Best Blog Site

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:55:49 GMT

Free Cookboook from Cooking Allergy Free

Got an email from Alex, about the revamped site design of Cooking Allergy Free:
While not a drastic overall, we definitely think we've made it even easier to find recipes tailored to your allergy-diet, along with more recipes and recipe photos!

We've also just added the ability for users to create their own Profile. They can enter some information about themselves, upload a photo, allow others to see their allergies, and allow people to privately contact them. It's just another way that we're trying to keep our great community of users together and providing great support to each other.
And here's the best part:
To celebrate the addition of Profiles we're having a contest through May for any users that create their own Profile. At the end of the month, all users who have created one will be entered in a raffle for a free cookbook of their choice!

SO head on over and create your profile. And while you're there, I'm sure you'll find great allergy-free recipes to try! Posted by: ruth      Read more     Source

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:21:48 GMT

Those that stand in the way....

A few years ago a producer was doing auditions for a television show that he was fighting another producer to create.


© striatic

There were several actors who auditioned for the part but it was really down to two. The producer wanted actor number one for some unknown reason and the television network wanted actor number two.

Having seen the audition tapes, I can tell you actor number two was far superior to actor number one. He had more stage presence, did his lines better and was more believable in the part. But because the producer already decided he wanted actor number one he brushed criticized the job actor number two did.

Sometimes we are going to get rejected and as a business owner you have to be ready for that. For whatever reason, sometimes because of things completely out of our hands, we will loose or not get some business. However, the worse thing we could do is give up and not try again, or if someone is too critical of our business idea we give up and stay in the labor pool.

Actor number two in the above scenario could have easily given up. However, actor number 2 kept on trying and eventually lands a role on a quirky television series. While the show was short lived, the career of Tom Hanks has not been.

The Bold Advice for Success Blog has more stories of people that succeeded despite what others said. Posted by: John Dornoff      Read more     Source

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:13:35 GMT

Cheap Eats in Phuket, Khao Lak

If there is one thing I can tell you about budget travel in Thailand, it's to avoid eating your meals at hotels. They are never as authentic as what you will find outside, and they are far more expensive. In some Thailand restaurants, a meal for two can be had for under ten dollars. The great thing about food in Thailand is that it will vary distinctly at each location. For example, no two restaurants will have the same Pad Thai recipe. Fresh fruit drinks are both delicious and inexpensive. For a special treat, try the coconut juices that are actually served in the coconut itself.

Thai food makes use of a variety of interesting spices, which often turn up where you least expect them. You might find a subtle hint of cinnamon in grilled fish, or a vegetable dish that is flavored with cloves. Another thing to realize is that a great restaurant might be located on a less than lovely street. Such is the case with The Natural Restaurant in Phuket. Located on a nondescript street, the interior of this restaurant is decorated with vines, rafters, antiques and waterfalls. The tables are actually antique sewing tables, which provide the weary traveler with a wonderful way to stretch the tired calves.

In Khao Lak, the best spring rolls can be found at Bussba Restaurant. An absolute "must do" in Khao Lak is the Rim Lay Restaurant on Khao Lak Beach. After the Tsunami, it was a popular gathering place for survivors. In fact, it was once called the Tsunami Survivor's Cafe. Order a fish dish at Rim Lay, and you will probably be eating something that was caught within the last few hours. While you are in Khao Lak, be sure to visit the Khao Lak Police Boat. During the Tsunami, this boat was swept 5km inland.

Posted by: Lisa Marie Mercer      Read more     Source

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:20:58 GMT

Mulvey & Philadelphia

"In 1973, Laura Mulvey dropped her essay ''Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'' on the unsuspecting world of film theory, and came as close to superstardom as any theoretician is likely to get," writes Sam Adams in the Philadelphia City Paper. "Mulvey, who will introduce the screenings [of her films Riddles of the Sphinx, Frida Kahlo & Tina Modotti and Amy!] as part of a Penn Cinema Studies program on her work, has spent much of her career wrestling with the issues in her original essay, not least the problem that the feminist narrative she conceived is so self-marginalizing that its political effectiveness is circumscribed. Finding a new language that is still intelligible to speakers of the old one is a riddle that remains unsolved."

