Cafe Kafka

nearly

2007-04-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

nearly half of a person is sitting here

in the infinite loop of doubt and buoyant dreams

the other bit

is currently indisposed, sinking hours into the pursuit of vagaries

and dreams of long rides on an antiquated TGV orient express from zagreb to milan.

so the other bit is kind of pointless

i hope you won't reckon with that assertion

perhaps you will find value in weirdness, appreciation for koalas the height of three apples

perhaps not?

if that does not bother you

please to read more

this blog is important for being good.

la course d'indianapolis

2007-04-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

from englebert magazine no. 53-54, july august, 1924

race standings-indianapolis 500 mile race (car +average miles/hour)

winner: Joe Boyer-Duesenberg special-98.24

2nd:Earl Cooper- Studebaker special-97.99

3rd: Jimmy Murphy- Miller special-97.27

4th:Harry Hartz-Durant special-96.55

5th:Bennett Hill-Miller special-96.46

6th:Peter De Paolo- Duesenburg special-94.30

7th:Fred Comer-Durant special-93.42

8th:Ira Vail-Vail special-92.45

9th:Antoine Mourre-Mourre special-91.76

10th:Robert McDonogh-Miller special-90.51

ringbo and friends present a guide to italian groceries

2007-04-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

i must say, ringbo's second favourite cuisine after belgian is italian. i present to you his favourite italian things:

delicious red peppers

rappini, a fine and bitter veg.

tender and sweet swiss chard

crisp and aromatic fennel

ferrarelle mineral water, a divine naturally carbonated spring water, perhaps second only to the exquisite acqua lete in its quality.

delicious and neutral lamb steaks for the grill

fine mozarella cheese

rich and exquisite fresh cotechino sausage, the finest.

wager

2006-08-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

i post a wager of 20 000 pounds sterling to the first person on myspace to go around the world in 80 days

collect a myspace friend from every single natiion on earth in that time, and i shall meet you with your prize at the reform club, pall mall.

on Babel

2006-08-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

عاشـــ ياسر القحطاني ـــــق says:
هلا
K-Mark. Attention K-Mark shoppers. says:
hello, do you speak english or french?
عاشـــ ياسر القحطاني ـــــق says:
ممكن طلب
عاشـــ ياسر القحطاني ـــــق says:
أنا ولد
عاشـــ ياسر القحطاني ـــــق says:
وإسمي مشاري
K-Mark. Attention K-Mark shoppers. says:
sorry, no arabic
عاشـــ ياسر القحطاني ـــــق says:
معليش انا كذبت
عاشـــ ياسر القحطاني ـــــق says:
ألووووووووو

and this demonstrates the limitation of left-right thought, arabic on msn messenger is displayed correctly, but html really screw it up.

2006-08-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

2006-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

man, vancouver is so beautiful, and it never snows.

Trail, British Columbia

2006-07-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

wouldn't you rather live somewhere pretty out west.

the city where the worlds largest zinc company began, on the shores of the Columbia river.

yes that beautiful

a few kilometres from the goldrush, skiing and mountain bike trails of rossland.

a town of a few thousand with a distinct chinatown and little italy, fabulous ferraro foods.

and apparently, the number one sports town in BC.

a town of hillsides linked by staircase.

and an authentic japanese lantern

really great salmon fishing for the outdoorsman or lox enthusiast

an aquatic centre above reproach, giant waterslides, olympic size deep pool and nearly chlorine free!

perhaps instead. a day at the beach

very cute beavers for all who roam here!

old men playing bocce if you do not like beavers!

and you are always so close to rossland

my life in four foods

2006-07-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

summertime menu

breakfast:
1 glass rubicon 'alphonso' mango juice
1 croissant from boulangerie la petite danoise
1 spreading of strawberry preserve (either menz&gasser, hero or clic)
1 cup of cafe latino (demitasse)

lunch:
fried merguez sausage (or salami)
pita or belgian bread
beer/coke/dr pepper
sauteed peppers and onions, crudites.

supper:
various veg curries (with lamb shoulder curry)
basmati rice
cucumber salad
wine or beer

late night decadence:
chocolate!
whole navel oranges (not too big)

As seen on SEXTV

2006-07-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

SEXTV is one of my favourite canadian premium digital cable channels. no, it isn't porn, it's filled shows and documentaries about human sexuality.

the flagship show called "SEXTV the show" is quite fascinating, with quick peeks at various sexual communities and practices around the world.

