"Racheli, I swear you're SO blonde sometimes..."

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:35:00.001-05:00

Have a healthy, happy 2012! Here's to all the best for all of us.

(click it!)

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent!

2011-12-30T12:36:00.002-05:00

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/stories/homemade-laundry-detergent

Today I made my own laundry detergent (which my cat promptly knocked off the washer).
Verdict after use: Cleans well, no heavy smell, clothes were softer than usual. Only used 2 tablespoons!
I'm trying to locate Dr. Bronner's Lavender bar soap for the next batch to give my clothes that wonderful lavender scent.

Making-Yogurt-Day!

2011-12-17T10:15:00.001-05:00

The title says it all. The milk is in the crockpot on low until 12:30pm. Then it'll be off for 3 hours. The hardest part is watching the clock! I use these recipes from 365 Crockpot and The Simple Dollar .
More as the day evolves!

Unprocessed October

2011-10-03T22:03:00.001-04:00

October is "unprocessed" month.

Recently it occurred to me that I'm eating a lot of salad and using a lot of store-bought salad dressings with lots of ingredients I can't identify or alter. So I purchased Ranch dressing dry mix and instead of making it with mayonnaise and milk, I made it with 0% fat plain Greek yogurt and 1% organic milk. It's not quite as rich as with mayonnaise but it's still pretty tasty and about 75% less calories per serving. This makes me super happy.

Today I decided to dive it a bit deeper and make French dressing. I used the recipe at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/french-salad-dressing/detail.aspx although I didn't use nearly the amount of sugar the recipe directs you to use. (Only had a little less than 1/4 cup on hand. I also used apple cider vinegar.) And I used onion powder instead of fresh onion. All I can say is ....... WOW is this good stuff! The yield is about 18 servings (yes, it makes a lot of dressing) and has NO added preservatives. The pictures do not do it justice. So yummy!

2011-09-22T19:08:00.001-04:00

http://www.eatingrules.com/october-unprocessed

Shabbat Shalom...

2011-08-05T12:34:00.001-04:00

and TGIF! I love being on leave on Fridays - I can get SO much done and then I have two glorious days to do whatever I choose.
Today is a rumbly-weather day. It rained during the night (which we desperately need) and to the south the sky is VERY dark and all rumbly with thunder. Such a perfect day to snooze and laze about! Alas, my body still wakes me up at 5:30am and my mind races with all the things I can get done. So, before noon I'm already up and about, having gotten the car inspected and its semi-annual maintenance done and gas tank filled with gold, I mean, gasoline, and back home to prepare a healthy breakfast and piddle about at home.

Good Shabbos y'all!

Guess What?

2011-07-30T15:12:00.011-04:00

My son and I have taken our health and diet changes to heart. Since June 8, 2011 we have lost 34.7 pounds! We have been eating way less meat, more vegetables, cut the sugar, watching carbs like the criminals they are, drinking lots more water, and it's really paying off. I've been logging my daily food intake on myfitnesspal.com and even have it installed on my phone. If it passes the lips, it gets logged. Also I've been getting HUGE amounts of inspiration from loseit on reddit.com . It is simply AMAZING what people are achieving! Both sites are phone-accessible.

So in the spirit of accountability, I'm also tracking my progress on a ticker. I can't seem to get this blog to let me ADD the ticker to the template, so until I figure that out, here goes:

PS: I would like to add that steamed fish sucks. Save it for a cheat day and eat it fried.

Their quinoa and black beans:

My quinoa and black beans:

To A Healthier Diet: Quinoa and Sprouts

2011-06-14T21:07:00.008-04:00

My family's made a conscious decision and full effort to eat healthier along with a new dedication to consuming less processed foodstuffs (are they really food by any logical definition?) and more fresh foods. This also means cooking more from scratch and from healthier, fresh food items. This week we discovered Quinoa (KEEN-wa), a grain-like crop grown for its edible seeds.

I have to say, quinoa makes a pretty tasty dish when combined with other proteins and some spices! On Sunday I made vegan quinoa and black beans. Yum!

