, had a daughter, Margo, and in 1955 she applied for and was given the job of writing the advice column. She adopted the existing column's name, Ann Landers.
Pauline, who had been working for philanthropies and the Democratic Party, followed her sister's lead, though she insisted it wasn't the reason for her decision. She arranged for an interview with an editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and presented sample columns, arguing that the paper's lovelorn column was boring. The editors admired her breezy style, and she was hired.
Searching for a name for the column, Pauline chose Abigail from the Bible and Van Buren from the eighth American president. Within a year she signed a 10-year contract with the McNaught Syndicate, which spread her column across the country.
"I was cocky," she admitted in 1998. "My contemporaries would come to me for advice. I got that from my mother: the ability to listen and to help other people with their problems. I also got Daddy's sense of humor."
Pauline applied for the advice column without notifying her sister, and that reportedly resulted in bad feelings. For a long time they did not speak to each other, but their differences were patched up. In June 2001, the twins, 83, attended the 90th birthday party in Omaha, Neb., of their sister Helen Brodkey.
The advice business extended to the second generation of the Friedmans. Phillips had announced in 2000 that her daughter would share her byline. Her sister's daughter, Margo Howard, wrote an advice column for the online magazine Slate.
Aside from the Dear Abby column, which appeared in 1,000 newspapers as far off as Brazil and Thailand, Phillips conducted a radio version of "Dear Abby" from 1963 to 1975 and wrote best-selling books about her life and advice.
In her book "The Best of Abby," Phillips commented that her years writing the column "have been fulfilling, exciting and incredibly rewarding. … My readers have told me that they've learned from me. But it's the other way around. I've learned from them. Has it been a lot of work? Not really. It's only work if you'd rather be doing something else."

subset: commoncrawl


text: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a bacterial infection of the female reproductive organs. It's often caused by the same bacteria responsible for several sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia, or in some cases, bacteria that has traveled through the vagina and cervix by way of an intrauterine device (IUD). PID can affect any of the reproductive organs such as the uterus, fallopian tubes or the ovaries causing pelvic adhesions and scar tissue, ongoing pelvic pain, the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy (the fertilized egg becomes implanted outside the uterus) or infertility. One in 10 women with PID becomes infertile and, if left untreated, PID can also lead to chronic infection. If PID is not diagnosed early enough, peritonitis and inflammation of the walls of the abdominal and pelvic cavity may develop. Who is at risk for pelvic inflammatory disease? Although women of any age can develop PID, sexually active women under age 25, and those of childbearing age are at the greatest risk of acquiring the disease through sexually transmitted bacteria. Women who use intrauterine devices (IUDs) are also at an increased risk. What are the symptoms of PID? The following are the most common symptoms of PID. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms of PID include: diffuse pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen pelvic pain increased foul-smelling vaginal discharge fever and chills vomiting and nausea pain during urination abdominal pain (upper right area) pain during sexual intercourse Symptoms may be mild enough that the condition may go undiagnosed. The symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your health care provider for a diagnosis. How is PID diagnosed? In addition to a complete medical history and physical and pelvic examination, diagnostic procedures for PID may include the following: Microscopic examination of samples from the vagina and cervix. Blood tests. Pap test: test that involves microscopic examination of cells collected from the cervix, used to detect changes that may be cancer or may lead to cancer, and to show noncancerous conditions, such as infection or inflammation. Ultrasound : A diagnostic imaging technique which uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the internal organs. Laparoscopy : A minor surgical procedure in which a laparoscope, a thin tube with a lens and a light, is inserted into an incision in the abdominal wall. Using the laparoscope to see into the pelvic area, the physician can determine the locations, extent and size of the endometrial growths. Culdocentesis: A procedure in which a needle is inserted into the pelvic cavity through the vaginal wall to obtain a sample of pus. How can PID be treated? Specific treatment for PID will be determined by your health care provider based on: your age, overall health and medical history extent of the disease type and severity of the symptoms your tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies expectations for the course of the disease your opinion or preference Treatment for PID usually includes oral antibiotics, particularly if there is evidence of gonorrhea or chlamydia. In cases of severe infection, hospitalization may be required to administer intravenous antibiotics. Occasionally, surgery is necessary.


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Kenny Malone
Kenny Malone hails from Meadville, PA where the zipper was invented, where Clark Gable's mother is buried and where, in 2007, a wrecking ball broke free from a construction site, rolled down North Main Street and somehow wound up inside the trunk of a Ford Taurus sitting at a red light.
Malone graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH as a mathematics major and economics minor. He took an un-ironic oath to use mathematics for good not evil. Per that oath, Malone has taken on a wide array of non-evil numbers-based reporting endeavors -- everything from proving the existence of a home-field heat advantage for the Miami Dolphins to explaining South Florida's economy in terms of automobiles on I-95 to exposing the extraordinary toll the densest cluster of assisted living facilities in the state had on both local authorities and the residents of those facilities in Lauderhill, FL.
Malone's work has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition as well as APM's Marketplace and The Story. His work has won national awards for religion, financial, crime and investigative reporting as well as three Best in Show Green Eyeshade Awards, the National Edward R. Murrow Award for use of sound, the National Headliner and PRNDI awards for series reporting, and the Scripps Howard Award for In-Depth Radio Reporting.
Malone lives in Miami Beach with his scruffy dog, Sir Xavier Charpentier III.


text:
Welcome to Dragon Cave! Dragon Cave is an online adoptables game. Collect eggs, raise them to adulthood, and then breed them to create interesting lineages. New dragons are added regularly!
Candelabra Dragons are a spectacular sight against the dark midnight sky. The glowing orbs that decorate their golden wings can be seen from far away and give them the unparalleled brilliance they are recognizable for. Proudly earnest, Candelabra Dragons will often go to extreme lengths to protect those close to them, even giving their lives to rescue a loved one from peril. However, they do not take lightly the breaking of a promise, and have been known to unleash a furious wrath when betrayed.
Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling's wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.


text:
NPR's business news starts with Amazon and taxes.
They say two things are certain: death and taxes. But Amazon is still hoping to avoid at least one of those things. The online retailer is reportedly promising Florida lawmakers it will create up to 3,000 jobs in the state and build new distribution centers in Florida, if lawmakers give Amazon a two-year break from collecting state sales tax.
