WORD

chutzpah [KHoot-spuh, hoot-] n. SLANG 1. unmitigated effrontery or impudence; gall 2. unmitigated effrontery or impudence; gall

BIRTHDAY

James Oglethorpe (1696), Connie Mack (1862), Kenneth Rexroth (1905), Lady Bird Johnson (1912), Barbara Billingsley (1915), Hector Elizondo (1936), Steve Carlton (1944), Diane Sawyer (1945), Maurice Gibb (1949), Robin Gibb (1949), Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960), Luther Campbell (1970), Ralph Fiennes (1962)

STANDPOINT

I’m mostly certain being a weatherman is an anxious occupation.

We’re a news driven society.

Local news programming is the main source for everything we supposedly need to know. And, unlike the lead anchors who report on all of the awful shit that happened that day, or the sports guy who recaps the results of daily sporting events, the weatherman’s job is different. Most days, most everyone went outside and experienced the weather first hand. So the weatherman’s main purpose is not to tell us what already happened.

He’s asked to predict what’ll happen tomorrow. And the four days after that.

And that fucking sucks for the weatherman because when he predicts inclimate weather and he’s right, everyone point the finger at him as if he weaved some sort of spell and conjured up a brutal snowstorm, just because he could somehow. But when he’s wrong about the weather in any way, people throw up their hands, and curse the guy because, hey, he said it was going to rain and it didn’t and so I needlessly carried this umbrella around all day long.

Right or wrong, everyone complains about the weatherman.

QUOTATION

Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special!  How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer…. Who’d have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously? → Bill Watterson

TUNE

Sometimes a band can have a solid song going on but they make a video to go along with it that’s kind of bad judgement. Case in point, Wheat’s “Don’t I Hold You.”

GALLIMAUFRY

→ It’s sort of nuts when a basketball player, who went into the stands to assault fans during a game, makes a strong argument for Tiger Woods. But that’s exactly what Ron Artest did on his blog a few days ago.

→ Want to understand my problem with supposedly indie-rock websites? Check out Pitchfork’s Top 50 albums of 2009. I agree with about four of its choices. Apparently, even those who are supposed to be in possession of a discerning ear now have an agenda. Sad. Truly.

→ I’m about 94% sure I’ve never read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works about the legendary Sherlock Holmes. I’m equally certain the upcoming movie Sherlock Holmes, starring an alarmingly buff Robert Downey Jr., isn’t going to be completely accurate to Doyle’s original vision of the character. But I don’t care. It looks kind of bad-ass. Despite the fact Jude Law is in it.

This beer is absolutely nasty. It kind of tastes like Kicks cereal. Fruity and way too sweet – s

Stefan:

Landing, I was.

The magic fading from a gash of a scar.

The smell of too-hot perfume, thicker than I had imagined.

Oh, punctual friend, where were you, before I needed you?

Snakes & fish, snakes & fish,

And what is this, beneath the well?

You don’t know me,

You don’t know hell.

How many words, how few meanings.

One sin, a while ago.

Twenty minutes, 40 more.

Sin meet sin, foe tap foe.

And you cried out.

And the roots took hold, stretching.

And the sky just stood there.

And the clowns came around.

Nonsyllabic platforms over arching dunder currencies

Notwithstanding all of those not withholding

Doing the same things

Finding other ways back into hell

Please don’t let me think too much about it

Please don’t make me count

Please take the balloons away

Please send my regards, please do

First off, I don’t really care for hefeweizens to begin with. This is a little lacking in its wheat flavor and it is much to light for my taste. Goes well with a lemon wedge. – s

Stefan:

Originally posted on Blogger.

2009 has been a very good year for movies. If you look at the 2009 Golden Horse movies, it tends to be on the artsy side of things.

However, for most people with little time and a selective attention span (ahem…ADD), we like the “blockbuster” type films during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Here are movies that are being release in Asia during the last weeks of 2009. I won’t be catching these films until 2010 myself.

