food glorious food

To be honest, I have more of a "eat to live" person as opposed to a "live to eat" kind of guy. To that end, I don't pay much attention to the food I eat, what kind of food to make, or where I might go and eat. Luckily for me J_ is a foodie. She is definitely a "live to eat" sort of a gal - which makes her svelte figure that much more impressive.

Now, luckily for all of you, she has started a food blog Slottedspoon.blogsome.com. I'm adding it to my links on the side, and you should check it out, then tell your friends and have them check it out, and tell your friends to tell their friends to check it out,and so on and so forth ad nauseum.

Hooray for J_ and for food!

Five books you should read if you want to sound smart about stuff

This is not a meme. This is just a short list I've compiled for anyone out there interested in appearing smart without having to carry around that damn Socrates book around with you every where you go.

Now you'll actually be able to engage in all sorts of conversations that have nothing to do with your hair or your blog.

Also, they are fun to read so enjoy.

The Omnivore's Dillema
By Michael Pollen

Everything you'll need to know about America's modern food production, from the industrial food chain, to organics, to hunting and gathering the food yourself. Not only informative, this will change the way you think about food.

Who Wrote The Bible
by Richard Elliot Freidman

This is not a religious book. I mean it is, but it's not advocating a religion. It is simply a smart, concise, and very accessable (even to those who might never have read the bible) explanation of the Documentary hypothisis. That is the idea (theory/belief/hypothosis) that the bible was written by many people over many, many years. It is not a repudiation of the bible, or belief's held therein. This isn't meant to disuade you from being religious, nor is it meant to make you religious. Just very interesting information.

1421
by Gavin Menzies

The Chinese discovered the world about seventy years before Columbus even set sail. Though this theory isn't quite recognized by Western academics, it is a pretty solid held belief in Asia. Believe it, don't believe it, either way, you'll learn the world has a lot more craziness in it than you previously were led to believe.

Longitude
by: Dava Sobel

A short history as to how Longitude was invented, and the little guy who did it who never got any credit. More British history than anything else. And if you like this book, for extra credit I'd check out Dava Sobel's other non-fictions.

The Radioactive Boyscout
by Ken Silverstein

A crazy true story about a boy, his disfuntional family, his love of nuclear power, and how he almost created a nuclear disaster in his own back yard. Learning about nuclear science and how to build a nuclear reactor in your own back yard with common household items was never this much fun.


There you go. Now you'll have things to talk about during your next boring cocktail party. And You're Welcome

I don't know whether to Laugh, Cry, or Crap my pants in sheer Terror

To all of you who wonders what the true face of evil looks like, I give you Prussian Blue.

Aren't they just adorable?

Aside from any other idealogical problems I might have, I have to admit, this article brings front and center a demon of mine I need to get out in the open. As one who wouldn't have been considered white forty years ago (and there still are country clubs I can't get into because they don't consider me white) I have also been concerned about the quality of white babies being in decline.

And if you are interested you can buy those cute smiley face t-shirts Here

Don't even get me started on what their band name is a reference to (also check under this wikipedia entry).

And for those of you who just can't get enough of those wonderful girls, I give you their Homepage. Revel in teenie bopper hitler folk rock insanity.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to decide whether to kill myself or kill everyone else. Frankly, based on my mood right now, I'm leaning towards the latter.

I hope that I'll get old before I die

I was going to write about this past Thursday and how my father was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Divinity from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and I probably will within the next few days, but before that I feel compelled to write about a member of my father's congregation.

Jesse (last name with held for anonymity - also I have absolutely no idea what his last name actually is) has been a member of the Marathon Jewish Community Center (for some reason they don't use the word synagogue or temple in Queens, everything is a "community center") for quite some time. As an active member he enjoys celebrating his birthday after services on the Saturday closest to his actual day of birth by sponsoring a lunch or some sort at the "temple." This past Saturday we celebrated his one hundred and first birthday. Let me repeat that. HE'S ONE HUNDRED AND ONE YEARS OLD. He was born November 24, 1904.

Please shake from your minds the idea that he is some old bed ridden feeble asthmatic forgetful old man. He is as spry as a man in his eighties. He walks everywhere. Everywhere. He walks to the supermarket, to the drug store, to temple. He probably isn't allowed to drive anymore but still, it's a hell of a lot of walking. He even walks in the annual Israeli day Parade in Manhattan every year. At age 101 he has only just recently started to use a walker because he had some sort of accident about a month ago. In fact I'm starting to suspect he is actually Colonel Steve Austin and not the nice Jewish old man he who sits six rows up from the bimah every Saturday morning.

Forsaking the amount of money (six million dollars) put in to his body (we have the technology...) I find it helpful, to really put in all in perspective, to discuss what this man has witnessed throughout the course of his life. Just some of the major plot points (not necessarily in linear order).

-World War one, 1914-1918
-The great depression, 1929
-The invention of Marshmallow fluff, 1917
-The mass production of the and eventual commonplace of the Automobile
-Charles Lindbergh's first nonstop transatlantic flight aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, 1927
-The invention of the Oreo Cookie, 1912 (which actually came second to the now defunct Hydrox cooki,e 1908 - personal aside: I miss Hydrox and always liked them better than Oreos)
-17 Presidents of the United States (From Teddy Roosevelt to Bush the second, Presidents in between of note: all of them)
-World War Two, 1939-1945
-The creation of the state of Israel (big deal for the Jews), 1948
-The growth of America from 48 states to the whopping 50 we are today: Hawaii + Alaska, 1959
-The first man in space, 1961
-A man walking on the Moon, 1969
-The creation and dissolution of the Bull Moose political party, 1912-1916
-Fourteen near presidential assassinations (Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, Nixon, Ford - twice, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton - three times, and Bush two - twice so far); 1912, 1933, 1950, 1974, 1975 twice, 1979, 1981, 1993, 1994- twice, 1995, 2004, 2005; and one actual assassination (JFK) 1963
-The film "The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai across the 8th dimension" 1984
-Korean War, 1950-1953
-Vietnam War 1965-1973
-Gulf War 1991
-Iraq War 2004 - ?
-Bud Bowl one through seventeen 1988- present
-The Red Sox winning the World Series in 1918 then again in 2004
-The civil rights movement
-Gay marriage legalization (at least in one state) 2003
-The rise of radio and then consequently the demise of radio followed by the rise of Television
-And though there are many more, in my mind the most important: The invention of Tang (The Greatest thing to come of the NASA!) 1957