The taste of the dish is southwestern due to the cilantro and lime juice, but it's very reminiscent of Cuban dishes, as the spice taste isn't overpowering, but rather, it's balanced with the cilantro and lime. The quinoa acted as a thickener to an extent, but the dish is high fiber, high protein, vegan, and pretty healthy! I will definitely make it again, and it'll be a regular dish on our table.

AND! I decided I would begin growing my own bean sprouts. Started out this week with alfalfa sprouts. Super easy!! Look at my crop! I think it has a couple of more days until it's done. Does this mean I'm a farmer??
From this
to this

in 3 days!!

My Laptop Wireless Network Card Died

2011-06-06T23:04:00.006-04:00

My wireless won't work, but the wired internet works.
I think I have gone back in time and entered the wireless network vortex from which no one emerges unscathed. At least, not if they're attempting to connect TO THE INTERNET.

The computer industry is the replacement for the automobile industry. It's bad enough that cars have to be replaced more often than intimate wear, now computers are taking the same route.

Fortunately for me I have my own Personal Network Administrator and Hardware Engineer (tm) to take care of these things. Unfortunately, it involves about 5,280 times as many things as just a wireless network card. *sigh*

Happy Ending: My PNA&HE installed Windows 7 and the problem resolved. Hurray!

2011-05-31T18:12:00.003-04:00

My son's 20th (!!) birthday was yesterday. To celebrate his leaving behind his teenage years and entering into the formality of being a 20-something, I decided to make a non-traditional birthday cake. So I made him a pineapple-coconut upside down cake. The recipe makes two cakes (1 layer each) and were so good. The recipe also calls for yellow cake mix and sour cream, but instead I used carrot cake mix and vanilla yogurt. It was SO delicious! I'm not a coconut person but this topping is addictively good.

1 BettyCrocker yellow cake mix (I used carrot cake mix)
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt
4 bananas sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, divided
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 (8 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray.
* With an electric mixer, beat cake mix, eggs, oil, and yogurt on low until combined. Beat on high for 2 minutes.
* Place banana slices evenly on the bottom of the two cake pans.
* In a small saucepan melt butter. Add brown sugar and lemon juice and heat until dissolved. Pour half of the brown sugar mixture into each of the 2 round cake pans over the bananas. Sprinkle coconut over brown sugar sauce.
* Pour cake batter on top of the coconut into the two pans, dividing equally. The batter is thick. If you have difficulty spreading it, try turning the pan as you hold your spatula still.
* Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Invert onto serving dishes. Slice to serve.

If you use sour cream (1/2 cup) instead of yogurt you will have to reduce the oil to 1/4 cup and add 1/2 cup of water.

2011-05-20T07:30:00.004-04:00

Happy Friday, y'all! Shabbat Shalom!

2011-05-17T21:15:00.005-04:00

Looks like the Baptist school up the road's about to get some unwanted bad publicity.

On Thursday morning a former Wake Forest student will appear on NBC’s The Today Show to talk about an alleged sexual assault. According to the Wake Forest fan blog Blogger So Dear, the student will claim that she was raped by two members of the Wake Forest basketball team in 2009. The alleged incident occurred in Miami, Florida the night before the basketball team was set to play Cleveland State in the in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. They lost to Cleveland State, 84-69.

This is an extremely serious accusation, and the fact that this young woman is going on national television to tell her story is huge. But there are two sides to every story and hopefully everyone has learned from the whole Duke Lacrosse case not to rush to judgement (sic), and no player has been named. However, if this turns out to be true….we will just have to wait and see what happens.

That team started off 16-0 and was ranked number one at one point during the year before collapsing at the end of the season. Dino Gaudio was fired as head coach a year later.

Every parent's nightmare!

Side note: If Gaudio's firing had anything to do with this, I can only say, "Take a hint, UNx (and Butch Davis)."

Sobering Thought in Trying Times

2011-03-28T19:20:00.004-04:00

“Battle not with monsters lest you become one.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

The Best Things In Life ...

