“In this world, you must be a bit too kind in order to be kind enough.”
Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (1688–1763)
French writer
Friday, April 30, 2010
ACLU to Obama: ‘Entire world is not a war zone’
The American Civil Liberties Union has sent a strongly-worded letter to President Barack Obama, asking him to end an alleged program that allows 'targeted killings' of terror suspects outside of war zones.
In the letter (PDF), the civil liberties group argues that the alleged program -- which, according to news reports, is now targeting at least one US citizen -- is unlawful and unconstitutional, and could set a dangerous precedent leading to foreign governments killing people on US soil.
"The program that you have reportedly authorized appears to envision the use of lethal force not just on the battlefield in Iraq, Afghanistan, or even the Pakistani border regions, but anywhere in the world, including against individuals who may not constitute lawful targets," ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero stated in the letter.
"The entire world is not a war zone, and wartime tactics that may be permitted on the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq cannot be deployed anywhere in the world where a terrorism suspect happens to be located."
Read more
In the letter (PDF), the civil liberties group argues that the alleged program -- which, according to news reports, is now targeting at least one US citizen -- is unlawful and unconstitutional, and could set a dangerous precedent leading to foreign governments killing people on US soil.
"The program that you have reportedly authorized appears to envision the use of lethal force not just on the battlefield in Iraq, Afghanistan, or even the Pakistani border regions, but anywhere in the world, including against individuals who may not constitute lawful targets," ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero stated in the letter.
"The entire world is not a war zone, and wartime tactics that may be permitted on the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq cannot be deployed anywhere in the world where a terrorism suspect happens to be located."
Read more
To lose weight, hide your food
To eat less, leave the pasta serving bowl on the stove rather than putting it on the table. This simple strategy--keeping serving dishes out of sight--reduced the number of times a person refilled his or her plate, according to research presented at this week’s Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, Calif.
The study of 78 people, called "Serve Here; Eat There," was led by food psychologist Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.
"Quite simply, it is a case of 'out of sight, out of mind,'" said Wansink, the author of “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.” "When we kept the serving dishes off the table, people ate 20 percent fewer calories. Men ate close to 29 percent less."
The same strategy can be used to help increase the consumption of healthier foods, Wansink said.
"If fruits and vegetables are kept in plain sight, we'll be much more likely to choose them, rather than a piece of cake hidden in the refrigerator," he said.
Read more
The study of 78 people, called "Serve Here; Eat There," was led by food psychologist Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.
"Quite simply, it is a case of 'out of sight, out of mind,'" said Wansink, the author of “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.” "When we kept the serving dishes off the table, people ate 20 percent fewer calories. Men ate close to 29 percent less."
The same strategy can be used to help increase the consumption of healthier foods, Wansink said.
"If fruits and vegetables are kept in plain sight, we'll be much more likely to choose them, rather than a piece of cake hidden in the refrigerator," he said.
Read more
EPA Confirms Climate IS Changing
In another display of the sea change that has occurred at the US Environmental Protection Agency under the current administration, a new report was issued yesterday regarding indicators of climate change. The report, entitled "Climate Change Indicators in the United States," measures 24 separate indicators showing how climate change affects the health and environment of US citizens.
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Jon Stewart: Arizona is the meth lab of democracy
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Law & Border | ||||
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What If the Tea Party Were Black?
Imagine that hundreds of black protesters descended on DC armed with AK-47s. Would they be defended as patriotic Americans?
READ MORE
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Chicken With Creamy Mushrooms
Serves 4
Total Time: 20m
Directions
1. Season 8 thin chicken cutlets (1½ pounds total) with salt and pepper. In batches, cook in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden; remove.
2. Add 1 pound sliced mushrooms to pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender. Stir in ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup goat cheese, and ¼ cup chopped parsley. Serve with the chicken.
Silhouettes Of Jazz
This animated short movie outlines the history of traditional jazz music in a virtual walkthrough of a shadow art museum.
Shadow art is a unique form of sculptural art that exploits the fact that we can recognize objects from their shadows or silhouettes. Improvisation, a key ingredient of jazz music, is mirrored in the ambiguity of a shadow sculpture: many different 3D shapes can cast the same 2D shadow.
The movie highlights five different milestones in the evolution of jazz: the early songs of field workers, ragtime, New Orleans jazz, swing, and bebop. Each era is represented with a room containing 3D sculptures which cast multiple shadow images at the same time. This unique property is achieved using a novel computational method for the interactive creation and manipulation of shadow art. Given a set of desired silhouette images, a global geometric optimization builds a 3D shadow volume that can subsequently be edited by the artist using a set of 3D modeling tools.
The reinterpretation of jazz and non-jazz music is crucial in jazz pieces - in the same way, a shadow object can be seen as a 3D interpretation of the desired 2D shadows.
Shadow art is a unique form of sculptural art that exploits the fact that we can recognize objects from their shadows or silhouettes. Improvisation, a key ingredient of jazz music, is mirrored in the ambiguity of a shadow sculpture: many different 3D shapes can cast the same 2D shadow.
The movie highlights five different milestones in the evolution of jazz: the early songs of field workers, ragtime, New Orleans jazz, swing, and bebop. Each era is represented with a room containing 3D sculptures which cast multiple shadow images at the same time. This unique property is achieved using a novel computational method for the interactive creation and manipulation of shadow art. Given a set of desired silhouette images, a global geometric optimization builds a 3D shadow volume that can subsequently be edited by the artist using a set of 3D modeling tools.
The reinterpretation of jazz and non-jazz music is crucial in jazz pieces - in the same way, a shadow object can be seen as a 3D interpretation of the desired 2D shadows.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Today's Quote
"Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything."
Mary Hemingway
1908-1986, Author and Journalist
Mary Hemingway
1908-1986, Author and Journalist
Now Ohio being pressured into AZ-style immigrant law
An Ohio sheriff known for taking extreme steps to crack down on undocumented immigrants and a Republican state representative are urging the state to pass an immigration law similar to the controversial one in Arizona.
Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones and state House Rep. Courtney Combs have sent a letter to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland asking him to pass a law that "mirrors" the one in Arizona, reports WLWT channel 5 in Cincinnati.
“Our federal government has failed us when it comes to securing the border and stopping the flow of thousands of illegals entering this country on a daily basis," WLWT quoted Rep. Jones as saying. "If the federal government won’t do it, it is time that states take that responsibility upon themselves."
Read more
Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones and state House Rep. Courtney Combs have sent a letter to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland asking him to pass a law that "mirrors" the one in Arizona, reports WLWT channel 5 in Cincinnati.
“Our federal government has failed us when it comes to securing the border and stopping the flow of thousands of illegals entering this country on a daily basis," WLWT quoted Rep. Jones as saying. "If the federal government won’t do it, it is time that states take that responsibility upon themselves."
Read more
New Website Helps You Make Informed Financial Decisions Through Every Stage of Life
The new 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy website is designed to help you manage your personal finances throughout your life. Content on the free site is organized by 10 life stages, such as Employed and Parents & Children and 13 key topics, including Credit & Debit and Home Ownership, to help you easily identify the most useful resources for your specific financial situation. You can also create a profile to receive article and tool recommendations for where you are in life.
