text:
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
fat tuesday ain't so phat
mardi gras is upon us already, and six months after hurricane katrina new orleans has proven that it will survive. but it is up to us, supporters of the city's unique culture, to shape it into the place we love. the devastation following hurricane katrina was so deep and widespread that today, after half a year of progress, wide swaths of the city are still empty and dark. before the storm, new orleans was a city of neighborhoods. its music comes from and can help revive these communities: mardi gras indians in central city, brass bands in treme, the eclectic rock scene in the 9th ward. with your help, the musicians we love can rebuild and, through their art, drive the spiritual and economic recovery of new orleans.
this process will take years, but it is well underway. every day a business reopens, a family repairs a house. so far, nomhrf has distributed $460,000 to 775 new orleans musicians. we've helped connect them to the instruments and gigs they need to sustain themselves and their families. through our new orleans music community leader grant program, philip frazier of the rebirth brass band is home under a new roof and the new orleans jazz vipers will record a new album.
on march 11th, nomhrf will sponsor the louisiana philharmonic orchestra's homecoming performance featuring branford marsalis. we have also begun subsidizing performances by groups like egg yolk jubilee and the treme brass band in local venues. we're excited about creating and supporting gigs in new orleans: this program lets musicians recover financially from the disaster while their music helps heal the city.
stay tuned for information about french quarter fest and jazz fest events connected to nomhrf. we're constantly updating our website, http://www.nomhrf.org/, with the latest events and updates about your favorite new orleans musicians. anyone attending south by southwest in austin can drop by nomhrf's table at the trade show march 16th-18th our "renew orleans" stuff will be all over town.
i encourage all of you to come to new orleans and experience for yourself the undying spirit of the city and the tremendous challenges we still face. on the streets leading to the fair grounds you'll see rotting, vacant houses next to newly renovated ones: some are waiting to be rescued, others have been willed back to life. new orleans' music and culture can survive, but only with our continued support.
thank you for helping us reach out to so many, and for staying involved.
peace,jordan hirsch
nomhrf administrator
Time to Send Your Comments
UPDATE: Scrutiny Hooligans has a few things to say about this administration land-rape as well.
"The dog did nothing in the night time"
This is from a 2003 CNN report:
About 209,000 Gulf War veterans have filed claims with the Veterans Administration, and 161,000 of them are receiving disability payments.That puts the number on disability at 28%, which is a huge number. By comparison, the Viet Nam War had about 10% of the veterans going on disability. Wars prior to Viet Nam had about 5% (see next citation for source).
Here is a SFBayView.com article from one week ago:
"Out of the 580,400 soldiers who served in GW1 (the first Gulf War), of them, 11,000 are now dead! By the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical Disability. This astounding number of 'Disabled Vets' means that a decade later, 56% of those soldiers who served have some form of permanent medical problems!" The disability rate for the wars of the last century was 5 percent; it was higher, 10 percent, in Viet Nam.
"The VA Secretary (Principi) was aware of this fact as far back as 2000," wrote Bernklau. "He, and the Bush administration have been hiding these facts, but now, thanks to Moret's report, (it) ... is far too big to hide or to cover up!"
So what is this "Moret's report"? You can find it here:
Nearly 700,000 American Gulf War Veterans returned to the US from a war that lasted just a few weeks. Today more than 240,000 of those soldiers are on permanent medical disability, and over 11,000 are dead. In a US Government study on post-Gulf War babies born to 251 veterans, 67 per cent of the babies were reported to have serious illnesses or serious birth defects. They were born without eyes, ears, had missing organs, fused fingers, thyroid or other malfunctions. Depleted uranium in the semen of the soldiers internally contaminated their wives. Severe birth defects have been reported in babies born to contaminated civilians in Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan and the incidence and severity of defects is increasing over time. Women in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq are afraid now to have babies, and when they do give birth, instead of asking if it is a girl or a boy, they ask 'is it normal?'.
I could find no big media outlets writing about this at all. I find that more suspect than the story itself. Why isn't the media debunking it if it is untrue? See, much like my skeptical commenter, I can also apply common sense and come up with a conclusion that supports my personal views. But this is no Area 51 space aliens story. CNN is reporting an astonishing rate of disabilities for Gulf War vets and that should mean something. Then there's that Moret report. Something is up and the corporate media's silence is very loud.
there's somethin' happenin' here -- what it is ain't exactly clear...
- it's not the radioactivity, it's the toxicity;
- a fired du shell vaporizes when it hits a target such as a tank;
- the biggest health risk here is inhalation of du dust -- not good for the kidneys or lungs; and
- while there may be no conclusive link between du exposure and health or environmental risks, we still have 89 percent of all first gulf war veterans on medical disability -- what's up with that?
just wondering...
no wonder aWol likes dubai
Monday, February 27, 2006
how low can he go?
radio free los angeles
say hello
you heard us. all things nba.
radio free america
thanks for the hits, redd!
blogging around
allison of hartsongs directs us to a dkos story about an autistic man denied a white house tour because he was on the "national security threat list" [ed. note: our own carnacki tells us about it further down our blog];
don davis, the author of "one state, two state, red state, blue state," has a new satirical political blog, titled the satirical political report;
and here's a graphic political story (told in graphics, not particularly gruesome, don't get the definitions confused here) from a. greg reynolds over at the huffpo.
He was a most peculiar man
Then, just to carry the conspiracy theory to its logical conclusion, read this at Spontaneous Arising. Seems accounts of this story about the Hinckleys and the Bushes are disappearing from the internets. And reprint the story at your own blogs. We'll test whether the story mysteriously disappears or not.
sorry, wrong number...
glad we could get that cleared up...
Depleted Uranium: big story getting little attention
The Preventive Psychiatry Newsletter has written to its subscribers telling them that the real reason the former Veterans Affairs Secretary, Anthony Principi, recently resigned was because he has been involved in a massive scandal covering up the fact that Gulf War Syndrome was caused by the use of depleted uranium, according to the SF Bay View...
...The historical disability rate amongst soldiers last century was about 5 percent, although it approached 10 percent during Vietnam. But due to the use of depleted uranium in the battlefield, 56 percent of the 580,400 solders that served in the first Gulf War were on Permanent Medical Disability by 2000. 11,000 Gulf War veterans are already dead. Now 518,739 Gulf War Veterans, almost all of them, are currently on medical disability.
You may or may not believe this report, but if those numbers are real, then they demand an investigation all by themselves. And they demand that depleted uranium be dropped as a material of war until that investigation is completed.
Not scary enough for you? Try this story on depleted uranium:
The "shock and awe" bombing campaign in Iraq caused radiation levels in Britain to rocket, according to a controversial report by a Liverpool University academic.
Chris Busby claims "uranium aerosols" from the Middle East were blown across Europe, contaminating populations thousands of miles away...
...The results were detected from testing stations at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston, Berkshire, and four other stations in the area.
Another Fighting Democrat Veteran
From the "Yes, they do die in threes" department
Actor Dennis Weaver, loved for his role as Chester Goode on the television show Gunsmoke and his portrayal of New Mexico sheriff turned New York City detective McCloud, passed away at his home in Ridgway, Colorado on Friday from cancer. That makes three popular actors dying within a few days of one another. Very strange.
