Saturday Night: A Little Bit of Good News

Posted: April 2, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Foreign Affairs, Japan, just because, open thread | Tags: , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Japan Times:

SENDAI (Kyodo) The Japan Coast Guard managed to save a small brown dog Friday from a floating rooftop 1.8 km off Miyagi Prefecture, three weeks after a massive tsunami ravaged the northeast coast.

The team’s initial rescue attempt failed after the dog, perhaps scared by the hovering helicopter, jumped from the roof over to nearby driftwood.

A rescue boat with three guardsmen was then dispatched and succeeded in catching the pooch an hour later by using rescue stretchers.

The dog, which was wearing a black collar that had no indication of who its owner might be, was fed biscuits and sausages aboard the coast guard vessel and is behaving itself, the coast guard said.

How did he survive for three weeks surrounded by salt water? One suggestion: Perhaps with all the rain, perhaps the dog was able to drink rainwater that collected in spots on the house roof.

The dog was wearing a collar, so his rescuers will try to find his family.


This is an open thread, but I encourage you to share any heartwarming animal stories that you know about.

Wisconsin Republicans Seek Return to McCarthy Era

Posted: March 25, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: just because | 9 Comments

William Cronon

What has happened to Wisconsin? The Republicans there seem to be modeling themselves after Joseph McCarthy, Senator from Wisconsin from 1947-57.

McCarthy was obsessed with rooting out “communist infiltration,” and became the public face of the obsessive hunt for “reds” in government, the military, academia, the media, and the entertainment industry that took place during the ’50s. The smear tactics, demagoguery, and abuses of civil liberties used during those awful days have come to be referred to as “McCarthyism.”

Joseph McCarthy

Today’s Wisconsin Republicans, not satisfied with destroying the public employee unions in their state have now begun to persecute those who supported the cause of the schoolteachers, janitors, and social workers of Wisconsin. First up, Professor William Cronon, a historian at the University of Wisconsin.

James Fallows wrote about it at the Atlantic today.

Because Cronon dared write an op-ed piece in the New York Times* pointing to Wisconsin’s long tradition of bi-partisan, “good government”-minded support of collective bargaining rights, and criticizing Gov. Scott Walker for his campaign against organized labor and collective bargaining, the Wisconsin Republican Party is launching a legal effort to look through his email archives to see if he has been involved in the recent protests in the state. The putative rationale is that Cronon’s messages were sent on the University of Wisconsin’s email system and therefore are covered by the state’s open-records law.

Fallows later learned that the attack on Cronon began even before the op-ed, and instead was a reaction to this post on Cronon’s personal blog.

In the post Cronon writes that he doesn’t believe the Koch Brothers funding of Walker provides a full explanation of what is happening in the Republican Party and the wave of reactionary legislation Republicans are proposing in so many states. Follow me below the fold….
Read the rest of this entry »

Farewell Elizabeth Taylor

Posted: March 23, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: just because | Tags: | 6 Comments

“I don’t entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I’m me. God knows, I’m me.”

Iconic Actress

Passionate AIDs Activist

Lived life to the fullest

and of  course, Westborough Baptist Hate Club will be there to help send her off.

“No RIP Elizabeth Taylor who spent her life in adultery and enabling proud f-gs. They cuss her in hell today. #Westboro will picket funeral!” tweeted Margie Phelps, daughter of Westboro Baptist Church pastor Fred Phelps.

Actually, I can see her laughing at that big time with those bright violet eyes sparkling.


Consider this an open thread.

Breaking: Second Explosion at Nuclear Plant in Japan

Posted: March 13, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Breaking News, Foreign Affairs, Japan, just because, Surreality | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments

Al Jazeera just reported that there has been a hydrogen explosion at the third nuclear power plant that nuclear engineers have been working on in Japan. Several workers are reported to be injured or missing after the blast. Here is the first story I’ve seen about on Google: Fukushima Explosion: Japan Nuclear Plant Blast Believed To Be Hydrogen Explosion

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary says a hydrogen explosion has occurred at Unit 3 of Japan’s stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The blast was similar to an earlier one at a different unit of the facility.

Yukio Edano says people within a 12-mile (20-kilometer) radius were ordered inside following Monday’s. AP journalists felt the explosion 30 miles (50 kilometers) away.