As in other states, Florida is considering bills to force online retailers - the big one being Amazon itself - to collect that tax from customers. States want the revenue, and local brick-and-mortar merchants are sick of losing customers who go online and avoid sales tax. Amazon's offer in Florida is similar to a deal it cut with South Carolina last year. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
When there's a cylinder of medical oxygen in the room, the last thing you want it to do is burst into flames.
So the Food and Drug Administration says Praxair has recalled its Grab 'n Go Vantage portable oxygen units. The product combines an aluminum cylinder with a regulator that releases the oxygen at the right pressure for medical use.
It's a handy combination, but only when the Grab 'n Go is working right.
Turns out that if these cylinders get kicked around or knocked over they can sometimes catch fire.
The flames can cause the cylinders to break open, according to the FDA. People nearby could get burned. Patients would also be at risk of not getting enough oxygen.
Previously, Praxair said its investigation found that Grab 'n Go units with a particular type of o-ring between the regulator valve and the cylinder "may be more prone to this type of incident."
When the cylinders are returned for servicing or refilling, Praxair is replacing the old o-rings with Teflon models. Praxair has told customers to send the tanks back for the fix and to be careful in handling them.
As of late last month, about half of the units in the U.S. had been retrofitted. The ones that have been fixed carry a decal reading "T" for Teflon.
This is a Class I recall, which is the most serious kind in the FDA's system. That status is reserved for cases where use of the product could cause serious health problems, including death.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced a final rule that will make purchasing health coverage easier for consumers. The policies outlined today will give consumers a consistent way to compare and enroll in health coverage in the individual and small group markets, while giving states and insurers more flexibility and freedom to implement the Affordable Care Act.
"The Affordable Care Act helps people get the health insurance they need," said Secretary Sebelius. "People all across the country will soon find it easier to compare and enroll in health plans with better coverage, greater quality and new benefits."
Today's rule outlines health insurance issuer standards for a core package of benefits, called essential health benefits, that health insurance issuers must cover both inside and outside the Health Insurance Marketplace. Through its standards for essential health benefits, the final rule released today also expands coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment, for millions of Americans.
A new report by HHS, also released today, details how these provisions will expand mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections for 62 million more Americans.
In the past, nearly 20 percent of individuals purchasing insurance didn't have access to mental health services, and nearly one third had no coverage for substance use disorder services. The rule seeks to fix that gap in coverage by expanding coverage of these benefits in three distinct ways:
- By including mental health and substance use disorder benefits as Essential Health Benefits
- By applying federal parity protections to mental health and substance use disorder benefits in the individual and small group markets
- By providing more Americans with access to quality health care that includes coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services
To give states the flexibility to define essential health benefits in a way that would best meet the needs of their residents, this rule also finalizes a benchmark-based approach. This approach allows states to select a benchmark plan from options offered in the market, which are equal in scope to a typical employer plan. Twenty-six states selected a benchmark plan for their state, and the largest small business plan in each state will be the benchmark for the rest.
The rule additionally outlines actuarial value levels in the individual and small group markets, which helps to distinguish health plans offering different levels of coverage. Beginning in 2014, plans that cover essential health benefits must cover a certain percentage of costs, known as actuarial value or "metal levels." These levels are 60 percent for a bronze plan, 70 percent for a silver plan, 80 percent for a gold plan, and 90 percent for a platinum plan. Metal levels will allow consumers to compare insurance plans with similar levels of coverage and cost-sharing based on premiums, provider networks, and other factors. In addition, the health care law limits the annual amount of cost sharing that individuals will pay across all health plans – preventing insured Americans from facing catastrophic costs associated with an illness or injury.
Policies in today's rule also provide more information on accreditation standards for qualified health plans (QHPs) that will be offered through the Health Insurance Marketplaces (also known as Exchanges), one-stop shops that will provide access to quality, affordable private health insurance choices.
Together, these provisions will help consumers compare and select health plans in the individual and small group markets based on what is important to them and their families. People can make these choices knowing these health plans will cover a core set of critical benefits and can more easily compare the level of coverage based on a uniform standard. Further, these provisions help expand choices and competition on the Marketplaces.
For more information on today's rule, visit: http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/factsheets/ehb-2-20-2013.html
To view the rule, visit: http://www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx
For more information on how today's rule helps those in need of mental health and substance use disorder services, visit: http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/mental/rb_mental.cfm


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Next victim! This is the little lamb who used to be called Spot (until we started calling this guy Spot),
She was very brave during her first woolcut.
And she looks so different now!
I love the black sheep (read about shearing them here, see more black sheep photos here).
It's my baby Cary!
Action shot - a shepherd's crook is indispensible.
Shearing Inspector, aka Franny, my 2009 Katahdin bottle baby (scroll down to see her face here)
Wool Inspector
It's Spot's spot!
Turns out, little light brown Freida is really a beautiful brownish grey.
He makes it look so easy.
Da Big Guy went second to last—and had a whole lot of wool on him.
And it's a whole new ewe!
Preparations for Sheep Shearing Saturday began on Friday, when we moved the non-pregnant sheep—who have been living across the driveway from the barn in about an acre and a half-size pen—into the barn with the pregnant ewes (yes, the fabulous, incredible, very-high-ceilinged, no hardhat required, new barn—which I still haven't shared construction photos of, but will someday soon I promise). That way we could lock them in the barn for the night and they would all stay dry, because even just a heavy dew on the wool means you can't shear them.
On Saturday morning we penned the sheep and their faithful stock dog, Lucky Buddy Bear, into one side of the barn to await their turn at shearing (you can see some of them waiting here.) One by one, they were caught up by my hunky farmguy Joe and maneuvered over to the shearer.
At that point, the sheep were all together in one group; the divider panels were only there to help move them along and keep them from smashing up against each other quite as much, especially since some of them are very pregnant.
After each sheep was sheared, they were urged toward a pen behind the barn where fresh hay awaited, but a number of the sheep chose to circle back around the shearer and me as I was gathering up the wool so they could hang out with their unshorn buddies.