Wheat (麥田/長平大戰之麥田)


Vengeance (復仇)

The Treasure Hunter (刺陵)

The Storm Warriors (風雲2)

Mulan (花木蘭)

Jump (跳出去)

Bodyguards and Assassins (十月圍城)

We love banana bread around here, seriously dig the stuff.  I have perfected what I think is the yummiest whole wheat banana bread and it happens to be low fat too!  So if you love banana bread but want a healthy version that is moist, sweet, yummy and very bananaeee (new word, like it?) then hold onto your peels this recipe is for you!

Ingredient list:

• 1/3 Cup Veggie Oil
• 1/3 Cup Applesauce (I use unsweetened)
• 3 eggs (or equivalent in egg replacer)
• 3 1/4 – 3 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (this kinda varies depending on the size of your eggs and how runny your applesauce is)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 large mashed bananas (smashed, smooshed and otherwise mutilated bananas if you are cooking with a kid!)
• Nuts are optional…I would suggest walnuts…if you don’t live with any nut-haters that is.

First you start out with a good old friend…lets all give a warm welcome to ‘the New Cook Book’  by Better Homes and Gardens…although it isn’t even close to new as it was a wedding present that was given to me by my grandma 25 years ago (again let me reiterate that I was a child bride) .   Banana Nut Bread from page 51 is the starting point for this recipe.

One…ok me…must also wonder why someone would name a book ‘The New…’ anything considering that it will soon not be new and therefore it will then be a big fat liar, just a thought

Sorry Grandma I laid your nice book on a hot burner…now this would have surprised my Grandma but since the rest of you visit here once in a while I betcha it doesn’t surprise you.  My hubby always keeps 2 fire extinguishers in our kitchen…just in case!!!!!!

Start with the oil poured by my lovely assistant Sweet Girl

Next is the applesauce

Stir, stir

Next comes the sugar, yummy

Add eggs…

Scoop up an egg…

Touch the egg,  plop it down a couple of times,  poke it,  smell it,  play with it till mama sees what you’re doing and makes you stop

Measure out baking powder, talk to mama about leavening and such…science is so cool!  Don’t forget the baking soda and salt.

Add half of the whole wheat flour…mix but don’t over do, quick breads like to be treated tenderly, they are the princesses of the bread world.  Unlike yeast breads that  like to be slapped around a little…ok I’m stopping before this discussion evolves into something sorted!

Have fun smashing the bananas!  Note, if you lick the bananas off your fingers make sure no one’s  watching!

Pour in the bananas…WAIT what is that I see a tiki hut?

Oh my goodness its a couple of Hawaiian girls and a palm tree,  you discovered my secret to super duper bread…shhhhh don’t tell!

Stir and then add the rest of the flour, stir some more, remember gently, gently…it tastes better when you stir it wearing a groovy headband!

Put into pans and then into oven,

no,…pour into pans and then place into the oven, pouring it into the oven is a bad idea.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Fresh out of the oven…oh so pretty!  Can you smell it?  No?  Sorry just trying to torture you a little!

Most and delicious…very, very good

Moist and delicious with applesauce…even better!

This really is a great recipe and it can be enjoyed with little guilt (well unless you smother it with butter which I hear is good, I would never do that myself, not ever…really I wouldn’t!) This particular bread should  never be enjoyed alone though…go grab someone you love (or are wildly attracted to) and give ’em a big  kiss and share some homemade goodness with them…

BTW…if you don’t have a groovy Hawaiian plate to use you could put on a bikini and a grass skirt and I think it would work just as well. Aloha!

Kim can also be found at the inadvertent farmer where she raises organic fruits, veggies, critters, kids…and a camel!

Family is important.

It’s one of those things you hear said everywhere, by everyone. I agree with it.

Family is important.

Not blood, not necessarily your biological family, but rather your social network; the group of people who you care for and who care for you in return. The ones who’ll visit the hospital in an emergency. The ones who’ll listen to you talk. The one’s who’ll wipe a tear from your eye when you can’t. The one’s who’ll be there unconditionally, right to the end. The ones who’ll stay while the credits roll.

