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One of the things I love the most about receiving and sharing recipes is the feeling of connection which occurs every time you prepare the food. I can't make sausage strata without remembering my friend Julie. I can't make Mexican casserole without remembering my friend Bonnie. I can't make white bean dip without remembering my friend Suzanne. These women and many more are immortalized in my food simply by the act of sharing their favorite recipes, and that is no small thing. It is for that very reason that I strive to post only good and worthwhile recipes here and not waste your time with anything mediocre; I want to be remembered by you fondly. No one achieves immortality through dry banana bread.
As a new blogger, one of the joys I'm experiencing is connecting with friends and relatives from near and far. Chances are, if you're reading this blog, we have four degrees of separation or less. You either know me personally or you know someone who knows me or you're related to me in some fashion. Two such people are my cousins Linda and Beth, who have been very encouraging and supportive of my blog. Beth recently linked me Molly Wizenberg's rather famous food blog Orangette, and while I was familiar with Molly's name as an avid NPR listener and Bon Appetit reader (as well as being mentioned by my favorite food blogger, The Wednesday Chef), I had never read her blog. I can see now why it is so beloved! The really inspiring part was learning how, like me, Molly just decided one day to do what she loved: cooking and writing. And also like me, she didn't let lack of proficient knife skills and a journalism degree hold her back!
This recipe is a keeper. As Molly wrote, it doesn't look like much. If I didn't hear how good it is from a reputable source, I would have passed it by without a second thought. I'm so glad I didn't! Believe it or not, this is the first time I have ever cooked with parsnips. (And how cool are parsnips? They remind me of vampire carrots.) Whenever I have parsnips from now on, I will think of Molly's blog and the first time I ever used them, and whenever I read Molly's blog, I will think of my cousin Beth who introduced me to Orangette. Food is so much more than something to eat.
Orangette's Vegetable and Pearl Barley Soup
Adapted from Great British Food, by Cass Titcombe, Patrick Clayton-Malone, and Dominic Lake
A few notes from Orangette:
– I used homemade chicken stock to make this soup, but you could also use good-tasting store-bought chicken or vegetable stock. To me, the best brand is Better Than Bouillon.
– If your celery comes with leaves still attached, save them! Toss in a small handful when you add the cabbage, toward the end.
– Instead of parsnips, try peeled, cubed rutabaga.
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow or sweet onion, diced
150 grams (3 or 4 stalks) celery, peeled and diced
150 grams (about 3 medium) parsnips, peeled, cored, and diced
150 grams (about 3 medium) carrots, peeled and diced
150 grams (1 large) leeks, diced
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
Leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 ½ liters chicken or vegetable stock
50-60 grams pearl barley (Dawn used about half a cup)
A couple handfuls of shredded Savoy cabbage or Brussels sprouts
Freshly ground black pepper
Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven or small stockpot. Add the onion, celery, parsnips, carrots, and leeks, and stir to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until softened. Do not allow to brown. Add the garlic and thyme leaves, and cook for a few minutes more. Then add the stock and a couple of good pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Then stir in the pearl barley, and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Savoy cabbage or Brussels sprouts, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Taste, and add salt as needed. Serve hot, with freshly ground black pepper, if you like.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings


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Two Newtown, Connecticut, residents, Jennifer Killin and Denise Correia, react to proposals for gun law reform.
Post by: Anderson Cooper
Filed under: Connecticut School Shooting • Guns
America ought to be ashamed. It's so ridiculous how long it has taken America to finally want to do something about gun violence. Before the tragedy in Newtown, there have been a gruesome amount of young black kids being murdered throughout the U.S. It took 20 kids from middle class homes for people to want to bend to make something happen. I do hope that something will happen. Those gun owners who don't have compassion, an understanding, especially when it comes to a life of a child. You're cold hearted! But, I'm not surprised, look at how women's abortion rights are being treated, or what about education in schools. It does get much deeper than this, but even those issues get ignored and treated like they mean nothing. And it seems that it's always a male behind some dumb decision. But, Im not surprised as it took the white man over 200 years to finally go and sit down somewhere after violently forcing blacks to work and build America.
America's old politics need a facelift and a swift kick in the bum.
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°

subset: commoncrawl


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There's a great story in the New Scientist on a blind man who paints realistic pictures of all sorts of scenes. The guy is able to accurately render perspective, light, shadow, and a number of other visual qualities in his paintings, despite being blind since birth. Check it out:
Kennedy put Armagan [the blind painter] through a battery of tests. For instance, he presented him with solid objects that he could feel - a cube, a cone and a ball all in a row (dubbed the "three mountains task") - and asked him to draw them. He then asked him to draw them as though he was perched elsewhere at the table, across from himself, then to his right and left and hovering overhead. Kennedy asked him to draw two rows of glasses, stretching off into the distance. Representing this kind of perspective is tough even for a sighted person. And when he asked him to draw a cube, and then to rotate it to the left, and then further to the left, Armagan drew a scene with all three cubes. Astonishingly, he drew it in three-point perspective - showing a perfect grasp of how horizontal and vertical lines converge at imaginary points in the distance. "My breath was taken away," Kennedy says.
This is definitely fascinating, but I think it only really blows your mind if you subscribe to a fairly commonsensical but erroneous notions of how the brain sees.
Most people have this idea that "visualizing" an object involves something like the projection of an image of some sort onto a little screen somewhere in your brain. Presumably, some little person in there who's the real you then "sees" the image on the screen. (Dan Dennett calls this the "Cartesian Theater" model of consciousness.) Extending this model to the painter, the idea is that for a painter to paint a scene, he must first call it up from memory and display it on the inner screen of his brain. He then looks at what's on the screenor at what's in his "minds eye" in common parlancein order to copy it back out onto a canvas.
The probem, of course, is that there is no such screen. There are neurons that fire in certain patterns in response to particular kinds of visual stimuli, but they don't "encode" any information that's then "decoded" by some "I" located somewhere else. These neuronal firings also don't "represent" anything, because that presumes that there's someone "in there" to whom and for whom the patterns do their re-presentation. When my visual cortex lights up, either in response to visual stimuli coming in from the optical nerve or because I'm engaged in the act of visualizing something, that's all that's going on in there. There's no other part of my brain or part of my person who represents the ultimate "I" and who has to take a gander at all that visual cortex activity in order for "me" to sort out what I'm "looking" at.
With this in mind, read this part of the article:
Even more intriguing was the way in which drawing activated Armagan's visual cortex. It is now well established that when sighted people try to imagine things - faces, scenes, colours, items they've just looked at - they engage the same parts of their visual cortex that they use to see, only to a much lesser degree. Creating these mental images is a lot like seeing, only less powerful. When Armagan imagined items he had touched, parts of his visual cortex, too, were mildly activated. But when he drew, his visual cortex lit up as though he was seeing. In fact, says Pascual-Leone, a naive viewer of his scan might assume Armagan really could see.
That result cracks open another big nut: what is "seeing" exactly? Even without the ability to detect light, Armagan is coming incredibly close to it, admits Pascual-Leone. We can't know what is actually being generated in his brain. "But whatever that thing in his mind is, he is able to transfer it to paper so that I unequivocally know it's the same object he just felt," says Pascual-Leone.
Actually, we kinda can know "what is actually being generated in his mind" when this is happening. According to the scans, it's the same thing that's generated in a sighted person's mind when they see, i.e. a bunch of neuronal activity in the visual cortex. The idea that Armagan's neuronal activity "means" essentially the same thing as a sighted person's neuronal activity only seems impossible to you if you're imagining that this activity is somehow "generating" an "image" for someone elsethe real Armaganto "see." But that neuronal activity doesn't "represent" or "encode" a mental image for some ghost in the machine to view--that activity is the mental image. The only catch is that the neurons are firing in response to stimuli that originally came into the visual cortex via a part of the nervous system other than the optical nerve.
On a related note, this CNET piece describes a new Harvard study, wherein some scientists have been able to take time-lapse photos of a cat's visual cortex as the animal sees certain types of stimuli:
Time lapse images released earlier this month provide a close-up of the neural circuits that produce vision in cats and rats. The subject animals were shown different pictures of black and white stripes in horizontal, vertical and diagonal patterns. The different patterns caused different groups of neurons to fire, represented by lights blinking off and on in the images. "This technique allows us to see the brain seeing," R. Clay Reid, a professor of neurobiology at HMS, said in a statement.
Reid could actually go even further and say that the technique allows us to see the cat seeing, and not just the cat's "brain." I'm sure this is probably what he meant, but you never know. The Cartesian Theater is an awfully tenacious concept, and it's pretty common to catch even experts invoking it in oblique ways.
Finally, I should note that this post isn't intended to be anything like a whole-sale endorsement of Dan Dennett's "multiple drafts" model of consciousness. But I was convinced by his demolition of the Cartesian Theater in Consciousness Explained. Also, I should note that my knowledge of cognitive science, especially the ins and outs of philosophical debates about perception, qualia, vision, and the like, is about five years out of date. So if some of you readers who are more current would like to talk about the latest work on the philosophical side of cog sci in this area, feel free to contribute to the discussion thread.


