Well – today I was *supposed* to be surprising my mom with her Christmas present – tickets to see the Rockettes in DC, followed by dinner at Farmers & Fishers with Nick, Melanie & JJ.  But – alas, last night around 12:30 or so (I think), I checked my email to find that the show was canceled, and alas, we canceled our dinner reservation to go with it.  *sigh* – I had really been looking forward to it.  My mom didn’t seem overly concerned when she unwrapped tickets today to the show that wasn’t happening.  Aaah well.

We dug out this morning.  First, Nick & Jeff dug out Jeff & Mandy’s car, and those two hit the road back to the ROC by about 10AM this morning.  Then Nick and I went out to dig out our cars- according to the meter stick, we got a good 20″ of snow, unheard of down here.  It was light and powdery though, so fairly easy to move without a shovel. 

Digging out my car!

It didn’t take too long, though we weren’t digging with a purpose as we didn’t have anyplace to be.  On the contrary, mom and I baked today for her holiday gifts, and we watched Elf while I attempted to get some miles in on the treadmill (boooo to not being able to run outside!)  We were going to head down into DC tonight for dinner with Melanie anyway, but after taking Pinot for a walk and realizing that it was sort of cold out – we decided against it, and instead attempted to see the holiday light show right here in the Gburg (it was closed) with dinner at Old Country Buffet.  My mom loved OCB, so at least we got that in tonight!  And we watched Christmas Vacation, classic.

A few randoms – so, I’m fairly all or nothing.  Nick sometimes tells me that I see things too much in black and white, with not enough shades of gray.  Which is true – I am.  Especially when it comes to fitness.  If I work out every day – or 5-6 days a week even – I’m golden.  But whenever I try to do the whole ‘moderation’ thing at 3-4x a week, I end up getting lazy, putting it off, and not doing it at all. (You can imagine how good I am at not trying to work out at all.)   So on the whole, I’d rather be at the 6 days a week mark because I just feel a lot healthier.  Combine this with this whole trying to ramp up and train for a race thing.  As I’ve mentioned before, this is (I think) week 20 out of 30, and so far, up until this point, I’ve run exactly what I was “supposed” to run on a given week,  every week up until now.  And then there was yesterday, when 20″ of snow fell.  And the trails were not plowed.  And I hate treadmill running.  But I got a good 8 in today inside (instead of the scheduled 13), which overall, I’m OK with.  Moderation, right? Shades of gray – I’m in them headfirst. But looking out to next week – Nebraska is going to be snowy and frigid.  The next long run is slated for a whopping 15 degrees, with who knows how much snow on the ground.  Which means that I think some/all/most of the runs next week may fall to the wayside.  Which is really bugging me, because I’ve been so darned good up until now.  And half of this whole thing is mental.  Aaah well.  I guess we’ll see how things go once we get back, and do as much as I can this week without being crazy about it.

So let us start from where we left off. Just how do we (doctors) go about making (confirming) the diagnosis of MS.

MRI scan: Well one of the test most commonly requested (infact done in nearly every patient) is a MRI scan of the brain and at times of the cervical spinal cord. What are we looking for you may ask? Well multiple sclerosis on the MRI is characterized by plaques (lesions) which are disseminated in space and in time. What does that mean? In a typical patient of MS, the MRI scan shall show evidence of disease activity which is scattered around in different parts of the brain. Meaning there are MS lesions seen in different parts of the brain white matter (typically MS is a white matter disease though recent research indicates involvement of the grey matter too). So for example a typical MRI scan shall show plaques scattered  in the white matter of the frontal lobe, parietal, temporal lobe, cerebellum and so forth. Moreover the MRI scan shall indicate that these plaques are of different age (which indicates that the disease has been present for sometime now). Remember what I said –relapsing and remitting MS. Sometimes to help secure the diagnosis, your doctor shall also order a MRI scan of the spine most commonly cervical spine. The intention is the same and that is to see evidence of dissemination of the disease process in the brain and spinal cord.

Spinal tap: a lumbar puncture is usually carried out. Does every patient need a spinal tap to help secure the diagnosis of MS? No. Remember the diagnosis of MS can be made clinically in some patients. In patients where the characteristic history is not forthcoming and in whom the MRI scan does not prove helpful (does not evidence of dissemination of disease process in space and time), a spinal tap may be warranted.  The spinal fluid of MS patients is analyzed for certain proteins which suggest evidence of disease process. These include myelin basic protein (MBP), oligoclonal bands (OCBs) and IgG index.

Other tests: these tests may be requested in special circumstances (usually when the diagnosis remains elusive inspite of MRI scans and spinal tap).