The new site also features RSS feeds, widgets that can be added to websites or blogs and an enhanced Ask the Money Doctor section staffed by CPAs who are also personal financial specialists. The free site is void of all marketing and advertising and its launch coincides with April being named National Financial Literacy Month by President Obama. Visit the new site and create an account to ensure you're getting the financial information you need!
www.360financialliteracy.org
The new site also features RSS feeds, widgets that can be added to websites or blogs and an enhanced Ask the Money Doctor section staffed by CPAs who are also personal financial specialists. The free site is void of all marketing and advertising and its launch coincides with April being named National Financial Literacy Month by President Obama. Visit the new site and create an account to ensure you're getting the financial information you need!
www.360financialliteracy.org
Turn That Frown Upside Down: Twenty-Nine Simple Pleasures
Life is filled with simple pleasures, the little satisfying effects you never really anticipate, but always take great pleasure in. They are the gifts of life that we each subconsciously celebrate in our own unique way.
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Today's Quote
"Everything in your life is there as a vehicle for your transformation. Use it!"
— Ram Dass: Author and spiritual teacher
— Ram Dass: Author and spiritual teacher
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Deadly Fungus Spreading in North America
A deadly fungus that typically affects those with weak immune systems (such as AIDS patients) has been spreading among healthy animals and adults in the United States and Canada, according to scientists. Cyroptococcus gattii has infected a total of 270 patients in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and caused 40 deaths so far after mutating from its original form, a change scientists speculate could be caused by climate change. Though the fungus typically is found in wooded areas, one researcher said, “The outbreak may continue to expand into the neighboring region of Northern California, and possibly further.”
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The Imminent Crash Of The Oil Supply
Look at this graph and be afraid. It does not come from Earth First. It does not come from the Sierra Club. It was not drawn by Socialists or Nazis or Osama Bin Laden or anyone from Goldman-Sachs. If you are a Republican Tea-Partier, rest assured it does not come from a progressive Democrat. And vice versa. It was drawn by the United States Department of Energy, and the United States military's Joint Forces Command concurs with the overall picture.
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Look, it's an illegal, right?
If Arizona's Republican legislators weren't so dumb, they'd be dangerous. Or maybe they're dangerous because they're dumb.
Either way, once they stop celebrating the passage of what should be dubbed the "We really, really, really don't like illegal aliens" bill , they're going to have to figure out how law enforcement is supposed to identify the culprits.
It's always fun to read the text of silly legislation. Turn to Section 2, Paragraph B, which states: "For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or agency of this state or a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person."
Did you catch the part about "reasonable suspicion"? How is a cop going to know by sight who is or isn't legal? What about a person will elicit suspicion?
Opponents of the measure argue that the open-ended nature of "reasonable suspicion" will lead to widespread racial profiling of all Latinos. They're probably overstating their case. Something tells me someone who looks like, say, blond Mexican pop singer Paulina Rubio won't be stopped.
Read more
Either way, once they stop celebrating the passage of what should be dubbed the "We really, really, really don't like illegal aliens" bill , they're going to have to figure out how law enforcement is supposed to identify the culprits.
It's always fun to read the text of silly legislation. Turn to Section 2, Paragraph B, which states: "For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or agency of this state or a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person."
Did you catch the part about "reasonable suspicion"? How is a cop going to know by sight who is or isn't legal? What about a person will elicit suspicion?
Opponents of the measure argue that the open-ended nature of "reasonable suspicion" will lead to widespread racial profiling of all Latinos. They're probably overstating their case. Something tells me someone who looks like, say, blond Mexican pop singer Paulina Rubio won't be stopped.
Read more
Asian Dumpling Soup With Shiitakes and Edamame
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 25m
Total Time: 25m
Ingredients
* 2 32-ounce containers low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1 16-ounce package frozen pot sticker dumplings or Japanese gyoza
* 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
* 4 ounces shiitake or white mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
* 2 cups frozen shelled edamame
* 1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed (about 3 cups)
* 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
* kosher salt
* 4 scallions, sliced
Directions
1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth and ginger to a boil. Add the pot stickers and carrots and simmer until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms and edamame and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the watercress, soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with the scallions before serving.
Behind The Arizona Immigration Law: GOP Game to Swipe the November Election
Phoenix - Don't be fooled. The way the media plays the story, it was a wave of racist, anti-immigrant hysteria that moved Arizona Republicans to pass a sick little law, signed last week, requiring every person in the state to carry papers proving they are US citizens.
I don't buy it. Anti-Hispanic hysteria has always been as much a part of Arizona as the saguaro cactus and excessive air-conditioning.
What's new here is not the politicians' fear of a xenophobic "Teabag" uprising.
What moved GOP Governor Jan Brewer to sign the Soviet-style show-me-your-papers law is the exploding number of legal Hispanics, US citizens all, who are daring to vote - and daring to vote Democratic by more than two-to-one. Unless this demographic locomotive is halted, Arizona Republicans know their party will soon be electoral toast. Or, if you like, tortillas.
Read more
I don't buy it. Anti-Hispanic hysteria has always been as much a part of Arizona as the saguaro cactus and excessive air-conditioning.
What's new here is not the politicians' fear of a xenophobic "Teabag" uprising.
What moved GOP Governor Jan Brewer to sign the Soviet-style show-me-your-papers law is the exploding number of legal Hispanics, US citizens all, who are daring to vote - and daring to vote Democratic by more than two-to-one. Unless this demographic locomotive is halted, Arizona Republicans know their party will soon be electoral toast. Or, if you like, tortillas.
Read more
Sunday, April 25, 2010
W. Virginia Miners Worked in Fear
A whistleblower foreman from the West Virginia mine that killed 29 workers earlier this month offers a chilling account to The New York Times of life among the workers. According to the foreman, miners worked under dangerously elevated methane levels and tried to plug up holes that were suspected sources of the gas with trash instead of proper material. Some were frightened into tears by the conditions. "I have had guys come to me and cry," the veteran foreman told the New York Times. "Grown men cried—because they are scared." He described an incident in which a miner passed out due to methane concentration that was never reported to state and federal regulators. Inspectors found some 44 major methane violations in the mine over the past two years.
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Saturday, April 24, 2010
Yearning for an America that's gone
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@MiamiHerald.com
The numbers are in.
Thanks to a new CBS News/New York Times poll, we now have a statistical picture of the tea party movement. There are few surprises.
It turns out that not quite 20 percent of Americans are tea party supporters. They tend to be white, Republican, male, over 45 and wealthier than the rest of us. Fifty-seven percent hold a favorable opinion of George W. Bush. And where most Republicans describe themselves as ``dissatisfied'' with Washington, tea partiers are apt to use a different term. They say they're angry.
It is a telling word, especially in light of another survey, this one from the University of Washington's Institute For the Study of Ethnicity, Race & Sexuality. That poll offers strong evidence that, contrary to the denials of tea party enthusiasts, President Obama's race plays a big role in their outrage. Indeed, researchers found a significant correlation between racial resentment and tea party zeal.
Respondents were read loaded statements such as this: ``It's really a matter of some people not trying hard enough; if blacks would only try harder, they could be just as well off as whites.'' Among those skeptical of the tea party, only 33 percent agreed with that statement. Among whites in general, 56 percent did. But among the tea party's most rabid followers,the number spikes to 73 percent.
As Dr. Christopher Parker, who led the study, observed via e-mail: ``[I]f one believes that blacks don't try hard enough, use slavery as an excuse, and . . . have received more than they deserve (racial resentment), they are 37 percent more likely than those who don't believe this . . . to support the tea party.''
Yes, he says, ideology plays a part. Yes, politics does, too. But as he put it in a follow-up conversation by phone, ``once you control for partisanship, party identification and ideology, there's still a significant, robust effect for race.''
Some of us needed no polling data to know this. Some of us needed only to observe the timing of the tea party's rise.
After all, if the tea partiers were truly only concerned about so-called ``tyranny,'' they'd have started howling when President Bush claimed he need not be bound by laws with which he disagreed.