Last night I caught a glimpse of what could possibly be the coolest thing in Chicago: The annual player's ball. A gathering for pimps and their ho's. it was a pretty good party, snoop-dogg was out in full regalia, ice-t also made an appearance, glasses of moet were consumed from bejewelled chalices.

yay, clueless is on

2006-07-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

or more appropriately "Les collegiennes de Beverly Hills"

somehow the magic is lost with a european french accent.

Common Canadian Energy Sin

2006-07-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

The second fridge/freezer downstairs (aka the beer fridge)

thats fucking true, every person i know has this luxury. either a deep freeze or conventional, everybody needs a place to keep cold drinks and beer or frozen meat.

the one thing lacking entirely in the UK (especially central london) is adequate refrigeration and air conditioning. when you are in the Uk, remember to dig very far back into the fridge at the shop to get a cold dr. pepper or beer. the ones at the front are tepid.

Antiques Roadshow

2006-06-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

Canadians are the most inndundated by antiques roadshows than any other nation on earth.

1) first came the british edition, shown regularly on cbc newsworld and occasionally on CBC television in the past during moments of britanophilia (tonmnights lineup also includes an hour of coro st. and a "sometimes irreverent look at our royal family")

2)the PBS american edition flooded my early teenage years of american antenna television, vermont public TV and WCFE mountain lake 57 plattsburgh were staples. sundays, mondays anyday became roadshows. and all the good antiques were seen in the first season.

3)now we are treated to "canadian antiques roadshow". its the same show, but this week, we see old stuff from Winnepeg, proudly praised as the geographic centre of canada (sounds much better than "murder capital of canada").

ya basta!

time for new stuff roadshow...

today, we are in santa clara CA, and James T. has brought us his 52" Sharp flatscreen TV. marvellous.

Klimt Record

2006-06-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

$US 135 million. a new record for a private painting sale.

a portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (1907), beat Picasso's previous record.

Many advisors and journalists have pointed to fine art becoming a strong store of value in these days of low gold prices and unstable currency markets.

seems like a prettier bet than sinking it all into copper (Cu).

this came out of my brain last night

2006-06-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

this represents a southern extension of

that's not a knife

2006-06-12T12:30:00.001-07:00

this is a knife

my first ever made in portugal chef's knife.

then i got excellent french chocolate and mustard.

sausages and bread from central europe. Salaisons Slovenia, i am your slave, the hint of sauerkraut in the air, the fresh meats and flavour bursted veal sausages. not to mention polish chocolate.

and a strange new sensation on the main...mid 90s dance music pumping out atmospherically from lamposts, i could pick out a generic daft punk beat as well as those old faves, la bouche.
=

that's not a knife

2006-06-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Coronation Street Moment

2006-06-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

seen on the 80% off pile at indigo books downtown: coronation street treasures, some weird anthology to bad smelling chavs and ungramatical english folks on the industrial fringe of Manchester.

