Freedom, truth, love, beauty.

"Despite many efforts to explain in a calm and rational way what President Obama is doing and why,..."

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:15:58 -0600

“Despite many efforts to explain in a calm and rational way what President Obama is doing and why, the public continues to be confused by the relentless lies and shameless propaganda of his political enemies and their allies in the right-wing disinformation machine. As a result, the chunk of the country that believes the earth is only six thousand years old also lapped up lies about death panels and the idea that Obama is so stupid he can’t speak without a teleprompter, not to mention his miraculous ability to plot a big-government takeover while simultaneously “palling around with terrorists” and serving his masters at Goldman Sachs, as well as all the other ridiculous talking points fed to them by the cynical bastards who are manipulating them for profit and power.”

- http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/obama-health-care-push-030910

The Fargo Film Festival was great. Again. And the directors who were present loved Fargo and its...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:43:27 -0600

The Fargo Film Festival was great. Again. And the directors who were present loved Fargo and its people right back. Again. Oh, and the pre- and post-party ticket was totally worth it. Again. I love this city so much.

"I even had one constituent—you will not believe this, and I know you won’t, but it’s..."

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:45:32 -0600

“I even had one constituent—you will not believe this, and I know you won’t, but it’s true—her sister died. This poor woman had no dentures—she wore her dead sister’s teeth, which of course were uncomfortable, did not fit. Did you ever believe that in America that that’s where we would be? This is the last chance as far as I’m concerned, particularly on the export business. We have fallen behind, we’re no longer the biggest manufacturer in the world, we’ve lost our technological edge. We have an opportunity to do that, but a major part of the success of that is getting this health care passed.”

- Rep. Louise Slaughter

The Definitive Performance

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:02:18 -0600

The Definitive Performance

Video

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:25:04 -0600

Square is the next great thing in exchanging money.

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:54:07 -0600

Square is the next great thing in exchanging money.

The American Conservative -- No Exit

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:58:19 -0600

The American Conservative -- No Exit:

“An alternative reading of our recent military past might suggest the following: first, that the political utility of force—the range of political problems where force possesses real relevance—is actually quite narrow; second, that definitive victory of the sort that yields a formal surrender ceremony at Appomattox or on the deck of an American warship tends to be a rarity; third, that ambiguous outcomes are much more probable, with those achieved at a cost far greater than even the most conscientious war planner is likely to anticipate; and fourth, that the prudent statesman therefore turns to force only as a last resort and only when the most vital national interests are at stake. Contra Kristol, force is an “instrument” in the same sense that a slot machine or a roulette wheel qualifies as an instrument.”

Photo

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:50:21 -0600

Chili-Lime Chicken Wings

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:15:44 -0600

Ingredients

Marinade:

4 lbs Chicken Wings, seperated with tips discarded
1 tsp ground Cumin
2 Tbsp ground Coriander
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1/4 C Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Sauce:

1/2 C Sriracha-brand Chili Sauce
1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted
1/4 C Cilantro, chopped
2 Limes worth of zest and juice
6 cloves Garlic, minced

Notes: You can double this recipe, no problem.

Directions

Combine coriander, cumin, salt, and oil in a bowl. Toss wings. Cover and refrigerate 1–4 hours.
Preheat an oven to 375. Spread the wings on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Don’t over-crowd the wings; do two batches if necessary. Roast for 20 minutes.
Combine the ingredients for the sauce, reserving two cloves-worth of garlic. In a separate bowl toss the wings in small batches with just enough sauce to coat them well.
Return the wings to the baking sheet and roast another 20 minutes.
Combine any remaining sauce with finished wings and reserved garlic. Serve hot.

15 mins to prep, 1–4 hrs to marinate, 40 minutes to cook; serves 4

Braised Beef and Peppers

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:44:18 -0600

Ingredients

8 medium tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, & diced
2 bell peppers, 1/2 slices
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut across the grain into thirds and liberally seasoned with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 C long-grain white rice
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 C fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Notes: You can replace the tomatoes with a 28oz can of diced tomatoes, but canned tomatoes tend to have strange things added as preservatives that I’m trying to avoid. Things like calcium chloride or various sodium and potassium preservatives. That’s just not necessary.