If they were truly only worried about a ``socialist'' takeover of private industry, they'd have yelped when he took over troubled financial institutions.
If they were truly only anxious about the budget, they've have hollered when he spent a $128 billion surplus into a $407 billion deficit.
If they were truly outraged over their income taxes, they'd have screamed at Bush first, given that their taxes are the same as when he was in office.
It is telling that they ``discovered'' their burning concern over these things shortly after Barack Obama came to power.
And contrary to what some in the movement would argue, it is not the case that any criticism of Obama brings charges of racism. Columnist George F. Will accuses Obama of timidity, columnist Charles Krauthammer calls certain of his policies ``terminally naive,'' columnist Jonah Goldberg charges him with dirty politics. Yet there's been no national hue and cry accusing those conservatives of racial bias.
The reason is simple. Unlike certain tea partiers, they did not claim Obama favors white slavery. Or depict him as a witch doctor with a bone through his nose.
Or cry, ``I want my country back.''
For those of us trying to build a country that does not fear difference, a country where access to opportunity is not a function of skin color; for those of us seeking an America that will finally live out the true meaning of its creed, that battle cry of the tea partiers says all that need be said about the differences between them and the rest of us.
They are looking for the America that was.
We're searching for the one that ought to be.
lpitts@MiamiHerald.com
The numbers are in.
Thanks to a new CBS News/New York Times poll, we now have a statistical picture of the tea party movement. There are few surprises.
It turns out that not quite 20 percent of Americans are tea party supporters. They tend to be white, Republican, male, over 45 and wealthier than the rest of us. Fifty-seven percent hold a favorable opinion of George W. Bush. And where most Republicans describe themselves as ``dissatisfied'' with Washington, tea partiers are apt to use a different term. They say they're angry.
It is a telling word, especially in light of another survey, this one from the University of Washington's Institute For the Study of Ethnicity, Race & Sexuality. That poll offers strong evidence that, contrary to the denials of tea party enthusiasts, President Obama's race plays a big role in their outrage. Indeed, researchers found a significant correlation between racial resentment and tea party zeal.
Respondents were read loaded statements such as this: ``It's really a matter of some people not trying hard enough; if blacks would only try harder, they could be just as well off as whites.'' Among those skeptical of the tea party, only 33 percent agreed with that statement. Among whites in general, 56 percent did. But among the tea party's most rabid followers,the number spikes to 73 percent.
As Dr. Christopher Parker, who led the study, observed via e-mail: ``[I]f one believes that blacks don't try hard enough, use slavery as an excuse, and . . . have received more than they deserve (racial resentment), they are 37 percent more likely than those who don't believe this . . . to support the tea party.''
Yes, he says, ideology plays a part. Yes, politics does, too. But as he put it in a follow-up conversation by phone, ``once you control for partisanship, party identification and ideology, there's still a significant, robust effect for race.''
Some of us needed no polling data to know this. Some of us needed only to observe the timing of the tea party's rise.
After all, if the tea partiers were truly only concerned about so-called ``tyranny,'' they'd have started howling when President Bush claimed he need not be bound by laws with which he disagreed.
If they were truly only worried about a ``socialist'' takeover of private industry, they'd have yelped when he took over troubled financial institutions.
If they were truly only anxious about the budget, they've have hollered when he spent a $128 billion surplus into a $407 billion deficit.
If they were truly outraged over their income taxes, they'd have screamed at Bush first, given that their taxes are the same as when he was in office.
It is telling that they ``discovered'' their burning concern over these things shortly after Barack Obama came to power.
And contrary to what some in the movement would argue, it is not the case that any criticism of Obama brings charges of racism. Columnist George F. Will accuses Obama of timidity, columnist Charles Krauthammer calls certain of his policies ``terminally naive,'' columnist Jonah Goldberg charges him with dirty politics. Yet there's been no national hue and cry accusing those conservatives of racial bias.
The reason is simple. Unlike certain tea partiers, they did not claim Obama favors white slavery. Or depict him as a witch doctor with a bone through his nose.
Or cry, ``I want my country back.''
For those of us trying to build a country that does not fear difference, a country where access to opportunity is not a function of skin color; for those of us seeking an America that will finally live out the true meaning of its creed, that battle cry of the tea partiers says all that need be said about the differences between them and the rest of us.
They are looking for the America that was.
We're searching for the one that ought to be.
Noam Chomsky Has ‘Never Seen Anything Like This’
By Chris Hedges
Noam Chomsky is America’s greatest intellectual. His massive body of work, which includes nearly 100 books, has for decades deflated and exposed the lies of the power elite and the myths they perpetrate. Chomsky has done this despite being blacklisted by the commercial media, turned into a pariah by the academy and, by his own admission, being a pedantic and at times slightly boring speaker. He combines moral autonomy with rigorous scholarship, a remarkable grasp of detail and a searing intellect. He curtly dismisses our two-party system as a mirage orchestrated by the corporate state, excoriates the liberal intelligentsia for being fops and courtiers and describes the drivel of the commercial media as a form of “brainwashing.” And as our nation’s most prescient critic of unregulated capitalism, globalization and the poison of empire, he enters his 81st year warning us that we have little time left to save our anemic democracy.
“It is very similar to late Weimar Germany,” Chomsky told me when I called him at his office in Cambridge, Mass. “The parallels are striking. There was also tremendous disillusionment with the parliamentary system. The most striking fact about Weimar was not that the Nazis managed to destroy the Social Democrats and the Communists but that the traditional parties, the Conservative and Liberal parties, were hated and disappeared. It left a vacuum which the Nazis very cleverly and intelligently managed to take over.”
“The United States is extremely lucky that no honest, charismatic figure has arisen,” Chomsky went on. “Every charismatic figure is such an obvious crook that he destroys himself, like McCarthy or Nixon or the evangelist preachers. If somebody comes along who is charismatic and honest this country is in real trouble because of the frustration, disillusionment, the justified anger and the absence of any coherent response. What are people supposed to think if someone says ‘I have got an answer, we have an enemy’? There it was the Jews. Here it will be the illegal immigrants and the blacks. We will be told that white males are a persecuted minority. We will be told we have to defend ourselves and the honor of the nation. Military force will be exalted. People will be beaten up. This could become an overwhelming force. And if it happens it will be more dangerous than Germany. The United States is the world power. Germany was powerful but had more powerful antagonists. I don’t think all this is very far away. If the polls are accurate it is not the Republicans but the right-wing Republicans, the crazed Republicans, who will sweep the next election.”
“I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime,” Chomsky added. “I am old enough to remember the 1930s. My whole family was unemployed. There were far more desperate conditions than today. But it was hopeful. People had hope. The CIO was organizing. No one wants to say it anymore but the Communist Party was the spearhead for labor and civil rights organizing. Even things like giving my unemployed seamstress aunt a week in the country. It was a life. There is nothing like that now. The mood of the country is frightening. The level of anger, frustration and hatred of institutions is not organized in a constructive way. It is going off into self-destructive fantasies.”
Read more
Noam Chomsky is America’s greatest intellectual. His massive body of work, which includes nearly 100 books, has for decades deflated and exposed the lies of the power elite and the myths they perpetrate. Chomsky has done this despite being blacklisted by the commercial media, turned into a pariah by the academy and, by his own admission, being a pedantic and at times slightly boring speaker. He combines moral autonomy with rigorous scholarship, a remarkable grasp of detail and a searing intellect. He curtly dismisses our two-party system as a mirage orchestrated by the corporate state, excoriates the liberal intelligentsia for being fops and courtiers and describes the drivel of the commercial media as a form of “brainwashing.” And as our nation’s most prescient critic of unregulated capitalism, globalization and the poison of empire, he enters his 81st year warning us that we have little time left to save our anemic democracy.