1) Visual evoked potential (VEP), brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP):  these tests usually involve testing the integrity of different pathways in the brain. VEP tests the visual pathway from the eye to the occipital (visual) cortex, BAEP–tests the brainstem auditory pathways while SSEP check for the integrity of the white matter tracts carrying somatosensory information (vibration, joint sense and position sense) from the periphery (arm or leg) to the somatosensory cortex.  MS lesions involving any of these pathways cause a delay in the rate of conduction of nerve impulse and provide ancillary evidence of involvement of white matter tracts of the brain by a demyelinating disease process.

I hope these two posts help you all in understanding how the diagnosis of MS is made.

Nitin Sethi, MD

In urma cu aproximativ juma de ora, ma suna un prieten de-al meu, daca nu pot sa ii arunc Lucru pe geam. Cum evident, am fost atat de inapta si nu am reusit sa ridic plasa de la mine de la geam, am aruncat respectivul Lucru pe geamul de la baie. Fara sa ma uit unde va cadea. Cum afara este deja intuneric, iar in fata blocului meu este o gradina plina de tot felul de vegetatie luxurianta, iar pamantul este acoperit cu o plapuma de frunze cazute, Lucrul nu a putut fi gasit. Am mai aruncat un Alt Lucru pe acelasi geam, acest din urma Alt Lucru fiind gasit intr-in final, dar Lucrul nu. Evident, cel care era si inca este vital.

In gradina am o floare,

Dar cam mare de la prea mult soare,

Si cam verde ar zice unii

Dar e prietenul furtunii.

Iar de nu ti-e frica

Dai si cauta degraba

Un pachet negru si mic

Pentru prietenu’ cel sic.

Asteptand dimineata, stam si cugetam la locul in care ar fi putut ajunge Lucrul. Idei?

Es ist gar nicht morgens, doch fühlt es sich für mich so an.
Ich trinke meinen zweiten Kaffe, rauche meine vierte Zigarette (Pall Mall Classic, OCB Blau, Filtertip aus einer alten “Boston”-Packung) und verdaue die zwei verspeisten Öko-Roggenvollkornbrote (Biosiegel) mit Nusskati, die obwohl stark verbrannt (vergessen, die Ofenklappe zur Gasflamme zu schließen [echt müde heut]) ein vorzügliches Aroma bereitstellten. Es ist eindeutig Herbst, ich kann, wenn ich möchte 28 Teller, fünf Töpfe, 121 Besteckstücke und 12 Kaffebecher abwaschen, entschließe mich jedoch stattdessen, Itunes (gesamte Bibliothek, Zufällige Wiedergabe, Play) zu hören, meine vierte Zigarette zurauchen, meinen zweiten Kaffe zutrinken und einen Beitrag für NewWorld’sEve zu verfassen. Der letzte war ja nun echt scheisse, uninsiriert und unabgeschlossen und zur Wahl wollte ich dann doch nichts mehr sagen. Schwarz-Gelb, Biene-Maja-Koalition, konservativ-neoliberales Bündnis, Worst-Case-Szenario, Westerwelle als möglicher Außenminister, igitt, wieder dieses unfähige Merkeldings als Kanzler, zum Glück nicht Steinmeier, aber. Alles scheisse, war vorher klar.
Bei der Arbeit alles in Ordnung, aber mit der immernoch nicht auskurierten Erkältung und den patientenartigen Kunden der letzten Tage war es manchmal dann doch eher unangemessen mit guter Laune zu agieren, sorry, Chef, es geht halt nicht immer. Und außerdem. Egal. Ich hab ein dreitägiges Wochenende ab jetzt und grübele schon seit geraumer Zeit, ob ich irgendwas großartiges tu soll, doch leider spielten Ensiferum ausgerechnet gestern (ich hasse es, wenn sehenswerte Bands in derartigen Zeiten gestern spielen) und mein Überblick über die Veranstaltungen der nächsten Tage sah eher mau aus, im Hafenklang(Exil) und überhaupt dessen näherer Umgebung ist eher so Soul angesagt, also langweilen und chillen, dafür gibt man kein Geld aus, das macht man zuhause. Ska- oder Folkpunk wäre nett… Naja, man kann nicht alles haben.
Slayer drück ich weiter, keinen Bock auf traditionellen Kram, nenene, gibt es eigentlich mal ein Sodom-Konzert (ohne fünfzehn andere Bands) in Hamburg? Da hätt ich Bock drauf…
Anyway… für all jene, die es interessiert: ich arbeite(te) an einem neuen, eher “literarischen (gesprochen lidderorischn)” Projekt namens “Hanniball & Bonsen”, dessen erste Story grad in Arbeit ist. Deshalb bleiben Updates Mangelware, auch weil sie ja sonst nix wert sind – merkt Euch das Spiegel Online!
Und: es ist endlich Herbst. Herrrbst. Yes. Gehen wir davon aus, daß der Sommer ein schöner war (was in der Tat eine naheliegende Annahme darstellt), können wir eventuell vermuten, daß der Herrbst ebenso wunderbar wird, wenngleich wir vielleicht ein wenig vorsichtiger mit derarigen Vermutungen sein sollten. Ich jedenfalls freue mich auf den Herbst. Jawohl. Das liegt zum einen am vielen Regen, den schönen, seltenen Sonnentagen und der allgemeinen Befärbung der äußeren Umgebung, eine Notwendigkeit des Herbstes, die ich schon immer sehr zu schätzen wusste. Kanalisieren wir also unsere Energie gen Stubenhocken, abhängen und in-kleinen-Küchen-überfüllterweise-umherstehen (also gemäß dem Fall gewisse vorakademische Elemente laden einen wiedereinmal zu Sehen-und-gesehen-werden-Privatevents ein, von deren Argumenten [freier Alk, junge Frauen, dummes Geschwätz, unsinnige Diskussionen mit Pseudo-alternativem Pack, kotzen in Schuhe] man sich sicher MAL überzeugen läßt, wenn es Zeit, Geld (Fahrkarte, sind ja nie in ordentlichen Gegenden) und Stimmung (Abend is eh scheisse, können wir ja auch Dummbratzen glotzen auf Studiparties gehen) zulassen. Vielleicht. Sist jedenfalls Herbst und ich bin bereit. Klare Verhältnisse scheinen geschaffen zu sein und die Melancholie beschränkt sich auf Allgemeinplätze und Notwendigkeiten, kranken jedoch an mangelndem Interesse respektive Hingebung.