(courtesy wikipedia)

Imagine a chocolate carving of coro st. and you can only imagine a really fucked up theme park called Cadbury World in Bournville, near Birmingham (UK, evidemment).

if i could eat the set for real, CBC might play something more palatable at 7:30. Perhaps Eastenders, just for the pretty girls.

grubby

2006-06-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

now i have resorted to singing the maiskyi chai song for entertainment. '

fortunately, my local indigo bookstore saved me, with "three sheets to the wind" by pete brown. about the meaning of beer...i am so happy i left the united states

a)because the travel writing is extremely limited

b)because most titles in that genre are published by british companies.
we are blessed in canada to have a complete selection of up to date british printings. In the travel-adventure section you will often see two editions of the same books (british and a newer US/canadian printing).

c)the police here are friendly, the ominous militaristic (dare i say fat) sherriff in the united sates really just scared me.

d)i can walk places, endless places. bicycling is another constant puruit. people in montreal are quite active, especially in relation to kentucky.

e)this place feels worldly, open and cosmopolitan. decadence and self indulgence, simply enjoying life, is a widespread mentality. people look good here, men and women.

f)i will always resent the american prohibition on drinking before age 21- quebec doesnt even have a legal drinking age technically,only a purchasing age.

Ukraine tea

2006-06-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Maiskyi Chai black tea: incredibly strong and powerful, just enough to get through long days in Dniepr Basin coal mine.

smells more like tetley or red rose (canadian brands) than other ceylon teas, that tend to have a fruitier and even floral component (including my usual pick alwazah tea). this is true builders tea, the kind sold in british tesco's for next to nothing.

for a selection of east european teas and other polish goodies (including Zywiec beer), depanneur du nouveau forum in montreal at the corner of fort and de maisonneuve.

hear the maiskyi chai jingle

skyline

2006-06-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Props to the incredibly beautiful city of Vancouver.

the worlds finest city. the perfect balance of nature and civilization

a world of difference in two images

2006-06-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

subtitle: "shocking? to homophomes"
this is a recent city sponsored campaign appearing in a few bus shelters as well as lamp posts downtown and in the plateau of montreal.

in canada today, 60% of homosexual people in quebec still feel that coming out at work would jeapordize their careers.

imagine

2006-06-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

a store that combines the joy of high speed racing with high power sex-toys. androgenous equality

yes there is such a place

Lissitsky

2006-06-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

blue period gallery

2006-06-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

treatise on fatty meats I

2006-06-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

i love meat

veal: luscious tender, even a grain fed quebec cut is delicious (though it should be labelled "young cow". halal veal has a much more natural flavour, i advocate halal meat for all cooking, as it is sourced from local farmers more often, as well a higher standard of production.

lamb: i cannot decide if i like it better than veal, it is stunning and the backbone of indian and middle-eastern cuisines.
great at easter

pork: shimmering pink loins and chops, fine ground pork cooked into a homemade sausage. crispy delightfully pan seared crust, one of porks strongest points. bacon doubleplusgood, pork rinds: wish we could get them in canada (atkins friendly btw). pork in the united states (esp KY, NC, two pork producing regions) has a beeflike red hue, something which disturbs me and points to human interference, while pork in quebec is very pink, the way i always expect my suckling sow.

beef: alberta grade A rib steak says it all...look at the marbling.

surprise incense

2006-06-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

cycle brand "surprise" agrabati (incense) smells awful

more like india, which is not a pleasant idea

should we pray that our surprise incense smells good?

city-w=Westgate/Aurora district

2006-06-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

henry beck motorway map

2006-05-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

from http://www.motorwaymap.co.uk. available for pdf download.

Hassan Massoudy

2006-05-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

KRAS NOVO super milk- eastern europe chocolate tour

2006-05-18T11:15:00.001-07:00

this is the best milk chocolate available in the louisville area (golden key market, beuchel business district), also readily available in montreal at Charcuiterie Hongroise on St Laurent near pine. KRAS is an important chocolate producer in the balkans regions, manufactured in croatia, this is certainly on par with any western european choco.

the croatian double milk shows the same finesse as wawel mlk chocolate, with that surreal candy spark, the expolsive hit of pure choco, so fragrant and perfectly melting.