“It is very similar to late Weimar Germany,” Chomsky told me when I called him at his office in Cambridge, Mass. “The parallels are striking. There was also tremendous disillusionment with the parliamentary system. The most striking fact about Weimar was not that the Nazis managed to destroy the Social Democrats and the Communists but that the traditional parties, the Conservative and Liberal parties, were hated and disappeared. It left a vacuum which the Nazis very cleverly and intelligently managed to take over.”
“The United States is extremely lucky that no honest, charismatic figure has arisen,” Chomsky went on. “Every charismatic figure is such an obvious crook that he destroys himself, like McCarthy or Nixon or the evangelist preachers. If somebody comes along who is charismatic and honest this country is in real trouble because of the frustration, disillusionment, the justified anger and the absence of any coherent response. What are people supposed to think if someone says ‘I have got an answer, we have an enemy’? There it was the Jews. Here it will be the illegal immigrants and the blacks. We will be told that white males are a persecuted minority. We will be told we have to defend ourselves and the honor of the nation. Military force will be exalted. People will be beaten up. This could become an overwhelming force. And if it happens it will be more dangerous than Germany. The United States is the world power. Germany was powerful but had more powerful antagonists. I don’t think all this is very far away. If the polls are accurate it is not the Republicans but the right-wing Republicans, the crazed Republicans, who will sweep the next election.”
“I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime,” Chomsky added. “I am old enough to remember the 1930s. My whole family was unemployed. There were far more desperate conditions than today. But it was hopeful. People had hope. The CIO was organizing. No one wants to say it anymore but the Communist Party was the spearhead for labor and civil rights organizing. Even things like giving my unemployed seamstress aunt a week in the country. It was a life. There is nothing like that now. The mood of the country is frightening. The level of anger, frustration and hatred of institutions is not organized in a constructive way. It is going off into self-destructive fantasies.”
Read more
Coca Cola's Role in the Assassinations of Union Leaders Explored in Powerful New Documentary
"The Coca-Cola Case" explores allegations of tragedy at bottling plants in Colombia, trade union murder capital of the world.
"As soon as the union was formed, the trouble started," intones the brother of murdered Colombian union leader Isidro Gil ominously at the start of "The Coca-Cola Case," a documentary co-production by the NFB and Argus Films that is about to have its New York premiere.
The 86-minute film chronicles the relentless efforts of American lawyers trying to take the soft drink giant to court over the killings of 10 union leaders, who represented workers at Coke bottling plants in Colombia.
The documentary splits its time nicely between two battles: the court fight waged by Daniel Kovalik, lawyer for the United Steelworkers union, on behalf of Columbian union members, and the public awareness crusade of Ray Rogers, who directed the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke.
Read more
"As soon as the union was formed, the trouble started," intones the brother of murdered Colombian union leader Isidro Gil ominously at the start of "The Coca-Cola Case," a documentary co-production by the NFB and Argus Films that is about to have its New York premiere.
The 86-minute film chronicles the relentless efforts of American lawyers trying to take the soft drink giant to court over the killings of 10 union leaders, who represented workers at Coke bottling plants in Colombia.
The documentary splits its time nicely between two battles: the court fight waged by Daniel Kovalik, lawyer for the United Steelworkers union, on behalf of Columbian union members, and the public awareness crusade of Ray Rogers, who directed the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke.
Read more
Jamie Oliver's Jam Jar Dressings
In my opinion, the most important part of a salad is the dressing. It’s all very well saying everyone needs to eat more salad, fruit, and veggies (it’s true, we do), but it should be a pleasure, not a chore! By dressing a salad you can make it delicious, meaning you want to eat it rather than feel you have to. The other good news is that your body can absorb far more of the nutrients from salads because of the presence of oil and acid in the dressing. So dressings give you the double whammy of being a healthy benefit and also delicious! Don’t drown your salads in dressing, though — remember, a little goes a long way — and always dress them at the last minute before serving.
I like to make my dressings in jam jars because it’s so easy to see what’s going on — you can shake them up easily and any leftovers can be kept in the jars in the fridge. I’m going to give you four basic dressings that can be used with all the salads in this chapter. With the exception of the yogurt dressing, they are based on a ratio of 3 parts oil to I part acid (vinegar or lemon). Generally, this ratio is a really good benchmark for making any dressing, but it’s always sensible to have a little taste once you’ve shaken it up. If the seasoning is there but you’re finding it a little too acidic, you’ve cracked it, because once the dressing is on the salad leaves it will be perfect.
-Jamie Oliver
French Dressing
Peel and finely chop ¼ of a clove of garlic. Put the garlic, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar, and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Yogurt Dressing
Put 1/3 cup of natural yogurt, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Lemon Dressing
Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Balsamic Dresing
Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
I like to make my dressings in jam jars because it’s so easy to see what’s going on — you can shake them up easily and any leftovers can be kept in the jars in the fridge. I’m going to give you four basic dressings that can be used with all the salads in this chapter. With the exception of the yogurt dressing, they are based on a ratio of 3 parts oil to I part acid (vinegar or lemon). Generally, this ratio is a really good benchmark for making any dressing, but it’s always sensible to have a little taste once you’ve shaken it up. If the seasoning is there but you’re finding it a little too acidic, you’ve cracked it, because once the dressing is on the salad leaves it will be perfect.
-Jamie Oliver
French Dressing
Peel and finely chop ¼ of a clove of garlic. Put the garlic, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar, and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Yogurt Dressing
Put 1/3 cup of natural yogurt, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Lemon Dressing
Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Balsamic Dresing
Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Smoky Braised Chicken and Gnocchi
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 10m
Total Time: 1hr 00m
Ingredients
* 4 chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs)
* kosher salt and pepper
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon smoked or hot paprika (found in the spice section of the supermarket)
* 2 yellow onions, cut into wedges
* 1 pound gnocchi (refrigerated or shelf-stable)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and add the broth, paprika, and onions. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
3. Add the gnocchi and continue cooking until the gnocchi are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Divide among individual plates.
Refuse To Be Afraid
Tim Wrightman, a former All-American UCLA football player, tells a story about how, as a rookie lineman in the National Football League, he was up against the legendary pass rusher Lawrence Taylor. Taylor was not only physically powerful and uncommonly quick but a master at verbal intimidation.
Looking young Tim in the eye, he said, "Sonny, get ready. I'm going to the left and there's nothing you can do about it."
Wrightman coolly responded, "Sir, is that your left or mine?"
The question froze Taylor long enough to allow Wrightman to throw a perfect block on him.
It's amazing what we can accomplish if we refuse to be afraid. Fear - whether it's of pain, failure, or rejection - is a toxic emotion that creates monsters in our mind that consume self-confidence and intimidate us from doing our best or sometimes even trying at all.
As a law professor, I saw scores of capable students fail the bar exam, not because they didn't know enough but because their anxiety hindered their ability to remember or coherently express what they did know.
For most law graduates, passing the bar exam should be no more difficult than walking across a board 20 feet long and two feet wide. The trouble is, they don't walk normally because they're intimidated by the illusion that the board is suspended 100 feet in the air and that getting across is a life-or-death matter. What's the worst thing that could happen? Embarrassment, inconvenience, and expense - but none of these is fatal.
Perspective is an antidote to fear. Most things you fear will never happen, and even if they do, you can handle it.
Michael Josephson
Looking young Tim in the eye, he said, "Sonny, get ready. I'm going to the left and there's nothing you can do about it."