Usually we would sort them back into groups at this time (the pregnant ewes get more food than the rest of the flock), but since we decided we wanted to work all the sheep first (trimming hooves and giving each of them a natural wormer and all-around health tonic 'drench' of garlic juice and organic raw apple cider vinegar), the pregnant ewes (along with a few really old sheep who need some extra TLC) were given a green chalk mark on their backs so we can easily see who to sort out after working them. (We also drink 1 Tablespoon of organic raw apple cider vinegar diluted in a glass of water each day for our own overall health. Drink it through a straw to save your tooth enamel!)
We used to shear our sheep in late spring after lambing season was over, but we've found that it works out better for everyone if we do it before lambing season—especially since late spring shearing always seemed to happen during a massive heat wave. You can read more about why we now shear early here.
And while it's definitely still winter in southern Missouri, the sheep will be fine. The first three or four days after they're sheared are the most critical, and it's important to keep them warm and dry (freezing rain is the worst). The weather has been fairly mild the past few days, but we've been locking them in the barn at night just to be safe. Our shearer also used a different cutting comb than he does during warmer months, so more wool was left on the sheep.
The only drawback to shearing so much earlier is that juggling everybody's schedules along with the winter weather can often be quite tricky. I think this is the first time in four years that we actually sheared the sheep on the first day we planned to do it. You can read more about shearing rescheduling here.
We sheared a total of 39 sheep this year (at a cost of $6 per sheep), some of which were the crossbred Suffolk and Katahdin hair sheep we're experimenting with in an effort to reduce internal parasite problems, specifically the 'barber pole' stomach worms that thrive in our three wet and warm seasons. So far the plan is working beautifully.
The purebred Katahdins in our flock, who are naturally parasite resistant, don't need to be sheared; their hair comes off on its own. You can see how that works here, and you'll find more photos of our Katahdin hair sheep here.
We also didn't shear the three oldest sheep because the stress of losing their wool this time of year is too great. We learned this the hard way last winter. Big Chip and Skinny Chip (my two big pet wethers who were the first lambs born during my very first lambing season, and who still love to hug) and Martha, the last of the 'old flock,' are fourteen, which is old. Since most people get rid of sheep long before that (if they haven't already died), there isn't a lot of information available on the care of geriatric woolies.
Many of you ask what we do with all the wool. My original plan when I acquired my starter flock shortly after moving to the country 15 years ago was to raise colored wool sheep and become a hand spinner (and better knitter). But things don't always go as planned. Instead, we raise meat sheep. Yes, some of our lambs do end up on the dinner table—after they've had the very best, all natural, stress free lives possible. You can read a little more about how I feel about raising animals for meat, which I am so glad I do, here.
So we raise meat sheep, not 'wool' sheep, and the fleeces that come off our sheep when they're sheared aren't the kind desired by hand spinners. Our sheep are mostly Suffolks (with the black faces and legs), and that breed is known for having wool that is coarse and short, which aren't desirable qualities for spinning.
Add to that the fact that our sheep regularly tromp through the woods and brambles and do not wear little cloth coats to keep their coats clean, and let's just say that basically their wool is a mess. That said, a few adventurous souls have actually spun some of it (after spending either countless hours cleaning it or lots of dollars paying to have somebody else do it), and I was thrilled to once touch a sweater made from 'my' wool.
I acquired my original flock of sheep in 1995, and I used to pay $2 a sheep to have them sheared. At that time there was a market for wool, and the shearer would act as a middleman. He tightly packed the fleeces into giant burlap sacks which he took when he left.
When he was finished shearing sheep for the season, he would sell all the sacks at one time to a big wool buyer. He knew ahead of time how much they would pay, so he paid me for my wool when he sheared, deducting a few cents per pound as his cut. The wool payment more than covered the cost of shearing.
He paid me about 37 cents a pound, and even the icky 'tags,' all the leftover really dirty pieces of wool, earned me 10 cents a pound. A few years later, the bottom fell out of the U.S. wool market, and he said the wool buyers were only paying something like 3 cents a pound for the good wool, which simply wasn't worth all the work for him to handle it anymore. Shearing suddenly became another cost, rather than a profit.
At this time, we don't have any wool for sale. And while the half-Katahdin fleeces need to be sheared off the sheep, I'm not sure if that 'wool' would even be spinnable.
We do, however, put some of the wool to good use around the farm. It makes excellent permanent mulch, and very cozy pet beds. And I have some of the nicest brown fleeces (that I love so much) set aside, just in case I ever have the time and inclination to do something wonderful and crafty with them.
The actual shearing time this year was just over two and a half hours, which really wasn't long at all (I've had it take over 7 hours to shear far fewer sheep when it was just me and a different sheep shearer working in the heat), but it's always an exhausting process nonetheless.
Okay, I hope I've answered all your questions, and that you've enjoyed this little sheep shearing adventure. Farmgirl Fare—it's all of the farm fun and none of the work!
Want to see more sheep shearing photos?
1/31/07: This Year's New Sheep Shearing Plan
2/3/07: Sheep Shearing Delays
2/7/07: Cary Coming at You!
2/11/07: Cary's First Woolcut
2/18/07: Scenes from Sheep Shearing Day 2007
2/19/07: Back in Black—I Love Black Sheep!
3/12/08: Cary Babies?
© FarmgirlFare.com, the photo filled foodie farm blog where it's always so nice to have the sheep shearing done—and I don't seem to have posted any photos of Sheep Shearing Day 2009. Huh. I do know we definitely did it!


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What should one do when feeling a desperate urge to make something sweet but has no time to wait for the butter to come to room temperature, not to mention there is something else in the oven? Candy. In my case, bright red and very, very sweet lollipops.
These might look tricky, but believe me, they are not. The lollipops were fun to make and I think they would be a great treat for birthday parties – not only for kids, of course. :D
from The Christmas Candy Book
1 cup (200g) sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup (80ml) water
1-2 drops oil of anise, cinnamon, clove, lemon or orange – I used vanilla extract
few drops of red, yellow, blue or green food coloring
Oil a marble slab or baking sheet. Have ready at least a dozen wooden sucker sticks.
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water and stir to blend. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and boil for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and insert a candy thermometer in the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 143ºC/290ºF. If sugar crystals form on the pan sides, wash the down with a pastry brush dipped in warm water.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately dip the bottom of it into a pan of cold water to arrest cooking, removing quickly before the mixture gets too cold. Place on a dry kitchen towel. Add the flavoring and coloring of choice.