Directions

In a slow cooker combine the tomatoes, peppers, onion, oregano, and cumin. Nestle the steak among the veggies. Cook on low while you are at work.
About a half hour before serving, cook the rice.
Shred the beef in the veggies. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.

20 mins to prep, 8 hrs to cook; serves 4

The leftovers make for a great sandwich on slightly stale buns the next day.

Pee-Wee Gets an iPad So much awesomeness packed into two...

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:39:00 -0600

Pee-Wee Gets an iPad

So much awesomeness packed into two minutes.

Apple

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:53:25 -0600

The iPhone changed our culture.

The iPad is going to change it again. It is an amazing device and should not be underestimated.

If you do not understand that the iPad is an amazing, world changing device you need to study it until you do understand that and know how to beat it.

Three years later competitors are just coming up with ways to equal the iPhone and Apple bests their own leading devices.

Can you do better? Put up or shut up.

New Orleans: the city that knows how to party. Minneapolis: the city that knows how to suffer...

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:23:03 -0600

New Orleans: the city that knows how to party.

Minneapolis: the city that knows how to suffer stoically, knowing that it is somehow their fault even though they have lived honest, Lutheran lives.

"Self Portrait" 2009 by John Rodenbiker (1979- ) Digital...

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:03:00 -0600

"Self Portrait"
2009 by John Rodenbiker (1979- )
Digital Photograph
34,763 bytes; 640x480 pixels

Video

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:20:14 -0600

This is why I’ve stopped posting most anything even...

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:17:46 -0600

This is why I’ve stopped posting most anything even vaguely related to politics. Every time I try I devolve into sputtering about the incompetence of Congressional Democrats, the ambivalence towards the electorate by the Obama administration, and the evil of the Republicans.

“If it were possible for me to narrate this story, I’d begin here. “This is...

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:34:00 -0600

“If it were possible for me to narrate this story, I’d begin here.

“This is Asterios Polyp.

“Right now, he’s watching his home burn up. Today—coincidentally—also happens to be his fiftieth birthday.

“Asterios lived in this Manhattan apartment for almost two decades, but until seven years ago he spent most of his time upstate, teaching at a university in Ithica. He was a tenured professor of architecture—a position buttressed by his renown as a ‘paper architect’. That is to say, he was an esteemed architect whose reputation rested on his designs, rather than on the buildings constructed from them. In fact, none of his designs had ever been built.

“Nonetheless, He had won numerous competitions and awards, enough to have earned him a highly successful career. He taught because he enjoyed the intellectual environment.

“It was at the university that he met his wife.

“His career really began with the publication of his first book in 1975. It was based on his graduate work at Oxford, where he was universally regarded as a brilliant student. It had been the same at Harvard, and in high school before that.

“As a boy he had a voracious curiosity, and practically everything he read, he committed to memory. At four, he took apart an antique swiss clock in order to learn how it worked.

“His father, Dr. Eugenios Polyp, had immigrated as a child with his family in 1919. An exasperated Ellis Island official had cut the family name in half, leaving only the first five letters. Eugenios married a hopeful young girl named Aglia Olio and on June 22, 1950. After a painful, thirty-three hour labor, Aglia gave brith by Cesarean section to identical twins.

“One was alive, the other dead. The living one was named Asterios. The dead one would have been called Ignazio, that’s me.

“And now (fifty years later), Asterios is standing in the rain, watching his home burn up, thinking one thing: ‘Not again.’”

— From Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzucchelli, most likely the best book I’ll read in 2010, one of the most original and brilliant graphic novels I’ve read, and certain to be a classic.

Photo

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:18:27 -0600

Awesome Statement from Conan Regarding the Idiot Management at NBC

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:37:13 -0600

Awesome Statement from Conan Regarding the Idiot Management at NBC:

For the record, I love Conan’s tonight show, but admittedly watch it over the noon hour on Hulu.

Realms of Fantasy finally has a real website!

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:16:25 -0600

Realms of Fantasy finally has a real website!