this is still the best chocolate on earth, i have tried all of their products. all incredible. milk chocolate is divine, cream chocolate and double milk take it to a new level of texturee along with a refined germanic milk-choco flavour (closest is perhaps ritter sport or sarotti milk).

this is not wedel chocolate, it is not the fine polish chocolate with a nice powerful hit of hazelnut butter that brings that brand to surreal level of a belgiaan caillebaut praline chocolate.

this is E. wedel chocolate

the product of polands cadbury subsiduary, the closest to belgian recipe, one of the best. they also produce delicious Pim's style cookies for $1 a box, as well as traditional polish spice cookies with flavours as varied as apple, slivovitz and advocaat.

in summation: polish chocolate is often laced with alcohol, rum is used in the caramel fillings, and it certainly does give you a buzz.

E. Wedel Kokos (coconut) is the best coconut chocolate on the planet.

and so on...hooray for all the foods of the world!

the homeless are everywhere

2006-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

imagine a strict policing downtown to crack down on vagrants. it works real well.

then in a medium density urban area (hardly the "inner-city"), i meet 5 homeless people on a 3 block walk through what otherwise is a normal area,

having been harassed by homeless folks outside the local grocery store (the only place within 15 minutes walk that sells fresh fruit or veg, just to mention the poor nutrition of the locals, who hardly walk anyways). i wonder whats wrong with the system.

why are the homeless on bardstown road. this is soooooooo unusual, coming from a city with a much bigger homeless problem, confined entirely to the central areas. but this new suburban homelessness is really sad.

this city is run by a hypocritical fool in the name of policing the locals to death, where very little gets spent on health or other social concerns.

saucy wednesdays

2006-05-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

i propose a new tradition in montreal

a very good one.

the first wednesday of every month, everyone will go out and eat a greasy meal with plenty of beer (is four pints enough?)

suggested meals include: 1 large poutine per person

500 g of bacon per person.

a steerburger and suzy-1 fries (with mayo yes please).

a mitraillette sandwich or steak and pepperoni sub with fries.

a very large plate of greasy shanghai noodles.

suggested beers: molson ex, molson dry, carling black label, boreale rousse, kronenbourg, jupiler, DAB. any solid yummy beer.

Sweet Europe

2006-05-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

breakfast fear-eal

2006-05-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

every ad on the ABC world news is for a health concern of some kind. my best guess is that a large number of seniors watch this program and are invariably scared to death by health companies

the latest purveyor of fear: Kelloggs cereal

"heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US...More than one in three american women will die from heart disease"

this is a fucking cereal.
what happened to tony and the capn and that weird dog who sells chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. sell sugar, promote diabetes and obesity and in turn increase the risk of heart disease

further underlining the major problem that perhaps americans treat food and drink as drugs and not as an inevitable part of life.

*Diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium, such as Smart Start® Healthy Heart may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

**Three grams of soluble fiber daily from oat bran in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Smart Start® Healthy Heart has 2 grams per serving.

available in new maple brown sugar....diabetes?

come on, i thought that selling kashi products through yoga studios to subvert the well meaning organic person into eating big business products.