Using a large metal spoon, immediately spoon a little less than 4cm (1½ in) pools of syrup onto the prepared marble slab/sheet*. Lay one end of the lollipop stick in each pool of syrup while still soft and push gently to secure in place. Dot a little extra syrup on the embedded end of the stick. Let cool at room temperature until completely set, about 2 hours.
Wrap each lollipop in cellophane or waxed paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
* once the mixture got cold and difficult to mold, I returned the pan to medium heat, stirring, until it became soft again (30 seconds or so)
Makes about 12 – I got 16


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Dreamcatcher Dressing Gown
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Express (UK) £7.50 - Up to 2 days
Next Day/Sat £10 - Order by 1pm
Europe £15
Rest of World £25
Em&Lu Size Guide
- Our clothes are cut based on European sizes, so should be true to size for an average sized child.
- If your child is particularly tall it would be better to buy a size up.
- If your child is petite they will are likely to fit into for example a 2-3 when they are 2.5 years old.
- For in-between sizes choose the larger size
- Please note all sizes are approximate.
- Please note Waist sizes are measured to based on the unstretched elastic waistband
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1-2 years; Sleeve Length: 29cm, Trouser Length: 45cm, Waist: 42cm |
2-3 years; Sleeve Length: 31cm, Trouser Length: 49cm, Waist: 44cm |
3-4 years; Sleeve Length: 33cm, Trouser Length: 53cm, Waist: 46cm |
4-5 years; Sleeve Length: 36cm, Trouser Length: 60cm, Waist: 48cm |
5-6 years; Sleeve Length: 39cm, Trouser Length: 66cm, Waist: 50cm |
7-8 years; Sleeve Length: 42cm, Trouser Length: 72cm, Waist: 54cm |
9-10 years; Sleeve Length: 47cm, Trouser Length: 78cm, Waist: 58cm | 11-12 years years; Sleeve Length: 52cm, Trouser Length: 88cm, Waist: 60cm |
Nighties |
Length of Nightie |
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3-4 years: 61cm |
4-5 years: 64cm |
5-6 years: 70cm |
7-8 years: 76cm |
9-10 years: 82cm |
NB. Long Sleeve Nightie Sleeve Length is the same as the Long Pyjamas |
Short Pyjamas |
1-2 years; Sleeve length: 11cm, Shorts length: 23cm, Waist: 21cm |
2-3 years; Sleeve length: 12cm, Shorts length: 25cm, Waist: 22cm |
3-4 years; Sleeve length: 13cm, Shorts Length: 27cm, Waist: 23cm |
4-5 years; Sleeve length: 14cm, Shorts Length: 29cm, Waist: 24cm |
5-6 years; Sleeve length: 16cm, Shorts Length: 32cm, Waist: 25cm |
7-8 years; Sleeve length: 18cm, Shorts Length: 35cm, Waist: 27cm |
9-10 years; Sleeve length: 20cm, Shorts Length: 38cm, Waist: 29cm |
11-12 years; Sleeve length: 22cm, Shorts Length: 40cm, Waist: 31cm |
Dressing Gowns |
Length of dressing gown: |
2-3 years: 55cm |
3-4 years: 59cm |
4-5 years: 64cm |
5-6 years: 68cm |
7-8 years: 72cm |
9-10 years: 80cm |


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This is the continuation of 1st Sutra – Four Noble Truths talk, containing the Question & Answer period.
Sutras from the Old Way – 1st Sutra – Four Noble Truths
By Zoketsu Norman Fischer | Nov 30, 2002
Transcribed and edited by Murray McGillivray and Barbara Byrum
Some years ago, I and some other colleagues at Zen Center participated in creating a study curriculum for Zen Center, which would be not only a study of Zen texts per se, but a study of all of Buddhism that would be relevant to a Zen practitioner. We thought that it would be very important for people who study Zen to know some basic teachings from the Pali Canon, since this is part of our practice as well.
So we made a compendium of a selection of teachings from the Pali Canon, not necessarily the most important ones, or the greatest ones, but the ones that we thought were important. We created a little book called "Sutras from the Old Way."
In the beginning of this book there's an introduction to the selections that I want to read and comment on. There's a text called Hokyoki, which is the journal of Dogen's studies with his teacher that he kept when he was a young man studying in China. When Dogen heard his teacher say "Drop off body and mind!" he had his awakening experience. So this phrase, "drop off body and mind," is a kind of a code for Dogen for the essence of the meaning of Buddhism, the essence of the meaning of Buddha's mind or teaching. His teacher, Rujing, said, "Dropping off body and mind is zazen. When you do just sitting, you are free from the five sense desires and the five hindrances."
Dogen was astonished to hear his teacher say that zazen is already the essence of Buddha's mind. This is maybe not surprising to us, but it might be surprising to hear that it's also the same thing as being free from the five sense desires and the five hindrances. So he's saying, "Are we supposed to be practicing not just Zen but also the old way?" And the Master said, "Descendants of ancestors (meaning Zen students) should not exclude the teachings of either vehicle. If students ignore the Tathagata's sacred teachings, how can they become the descendants of buddha-ancestors?
So there were, and still are, some Zen people who advocate Forget studies, forget Buddhism, it's just the insight from the cushion! But Dogen wasn't one like that. He actually advocated studying Buddhism. He didn't even like to talk about Soto Zen or even Zen. He said we're just doing Buddhism, just doing buddha-dharma.
I believe, and many scholars agree, that the later developments of Buddhism – Mahayana Buddhism and tantric Buddhism and Zen – are not contradictory to these early teachings. They're simply developing and bringing out aspects of the teachings. Much of everything that you find in Buddhism is really found in the early teachings, in either explicit or in implicit form.
So having said that, I thought we'd start at the beginning with the first sutra, the Sutra on Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dharma. It is said that this is the first sermon that the Buddha gave after his awakening.
Thus have I heard.
As everyone here no doubt knows, that line is spoken by Ananda. Every Buddhist sutra begins with Ananda, who remembered everything that the Buddha ever taught.
Once the Blessed One, the Buddha, was staying in the Deer Park in Isipatana near Varanasi.
