eye candy

Chained and Perfumed is addicting for it's pics and pop culture flashbacks. I spent quite a long time there the other night staring at the photos of David Bowie as snapped by Linda McCartney and reading the old articles and movie reviews. It's pretty well put together and I am fascinated by those awesome pictures that they find.

Warning: The front page of their site is ok as of this date, but some older posts are definitely Not Safe For Work (NFSW) due to some nudity. So be careful out there.

Cookbooks...

I love me a cookbook. I read them front to back. The good ones, I read over and over and again. I love reading about good food, tips on how to make good food and looking at photos of ...good food. And of course, I love reading the lists. The lists of equipment you need, items to stock in your pantry and those needed in recipes. Here is a list of my favorite cookbooks, the ones I use most often and consider good reads...

1. The Ramos House Cookbook by John Q. My favorite restaurant and my go-to cookbook when there is a celebration in order. You can never go wrong with this one. Hush Puppies, Po-Boys, Lobster Bread Pudding, Fried Chicken Salad, Macaroni and Cheese...all amazing.

2. Babycakes by Erin McKenna. I have already mentioned my love for Babycakes. I have read this cookbook more times then I can count. Love it, love it, love it.

3. Get It Ripe by Jae Steele. This is a a cookbook full of yummy food that just happens to be vegan. You do not have to be a vegan to enjoy these recipes. Promise.

4. The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. It is pretty much the bible and Alice Waters is the Almighty. Another one I have read over and over. Reading it makes my mouth water.

5. The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. The first cookbook I bought after becoming a vegetarian. I think it is a perfect book to help make the transition from carnivore. The recipes and food are really simple and delicious and not at all overwhelming.

6. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. I love Mark Bittman. I also have his Food Matters which includes recipes. His recipes are also very simple but full of flavor and a little unique.

7. The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. I didn't realize it until compiling this list but I have a lot of vegetarian cookbooks! And I know I keep saying this but this is another one that you can totally enjoy even if you are the most carnivorous of carnivores. This one is great for Sunday night family dinners or if you are having people over. The meals are slightly more elaborate than what I would make on say, a Tuesday night, say, but every one I have tried has been so good and I love that she gives you a full meal's worth of recipes so you don't have to search for an appetizer and dessert to go with the main course, it's all done for you.

8. The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook by Tanya Petrovna. If you have not been to Native Foods yet I suggest you check it out because their food is pretty darn tasty. I recommend the Surf Tacos. This cookbook was a gift from my girl #1 and to be honest at first I felt a little intimidated by it. I had never cooked seitan or tempeh before and I was a little nervous about trying it with the tough critic I sit across from at the dinner table every night. But when I finally did try it I found it to be so very, very, easy and quite tasty! It even got a thumbs up from the before mentioned critic.

I think I'll stop there. Yes, I have many, many more cookbooks and I do use them but these are the ones I use the most often and that I keep handy and not tucked away in a bookcase.

LA day

Saturday:
First, we went to Babycakes (aka CLK's crackhouse). She spent $56 on pastries people. They were very awesome, I must say.

Then, we went to Cole's for some French Dips. I had a lamb French Dip with bleu cheese and a side of mac n' cheese. Very good. Combined with the decor and no lines, I might like Cole's better than Philippe's. Sacrilege, I know.

Finally, we went to LA Kings game. My camera was not allowed inside.
All in all, a very good Saturday.

snow day

Snow Day in Julian three Sundays ago. I didn't like the other pictures much so this is all you get.

Skate Witches

I cannot stop thinking about this video of the Skate Witches and the follow up article with The Queen Witch. (via Got a Girl Crush)

jangle town

Not feeling particularly energetic or good or happy today. So I'll post a video. It's the tone of the song that kills me.

the book on abraham

Busy again, but a few quotes for you from the greatest of Americans.

Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.

From a Letter to Joshua Speed

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.

From a letter to Isham Reavis (5 November 1855)

One quote that I used to favor which I believe has been wrongly attributed to Lincoln is:

I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down...

For more reading on the subject I recommend A Lincoln Blog and the great book by Doris Kearns Goodwin entitled Team of Rivals. Lincoln was the greatest President. This is a given as far as I am concerned. Team of Rivals may be proof that he was one of the greatest human beings ever.

Note: I would like to write a much longer post on Lincoln and I may still yet, but I figured we can always use some guidance. A few quick quotes from one of the greatest always helps me find some of that lost get-up-and-go.

Heartbreak

I cried and my heart broke when I learned that this man was no longer a part of this world.

freedom of speech

On January 21st, the Supreme Court ruled "that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections," according to the NY Times. Those opposed to this decision have decried this as an assault on democracy by allowing big business to buy elections. Those in favor feel the decisions reaffirms the First Amendment and the freedom of speech.
Well, against my better judgement, I am going to weigh in with my unsolicited opinion.