Majestätische Mutmaßungen misslungender Meerreisen

Mercredi je ne peut travail, mais j’arrive dans le place du travail et ne parti avant septpoitcinque heur du travail – so schlecht ist mein Französisch. Aber dennoch verwende ich gerne einzelne Vokabeln des frankosprachlichen Kulturkreises zwecks Optimierung des eigenen Wortschatzes: gibt es eine passendere Art “nach Dir” zu sagen als “Aprés (oder è) vous”? – das ist schwer vorstellbar und “merci” und “bonjour (gern auch in deutsch-satirischer ‘bong-juhr’-Form)” empfand ich schon immer als gelungene Tonierungen für die damit verbundenen septiererischen Aktivitäten. So wie “de nada” oder “Cervezas! Por Favor! (ernsthaft: keine Ahnung, wie die Kacke geschrieben wird)!!” ausm Hispanischem in der Respektive oder “Slantje”, “Dos vedanja”, “Skoll!” und “Kieppies” (allg.:s.letzte ())… Das europäische Sprachlandschaftendings bietet doch genügend Abwechslung für alle, die den Anglizismen und Lateinikackan überdrüssig geworden sind. Deshalb.
Sollten wir die Schätze der Abwechslung nicht nutzen? Dafür brauch man noch nichma Abitur, es reichen DVDs mit verschiedenen Tonspuren, um inspiriert zu sein – tu es! Da dieser Text mal wieder in komplette Experimentiererrei verfallen ist, wird er hiermit beendet. Tschüss, Blödkopf!

Okay, a new tag line for me TFH it is short for Tin Foil Hat. This will be my way of pointing out that this may sound crazy, or maybe the guys that talk to themselves aren’t always THAT crazy.

April 19, 1995.  Does that date ring a bell?

Oklahoma bombing… Timothy McVeigh…

Why is it that the FBI releases the security camera footage that was gathered from no less than 4 cameras all have the footage of the explosion missing? All 4 happened to be out of tape or broken for only a few minutes ending after 9:02 am, when the bomb detonated.

FBI tapes appear edited

  And then I will add for you to think about.  The government bases their estimate on the amount of explosives used by analyzing the crater left. Of course,  their research was not on ANFO the explosive mix used in the bombing. It is based on TNT which is much more powerful and more effective on breaking concrete.  In fact, ANFO is about 3 times weaker than TNT.

So…. There was either 3 Ryder rental trucks sitting on top of each other, or the government is lying about the explosive used.

  They did slip up early on in the investigation and make references to McVeigh wearing a disguise to go and but a 55 gallon drum of “Race Fuel Additive”.  That would be Nitro-Methane. Wich if mixed with the Ammonium Nitrate would give you a relut close to C-4, plastic explosives. 

So, what are they lying about? What are they hiding in the missing minutes of the tape?