The screenings are on Tuesday, but Mulvey is already in town, lecturing away. Meantime, The Duchess of Langeais has arrived in Philadelphia; you might also find Rick Valenzuela''s cover story on the Hacktory of interest. For more local goings on, see Matt Prigge in the Philadelphia Weekly. And of course, the city is gearing up for the Philadelphia Film Festival, opening a week from today and running through April 15. Posted by: dwhudson      Read more     Source

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:05:04 GMT

My Blueberry Nights

"A big deal no one is making: the first Western-language films by the two most inimitable, imitated Asian filmmakers of our time are opening in New York on the same day." So, on the same page, the L Magazine''s Mark Asch reviews both Hou Hsiao-hsien''s Flight of the Red Balloon and Wong Kar-wai''s My Blueberry Nights, "a film as American as apple pie, and as out-of-time iconographic as that phrase implies."

"If I was a snarkier writer, I''d say that this is a love story to New York from someone who''s still afraid of Manhattan subways," blogs David Lowery. "Which is true, as evidenced by some of the dialogue in the film, but Wong''s foreign perspective on Americana isn''t necessarily a problem; nor is it the English delivery that makes his dialogue so bad, or Norah Jones''s lack of acting experience that makes her lovelorn monologues so cloying. It''s just that it''s all so damn trite, a problem exacerbated by a serious case of self-importance."

Updated through 4/5. Posted by: dwhudson      Read more     Source

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:26:24 GMT

Portland's Gardens

Portland is a green city. No, I do not mean green in the Al Gore/environmentally friendly way (though Portland does win praises for that kind of "greenness" too). I'm referring to the color. Portland is a city of trees and gardens. the positive side to all the rain that the city experiences is consistent presence of that color.

Portland's Classical Chinese Garden is one of the best in the city. It is exactly what the name suggests, a garden that brings to mind Peking more than Portland.

Leach Botanical Gardens, South of the city, features plant life that originated a little closer to home. Species and hybrids from the Pacific Northwest.

The International Rose Test Garden is a beautiful place to spend a summer afternoon. Fans of the world's favorite flower will be treated to sublime scents and sights.

Portland's public gardens are a great addition to any itinerary.

Photo Posted by: Josh Lew      Read more     Source

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:06:24 GMT

Chapter 27

"Visually ugly, morally non-existent and a complete black hole in the departments of insight and wit, Chapter 27 is quite possibly the most godawful, irredeemable film to yet emerge in the 21st century," declares Premiere''s Glenn Kenny. "This inverted vanity project of pretty-boy actor [Jared] Leto (he co-executive produces as well as stars), for which he packed on seventy pounds in order to portray John Lennon murderer Mark David Chapman, tries to take the viewer inside the head of the obsessive assassin. As it happens, that''s a pretty empty place."

Ed Gonzalez in the Voice: "Making the Fincherian The Killing of John Lennon seem like the masterpiece Zodiac wasn''t, this misbegotten psychological portrait eagerly foregrounds Leto''s excess blubber and histrionic blather, delivered like bad improv outside the Dakota building - ''home of the great and powerful,'' according to Chapman, clearly oblivious that Rex Reed also lives inside." Posted by: dwhudson      Read more     Source

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:16:09 GMT

A Cut Above The Rest

A trendy haircut often cements your fashion status, so where better to look than to Charlie Le Mindu, hairdresser extraordinaire. Having recently relocated to UK shores from Berlin and taken residence in a deserted warehouse in the London''s east end, Charlie is to hairdressing what Gaultier is to fashion.

Posted by: Gabi Muller      Read more     Source

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:42:00 GMT

Caterpillar food plants

I’ve been reading a bit lately about butterflies and how to attract them to your yard and garden. It’s important to plant flowers whose nectar attract butterflies, but don’t forget the larvae (caterpillars). Many butterfly (and moth) caterpillars only eat specific plants. The best known example is the monarch butterfly caterpillar, which eats only the sap from Asclepias species, or milkweeds, including butterfly weed (A. tuberosa) and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata).

(Author’s note: At this point let me acknowledge that it is a cheap ploy on my part to publish butterfly photos with this post. I should be posting caterpillar photos, but really….who wants to see those.)

There are many other examples:

The only host plant for larvae of the the Zebra swallowtail (above) is the pawpaw (Asimina triloba)–another great reason to plant this native fruit tree. Larvae of the gulf fritillary larvae (right) subsist exclusively on Passiflora species, known as passionflower or maypop. Alfalfa butterfly caterpillars (also known as orange sulphur) subsist only on, well, alfalfa (Medicago sativa).

Eastern black swallowtail caterpillars feed on members of the carrot family, primarily Queen Anne’s Lace that grows in the wild, but also including carrots, parsley, dill, and fennel. All caterpillars in the Speyeria family, which includes the regal fritillary, feast only on plants in the Viola species (violets). Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) feed gray hairstreak caterpillars, and Dutchman’s pipes (Aristolochia) are the only food eaten by the appropriately named pipevine swallowtail.