I was just talking to a friend the other day who's about to go to India. I once went to India, and I went to this place—you can go there, maybe some of you have been there—the Deer Park outside of Varanasi, where there is a great stupa. It's kind of amazing. I'm not that sentimental myself, but somehow when I went outside Varanasi to the Deer Park and saw this circumambulating the great stupa at the Deer Park, I just burst into tears.
The Buddha addressed the bhikkhus of the group of five, the five ascetics that I was mentioning.
There are two extremes which should not be followed, bhikkhus, by someone who has gone forth (that means, gone forth into the religious life and given up worldly pursuits and seeking truth). One extreme is pursuing sense-pleasure, which is low, vulgar, worldly, ignoble and produces no useful result.
He is talking about excessive profligacy and hedonistic indulgence. I think the Buddha recognized that there is grabbiness – so much desire and thirsting and craving – even in very ordinary states of mind and average, everyday experience. Grabbiness is that kind of attachment, that kind of thirsting and craving within any sensual experience. It is not just overeating, or overdrinking, or overindulging in this or that, but any time you see or hear or taste or touch. If you are craving and grasping and pursuing that experience, that's one extreme. The other extreme is the opposite of that: devotion to self-denial. Here he's telling this to the ascetics, right? They need to hear this!
With practice you see how subtle craving is. You begin to see that craving, and this kind of thirsting that he's talking about, is the cause of suffering. It's not that one action is bad and one action is good. It becomes clearer to you: Oh, I see, as soon as I have this kind of grasping, very quickly after that, I have suffering. I didn't really see it before, but now I see how unsuccessful and how kind of stupid the way that I've been conducting myself was.
The problem with the language of some of these texts is that they sound as if what's being advocated is a kind of self-denial or tremendous discipline and restraint. But, no, I think what's being indicated is a kind of simple and quiet enjoyment of one's life, absent this kind of craving and grasping. And seeing the difference takes some subtlety. It actually takes some sensitivity to one's own experience, and I think, realistically, some time and discipline of practice. One's pleasure in this or that is relative to one's own sensitivity and one's own mind, one's own spirit. So as you develop your mind and your spirit, you find ways of enjoying very simple things, and you realize that to crave and take more than is necessary is actually uncomfortable.
The opposite is devotion to self-denial, which is painful, ignoble, and roduces no useful result. Avoiding both these extremes, bhikkhus, the middle way that the Tathagata has awakened to gives vision and insight-knowledge, and leads to peace, profound understanding, full realization, and to nibbana.
So he's saying that one extreme is worldly life, which is the pursuit of accumulation of things and experience – the affirmation and building on desire. The opposite of that, retreat into a religious life, would be full of self-denial and the demonization of worldly things. What we're looking for, he says, is a kind of way of life that brings us pleasure in the sense of peacefulness and stability and sustainability. He didn't always speak of the middle way in this particular way, but I think he spoke of this initially because he was addressing ascetics, who exactly saw these two extremes. They demonized the world; they were trying to mortify their flesh, because it was somehow wrong or bad.
So, then, the basic question: What is the middle way? How do you live that?And what is the middle way that the Tathagata has awakened to, which gives vision and insight-knowledge, and leads to peace, profound understanding, full realization, and to nibbana? It is the eightfold path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. This is the middle way that the Tathagata has awakened to.
I'm not that big a fan of the word "right" here, because it evokes a strait-laced attitude. I think that this word actually means "attuned," or "aligned," not "askew." If something is "right," it means it's straightforward. It's perfectly aligned and attuned.
This is saying is that the middle way requires a whole way of life, which has many different aspects to it. In each aspect one should strive for a kind of attunement, where you're not leaning to one side or the other. Religious practice can be just another avenue for greed and delusion; all the things that you can do in the world you can do exactly in the same way in religious practice! So he's saying be attuned, be aligned with reality as it really is. Don't be fighting it. Align yourself with it. That's the way to be peaceful; that's the way to be happy.
In your views, in the way that you look at things and understand things, you align and attune your views away from selfishness, away from avoidance, and toward a kind of accurate and clear acceptance of what is. And then, when you have a view like that, your mind and heart will produce the proper intentions based on accurate views. You have intentions that are in tune with what's best in you as a human being. The words that come out of your mouth will be helpful and beautiful, and not nasty and negative.When you speak words like that, it will inspire you towards action, which is also attuned and aligned, and when you have attuned and aligned action, naturally you'll want to have a way of life, a way of earning your daily alms, that will be righteous and not harm others.
When you have all that taken care of, you'll want to make the right kind of effort to practice meditation. Then you'll practice awareness in your daily life, and that awareness you'll also take to your cushion, where you'll be able to practice a strong concentration. And that strong concentration will deepen your mind and deepen the subtlety of your understanding, so that you will have views that are even more accurate and more aligned with the way things are.
In other words, the eightfold path, the program that he's laying out here, is an endless program of going back to living your life with an ever greater degree of clarity, understanding, and alignment with reality and with what is..Then he teaches the bhikkhus the first formulation of the four noble truths:
Bhikkhus there is a noble truth about dissatisfaction.
This famous "dissatisfaction" is translated many other ways. "Suffering" is usually the way that you hear the word dukkha translated. This is the first truth. It is the recognition that all conditioned things have the nature of suffering. In later sutras it becomes clear that when he says "the noble truth of dissatisfaction," what he means is that this is the nature of conditioned existence – not just things we don't like, or certain things we would call suffering. He's saying, Suffering is a lot more pervasive than you think it is. The word dukkha means that even if things are going well, there is dissatisfaction, there's a little anxiety. You know that feeling: I can't believe things are going so well, what's going to happen next? The anxiety that's inherent in existing in a human world with an impermanent mind and body.
The Buddha gives a few really good instances of what he means by dissatisfaction or suffering:
Birth is a problem.
It's true, you know. When you're born you have many problems right away, and they continue. So even coming into the world in the first place is a problem. We know this because everybody who comes into the world starts crying immediately when they get there, because it's a shock. It's a big shock and trauma to come into the world after you've been floating around in space, in this wonderful situation of total love and belonging. All of a sudden, somebody says, Alright now, breathe. And don't stop until you die. This is a shock! It's a problem! It's a lot of work. Then there are all kind of problems: they make you go to school, you have to learn relationships, and you have to get a job! Even if everything goes well, you still have those problems.