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419 scams
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Scam Email received July 4, 2018 from email@example.com
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Update! – email@example.com
Did you permit James Wilson to proceed with the claims for your funds as your kin? let us know Sincerely email@example.com
The above email is a scam. If you still think is legitimate, but you're still concerned, then follow these steps:
Most of us know someone who is vulnerable to these types of attacks. Fortunately, if you're aware of the presence of these scams, and armed with some basic knowledge on identifying them, you can greatly reduce your chances people you know becoming a victim. Please help them by sharing this information on Facebook or Twitter using the #telltwo and #takefive hashtags.
Ten Minutes 10 minutes.
How to check if you received a scam email
- Google the details.
Do a Google search for the persons name/company name that the email has come from.
- Confirm the details.
Visit their website and look for a phone number or email address. Search for the website yourself. Do not assume the details in the email are valid.
- Confirm using the information you have found
Using the details you have researched, call or email the business and ask them to verify the information within the email.
- Check if the email has been sent to multiple people
Google snippets of the email text to see if the same format has been used in the past. eg "Army officer from Syria but now living with the United Nations on asylum"


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The research aims to produce valid information and must use reliable instruments that guarantee accurate and make it quantifiable and possible reproducibility. Allowing the exclusion or at least control prejudice of personal insights and trends that may distort the results.
Crocs Uncover
Bizarre Species
lunes, 12 de julio de 2010
Saturn Propellers Reflect Solar System Origins
Scientists using NASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn have stalked a new class of moons in the rings of Saturn that create distinctive propeller-shaped gaps in ring material. It marks the first time scientists have been able to track the orbits of individual objects in a debris disk. The research gives scientists an opportunity to time-travel back into the history of our solar system to reveal clues about disks around other stars in our universe that are too far away to observe directly.
"Observing the motions of these disk-embedded objects provides a rare opportunity to gauge how the planets grew from, and interacted with, the disk of material surrounding the early sun," said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team lead based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., and a co-author on the paper. "It allows us a glimpse into how the solar system ended up looking the way it does."
The results are published in a new study in the July 8, 2010, issue of the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Cassini scientists first discovered double-armed propeller features in 2006 in an area now known as the "propeller belts" in the middle of Saturn's outermost dense ring, known as the A ring. The spaces were created by a new class of moonlets -- smaller than known moons, but larger than the particles in the rings -- that could clear the space immediately around them. Those moonlets, which were estimated to number in the millions, were not large enough to clear out their entire path around Saturn, as do the moons Pan and Daphnis.
The new paper, led by Matthew Tiscareno, a Cassini imaging team associate based at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., reports on a new cohort of larger and rarer moons in another part of the A ring farther out from Saturn. With propellers as much as hundreds of times as large as those previously described, these new objects have been tracked for as long as four years.
The propeller features are up to several thousand kilometers (miles) long and several kilometers (miles) wide. The moons embedded in the ring appear to kick up ring material as high as 0.5 kilometers (1,600 feet) above and below the ring plane, which is well beyond the typical ring thickness of about 10 meters (30 feet). Cassini is too far away to see the moons amid the swirling ring material around them, but scientists estimate that they are about a kilometer (half a mile) in diameter because of the size of the propellers.
Tiscareno and colleagues estimate that there are dozens of these giant propellers, and 11 of them were imaged multiple times between 2005 to 2009. One of them, nicknamed Bleriot after the famous aviator Louis Bleriot, has been a veritable Forrest Gump, showing up in more than 100 separate Cassini images and one ultraviolet imaging spectrograph observation over this time.
"Scientists have never tracked disk-embedded objects anywhere in the universe before now," Tiscareno said. "All the moons and planets we knew about before orbit in empty space. In the propeller belts, we saw a swarm in one image and then had no idea later on if we were seeing the same individual objects. With this new discovery, we can now track disk-embedded moons individually over many years."
Over the four years, the giant propellers have shifted their orbits, but scientists are not yet sure what is causing the disturbances in their travels around Saturn. Their path may be upset by bumping into other smaller ring particles, or responding to their gravity, but the gravitational attraction of large moons outside the rings may also be a factor. Scientists will continue monitoring the moons to see if the disk itself is driving the changes, similar to the interactions that occur in young solar systems. If it is, Tiscareno said, this would be the first time such a measurement has been made directly.
"Propellers give us unexpected insight into the larger objects in the rings," said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Over the next seven years, Cassini will have the opportunity to watch the evolution of these objects and to figure out why their orbits are changing."
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.
For newly released images and more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit: http://www.nasa.gov/cassini, http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov or http://ciclops.org.
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Local Junk Removal & Dumpster Rental Company serving North East Ohio for all your local junk removal, waste and debris removal needs.
Business Name:
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About Litchfield
Litchfield is an unincorporated community in central Litchfield Township, Medina County, Ohio, United States. It is situated at the junction of State Routes 83 and 18, about nine miles northwest of the city of Medina.A post office called Litchfield has been in operation since 1832. The community takes its name from Litchfield Township.This town is part of the Buckeye Local School District, along with Liverpool Township and York Township. == Notable people == Oviatt Cole, Ohio State Auditor. Josephine Sophia White Griffing, reformer.
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CityDiggityA green space for urban gardeners
Archive for yellow cherry tomatoes
Weather or not: If your garden's taking the heat, you'd better count your blessings
It often feels like so much of balcony gardening comes down to waiting on the weather. More than one post on this blog has pivoted on the intemperate turns the weather has taken here in Chicago.
And some of my weather adventures in my small-space balcony garden high above the city streets have bordered on slapstick—at least in retrospect (smile). Not quite as funny in real time when I was scurrying about in overpowering winds trying to right terracotta pots only to have them Read the rest of this entry »


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Stay Tuned: 'Dynasty' remake misses the mark
Watching The CW's remake of "Dynasty," I had one recurring thought: Where's the glamour? The lifestyle of the Krystle and Blake Carrington of 1981 was the height of opulence and luxury. The Cristal and Blake Carrington of 2017? Not so much. This modern redo lacks glitz and the characters lean toward dull.
Putting the show in Atlanta doesn't help. From a production standpoint, I imagine this choice had something to do with Georgia's tax credits but it's a lackluster location. Another problem is the set. This is a show about one of the wealthiest families in the country, which means their shelter should induce ooh's and ah's. The exterior shots of the Carrington's house are spectacular but inside it resembles an impersonal country club that could be found in anywhere U.S.A. The properties for sale on "Million Dollar Listing New York" are more enviable domestic spaces.
Also disappointing is the show's wardrobe. In 1981, Krystle and her rival Alexis were photoshoot ready, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the remake, Cristal (Nathalie Kelley) marries Blake (Grant Show) in a plain white jumpsuit after a contentious encounter with Blake's daughter Fallon (Elizabeth Gillies) ruins her cocktail/wedding dress. I've seen more glitzy wedding gowns on "Say Yes to the Dress." Certainly, it's difficult to compete with bigger budget shows but a series about dynastic families who have extreme wealth and power deserves a more robust wardrobe allowance.
Not all changes to the series are bad. It is more broad-minded in its character construction. Cristal is Latina and the Colby's are African-American. Steven Carrington's (James Mackay) homosexuality is not a secret and in some cases, is used as a dominant plot point. Gillies, as Fallon, is a highlight and her snarky quips bring a much-needed edge and energy to the story but as hardworking as she is, she can't carry the entire series. Show gives a paint-by-the-numbers performance as Blake that is bland and unmemorable. Alan Dale surprisingly pops up as the Carrington's butler, which could be interesting if he is given more to do.
The story that sets the action in motion is one of betrayal. When Fallon discovers that Blake is making Cristal (formerly in a publicity role at the company) Carrington Atlantic's new chief operating officer instead of her, she makes a deal with his rival Jeff Colby (Sam Adegoke). It's a twist but as far as backstabbing plots go, not the most exciting one. There's also Cristal's mysterious past and the introduction of her nephew Sammy Joe (a woman in the original, now a gay man) whose intentions for Steven and his aunt's new life are suspect. It's not enough intrigue to make this a satisfying remake of the original, particularly if this "Dynasty" wants to compete with cable and reality TV shows that have raised the bar on depictions of lifestyles of the rich and famous.
"Dynasty" is on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on The CW.
— Melissa Crawley is the author of "Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television's 'The West Wing'" and the recently released "The American Television Critic." She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at email@example.com or follow her on Twitter at @MelissaCrawley.


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Reasons Why it is Best to Use Vape Pens
Marijuana is now popular in most countries. Many countries have legalized marijuana because of its benefits. Vape pens seem to be trending nowadays. It has also helped some people to quit smoking completely. The type of vaporizer you would need depends entirely on the material you will be using. If you use marijuana and you do not want to use it when raw, you can use a vape pen to heat it. Nowadays people are using vape pens to heat their materials instead of burning the materials. If you want a vape pen, you can go to the market and you will find them. You can change the temperature and the voltage and use it at the level you are comfortable with. The latest vape pens can now be recharged and reused unless it is a disposable vape pen. Some vape pens also have replaceable batteries. Vaporizing was used a decade ago and up to now it is still being used.
When things are in high demand, they normally flood the market so knowing a genuine item might be hectic. If you decide you want a vape pen, you should follow some guidelines before buying one. The first thing that you should consider when buying a vape pen is its size. Before buying one, you should know the size that you are comfortable with. Do not buy a big or small vape pen just because you have seen one of your friends with it, but because you are sure it will meet your needs. Another factor to consider is the battery life of the vape pen. The battery life also depends on the temperature used on the vape pen. If you use a low temperature, the batteries will not run out fast. When buying a vape pen, buy a vape pen that has a good battery life. Here are the advantages of using vape pens.
The biggest benefit of vape pens is not inhaling any smoke. Smoke causes throat cancer and even lung cancer. Vapor is better than smoke. With cigarettes, you will have to inhale smoke but with vape pens, you do not. Turning your materials to vapor without burning them is good.
This is another important benefit of vape pens. With cigarettes, the smoke normally has a strong bad smell. When you vaporize your materials, there will be no smell. Using a substance that will not disturb people is a good thing.
The vapor pens are not costly. Due to the lack of enough vape pens in the past, they were costly. Also the increase of different types of vape pens has also led to them being affordable. These are the positive results of using vape pens.
The Beginners Guide To (Chapter 1)
– Getting Started & Next Steps


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Message Board
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Talk about the novels, new and used books that Williams has written!
Author Williams's Book Reviews
Heaven's Harlots: My Fifteen Years as a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God Cult
Born in 1953 near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the daughter of an Irish alcoholic man and a fundamentalist Christian mother who had escaped Nazi Germany, the author joined the Children of God religious cult right out of high school, first going to a commune in upstate New York. The leader, David Berg, a California native who called himself "Moses David," issued periodic newsletters to the faithful that got progressively stranger over time. Through most of th...