BBC News has this:

A second explosion has hit the nuclear plant in Japan that was damaged in Friday’s earthquake, but officials said it had resisted the blast.

TV footage showed smoke rising from Fukushima plant’s reactor 3, a day after an explosion hit reactor 1.

Japan’s nuclear safety agency said the blast was believed to have been caused by the build-up of hydrogen.

Government officials said the reactor core was still intact as they tried allay fears of a radioactive leak.

3 injured, 7 missing after second explosion at Japan nuclear plant

A massive column of smoke was seen belching from the plant’s No. 3 unit Monday. The No. 3 Unit reactor had been under emergency watch for a possible explosion as pressure built up there following a hydrogen blast Saturday in the facility’s Unit 1.

Second Blast Rocks Japanese Nuclear Powerplant

A second explosion has rocked a nuclear power plant in Japan. The plant is in an area that was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami on Friday.

The explosion occurred mid-morning Monday, while workers were battling to bring down temperatures inside the Fukushima Number One nuclear power plant’s number three reactor.

Television images showed a strong explosion obliterating the upper walls of the reactor building and causing a huge plume of white smoke.

Japanese Quake Survivors Evacuated Amid Fears of Radiation Leaks

At least 170,000 Japanese earthquake and tsunami survivors have fled their homes, fearing the spread of radioactive contamination from damaged nuclear power plants.

Officials say dozens of people could have been exposed to radiation while being evacuated from a town near one of the damaged plants. They and hundreds of others were being scanned for radiation exposure.

Authorities say a new hydrogen explosion occurred Monday morning at the Fukushima power plant north of Tokyo, sending a plume of white smoke into the air. Officials said at a news conference covered by NHK Television that the building is still safe and that there is little risk of a mass radiation leak.

Why am I not buying that?

I will continue to update as I get more information.

Saturday Night Chai Therapy

Posted: March 12, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: just because | Tags: , | 11 Comments

We’ve had so much doom and gloom in the headlines lately, that it’s hard not to wonder if there’s something to that urban myth about 2012 being the end of the world after all! I thought we could use an open thread to relax and share some recipes.

My mother is from Kashmir, and I grew up hearing her talk about Kashmiri “Kahwah“ every time I brought a new variety of green tea home.

Kahwah is traditionally made in samovar kettles like the one to the right, but you can make it with a regular kettle, too. And, don’t worry about finding the Kashmiri tea leaves as listed in the recipe below. My mom’s reaction to the Chinese green tea leaves was always to call it Kahwah, so I figure the taste must be pretty close.

For convenience’s sake, my family and I often just use Stash Kashmiri Chai Green tea bags, no milk, to achieve the Kahwah effect. They’ve got the spices added in there already, so it’s ready to go, just boil, brew, and enjoy. I rarely put sweet in my tea, but once in awhile I’ll add a trace amount of a fancy honey variety (like vanilla bean or Hawaiian) to give it a silkier feel.

But, here’s a proper recipe, from Bella Online:

KAHWA (Spiced Kashmiri Green Tea)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Kashmiri Green Tea (loose leaf variety is best)
2-3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 stick of cinnamon (2” long)
2-3 cloves
2 slices of fresh ginger, lightly crushed
8-10 almonds, blanched & finely chopped (or you could use pistachios if you wanted)
sugar, to taste (or you could also use your favorite flavor of honey)
1 good pinch of saffron – optional
a drop or two of rose water or rose essence – optional

METHOD:

In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, combine 3 cups of water along the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves and fresh slices of ginger. Bring to a gentle boil, remove the saucepan completely from the heat and add the tea leaves. Mix well to combine and allow the tea to steep for about 4-5 minutes. Then strain the tea into a teapot. Now add the sugar (or honey) along with saffron, nuts and rose water. Stir well to combine all of the ingredients and let the tea sit for 2-3 minutes before serving.

VARIATIONS:

If you have organic edible rose petals available, feel free to add a few in along with the other spices.

Feel free to add a few strips of orange peel as well along with the other spices.

You could also add a mint leaf or even tulsi (Indian holy basil) to the tea along with the sugar and nuts.

I’d love to hear one of your favorite chai or coffee rituals, but any kind of recipes you want to share in the comments are welcome. Have at it and Enjoy!

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