emilio sabourin

2006-05-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

from:http://www.cubasports.com/english/nacional.asp

national sports

Cuba considers baseball its national sport. Since approximately 1865 or 1866 this sport has been practiced and has become part of the lives of most Cubans. On December 27th,1874, the first baseball game in Cuba took place in a field known as Palmar de Junco, in the province of Matanzas. In the match, the Habana team defeated that of Matanzas with the unbalanced score of 51 to 9 runs. Merely four years after that event, Cuba became the second country in the world to organize a professional baseball championship. It was played in a park located in today's intersection of Avenues Línea and G, current location of the hospital "América Arias". In the opening game, played on December 29th,1878, the Habana team defeated the Almendares team with a score of 21 to 20. The main organizer of the tournament was Emilio Sabourín, a patriot who participated in the first war of independence. Sabourín was, in turn, the manager of the Habana team. In 1881, the first stadium was inaugurated. The Almendares Park was located in the corner of the avenues Salvador Allende and Ayestarán. It was not until the last years of the 19th century and the beginnings of 20th, that baseball began to be played in other countries of the continent. In Havana, the first amateur championship took place in 1905. In 1914, the national amateur baseball league was founded and they celebrated championships for more than 45 years. Together with the national league, other leagues in the provinces were created locally. An example of that is the league of Pedro Betancourt, in Matanzas; the Amateur League of Oriente; the sugar-mill workers' league of Camaguey; and the winter league of Jovellanos among others. In 1919, where the coach terminal of Havana is located today, it was build a more modern version of the Almendares Park. On March 15th, 1930, the stadium of La Tropical, today's Pedro Marrero, was inaugurated. That park hosted the second Central American and Caribbean Games, held in Havana in 1930. In the period from 1939 to 1944, there were moments of splendor for national baseball because the first amateur world series were celebrated in the capital of the island. From 1944, they were held in other Latin-american countries where they were also quite popular. On October 26th, 1946, the great stadium of El Cerro, today's "Estadio Latinoamericano", opened officially its gates with an initial capacity for 30 000 people. After the necessary reformation, a project executed in 1973, the initial capacity was almost doubled (55 000 people). That legendary park witnessed the debut of the Havana Cubans of the International League of Florida. It hosted also the championships of the Cuban baseball league, which included major league baseball players and others from other levels. Many other outstanding figures of the time also debuted in the Gran Estadio del Cerro. Among the important figures of Cuban baseball that entered sport history forever, the following are worth-mentioning: Conrado Marrero, José de la Caridad Méndez, Martín Dihigo, Adolfo Luque, Alejandro Oms, Cristóbal Torriente, Pedro "Natilla" Jiménez, Roberto Ortiz, Avelino Cañizares, Agapito Mayor, Fermín Guerra, Willy Miranda, Juan Ealo, and Orestes Miñoso, just to mention some. The triumph of the revolution in 1959, brought a radical change in the conceptions of the practice of sport, and baseball was not the exception. By means of the Resolution 83-A passed on November 19th, 1962, professional sport was fully eradicated. This was the start of a new and definite era in which the Cuban amateur teams have shown their quality in numberless championships, such as Central American and Caribbean, Pan-american, Olympic, and World championships. In the case of the Olympic games, baseball has been included in the program since the summer games of Barcelona'92

so now i am apparently given the same name as the father of cuban baseball. this is a weird twist, the sabourins of Santiago de Cuba. Gives me a great reason to visit that country.

Do I look like my great grandfather?

2006-05-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

Donald A. "Sandfield" Macdonald. A lawyer from Alexandria, Ont.

bugles churros

2006-05-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

yesterday, the latinos took to the streets

today the major corporations take their share. imagine seeing churros bugles snacks (with cinnamon and sugar) or doritos new flavour packaged with spanish on the front, emblazoned with the image of the mexican football team's all-star lineup.

the term "ethnic" is still commonly used in the us, as if it is different from the normal reality of black/white. change the word and change the thinking....imagine saying "multicultural" instead of "ethnic".

bluggage reading club log

2006-05-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

kundera!

look under:
alt.mark.books.czech.funny.

kafka!

alt.mark.books.czech.schizo.unreadable

zweig!

alt.mark.books.austrian.steamships.gestapo.runningamokinmybrain.

this page is chosen for its nice sound and brandability

a human hand-like radish

2006-04-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

island

2006-04-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

this blog is an island

free from bogrolling and the trepiditious stupidity of blogcasting

it is so existential. this soapbox in the sky

and it defies me even to think of existential thoughts on this space

reality defies me

here is a can of breakfast:

I do love a nice steamin demi-tasse in the morning

2006-04-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

extra belgitude. nice new belt ringbo!