How about there had to be more than just McVeigh and Nichols? Hell, just mixing up the explosives and loading them in the truck would have taken more than two men, or a hell of a long time.

Could it be that it is easier to hold those two up as the bad guys then admit that there maybe some that got away, and may strike again? Or, is it a good excuse to persecute paramilitary groups?

Think about it and look up the facts.

Timothy McVeigh

Nie żartuję przecież.

Właściwie to zażartował sobie nie tyle z siebie, co ze swoich słuchaczy “pan autor” płyty o tytule takim, jaki ma ta notka. Świetna opcja na promocję. Płyta na klasycznych bitach, nieco spokojniejsza – P. się zakochał i to poważnie. Nie zmądrzał jednak. Na koncercie w ZG przesadził i to solidnie. Nie wytłumaczysz mi tego, że młodziak, który pokazywał “fucka” artyście, jakim nazywa się Ryszard – wyprowadził z równowagi.

Mnie codziennie coś wyprowadza z równowagi. Typ na ulicy, laska w tramwaju – wkurwiają mnie, bo coś zrobić to mogę robić co chcę. Nie. Ja muszę opanować nerwy, a on nie może? Ktoś powinien zabezpieczać koncert, to i tramwaj ma zabezpieczyć również? Typ miał prawo wejść na koncert i to zrobił. Zapewne nie tyle szedł na Peję, a na innych znacznie ciekawszych raperów moim zdaniem.

Stają za nim murem artyście związani z nim w pewien sposób. Kaczor, który nagrał z nim kilka rapów, choćby. Inni patrzący na to zdarzenie z pewną dozą dystansu patrzą na to obiektywnie. Zdecydowanie, bo krytykują zachowanie całej otoczki “pana autora” na serio.

Naprawdę szkoda, że takie wydarzenia mają miejsce. Hip-Hop na nim nie straci, tak samo nie straci po ostatniej płycie Ryszarda. Nie wnosi on nic do tej muzyki – dziś już nie. Jedzie na patentach wykorzystanych. Nie brzmi to nowatorsko – ma swoich fanów, którzy się ze mną nie zgodzą. Na wydarzeniu z ostatniej soboty straci odbiór polskiego rapu w mediach.

Rap jest nasz i nasz też będzie. Ten prawdziwy jest bliżej podziemia niż mainstreamu. Dzisiaj już tak. Bardziej zaskakują nas płyty artystów, którzy kreują trendy swoje własne. Przede wszystkim autentycznych – jeżeli robią rap oparty na refleksjach to oznacza jakąś dozę uspokojenia i ogarnięcia w życiu. O.S.T.R. zrobił O.C.B. na tle rodzinnym – ma żonę i młodego Ostrowskiego. Tet zrobił płytę opartą na samplingu, pokazującą miłość do wosków i zajawkę rapem – bo taką faktycznie ma. Mes jara się żywym instrumentami i opiera na nowych brzmieniach swoje bity.

Zaprzeczysz? Pewnie, że nie. Na całą sytuację patrzę obiektywnie, choć jestem z Poznania. Pei zasług dla rapu nie skreślam. Miał duży wpływ na komercjalizację i popularyzację tej muzyki – większy nawet niż Mezo i Liber. To on zrobił “Głuchą noc” i to jego “Na legalu” uderzyło szerzej w Polskę.

Tego mu nie zabiorę. Zabrać natomiast to, on sam zabrał sobie resztki szacunku – zapewne nie tylko mojego, ale i wielu obiektywnych słuchaczy.

¿ÉS AQUESTA SA NOVA IMATGE DE SA “CÍVICA” OBRA “CULTURAL” “BALEAR” (Sa vasiada de ses nostres Institucions de Politiques Cultuals -i de “la Generalitat” d’una Comunitat veïnada-?)

“MALA IMÁGEN DE LA OCB”

Mónica Busquets. Mallorca Diario. Miércoles, 27-5-09

 Martí (Tomeu Martí, Vicepresidente de la (“Obra Cultural Balear”) monta broncas allá donde va. Es un personaje polémico, que no respeta a los que no piensan ni hablan como él. Da, en definitiva, muy mala imagen de lo que ha sido, es y debe ser la OCB. Allá la OCB, pero Martí no es, precisamente, un ejemplo para los jóvenes que acudieron al Acampallengua. Martí habrá tenido su momento de gloria, es posible que algunos de los jóvenes lo consideren un héroe, pero la OCB no está ni para montar estos cirios ni para provocar este tipo de polémicas.