Then, if you're born, you're going to age. Aging is difficult. The older you get, different things start not working. It's very hard. And then, you have to die. All these things are a consequence of being born. People think, Oh, she died of cancer. Well, that's not really true, she didn't die of cancer, she died of life! If she were never born, she wouldn't die. Cancer is an incidental cause of death. The real cause of death is birth.
So this is all a big problem. Then there's sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair that come into every human life, no matter what. These things are also unpleasant and difficult.
In brief, the five grasped aggregates are unsatisfactory.
"The grasped aggregates" mean you. In other words, being a person with sense organs, a mind, emotions, impulses, in an impermanent body. This is a drastically unworkable situation. Recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom, the beginning of happiness, the beginning of real pleasure. If you don't recognize this, you're already doomed, because then you're going to be looking for some sort of quick fix, some sort of band-aid. This is going to be your problem: you're going to be putting a band-aid on that which is a bigger wound than a band-aid can fix. And the more you keep doing that, your frustration is only going to grow as time goes on. At first you might think, Oh, good! I put the band-aid on, and I feel much better now. But as time goes on, the wound is bigger, and the band-aid is not working, and you become much more unhappy. So you first have to realize the fix you're in, as it really is.
The Four Noble Truths are set up as the most simple form of logic, almost like a medical diagnosis. First of all, what is the disease; then what causes the disease; then find a way to remove the cause; and then, finally, there's health. So that's basically what the four noble truths are saying.
So the second truth is the cause. What is the cause of this condition? It is desire.Or, I would say, clinging, grasping, craving, endlessly wanting – something more or different from what's there. This is the human condition. That's what moves us forward: grasping and clinging and desiring something that isn't there.This clinging and craving and grasping gives rise to relish and passion, running here and there, delighting in this and that. This might sound good, actually, to most of us! That's not so bad! Passion? Excellent! Running around here and there? I like to travel! Delighting in this and that? Why not! But he's saying, that's exactly the point. We like all that. We hear that, and we think, Oh, that's really good! But that is the problem. We don't understand the real nature, the fundamental nature, of our conditioned existence, and so we're following our craving and our grasping and our desires. We are running around, delighting in this and that.
Bhikkhus, there is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.
It is the complete fading away and cessation. It is the quieting, I would say, the calming, the spaciousness that can surround this kind of clinging and desire. When that happens, there is abandonment and relinquishment. There's freedom, peace, ease, and joy.
That's possible. How? He then repeats the noble eightfold path, which he mentioned earlier: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.


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And just like that – with the NFL behind us, the NBA in its steady-state midseason and MLB still in its rev-up stage – college hoops emerges as front-and-center in sports over the next six weeks, from this final two-week regular-season push to the conference-tournament season to Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament.
As I pointed out in yesterday's post, we're starting to get to that time of year in college hoops when you start watching more games on TV and you get a little more influenced for your NCAA Tournament bracket picks based on what you see.
We've got to start with the "schadukefreude": The Blue Devils lost their FOURTH straight ACC game, this time getting absolutely man-handled by mediocre Maryland, a mere Bubble team. As Nelson Muntz (or that Dixie Chick) might say: "HA-ha!"
Duke is tied for 6th in the conference, but tied with
Let's add this: Duke has no business being ranked in the Top 25 right now. How ludicrous is it that Duke, the 6th-place team in the ACC, is ranked -- but BC, in 1st place after winning yesterday at FSU, is NOT?
(For those who don't follow the Comments area, I picked BC as one of the handful of 8-10 teams with the right mix of personnel and personality to beat
But, still: It's such a rare moment to see Duke be THIS beatable. What the hell do you do with that on your bracket next month? They could lose in the first weekend, but there's always that nagging feeling that they'll make their way deeper.
Or another example: If you saw
Don't look now, but my preseason Final Four pick Georgia Tech has won three straight and notched a huge inter-conference win over UConn. Of course, given UConn's sorry 4-9 record since their 11-0 cupcake start, it's not THAT impressive. But they are still tied for 8th in the ACC with only 16 total wins. EXTREME bubble. Speaking of "extreme bubble"...
Here's a good one: If Washington – that's "IF," given their 16 total wins and 7th-place status in the Pac-10 – makes the NCAA Tournament field, they could go from bubble entry to surprising deep run, thanks to their big frontcourt, which was on display in a win over Stanford on Sunday. (Or, UW could lose in the 1st round. And if I take them deep on my bracket, that will inevitably happen.)
And how about those suspended Gonzaga players? Pot: OK. They ARE college students. But 'shrooms... really?
On to the other big storylines around the sports world today...
How many of you agree that the NBA Finals will be the Heat and Spurs? If yesterday's game was any indication, Dwyane Wade will be ready for an encore Finals performance. He slapped the Spurs around for 26 en route to a 100-85 Heat win.
Wait: Is this the beginning of the Gilbert Arenas backlash? He's finally unable to cash checks his mouth is writing:
After vowing to torch the Blazers as retribution against Team
Let's hope this isn't an omen for Arenas heading into the All-Star break next weekend, where he is competing in the 3-point contest, starting for the East and generally expected to be ones of the weekend's uber-superstars.
Give the Celtics (who lost their 18th straight) credit for at least finding new and creative ways to lose: This time, a buzzer-beating jumper from the T'wolves' Ricky Davis.
MLB: Mauer gets 4Y/$33M extension. Credit the Twins for locking up their best young player – and arguably the best young player in the American League – with a big-market deal.
It's still probably a good $5-10 million (per year) below the value he'd get on the open market, but kudos to the Twins... and kudos to Mauer for making the commitment.
Mickelson wins Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But, more importantly, what the hell was that under Kevin Costner's bottom lip?
NASCAR: Yeah,
NFL: The best part of the Pro Bowl ending is that we dive full-on into the draft insanity that will carry NFL fans through the end of April. ProFootballTalk has their first mock draft up, and the two most intriguing items are this: (1) JaMarcus Russell going No. 1 overall to the Raiders, particularly ahead of Brady Quinn. (2) Adrian Peterson going at No. 8 to the Texans. My take: Mario Williams and Adrian Peterson are arguably a better first-round combo over the past two drafts than Reggie Bush and the best-available defensive lineman at No. 8 this year.