Background
The McCain-Feingold act banned corporations or labor unions or non-profits from "broadcast advertising that identifies a federal candidate within 30 days of a primary or nominating convention, or 60 days of a general election" among other things. For quite a while now some have argued that this inhibits our basic freedom of speech. As you can see from the NY Times article above, the Supreme Court had already upheld the wording of the McCain-Feingold act in 2003 and had made numerous rulings that OK'd restrictions of corporate political spending.

Nobody would argue against the First Amendment in principle, except perhaps the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). The FCC and FEC pick and choose their moral high-grounds and establish rules to guide our country accordingly, all backed by the Supreme Court. The FEC and the Supreme Court seem fine, by the way, with limits on the amount of money an individual can contribute. Isn't this "abridging the freedom of speech?" And we all know the seven words you can't say on television or radio. The FCC and the Supreme Court allow the suppression of the freedom of speech in this instance because it interferes with the standards of decency (see FCC vs Pacifica Foundation or FCC vs Fox Television Stations). I am not saying that this is the same as the restrictions placed on corporations in the McCain-Feingold, I am only pointing out the hypocrisy involved in the moral outrage over the two. In one case, we cry "Freedom of Speech" in the other we cry "For the Common Good."

However, the regulation of the two are not the same. To specify, the McCain-Feingold act banned corporations from using soft money to fund electioneering ads within the last 30-60 days before elections. This means that corporations and non-profits had to use hard money contributions to fund these ads, hard money contributions being significantly more regulated. The soft money proviso prohibited corporations and non-profits from soliciting general contributions for their cause and then using it for this type of advertising. Instead, these organizations would have had to solicit money expressly for these specific last minute ads. Example, ABC organization asks for money to help support laws that would ban beer. This constitutes soft money and could not be used to support electioneering ads that would criticize Senator Soggybottom and his pro-beer agenda. Instead, ABC would have to solicit money to be expressly used for such ad campaigns. The hard money would be considered a direct contribution and is subject to tighter regulations (such as limits). Does the McCain-Feingold act seek to suppress the point of view of corporations or non-profits or to limit their speech in any way? No, the intent of the law was to better regulate the flow of cash from corporation and non-profits to politicians. It's now a double standard. If a company uses it's facilities to hold an informal gathering to make phone calls on behalf of a candidate it is considered an in-kind contribution by the company and is subject to certain limits. Yet, now companies big and small can buy up ad time without limit. Without regulations for electioneering or bans on corporate soft or hard money for Federal politicians we are back to the wild west for Federal elections.

For those of you who think this actually helps the small corporation or non-profit that was established to give a group of individuals more power then consider that the latest Supreme Court decision on the matter now gives corporations such as Exxon Mobile and their roughly $442 Billion dollars in 2009 revenue free reign to spend as much as they please on whichever issue they choose. Health Care anybody? Care to guess how much the insurance companies will be spending on advertising and lobbying for whichever bill offers the most promising revenues for them? They are only, after all, exercising their right to free speech. But I ask you, who is powerful enough that would have an opposing interest? Can there be checks and balances? So the Supreme Court chose to look past the inequities that arise from the system and see only the McCain-Feingold as a hindrance for corporations and labor unions and non-profits to express their point of view through dollars. The ruling gives corporations the same standing as a person, a decision with precedent, but which nevertheless is disturbing. Corporations are not human beings and do not deserve the same rights as the individual. As Justice Ginsburg pointed out a corporation is not "endowed by its creator with inalienable rights." Too true.

I'll also point out the conflict of interest a corporation has that an individual human being does not. Corporate officers are "bound by fiduciary duties to act in the best interest of the shareholders." Not the best interests of the person but the best interest of the shareholder, that aspect of a person which involves financial investment in a company. So to think that a corporation will act with morality is contrary to what they are bound by law to do. They must seek out the profits and drive up the price of stock and earn more money for their shareholders. They lack a conscience by definition. Even so, I think the attitude by some that corporations are individuals and so should have the same rights as individuals is unrealistic. We have given them that right and it should be taken away. Even some that fought for corporate rights were loathe to protect corporate spending rights as a freedom of speech. Former Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist warned that to "treat corporate spending as the 1st Amendment equivalent of individual free speech is 'to confuse metaphor with reality.'" Let's hope their is a swing back towards reality resulting in some real campaign finance reform. Something along the lines of matching rules for small donors or public financing for campaigns would be a start.

Update: I wanted to add one last comment about this. How in the world did the Free Market ideology that is normally applied to economics become the popular ideology for morals, laws and governing? It is a phenomenon that is contrary to our overriding morals, not to mention our primary religion. I hope it comes to an end soon.

Conan the attitudinarian?

All I ask of you is one thing: Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.

Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.

Conan O'Brien

This is the quote of the year for 2010, although it is still early. I have been saying for a while now that optimism is the word of the year for 2010 but this might be the more accurate description. Let's keep our heads down, let's focus on working hard and being kind and being good and let's be optimistic that fortune is a byproduct of such conduct. This is not earth-shattering, but it is worth repeating to myself. You get out of life what you put into it. I'm no longer looking for miracles, I'm just looking for improvement. I can't go wrong.

Good luck to Conan. I am wishing you all the best.

UPDATE: Congrats Conan. I hope there is more to come.