Folks around my office have been remembering Dennis Weaver for another role, the harried protagonist of the Steven Spielberg film Duel.
What many people don't know about him is that he was an ardent environmentalist and a vegetarian.
Man with autism denied White House tour
Sunday, February 26, 2006
mad limericks
rip darren mcgavin
mr. mcgavin is known to millions as ralphie's father in the best christmas movie ever, "christmas story." and sci-fi cult tv fans all over remember him fondly as kolchak, "the night stalker."
tho in reality, the night stalker was the name of the first monster that kolchak, intrepid if cheap reporter for the chicago news first hunted, the title stuck for the two years the show was on. we have no proof that the recent remake of mr. mcgavin's signature show had anything to do with his demise, but we would not be suprised.
mcgavin also had leading roles in tv's "riverboat" and cult favorite "kolchak: the night stalker." among his memorable portrayals was u.s. army gen. george patton in the 1979 tv biography "ike."
despite his busy career in television, mcgavin was awarded only one emmy: in 1990 for an appearance as candice bergen's opinionated father in an episode of "murphy brown."
he lacked the prominence in films he enjoyed in television, but he registered strongly in featured roles such as the young artist in venice in "summertime," david lean's 1955 film with katharine hepburn and rosanno brazzi; frank sinatra's crafty drug supplier in "the man with the golden arm" (1955); jerry lewis's parole officer in "the delicate delinquent" (1957); and the gambler gus sands in 1984's "the natural" that starred robert redford.
mr. mcgavin was uncredited in "the natural" (one of the best baseball movies ever made), a sign that the erstwhile actor had finally achieved universal stardom.
chris carter, creator of the x-files, has often cited "night stalker" as the inspiration for his own creepy series, and in fact used mr. mcgavin several times in both that show and "millenium."
the asspress notes an irony:
say hello
suskind's dkos diary tells us:
suskind also recommends
we hope you like hearing the phrase "american concentration camps"
a growing afghan prison rivals bleak guantánamo - while an international debate rages over the future of the american detention center at guantánamo bay, cuba, the military has quietly expanded another, less-visible prison in afghanistan, where it now holds some 500 terror suspects in more primitive conditions, indefinitely and without charges.
because that's what historians are going to call it. in your name, aWol and rummy have ensured that the adjective "american" will resonate in the same moral register as the adjective "nazi" in all future discussion of the history of the early 21st century.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
gather 'round, boys and girls...
barney fife rip
don knotts, known to millions as dep. barney fife of mayberry, and to their children as jack, janet and chrissy's landlord mr. furley, died at age 81. asspress:
"i went to new york cold. on a $100 bill. bummed a ride," he recalled in a visit to his hometown of morgantown, where city officials renamed a street for him in 1998.
within six months, knotts had taken took a job on a radio western called "bobby benson and the b-bar-b riders," playing a wisecracking, know-it-all handyman. he stayed with it for five years, then came his series tv debut on "the steve allen show."
we remember him fondly as one of steve allen's troupe of misfits, and in our opinion, he did his best comedic work on that early program.
mr. knotts passed away of pulminary and respiratory complications at cedar sinai. the world will be a less funny place for the loss.
words to live by
msm cw = snafu
many of these firms have received federal port security grants from the department of homeland security. giving a country such as the united arab emirates a role in running our ports could make the job of law enforcement harder. two of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were united arab emirates nationals. dubai was a key transfer point for shipments of nuclear components that were sold to iran, libya and north korea by the pakistani nuclear scientist abdul qadeer khan. the united arab emirates remains a key financial center for terrorists.
finally, your claim that lawmakers are ignoring port security is another fallacy. since 9/11, democrats in congress have voted more than a dozen times to increase funding for port security.
sen. barbara boxer (!!!)
[ed. note: emphasis, and exclamation points, ours]
there goes another one...
"i can tell you the main reason behind all our woes -- it is america." the new york times reporter is quoting the complaint of a clothing merchant in a sunni stronghold in iraq. "everything that is going on between sunni and shiites, the troublemaker in the middle is america."
one can't doubt that the american objective in iraq has failed. the same edition of the paper quotes a fellow of the american enterprise institute. mr. reuel marc gerecht backed the american intervention. he now speaks of the bombing of the especially sacred shiite mosque in samara and what that has precipitated in the way of revenge. he concludes that "the bombing has completely demolished" what was being attempted -- to bring sunnis into the defense and interior ministries.
our mission has failed because iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 americans. the great human reserves that call for civil life haven't proved strong enough. no doubt they are latently there, but they have not been able to contend against the ice men who move about in the shadows with bombs and grenades and pistols...
guess which bleeding-heart liberal said that...
fun with google
say hello
and, while we're at it, we are happy to add the marvelous mahablog to our permanent blogroll.
fighting terrism's hard -- it's hard work...
not long after the 9/11 attacks, awol told all of america, "you're either with us or you're with the terrorists." that's what's known as a "false dichotomy" -- awol basically reduced the newly launched war on terror to two mutually exclusive positions and discredited the one he opposed, a cheap but effective way of forcing those who were listening to accept his position. with the other side debunked, he didn't really have to defend his own. it's an old but devious little mental trick, one which he's invoked in multiple variations on many occasions during his presidency.
but the trick doesn't work if the dichotomy isn't accepted. when awol said what he said, those images of the jet plowing into the world trade center were still hot and fresh in our minds. that was an advantage for awol -- we were quite willing to share his black-and-white views of the world. since then, the world has gotten a whole lot grayer, while awol's mindset remains as black-and-white as ever. millions of us eventually saw that we were being conned, and no one likes being conned -- and this was before the nsa's domestic eavesdropping program entered the public realm.
now awol has the damn gall to insist that we have to trust him. like hell! i'll never trust him again. when trust is gone, it's f*%k&#g gone, ladies and gentlemen -- demanding it back won't ever restore it.
(warning: reading james risen's state of war may lead to blogwhoring...)
Friday, February 24, 2006
say hello
come on get happy
and you keep on coastin' till you're surfin' past tapped now
on past woolcott and tbogg and then digby and ntodd
and the world o'crap now
you'll see reddhedd and jane,
loren feelin' your pain and a muffin lovin' dog named kobe
stop and click a few links, have a laugh, have a think
about the dumb gop
(doo-wop de do do do
doo-wop de do do
doo-wop de do do
doo-wop de do do)
firedoglake is a scene you should make
in blogtopia
just keep it in mind if you're looking to find
a lib'ral cornucopia
learn about fitz, or how bush is a ditz
or leave a comment or two
at firedoglake you'll be able to make
the way the firedog do.