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Blog Archives
Chicken & Eggs, PlanetSide Edition
Posted by Azuriel
I have been playing around with PlanetSide 2 (Ps2) for the past couple of days.
As far as initial impressions go, the "introduction" to Ps2 is uniformly awful. Oh, hey, they lifted the character creation head presets from Fallout. Pick a faction and server without knowing anything about either. And before you even get a chance to check out character/class settings and such, you are launched via drop pod into the heaviest fighting on the map and, in all likelihood, killed immediately. Now that you have some free time, go ahead and look over the thoroughly unhelpful menus while trying to ascertain to what degree SOE is set to gouge your wallet (spoiler: the Nth degree).
Once you finally respawn, things do not get much better that first day. Coming from Battlefield 3 and even Tribes, killing people seems to take 1-2 seconds of full-auto fire more than it should. It is also difficult to tell who the enemy actually is – while you get a No Smoking sign on your crosshairs when aiming at a friendly, everyone has the same profile and even colors at first glance. Character animations look stiff, and the models seem lifted from Natural Selection, that Half-Life mod from a decade ago.
I respawned time and time again, courageously throwing myself in front of bullets intended for players actually capable of accomplishing something, while I returned fire with my Nerf Gun that shoots wads of wet tissue paper. In a lull in the
dying action, I tried deciphering the stone tablet hieroglyphics that was my minimap. "Generator destroyed." "Generator repaired." Was that a good or bad thing? Whose generator? When the the vehicle I was spawning at finally got destroyed, I found myself literal miles away from any discernible action, with no way of knowing where to go, what to do, or why I was doing this instead of finishing packing.
I was lost and alone in the blinding snow.
The second and third days, by contrast, were infinitely better.
It took a lot of outside research, but I started understanding the pros and cons of the various classes. I learned enough about Certs (i.e. upgrade points) to know what they are, how to get more, and good places to spend them. I used Reddit to find a Google Doc that explained what the symbols on the map are, how to properly assault a Bio Dome, and some tricks for getting around. I learned enough about the weapon shop to know how badly SOE is gouging me (way worse than Tribes: Ascend, by the way)… but also the cool bit where you take a new weapon out for a 30 minute test-drive without paying anything.¹
On the third day, I found one of the best features in almost any game I have ever played:
I called this post Chicken & Eggs because games like PlanetSide 2 (and nearly all MMOs) require you to have social structures in place before you can really start having fun. Social structures which, incidentally, seem like a waste of time to seek out/develop when you aren't having fun. "Join a guild to have a good time." Why would I, if I'm not having fun currently? Which is supposed to come first? I am not necessarily suggesting that fun should occur without effort, but let's be serious for minute: there are a hundred different games you could be playing right now that are fun from the word Go.
While I still believe the First Day experience in PlanetSide 2 is pretty awful, I absolutely love this grouping system with descriptions they have in-game and hope this sort of idea is lifted wholesale by every
MMO multiplayer game. Why can't there be some sort of in-game bulletin-board-esque system that allows like-minded individuals find each other in every game? Why do socially-oriented games basically require out-of-game social structures to work at all? I have always enjoyed the no-obligation/instant grouping of LFD, but I still recognize the existence of a social hole it cannot fill. Yet here, in a single simple feature, I can differentiate between the friendly strangers, the SRS BSNS folks, jokers wanting to recreate that helicopter scene from Apocalypse Now, and more.
So come on, social game designers, this is not that hard a concept. If the game is made better by playing with people we know, make it easier to get to know people in your own goddamn game. Nearly 99% of everyone I know online I originally met through WoW or blogging about WoW. Make your game a foundation for new friendships (by making it easier to do so) and people will continue coming back. We get the opportunity to express ourselves and meet new people, and you (likely) get a pair or more of multi-year customers.
¹ This feature is cool, but it has a 30-day cooldown on that specific weapon, and starts up an 8-hour cooldown on every other item. Apparently this cooldown is per character though, so you can cheese the limitation by rolling a new toon, trying it out, and then deleting it later.
Posted in Philosophy
Tags: Chicken & Eggs, Fallout, Forever Alone, LFD, Multiplayer, Natural Selection, PlanetSide 2, Social, SoE


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Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes, a free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law.
(a) The commission shall determine the form of applications to be used and shall not consider incomplete applications. The commission may consider an application when the applicant has completed and executed all forms and documents required by the commission and all application fees and costs have been paid.
(b) The question of whether video lottery games shall be permitted at pari-mutuel racetracks shall be determined by local option election in each county in which a pari-mutuel racetrack is located. The local option election on this question may be placed on the ballot in each county at any general election. The county commission of the county in which the racetrack is located shall give notice to the public of the election by publication of the notice as a Class II-0 legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for the publication shall be the county in which the election is to be held. The date of the last publication of the notice shall fall on a date within the period of the fourteen consecutive days next preceding the election.
On the local option election ballot shall be printed the following:
Shall West Virginia lottery commission video lottery games be permitted within an area at the [name of racetrack] in which pari-mutuel betting is authorized by law?
[ ] Yes [ ]No
(Place a cross mark in the square opposite your choice.)
The ballots shall be counted, returns made and canvassed as in general elections, and the results certified by the commissioners of election to the county commission. The county commission shall, without delay, certify the result of the election to the commission.
(c) Upon receipt of the results of the election from the county commission, and if a majority has voted "yes," the commission shall issue the requested license if the applicant is otherwise qualified for the license. If a majority has voted "no," the commission shall notify the applicant of the results, the application shall be denied, and another election on the issue shall not be held for a period of two years: Provided, That for purposes of this section, the term "two years" means the interval between a general election and the next general election, and in no event shall it mean or encompass a period of time in excess of one hundred four weeks. If a majority has voted "yes," another local option election on the issue shall not be held for a period of five years. A local option election may thereafter be held if a written petition of qualified voters residing within the county equal to at least five percent of the number of persons who were registered to vote in the next preceding general election is received by the county commission of the county in which the horse or dog racetrack is located. The petition may be in any number of counterparts.
The petition shall be in the following form:
Petition For Local Option Election
We, the undersigned legally qualified voters, resident within the county of __________, do hereby petition that a special election be held within the county of __________ upon the following question: Shall West Virginia lottery commission video lottery games be permitted within an area at the [name of racetrack] in which pari-mutuel betting is authorized by law?
(Post office or street address)
(d) The commission may not issue any license or permit until background investigations are concluded. The commission shall make an affirmative determination that the applicant is qualified and the applicable license or permit fees have been paid prior to issuing any license or permit.
(e) The commission shall notify the applicant if an application is incomplete and the notification shall state the deficiencies in the application.
(f) The commission shall notify applicants in writing of the denial, suspension or revocation of a permit or license and the reasons for the denial, suspension or revocation in accordance with the provisions of section fifteen of this article.
(g) An applicant may request a hearing to review a license or permit denial, suspension or revocation in accordance with section fifteen of this article.
(h) The following license or permit fees shall be paid annually by each licensed racetrack, or permitted manufacturer, service technician, floor attendant or validation manager:
․․․․․$ 1,000
Service technician:․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․
Validation manager:․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․
․․․․․․․․$ 50
Floor attendant:․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․
․․․․․․․․$ 50
The fees shall be paid to the commission at the time of license or permit application and on or before the first day of July of each year thereafter, at which time the license or permit may be renewed.
(i) An applicant for a video lottery license shall, prior to the issuance of the license, post a bond or irrevocable letter of credit in a manner and in an amount established by the commission. The bond shall be issued by a surety company authorized to transact business in West Virginia and the company shall be approved by the insurance commissioner of this state as to solvency and responsibility.
(j) The commission shall renew video lottery licenses and permits annually as of the first day of July of each year, if each person seeking license or permit renewal submits the applicable renewal fee, completes all renewal forms provided by the commission, and continues to meet all qualifications for a license or permit.
(k) License and permit holders shall notify the commission of any proposed change of ownership or control of the license or permit holder and of all other transactions or occurrences relevant to license or permit qualification. In order for a license or permit to remain in effect, commission approval is required prior to completion of any proposed change of ownership or control of a license or permit holder.
(l) A license or permit is a privilege personal to the license or permit holder and is not a legal right. A license or permit granted or renewed pursuant to this article may not be transferred or assigned to another person, nor may a license or a permit be pledged as collateral. The purchaser or successor of any license or permit holder shall independently qualify for a license or permit. The sale of more than five percent of a license or permit holder's voting stock, or more than five percent of the voting stock of a corporation which controls the license or permit holder or the sale of a license or permit holder's assets, other than those bought and sold in the ordinary course of business, or any interest therein, to any person not already determined to have met the qualifications of section seven of this article voids the license unless the sale has been approved in advance by the commission.
Cite this article: FindLaw.com - West Virginia Code Chapter 29. Miscellaneous Boards and Officers § 29-22A-8. Form of application; local option elections; issuance of license; notice of incomplete application; notice of license or permit denial, suspension or revocation; procedure for review of license or permit denial, suspension or revocation; fees, renewal fees and renewal dates; bonding; renewal of licenses and permits; notice of change affecting license or permit; license or permit not transferrable or assignable - last updated January 01, 2020 | https://codes.findlaw.com/wv/chapter-29-miscellaneous-boards-and-officers/wv-code-sect-29-22a-8/
FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature or via Westlaw before relying on it for your legal needs.