Wrightman coolly responded, "Sir, is that your left or mine?"
The question froze Taylor long enough to allow Wrightman to throw a perfect block on him.
It's amazing what we can accomplish if we refuse to be afraid. Fear - whether it's of pain, failure, or rejection - is a toxic emotion that creates monsters in our mind that consume self-confidence and intimidate us from doing our best or sometimes even trying at all.
As a law professor, I saw scores of capable students fail the bar exam, not because they didn't know enough but because their anxiety hindered their ability to remember or coherently express what they did know.
For most law graduates, passing the bar exam should be no more difficult than walking across a board 20 feet long and two feet wide. The trouble is, they don't walk normally because they're intimidated by the illusion that the board is suspended 100 feet in the air and that getting across is a life-or-death matter. What's the worst thing that could happen? Embarrassment, inconvenience, and expense - but none of these is fatal.
Perspective is an antidote to fear. Most things you fear will never happen, and even if they do, you can handle it.
Michael Josephson
How to Increase Self Empowerment
Self empowerment is the process of taking charge of your life by lifting yourself from victimhood. Once you achieve this process, your life will dramatically change for the better because you will begin to live in your realities instead of living in other people’s realities. As a result, people won’t be able to take advantage of you anymore because they can’t blindfold you from the truth. Your confident will also change to a level you never knew existed and many of your fears will be reduced.
The society that you live in today does a great job putting people in victimhood which is why most people are too dependent on their government and are always in a state of fear. Victimhood isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does have negative effects on your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Victimhood lowers your energy vibration which can cause health problems, emotional and mental problems, and worst of all, weakens your soul. Therefore, if you want to improve your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being, you will need to increase your self empowerment.
Read more
The society that you live in today does a great job putting people in victimhood which is why most people are too dependent on their government and are always in a state of fear. Victimhood isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does have negative effects on your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Victimhood lowers your energy vibration which can cause health problems, emotional and mental problems, and worst of all, weakens your soul. Therefore, if you want to improve your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being, you will need to increase your self empowerment.
Read more
94-Year-Old Mary Coffey Gets Last Wish: One More Tennessee Waltz
Mary Coffey, a woman from Dallas, Texas with congestive heart failure had one last wish: to dance the Tennessee Waltz. A group of caring people made it happen.
Friday, April 23, 2010
# # How Companies Use Sweepstakes to Circumvent Do Not Call
In these rough economic times, companies are vigorously seeking new ways to expand their customer base and reach out to a greater number of people in an effort to jump-start sluggish sales. Thus, many companies have turned to the use of sweepstakes-entry forms as a way to harvest consumers' telephone numbers for purposes of telemarketing. If done correctly, this may be a legitimate marketing tool; however, companies that are not extremely cautious and diligent in their use of this technique may find themselves in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC recently has addressed this very issue and, in more than one instance, has cracked down on companies that violated Do Not Call regulations by calling telephone numbers obtained via sweepstakes entry forms.
Read more
The FTC recently has addressed this very issue and, in more than one instance, has cracked down on companies that violated Do Not Call regulations by calling telephone numbers obtained via sweepstakes entry forms.
Read more
Trade Your Old CDs for an iPhone!
If you have a lot of old CDs lying around, pack them up and ship them out for free and then get a new iPod, iPhone, or even an iPad in return!
It may sound too good to be true, but this is the real deal.
It's compliments of iPodmeister.com.
It'll take most CDs in good condition, but you have to have the original cardboard sleeve or the original jewel case and front and back album cover inserts.
And you do have to collect a lot of CDs o get an i-product in return.
For instance, for 220 discs, you'll get an 8-gigabyte iPod Nano. For 330 discs, you'll get a 16-gigabyte iPhone 3GS. And for 600 discs, you can get a 16 gigabyte iPad with Wifi!
Read more
It may sound too good to be true, but this is the real deal.
It's compliments of iPodmeister.com.
It'll take most CDs in good condition, but you have to have the original cardboard sleeve or the original jewel case and front and back album cover inserts.
And you do have to collect a lot of CDs o get an i-product in return.
For instance, for 220 discs, you'll get an 8-gigabyte iPod Nano. For 330 discs, you'll get a 16-gigabyte iPhone 3GS. And for 600 discs, you can get a 16 gigabyte iPad with Wifi!
Read more
Top 10 Things That Could Poison Your Pet
We always try to keep things safe for our children and try to stay informed on what things around our house would be harmful for the little ones, We put locks on kitchen and bathroom cabinets to keep curious little hands out of trouble
What about your pet. Did you know that there are some foods and other household items that are harmful to your dog or cat but not your children?
Read more
What about your pet. Did you know that there are some foods and other household items that are harmful to your dog or cat but not your children?
Read more
How to Unmask the Identity of "Secret Hotels" on Discount Travel Sites
More and more hotel reservation travel sites are offering their best bargains for hotels they won't name until after you make your nonrefundable reservation ("secret hotels"). Now on some travel sites, you can use the provided map to figure out more precisely where the hotel is located and which one it actually is. (Besides lastminutetravel.com mentioned in the story, otel.com's maps even more precisely pinpoint the location of the secret hotel.)
Recent Tectonic Activity Shaking Things Up
There seems to have been a rash of high magnitude earthquakes and volcanic eruptions recently on planet Earth. One begs to know if there is an underlying cause behind it, or if it is all merely coincidental. Can the Earth be undergoing severe seismic shifts? Are the poles reversing? Is our planet stable or should we start building our doomsday caves and space ships? When it seems like there is something abnormal about all this tectonic activity, one needs to defer to the experts on the matter, and they are saying that it is, in fact, nothing unusual.
Read more
Read more
Cheesy Vegetable Pasta
Serves 6
Hands-On Time: 30m
Total Time: 1hr 20m
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* kosher salt
* freshly ground black pepper
* 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise
* 1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise
* 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
* 1/2 pound ziti or penne
* 2 large cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
* 1 large tomato, chopped
* 4 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
* 1 cup prepared tomato sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
Directions
1. Heat the broiler. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the oil with the vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and a few grinds of pepper and brush the mixture on the cut sides of the zucchini, eggplants, and onion. Arrange them cut-side up on a large, shallow baking pan. Broil the vegetables until golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut the zucchini crosswise into thin slices. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch pieces. Chop the onion coarsely.
2. Heat the oven to 350º F. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain. Return the pasta pot to the stove, add the garlic and the remaining tablespoon of oil, and cook over low heat until the garlic sizzles. Stir in the oregano and mint.
3. Add the cooked pasta, broiled vegetables, chopped tomatoes, Feta, the tomato sauce, pepper flakes, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few more grinds of pepper. Transfer to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella.
4. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until the cheese is melted and golden, and a knife inserted in the center for 5 seconds comes out hot.
Waking Sleeping Beauty Trailer
From 1984 to 1994, a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever.
Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairytale. It is a story of clashing egos, out of control budgets, escalating tensions... and one of the most extraordinary creative periods in animation history.
Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairytale. It is a story of clashing egos, out of control budgets, escalating tensions... and one of the most extraordinary creative periods in animation history.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Today's Quote
"When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way."
— Wayne Dyer: Self-development author and speaker
— Wayne Dyer: Self-development author and speaker
50 Ways to Go Green
By Kathleen King for Divine Caroline
It doesn’t have to be Earth Day for me to think about how I can make an impact (or less of an impact) on our planet. Here are a few of my favorite tips:
1. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.
2. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.
3. Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.
4. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.
5. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge and FoodRoutes to get started. Buy locally made products and locally produced services.