[ed. note: no, we don't understand it, either. but look for our next great hit, "berube got back"]
why the cal. sec. of state sucks
sen. debra bowen tells us why in her letter to bruce macpherson (the einstein who certified diebold machines when everyone else was hitting the road for the 3-day presidents' day weekend), as posted over on the clark community network:
your decision to re-certify diebold's machines also violates elections code section 19251(a). as you know, as of january 1, 2006, all dre voting systems have to come with an accessible voter verified paper audit trail (avvpat)...the diebold tsx doesn't comply with this provision of the law. instead, it provides an audio read-back of how the voter's ballot was recorded electronically...which makes the avvpat on the diebold dre useless for blind or visually-impaired voters. given that fact, it appears diebold's voting systems don't comply with elections code section 19251(a) and therefore can't lawfully be certified for use in california.
more details (and reasons this decisions suck) in her letter.
makes me want to cry...
"this deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the united states."
what? no, i just have a little sand in my eye. really, (sniff) it's just sand. can you (sniff) go away now, i really (sniff sniff) want to be (sob) left alone now (sob)...
(no hop for (bawl) tom tomorrow...)
oh really?
we are glad that mr. o'reilly is so concerned with phil's fate (his was the highest-rated msnbc show when it was yanked off the air in a fit of patriotic let's-go-to-iraq frenzy...and we all know how well that worked out).
but we wonder if there isn't another agenda to mr. o'reilly's demands to remove keith o.
as media matters points out, keith has already mentioned on air (jan. 31) the fact that o'reilly's ratings went down last year, while his ratings have gone up:
hm, start a petition to get the people taking your viewers fired? great idea!
sign our petition to keep georgia tech sports blog off the internets!
say hello
finally, a republican sex scandal even the msm can understand
abramoff was the pimp; foreign interests like russia's energy companies and the government of malaysia were the johns; the republicans in congress and aWol were the whores.
taxpayers just got screwed. laura has the details.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
msm maybe kinda could possible be listening (we think)
yes, the poll results have been reported on a few web sites. but they have not exactly been trumpeted by the blow hard boys on the fox news channel, nor even "front-paged" on the new york times. nor have they appeared as the lead story on any of the evening newscasts. from the right to the left, this poll has been ignored _ as has a recent gallup poll showing a majority of americans consider the bush presidency to be a failure. why? because it's seen as risky…
but grassroots passion for impeachment prompted by this president's circumvention of congress and the constitution is what's driving growing public support. and america's transition from "bush fan" to "bush foe" is being ignored by the mainstream media.
surprisingly, the media did anything but ignore the republican-led impeachment movement against former president clinton, even when the public was decidedly more supportive of that president than it is of the current one
in december 1998, after the house voted to send articles of impeachment to the u.s. senate, 59 percent of americans told washington post/abc news pollsters they disapproved of the house action. a minority of 40 percent said they favored it. and that followed months and months of nonstop, primetime, mainstream media coverage of clinton's lie. if anything, the constant chorus of conservative calls for clinton's ouster coupled with unending coverage of same should have pushed the public into a more solidly pro-impeachment stand. it did not. but the media did not relent. (for the record, i wrote at the time that clinton should step down.)
it's nice to see someone in the corporate top-down media say what blogtopia (y!wctp!) has been saying for months now.
and here's an article from the brattleboro reformer showing grassroots at work:
maya costley, who lives in saxtons river, heard about newfane selectboard member dan dewalt's town meeting article asking rep. bernard sanders, i-vt., to open impeachment hearings against the president.
if newfane voters approve the article, dewalt is going to send sanders a letter asking the washington politician to open the impeachment hearings.
"i was inspired when i heard about that," costley said about dewalt's push. "a light turned on and i said 'this is what we need to do.'"
costley was too late to have the topic debated at rockingham's town meeting this year. she wants to gather enough signatures to call a special election.
she said she is also raising enough money so that the town will not have to fund the special election.
democracy at work.
pardon us while we geek out
fellow whovians: who's your fav doc?
addendum: here's the results of the bbc's poll of favorite docs, and here you can take the quiz to find out which doctor who are you?
latimes examines diebold problem...on page 39
how do we know this? it's the conclusion of a panel of computer security experts mcpherson commissioned specifically to study diebold's software. three days after they issued their report feb. 14, mcpherson gave diebold thumbs up, noting that the panel regarded the software problems it found as "manageable" and had said the risks could be "mitigated" if election officials took care.
but the experts were plainly troubled by flaws in diebold's systems. the panel, which included david jefferson of lawrence livermore national laboratory and david wagner of berkeley, observed that the removable memory cards used by diebold were vulnerable to undetectable acts of tampering.
the panel found 16 software bugs that could cede "complete control" of the system to hackers who might then "change vote totals, modify reports, change the names of candidates, change the races being voted on," and even crash the machines, bringing an election to a halt. hackers wouldn't need to know passwords or cryptographic keys, or have access to any other part of the system, to do their dirty work. voters, candidates and election monitors wouldn't necessarily know they'd been rooked.
well, we expect there was plenty more important news for the front page of the paper.
addendum: not only does brad blog also examine the latimes piece, he quotes several other news organs about the california, maryland and florida vote machine fiascos.
how are the creationists going to explain this one?
media needle, who calls the animal a beavottopus:
but scientists are reporting today that they have uncovered fossils of a swimming, fish-eating mammal that lived in china fully 164 million years ago, well before it was thought that some mammals could have spent much of their lives in water.
pharyngula, who calls it the jurassic beaver, has a diagram of the creature's skeleton and a cladogram showing its rightful place in the various phyla. we personally never even heard of the word "cladogram" but we impress ourselves by remembering how to correctly use "phyla."
headline of the week...
...the uae owns dubai port co., which is taking operations from london-based peninsular and oriental steam navigation co., which operates six u.s. ports. a political uproar has ensued over the deal, which the white house approved without congressional insight.
the donations were made in the early 1990s for the library, which houses the papers of former president george bush. the current president's father.
the list of donors names sheik zayed bin sultan al nahyan and the people of the united arab emirates as one donor in the $1 million or more category...
here's some fun facts: sheik zayed put up investment money for the bank of credit and commerce international in 1972; the ruling family of abu dhabi owned an ever-increasing percentage of bcci during the 80s; and bcci was finally shut down in 1991 for, among many other crimes, supporting terrorism.
but i'm certain sheik zayed's underlings intentionally left him uninformed about that last part while it was occurring. in america, that's called "giving the president plausible denial"...
mad snow
but here's her latest poem about the dubai port deal: snowing in hell.
More adventures in dining
Situated in an elegantly restored house beside Beijing's West Lake, it is China's first speciality penis restaurant.
Here, businessmen and government officials can sample the organs of yaks, donkeys, oxen and even seals. In fact, they have to, since they form part of every dish - except for those containing testicles.