2011-03-21T21:50:00.002-04:00

Self-Reliance and Back to Basics

2011-03-20T10:33:00.006-04:00

Lately I've been pondering over and reading some seriously disturbing articles on the ever-rising price of oil, our dependency on fossil fuels, the shrinking quality of raw foods, and the changing display of available foodstuffs in the grocery store. Two things have especially caught my eye today: Breyers has ceased production of yogurt (gasp!) and there was only 1 flavor of Dannon Yogurt on the shelf - coffee. Now, I heart coffee like many people do, especially Kona coffee which as we all know IS the true nectar of humanity. But coffee yogurt? To me that's like turnip cake, or string bean jello. I'm sure there are some people who thrive on it, but for the rest of us, that's just NOT right.

Anyway, so I did a lil net surfin' and what do I find? Why, you can make yogurt at home in your very own crockpot! Who knew?? The first place I found this was on The Simple Dollar - a blog I follow where I get lots of "do it yourself" advice. This led me to the instructions on A Year of Slow Cooking where there was a bit more detail (to satisfy the overly-analytical side of me). Then I found this totally awesome video on YouTube!

I'm almost to the 2 and 1/2 hour mark in the instructions. I'm going to follow the original recipe using only whole milk and 1/2 cup of starter (plain) yogurt - I'll be leaving off the powdered milk for this batch. We'll see how it ends up later tonight!

Update at 8pm: Peeked at the crockpot - smells like yogurt!!

Update at 11pm: It worked! It isn't as thick as store-bought full-fat yogurt but the taste is MUCH smoother and it's most definitely yogurt! I didn't even cringe at the taste of warm yogurt. It's yummy! It made enough yogurt to fill 2 large yogurt cups and another container. In the morning I'll check to see if it thickened more in the fridge overnight. Best part: WAY cheaper than store bought and NO additives or preservatives. I'm psyched!
Next batch I think I will try adding the powdered milk.

My Her Strange Addiction

2011-01-26T21:57:00.004-05:00

I stumbled onto this television show tonight while channel surfing. Now, I have quirks just like most people do, but this? This is too much. I don't think these are quirks.

No, I take it back. THIS is too much!

It's the 26th day of the month. At least *I* am still pretty much happy and healthy. No toilet paper or laundry soap munching for me! Hope you're having a Happy New Year!

2011 - Day Three

2011-01-03T18:41:00.004-05:00

I'm tempted to say, "Another wonderful holiday/vacation ruined by a return to work" but that would be negative, wouldn't it? So instead, I will say, "2011. Day Three. So far, so good!"

After being away from work for so many days (not that many, really. Just more than the normal 2 days per week) it's clear that if I didn't work, I'd be an inactive, crippled blob within a month! It is true that work keeps you active - so there is a positive view on the return to work, 2011.

In the "Trying To Be Happy and Healthy 2011" mode so far I've made a decent stab at it.

Can't ask much more than that on 2011 Day 3! At least the whole "mode" hasn't been chucked aside.

Happy and Healthy 2011!

2011-01-01T23:59:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, New Year's Eve, was my birthday, celebrated in fine style with my son who is home from college for break. Our original plan was to visit Myrtle Beach, SC, but since we didn't have any particular place to go, I decided instead to make it a quiet birthday and take in a movie locally. I picked the Coen Brothers remake of the movie "True Grit." Turned out to be a fine choice indeed. This movie should rightfully get Academy Award nominations for costumes, dialog, and screenplay, as well as an Oscar nod for Jeff Bridges (as Rooster Cogburn) and a nomination for newcomer Hailee Steinfeld (as Mattie Ross). The scenery was breathtaking, and the juxtaposition between the innocent resilience of Mattie Ross and the tarnished competence of US Marshal Rooster Cogburn was riveting. The final product was an enrapturing tale of violence and justice set in the Old West. Recommend this one!

Next we moseyed over to the Texas Roadhouse for a steak dinner. Wow! The place was packed but thanks to call-ahead seating we were at our table in about 20 minutes. We each selected our own Ft. Worth ribeye. They were phenomenal and cooked perfectly - the best steak either of us have had in recent memory. It was a grand dinner and a terrific birthday!