Per Mostrar sa mala fe d’un sectari sector de sa premsa, a on sa majoría des diaris xifren en 15.000 ciutadans als de sa marxa per sa llibertat llingüística i es respecte a ses nostres modalitats, mostrant (quan a ses imatges panoràmiques no s’en aprecía cap) una bandera preconstitucional i parlant de “manifestació ultra”, resulta que aquest mateix sector, a sa crónica d’una recent trobada catalanista, va callar tota referència a sa següent noticia:

Avui Dimecres 3 de Juny, s’ha denunciat des des Parlament, segons sa premsa, i en referència als greus altercats protagonitzats per s’Obra Cultural Balear a Sa Pobla, que “darrera determinades polítiques normalitzadores”, tal com va ocorrer al passat “Acampallengua”, quan després de sa detenció (durant al amenys dues hores) des vicepresident de s’entitat catalanista, avui s’ha sabut que membres radicals afectes a sa meteixa, se varen concentrar devant des corté de ses forces de sa Llei per injuriar-les amb consignes independentistes i de claríssima apologia des terrorisme, com “Repressors”, “Torturadors”, o “ETA VOS HAURIA DE POSAR UNA BOMBA” (O.C.B). Font: Diari “El Mundo – El Día de Balears” (3-6-09)

Adalt, es presumpte delinqüent (Tomeu Maartí), mirant -en actitut desafiant- als fotógrafs de sa premsa.

AFORTUNADAMENT, SA VERITAT ÉS MALA D’AMAGAR. SA VERITAT SEMPRE SURA. NO HI HA REMELL. AQUESTA ÉS UNA IMATGE DE SA MARXA “ESTATUTARIA” DES DEL CEL:

Ses accions policials i legals contra s’OCB, protegida tans sols pes poder executiu (per una qüestió de pura histèria infundada), se veien venir. Cada vegada s’atreveixen a més en virtut d’aquesta inmunitat “agarantida” des des nostro calamitós i covard Govern, que els hi dona subvencions per “tenir-los controlats”. Pareix que aixó s’ha acabat. Ja ho va insinuar el prestigiós Dr. Romàn Piña Homs:

 OPINIÓNS D’AUTORITAT CONTRA ES GRUPUSCLE INDEPENDENTISTA AUTO-ANOMENAT “O.C.B.”:

Ja que el Dr. Romàn Piña Homs ha estat objecte de sa realitat noticiable recent (sa seva defenestració per motius ideològics, de s’UIB), el citarem a ell:

 @ Extr. d’un article a on l’emèrit Dr. Piña Homs parla sobre:  “El 31 de Decembre”. El Mundo, 7 Gener de 08. (… Després d’una magistral exposició des “pros” i es “Contres” de sa cel·lebració des 31-12, i en clara al·lusió a s’OCB): “…Jo continuaría celebrant s’event, però apel·lant a s’entendiment, a sa recuperació des nostro llegat greco-llatí i cristià, forjador des nostro sistema de llibertats, sense es recurs a memòries históriques de vencedors ni vençuts, i encara manco, a ses essències d’un catalanisme que només compartiexen uns mils de mallorquins, que tots junts, maldament un poc estrets, caben dins un parell des vagons forrats d’or de s’Obra Cultural (….)”

Mallorquinisme, Catalanisme a Mallorca, Gonellismo , Blaverisme, Resistència Balear, Resitència Mallorquina , Anticatalanisme, Obra Cultural Balear, OCB, Generalitat , Círculo Cultural Balear , Marcha por la lengua , Marxa Cívica llibertat lingüística , Balearisme , Gonellisme , Pep Gonella , Tomeu Martí , OCB al cuartelillo , Inciativia Cívica Mahonesa, MAHO, Lluch  

Fixer up day @ OCB, Vancouver., originally uploaded by Carson Ting.

Out riding in the rain was more fun than I had expected. MN and I were soaked to the bone but it was refreshing as hell. Spent most of the day at Our Community Bike on Main St., installing a new brake cable and re-calibrating my rear brakes. I now have yellow handle bars and blue brake cables…Neatos!

We had to seek shelter as the west coast clouds continued to pour it’s might on us. See the entire photo set here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carsonting/sets/72157622280180786/show/

I always mean to write more on the topic of employee engagement. The topic is as important as it is misunderstood. As I have immersed in the HR Bloggosphere, I have come to learn that the topic can also be unexpectedly polarizing. Many in the HR community would claim that employee engagement is the most important development in employee productivity since the assembly line. At least as many HR professionals (ok, I didn’t survey, don’t ask for the data) think engagement is as important as those trust exercises where your co-workers catch you as you fall backwards- this is where you learn that broken trust sounds a lot like a human skull bouncing off a marble floor.