I’m of the firm opinion that we all of us need a higher power to have faith in – not necessarily a God or a religion or anything – just something greater than ourselves as individuals. It could be a career, it could be a passion, it could be an experience… the easiest thing to have faith in though is family. Not the family you’re born with necessarily, but the one that you build for yourself. The one that matters. Your network.

There’s little worse in this world than true loneliness; true disconnection. We’re social creatures – we may not all need to operate on the same social system, but we do all need something. For most of our history humans have been born, grown, lived and died in settlements where every inhabitant could name every other. A community, in the truest sense of the world. It’s something globalisation has robbed us of and is, I think, the reason we cling so tightly to celebrity culture, reality television and the internet in such an undignified fashion. They create communities for us. There are familiar faces, people we know, people we gossip about, rumours that trickle down the grapevine, tragedies, successes, lives… communities. They fill the gap.

What’s a community if not a family? What’s a family if not a community?

Extended perhaps, but no less valid for it.

Crisis sorts the wheat from the chaff. It forces true colours into the lamplight and shows them off, so that when the dust settles and we’re all edging awkwardly back into the lights of our lives it’s more than clear who is and isn’t quite the thing. Who is and isn’t family. It shows who’ll stamp their feet and shout and shout and stay at the back of the crowd, it shows who’ll sit smiling in the corner until it’s necessary for them to stand, and it shows who, when the time comes, will stay and fight and struggle and care with the best of them.

It’s too easy to think of responsibility to the family (or the community, or the network) as a chore; it isn’t. It’s what you do when you care. It’s you going out of your way because the priority is not your own immediate satisfaction, it is the satisfaction of the whole; of the family. Of another. You drive the extra mile, you spend the extra money, you give the extra time. Not because you hope to get something out of it, not because it makes you feel good, not because you don’t want to be judged, but because you want to make something better for someone else; because you care. Because family is people, and people matter.

People are important.

Family is important.

It’s one of those things you hear said everywhere, by everyone. I agree with it.

Family is important.

-Brice out.

S.W.A.T. Magazine TV will begin airing its weekly show January 2010, on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. (EST) on the Outdoor Channel.

The show will mirror the same integrity, professionalism and thorough insight that S.W.A.T. Magazine (www.SWATmag.com) has published for more than 25 years, under meticulous oversight of Editor Denny Hansen.

Rob Pincus, staff S.W.A.T. Magazine writer since 2001 and host of S.W.A.T. Magazine TV, said, “S.W.A.T. Magazine is a trusted and respected magazine, which provides its readers with valuable information on the latest weapons and tactical training techniques.

It was only natural for S.W.A.T. Magazine’s next development to become a TV show. Our goal with the show is to provide the same quality information that we provide in the magazine, but delve further into topics that our readers want to see. We have many great guests that will be appearing, and, they’ll discuss a myriad of topics from what their roles are in providing safety and security to the importance of using realistic targets.”

S.W.A.T. Magazine TV guests include S.W.A.T. Magazine staff writers, instructors, industry representatives and people who are interested in developing their firearms knowledge and tactical skills.

Featured guests include Louis Awerbuck, Tony Blauer, Travis Haley, James Yeager and other instructors currently active in the military and law enforcement professions. Special segments will offer a unique look at the special teams and components of law enforcement, private security and the military world.

Other segments include a feature with S.W.A.T. Magazine columnist Brent Wheat, where he’ll discuss issues that affect everyone interested in personal safety, as well as instructor and team profiles.

LINK

Constipation can be defined as infrequent stools. The symptoms of constipation are difficulty passing stools, hard stools, or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. There are different-2 causes for these problems. Also bowel movement decreases with the passage of age. The old aged person has less bowel movements than a young person.