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Anatolian beyliks
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2010)
Anatolian beyliks (Turkish: Anadolu beylikleri, Ottoman Turkish: Tavâif-i mülûk, Beylik Turkish pronunciation: [bejlic]) were small principalities (or petty kingdoms) in Anatolia governed by beys, the first of which were founded at the end of the 11th century. A second more extensive period of foundations took place as a result of the decline of the Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm in the second half of the 13th century.
One of the beyliks, that of the Osmanoğlu from the Kayi tribe of the Oghuz Turks, from its capital in Bursa completed its conquest of other beyliks by the late 15th century, becoming the Ottoman Empire.
The word "beylik" denotes a territory under the jurisdiction of a bey, equivalent in other European societies to a lord.[1]
Following the 1071 Seljuq victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Manzikert and the subsequent conquest of Anatolia, Oghuz clans began settling in present-day Turkey. The Seljuq Sultanate's central power established in Konya was largely the result of using these clans under Beys called uç bey or uj begi especially in border areas to ensure safety against the Byzantines; uç is a Turkish term for a border territory equivalent to marches, thus uç beyi is similar to margrave in Europe. These clans, led by beys, would receive military and financial aid from the Seljuqs in return for their services and full allegiance.
Seljuq power deteriorated with the Mongol invasions from the east. The Ilkhanate commanders in Anatolia then gained strength and authority and this encouraged the beys to declare sovereignty. With the fall of Seljuq centralized power in Konya, many beys joined forces with the atabegs (former Seljuq leaders) and other religious Muslim leaders and warriors from Persia and Turkistan which were fleeing the Mongols that were invading the Byzantine empire. To maintain control of their new territory, these reestablished beys employed Ghazi warriors from Persia and Turkestan, who also fled the Mongols. The ghazis fought under the inspiration of either a mullah or a general, trying to assert Islamic power, their assaults of the reestablished beys upon the Byzantine Empire reaching even further expanded the power sphere of the beyliks.
As the Byzantine empire weakened, their cities in Asia Minor could resist the assaults of the beyliks less and less, and many Turks gradually settled in the western parts of Anatolia.[4] As a result, many more beyliks were founded in these newly conquered western regions who entered into power struggles with the Byzantines, the Genoese, the Knights Templar as well as between each other.
By 1300, Turks had reached the Aegean coastline, held momentarily two centuries before. In the beginning, the most powerful states were the Karamanids and the Germiyanids in the central area. The Beylik of Osmanoğlu Dynasty who were later to found the Ottoman Empire was situated to the northwest, around Söğüt, and was a small and at that stage, insignificant power. Along the Aegean coast, from north to south, stretched Karasids, Sarukhanids, Aydinids, Menteşe and Teke principalities. The Jandarids (later called Isfendiyarids) controlled the Black Sea region around Kastamonu and Sinop.[5]
Under its eponymous founder, Osman I, the Beylik of Osmanoğlu expanded at Byzantine expense south and west of the Sea of Marmara in the first decades of the 14th century. With their annexation of the neighboring Beylik of Karasi and their advance into Roumelia as of 1354, they soon became strong enough to emerge as the main rivals of Karamanids, who at that time were thought to be the strongest. Towards the end of the 14th century, the Ottomans advanced further into Anatolia by acquiring towns, either by buying them off or through marriage alliances. Meanwhile, the Karamanids assaulted the Ottomans many times with the help of other beyliks, Mamluks, Aq Qoyunlu ("White Sheep Turkomans"), Byzantines, Pontics and Hungarians, failing and losing power every time. By the close of the century, the early Ottoman leaders had conquered large parts of land from Karamanids and other less prominent beyliks. These had a short respite when their territories were restored to them after the Ottoman defeat suffered against Tamerlane in 1402 in the Battle of Ankara.
But the Ottoman state quickly collected itself under Mehmed I and his son Murad II, who re-incorporated most of these beyliks into Ottoman territory in a period of about 25 years. The final blow for the Karamanids was struck by Mehmed II who conquered their lands and re-assured a homogeneous rule in Anatolia. The further steps towards a single rule by the Ottomans were taken by Selim I who conquered territories of Ramadanids and Dulkadirids in 1515 during his campaign against the Mamluks, and his son Süleyman the Magnificent who more or less completely united the present territories of Turkey (and much more) in his 1534 campaign. Many of the former Anatolian beyliks became the basis for administrative subdivisions in the Ottoman Empire.
List of beyliksEdit
Beyliks founded after Manzikert (1071)Edit
In the list below, only the beyliks that were founded immediately after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, mostly situated towards the Eastern Anatolia, and who were vassals (or sometimes at war) to the centralized power of Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm based in Konya are listed.
|Beylik's name
|Capital city
|Duration of rule
|Beylik of Smyrna
|Shah-Armens (also called Ahlatshahs)
|Artuqids (three branches)
|Hasankeyf, Mardin, Harput
|Erzincan, later Divriği
Beyliks founded after Köse Dağ (1243)Edit
A second group beyliks that emerged as a result of the weakening of this central state under the Mongol blow with the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243 which had the indirect consequence of extending the Turkic territory in Western Anatolia toward the end of the 13th century.
|Beylik's name
|Capital city
|Duration of rule
|c. 1290–1362
|1293–1471 as vassals to Karamanids
|Birgi, later Ayasluğ (Selçuk)
|Samsun, Amasya and the vicinity
|Jandarids (later called Isfendiyarids)
|Eflani, later Kastamonu, last Sinop
|Kastamonu (preceding the Jandarids)
|Elbistan, later Maraş
|Sivas, later Kayseri
|Kadi Burhan al-Din
|Sivas (replacing the Eretnids)
|Larende (Karaman)
|Balıkesir, later Bergama and Çanakkale
|Ladik (also called İnançoğlu, subordinate to Sahib Ataids and Germiyanids)
|Beylik of Osmanoğulları (later the Ottoman Empire)
|Söğüt, later Bursa, Dimetoka, Edirne and Istanbul
|Sahib Ataids
|Teke (issued from the Hamidids)
|Antalya, later Korkuteli
Combined with the Seljuqs and the immigration of Turkic tribes into the Anatolian mainland, the Anatolian Beyliks spread Turkic language and Islamic culture in Anatolia.[7] Unlike the Seljuqs, whose language of administration was Persian, the Anatolian beyliks adopted spoken Turkic as their formal literary language.[7] The Turkish language achieved widespread use in these principalities and reached its highest sophistication during the Ottoman era.[7]
In spite of their limited sources and the political climate of their era, art during the Anatolian beyliks flourished, probably building the basis for Ottoman art. Although the artistic style of the Anatolian beyliks can be considered as representatives of a transition period between Seljuks and Ottomans, new trends were also acquired. Especially wandering traditional crafts artists and architects helped spread these new trends and localized styles to several beyliks across Anatolia, which resulted in innovative and original works particularly in architecture. Wood and stone carving, clay tiles and other similar decorative arts of the Seljuqs were still used, however with the influence of the pursuit for new spaces and its reflections in other arts as well.
Some representative examples of the Anatolian beyliks' architecture are İlyas Bey Mosque at Balat (Milet) (1404), İsabey Mosque at Selçuk (1375), Ulucami Mosque at Birgi (1312) built by the Aydın beylik. The above mosques, although being successors of Seljuq architecture, differ greatly in the increase of decorations in the interior and exterior spaces and the different placement of the courtyards and minarets. Karaman beylik also left noteworthy architectural works, such as Ulucami Mosque in Ermenek (1302), Hatuniye Madrassa in Karaman (1382), Akmedrese Madrassa in Niğde (1409), all of which respect a new style that considers and incorporates the exterior surroundings also. One of the first examples of the Anatolian beylik architecture hinting at the forming of the Ottoman architecture that aims at uniting the interior space beneath one big dome and forming a monumental architectural structure is Ulucami Mosque in Manisa (1374) built by the Saruhan beylik. Also worth noting is the increase in constructions of madrassas that points at the beyliks' attaching greater importance to sciences.
See alsoEdit
- ^ (limited preview) Mohamed Hedi Cherif - Daniel Panzac (1995). Histoire économique et sociale de l'Empire ottoman et de la Turquie (1326-1960) (in French). Peeters Publishers. ISBN 90-6831-799-7.
- ^ "The Cresques Project - Panel IV". www.cresquesproject.net.
- ^ Forêt, Philippe; Kaplony, Andreas (30 November 2008). The Journey of Maps and Images on the Silk Road. BRILL. p. 194. ISBN 978-90-474-2497-0.
- ^ This process is described in the pioneering work, Speros Vryonis, The decline of medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor: and the process of Islamization from the eleventh through the fifteenth century (Berkeley: University of California, 1971), ISBN 978-1597404761
- ^ Kate Fleet (1999). European and Islamic Trade in the Early Ottoman State: The Merchants of Genoa and Turkey. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64221-3.
- ^ The Ahiler Beylik is sometimes considered one of the Anatolian beyliks but was a mercantile republic rather than a monarchical dynasty. See Ahiler for more information.
- ^ a b c Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire, Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters, page 40
- Mehmet Fuat Köprülü (translated by Gary Leiser) (1992). The Origins of the Ottoman Empire. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0819-1. (limited preview)
- Westermann Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German)
External linksEdit
- "Osmanlı Medeniyeti (Ottoman Civilization)" (in Turkish).