I have a bit of experience with employee engagement, having most recently been employed by an organization whose primary service offering was assisting organizations with their employee engagement surveys. I also have extensive training in human behavior in the workplace, coupled with a lifetime of both pleasant and unpleasant work experiences. As you might imagine, I have a few things to say about the topic of employee engagement and I think my view on the topic is the best EVAR. Thankfully, I am not deluded enough to expect anyone else to agree with my opinions- that only happens after my third beer.

So are engaged employees more productive employees? In my analysis, the answer must be a qualified yes. I qualify it because as every I/O psychologist knows (or maybe it was just my colleagues at NIU), the real answer to just about any question about the human condition is “it depends.” Human productivity is a complex phenomenon and is driven by a host of factors including job design, leadership, employee goals as well as attitudes and motivational states. Employee engagement is only part of the performance equation.

The question we should be asking ourselves is not whether or not employee engagement is important, but how important it is. When several variables impact performance, it is important to understand the relative import of each of them so we might focus our limited organizational resources on those that promise the most impact. Is engagement important enough to spend money boosting it? That depends on what else is going on in your organization. You have to fix the basics before you can fix the hard stuff. In the immortal words of Mr. Miagi, “First learn stand, then learn fly.”

To really understand the impact of employee engagement on performance, we must understand the nature of performance. I will keep it simple: I/O Psychologists and business scholars recognize two major types of performance, task and contextual (also called organizational citizenship behaviors). Some of the organizational interventions we can engage in impact task performance (training, selection, effective management techniques, job design). Other interventions focus on contextual performance- this is the domain of employee engagement, though other concepts also apply.  Enhancing contextual performance can deliver return on your investment that improvements in task performance cannot.  By the same token, improvements in task performance yield improvements that enhancements to contextual performance cannot.

Bottom line: if you want your employees to do their jobs and do them well, focus on task performance interventions. However, if you want your employees to go beyond their jobs, be creative and think about the organization and its mission, then you better make sure they are engaged.

If you’re famished and looking to grizzle in epic proportions, the Old Country Buffet is your destination.

I rendezvoused with my parents and sister for some dinner yesterday and amid the scolding heat, my mother decided to forgo cooking duties for the evening. Reluctantly, the family gave in to my desire to hit up the OCB.

As we parked the car and headed toward the front door, my sister said something like “This is where white trash come to eat,” for which we were treated to a red-neck mother with two overweight children in a rusty, beat-up, early-90s minivan parking next to us. The son, about 10, was wearing denim shorts and a sleeveless teeshirt with a mohawk. His shorts just couldn’t hide his redneck plumber’s ass crack.

After visiting the nice cashier and dishing out a little over $50 for four adults, we headed for a table. I immediately set my sights on the buffet, grabbed a clean but slightly wet plate from the stacks and went to town. I was overwhelmed by the selection and variety the OCB offered. I decided my first course would be Italian and grabbed a few pieces of garlic bread, some spaghetti with sauce and a slice of pepperoni pizza. I topped it off with some Burbon chicken and a few pieces of fried chicken. The garlic bread and spaghetti were rather blah, but got the job done. The pizza had the slightest hint of cardboard in its taste. The Burbon chicken was quite tasty, which led me to the class of the OCB: the fried chicken. KFC has nothing on OCB. Tender and crispy, the fried chicken was to die for. Easily the best offering.

After housing the first course, I decided to kick things into high gear. I wandered over to the meat station for a piece of sirloin steak and hand-carved roast beef (with a little au jus sprinkled on top). I had to make a mandatory stop at the fried chicken area for three legs. I decided to go for some sides, grabbing a few potato wedges and a potato skin. After adding a piece of corn on the cob to my plate, I ventured back to my table to grizzle down.

The sirloin steak was stupendous and easily steak-house quality. The roast beef was very dry. Not even some au jus could save this dry piece of meat, which had probably been sitting out since lunch time. I took one bite of my potato skin before swearing to God i would never have it ever again. The potato wedges were cold and extremely below-average. The corn on the cod was very tasty, and of course, the fried chicken was delicious.

Feeling rather stuffed from grizzling, I decided to take it easy on my last trip to the buffet. I grabbed some mashed potatoes (also cold), a few more pieces of fried chicken (yummy!), some spicy rice (very average) and a breadstick (simple and tasty).

After three courses, and several trips to the all-you-can-drink soda fountain, I was ready for some dessert, and this is where the OCB really shines. Although that overweight 10-year-old with the mohawk took a bite out of a brownie and put it back with the rest, I was still impressed by the dessert selection. Cakes, cookies, puddings, you name it and OCB has it. I went for some chocolate fudge cake and added some soft-serve swirl ice cream on top with some colored jimmies (or sprinkles, whatever tickles your fancy). My mother opted for a cone of frozen yogurt, which she said was pretty decent.