So now here we are in 2011. I didn't make a laundry list of resolutions - never have been one to do so - but I have given some thought to what I would like to achieve this year. I came up with two things: To be happy, and to be healthy. They are simple goals, but all the work is set in the journey to obtain the goals, not in grabbing the final result. So, there you have it. Here's to a 2011 that is both happy and healthy - time to get to work!! Happy New Year!

PS: Yes, I know I slacked in 2010. I was busy!

2009-06-21T15:55:00.004-04:00

The FRIDGE

http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/today-on-the-fridge-maternal-instincts/

The Fridge is a showcase for the artwork of students from Fort-Greene / Clinton Hill. (NY area.)
Every community should have a Fridge for children to display their artwork!

2009-05-09T10:01:00.006-04:00

Today there are 4 2 states with confirmed cases of swine flu. Only one, Texas, has fatalities - 2.
In other news, gasoline prices are up 15 cents since Monday... coincidence, or cruel joke?

Swine Flu Monday

2009-05-04T19:49:00.002-04:00

Today there are 34 states with confirmed cases of swine flu.
You can check the up-t0-date map here:
http://pandemicflu.gov/#whereyoulive

More on Swine Flu

2009-05-03T13:41:00.006-04:00

Yesterday on the HHS map there were 11 states with confirmed cases. Today there are 22.

2009-05-01T20:46:00.005-04:00

The world's next pandemic is purported to be the swine flu.
Get up to date information from http://pandemicflu.gov/

Peanut Product Recall Widget

2009-02-14T08:38:00.004-05:00

Ahh... the Food and Drug Administration gets tech-savvy just in time for the latest recall over peanut butter. Use the widget below to check your products.
(May not work well with Mozilla, but works fine with IE. Switch rendering engines if the clickable links don't work.)

2008-12-20T11:49:00.005-05:00

Seth Godin on Sliced Bread
Choose a player by clicking a bar below

My Cousin is a B Man

2008-06-30T23:16:00.004-04:00

... Bee man, that is.
He keeps bees! 28 hives to be exact. That's a LOT of bees!
Last weekend the family took a brief trip to the Smoky Mountains for a family wedding and we were able to spend an even briefer time with the relatives. While there I tasted the best honey on earth - Locust and Blackberry!
You can visit his blog at http://www.calsb-log.blogspot.com/

2008-06-13T18:56:00.004-04:00

In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it's putting the entire planet at risk.

And my favorite subject - physics and string theory:

And the best argument for expanding space exploration:

Ron Paul for President 2008

2007-10-26T23:44:00.000-04:00

Dr. Paul's Writings: A New Declaration
by Ron Paul, Dr. July 3, 2006

On the fourth day of July, in 1776, a small group of men, representing 13 colonies in the far-off Americas, boldly told the most powerful nation on earth that they were free.

They declared, in terms that still are radical today, that all men are created equal, and endowed with certain inalienable rights that government neither grants nor can take away.

In the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers sought to demonstrate to the world that they were rejecting a tyrannical king. They listed the “injuries and usurpations” that contain the philosophical basis for our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

One point of consternation to our founding fathers was that the king had been “imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.” But 230 years later, taxation with representation has not worked out much better.

Indeed, one has to wonder how Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin would react to the current state of affairs. After all, they were outraged by mere import tariffs of a few pennies on the dollar. Today, the average American pays roughly 50 percent of their income in direct and indirect taxes.

In fact, most Texans will not start working for themselves for another week. Texans, like most Americans, work from January until early July just to pay their federal income taxes, state and local taxes, and the enormous costs of regulation. Only about half the year is spent working to pay for food, clothing, shelter, or education.

It is easy to simply blame faceless bureaucrats and politicians for our current state of affairs, and they do bear much of the blame. But blame also rests with those who expect Washington DC to solve every problem under the sun. If the public demanded that Congress abide by the Constitution and pass only constitutional spending bills, politicians would have no choice but to respond.

Everybody seems to agree that government waste is rampant and spending should but cut—but not when it comes to their communities or pet projects. So members of Congress have every incentive to support spending bills and adopt a go-along, get-along attitude. This leads to the famous compromises, but the bill eventually comes due on April 15th.

Our basic problem is that we have lost sight of the simple premise that guided the actions of our founding fathers. That premise? The government that governs least is the government that governs best.