Really: Did ANYONE watch the Pro Bowl? Did anyone even care that it was a thrilling, walk-off finish?
(Meanwhile, I was all set to say "Good riddance, Tiki!" But then a friend of ours gave my son a copy of the Barber brothers' children's book, "Teammates," and it was inscribed specifically to Gabe. Man... how can I dislike the guy now?
Finally, Quickie readers will remember that I annually gave at least a little space to the Westminster Dog Show -- if for nothing else than a prediction. The Dog Show is back today (and probably will earn a better cable TV rating than your average NBA game... and don't even talk about out-rating NHL...) , but if for no other reason, it's an amazing opportunity to let you quote from one of the funniest movies of all time, "Best in Show." (Better than "Guffman?" Perhaps the ultimate debate among Guest-film fans. Yeah, yeah: Let's keep "Spinal Tap" out of it for now. Recent Guest films...)


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No rise in mass killings, but their impact is huge
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By HELEN O'NEILL, AP Special Correspondent
A gold plaque hangs next to a bullet hole in the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., where a lone gunman killed six worshippers and injured three others last August. It is engraved with the words, "We Are One."
"It frames the wound," says Pardeep Kaleka, son of former temple president Satwant Singh Kaleka, who died in the massacre. "The wound of our community, the wound of our family, the wound of our society."
In the past week, that wound has been ripped open with shocking ferocity.
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In what has become sickeningly familiar, gunmen opened fire on innocents in what should be the safest of places -- first, at a shopping mall in Oregon, and then, unthinkably, at an elementary school in Connecticut.
Once again there were scenes of chaos as rescuers and media descended on the scene. Once again there were pictures of weeping survivors clutching one another, of candlelight vigils and teddy bears left as loving memorials. And once again a chorus of pundits debated gun control and violence as society attempted to make sense of the senseless.
"Are there any sanctuaries left?" Kaleka asked. "Is this a fact of life, one we have become content to live with? Can we no longer feel safe going Christmas shopping in a mall, or to temple, or to the movies? What kind of society have we become?"
As this year of the gun lurches to a close, leaving a bloody wake, we are left to wonder along with Kaleka: What is the meaning of all this?
Even before Portland and Newtown, we saw a former student kill seven people at Oikos University in Oakland, Calif. We saw gunmen in Seattle and Minneapolis each kill five people and then themselves. We saw the midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a theater in Aurora, Colo., devolve into a bloodbath, as 12 people died and 58 were wounded; 24-year-old James Holmes was arrested outside.
And yet those who study mass shootings say they are not becoming more common.
"Mass shootings provoke instant debates about violence and guns and mental health and that's been the case since Charles Whitman climbed the tower at the University of Texas in 1966."
"There is no pattern; there is no increase," says criminologist James Allen Fox of Boston's Northeastern University, who has been studying the subject since the 1980s, spurred by a rash of mass shootings in post offices.
The random mass shootings that get the most media attention are the rarest, Fox says. Most people who die of bullet wounds knew the identity of their killer.
Society moves on, he says, because of our ability to distance ourselves from the horror of the day, and because people believe that these tragedies are "one of the unfortunate prices we pay for our freedoms."
Grant Duwe, a criminologist with the Minnesota Department of Corrections who has written a history of mass murders in America, said that while mass shootings rose between the 1960s and the 1990s, they actually dropped in the 2000s. And mass killings actually reached their peak in 1929, according to his data. He estimates that there were 32 in the 1980s, 42 in the 1990s and 26 in the first decade of the century.
Chances of being killed in a mass shooting, he says, are probably no greater than being struck by lightning.
Still, he understands the public perception -- and extensive media coverage -- when mass shootings occur in places like malls and schools. "There is this feeling that could have been me. It makes it so much more frightening."
On one spring day more than four years ago, it actually was Colin Goddard.
For two years after a gunman pumped four bullets into him in a classroom at Virginia Tech, Goddard said he couldn't bear to listen to television reports about other shootings or read about them. It brought him back instantly to that day -- April 16, 2007 -- when he lay on the floor of classroom 211, blood dripping from his shoulder and leg as he wondered if he would survive.
And then, on April 3, 2009, he turned on the computer and heard the news. A 41-year-old man had opened fire at an immigrant community center in Binghamton, N.Y., killing 11 immigrants and two workers. The shooter, a Vietnamese immigrant and a former student at the center, killed himself as police rushed to the scene.
Goddard watched, riveted, realizing that this is what it was like for the rest of the world when a mass shooting occurs. Inside the school, or the mall, or the theater, the victims lie wounded and terrified and dying, while the rest of the world watches from afar. People glue themselves to the television for a day. They soak in the horror from the safety of their office or home. They feel awful for a while. Then they move on with their lives. They grow numb.
Duwe says the cycle has gone on for generations.
"Mass shootings provoke instant debates about violence and guns and mental health and that's been the case since Charles Whitman climbed the tower at the University of Texas in 1966," he said, referring to the engineering student and former Marine who killed 13 people and an unborn child and wounded 32 others in a shooting rampage on campus. "It becomes mind-numbingly repetitive."
"Rampage violence seems to lead to repeated cycles of anguish, investigation, recrimination and heated debate, with little real progress in prevention," wrote John Harris, clinical assistant professor of medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona, in the June issue of American Journal of Public Health. "These types of events can lead to despair about their inevitability and unpredictability."
And there is despair and frustration, even among those who have set out to stop mass killings.
"We do just seem to slog along, from one tragedy to the next," Tom Mauser said last July, after the Aurora shootings.
Mauser knows all about the slog. He became an outspoken activist against such violence after his 15-year-old son, Daniel, was slain along with 12 others at Columbine High School in 1999. But he has grown frustrated and weary.
"There was a time when I felt a certain guilt," Mauser said. "I'd ask, 'Why can't I do more about this? Why haven't I dedicated myself more to it?' But I'll be damned if I'm going to put it all on my shoulders.
"This," he said, "is all of our problem."
Carolyn McCarthy enlisted in the cause in 1993, when a deranged gunman killed her husband and seriously injured her son in shooting rampage. She has served in Congress since 1997.