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Each fall I can't wait for winter squash. It's so yummy and delicious. Butternut is my favorite, but only because it's much easier to prepare than acorn squash. Until last night.
Last night I made this delicious recipe. I substituted acorn squash for the pumpkin, and was once again faced with the challenge of peeling the squash. And I finally figured this out.
First halve the squash and remove the seeds. Cut a small slice off the bottom of the squash so it can sit on your cutting board. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the ridges.
Cut a wedge off the squash, slicing through the, um… valley? Crease? Valley – we'll go with valley.
Now you have a nice wedge that you can turn and finish peeling.
Before slicing off another wedge, peel the exposed edge that was left on the half-squash. Then, slice through the valley again and repeat on the next wedge.
I can't believe it's taken me all these years to figure this out. But now that I have, acorn squash just moved up a notch in the favorite winter squash category.


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For some areas, insurance plan choices are paltry
- Don%27t try to do platinum plan shopping in Indiana
- Florida and Arizona have many plans to choose from
- Insurers treading carefully during health exchanges%27 first year
Some counties in the U.S. have almost 30 times more choices of health insurance plans than others do, a stark example of the lack of competition in many parts of the country as consumers try to shop for affordable coverage on the new federally run exchanges.
USA TODAY analyzed data from HealthCare.gov, the federal health insurance exchange selling plans for 34 of the states that didn't set up their own exchanges. The analysis clearly shows the impact of insurers' hesitancy to move into states where they aren't already doing business.
Insurance companies are being especially cautious during the first year rollout of the Affordable Care Act and are sticking to states and counties where they already have established networks of doctors and hospitals. That leaves consumers with few choices in many areas and may contribute to the slow sales on the glitch-ridden exchange.
"This is brand new and insurers are really risk averse," says Wendell Potter, a former spokesman for Cigna insurance, who is now an author and industry watchdog. "They don't know how the market will behave, so the for-profit companies in particular are going to be sitting this out. Shareholders have no patience for this kind of uncertainty."
Competition among health insurers varied widely county by county before the ACA, Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Joanne Peters says. "That's not something the law is going to change overnight," she says.
About 95% of consumers will have a choice of two or more health insurance issuers, "and often many more," says Peters. Last year, just one or two different insurance companies dominated the individual insurance market in most states, the White House said in May. One insurer covered more than 50% of all enrollees in the individual insurance market in 29 states.
State and county competition and coverage:
• Florida and Arizona stand out as hotbeds of competition, falling into a small category of states with several counties boasting 80 to 170 plans. Several insurers have already been selling Medicare Advantage plans in Arizona and Florida, making the states logical places for them to sell aggressively on the exchanges.
• Alabama, Mississippi and Maine have just two to 21 plan choices except for a small area of central Alabama where there are up to 30 available. Doctors tend to avoid smaller markets, which makes it harder for insurers to attract enough physicians to their networks to make plans competitive, Potter says. He worries that the high rate of uninsured residents in rural areas may not "change a whole lot in the new market."
But Kevin Lucia, a senior research fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Health Insurance Reforms, says even though Blue Cross Blue Shield has well over 90% of the market in Alabama, its rates are fairly competitive.
• Wisconsin residents have numerous options in eastern counties and fewer in the more rural western half of the state.
• Some states have no top-level platinum plans except in certain areas, such as Cincinnati, Northern Virginia, Salt Lake City, Chicago and the Peoria-Galesburg region. Alabama — a poor state with poor health rankings — has universal access to a platinum plan, but states such as Indiana and Maine don't have any. Platinum plans, which cover 90% of eligible medical expenses, also have the highest premiums, ranging from $196 to $497 a month for a 27-year-old individual's plan.
• Residents of Northern states tend to have more choices than those in Southern states, with the exception of Maine and New Hampshire. Indiana is evenly divided along those lines, with fewer choices in the southern, more rural region and more in the industrial, northern part of the state.
• Some unusual differences appear. Everyone in North Carolina, for example, has access to at least one platinum plan, but no one does in relatively affluent areas around Dallas-Fort Worth and St. Louis.
While some say too many plan choices could overwhelm consumers, others say having more choice is always better. Even if consumers need help navigating multiple choices, options provide "more pricing variability and more benefits variability," says Bryce Williams, managing director for consulting firm Towers Watson Exchange Solutions, which operates private health insurance exchanges for businesses.
Along with platinum, exchanges also typically offer options in three different metal categories. All prices could be significantly reduced by subsidies and other financial assistance available to people earning up to four times the federal poverty limit, or about $44,000 a year. Before subsidies, a 27-year-old would pay $135 to $335 a month for the least expensive bronze plan, a silver plan would cost that person $185 to $400 and a gold plan would range from $222 to $504, according to USA TODAY's review of HealthCare.gov's pricing.
Prices can vary widely depending on competition, however, which is why states running their own exchanges are trying to find ways to get more insurers to participate. Maryland requires insurers above a certain size to participate in their exchange if they already do business in the state. Colorado, New York and Oregon are trying waiting periods that would keep insurers out for a certain period of time after 2014 if they don't sell plans next year.
Expanding into states where they don't have contracts with doctors and hospitals is costly for insurers, Williams says. When insurance companies don't have established networks of health care providers, they often rent the networks used by other insurers. That means they have to charge prices others negotiated, plus an additional fee that makes the process inefficient and costly, Williams says.
Optima Health, a Virginia Beach-based insurer, is just selling HMO plans on the exchange and only in Virginia. It only has an established network of doctors in the state and wants to see what consumers are buying on the exchange before it expands, spokesman Bobby Pearson says.
"This is going to be a trial year to see what happens," Pearson says. "You may see a broader range of options going forward."
Optima is participating in all parts of the state except for part of the more urban Northern Virginia. John Holahan, a fellow at the Urban Institute who has been studying health care reform, says Optima — which had been a Medicaid provider — is helping drive down insurance costs in rural areas of the state by competing aggressively with insurer Anthem.
The paltry selection of plans in some states and counties covered by the federal exchange could lead to sticker shock for many of the working poor who aren't eligible for much or any financial help, but do need insurance. experts say. And it could undermine the idea that the Affordable Care Act will make insurance — affordable.
"We all wanted there to be a competitive dynamic," Williams says. "Whether or not it gets more affordable remains to be seen."
Depending on the state, "reform is likely to look quite different," Holahan says. "In some states, it's going to be working and in some states it could be a mess."
Are you insurance shopping on an exchange? Tell us more at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Live: The Iowa GOP Debate
All of the candidates, except soon-to-be candidate Rick Perry, are in Ames, Iowa for tonight's Republican debate! Oh wait, neither are Gary Johnson or Thaddeus McCotter or the other loser, Buddy something, or the gay guy. But the others, they're there! So grab your Iowa State Fair fried butter stick and turn on America's channel, Fox News. The future starts below.