When we cut the size of government, our taxes will fall. When we reduce the power of the federal bureaucracy, the cost of government will plummet. And when we firmly fix our eyes, undistracted, on the principles of liberty, Americans truly will be free. That should be our new declaration.

2007-09-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

The Ethics of Torture

2007-02-20T18:30:00.000-05:00

from The Jewish Ethicist - The Ethics of Torture
by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem
The duty of rescue and the right to self-defense.

"Q. What does Judaism say about torturing suspects in order to obtain life-saving information?

A. This highly topical question is the subject of a recent article by Rabbi J. David Bleich in the latest issue of Tradition magazine, devoted to the topic of "War and the Jewish Tradition". This column is basically a summary and brief commentary on Rabbi Bleich's analysis, rather than an original approach to this complex issue.

Rabbi Bleich adopts what seems to me an entirely novel ethical approach to the torture issue, based on two concepts of particular importance in Jewish law: the duty of rescue, and the right to self-defense.

In the European and Anglo-Saxon legal traditions, the duty of rescue is very limited. Rabbi Bleich writes that very few jurisdictions impose any sanctions at all on someone who is able to rescue but fails to do so. Many reasons have been suggested for this omission. One is that sanctions could be counterproductive by encouraging people to remain far from the site of disaster so that they could not be punished for not rescuing; when there are a number of potential rescuers there is a difficulty in singling out whom the duty falls on; and so on. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the orientation of European law towards rights and punishments as opposed to affirmative duties.

By contrast, Jewish law imposes a binding and very demanding level of obligation to help others when their well-being or even their property is in danger. The Torah commands us, "Don't stand idly by the blood of your fellow" (Leviticus 19:16); rather, we are obligated to take affirmative action to help him.

Jewish law, like other legal systems, recognizes the right to self-defense. Harming another person is of course normally forbidden, but when that person threatens us we are allowed to act aggressively to protect ourselves. A critical question here is, what is the ethical justification for this right? Is it self-defense per se or is it the culpability of the attacker? Rabbi Bleich explains that in Jewish law, a person may be considered a "pursuer" even if they have no culpability. For example, if the mother's life is threatened during childbirth, the emerging infant can be endangered to save her even though he or she obviously bears no culpability for the tragic medical situation.

Putting these two principles together, Rabbi Bleich concludes that any person with life-saving information is obligated to reveal it (duty of rescue), and that the right of self-defense would justify aggressive actions to compel the knower to disclose his information. Rabbi Bleich writes: "By failing to act the potential informant makes it possible for a calamity to occur. . . It is thus clear that the law of pursuit sanctions any form of bodily force, including mayhem, when necessary to preserve the life of the victim."

As Rabbi Bleich points out, this analysis applies fully only when there is certainty that the person in question can and will provide the information needed to defuse a "ticking bomb". Uncertainty can arise here in many guises: is there a threat at all? Does this person indeed possess the information needed to neutralize the threat? And will torture be effective in eliciting the information? (Rabbi Bleich makes it clear that torture can never be sanctioned when less painful methods will be fruitful.) Obviously these are serious doubts, and experts are divided on whether torture is generally an effective means of obtaining information at all.

Another reservation here is that we have to clearly establish the informant's duty to disclose. Since his status as a "pursuer" is due to his passive refusal to reveal information he has, there can be no right to harm him if he has valid reasons for keeping his secret. Rabbi Bleich devotes some discussion to this complex angle.

I want to comment briefly on Rabbi Bleich's analysis. The "ticking bomb" scenario is a well-known ethical dilemma, and Rabbi Bleich's approach is quite different than the usual ones. In a "duty ethics" approach, some acts are considered absolute wrongs. Either they can never be sanctioned, or can only be sanctioned in the presence of a higher duty. So we would either prohibit torture categorically, or else weigh its harm against the interrogator's ethical duty of rescue. In a "consequentialist ethics" approach, the question is more quantifiable: does the benefit to the potential victims outweigh the suffering of the informant as well as the potential for ethical deterioration if torture becomes commonplace?