6. Buy in season.
7. Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. You’ll find more on energy-efficient products and practices at Energy Star.
8. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not using it. Turn off energy strips and surge protectors when not in use (especially overnight).
9. Recycle your newspapers.
10. Car pool. Connect with other commuters at eRideShare.
11. Consider a car sharing service like Zipcar.
12. Ride a bike.
13. Walk, jog, or run.
14. Go to your local library instead of buying new books.
15. At holidays and birthdays, give your family and friends the gift of saving the earth. Donate to their favorite environmental group, foundation, or organization.
16. Get off junk mail lists. GreenDimes can get you started. They’ll even plant a tree for you!
17. Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible.
18. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for doggie poop bags or for small trashcan liners.
19. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Given a choice between plastic and paper, opt for paper.
20. Buy locally. Find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food near you at LocalHarvest.
21. Consider organic cleaning products like vinegar, borax, and baking soda.
22. If you have a baby, consider using cloth diapers. To sign up for a diaper service to do the dirty work, check out the National Association of Diaper Services.
23. Consider buying a fuel-efficient car or a hybrid.
24. Landscape with native plants. Check out the article on the EPA website.
25. Opt into a clean energy program. Check out the Green Power Network at the US Department of Energy.
26. Go paperless. Consider reading your newspaper and magazine subscriptions online. Switch to electronic banking and credit card payment, too.
27. Teach kids about the environment.
28. Take your batteries to a recycling center. Earth 911 gives you the scoop.
29. Turn your car off if you’re going to be idle for more than one minute.
30. Do full loads of laundry and set the rinse cycle to “cold.”
31. Recycle. If you’re not at home, take the extra steps, (literally), to find that recycling can.
32. Reuse. Plastic food containers make good crayon and marker holders. Use padded envelops more than once. Buy your toddler or preschooler’s clothes from a thrift shop and give away those that don’t fit to friends. Goodwill or the Salvation Army can help.
33. Limit the length of your showers. Even better, take a “navy shower,” shutting off the water while soaping up and shampooing.
34. Don’t run the water when brushing your teeth. Learn about water scarcity.
35. Wash towels after several uses.
36. Purchase one case of water and provide clean water to 24 people (for over twenty years).
37. Give away your goods and find new ones at FreeCycle.
38. Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, among others, offer recycling programs.
39. Go zero! Log on to the Conservation Fund’s Carbon Zero Calculator and in less than five minutes, you can measure and then offset your carbon dioxide emissions by planting trees.
40. Put your money where your mouth is—invest in green investments. Web sites like Co-op America’s National Green Pages™ can help.
41. Learn about threats to ocean life and help Greenpeace take action.
42. Whenever you can, try using green cleaning products. Check out Cheap, Clean, and Green.
43. Find your local watershed and learn how to protect it.
44. Build a greener home.
45. Opt for eco-friendly and holistic health products.
46. Good to the last drop. Switch to fair trade coffee.
47. Go paperless at work. Distribute company information and post company material online.
48. Eliminate junk mail at work. For no fee, the EcoLogical Mail Coalition will eliminate the junk that former employees receive at work.
49. Plant a forest and feed a family while you’re at it.
50. Shop smart. Choose eco-smart products.
It doesn’t have to be Earth Day for me to think about how I can make an impact (or less of an impact) on our planet. Here are a few of my favorite tips:
1. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.
2. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.
3. Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.
4. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.
5. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge and FoodRoutes to get started. Buy locally made products and locally produced services.
6. Buy in season.
7. Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. You’ll find more on energy-efficient products and practices at Energy Star.
8. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not using it. Turn off energy strips and surge protectors when not in use (especially overnight).
9. Recycle your newspapers.
10. Car pool. Connect with other commuters at eRideShare.
11. Consider a car sharing service like Zipcar.
12. Ride a bike.
13. Walk, jog, or run.
14. Go to your local library instead of buying new books.
15. At holidays and birthdays, give your family and friends the gift of saving the earth. Donate to their favorite environmental group, foundation, or organization.
16. Get off junk mail lists. GreenDimes can get you started. They’ll even plant a tree for you!
17. Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible.
18. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for doggie poop bags or for small trashcan liners.
19. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Given a choice between plastic and paper, opt for paper.
20. Buy locally. Find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food near you at LocalHarvest.
21. Consider organic cleaning products like vinegar, borax, and baking soda.
22. If you have a baby, consider using cloth diapers. To sign up for a diaper service to do the dirty work, check out the National Association of Diaper Services.
23. Consider buying a fuel-efficient car or a hybrid.
24. Landscape with native plants. Check out the article on the EPA website.
25. Opt into a clean energy program. Check out the Green Power Network at the US Department of Energy.
26. Go paperless. Consider reading your newspaper and magazine subscriptions online. Switch to electronic banking and credit card payment, too.
27. Teach kids about the environment.
28. Take your batteries to a recycling center. Earth 911 gives you the scoop.
29. Turn your car off if you’re going to be idle for more than one minute.
30. Do full loads of laundry and set the rinse cycle to “cold.”
31. Recycle. If you’re not at home, take the extra steps, (literally), to find that recycling can.
32. Reuse. Plastic food containers make good crayon and marker holders. Use padded envelops more than once. Buy your toddler or preschooler’s clothes from a thrift shop and give away those that don’t fit to friends. Goodwill or the Salvation Army can help.
33. Limit the length of your showers. Even better, take a “navy shower,” shutting off the water while soaping up and shampooing.
34. Don’t run the water when brushing your teeth. Learn about water scarcity.
35. Wash towels after several uses.
36. Purchase one case of water and provide clean water to 24 people (for over twenty years).
37. Give away your goods and find new ones at FreeCycle.
38. Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, among others, offer recycling programs.
39. Go zero! Log on to the Conservation Fund’s Carbon Zero Calculator and in less than five minutes, you can measure and then offset your carbon dioxide emissions by planting trees.
40. Put your money where your mouth is—invest in green investments. Web sites like Co-op America’s National Green Pages™ can help.
41. Learn about threats to ocean life and help Greenpeace take action.
42. Whenever you can, try using green cleaning products. Check out Cheap, Clean, and Green.
43. Find your local watershed and learn how to protect it.
44. Build a greener home.
45. Opt for eco-friendly and holistic health products.
46. Good to the last drop. Switch to fair trade coffee.
47. Go paperless at work. Distribute company information and post company material online.
48. Eliminate junk mail at work. For no fee, the EcoLogical Mail Coalition will eliminate the junk that former employees receive at work.
49. Plant a forest and feed a family while you’re at it.
50. Shop smart. Choose eco-smart products.
Go "Green" to Save Some Green!
The very first Earth Day was 40 years ago in the spring of 1970. At that time, it was a grassroots event that raised concerns about the environment. In 2010, estimates suggest that more than one billion people in more than 190 countries will participate in raising awareness for the environment and implement personal changes to be more "green" on April 22.
Implement these green ideas and save money at the same time.
If you are a homeowner and have access to your hot water heater, turn down the temperature from 140 degrees to 120 degrees or lower. This can reduce your home heating bill by 6-10 percent.
Have a computer at home? Take advantage of your computer's "hibernate" setting when you aren't using it to prevent the computer from wasting energy. Even better, use a surge protector to turn it completely off. Some computer and television models continue to draw energy even if they are turned off.
It may seem trivial, but turn off your lights! Now that days are growing longer and brighter, keep your lights turned off unless you need them. If you leave a room, switch the lights off as you leave. The savings may be slight but can really add up over time. Consider adding a timer or motion sensor to your lights to make it more convenient so you don't even have to think about it.