I took three steps toward the door on our way out and had to turn around and head to the bathroom for a textbook “I just spent 45 minutes eating at OCB” shit. The bathroom stall was kinda grimey, and the thought that many dudes have taken messy, massive OCB shits where I was sitting made me queasy.

The employees were very friendly and versatile, as the meat-carving guy also seemed to be in charge of the baked chicken and meatloaf at different corners of the buffet. The cashier doubles as glass-washer girl. The girl who cleans tables also hands out free samples of cheesecake. While nice, helpful employees is very good for business, I kept having the feeling that this group of Old Country Buffet workers were outcasts from society. They were all very, very odd.

The Old Country Buffet is a decent place to grizzle hard on a variety of goodies, especially fried chicken and dessert. Some of the food looks and tastes like it’s been sitting out for hours and the whole place screams elderly people and rednecks. It’s perfect for eating contest, but I wouldn’t bring a date there.

For more information about OCB, visit www.oldcountrybuffet.com.

El proper diumenge 2 d’agost es durà a terme, a Artà, el concert de Sant Salvador, enguany organitzat per l’OCB d’Artà i per l’Ajuntament de la localitat i amb la col·laboració de Joves de Mallorca per la Llengua. El castell de Sant Salvador serà l’escenari, a partir de les 21.30 hores, d’aquesta vetllada que comptarà amb les actuacions de Manel i de Cranc Pelut. Les entrades es poden adquirir anticipadament a 12 euros a Baba Discos d’Inca i de Manacor, al Teatre d’Artà i al local de l’Obra Cultural Balear a Palma (c. del Pare Bartomeu Pou, 31 baixos). El mateix dia 2 d’agost es podran adquirir a l’entrada del concert per 15 euros.

Els barcelonins Manel són un dels grups revelació del moment. Malgrat trobar-se a l’inici de la seva carrera musical, ja no són uns totals desconeguts en l’escena catalana. Des de la seva aparició a la llum pública l’any 2007 -varen aconseguir el Premi Joventut en el concurs de maquetes Sona 9- aquests quatre barcelonins varen anar acumulant públic i reconeixement, gràcies a la xarxa i al boca-orella. Finalment, l’aparició del seu primer treball discogràfic, Els millors professors europeus, els ha valgut el reconeixement de la crítica especialitzada i l’atenció dels mitjans de comunicació generalistes. Els millors professors europeus (2008) és una col·lecció de dotze cançons en les quals Manel ha inclòs les cinc peces que ja formaven part de la seva maqueta (Manel, 2007). L’univers de la seva proposta sorprèn tant per les lletres com per la manera d’arranjar les melodies. Així, la banda construeix cançons que parlen de dones estrangeres amb avís de bigotis llargs i blancs, de professors de nusos de corbata, o de botigues de ceràmica on potser desitjaràs canviar de vida per sempre, sense posar-se límits en la paleta d’instruments, que comprèn tant una secció de vents com un quartet de cordes, passant per ukeleles, bases electròniques, banjos i xiulets. A Manel, i el seu Els millors professors europeus, rigor, alegria, gravetat, lleugeresa, tradició i recerca entren dins el mateix sac, i és potser la raó per la qual les influències que se’ls han atribuït són ben àmplies: Beirut, Jaume Sisa, Herman Düne, Pau Riba, Bob Dylan… Manel són Guille Gisbert, Martí Maymó, Roger Padilla i Arnau Vallvé. www.myspace.com/gatmanel i www.manelweb.com.

Cranc Pelut és una banda formada l’estiu del 2008 per músics de Mallorca residents a Palma i a Santa Maria del Camí, que es caracteritza per l’experimentació amb diversos estils musicals i per la seva afecció pel directe. El resultat és energètic, curiós i personal: música sortida d’una cova per acompanyar les histories d’un animal d’aigua. Rondalles, faules, malsons i descàrregues escapen del món literari del Cranc Pelut per oferir una visió molt particular de la nostra realitat més directa. Damunt els escenaris són una criatura eclèctica i famolenca: funk, rock, reggae, rumba, raggamuffin. Han enregistrat una maqueta, Gran Cranc Pelut, amb cinc temes originals. www.myspace.com/crancpelut. Tots els temes del Cranc Pelut són originals i estan subjectes a una llicència de Reconeixement-No comercial-Sense obres derivades 3.0 de Creative Commons i es poden copiar lliurement.

Le cartine lunghe, tipo Rizla, Smoking, OCB sono ovviamente utilizzate per rollare canne.

Si trovano in tutti i Sali e Tabacchi d’Italia, non esiste tabaccaio senza un pacchetto di cartine lunghe.