8:57 — Funny joke: I checked to see how long the debate is, and it's two hours. Two full hours. Ha ha ha! Eesh. The punchline is you and me.
8:59 — Where is Rick Perry tonight? Wrong question. The question is what/who he's shooting to death. Cameron Todd Willingham's already dead, so try again.
9:00 — It's starting! Our host is Bret Baier, replete a fresh dead furry animal atop his head. He is reading us terrible economic statistics, and telling us about all the dead people in Afghanistan, as a prelude to... instructing the candidates to put aside talking points, out of respect. Now here's a question for Michele Bachmann that's designed to draw forth a talking point.
9:01 — Michele Bachmann reminds people about her pledge to
destroy the global economy never vote to raise the debt ceiling. She brags about how she wouldn't raise it! Within one minute, someone has already said something that should be disqualifying.
9:05 — Hey Mitt, why are you such a pussy who dodges every question? Mitt: Capitalism. Also: "I wouldn't want to eat President Obama's dog food." Yeah!...??
9:08 — What do you think about debt Ron Paul? Ron Paul: [Tries to rapidly summarize Austrian business cycle theory.] RON PAUL!
9:10 — Herman Cain promises to get the economy going in "90 days" as president. Hell, why didn't Obama think of that?
9:12 — Jesus, be quiet Jon Huntsman, the presidential candidates are trying to debate.
9:13 — Newt Gingrich is there! He's already calling decades-old pieces of legislation by Jack Kemp by their proper legislative names and throwing out random numbers. (Newt Gingrich is a politician from the 1990s, fyi.)
9:15 — Tim Pawlenty is offering to cook me dinner or mow someone's lawn, if he doesn't grow the economy enough or something? Yeah, he's trying too hard again. Mitt Romney is asked for a follow-up and in actual legitimately funny fashion is like, yeah... that's nice, Tim. Nice line.
9:16 — Chris Wallace is trying to get Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann to fight, YES. Do you make fun of her accomplishments because you believe it, or because she's beating you in the polls, Wallace asks? WELL, HOCKEYBUTT?
9:18 — Michele Bachmann says that Tim Pawlenty instituted cap-and-trade while he was governor of Minnesota, which isn't actually true, but is great. God Bless Michele Bachmann. She says that Tim Pawlenty is basically Barack Obama. Tim Pawlenty to drop out in 3...2...1...
9:20 — T-Paw (who is from a meat-packing town!): You only tell lies. Stop. Actual boxing fight howls in the audience. Oh goddamnit, don't move on to Mitt Romney now!
9:24 — Mitt Romney keeps talking about all the jobs he created at his private equity firm that existed to destroy jobs.
9:27 — Back from commercial! First question for Newt: Remember when you lost all the money you never had and all of your staffers quit? Wasn't that funny? Newt: "I wish you would put aside the gotcha questions." Not defensive at all!
9:28 — Newt is already mentioning "Lean Six Sigma," a management strategy company that he probably has a sponsorship agreement with for whenever he finally kills off his campaign, or right now. Oh Jesus, now Newt is literally feuding with the moderator in a back and forth.
9:30 — Hey Jon Huntsman, remember when you fucking worked for Barack Obama for two years?
9:31 — Herman Cain, you don't like Muslims and know nothing about anything. How do you reassure people that you "know enough" to be president? Cain: I don't know what you're talking about.
9:32 — Cain: Also too, Sharia.
9:33 — Jon Huntsman, will you let Mexicans flood into the country because you love them so much? Jon Huntsman: I support the Second Amendment, and the border. Secure the border with "fencing and technology." I will talk to the state board of... ZZZZZZ
9:39 — That dork Byron York is asking questions now. Mitt Romney, why did you ask S&P to raise Massachusetts' credit rating because of the taxes you raised? Is raising taxes good sometimes? Mitt looks flustered. "No." Ugh. He looks quite flustered and is now talking about cutting spending. Why does he keep running from his history as a successful governor?
9:41 — Tim Pawlenty: I didn't raise taxes so much as fees. You know how it is, By. Also: Barack Obama should cancel his Martha's Vineyard vacation. Thanks for that, Tim.
9:42 — Rumor has it that Rick Santorum is on the stage. Can anyone confirm?
9:45 — They're trying to ask Rick Santorum a question, but Bachmann and Pawlenty keep fighting like children. This is almost making Rick Santorum look good.
9:48 — Guess what? Rick Santorum wouldn't support tax hikes either. Maybe this is a useless question.
9:48 — Everyone on stage is asked if they'd reject a deficit reduction deal that's 10-1 spending cuts vs. tax hikes. They would all reject it. Fucking joke.
9:50 — Newt was just kind of good making fun of the Deficit Super Committee!
9:51 — T-Paw: PSST, I heard that Mitt Romney loves nominating abortion-loving judges to the bench to have abortions and give abortions all day because he loves abortion so much.
9:54 — Meanwhile, Jon Huntsman has been spotted in a van down by the river.
9:57 — Santorum making the anti-states' rights case: If states do bad things, I will stop them all! ALL OF THEM, I TELL YOU!
10:01 — I think Michele Bachmann just went to the bathroom?
10:02 — Ron Paul: I'm glad Rick Perry is joining because he is another opponent for RON PAUL to defeat.
10:04 — But seriously where did Michele Bachmann go during the commercial break?
10:06 — Jon Huntsman probably won't help himself among the GOP rank-and-file for immediately making fun of Rick Perry's prayer rally.
10:08 — Newt Gingrich is asked about Libya, and again starts fighting with the moderator about "gotcha questions." He needs to stop doing this. He's now giving a lengthy lecture about how he doesn't flip flop. "If you go back to Greta's show two weeks before that..." SHUT UP.
10:09 — My cat is attacking Newt Gingrich on the teevee screen, and probably tearing it up with claws, but it's worth it.
10:12 — Huntsman: I know things about China, unlike the rest of you fucks.
10:14 — Ron Paul is being absolutely brilliant about Iran. We will love him until the next question about economics.
10:15 — Aaaaaand Rick Santorum picks up the available faux-outraged response to Ron Paul's suggestion that maybe we need to think more about "Iran," in general.
10:18 — They are all going after Ron Paul now, for suggesting that international relations follow some sort of logic.
10:22 — It would be nice if Ron Paul could be the next Secretary of Defense!
10:26 — Newt: I wouldn't apply a loyalty oath to Muslims in the government, but to everybody. Phew!
10:28 — Cain: I don't dislike Mitt Romney's weird ass dumb Mormon religion, I just don't know anything about how weird ass and dumb it is.
10:29 — Wow! Byron York actually asks Michele Bachmann if she would be "submissive to her husband" as president... which she does, in fact, believe under her religion. LOUD boos.
10:31 — I want to know if Newt Gingrich would be submissive to his wife. And yet here we have Mitt Romney talking about states' rights instead! Does anyone know how to produce a television program anymore?
10:35 — Were there just two Santorums on my teevee, or am I already in Hell?
10:39 — Each candidate is trying to prove how he or she is the most anti-abortion person ever, by saying they'd put doctors who give abortions in jail, maybe. Twenty minutes left!
10:40 — Mitt Romney won't flat-out say that he'd be against extending unemployment benefits. Good for him! (PSST: Unemployment benefits are politically popular!)
10:43 — Finally, someone is pressing Michele Bachmann on that little I WILL NEVER RAISE THE DEBT CEILING thing.
10:43 — Also, why do conservatives keep saying "a $2.4 trillion blank check." It is clearly *not blank if it has a number attached.*
10:46 — Newt Gingrich is asked why the Fed is "worth saving." We see what you did there, trying to out-crazy the Gingrich.
10:48 — This debate has been on for 108 minutes.
10:51 — Bret Baier promises wild card questions for the end! We're going to go kill ourself for a minute to prepare for this.
10:55 — So... the wild card was a question about tweaking No Child Left Behind. BAM.
10:58 — Mittens: Barack Obama has not "lived in the real economy." He lives in the barter system, or what?
11:00 — As someone who has liveblogged like 50 debates, I must say that this was easily the longest. This was a seven hundred hour debate. Thank you for pretending to read, goodnight! The winner was Rick Perry.
[Photos via Getty Images, AP]


