Monday, July 13, 2009

Words We Love : Earmark

Earmark (noun) Originally a cut or mark in the ear of sheep and cattle, serving as a sign of ownership; first recorded 1577 in figurative sense; in modernity, the term earmark has come to mean something set aside for a specific purpose, usually money, but it can be time (I will earmark 15 minutes a day to reflect on my daily
gratitudes). With regard to earmarks and financial issues, the concept is to set aside funds for a special purpose. In an education bill for instance, specific funds may be set aside for the stated goal of replacing the roof of a certain school, or in a transportation bill, specific dollars are included to guarantee that railroad crossings in rural areas are upgraded for safety issues.

Like anything else, earmarks can be exploited and abused, but anyone who has seen a new traffic lights installed, upgrades to their emergency response system (911), or new fire trucks purchased for their community with money from the Federal Government has benefitted from earmarks.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Favourite Political Cartoon Of The Week : John Sherffius, Boulder Daily Camera

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Happy Birthday Big Ben !

What Is Happening To The Children? This Is Disturbing!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Favourite Tweet Of The Day : On Freedom from @davidbadash #tcot #p2

@davidbadash In your heart, you have to ask yourself, if you're against the hate crimes bill, what are you really afraid of? #tcot #p2



Follow @davidbadash on the Twitscape: @davidbadash on Twitter

Warehouse 13 : On The Syfy Channel

You've heard the water cooler chatter - and tonight is your chance to watch the series premier of Warehouse 13 as it is rebroadcast on the SyFy Channel at 10pm in the United States.
After saving the President's life, Secret Service agents Myka Bering and Peter Lattimer are assigned to the government's Warehouse 13, which houses supernatural objects. They are tasked to retrieve missing objects and investigate reports of new ones. The dramatic comedy has been described as part The X-Files, part Raiders of the Lost Ark, and part Moonlighting.

Warehouse 13 premiered on July 7, 2009 on Syfy. New episodes air Tuesdays at 9 P.M. EST on Syfy.

Books I Love : Somewhere In The Middle Of Love By Lisa Lipscomb

Thoughts of you
linger on
despite the fact that you’re now gone

I remember
all the things you said
and the sweeping actions you made
the cradling of my thoughts…
my muse on uninspired days

The laughing and sharing
of time, now past
a mutual choice
a journey we now take
separately
two paths on the same road
we reach out
but don’t touch
conscious of an incessant pain
because it all still hurts
so much”


My friend Lisa's first book was recently published and I cannot help but tell others about it!

Lisa Lipscombs "Somewhere In The Middle Of Love" is available at Barnes & Noble.

(from the author): This book was written for you if you like to spend quiet time both remembering and looking forward to fond memories. If you'd like to reminisce on the freedom, power, the surrender and wealth of experiences in love. If you'd like to be uplifted, filled with hope, promise and a new way of seeing things, this book was written for you. If you believe in healing, growing and the fruit that love produces, pull up a chair, nestle in and prepare to get comfy and cozy reflecting on the miracles that grow from loving experiences and the varying ways they can be expressed and shared. Treat yourself and someone you love to a copy of Somewhere in the Middle of Love~



Somewhere In The Middle Of Love by Lisa A Lipscomb

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Jeero is Naturally Curious about Whole Foods

Always ready to wonder what's going on, Jeero seems to be missing the point of what's in the bag.

Savannah Bee Company Royal Jelly Body Butter Now At Tuesdays And Thursdays

In a great gift box with the a story about Royal Jelly and the Queen Bee. Royal Jelly, the most precious product from the hive, is combined with Beeswax and Propolis to nourish and moisturize the skin.

Royal Jelly is packed with Vitamins, Proteins, Lipids and Amino Acids. These promote the skin's elacticity and create a smooth, natural appearance. Rich, softening Pecan butter and a delicate, natural Blackberry scent add the final touches to this luxurious formula.
Honeybees provide natural and environmentally friendly and natural solutions to everyday needs.
No animal testing No Petroleum based ingredients No parabens or preservatives No synthetic fragrances No artificial colors
The presentation box as well as the heavy glass jar and aluminum lid are all recyclable.
Visit Our Amazon.com Storefront Today : Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Favourite Recipe : Aunt Karla's 250-250 Chocolate Ganache

Growing up there were always all these Aunts around - lots of them and it wasn't until I was at University that I discovered that most of them were actually long time friends of my Grandmother who were such a part of the family, for generations, and that they were bestowed the title of Aunt. Aunt Karla on the other hand was an actual aunt, a great aunt actually, but being the linguist that I was, even at an early age, I am sure the family conspiried to not call her a great aunt because I would have come out with something like "why is she a great aunt, what if she's just a mediocre aunt."

Well if there was any doubt about whether Karla was an okay aunt or a great aunt, the proof lies in her 250-250 chocolate ganache.

She called it "250-250" because the ingredients were simple : 250 grams of bittersweet chocolate and 250 mililitres of heavy cream. (that translates to 8oz bittersweet chocolate, 1 cup heavy cream)

Aunt Karla's 250-250 Chocolate Ganache

250 grams (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate
250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, also called double cream

Finely chop the chocolate set aside in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream just until bubbles form around the edges. The goal here is to get the cream warm enough to melt the chocolate without actually cooking the cream.

Carefully pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth.

Allow the ganache to cool a bit; usually less than 4 minutes is fine, then stir just in case some of it has started to thicken before the rest. Then pour over your cake. It's really simple and looks oh so impressive. (If you poured the ganache right after adding the warm cream, it would be too thin and would run right off of your cake)




We're made this ganache with half and half and a combo of half and half and milk (that version was the result of having had run out of half and half). Both alterations turned out well.

We're fans of Scharfenberger 60% Cocoa and have always received raves from guests with that option. For kicks we once tried semi-sweet chips and the results were way too sweet for anyone's liking.

Ganache is especially fun for kids to pour over Bundt cakes because of it is so lava-eqse! Who knows, playing with chocolate might inspire a career among the kinder!

Once you get your ganache groove going, try adding a bit of orange or almond extract for an interesting indulgence!

Parish Hall : St John's Episcopal Church Montclair NJ


Looking more like a country church somewhere in the north woods, the Parish Hall at St John's Episcopal Church Montclair NJ is less than a half hour drive from New York City smack in the middle of some of the densest suburbs in the nation.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Diana Ross & The Supremes - Love Child

Can you believe that Love Child came out 40 years ago?

Diana Ross & The Supremes - Love Child

Shared via AddThis

Save The Date : 5 February 2010 is World Nutella Day


World Nutella Day was created in 2007 when Sara Rosso, an American blogger living in Italy, thought that there were many days in the year but no day set aside to appreciate Nutella. Why not?

And World Nutella Day was born.

Sara recruited Shelley from At Home in Rome to be her partner in crime for World Nutella Day 2007. In 2008 and 2009, Sara has been joined by Michelle from Bleeding Espresso as they spread World Nutella Day love!

NutellaDay.com

Monday, July 6, 2009

Torchwood : Children Of Earth ; Premiering 20 July only on BBCAmerica

Words That Should Be In The Dictionary : Mumanem


Mumanem : an idiomatic expression originating in the rural Southeastern United States, Mumanem refers to the family of another person, for instance instead of asking “And how are your mother, father, sister and brother” or even "Mom and them" one asks “How are Mumanem?”