According to Rabbi Bleich, in Jewish law the hinge of the argument is the obligation of the informant himself to help others. In this surprising fashion, the sanction for torture becomes an expression of his humanity, rather than of his inhumanity. We are allowed to cause him pain precisely because we insist, despite his enmity, on viewing him as someone who has his own ethical obligations to his fellow human beings. This seems to me an innovative and uniquely humane way of looking at this challenging ethical dilemma."

Mean People Suck!

2007-02-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

Something that really rankles me are employers who think they own you body and soul. I've spent my time in jobs that try to possess you that way. All I have to say about that is here.
And while we're at it, why do people have to be mean? What kind of person rips someone's guts out figuratively, then laughs, and says, "Just kidding!"? Do people really think that's okay? Or is it just an overt expression of subconscious sadism?
It's very disheartening to be verbally eviscerated then expected to smile, laugh and nod and act like things are okay, as if their words had no impact whatsoever. If they didn't have meaning behind their words or intent to spark a reaction, why say anything?

Subconscious sadism. Hmm. Maybe it makes them feel better, but it makes me pretty sad.

Coffee Geeks and Pop Art ... mmmm coffee

2007-01-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

Something I haven't thought about in a long time is the concept of edible art. The phenomenon doesn't seem to have as much emphasis and exposure in current popular culture as it has in the past.
Recently I stumbled on a new variation of edible art. Latte art takes the concept of edible art to a whole new level. Some of the creations are simply brilliant.

How do they do that??

As I continued reading and surfing, I discovered that true latte art is "pourable art" ... and that "etching" is a variation of latte art. And then there are the "latte art technicians" and the helpful "milk frothing guides." Maybe I've barely tapped (etched?) the surface of this art form.
Who knew?

I love Barbie.

2007-01-27T10:54:00.000-05:00

I can't help myself, I just love Barbie. No way can this be explained, it's too complex. Or too simple? I don't know. The dolls are just so beautiful, how can you not love them? Maybe it's not the dolls. It's just the clothing - the gowns, and the SHOES!

Naturally I started surfing and lo and behold, there are Barbies for adults (read: serious collectors). You can really sink some serious cash into this habit.
So far I've limited myself to collecting images. Take a look. You can even make your own album! (I haven't decided if this is a good or bad thing.)

Mohammed's Believe It Or Else!

2006-10-07T14:18:00.000-04:00

Take a moment to check out the blog links on the sidebar of this page. Look closely and you'll find that many of my favorite blogs make profound observations about human interactions and behaviours - and not always in the most flattering light. One of them in particular, "Redneck's Revenge," has interesting articles that run the gamut from opinion to current events to perceptions from different persons' life experiences. In particular is one that I found very enlightening: Observations on Arabs (Or why they won't stop blowing s$%^ up) by Steve Browne which was also featured on the Redneck's Revenge blog.

"Dry Bones" is one of my all time favourite comics. Take a look at Yaakov Kirschen's blog. He's extremely perceptive and dead-on funny.

It's important not to allow ourselves to be censored by those attempting to repress truth and freedom of expression because they don't believe in or understand either concept. In that spirit, and in the spirit of learning to laugh at the otherwise dismal human condition (and at ourselves, which we don't do often enough or loud enough), I present to you "Mohammed's Believe It Or Else!". Full of irony, humor, sober reality and "crinkle your forehead" cartoon characters, it has to be seen to be believed. And if the comics aren't enough for you, he includes the literal reference from which the comics were born.

Move Over, Einstein

2006-08-17T22:23:00.000-04:00

from DUKE Magazine

Scientists at Duke and at Rutgers University have developed a mathematical framework they say will enable astronomers to test a new five-dimensional theory of gravity that competes with Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

Arlie O. Petters, professor of mathematics and physics at Duke, and Charles R. Keeton of Rutgers base their work on a recent theory called the type II Randall-Sundrum braneworld gravity model. The theory holds that the visible universe is a membrane (hence "braneworld") embedded within a larger universe, much like a strand of filmy seaweed floating in the ocean. The "braneworld universe" has five dimensions--four spatial dimensions, plus time--compared with the four dimensions--three spatial, plus time--laid out in the General Theory of Relativity. The scientists' findings appeared in the online edition of the journal Physical Review D.