Lipstick Expressionism

2006-04-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Outlawed conformity in amorous pairs
Prison of the individual

What morning does not warrant
An arresting gaze from those blue eyes

Your kiss is a flight risk
Stolen from between two pursed lips
Frought with tears behind glass distances

Only lipstick expesses that bond
in this case, rested upon sweetest jowl
To recall the chains of singularity
The love I found courting

And now for sentencing:

I judge you most perfect

for tamara.

a letter of protest to the C-J

2006-04-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

10:27 AM eastern star drive

walking by the eastern star daycare center
the jets are flying supersonic at 200 yards

and babies are crying,
the same tears as in baghdad

because we're all human
and thunder is terror universally.

thunder over louisville-or ultimately why war is wrong

2006-04-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

i am staying behind a huge daycare centre, in louisville kentucky

this morning, for the first time, i heard all the babies crying in unison, it is disturbing to see this. in the name of an airshow named "thunder over louisville". i am actually scared of thunder in general. this is too much. to see pilots practicing tactics in the name of entertainment.

and the reason why- USAF fighter jets doing low altitude manoeuvres, the types pilots train for in order to fly beneath the enenmy radar...at altitudes of 200 metres or less, a supersonic plane creates an extremely loud and powerful shockwave....a tactic which is generally only acceptable at higher altitudes.

and babies are crying because the noise scares them thoroughly. it made my ears hurt as i walked along eastern-star drive.

imagine the children in baghdad facing equivalent low altitude tactics, im sure they cried also.

it causes panic and fear in every human heart. war is terrifying, war is wrong. the machines of war are painful and hurtful not only to the enemy, but to every civilian in its presence.

i feel like im in a war zone...not only with all of the helicopters flying around at night, but now fighter jets, giving an aura of miltary might.

we must respect the military, while they respect the power they have to harm any number of people. gross negligence. and take its propaganda with box of iodized salt.

the USA in good company

2006-04-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

Last Updated: Thursday, 20 April 2006, 13:09 GMT 14:09 UK

'20,000' on death row worldwide

from bbcnews.com. april 21, 2006.

At least 20,000 prisoners are awaiting execution worldwide and more than 2,000 were put to death last year, a leading human rights group has said.

In its annual survey on the death penalty, Amnesty International said 94% of the 2005 executions took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US.

The numbers are down from 2004 thanks to a "global tide" against the death penalty, the group said.

But it said the number may be higher as many countries do not release figures.

There were 2,148 known executions in 22 countries in 2005, Amnesty International said, down from a record level of 3,797 in the previous year.

At least 1,770 executions took place last year in China, where a person could be sentenced and executed for non-violent crimes including tax fraud, embezzlement and drug offences, the UK-based group said.

It was a worry that that high profits behind the country's organ transplants from executed prisoners may act as an incentive to maintain the death penalty, the group added.

'Glaring anomaly'

Last year, at least 94 people were executed in Iran, 86 in Saudi Arabia and 60 in the US. Overall, 5,186 people were sentenced to death in 53 countries, although the group said not all of them would be executed.

Amnesty said the trend toward abolishing the death penalty continued to grow, with the number of countries conducting executions halving over the past two decades.

iran, china, saudi arabia....................USA.

but whatever, americans wont even go metric. at least the other three countries on that list are metric compliant.

2005 EXECUTIONS

Executions carried out in 22 countries, including Bangladesh, Belarus, Iraq, Japan, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

80% of executions in China

86 countries have abolished the death penalty, while 122 have abandoned executions in law or practice

74 countries retain and use the death penalty

Source: Amnesty International

"There is a global tide against the death penalty which has left us with just the hardened countries still using it," Amnesty researcher Piers Bannister said.

Mexico and Liberia are the most recent countries to abandon state execution.

However, Secretary-General Irene Khan said in a statement that the death penalty remained the "ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights".

It contravened the "essence of human values", and was often applied in a discriminatory manner, followed unfair trials or was applied for political reasons, she said.