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Love meringues and I will have to try this with cooca
When you were born, Mom and I just couldn't believe how perfect you were. We wanted you to stay just like that perfect little infant forever. But time passed, as it always does and we watched with joy as you entered a new stage. We wished you could stay that way.
With each stage, you grew and changed and became something more. We wished you could stay that way.
Time passes so fast and with each stage you have become something more and Mom and I still think you are perfect. But we know you will become something more. We wish it could stay that way.
So many times you and I have shared a needed hug, the kind in the kitchen on a sleepy morning, with you in that same dirty robe you love so much. The kind where you melt into my chest and bury your face and I wrap my arms around you….perfect. I wish it could stay that way.
Everything changes, but you are still perfect to me just the way you are. I wish it could stay that way.
But you will change again as you always do, growing into something more and being more than you knew you could. But I have always known. You are perfect then and now. I am always proud of you, miss you more than you can know. I wish I was there when you came home so tired for that hug and to turn you into that mummy you adore. But instead I watch from afar as you turn into the woman I have always known you would become, still perfect. I wish it could stay that way…
I'm so glad your parents are supportive of you. What a wonderful gift that they're able to share their feelings with you…
I'm the mother of a 25-yr-old son… it's hard for us to watch as you learn life lessons.
Hold your head high and know you're living with integrity and passion.
So glad you are back to baking and blogging, and so impressed with who you are becoming. Wonderful post, and great recipe. Thanks, Elissa.
<3 my heart warms for you!
Elissa, as always your reflections, photographs, and wonderful cooking continues to be impressive. I have every belief that you will obtain success in this life. Just keep expressing yourself through words and photography. Thank you again for a lovely post.
I have been following you for years-you are brave and strong and I am on your side. Your parents are wonderful . your writing and photography are individual and honest, I like that. …cindysous in seattle
That "manager" did not act like a manager. He acted like a jerk. If you are ill it is NOT up to you to find a replacement; it is the manager's responsibility. It is his responsibility to support his employees until he has proof he cannot. And that didn't happen. I'm glad you are outta there! He is NEVER going to reach the levels in life, in professionalism, in success that you will. . You have great character; he certainly didn't show any. He has apparently had no management training. That was very low of him to threaten you like that. Maybe you'll be in a position to fire him one day…but I doubt you'll be in that kind of business. You are head and shoulders above him already. Those of us who have watched you the past few years know you are a very responsible and bright young lady. And never, never feel like a failure in anything unless you have not given it your best. Losing that job would NOT have made YOU a failure in any way. Sure, it would have been embarrassing and hurtful to be treated so unfairly, and fearful because you were unemployed, but you were not "at fault." Best wishes on your continued education and keep us posted as you progress. (The meringues look wonderful. Thanks.)
Chin up! You have a lot of supporters.
Good for you for standing your ground and knowing when enough is enough. As I look back to my post-college waitressing days, I think about how thankful I was that, the one day I did call in sick, my managers believed me because I'd been so dependable and hardworking. I hope your manager realized that shortly after the way he dealt with you.
College is an amazing, confusing, maddening, exciting, hopeful time. You find out your best-laid plans won't/don't actually work out and you stumble upon new paths you never knew existed. The world opens up wider than you ever realized was possible.
Keep plugging along. The best is yet to come.
Thank you for sharing the lovely story and the recipe. Fragility is indeed a lovely thing, especially when it leads us to reach out and find that love and support were always ours, despite our weakness. These look so amazing I may actually try them! (I've never made meringues and i'm pretty unmotivated in the kitchen lately).
I still remember when you were going through all of this. You were strong then, and you're even stronger now. I think this is one of your best pieces yet. Your writing and food are always perfect, but I think this post really highlights your depth of character. It's wonderful that readers around the world can get to know the strong, confident, amazing Elissa that I get to see everyday :)
Your commentary on fragility is beautiful. You will recover from this. It will strengthen you. Good luck!
PS…..meringues look fabulous.
I really enjoyed reading this, because I can relate to it. I was made redundant a year ago, and at the time it made me question my job, my skills and made me doubt myself. In the end the person responsible for my redundancy was fired. It was a bitter-sweet feeling. I knew it wasn't me, and it was just the assholes that we sometimes come across in life (and work for) that ever made me doubt myself. It's ok to crash, cos then you can look back, move on, and feel even more confident in who you are. It's all a learning process. I shared my experience as well and it helped me move on.
This is my first comment on your blog. You are my favorite blogger.
Also you are very lucky to have parents that pull you together when you are hurt. Because many of us never have that privilege.
I've been following your blog since its beginning, but started to miss some posts because I was too busy with college too! High-school timetables were so much better for baking!!
Through your latest posts, I can see myself a bit haha… I'm 21 too, and was 17 too when you started blogging!
Glad to see you're back, even you don't post as often as before, it's okay :) Pictures and words are as beautiful as before (or more beautiful???!)
I made these today and they were PERFECT.
How do you think it would work as a big pavlova?
Just checked in here to copy down your cheesecake recipe and see that you've been baking and blogging again! It was wonderful to catch up. Welcome back! Can't wait to try the new recipes.
And hang in there! You're gonna be fine!
Wow, this was really inspiring. I think it was actually braver of you to quit than to have gone into work and submitted to your clearly unfeeling boss. Jobs come and go and I don't think a person can be judged by how many jobs they have held in their lives, but rather how they handle themselves in tough situations. There was no reason for you to have been treated that way after how much hard work you put into that job. I'm sure tons of employers would love to have a hard worker like you.
On the flip side, I can't bake to save my life, by these look so good I might just have to give them a try!
Love meringues, never made them with cocoa before, will definitely have to try them.
though meringues, are not really my "cheer me up food choice"…you and your dad are surely one of my "inspiration source choice". ;) This post touched me for a lot of reasons…thank you for writing this. "Screw them!" lols…
I've been reading your blog since you were actually 17. You're a rare individual. Talented, smart, and dedicated. This particular blog post was beautiful. PS. Your dad is right. Screw them.
Crikey 21!!! What a sad and ultimately uplifting post. Keep your chin up. My mental voice was sad as it read the meringue recipe.
[…] Cocoa Meringues […]
These meringues look so good! Comfort food :)
kids clothes
Cocoa Meringues | 17 and Baking
[…] Here is the recipe I followed for those of you not so terrible cooks, unlike […]
They look so good!
[…] tubes of small meringues, or drop by heaping tablespoon on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in center of oven for about 15 minutes, or until the outside is crisp and crackled, the soft and marshmallowy interior. Cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container. 17 and cooking […]
דער בעסטער בלאָג אַרטיקל פון דעם טאָג
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text: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Sorry if that sounded dismissive... I am absolutely NOT saying that it doesn't matter. I just wanted to point out that some of the arguments (particularly the one I made earlier) were fairly US-centric. It IS, for example, a crime to own a gun in some European countries. So, broken analogies aside, any statement that we make should be presented as a guide to clearer language on the subject, and not a condemnation of any "unconstitutional" phrases, etc. My apologies to everyone who had already gathered that much... ;) - - Jim > -----Original Message----- > From: Magdych, Jim [mailto:email@example.com] > Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2000 2:25 PM > To: 'Russ'; firstname.lastname@example.com > Subject: RE: Cybercrime treaty > > Of course, this treaty may have no impact on the US. It's probably > a good thing if some evil hacker in Cyprus can be extradited to > Andorra, but I don't know that it will necessarily have a global > legislative trickle-down effect... > > - - Jim -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 6.5.1 Comment: Crypto Provided by Network Associates <http://www.nai.com> iQA/AwUBORH11QDjeqNVcQB5EQLVWgCgxipkjBBQcAnVdsUWkiAAwSaTuDAAoOwE K+GDyvLUN6FVMq/cLLISrp9N =OKkW -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----