Adventures in Indian cooking
and other lessons
Our friend Tata sent us a link to this story about some Department of Homeland Security thugs and how our freedoms are being eroded. And also how you do not f*** with librarians. A librarian will f*** you up bad, Jack. And then she'll make you stop talking.
skippy calls the california secretary of state
skippy used the number (916-653-6814) found on the sec. of state contact page.
at this point we will direct you through the short phone menu, to save you frustration.
if you call, press #6 for other departments, and then press #3 for elections (skippy was lucky, he guessed the correct digits to press the first time out).
a lady answered the phone, and skippy told her who he was, and that he was calling to express disappointment with sec. of state macpherson for his decision to certify diebold voting machines last week, and that skippy hoped mr. macpherson would de-certify the machines.
the lady, after listening to skippy, said, "hold on, ma'am, let me transfer you to someone who can take your call."
skippy was a bit nonplussed at being mistaken for a woman, but this is california, we are not anything if not flexible.
another nice lady answered the phone, and skippy repeated his statement. the woman said thank you very much, she would take the message.
before she hung up, skippy asked her name, which was marsha. skippy asked if she had gotten other phone calls, and she said "a lot." skippy asked if she could guess how many agreed with skippy's position, and marsha said "all of them."
so you are all doing good work out there, but more needs to be done.
call macpherson. and call or email (or visit in person) the 5 senators on the rules committee. and it doesn't hurt to write letters to the editor.
say hello
new blood - a good thing?
that it's not haliburton.
dolphins may be smiling....
the gulls compel me to take pictures of them
Originally uploaded by absentmindedprof.
2004 sb's median for homes increased 17% to $1,010,000 ($1,206,000 in jan. '05)
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Hunger in America
faith & grace
Originally uploaded by stoneth.
More than 25 million Americans turned to the nation's largest network of food banks, soup kitchens and shelters for meals last year, up 9 percent from 2001.
Those seeking food included 9 million children and nearly 3 million senior citizens, says a report from America's Second Harvest.
"The face of hunger doesn't have a particular color, and it doesn't come from a particular neighborhood," said Ertharin Cousin, executive vice president of the group. "They are your neighbors, they are working Americans, they are senior citizens who have worked their entire lives, and they are children."
...The surveys were done before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. After the hurricanes, demand for emergency food assistance tripled in Gulf Coast states, according to a separate report by the group.
The new report, being released Thursday, found that 36 percent of people seeking food came from households in which at least one person had a job. About 35 percent came from households that received food stamps.
Cousin said the numbers show that many working people don't make enough money to feed their families. She said the food stamp numbers show that the government program, while important, is insufficient.
"The benefits they are receiving are not enough," Cousin said.
Government reports also show the number of hungry Americans increasing.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report released last year said 13.5 million American households, or nearly 12 percent, had difficulty providing enough food for family members at some time in 2004. That was up from about 11 percent in 2003.
...Some local food-assistance groups saw big jumps in their numbers of people seeking food, despite an "improving" economy.
In Washington, the Capital Area Food Bank served more than 383,000 people last year, a 39 percent increase over 2001, said Kasandra Gunter Robinson, the food bank's spokeswoman.
Of those people, nearly half had jobs, she said.
- asspress
your account has been compromised
from allhatnocattle.net via best of the blogs.
aol on awol
down, he's a lame duck
up, he can still accomplish his goals
what rating would you give him overall?
damn that cbs! relying on scientific facts again!
"it would be irresponsible of us to go find some scientist somewhere who is not thought of as being eminent in the field and put him on television with these other guys to cast doubt on what they're saying," he continues. "it would be difficult to find a scientist worth his salt in this subject who would suggest this wasn't happening. it would probably be someone whose grant has been funded by someone who finds reducing fossil fuel emissions detrimental to their own interests."
[ed. note: emphasis, and applause, ours]
gee, refusing to put on an opposing viewpoint which has no basis in reality just because it's an opposing viewpoint? why, that's...that's...logical, adult, and scientific! how dare they call themselves a news organ??
(thanks and a tip of the bush kangaroo hat to lefthandedman's dkos diary for the link!)
a solid majority of americans think iraq war a mistake
thanks and a tip of the bush kangaroo hat to americablog for the link!
our oscar prediction
march of the brokeback penguins.
[ed. note: be thankful we 86'd the joke about the bloggers in love movie: "blockquote mountain"]
don't worry, it's naturally-occurring anthrax
by the way, a kid with a laser pen can hack california's elections now
a few members of the national institute of standards and technology (nist) -- which works with the the federal authorities at the election assistance commission (eac) to develop electronic voting guidelines -- have tried to warn about the dangers of this built-in off-the-shelf technology. they reported in october of 2005 that "the presence of this technology makes it possible to upload to the voting system anything that is desired after the final 'logic and accuracy' test have been performed, thus totally compromising the system."
be sure to phone cal. sec. of state macpherson's office and email the 5 cal. senators on the rules committee to lodge your complaints against the certification of these daleks into the california voting process.
Rev. Lowery on aWol and black funerals
aWol's followers criticized Lowery.
Yesterday, Lowery spoke out.
From The Washington Post:
Responding to charges that he used Coretta Scott King's funeral to mount a partisan attack on President Bush, the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery said yesterday that his conservative critics do not understand black funerals and are seeking to insulate the president from independent views.
"The Republicans who are criticizing me don't understand the [tradition] of a black funeral," Lowery said in an interview. "At a black funeral we always celebrate the life of the deceased and take up the causes that the decedent championed. Mrs. King's cause was peace and racial justice, and I challenged the living to do likewise."
But, Lowery said the criticism reflects a feeling among Bush's advisers and defenders that the president should not be confronted in public by people who hold opposing views -- a sentiment, he said, that explains why the audience at so many of Bush's events is so carefully screened.
"The problem is the Republicans always want to protect Bush," Lowery said. "They don't want to expose him to independent-thinking audiences. They want to shelter him from the truth."
He added: "The Republicans played politics during Reagan's funeral. Look how political it was. They are just trying to shelter Bush from reality."
There is a lot of sad truth behind that.
God bless Rev. Lowery for his work and his courage in speaking truth to power.
When the old lion roared, the weak trembled and the faithful cheered.
SisTwo had a beautiful post recently on Coretta Scott King's funeral. She included a link to a well-written column by conservative columnist Peggy Noonan, whose assessment differed from that of the other aWol follower's:
It was gracious, full of applause and cheers and amens. It was loving even when it was political. It had spirit, not rage. That's part of why it was beautiful.
a woman's place is in the lt. governor's office
human wrongs
any port sale in a storm
why are we not surprised?
on the same subject, here is the reaction's reaction (and a fine culling of reports from blogtopia (and yes! we coined that phrase!)).
say hello
More on the sale of public lands
You didn't want to have trees around anyway, did you?