He is literally four times older than I am. He has children, grandchildren and great grandchildren (and if he keeps this up he'll be alive with great-great grandchildren) During his 99th birthday celebration he turned to the congregation and said, "I'm thankful for the past ninety-nine years I've had and for the one year I have left." I don't know whether he expected to die at age 100, or just meant he was excited to reach a full century. Either way he has outlasted his own expectations as he's 101 and still kicking strong. The way things are going I almost expect him to outlive me; petrified of death as I am, for some reason, I'm OK with that.


(all information only half ass researched using the internet, mostly wikipedia, where you all can go to verify the facts)

Take that you hippie freaks!

As someone who has no health insurance I prefer to try and find ways to prevent illness without the use of proper medical advice. Echinacea has always been in my stock of preventative medicines, mostly in tea form for when I get sick. Echinacea and vitamin C (gallons upon gallons of OJ consumed regularly) were my main tools to stay healthy.

Apparently I was wrong. As reported in the New York Times (well really first in the New England medical journal):

Echinacea, the herbal supplement made from purple coneflower and used by millions of Americans to prevent or treat colds, neither prevented colds nor eased cold symptoms in a large and rigorous study.

Stupid hippies with their free love (which arguably is way better than paying for it) and herbal loving remedies. I'll never listen to you guys again. From now on all my medical advice will come from Emo-rockers, certainly they must know where it's at.

I have no ideas of my own

Image stolen from Warren Ellis's website and posted again here only because I think it's so damn funny.

Less than a good idea

I haven't really had anything interesting to write about recently, yet I am always compelled to write. Thus, to spare anyone who might be reading this from my pointless prose I give you:



Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, those men are bathing in 42,000 pints of beer. It is a luxury afforded them by The Starkenber Beer Myth, a resort near Starkenberger castle in the Tyrol region of Austria. A bath only an alcoholic would enjoy, as I can't imagine anyone else who prefers smelling of warm beer. Add some cigarette smoke in the ventilation system and it would make for a nice excuse to the significant other.

"You smell horrid. Have you been out drinking in the middle of the day?"
"Don't be silly dear, I just took a bath. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the airport. That plane won't fly itself you know."

Moving up from Austria into Germany. Ahh Germany, I think I had family there once, they weren't from there though. This is going back about 65, 70 years. They took an over booked train ride, and oddly were never heard from again. Anyway, when I think Germany I think piety, which is why this doesn't surprise me at all.



A doll has been issued in honor of Pope Benedict XVI and is being sold in Germany for a mere 93£. Clearly it's worth it, the likeness alone is astounding. It doesn't look at all like they took a cabbage patch doll and dressed it in white, added a cheap gold cross necklace and a white yarmulke you can get free at most bar-mitzvahs. I applaud them for their hard work and piety, no cheesy exploitation of our holy-men here.

NEW EDIT(thanks to Peter David) 12:14pm
Why am I adding to this post instead of giving this bit it's own post? There are two reasons. 1) I think it fits best in this one and 2) because I said so, that's why. Either way, the world is filled with stupid people with too much money on their hands. Case in point:


For those of you familiar with the TV series Lost you'll recognize those as the evil numbers on the show. For those of you that don't, well, I just told you what they were so now you know. Whether you knew off the bat what the numbers were or not, the fact is this piece of toast is currently going for over $5000 on Ebay, and there's still two days left to bid! If you don't believe me, the image will link you to the ebay posting. If this really sells, who knows, I have some bridges (here and here) I can part with - at the right price of course.
END EDIT 12:25pm

And finally, I am a comic book nerd who was one credit shy of receiving a media theory minor in college. As such it's always fun to find out that big time movie directors like Bryan Singer can be just a big fanboy, awkward dork as I am. He is my new hero. To fully understand why, check out his behind the scenes of the new Superman movie currently being filmed video blog, but specifically, "Episode 7: The Call". Watch it and try not to fall in love with the man. I dare you.

Uhh... carry on then....

Purple nurple

As posted by Warren Ellis, comic book writer extraordinare. I doubt they'll use this in the new Batman movie. Definitely not what Bob Kane and Bill Finger had in mind, at least I hope not, those sick bastards.

KABOOM

File under: Ideas for a story

Tragic or tragically hilarious, you be the judge.

Pee-pee dance no more

Why was this never thought of before? It is arguably one of the greatest ideas I've ever heard (and I once heard an idea, spouted earnestly at the time, for butter flavored ice cream).

One can only hope we start implementing this in America. Mapquest of the future, so to speak.

Philip Baker Hall Aka Lt. Bookman

Wasn't this a Seinfeld episode once.

Man pays for extremely late library fines.

Not the way I'd want my taxes done

File under: People who need to get a life more than me.

Smell you later

A television is being developed that allows viewers to smell what is on screen.

This is just a bit scary, as far as I'm concerned. If I really wanted to smell what was on my TV I'd turn the TV off and make the smell myself.

Wait that didn't come out right.