And as if I need any more reasons to love asters (Aster spp), they are the only food source for larvae of the aster checkerspot butterfly.

It perhaps should be said that if your goal is to attract larvae by planting these plants…you have to be prepared for them to be eaten. Share and share alike is rule #1 of the wildlife garden, after all.

OK, OK, in the interest of fairness, here is a monarch caterpillar.

And here is a gulf fritillary caterpillar on a passionflower:

All photos courtesy of Wikipedia, except the passionflower, which is courtesy of the Santa Rosa County, Florida Extension Center. Posted by: Caroline Brown      Read more     Source

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:03:38 GMT

Demi Moore defends age gap with Ashton Kutcher

Demi Moore says the age gap between her and husband Ashton Kutcher never worried her.

The Hollywood star - who, at 45, is 15 years older than Ashton - can''t understand why people were so shocked by their romance.

She said: "People made such a fuss about my relationship with Ashton. You would have thought they had never seen it before. Age wasn''t what I was thinking about, but to the rest of the world it was a very big deal."

Ashton also revealed he makes sure he spends as much time as possible with Demi when he is not working.

He told America''s Harper''s Bazaar magazine: "I have a rule for myself when I am not on location shooting - that I am home for dinner for six o''clock every night. I think that''s very important and I stick to it."

Demi and Ashton first began dating in 2003 and married at Los Angeles'' Kabbalah Centre in 2005.

The Striptease actress has three daughters with her ex-husband Bruce Willis - Rumer, 19, Scout LaRue, 16 and 14-year-old Tallulah Belle. Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:52:36 GMT

Weekend fests and events

"Regarded as a modern master in Europe, on a par with Buñuel, Dreyer and Bresson (filmmakers to whom he is sometimes compared), [Manoel de] Oliveira is a more marginal figure in the United States," writes Dennis Lim. "BAMcinematek''s centennial retrospective.... is an opportunity to take stock of a singular career and to catch some rarely screened films." Through March 30.

Related: "Like Jia Zhang-ke''s recent Still Life, Manoel de Oliveira''s new Christopher Columbus - The Enigma parallels a foreground story of personal changes and losses with a background one: how all has been lost to history," writes David Pratt-Robson. Posted by: dwhudson      Read more     Source

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:52:08 GMT

Action is Everything

.

In a recent series on the hidden workings of our minds I noted that scientists, artists and writers often have considerable difficulty explaining their thought processes. isabella replies that perhaps this difficulty is a necessary part of the process:
"perhaps these accounts of thought processes that are "disappointing", "unsatisfying" or "implausible" are so murky because creativity needs that muddiness, needs to work away from the light of our attention?"
I think there''s a very interesting point here which I have a personal take on influenced by my own efforts at creativity.

Consider some of the language of creativity; people are:

• Struck by a thought
• Hit by an idea
• Visited by their muse
• Inspired by....

What these have in common is the idea of something coming from the outside to aid the self. They emphasise the external orientation of creativity: the concept that the self merely ''channels'' ideas and energy from somewhere else.

Of course we are all influenced by external factors. So, to a certain extent these phrases are appropriate - creativity doesn''t occur in a vacuum. But for a person in the middle of creating something, it can feel like the words, images, thoughts, forms, structures, relationships, notes or rhythms are coming from elsewhere. Unfortunately taking this apparently external locus too literally can be extremely detrimental to creativity.

When I first started writing I fell for this externally oriented language of creativity hook, line and sinker. I sat down in front of the computer and waited for the muse to visit me, an idea to strike, or some other vaguely conceptualised kind of external inspiration.

It usually didn''t work, I just ended up going out for a walk to get away from the empty screen and the blinking cursor, still looking for my ''inspiration''.

It''s the classic rookie mistake of course. The truth is, there is no muse, there is no right frame of mind and there is no perfect moment. There is only now, here, right in front of you.

In some ways the very murkiness and inaccessibility of creativity can lead us to think the ideas must be coming from elsewhere. But I''d argue that this murkiness is really a by-product of an exceptionally complicated process. People can''t explain their creativity because they don''t understand it themselves, and neither does anyone else.

Nowadays my way of approaching creativity is not by waiting for inspiration to strike but simply by starting with whatever I''ve got right here, right now. For me creativity is all about action.