Hat tip to Tata for her research (and a public apology to Tata for not posting this sooner. Mea maxima culpa.)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
rip billy cowsill
he was a teenager in 1965 when he and [brother] bob, who also played guitar, were joined by younger brothers barry (on bass) and john (on drums) to form the cowsills…
still convinced that the wholesome group could be a commercial hit, mercury producer artie kornfeld set up an independent recording date and talked barbara cowsill into contributing vocals on "the rain, the park and other things." released by mgm in fall 1967, it rose to no. 2 nationally and sold more than 1 million copies.
the brothers' siblings susan and paul soon joined the group, which was known for its bouncy rhythms and sweet harmonies. among the cowsills' other hits are "we can fly," "indian lake" and their version of the theme from the rock musical "hair"…
the cowsills even had a chance to star in their own situation comedy based on their musical lives.
but family patriarch william "bud" cowsill, a retired navy officer who began managing the boys' band in 1965 and later served as its "creative director," rejected the idea after learning that shirley jones, not barbara, would star as the mother. "the partridge family," which turned david cassidy into a teen idol, aired from 1970 to 1974.
call us cheesy, but we had fond memories of listening to "indian lake" on our transistor radio when we were youngsters. the cowsills music was schmaltzy and forgettable, but also energetic and optimistic, things music should be.
say hello
the only reason we invited co-bloggers to our site...
and it worked.
big mac
to rush through this re-certification, the secretary of state had to go back on his word -- twice -- and violate federal and state law in the process. compounding this travesty is that the re-certification is based solely on the views and recommendations of people on the secretary's payroll.
this is unacceptable!
urge secretary of state mcpherson to reverse his decision on diebold -- email him today!
the secretary of state based his decision on what he called an "independent audit" -- which was really a review of the diebold machines conducted by a board that he appointed himself. the results of this study were kept secret from you and every other california voter until after the secretary made his decision to give diebold the green light.
there was absolutely zero public review or input before this decision was made. that's not how you restore public confidence in california elections.
why is secretary mcpherson so intent to rush through this diebold certification?
where are the results of tests conducted by the federal "independent testing authorities?" mcpherson told us last december that he wouldn't even consider diebold's application until those tests were done.
and why didn't mcpherson allow experts and the general public to review and comment on this latest report before he decided to flip-flop on the issue and re-certify these diebold machines?
urge the secretary of state to reverse his decision to re-certify the diebold machines -- and schedule a public hearing to independently review new and damaging information about diebold's machines!
this report determined that "there are serious vulnerabilities" with the diebold machines "that go beyond what was previously known."
don't you think that californians deserve voting systems without "serious vulnerabilities?"
urge secretary of state mcpherson to stop the re-certification of these diebold machines until we know the facts -- send him an email today!
so, just to recap the facts here:
- the secretary of state's own rushed secret study points out "serious vulnerabilities... that go beyond what was previously known," yet the secretary decided to re-certify the machines.
- there has been absolutely no opportunity for public comment or review on these latest findings.
- the secretary of state told us he would wait for test results from the federal "independent testing authorities" before acting on diebold's request to re-certify its machines. he didn't do that.
- the secretary of state said any voting machine in california would have to meet all federal laws, rules, and regulations. these diebold machines fail that test -- especially by using "interpreted code" that is banned by the election assistance commission.
- the secretary of state said any voting machine in california would have to meet state law. these diebold machines violate state law because they don't provide an audible "read-back" of the machines' auditable paper trail for blind and visually-impaired voters.
tell secretary of state mcpherson to put his decision to re-certify the diebold machines on hold now!
thanks so much for your help on this critical issue. the integrity of california's state elections system is at stake.
debra bowen
california state senator
p.s. i'm pursuing many other actions as well, including compelling voting machine vendors and the secretary of state to appear before the state senate. but right now it's important for secretary of state mcpherson to hear from all of us directly, since it was his decision on friday to certify diebold's machines -- and it is his responsibility to hear the facts and comply with the law.
you can use the letter sen. bowen has on her site, or use the california secretary of state home page to contact mr. macpherson.
addendum: gary boatwright, commenting on our post at mydd, graciously provides us with the snail mail and bricks and mortar addresses for the 5 senators on the rules committee, and he suggests that nothin' says lovin' like a walk in from the coven...so pay your senator an in-person visit, and let them know how much this means to you! (and if you can't, then remember to use their phone numbers and email addresses to convey your feelings!)
United Arab Emirates Company Unconcerned with Port Security
Meanwhile, P&O has said it is unperturbed by the political opposition to its takeover, and DP World has stayed tight-lipped about how it would approach any looming legal action. It did tell us though, that the security of its U.S. ports was ultimately in the hands of the U.S. Coast Guard, regardless of who owns P&O.
In other words, they'll have the port security contracts, but they aren't terribly concerned about security. Shouldn't the company in charge of port security actually take responsibility for port security?
*Cross-posted at Blanton's and Ashton's
those who do not learn from history class are doomed to repeat it
this just in on the Wire ...
Another was meeting new friends like Brad Friedman. Yet another was that I was reminded how much I enjoy reading CorrenteWire - even though (neurosis alert!) when they wrote up the party, they listed all the swell people who attended - but didn't even mention moi! "Who can remember them all?" they write. The "them all" there, that would be me, I guess ...
... and even though, when they wrote this quite-interesting piece - which says that the dominant right-wing emotion is "fear" and asking what the Left's should be - they don't even credit me with my immediate suggestion: "post-coital bliss." "As was raised at the party ..." they say. Raised by ... "oh, who can remember them all?"
Everybody's had that feeling: I'm invisible! What am I, chicken liver? Hel-lo! Jeez, if I still drank ...
So then, what is my emotion? Insecurity and self-doubt.
Actually, I know "bliss" is not exactly an emotion - but I'll take it over most other options. Neither is "hope" (one of CW's suggestions), so I guess it's back to the drawing board. I wrote up a suggestion for Wesley Clark once: Fun & excitement. Would anybody buy that from the Left? Anyhoo ...
... I'll go see my therapist now while you guys read Corrente Wire. ("You see, I was a shy and retiring child, much giving to reading, painting, and listening to music while the other kids ...") Some hide their neuroses. Others go to the keyboard. (Besides, I'm kidding - sorta!)
those who cannot learn from history
u.s. reclassifies many documents in secret review - washington, feb. 20 — in a seven-year-old secret program at the national archives, intelligence agencies have been removing from public access thousands of historical documents that were available for years, including some already published by the state department and others photocopied years ago by private historians.
are doomed to repeat it. it's hard work, making the american people dumber, but aWol's going to do it.
Monday, February 20, 2006
more separated at birth
fun with google
skippy writes to the rules committee
so many reports have documented the fallibility of digital voting machines, including the recent uc berkeley report which states:
"harri hursti's attack does work: mr. hursti's attack on the av-os (optical scanner)is definitely real. he was indeed able to change the election results by doing nothing more than modifying the contents of a memory card. he needed no passwords, no cryptographic keys, and no access to any other part of the voting system, including the gems election management server."
"interpreted code is contrary to standards: interpreted code in general is prohibited by the 2002 fec voluntary voting system standards, and also by the successor standard, the eac's voluntary voting system guidelines due to take effect in two years. in order for the diebold software architecture to be in compliance, it would appear that either the accubasic language and interpreter have to be removed, or the standard will have to be changed.
california can only run software certified by the federal ita process, by state law. the "berkeley team" is saying flat-out that such certification was not done correctly, therefore the entire diebold product line is illegal under state law." (emphasis ours).
we urge you to do everything in your power to force the officials of this industry to comply with an investigation into the feasibility of using these machines without fear of possible and easily-obtained election fraud.
if you are a resident of california, we suggest you write (or call) the 5 senators whose numbers are listed here.
say hello
if this shtetl is rockin' then don't bother knockin'
Tom Tomorrow's latest is also particularly good.
Life in the war zone
By the end of last year, we had strict security measures in place and reviewed them each time we left the house, whether to conduct an interview or to buy milk. As a rule of thumb, we never stayed anywhere for more than half an hour because any longer would allow time for a kidnapping to be orchestrated.