Known as the "gun lady" on Capitol Hill for her fierce championship of gun control laws, McCarthy says she nearly gave up her "lonely crusade" after hearing about the Virginia Tech shooting. And when she heard about the January 2011 shooting of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords she says, "I just sat there frozen and watching the television and couldn't stop crying."
"It's like a cancer in our society," she says. "And if we keep doing nothing to stop it, it's only going to spread."
After the Binghamton shootings, Colin Goddard resolved that he had to get involved, to somehow try to stop the cycle. Reminders are lodged inside him: three bullets, a legacy of Virginia Tech.
He now works in Washington for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
"I refuse to believe this is something we have to accept as normal in this country," he said. "There has to be a way to change the culture of violence in our society."


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This year's edition of the Daytona 500 posted its strongest TV ratings since 2008, thanks to a buildup of attention drawn by Danica Patrick's history-making pole position and a horrendous crash during a race at the track Saturday. Viewership peaked late in the race, when Patrick dropped from third position to finish eighth behind winner Jimmie Johnson.
The biggest percentage gains in viewership seem to have come in big cities.
"Ratings were up 91 percent in Chicago, 64 percent in San Francisco, 60 percent in Los Angeles, 59 percent in Boston and 43 percent in New York," the AP reports.
Among women between the ages of 18 and 34, average ratings grew 16 percent. Patrick's top-ten finish is the best ever for a female driver in the Daytona 500; she also became the first woman to lead a lap in the race.
The Daytona 500, which begins NASCAR's season, gained 24 percent over its ratings in 2012, when rain forced a move from Sunday afternoon to Monday night. As Sports Media Watch reports, the Daytona 500 "earned a 9.9 rating and 16.7 million viewers on FOX Sunday afternoon, according to Nielsen fast-nationals."
The stronger TV ratings are welcome news for NASCAR, after a 2012 in which its elite Sprint Cup series "took a downward ride, posting its smallest TV audience in five years and registering a 25 percent drop in the 18- to 34-year-old demographic," as Sporting News reported at the end of last season.
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit www.npr.org.


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Hillary Rodham Clinton formally resigned Friday as America's 67th secretary of state, capping a four-year tenure that saw her shatter records for the number of countries visited.
In a letter sent to President Barack Obama shortly before she was to leave the State Department for the last time in her official capacity, Clinton thanked her former foe for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination for the opportunity to serve in his administration. Clinton said it had been an honor to be part of his Cabinet.
"I am more convinced than ever in the strength and staying power of America's global leadership and our capacity to be a force for good in the world," she said in the letter.
Her resignation will be effective on the swearing-in of her successor, John Kerry, who was to take the oath of office in a private ceremony later Friday.
Clinton pushed through a throng of American foreign service workers who clamored for handshakes and smartphone photos with her and gave an emotional goodbye speech.
She told them to continue to "serve the nation we all love, to understand the challenges, the threats and the opportunities that the United States faces and to work with all our heart and all of our might to make sure that America is secure, that our interests are promoted and our values are respected."
Clinton, however, also left office with a slap at critics of the Obama administration's handling of the September attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. She told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that critics of the administration's handling of the attack don't live in an "evidence-based world," and their refusal to "accept the facts" is unfortunate and regrettable for the political system.
Clinton told the AP that the attack in Benghazi was the low point of her time as America's top diplomat. But she suggested that the furor over the assault would not affect whether she runs for president in 2016.
Although she insisted that she has not decided what her future holds, she said she "absolutely" still plans to make a difference on issues she cares about in speeches and in a sequel to her 2003 memoir, "Living History," that will focus largely on her years as secretary of state.
Clinton spoke to the AP Thursday in her outer office on the seventh floor of the State Department less than 24 hours before she walks out for a final time as boss. She was relaxed but clearly perturbed by allegations from Republican lawmakers and commentators that the administration had intentionally misled the public about whether the attack was a protest gone awry or a terrorist attack, or intentionally withheld additional security for diplomatic personnel in Libya knowing that an attack could happen.
An independent panel she convened to look into the incident was scathing in its criticism of the State Department and singled out four officials for serious management and leadership failures. But it also determined that there was no guarantee that extra personnel could have prevented the deaths of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans. Clinton herself was not blamed, although she has said she accepted responsibility for the situation.
"I was so unhappy with the way that some people refused to accept the facts, refused to accept the findings of an independent Accountability Review Board, politicized everything about this terrible attack," she said. "My job is to admit that we have to make improvements and we're going to."
Hours later a suicide bomber linked to a domestic terror group exploded a device just outside the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, killing himself and a guard. Clinton told State Department staff on Friday that the attack showed again how "we live in very complex and dangerous times."
Clinton faced a barrage of hostile questions about Benghazi from Republican lawmakers when she testified before Congress recently in appearances that were delayed from December because of illness. Afterward, some lawmakers continued to accuse her and the administration of withholding evidence. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., told a television interviewer that he thought Clinton was getting "away with murder."
In the interview, Clinton had little patience for such allegations.
"There are some people in politics and in the press who can't be confused by the facts," she said. "They just will not live in an evidence-based world. And that's regrettable. It's regrettable for our political system and for the people who serve our government in very dangerous, difficult circumstances."
Because of that, she said, the partisan divide should not dissuade anyone with a cause from getting involved in politics, and she hinted strongly that a divisive atmosphere would not stop her in any future endeavor. "You have to have a thick skin because (politics) is just going to be a contact sport as far as we can look into the future."
Clinton is no stranger to partisan politics. As first lady, she railed in 1998 against a "vast right-wing conspiracy" that she asserted had been attacking her husband, Bill Clinton, ever since he had become president.
But the woman who was once considered a divisive figure in American politics, yet leaves office as one of its most popular, remained coy about whether she would run for president in 2016.
"I am making no decisions, but I would never give that advice to someone that I wouldn't take myself," she said. "If you believe you can make a difference, not just in politics, in public service, in advocacy around all these important issues, then you have to be prepared to accept that you are not going to get 100 percent approval."


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Solitaire 2.7ct Round CZ Ring in Sterling Silver
Solitaire 2.7ct Round CZ Ring in Sterling Silver
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Product Details & Materials
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Jewelry Information
Style Number | R1277-06 |
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cubic zirconia Information
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Stone Size | 9mm | 2mm |
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