The framework Keeton and Petters developed predicts certain cosmological effects that, if observed, should help scientists validate the braneworld theory. The observations, they say, should be possible with satellites scheduled to launch in the next few years.

If the braneworld theory proves to be true, it "would upset the applecart," Petters says. "It would confirm that there is a fourth dimension to space, which would create a philosophical shift in our understanding of the natural world."

Keeton and Petters focused on one particular gravitational consequence of the braneworld theory that distinguishes it from Einstein's theory. The braneworld theory predicts that relatively small black holes created in the early universe have survived to the present. The black holes, with mass similar to a tiny asteroid, would be part of the "dark matter" in the universe. As the name suggests, dark matter does not emit or reflect light, but does exert a gravitational force.

The General Theory of Relativity, on the other hand, predicts that such primordial black holes no longer exist, as they would have evaporated by now. "When we estimated how far braneworld black holes might be from Earth, we were surprised to find that the nearest ones would lie well inside Pluto's orbit," Keeton says.

"If braneworld black holes form even 1 percent of the dark matter in our part of the galaxy," says Petters, "there should be several thousand braneworld black holes in our solar system."

Cry to Those Using Babies

2006-07-31T18:26:00.000-04:00

"Terrorists and their supporters have lost the right to complain about civilian casualties, since all they have is one goal: this entire war is to target civilians. Every single one of the more than 2,500 rockets launched into Israel, is launched into populated towns filled with women and children. Just today, another explosive belt meant to kill civilians in Israel was detonated harmlessly by our forces in Nablus.

So don't cry to me about civilian casualties. Cry to those using babies and wives and mothers; cry to those who store weapons in mosques, ambulances, hospitals and private homes. Cry to those launching deadly rockets from the backyards of kindergartens and schools. Cry to the heartless men who love death, and however many of their troops or civilians die, consider themselves victorious as long as they can keep on firing rockets at our women and children."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned ...

2006-07-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

So I stumbled onto this site today called That Girl Emily which appears to have quite innocently begun as a weblog. Unforunately (f0rtunately?) Emily recently found out that her husband is cavorting with her best friend, Laura.
All I can say is - carry on, Emily. I do believe that you have things well in hand. Oh, and I love the billboard. I wish I had been that creative.

Get off the Corrupt News Network boat.

2006-07-22T18:24:00.000-04:00

If you are in any way interested in learning what is happening in Israel and the Middle East rom a perspective that is NOT mainstream media, I would suggest you give a look at Naomi Ragen's wesbite and subscribe to her email columns.
I have been a fan of hers for many years and find her commentary and perspective very thought- provoking, intellectually challenging, and at times emotionally moving.

The Tenth Dimension

2006-07-22T00:53:00.000-04:00

My teenaged son recently introduced me to a site on the Tenth Dimension. At left is a representation of a model built in the Tenth Dimension and the website where it originated.
Not sure that I agree fully with the concepts regarding points vis-a-vis one dimension, and of zero as an absolute. In perspective, it's nonsensical to me that a point has nothing other than one dimension when in itself it can be the Tenth Dimension.

More wine!!

spam spam spam spam

2006-07-04T16:02:00.000-04:00

I've noticed the spam I've been receiving lately is getting more creative. Here's one I received today:
A m@n with a small penis is like a butterfly without wings. Get your wings with Advanced Gain Pro Penis Enlargement Pills.
A big penis means big future. It’s all Advanced Gain Pro Penis Enlargement Pills.

That really brought to mind some interesting images of butterflies. Hmm. It's a wonder they can manage to stay afloat!

Independence Day 2006

2006-07-04T13:45:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July!
This is a good occasion to remind people of the power of ideas.

There are three types of people in the world:
* Those who make things happen
* Those who watch things happen
* Those who wonder what happened.

"Little minds think and talk about people.
Average minds think and talk about things and actions.
Great minds think and talk about ideas."
- Benjamin Franklin (adapted)

Here's hoping your ideas fly and your projects in life sail with the power of innovation and success!