E ringrazio ovviamente per questo, ma mi chiedo… perchè in autostrada NO?

Come se si volesse dire… “eh no, in autostrada le canne non te le puoi fare…”

Ma dire ciò… non implica dire anche “in tangenziale sì, e in strada nazionale o provinciale… pure! “

Des de Joves de Mallorca per la Llengua i l’Obra Cultural Balear organitzam, novament, unes Colònies Lingüístiques adreçades a joves estudiants d’ESO i batxiller d’arreu de Mallorca i les Illes. Serà del 20 al 26 de juliol a l’Alberg de La Victòria, a Alcúdia, i es duran a terme gràcies a la col·laboració i suport de la Direcció General de Joventut i Direcció General de Política Lingüística del Govern de les Illes Balears, així com de la Direcció Insular de Normalització Lingüística del Consell de Mallorca.

El grups que participaran en aquestes colònies lingüístiques estaran formats per un 70% de joves catalanoparlants i un 30% de joves que no catalanoparlants. L’objectiu principal és, a més de passar-s’ho bé en un ambient lúdic (com qualsevol altre campament), fomentar l’ús de la llengua catalana entre el jovent de Palma, incidint especialment en els i les joves no catalanoparlants, que tindran l’oportunitat de conviure amb altres joves que la tenen com a llengua habitual i de participar junts en multitud d’activitats.

Durant els 7 dies es faran diferents tallers, jocs, gimcanes, activitats d’aventura i visites culturals, entre altres coses. A més, dins els programa de les colònies s’hi inclouran dues xerrades de tema lingüístic adaptades a l’edat dels joves que hi participen.

El preu és de les Colònies és de tan sols 35 euros i per inscriure-s’hi cal fer arribar la fitxa d’inscripció al carrer del Pare Bartomeu Pou, 31, o per fax al 971 719 385, o per correu electrònic a info@jovesllengua.cat.

El dijous dia 16 de juliol farem una reunió amb els pares i mares dels joves que s’hi apuntin per explicar i concretar tot allò que faran durant les colònies i resoldre possibles dubtes.

The final beer in the Krissy 4 pack from a few weeks ago is Muskoka Lager. Served with elk sausage and the usual grilled veggies this beer is light without being watery. Living up to the Muskoka name, it would definitely make a good cottage beer. Ours is served from cans, as usual it is probably a little different in a bottle.

A beer fit for a garbage bear (or vacationing celebrity).

What they Say:

Aged a little longer to create superb balance and a fresh, relaxing body. An excellent choice in any season, on any day. Try it after a meal where its light hops can have a free reign. Muskoka Lager complements a light meal such as poultry and vegetable dishes while it contrasts a “heavy” selection such as fried items and beef dishes.

Here is a short article on the breweries accomplishments. Looking at their website it appears they have a few other beers worth checking out, including an organic line-up. Look forward to trying these in the future. (Hopefully near future).

Our Take:

KT – It has a taste to it…

SW – It has something…

KT – Like a nice aftertaste with some sweetness. This is pretty tasty. Good lager that I like more the more I drink.

SW – Goes well with this Elk Sausage. All those native Muskoka elk must have influenced this. Not sure I love it, but it’s good.

KT – All they have in Muskoka is garbage bears.

SW – Garbage bears and hockey players/actors. Not sure which is worse.

KT – This is a good 4pm to 7pm beer. After drinking ginger beer all afternoon but before getting drunk at night.

Our Scores:

KT – A-     SW – B

Drink Again?

We have since finished off the rest of the 6 pack. So yes?

A ROTLLO D’ES TEMA: DIRIGENT DE S’ “OBRA CULTURAL DETINGUT”, I PER FER PATENT SA CONEXIÓ OCB AMB ESQUERRA REPUBLICANA DE CATALUNYA, DIR QUE SA COA DE RATOLÍ D’AQUEST GOVERN EXAPARTIT, ES PRESIDENT D’ERC, EN JOAN LLADÓ, ES QUE VA EXIGIR AL REI QUE ABANDONÉS BALEARS, TOT D’UNA VA DEMANAR EXPLICACIONS AL DELEGAT D’ES GOVERN, RAMÓN SOCIAS, QUAN EN UN MON NORMAL EN ES QUE COMANDÉS ES SENY, HAURIA D’ESSER EN RAMÓN SOCIAS QUI HAURIA DE DEMANAR EXPLICACIONS A S’ “OBRA CULTURAL BALEAR” SES RAONS D’AQUEST COMPORTAMENT INCIVIC. EN JOAN LLADÓ (ER DE CATALUNYA) SEGUEIX ESSENT ES BUFÓ D’AQUEST INAUDIT GOVERN.