Drivers made sure our armored car and "chase" car -- which follows the first car as a surveillance vehicle -- were running smoothly. A guard loaded his AK-47 rifle and secured a handgun to his waist. Haqi, our translator and office manager, tested the walkie-talkie radios and placed the first-aid kit in the back seat. I draped myself in a head-to-toe black abbaya covering, the traditional attire of conservative Arab women, and sat in the back.
The goal was to be invisible, to not be noticed as a foreigner when stuck in traffic, behind a red light or whizzing through Baghdad streets. You just never knew who was sitting in the car next to you. Would they pull out a gun? Would they spot the car and chase you down the road? Would they drag you out? Who would sell you out? Would they have mercy on your Iraqi staff?
The Mystery of the Quail Hunt
isn't that sweet
don't worry, citizens, the terms of the deal are classified.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
separated at birth?
lisa loeb
nana mouskouri?
skating scoring skunked
this has confused most viewers of this year's games. for instance, the american pair's scores from tonight were 5.5, 4.9, 72, b+, a happy face, thumbs up, a squirrel, and a "rully, rully wicked, dude."
300,000 Acres
There was a time when a song like This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land meant something. Now it should be "This Land Is Corporation Land". In the world of real conservatives, industries survive through innovation and efficiency. In awol World, they just have to pay off the right politicians via crooked lobbyists to get the government to reach into the taxpayers' pockets or hand over the citizens' property.
A very good posting on this ripoff is here at Scrutiny Hooligans. There is time to do something about it, but it will take every voice.
say hello
diebold, die!
if you think this is a ludicrous idea, and you live in the golden state, ms. in la is urging you to make 5 calls to stop it.
the 5 calls (actually, 4 calls and an email, as sen. debra bowen asks you email her office) are to the members of the rules committee:
(916) 651-4009
district office (510) 286-1333
senator jim battin (vice-chair) r
(916) 651-4037
senator roy ashburn r
(916) 651-4018
senator debra bowen d
email only firstname.lastname@example.com - (ms. bowen is mounting this case and will be busy preparing, emails are welcomed)
senator gilbert cedillo d
(916) 651-4022
we suggest you make those calls/emails today.
the birdshot heard round the world
reddhead at fdl brings us to next week's newsweek story about dead-eye dick's penchant for not telling anybody anything...including that he just shot a guy in the face:
cheney is often lauded as that rare no. 2 who, having no political ambition for himself, can give his all to the president. but cheney's aloofness from the ebb and flow of politics and public opinion has apparently dulled his senses in a way that is not helpful to his boss, who has been busy lately defending his administration from criticism that it was badly out of touch during hurricane katrina.
there is no 'i' in 'so cal'...but there is in 'social'!!
it was planned, catered and arranged by the lovely leah, and hosted by mjs (and the beautiful mrs. mjs). skippy (sans mrs. skippy, who is feeling a bit under the weather) met lambert, chicagodyke (who is lovely and opinionated, just how we like our dykes!) and shystee (we think it was shystee, it might have been rdf...we actually learned everyone's real name, and had trouble placing their screen names; at the last social at brian lense's home, skippy insisted everyone wear name tags with their real and blog name, but brian's house was so dark it was an exercise in futility).
among the guests were bradblog (and his girlfriend mrs. blog), political animal, david e. of fablog, our own fabulous cookie jill, who was driven up from santa barbara by the gracious ellen nagler of the broadview, and our other own rj eskow, mark kleiman, and some others skippy whose names and blogs was unable to learn.
a great time was had by all, and everyone all pretty much agreed that repubbbs are destroying the world, so it's time to party as much as possible before it's too late.
we strongly recommend that bloggers in all areas make the effort to physically meet like-minded bloggers and socialize as much as possible. not only is it an effective way of maintaining a constiutency and trading ideas, it's fun and you can get drunk, too!
big mac
to rush through this re-certification, the secretary of state had to go back on his word -- twice -- and violate federal and state law in the process. compounding this travesty is that the re-certification is based solely on the views and recommendations of people on the secretary's payroll.
this is unacceptable!
urge secretary of state mcpherson to reverse his decision on diebold -- email him today!
the secretary of state based his decision on what he called an "independent audit" -- which was really a review of the diebold machines conducted by a board that he appointed himself. the results of this study were kept secret from you and every other california voter until after the secretary made his decision to give diebold the green light.
there was absolutely zero public review or input before this decision was made. that's not how you restore public confidence in california elections.
why is secretary mcpherson so intent to rush through this diebold certification?
where are the results of tests conducted by the federal "independent testing authorities?" mcpherson told us last december that he wouldn't even consider diebold's application until those tests were done.
and why didn't mcpherson allow experts and the general public to review and comment on this latest report before he decided to flip-flop on the issue and re-certify these diebold machines?
urge the secretary of state to reverse his decision to re-certify the diebold machines -- and schedule a public hearing to independently review new and damaging information about diebold's machines!
this report determined that "there are serious vulnerabilities" with the diebold machines "that go beyond what was previously known."
don't you think that californians deserve voting systems without "serious vulnerabilities?"
urge secretary of state mcpherson to stop the re-certification of these diebold machines until we know the facts -- send him an email today!
so, just to recap the facts here:
- the secretary of state's own rushed secret study points out "serious vulnerabilities... that go beyond what was previously known," yet the secretary decided to re-certify the machines.
- there has been absolutely no opportunity for public comment or review on these latest findings.
- the secretary of state told us he would wait for test results from the federal "independent testing authorities" before acting on diebold's request to re-certify its machines. he didn't do that.
- the secretary of state said any voting machine in california would have to meet all federal laws, rules, and regulations. these diebold machines fail that test -- especially by using "interpreted code" that is banned by the election assistance commission.
- the secretary of state said any voting machine in california would have to meet state law. these diebold machines violate state law because they don't provide an audible "read-back" of the machines' auditable paper trail for blind and visually-impaired voters.
say hello
straight from the horse's ass...
yet, in less than ten months, on december 2, 2001, enron would be forced to file for bankruptcy protection. this would result in thousands of employees being laid off, loss of retirement benefits and savings for thousands more, substantial losses for shareholders, creditors, and suppliers, numerous other tremendous hardships and indeed, personal and business disasters.
although many events contributed to enron's bankruptcy, the actual triggering event for enron's bankruptcy was the loss of confidence by the financial community and by enron's trading counter parties, which, although made somewhat fragile by other circumstances, began a collapse by early november 2001 that ultimately could not be arrested or reversed.
the notion that enron's cfo might be involved in illegal activities provoked the loss of confidence, causing the run on the company's treasury. this business was dependent on trust -- and the actions of andrew fastow and his cohorts irreparably breached that trust. the result for enron was catastrophic...
then yes, his rationalization for enron's collapse makes perfect sense.