Causes of Constipation

Eating Disorders

Stress, tension, depression

Inadequate drinking of water

Aluminum-containing antacids

Hormonal disorders

Less fiber in the diet

No exercise or no physical activity

Pregnancy

Iron supplements

Intake of large amount of dairy products

Disturbing regular diet routine

Symptoms of Constipation

Improper bowel movements

Swollen abdomen

Vomiting

Abdominal pain

Dry and hard stool

Abnormally small stool

Stomach ache and cramps

Treatment of Constipation

Include more and more fiber in your diet. The most common sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, wheat, polycarbophil etc.

More and more intake of fluids, Try to take more and more water and also juices.

You can also go with medications to cure this problem.

Exercise is also a best way to overcome constipation.

This is a trio out of Florida. They are a pop/punk/rap band. The recently were on tour with MC Chris. (Someone I also love and will talk about another day). What makes them so unique is that when they get out on stage you are expecting something completely different. Honestly I feel a little racist but you see these three pretty buff black dudes and go well rap music. One has dreads to his ass the other is wearing a baggy t-shirt and jeans. Then here comes the drummer shirtless with old script tattoos on his stomach.
Then everyone picks up an instrument and starts playing classic punk rock. Slurred speak, angst ridden, and sometimes bordering on reggae you just are blown away by the contradictions of their appearance and what they are playing.
“You ate your way through my heart left bloodstains and bite marks”  is just one of my favorite lines from their third album “Hearts of Hoodlums.” Their sophomore CD “Minority Rules” has a song bordering on being a sea chantey, Old Man Samson.
Saying all this does make me feel bad. I mean I totally judged these guys before I even heard their music. I was more than pleasantly surprised even by the two rap songs they did that were actually pretty awesome. So you should really give them a listen http://www.myspace.com/wholewheatbread.

by Chris Moline, LEED AP

At Alexandria Carpet One & Commercial Carpets of America, we are proud to carry the very-green line of un-dyed wools by Earth Weave. Earth Weave starts by using only pure wool with no dyes, pesticides, or stain protections that are commonly used in the carpet industry. The application of these chemicals would greatly affect indoor air quality through off-gassing of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds). The primary backing used is also an industry-first combination of hemp and cotton. Earth Weave is the only carpet company to incorporate an all natural primary backing that is specifically designed for use in biodegradable flooring.

The hardy hemp fiber is used due to its durability, strength, and mold and mildew resistance. Wool yarns are locked into place with a natural adhesive that is derived from the rubber tree that is completely biodegradable and non-toxic. Jute is used for the secondary backing. Jute was commonly used in the carpet industry before the introduction of the synthetic backings currently employed. This type of backing completes the picture of a completely natural and non-toxic carpet.
Following are the available styles and colors:

DOLOMITE
Snowfield

Granite

Tussock

Ursus

PYRENEES
Wheat

MCKINLEY
Snowfield, Granite, Tussock, Ursus
RAINIER
Snowfield, Granite, Tussock, Ursus

For more information, you may email me directly or call 703-212-6383 and you will get the best, most up-to-date information available on this and many other natural floorcoverings.

All the best,

Chris

Wow, I have to say I have been overwhelmed recently by all the comments on my blog – particularly the “What is Fructose Malabsorption Disorder?” page! I feel I do need to emphasize that I am NOT a health care professional, just a hardware store cashier that has been suffering with this for a long time and has been able to network with others and educate myself (despite all the misinformation and cr*p out there!).

I have recently discovered that I am not notified everytime someone comments on my blog – I only get a notification the first time someone comments. Once I approve them they can comment without my being notified! Which means some people have been thinking I was ignoring them!
I am trying to redo my settings… hopefully I can fix this so that I always know when someone is awaiting a response!

On other notes….
I have been going through a few bad days lately. Last week I found myself at work with no packed lunch. Normally I would go to one of three nearby places where I could get an edible lunch – either a raw veggie wrapped in veggie leather, a quinoa edamame salad or a rice noodle and shredded carrot salad. Regrettably, all these options are NOT CHEAP and I had a $5 bill and no bank card! ~sigh~
I only get 30 minutes so I can’t stray far and wide searching for food. I broke down and got a microwavable stew – thickened with enriched wheat flour. blech – It was not very palatable (though a BIG brand beginning with “C” and ending with ” ’s”) and I have been SICK.
Flatulence, skin breakouts, scatterbraining ALL over the place! I have been joking with my customers that I’m flailing around and telling myself I’m “multi-tasking”! LOL!! I haven’t been sleeping well and have been what I call “cloudy”.