Visit www.feedthepig.org for more money-saving tips
Implement these green ideas and save money at the same time.
If you are a homeowner and have access to your hot water heater, turn down the temperature from 140 degrees to 120 degrees or lower. This can reduce your home heating bill by 6-10 percent.
Have a computer at home? Take advantage of your computer's "hibernate" setting when you aren't using it to prevent the computer from wasting energy. Even better, use a surge protector to turn it completely off. Some computer and television models continue to draw energy even if they are turned off.
It may seem trivial, but turn off your lights! Now that days are growing longer and brighter, keep your lights turned off unless you need them. If you leave a room, switch the lights off as you leave. The savings may be slight but can really add up over time. Consider adding a timer or motion sensor to your lights to make it more convenient so you don't even have to think about it.
Visit www.feedthepig.org for more money-saving tips
The Daffodil Principle
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come and see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. Going and coming took most of a day - and I honestly did not have a free day until the following week.
"I will come next Tuesday," I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove the length of Route 91, continued on I-215, and finally turned onto Route 18 and began to drive up the mountain highway. The tops of the mountains were sheathed in clouds, and I had gone only a few miles when the road was completely covered with a wet, gray blanket of fog. I slowed to a crawl, my heart pounding. The road becomes narrow and winding toward the top of the mountain.
As I executed the hazardous turns at a snail's pace, I was praying to reach the turnoff at Blue Jay that would signify I had arrived. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these darling children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears - and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car. The mechanic just called, and they've finished repairing the engine," she answered.
"How far will we have to drive?" I asked cautiously.
"Just a few blocks,"Carolyn said cheerfully.
So we buckled up the children and went out to my car. "I'll drive," Carolyn offered. "I'm used to this." We got into the car, and she began driving.
In a few minutes I was aware that we were back on the Rim-of-the-World Road heading over the top of the mountain. "Where are we going?" I exclaimed, distressed to be back on the mountain road in the fog. "This isn't the way to the garage!"
"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."
"Carolyn, I said sternly, trying to sound as if I was still the mother and in charge of the situation, "please turn around. There is nothing in the world that I want to see enough to drive on this road in this weather."
"It's all right, Mother," She replied with a knowing grin. "I know what I'm doing. I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
And so my sweet, darling daughter who had never given me a minute of difficulty in her whole life was suddenly in charge - and she was kidnapping me! I couldn't believe it. Like it or not, I was on the way to see some ridiculous daffodils - driving through the thick, gray silence of the mist-wrapped mountaintop at what I thought was risk to life and limb.
I muttered all the way. After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road that branched down into an oak-filled hollow on the side of the mountain. The fog had lifted a little, but the sky was lowering, gray and heavy with clouds.
We parked in a small parking lot adjoining a little stone church. From our vantage point at the top of the mountain we could see beyond us, in the mist, the crests of the San Bernardino range like the dark, humped backs of a herd of elephants. Far below us the fog-shrouded valleys, hills, and flatlands stretched away to the desert.
On the far side of the church I saw a pine-needle-covered path, with towering evergreens and manzanita bushes and an inconspicuous, lettered sign "Daffodil Garden."
We each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path as it wound through the trees. The mountain sloped away from the side of the path in irregular dips, folds, and valleys, like a deeply creased skirt.
Live oaks, mountain laurel, shrubs, and bushes clustered in the folds, and in the gray, drizzling air, the green foliage looked dark and monochromatic. I shivered. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight, unexpectedly and completely splendid. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. Even in the mist-filled air, the mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.
Each different-colored variety (I learned later that there were more than thirty-five varieties of daffodils in the vast display) was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.
In the center of this incredible and dazzling display of gold, a great cascade of purple grape hyacinth flowed down like a waterfall of blossoms framed in its own rock-lined basin, weaving through the brilliant daffodils. A charming path wound throughout the garden. There were several resting stations, paved with stone and furnished with Victorian wooden benches and great tubs of coral and carmine tulips. As though this were not magnificent enough, Mother Nature had to add her own grace note - above the daffodils, a bevy of western bluebirds flitted and darted, flashing their brilliance. These charming little birds are the color of sapphires with breasts of magenta red. As they dance in the air, their colors are truly like jewels above the blowing, glowing daffodils. The effect was spectacular.
It did not matter that the sun was not shining. The brilliance of the daffodils was like the glow of the brightest sunlit day. Words, wonderful as they are, simply cannot describe the incredible beauty of that flower-bedecked mountain top.
Five acres of flowers! (This too I discovered later when some of my questions were answered.) "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. I was overflowing with gratitude that she brought me - even against my will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"Who?" I asked again, almost speechless with wonder, "And how, and why, and when?"
"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house, my mind buzzing with questions. On the patio we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman, two hands, two feet, and very little brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
There it was. The Daffodil Principle.
For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. One bulb at a time.
There was no other way to do it. One bulb at a time. No shortcuts - simply loving the slow process of planting. Loving the work as it unfolded.
Loving an achievement that grew so slowly and that bloomed for only three weeks of each year. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world.
This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principle of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.
"Carolyn," I said that morning on the top of the mountain as we left the haven of daffodils, our minds and hearts still bathed and bemused by the splendors we had seen, "it's as though that remarkable woman has needle-pointed the earth! Decorated it. Just think of it, she planted every single bulb for more than thirty years. One bulb at a time! And that's the only way this garden could be created. Every individual bulb had to be planted. There was no way of short-circuiting that process. Five acres of blooms. That magnificent cascade of hyacinth! All, just one bulb at a time."
The thought of it filled my mind. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications of what I had seen. "It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My wise daughter put the car into gear and summed up the message of the day in her direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said with the same knowing smile she had worn for most of the morning. Oh, profound wisdom!
It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use tomorrow?"
Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards
"I will come next Tuesday," I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove the length of Route 91, continued on I-215, and finally turned onto Route 18 and began to drive up the mountain highway. The tops of the mountains were sheathed in clouds, and I had gone only a few miles when the road was completely covered with a wet, gray blanket of fog. I slowed to a crawl, my heart pounding. The road becomes narrow and winding toward the top of the mountain.
As I executed the hazardous turns at a snail's pace, I was praying to reach the turnoff at Blue Jay that would signify I had arrived. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these darling children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears - and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car. The mechanic just called, and they've finished repairing the engine," she answered.
"How far will we have to drive?" I asked cautiously.
"Just a few blocks,"Carolyn said cheerfully.
So we buckled up the children and went out to my car. "I'll drive," Carolyn offered. "I'm used to this." We got into the car, and she began driving.
In a few minutes I was aware that we were back on the Rim-of-the-World Road heading over the top of the mountain. "Where are we going?" I exclaimed, distressed to be back on the mountain road in the fog. "This isn't the way to the garage!"
"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."
"Carolyn, I said sternly, trying to sound as if I was still the mother and in charge of the situation, "please turn around. There is nothing in the world that I want to see enough to drive on this road in this weather."
"It's all right, Mother," She replied with a knowing grin. "I know what I'm doing. I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
And so my sweet, darling daughter who had never given me a minute of difficulty in her whole life was suddenly in charge - and she was kidnapping me! I couldn't believe it. Like it or not, I was on the way to see some ridiculous daffodils - driving through the thick, gray silence of the mist-wrapped mountaintop at what I thought was risk to life and limb.
I muttered all the way. After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road that branched down into an oak-filled hollow on the side of the mountain. The fog had lifted a little, but the sky was lowering, gray and heavy with clouds.