Over to you....
What do you think isabella, and everyone else? Posted by: Jerry      Read more     Source

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:55:18 GMT

Carry That Weight - Re-revisited

Way back in a year they once called 2005, I made a post about a snag that had fallen on top of a nearby Blackjack Oak tree, bending it to the ground. Then, just over two years ago, I went back to the tree to see how things were holding up (or down?), and I made a post about what I found then.

On my last visit to Roundrock, I stopped by the tree again, and here is what I found this time:

That little tree is still carrying that weight, a long time now.

For those of you who don’t want to click the links, let me tell you that the roots of that fallen snag are suspended in the air. It may look like they are touching the ground, but they are not. (The top of the formerly standing tree is resting on the ground outside of the photo on the right.)

This little balancing act is a feature along our trail to the pond, and it happens to be fairly close to the place where we had put one of the game cameras recently. (In fact, I’ll probably put the camera there again since the critters obviously like the corn and peanuts I had seeded there. Maybe they’ll visit the location again.)

I suppose that some day I’ll come to this spot and find that the old snag has slipped off the oak and the delicate balancing act will be over. That will probably be worth a post as well.

Missouri calendar:

• The Missouri Natural Events Calendar is blank for today.

Today in Missouri history:

• James Craig was born on this date in 1817. He served in the Army and the state militia during the border troubles and the Civil War, keeping northwest Missouri mostly in Union control and mostly free of guerilla war.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:36:30 GMT

Single Malt Whisky Chocolate, a manly gift for Valentine's

Traditional gift-giving for Valentine''s Day is mainly focused on the woman as the receiver of gifts, but apparently, this is not so in Japan, where Suntory (Japan''s oldest distiller) and Lotte (confectioner) have blended their efforts to concoct this whisky chocolate (the 12-year old whisky oozes out of the middle like caramel).

Via Trends in Japan (which tells us that in Japan, women give men chocolate on February 14th, and men give women gifts on March 14th). Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:59:31 GMT

Contest time!!

What it is: Everyone has that one picture of themselves looking absolutely fabulous....and LA-Story.com wants to see it! Submit that prized photo of you in your most glamorous getup and win gorgeous gifts from designer Marc Jacobs! Show us your super chic style, bring on the glam and win!

What you win:
Grand Prize: One winner, chosen from all entries by Brickfish's fashion panel, will win a glamourous Marc Jacobs leather bag and a Marc Jacobs cashmere hat and glove set. ($985 value).

Most Viral: One winner, selected from the top 10 entries that get the most attention across the internet, will win a $250 scholarship or cash.

Where to enter: Brickfish.com

Where to get more info: LA-Story.com Posted by: Ryan      Read more     Source

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:24:40 GMT

Sega Mega Drive handheld game system

Anyone else had a Sega Game Gear in the 90s? If so, then you''re probably already playing your new AtGames Sega Mega Drive as you read this.

And why not? It''s only $40, comes preloaded with 20 classic Sega games like Sonic & Knuckles and Ecco, and runs on three AAA batteries. Very retro chic and much less damaging to your social reputation than singing along to a Color Me Badd CD. Not everything from the early 90s makes a comeback, you know.

Via GEARFUSE.

VISIT THE POPGADGET SHOP. Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:30:31 GMT

Culinary laser thermometer

This one-handed, battery-powered laser thermometermeasures the temperature of cooking surfaces without touching them. According to our friends at Kitchen Contraptions, checking the temperature of your cooking surfaces prevents burning, undercooking, and sticking, and allows you precisely follow instructions to sear, simmer and saute. I have no idea what those cooking terms mean, but maybe the chef-husbands of Chrissie or Jenna would care to comment on the usefulness of this gadget.

$60 at Amazon. Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:24:57 GMT

Sunday delivery

Linda, of Linda’s Backroad Musings, is a rural letter carrier. She recently had a post about the survival of postal letters in the age of email. It’s an interesting post with some facts and figures. As she points out, the age of letters has not passed yet. This is the mailbox we have at Roundrock. (I showed you the mail box over at Fallen Timbers in this post.) This one is by our first fire ring (we’re on our third now) so it’s a bit off the path and unlikely to get rural free delivery.

Still, I keep hoping that some day some interloper will leave me a note. Linda had suggested that I leave the flag up and maybe some wayward letter carrier would see it and come by. So I’m counting on that. I’ll let you know.

Pablo did not make it out to the woods last Sunday, and he was kicking himself for his choice. Libby and Seth left early that morning for St. Louis, and I was free to do whatever I wanted with the day. But we had had a significant snow storm a few days before, and the reports suggested that the snow was deeper to the south. I didn’t expect the 100+ mile drive down on the highways to be bad, but I worried about the last two miles across a washed out gravel/dirt road that went up and down and around the Ozark hills.