I don’t like to call depressed “depressed”. I try to remind myself that this feeling that I’m pathetic and useless and I don’t even know why my husband stays with me and should know better and do better and work harder and be prettier and no matter how hard I try I will never be strong or good or talented or special, just stupid and ugly and useless….. I try and remember that it’s just clouds, passing over the sun. The sun isn’t gone; it’s still shining brightly and beautifully in a clear blue sky… just behind the clouds. Clouds don’t stay forever. They always drift away eventually and it’s sunny again. Clouds don’t stay, the clouds will go away, I’m feeling cloudy but I will feel sunny again… I just have to keep going. Get out in the sunshine. Have a warm, comforting shower. Don’t watch the news or cop shows, watch Rescue Ink or Stargate Atlantis. Something light and positive and keep the faith.

Christmas is coming. Normally I am Miss OMG-New-Ornaments!!!-Tree-Dorky-Antler-Headgear-YAY! This year decorating was a chore that took me five days of plugging away, occasionally stopping to eat, go for a walk, stop the downward spiral of cloudy thoughts about how I should be done and how I’m so behind and I’m just a stupid idiot every year and why did I think I could make my house look pretty when I have no taste and I suck and…blah blah blah. I showered again – just stood under the warm water really, and gave myself permission to cry. Big, ugly, snotty-nose cry. I ended up bent over with one hand on the shower wall and one on my knee wailing in heaved… like I was emotionally vomiting.
Well. The tree is up. I put the empty garland boxes and light boxes away. My husband will vacuum.
Done.

I hate wheat.

AVT

Dear Bread,

You’ve been a good friend over the years. I remember that when I would get sick as a youngster the only thing my mother could get me to eat was a loaf from Mancini’s and Tom’s Mint Ginger Ale. Didn’t really matter what was wrong with me; I could eat that combo for days on end.

I know that you exist without gluten, but I’m not sure it will be the same. I’ll need to find time to make you and your crusty friends at home with some fancy flour.

Your cousins, on the other hand, might prove more difficult. Though my love affair with pasta started long ago, my stint in Rome really solidified the relationship. Farfalle in particular is going to be hard to break up with. Rice noodles, I know, are a thing. I’m going to have to start traveling with it, because who ever cooks that on a regular basis? I eat away from home a lot. Can’t order a pizza as a last-minute meal any more. No pancakes or scones or soup or pretzels OR BEER.

It’s been suggested to me that turning my back on your delicious gluten family might help my arthritis inflamation, so I’m gonna give it a go. Consider this your Dear John letter.

Until we meet again,
A

I am so happy.

You know you are truly happy when you know that not everything is going right but you are still happy, secure and optimistic. You posess this feeling of security despite your other failings because one part of your life is going so well; one part of your life you value more than all the others that makes your meaningless and flawed existence worthwhile and happy.

The thing that makes me this happy is right now sitting in my bed, suffering with tonsilitis, talking about Thom Yorke, Elliott Smith and Colton Harris-Moore.

And I love him.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ox72v9

Tonight we went and hit up the local liquor store and did one of the create your own six packs. It seemed they were a bit low on choices but non the less we were able to get 6 beers we had never had. Todays beer was by the Left Hand Brewing Company and was their Haystack Wheat.

Haystack Wheat is described as a

Medium-bodied,bottle conditioned unfiltered wheat beer with classic accents of banana, cloves and nutmeg. For best results swirl the bottle to unleash the aromatics. Pairs with pork or seafood

Cory’s Review:

For a wheat beer it was pretty strong with a cider like feel. It had a very rich flavor which I liked but it seemed to have a somewhat apple taste to it which I did not like.