We parked in a small parking lot adjoining a little stone church. From our vantage point at the top of the mountain we could see beyond us, in the mist, the crests of the San Bernardino range like the dark, humped backs of a herd of elephants. Far below us the fog-shrouded valleys, hills, and flatlands stretched away to the desert.
On the far side of the church I saw a pine-needle-covered path, with towering evergreens and manzanita bushes and an inconspicuous, lettered sign "Daffodil Garden."
We each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path as it wound through the trees. The mountain sloped away from the side of the path in irregular dips, folds, and valleys, like a deeply creased skirt.
Live oaks, mountain laurel, shrubs, and bushes clustered in the folds, and in the gray, drizzling air, the green foliage looked dark and monochromatic. I shivered. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight, unexpectedly and completely splendid. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. Even in the mist-filled air, the mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.
Each different-colored variety (I learned later that there were more than thirty-five varieties of daffodils in the vast display) was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.
In the center of this incredible and dazzling display of gold, a great cascade of purple grape hyacinth flowed down like a waterfall of blossoms framed in its own rock-lined basin, weaving through the brilliant daffodils. A charming path wound throughout the garden. There were several resting stations, paved with stone and furnished with Victorian wooden benches and great tubs of coral and carmine tulips. As though this were not magnificent enough, Mother Nature had to add her own grace note - above the daffodils, a bevy of western bluebirds flitted and darted, flashing their brilliance. These charming little birds are the color of sapphires with breasts of magenta red. As they dance in the air, their colors are truly like jewels above the blowing, glowing daffodils. The effect was spectacular.
It did not matter that the sun was not shining. The brilliance of the daffodils was like the glow of the brightest sunlit day. Words, wonderful as they are, simply cannot describe the incredible beauty of that flower-bedecked mountain top.
Five acres of flowers! (This too I discovered later when some of my questions were answered.) "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. I was overflowing with gratitude that she brought me - even against my will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"Who?" I asked again, almost speechless with wonder, "And how, and why, and when?"
"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house, my mind buzzing with questions. On the patio we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman, two hands, two feet, and very little brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
There it was. The Daffodil Principle.
For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. One bulb at a time.
There was no other way to do it. One bulb at a time. No shortcuts - simply loving the slow process of planting. Loving the work as it unfolded.
Loving an achievement that grew so slowly and that bloomed for only three weeks of each year. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world.
This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principle of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.
"Carolyn," I said that morning on the top of the mountain as we left the haven of daffodils, our minds and hearts still bathed and bemused by the splendors we had seen, "it's as though that remarkable woman has needle-pointed the earth! Decorated it. Just think of it, she planted every single bulb for more than thirty years. One bulb at a time! And that's the only way this garden could be created. Every individual bulb had to be planted. There was no way of short-circuiting that process. Five acres of blooms. That magnificent cascade of hyacinth! All, just one bulb at a time."
The thought of it filled my mind. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications of what I had seen. "It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My wise daughter put the car into gear and summed up the message of the day in her direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said with the same knowing smile she had worn for most of the morning. Oh, profound wisdom!
It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use tomorrow?"
Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Videos ‘The Mysterious Lady’ Pixies Piano Mashup
A haunting piano version of The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" set to scenes from Greta Garbo's "The Mysterious Lady."
Maxence Cyrin - Where is my mind (The Pixies piano cover) from Maxence Cyrin on Vimeo.
Ego
ego: noun: 1. the self 2. an inflated sense of self-significance (pretty ugly... cute, huh?)
Imagine a world without it. There'd be no...
Toes to step on
Feelings to hurt
Fair shares to grab
Territory to defend
Fault to allocate
Back to watch
Last words to get
Ideas to hold back
Embarrassment to bear
Battles to win
Knowledge to prove
Entitlement to have
Encouragement to withhold
Credit to seek
Grudges to hold
Jealousy to feel
Revenge to take
Hidden meanings to construe
Just pure care.
To Be No Ego...
Be humble. Understand you are a (small) part of the world. Service and patience should be your top priorities.
Be teachable. Focus on what you can learn, rather than what you know. Remember that almost everything you learn comes from the work of someone else.
Listen more. Make every effort to truly understand what others are saying (beyond just words). Allow a gap of silence before responding. Ask questions (and listen, again).
Appreciate people. Enjoy others' contributions. Don't squelch ideas or defend territory. Encourage more.
Relax. Let go of the need to be right or win every time.
Now you know (and with awareness comes responsibility).
Imagine a world without it. There'd be no...
Toes to step on
Feelings to hurt
Fair shares to grab
Territory to defend
Fault to allocate
Back to watch
Last words to get
Ideas to hold back
Embarrassment to bear
Battles to win
Knowledge to prove
Entitlement to have
Encouragement to withhold
Credit to seek
Grudges to hold
Jealousy to feel
Revenge to take
Hidden meanings to construe
Just pure care.
To Be No Ego...
Be humble. Understand you are a (small) part of the world. Service and patience should be your top priorities.
Be teachable. Focus on what you can learn, rather than what you know. Remember that almost everything you learn comes from the work of someone else.
Listen more. Make every effort to truly understand what others are saying (beyond just words). Allow a gap of silence before responding. Ask questions (and listen, again).
Appreciate people. Enjoy others' contributions. Don't squelch ideas or defend territory. Encourage more.
Relax. Let go of the need to be right or win every time.
Now you know (and with awareness comes responsibility).
Classic Chicken Soup
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 15m
Total Time: 1hr 05m
Ingredients
* 1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken
* 6 carrots, peeled
* 4 celery stalks
* 1 large yellow onion, quartered
* 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Directions
1. Place the chicken in a large pot. Cut 3 of the carrots and 2 of the celery stalks into 1-inch pieces. Quarter the onion. Add the cut vegetables to the pot with the salt, peppercorns, and enough cold water to cover (about 8 cups). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the top, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and let cool. Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables. Return the broth to the pot. Thinly slice the remaining carrots and celery. Add them to the broth and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and add it to the soup. Ladle into individual bowls.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Today's Quote
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
Macedonian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner
Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
Macedonian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner
Trees
"For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its years, its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured. And every young farmboy knows that the hardest and noblest wood has the narrowest rings, that high on the mountains and in continuing danger the most indestructible, the strongest, the ideal trees grow.
Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.
A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.
A tree says: My strength is trust. I know nothing about my fathers, I know nothing about the thousand children that every year spring out of me. I live out the secret of my seed to the very end, and I care for nothing else. I trust that God is in me. I trust that my labor is holy. Out of this trust I live.
When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.
A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. If one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. It is not so much a matter of escaping from one's suffering, though it may seem to be so. It is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.
So the tree rustles in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts: Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness."
— Hermann Hesse
Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.
A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.
A tree says: My strength is trust. I know nothing about my fathers, I know nothing about the thousand children that every year spring out of me. I live out the secret of my seed to the very end, and I care for nothing else. I trust that God is in me. I trust that my labor is holy. Out of this trust I live.
When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.
A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. If one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. It is not so much a matter of escaping from one's suffering, though it may seem to be so. It is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.
So the tree rustles in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts: Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness."
— Hermann Hesse
Pasta Carbonara
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 25m
Total Time: 25m
Ingredients
* 1 pound dry linguine
* 8 ounces bacon, diced
* 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
* 3 large egg yolks
* 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing
* 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
1. Cook the linguine according to the package directions, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
3. Return skillet to medium heat, add the onion, and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Working quickly, return the drained pasta to the pot along with the pasta water, bacon, and onion. Place the pot over low heat and cook, tossing frequently, until heated through. Remove from heat and quickly add the yolks, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Add the Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and stir until the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Divide among bowls. Top with additional Parmesan and the remaining pepper.
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