The sun came out and the temps moderated, and by mid-day it was lovely outside in Kansas City — and probably even nicer at Roundrock. I could have driven all but the last two miles and then hiked in, but I didn’t.

So did I go out today?

So far, the stars haven’t aligned properly to allow all of our offspring to be at home at one time. We’ve seen all of the faces, just not all in the same place at the same moment. It looks like it may be next weekend before we have everyone together (including my brother, his wife, and their fine son in from central Illinois).

The next Festival of the Trees is being hosted by Lorianne at Hoarded Ordinaries. Her deadline is December 30 — next Sunday — so you still have time to send her a link at zenmama (dot) gmail (dot) com. Or you can use the splendid automated submission form, which often works.

The new year promises new hosts, and we’re hoping that you’ll be one of them. Just let me or Dave know that you’re interested, and we’ll give you all the help you need.

Mark of Biomes Blog is back after a short time away from the blogging world. Why don’t you head on over there and let him know the world is a better place because he puts his fingers to the keyboard, okay? (Be sure to click on the ads and make him wealthy.)

Maybe Blogger doesn’t hate me specifically. Lately, when I’ve left comments on Blogger sites, I’ve been able to leave my URL as a clickable link. I guess what is happening is that Blogger is slowly rolling out a new system for leaving a hot link signature, and not all of the features were (are?) installed right away.

I’d read somewhere that the new system is an attempt to prevent phishing through hot linked signatures. I don’t know how that would work, and I’m not sure that Google really isn’t bent on world domination, but I’m willing to grant them some credibility for the moment as we see how this new mechanism unfolds.

What’s Pablo reading now? I’m still working on The Sea, The Sea, by Iris Murdoch. It will be a long haul. I’ve read this book once before, in fact, it’s the first Murdoch book I ever picked up. Now my ambition is to read all of her novels in order. This one puts me past the half way mark. What will I do when I am finished? Perhaps re-read all of the Philip Roth novels in order? Find a new author? I don’t know, but I’m eager to find out.

Missouri calendar:

• Beavers feed on sapling reserves.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:03:42 GMT

Horsebalm

Three days from the solstice,
& the shriveled leaf still smells
faintly of lemon. Posted by: Vianegativa      Read more     Source

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:03:38 GMT

Are We Raising Entrepreneurs?

Is this next generation going to steer clear of being their own boss or are we raising youth who will embrace the entrepreneur spirit?

This morning on The View, Sean P. Diddy Combs (he clarified that he'll answer to any of the above including his original Puff moniker) was a guest and the ladies of the View referred to him as a "mogul" and enterprising entrepreneur. They said that they didn't think the youth of today nurtured their dreams of entrepreneurship.

Diddy said that his slogan is "close your eyes and dream big then open your eyes and see what you can do."

He clearly dreams big with his eyes wide open. He has his fingers in every pie, from the obvious musical industry to marathon runner, fashion and fragrance, movie and Broadway star. His latest venture is in the spirits industry:

Sean Combs is the new Brand Manager for Ciroc Vodka. Ciroc is a division of Diageo, the world's leading, spirits, wine and beer company. Last month Diageo announced a groundbreaking strategic alliance between Combs and Cîroc vodka. Under the terms of the deal, Combs and Sean Combs Enterprises will take the lead on all brand management decisions for Cîroc, while sharing in the future profits of the growth of the brand. This exclusive US multi-year collaboration, which calls for a 50/50 profit split, is a first for the spirits industry and could be worth more than $100 million for Combs. As part of the new alliance, Combs will take the lead on brand management decisions, including marketing, advertising, public relations, product placement and events.

For those students looking to follow Sean's example and engage in an entrepreneurial program, Entrepreneur Magazine again listed their top 25 entrepreneurial undergraduate and top 25 graduate programs along with an additional 208 schools with some entrepreneurial focus.

Most of of the top 25 schools offer a business plan competition with prize money ranging from $8500 to over $40,000!

Babson College offers the top rated undergrad program and University of Southern California took the 1st place prize for graduate programs.

"There are programs that exist to deliver as many different opportunities as students are looking for." Some programs help students launch businesses; others teach how to become an entrepreneur. Some focus on engaging in the local business community, while others gear their curricula toward woman-owned or environmentally conscious businesses."

At 38, Sean makes it look easy. Let's hope our youth look to the Sean's of the world rather than the Britneys when latching on to role models.

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Writer Posted by: Deborah Brown      Read more     Source