I give it a 6/10, its not a bad wheat beer but there are better ones out there. However if you are a cider lover you may like this one more then others.

Mark’s Review:

I agree. The site says it is flavored with banana and nutmeg but we both agreed it had a strong scent and taste of an apple-like cider, while the wheat flavor was too overpowering. It wasn’t awful, nor terrible, but for being called a wheat beer and expecting the deep flavors associated with them, it more tasted like a cider, which I don’t particularly care for.

I give it a 5/10. Wasn’t intolerable, nice finish, but I think calling it a wheat beer is a wrong, maybe calling it a cider wheat would be more appropriate. Overall a poor wheat beer, and not a real cider.

Pyramid Hefeweizen is an American-Style Hef (a.k.a. a wheat beer) with a 5.2% ABV. This beer is now known as Haywire Hefeweizen.

The standard by which all other wheat beers are judged. Our deliciously deranged American-Style Hefeweizen is an award winning take on this Bavarian classic. This refreshingly unfiltered wheat ale delivers a distinctively smooth flavor worth sharing with friends.

Pyramid Hef pours a beautiful orangeish-copper color, with a one finger head.  The head quickly dissipates and leaves practically no lacing.  Carbonation and sediments can barely be seen when held to the light.

The nose of this beer is very mild, like a light wheat beer.   The usual flavors are present: orange, citrus, etc. but they are extremely weak.

Pyramid Hefeweizen is a rather unimpressive wheat beer.  The flavor is just what you would expect from the nose: mild and rather uneventful.    The mouthfeel is a little sticky and has some bite to it.   Weird.

Overall, I’m not that impressed with Pyramid Hefeweizen.  With so many other great hefs and wheat beers on the market, I find it hard to imagine that I’ll pick this one up again.

Overall: 4 out of 10

As a WHEAT BEER: 3.5 out of 10

Wailua Wheat Ale is Kona Brewing’s summer seasonal.  A beer brewed using, the rather original, passion fruit and coming in with a 5.4% ABV.

Wailua is Hawaiian for two fresh water streams mingling.  This was just the inspiration we needed for our limited release wheat ale brewed with tropical passion fruit.  A refreshing, citrusy, sun-colored ale with the cool taste of Hawaii.

Here’s the problem, I don’t really know what passion fruit smells or taste like.  This could make reviewing this beer difficult.  Please bare with me.

The bottle cracked open with a slight hiss, allowing a plume of fruity smells to come forth.  I imagine what I’m smelling is passion fruit, but to me it smells like peach with orange undertones.  And I swear that I smell peanuts some where in this beer.  I may be crazy, though.

Wailua is a beautiful golden-straw colored (similar to a blonde ale).  There was a significant pure white head and plenty of carbonation running through the brew.  The head subsided quickly and left almost zero lacing.

The taste of this beer is an odd bird.  It’s tart, but kinda bland.   There’s an initial biteyness that disappears once the beer is consumed.   Some sort of fruity taste hides in the background, but I can’t say if it’s the passion fruit or not.  The mouthfeel is light and isn’t bitter or dry.

It’s hard for me to make a decision about this beer.  There isn’t much in the way of flavor, but it’s not necessarily bad.  I imagine if you just wanted to hang out and get loaded off a wheat ale, Wailua Wheat would be a great choice.  Its light body and lack of any sort of abrasive flavors would make it a decent session beer.

Overall:  3.5 out of 10

As a WHEAT ALE: 3.5 out of 10

Pattern Name:   Wheat Welcome Sign
Pattern Price:  $3.99
Stitch Count:   91 stitches wide x 59 stitches high
Size in inches:  6.5” x 4” (16.5 cm x 10.5 cm) on 14 count fabric
Colours used:  13

This monthly competitive report covering October addresses the world of shopper, retail and promotional marketing as relevant to MC business. Download the attachment below. For more info or to receive the larger competitive report, please contact: Tracy Kollker, tkollker@integer.com or (312) 595.2545

Integer_MonthlyCompetitiveReport_October_2009