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[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja and his party stayed for a few days, from May 29th to June 2nd, at the home his dear disciples, Arun and Vinodini Verma, in Houston, Texas. Approximately thirty devotees received hari-nama and diksa initiation there, and a grand fire sacrifice took place.
During his evening darsana of June 4th, Srila Maharaja was interviewed for a large Houston radio station called "The Meditation Hour," which is aired every Sunday from 5pm till 8pm." *[See endnote 1] The Host and producer of the show, Mr. Jaya Narayana Singh, has been interviewing Srila Narayana Maharaja on his radio station for several years, during Srila Maharaja's yearly visits to Houston, and he was initiated by him last year. The following is a transcription of this year's interview.]
Interview for The Meditation Hour at the home of Arun and Vinodini Verma
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] Many Indians in Trinidad, and non-Indians as well, are worshipping demigods as equal to Krsna. We try to explain to them that this is wrong, but they are afraid to stop the worship. How can we convince them to stop?
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] "We should discuss this with them in a very sweet mood. We will first have to say that the demigods can fulfill all our desires, so we should respect them and offer them puja (worship). But, we should know who they are. They are maidservants and servants of Sri Krsna. Without Krsna, they cannot give anything to their worshippers. This is discussed in many scriptures, and it has been written in the Bhagavad-gita:
ye 'py anya-devata-bhakta
yajante sraddhayanvitah
te 'pi mam eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-purvakam
["Those who are devotees of other gods, and who worship them with faith, actually worship only Me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way."]
If anyone is worshipping the demigods, it is Krsna who fulfills their desires – the demigods cannot do so. Krsna mercifully thinks, "The demigods are My servants, so I should fulfill the desires of their worshipers." But what will be the result? The worshippers will receive only worldly things, and these worldly things are perishable. For some time they will think, "I am very happy," but their sense gratification and so-called happiness will soon disappear.
If you worship demigods, after some time you may go to heaven. But then you will come back to this Earthly realm. You must come back. It is better to know who is the master of the demigods – by whose opulence the demigods and goddesses manifest. It is better to worship Him. Krsna will then give you liberation from this world, and you will be happy forever by serving Him. Your transcendental form does not worship demigods; it worships Sri Krsna and Radhika. In this way, we should know what is written in our scriptures.
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] Most of the people understand this to a large extent, but the pandits make big money out of this – Durga-puja, Siva-puja, and Kali-puja.
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] I know. Those pandits are greedy, and actually they are not pandits. They are selfish. They are cutting their own feet with their own axe.
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] Another thing is happening now. The whole country was devoted of Rama, but now everyone is worshipping Durga. They do this even on Ram Navami and Janmastami (the Birthdays of Sri Ramacandra and Sri Krsna).
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] This is also going on in Bengal, India. At the time of Rama Navami, the birth of Sri Ramacandra, and also when He accepts His kingdom – on both days they worship Kali.
But we preach everywhere, very mildly, and in this way many of them come to us and follow us. There should be a trick. A fisherman puts something to eat on his hook, and the greedy fish swallows this at once. After that, the fisherman gradually reels in his fishing rod, and when the fish wants to break free, he gives some leeway so that the fish becomes tired. Then, slowly, slowly, slowly, he reels in his line and catches the fish.
Srila Sridhara Svami, the first commentator of Srimad-Bhagavatam, has done this. In order to capture the Mayavadis, he wrote something that sounds like Mayavada philosophy, but is not. He wrote. "The entire world is brahma (meaning the impersonal Absolute Truth)." *[See endnote 2] Actually, the world is not brahma, but it has come from brahma (meaning the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead), so it sounds similar. In this way the mayavadis think, "He is mayavadi, advaitavadi (impersonalist monist), so we should accept his words."
Then, very skillfully, Srila Sridhara Svami teaches, "Sri Krsna is the Supreme Lord and we should worship Him. He has a very beautiful, transcendental form, and He has all good qualities." In this way, Sridhara Svami gradually brings them towards bhakti, pure devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So it is not that we must at once defeat their arguments; otherwise they will fly away and be against us.
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] So Gurudeva, now, instead of having pictures of Rama and Sita in their temples, they have pictures of the demigods. Should we leave them there?
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] No. I tell those who come to me for the first time, "You can worship them, but keep them down at the lotus feet of Rama and Sita. The demigods want to take the remnants of the prasada of Sita-Rama."
Then gradually, when they are fixed and steady, you can teach them, "Don't worship demigods. Be one-pointed."
[Jaya Narayana Singh:]Yes, we really have to put honey in the milk and give it to them to drink. This is the first time I am hearing this – that we can offer the prasada remnants of Krsna to the demigods.
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] We can also perform the worship of the demigods by giving them Sri Krsna's caranamrta. But this does not apply to the manifestations of Krsna, like Rama, Varahadeva, Nrshingadeva, or any Visnu-tattva Deity. We must offer to them separately, and tulasi leaves are also offered to Their lotus feet. They are non-different from Krsna. Krsna has assumed Their forms.
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] I have a question about Vivekananda's philosophy *[See endnote 3].
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] He is really veveka-ananda (without proper discrimination, one who has no intelligence). Our Guru Maharaja used to tell us that Vivekananda has spoiled the Indian culture. His followers ate beef. Vivekananda himself said that the world is zero – it came from zero and it will become zero – just as the Buddhists proclaim. He also said, "I prefer to play football than to read the Bhagavad-gita."
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] I am glad this is coming from your lips. Then the people will listen.
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] I know everything about this. I am Indian and also Bengali, so I know everything and I have also studied. My age is eighty-eight, and up until now I have been hearing, reading, and learning.
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] One more question: This is outside of our philosophy. It is said that Guru Nanak was never cremated. Who was Guru Nanak?
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] Guru Nanak was actually a devotee. His disciples began to spread the idea that he was the founder of the Sikh sampradaya and that he was not Hindu, but this is wrong. He has written authentic Vedic knowledge, and he was chanting "Hare Krsna" and "Rama Rama Rama." It has been written in many places that he was a devotee of Lord Rama. Later, his followers changed his teachings and made a separate religion or sect. They taught, "We are not Hindus, we are Sikhs."
Arjun Singh [(1563-1606) the fifth Guru in the Sikh Parampara from Guru Nanak.] was also a devotee. In order to protect Hindus, he told them, "We must try to fight with the Moguls and Muslims. Until we finish them, we will not cut our hair. We will keep our hair and moustache and beard." They promised this. This is why they do not shave, and they also keep one sword and bangle – to commemorate their support of Hindus. Later, the followers became separate.
[Jaya Narayana Singh:] So basically the philosophy is Vaisnava?
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] Yes, but not fully.
Morning Darsana
[While in Houston, Srila Narayana Maharaja also resided for a couple of days at the home of Visnu dasa and Arati dasi in Sugarland. There, he was mainly working on his translation and commentary of Srimad-Bhagavatam Tenth Canto, Chapters 1-15, along with his translation of the commentary of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.
One morning, visiting the home of Sushil dasa and Vimla dasi, he gave a darsana in which he performed a grain ceremony for their six-month old grandson Kesava dasa, and also instructed the devotees about preaching, book publication, and book distribution:]
Click on this link to view a video clip of the ceremony.
Amidst the chanting of auspicious sacred mantras, Srila Narayana Gosvami Mahraja attentively and affectionately fed the baby his first grains in the form of three spoonfuls of a sweet-rice preparation, and requested the baby's parents, grandparents, and other relatives to each feed him a spoonful.
As it is customary Vedic culture at this time (called anna-prasana) to offer the child both coins and books in order to get some indication of the future tendencies of the child, little Kesava dasa was then presented a tray of various paraphernalia to choose from. On the plate were coins, jewelry, a knife, and a scripture (the Bhagavad-gita). Kesava dasa touched the Bhagavad-gita and the coins, after which Srila Maharaja said he will become a wealthy devotee.
Aiport Darsana
Srila Maharaja left for San Francisco on June 6th. The following transcription is excerpted from the airport darsana.
[Devotee:] Your book Sri Prema-Samput discusses why Krsna left the Rasa dance to be alone with Radharani, and then why He left Radharani after being alone with Her. It is stated there that Krsna thought, "Now, if I leave Radhika for a moment, that will remove Her pride born of good fortune, and it will make Her humble and free from blame in the eyes of the other gopis." I thought that it was the other way around. I thought He left the Rasa dance to take away the pride of good fortune in the other gopis and to please Radhika in Her maan. In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is stated like that. I don't understand.
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] It has been written in Srimad-Bhagavatam that He wanted to remove the pride of the others, and for breaking Radhika's maan.
tasam tat-saubhaga-madam
viksya manam ca kesavah
prasamaya prasadaya
[Lord Kesava, seeing the gopis too proud of their good fortune, He wanted to relieve them of this pride and show them further mercy. He also wanted to appease Srimati Radhika's maan. Thus He immediately disappeared.]
[Devotee:] Here in Prema-samput it states that Krsna later wanted to remove Radharani's pride.
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] We should not be confused. Krsna wanted to somehow take all the allegation of the other gopis upon Himself (for leaving the Rasa dance to be alone with Radhika). He desired that no one should blame Radhika. That is the reason. What is stated here in Prema-samput is okay, but we should think like this.
We should think that this was a drama of Krsna, and in this way we can reconcile. It was a drama of Krsna. Sometimes He acts in this way for a certain reason. If there is pride in Radhika, it is only to please Sri Krsna. She does nothing for Herself.
[Devotee:] So do you mean that it was like a drama because Radha and Krsna together showed the gopis that She was so humble, and in that way they would feel sorry for Her that Krsna also left Her, and in that way they would not be envious of Her and at the same time appreciate Her superiority in love?
[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja:] Yes, that is it.
[Thus ends the airport darsana, because Srila Maharaja and his party stood up to leave for the Gate to board his plane.]
[Endnote 1 – Sripad B.V. Bhagavata Maharaja speaks for the first hour of the show every Sunday, which can be heard live on www.kchnradio.com.]
[Endnote 2 – "The materially absorbed conditioned soul can be cured by Krsna consciousness as set forth here in the Gita. This process is generally known as yajna, or activities (sacrifices) simply meant for the satisfaction of Visnu, or Krsna. The more the activities of the material world are performed in Krsna consciousness, or for Visnu only, the more the atmosphere becomes spiritualized by complete absorption. The word brahma (Brahman) means "spiritual." The Lord is spiritual, and the rays of His transcendental body are called brahmajyoti, His spiritual effulgence. Everything that exists is situated in that brahmajyoti, but when the jyoti is covered by illusion (maya) or sense gratification, it is called material. This material veil can be removed at once by Krsna consciousness; thus the offering for the sake of Krsna consciousness, the consuming agent of such an offering or contribution, the process of consumption, the contributor, and the result are-all combined together-Brahman, or the Absolute Truth.
"The Absolute Truth covered by maya is called matter. Matter dovetailed for the cause of the Absolute Truth regains its spiritual quality. Krsna consciousness is the process of converting the illusory consciousness into Brahman, or the Supreme. When the mind is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness, it is said to be in samadhi, or trance. Anything done in such transcendental consciousness is called yajna, or sacrifice for the Absolute. In that condition of spiritual consciousness, the contributor, the contribution, the consumption, the performer or leader of the performance, and the result or ultimate gain – everything-becomes one in the Absolute, the Supreme Brahman. That is the method of Krsna consciousness." (Bhagavad-gita 4.24 purport by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)]
[Endnote 3 – "That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Asuram bhavam asritah. Asuri. Asuri-bhava means the attitude of a demon. 'What is God? Oh, this is all nonsense. Who is God? I am God. Everyone is God. Oh, don't you see? So many Gods are loitering in the street. Why you are finding out another God?' These are the going on. Vivekananda said that 'Why you are bothering yourself, finding out God? Don't you see, so many Gods are loitering in the street?' You see? So 'God is loitering in the street, daridra-narayana. God has become daridra, poor, and He has come to my door to beg. God is suffering. God is...' Like that. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam [Bs. 5.29]. We read from Vedic literature that 'God is being served by millions of goddesses of fortune' – and He has become daridra, poor?. Wherefrom he got this language, where, how he applied, I do not know." (lecture by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, June 16, 1969)
"One man may choose to slaughter, and another man may choose to help others. Or a man may give charity to others and yet at the same time encourage killing animals. For instance, on the one hand Vivekananda advocated feeding the poor, but on the other hand he suggested feeding them with Mother Kali's prasadam – the flesh of bulls. So what kind of ethics is that? What is the value of ethics if it is based on imperfect knowledge?" (Beyond Illusion and Doubt, by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
"You cannot become self-realized without the help of, without the mercy of, Baladeva. Now, our Vivekananda Swami, he interpreted that 'Unless you become stout and strong like the bulls and the buffalo, you cannot realize self.' He interpreted like that. So he engaged people to make gymnastics, exercise. 'You become very stout and strong, eat meat, and...' This is going on. This philosophy is going on." (lecture by Srila Prabhupada, Aug. 3, 1974)]
Editorial advisors: Sripad Madhava Maharaja, Brajanatha dasa, and Prema-prayojana dasa
Assistant Editors: Hariballabha dasi
Reporters: Tulsi dasi and Vasanti dasi
Transcriber: Madana-mohini dasi
Typist: Vasanti dasi
Editor: Syamarani dasi
Proof-reader: Krsna-kamini dasi
Photos courtesy: Lalit-kisori dasi and Madhuvrata dasa
Special thanks to Sripad BV Bhagavata Maharaja for answering questions we had for this report.


text:
Mom of Connecticut plane crash victims dreading holidays
Sade Brantley, Madisyn Mitchell died in crash
A woman whose two daughters were killed when a small plane crashed into their Connecticut house says she heard the house shake, went to check on her 13-year-old daughter and found the plane in her bedroom.
Sade Brantley and her 1-year-old sister, Madisyn Mitchell, died in the Aug. 9 crash in East Haven along with the two people on the plane.
The children's mother, Joann Mitchell, tells WFSB-TVshe stayed outside the house all day believing her daughters would be found alive.
Mitchell said Monday she's dreading spending Christmas without her girls. She says little signs such as a rainbow that peeked out of a cloud during a recent visit to her daughters' graves help her deal with the tragedy. She says the rainbow was her girls letting her know they're OK.


text:
Sweet, Perus, Radio, Crv Wkd and Superdead teaser from The Drive
Kingpin 107: The Drive Issue On Sale Now
Made it back. Can't wait to leave again.
Sweet make it to the finish, open a can of rotten fish, puke and party.
Quick trip back to London before the crew split in half. Some to France for some unimportant bullshit or something and the other half flew...
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