hey, look -- an enron quiz!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
see what the boys in the smoke-filled backroom will have
hackett had demonstrated his ability to shake money from donors during a january fundraising roadshow in california and new york. but he soon discovered that top democrats were attempting to cut off his money. the hosts of a beverly hills fundraiser for hackett received an e-mail from the political action committee of rep. henry waxman (d-calif.) that concluded, "i hope you will re-consider your efforts on behalf of hackett and give your support to sherrod." waxman's chief of staff, phil schiliro, said the e-mail was only sent to a handful of people and that "it probably came from a suggestion from the sherrod brown campaign."tho reid has publicly denied telling donors not to contribute to hackett, we'd still like his, and schumer's, response the above allegations.
michael fleming, who manages internet millionaire david bohnett's political and charitable giving, was one of the recipients of the waxman email. bohnett has given to hundreds of progressive candidates, but fleming says, "this was the first time i had ever gotten an email or communication like that. i find it discouraging and disheartening. it's unfortunate that the powers that be didn't let the people of ohio figure this out. we should be in the business of encouraging people like paul hackett and viable progressive candidates like him to run. the message instead is don't bother, it's not worth your time."
sen. schumer was also reported to be trying to turn off hackett's cash spigots. no one would confirm this to me on the record. but veteran political activist david mixner, who described himself as "a fanatically strong supporter" of hackett and who helped sponsor a new york fundraiser, confirmed that he "received calls from a couple people in congress urging paul hackett to withdraw or not to contribute money to his campaign. the reasons ranged from he can't win, to he's too controversial, brown has more money, is more centrist, and more appealing. it was that inner beltway circle crap," said mixner. "they are people who have no idea what's going on in the country but believe they know everything."
mixner added, "i don't think it's inappropriate to call me. what's inappropriate is that the people calling me were the same people who asked him to run, and now they wanted to push him out. that's what made this unique."
hackett was infuriated by the subterfuge. "i felt like i got fucked by the democratic party because they enticed me in and then they pulled the rug out from beneath me. it sounds eerily familiar to sending in the military to iraq, which was a misuse of the military, and then not giving them what they need to fight."
losing my political religion
george w. bush will not achieve a place in the republican pantheon. conservatism cannot fail, it can only be failed. by liberalism.
dave neiwert chimed in on this discussion yesterday and wrote a very intriguing post in which he posits that the modern republican party might more aptly be called a political religion, which, as it happens, is an acknowledged sociological designation. he writes:
here's the wikepedia entry, which is actually rather accurate on the subject:
... the term political religion is a sociological one, drawing on the sociological aspects of religion which can be often be found in certain secular ideologies. a political religion occupies much the same psychological and sociological space as a theistic religion, and as a result it often displaces or coopts existing religious organisations and beliefs; this is described as a "sacralisation" of politics. however, although a political religion may coopt existing religious structures or symbolism, it does not itself have any independent spiritual or theocratic elements - it is essentially secular, using religion only for political purposes, if it does not reject religious faith outright.


text: Today was a monumental day in the history of animals doing the nasty. For the first time ever, a photo has been taken of two gorillas engaging in "face-to-face" (not-so-fancy anthropologist-speak for missionary position) intercourse. Though this behavior is common in gorillas in captivity, it's very rare amongst those in the wild. So adorable, right? Except for the fact that, uh, that's the female gorilla's daughter off to the side, watching them do it. ("Moooooom! Ewwwwww!") Click on the photo for additional photos of tender, sweet gorilla love. [National Geographic]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I just installed installed 12.10, and suspend is not working. Here are more details:
- When I select suspend from the power menu, the screen goes black (with the monitor still running), but the computer is still running. Num Lock works, but Caps Lock doesn't work [*]. The computer never enters suspend mode, but I can't get the monitor to respond either. The only way I can get out of this situation is to shut down the machine by holding the power button.
- When I forcefully reboot it, I get the message "Ubuntu 12.10 has encountered an internal error". Apparently something is wrong with apportcheckresume.
- I googled a bit and found this launchpad bug report. I installed the amd64 kernel from here; on this new kernel suspend works. But there are no drivers, so it's not a solution.
So, the question is:
- How do I fix suspend on the current kernel (3.5.0-17-generic); OR
- How do I install drivers on the mainline kernel?
A solution to either will solve the problem.
[*] How to debug suspend? seem to suggest this is a kernel hang?


text:
I love couscous and I almost always order it in restaurant. Do you know why? Because I like the consistence, when I make it at home it never came in the same as in restaurant. Of course, there are restaurants where they don't know how to cook couecous, but it is rather an exception)
The idea to cook couscous in moroccan way home I had in mind for a long time, so long ago I took up the study of materials on this subject on the Internet. And you know what? Today I made perfect couscous, like in moroccan restaurant)) That's why I decided to share with you the secret I found. Of course, this complicates a little a process, but believe me,the result worth it.
So our ingredients for a couple of servings:
- couscous, a glass
- onion
- carrot
- celery
- garlic
- Bell pepper
- fresh or frozen green peas
- frozen peeled shrimps
- pepper
- salt
- olive oil
- butter (optional)
You can take different vegetables, as well as the proportion of vegetables, the only thing - don-t use tomatoes. You can put a leek instead of onion. I think it all depends on your personal taste and what is available at home. By the way, if you don?t put shrimps this will be a vegetarian couscous.
A traditional Moroccan pot features a large base (called either a barma, gdra or tanjra) for stewing meats and vegetables, and a steamer basket (kesskess) which fits snugly atop the pot for steaming couscous, rice or even vermicelli (seffa).
Couscous is traditionally steamed three times over a rapidly simmering stew. Steaming the couscous makes each grain plump and tender without being wet, and therefore better suited for absorbing the tasty broth from the stew.
I divided a process in two parts. The first part and the second should be getting ready at the same time, you can start preparing the vegetables a little later then couscous.
The first part - the couscous.
So, for my adapted version without Bormio you need colander or stainer and the pan where the colander you can place well over. You can place damp tea towel or a piece of fabric in colander (so couscous don't go down) You can also use a double boiler, but I have not tried it. Put the water in a pan, but better to use vegetable broth and boil it. While the broth is boiling, place the couscous in a bowl and pour a little water and just few drops of oil. Toss, rub and stir the couscous with your hands to distribute the oil and water. The oil helps prevent clumping, allowing each grain of couscous to remain separate as it steams.
When couscous absorbs water, transfer it in a double boiler or in a colander over a broth. The first steaming is finished when vapor rises through the couscous. At that point, dump out the couscous into a very large shallow bowl or a roasting pan, breaking up clumps with a spoon to release heat.
When the couscous has cool enough to handle, rub the granules to aerate and separate them. Put couscous in colander and repeat like first time leaving it over boiling broth for some minutes (totally repeat 3-4 times).
I will take the couscous with fire for the last time, immediately add to it a some salt (if you didn't added it into the broth), 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter. Or without butter.
The second part - vegetables
We will cut all the vegetables into small pieces. Garlic is optional, you can fry a whole clove and remove it, mince it and put with vegetables. I fried and then removed the garlic. Then put the onions, then carrots, then you can add the remaining vegetables, and after 5 minutes add the shrimps. Let stew for 5-7 minutes on low heat, covered.
When the couscous is ready and vegetables, too, put the couscous in vegetables, stir and cover the pan for 5 minutes to give him a time to tasty.
That is what we have - a tasty and healthy dish, also suitable for diets.


text:
Endless sagas scribbled, over the significance of books. Yet, all of them stand true even today. No other yesteryear material have been so relevant, ever. All classes and age-sections, concedes with this very fact. And good habit should be taken up, as early as possible, and kept close till the very end. Here's one such habit, that you should imbibe in your kids – Children Books. Perhaps, these books are a set, inspiring imagination and relationship values, in a kid. Plus the graphical adornment, makes it more attractive for those little gems.
They say addictions are harmful. We say, 'Not all addictions are harmful.' To clear the wave of confusion, lets come straight to the point. Feel free to let your kids get addicted to range of kids books, we present you with. That'll open a hundred variant doors of imagination & creativity in you child. At Infibeam, you'll find ample of these children books, viz. 'The Jungle Book', 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Grandmother's Tales', et al. And of course, we haven't missed out on that epic and most loved one from the lot - 'Panchtantra'.
When it comes to books, no reader would hesitate spending their hard-earned money in a flash of eyelids. The horizons expands to a different level, altogether, when a reader parent go out on a book search for their kids. Peruser or not, investing in a good book for those little ones, in always a right option. Cause they help imbibing a lot of cultural values in kids. Inifbeam's service, as a whole, makes it an apt platform for such kids books online. Not merely varied & easy payment option, but also a swift & happy shopping experience is what you'll be gifted along!
When the Gen-Next is forging ahead, on the path of technology. Make sure, your kids doesn't lose touch with the ever-inspiring shelf of books. Books for kids is similar to what a mother's tender touch is to an infant. Kids books bridges the gap of creative stimulation, alive in a kid's mind. It also makes them a good communicator & bonds them well with the concept of humanity. All these forms of life-preaching, comes in a the most fun and colourful format of graphically rich kids books online. Step up & click for your pick, from the existing array of graceful books!


text:
Dave V necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 268 diseños de 56 diseñadores freelance.
SilverStream LLC
SilverStream is a small startup company that currently provides sales and marketing consulting services under multiple brands or banners. In the future we will also publish information products, again under different brands or imprints.
I like lean and spare designs influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian esthetics. "Elegant simplicity" probably best describes the look I most love, but I don't want anything that looks cold or impersonal. I want to suggest growth potential through organic and curvilinear forms that imply closeness to nature. They should look strong and not overly feminine. Dynamic asymmetry appeals to me.
My target market is established small businesses that want to look larger than they are and that are eager to grow. I want my design to appeal to them for its sophistication, but I don't want it to put off any of my target audience by appearing to be remote, distant or overly refined.
I want a simple, clean logo I can use both independent of my company name (SilverStream LLC) and also in conjunction with it. The logo will appear on business stationery (especially business cards), on covers of print publications, on jackets and labels for multimedia materials, video titles, Web sites, etc.
The logo must be able to scale well from small to very large versions (projected onto screens or blown up on signage and banners). I want to be able to use it in multiple alternative color versions, but I don't want the elements of the logo to consist of more than two colors. I want to keep printing costs low.
I will need the logo provided in multiple digital formats for all the normal intended uses.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
IBM Sterling Ideas
formerly Watson Supply Chain
Submit new product ideas for Watson Supply Chain solutions. Before you submit, please review existing ideas; if an idea close to yours already exists, it's better to add comments or vote on the existing idea. We will review your ideas and use them to help prioritize our product development. Best of all, the portal will automatically update you when the status of your idea has been changed. Order Management, Store Engagement, Watson Order Optimizer, Inventory Visibility, CPQ and Call Center are now part of Watson Supply Chain
Connect with IBM experts and your peers on the
Supply Chain Collaboration Community and the Order Management Interest Group
Submit ideas for other Watson Customer Engagement Products:
• Watson Marketing
• Watson Campaign Automation
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Raisin Scones葡萄乾司康餅*makes about 25pcs125g butter (salted)60g brown sugar1 egg , A size or large3 and 1/2 tsp baking powder ~11g1 cup Buttermilk120g raisin , soak in water for 10mins1 egg yolk for egg washMethod1. Sift flour and baking powder together, set aside.2. Use a hand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar till pale and fluffy. Add in egg, beat till mix well.3. Using a spatula, add in buttermilk and flour alternately, add in raisin, mix until combined. Last you can use hand to mix as to make sure all ingredients are incorporate and mix well till a soft and sticky dough, but do not over work.4. Use an ice-cream scoop ( you can use spoon or hand) to scoop the dough on a lined baking tray. Leave some gap in between the dough as it will expand. Egg wash the top.5. Bake at a pre-heated oven at 200C for 15-20mins or until golden brown.
Thanks to Jennifer for kind sharing, recipe by Sonia a.k.a Nasi Lemak Lover
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Raisin Scones 葡萄乾司康餅
11 comments:
- My Little Space said...
Sonia, these scones look so good. Its been awhile since I baked them. Craving !
- April 12, 2017 at 6:44 PM
- Elin Chia said...
Sonia, Tq for sharing the recipe.... looks good :) me too craving and drooling now... Bad time to look at it as it is sleeping time now :p
- April 12, 2017 at 10:33 PM
- pei wen A said...
Hi Sonia, thank you for your sharing~ May i know what is buttermilk? where can get it?
- April 13, 2017 at 9:49 AM
- maedecx said...
Hie Sonia, do you think can freeze and keep the dough in freezer for future bake? Or freeze the baked scones and re-heat later? Does these two method will alteres the taste and texture of the scones compares to the freshly make and bake??
Have a good day!
P/S: Always enjoying your short video clips on your instagram stories, especially all sorts of cooking/baking method which added to your recipe a clearer method of hands-on.
- April 13, 2017 at 10:22 AM
- Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...
Hi pei wen, buttermilk is the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. You can get it at any major supermarket, usually at butter and cream cold storage section.
Hi Maedecx, better to freeze the baked scones , defrost then toast it and it will taste like freshly made. If you do not planning to store it longer, actually you can just store in the fridge, take out and toast it before enjoy.
- April 13, 2017 at 8:31 PM
- Christine Quah said...
Hi Sonia,
The raisin is require to soak in the water for 10 min. Shall we use hot water or room temperature water will do
- April 17, 2017 at 8:06 AM
- Isabella Lim said...
Hi Sonia, i couldn't find buttermilk here. Can i use fresh milk instead? Thanks a lot
- April 19, 2017 at 9:24 PM
- Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...
Christine, just room temp water will do.
Isabella, you can use plain yogurt instead.
- April 20, 2017 at 11:28 AM
- Leechen Ch said...
Hi Sonia, I tried it with plain yogurt , I need to use 2 cups to get it sticky, but I find that it doesn't rISE very high, do I need to increase the baking powder??
- April 26, 2017 at 9:26 PM
- Nisa said...
I have always loved scones. The first time I ate them was at Cameron Highland, and I found them delicious. They were plain scones, and I remember thinking that they would be good with this or that ingredient added.
- May 24, 2017 at 9:47 PM
- LY Kee said...
Hi I don't have brown sugar. Can I substitute with raw sugar?
- September 1, 2017 at 12:14 AM


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