"As the world continues to turn away from the use of the death penalty, it is a glaring anomaly that China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the US stand out for their extreme use of this form of punishment," she added.

Ms Khan also called on Iran to ban the practice of executing juvenile offenders.

The country is a signatory to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which include a promise not execute anyone under the age of 18.

However, Amnesty said it executed at least eight people last year for crimes committed when they were children, including two who were still under 18 at the time of their deaths.

La maree

2006-04-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

La lune d'antan
M'envoit ses reflets intimes
Sa service solitaire
Porter nos ames
plus proches

Au bout de chaque voyage
cette contemplation
Engendree d'etinceles, larmes lacerantes
Cascadant parmi la soiree

L'humanite
soit le triste peuple de la terre
Joignit; rejouit au rythme familier

Envahi de votre narcose; ensemble
une treve avec la journee brusque

Je mens,
mes reves se font distinguees par votre esprit
Je m'envole a votre cote
Dos contre dos, la lune m'empare

Je me sacrifie dans la maree du destin
Guide celestin

the irony

2006-04-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

from philip morris USA's website
www.philipmorrisusa.com

"We are also introducing two new Marlboro anniversary packs – Marlboro Reds and Marlboro Lights in the 72s style I mentioned earlier – a short cigarette for a short break adapted for today's fast paced lifestyle.

This product is now making its way through the retail distribution channel and will be in retail stores in February.

There's more, much more, but I'm sure you understand we don't have time today but, I hope I've given you a snapshot of how we bring all of the elements of our marketing programs together to effectively, and profitably connect with adult smokers of our brands while acting in a responsible way.

When it comes to adult smokers, we also understand that there is another important connection we think we should make.

Many adult smokers enjoy using our products and interacting with our brands. But we also understand that there are many adult smokers who have decided to quit.

As a manufacturer of an addictive product that has serious health risks, we believe we have a responsibility to help adult smokers who have decided to quit be more successful.

The public health community recommends, and we agree, that to reduce the health effects of smoking, the best thing to do is to quit.

So, last year, Philip Morris USA launched a section on our website to help connect smokers who have decided to quit to public health authorities and other quitting resources.

And in September, we launched QuitAssist™ an information resource designed to help connect smokers who want to quit with resources that can help. "

we are manufacturers of an addictive product, and it is our goal to make new more appealing products for todays fast paced lifestyle as well helping those who want to quit by placing lame ads durring the evening news with a generic serious female voice-over.

we connect with our adult smokers by placing ads for the new seventy-twos product in "seventeen" magazine. eighteen is the legal smoking age.....duh?

we place special emphasis on heavy marketing of our menthol products, which are significantly more dangerous to health and generally even more addictive. whatever, marlboro is already flavored, with american flavor (ammonia, raises the pH, freebases the nicotine delivery, like crack).

meanwhile nicotine patches/gum are three times as expensive as in canada for identitical product, while cigarettes cost 1/3 the price here in KY.

at least the government should be helping the people to quit; not companies who MAKE MONEY BY SELLING AS MANY CIGARETTES AS POSSIBLE through an oligopoly.

Deux videos pour denoncer Yahoo!

2006-04-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

DOCUMENTS • RSF a montré aux dirigeants de l'entreprise américaine des vidéos tournés par les proches de deux dissidents chinois arrêtés pour avoir utilisé la version chinoise du logiciel de Yahoo! mail.

par LB
LIBERATION.FR : vendredi 14 avril 2006 - 16:35

Grosse pression sur Yahoo!, dix jours avant la visite du président chinois Hu Jintao aux Etats-Unis. Dans deux vidéos tournées en Chine, le frère d'un ancien fonctionnaire et l'avocat d'un journaliste emprisonnés dénoncent la collaboration de la société américaine avec la police chinoise qui a conduit à leur interpellation. Li Zhi, l'ancien fonctionnaire, a été condamné à huit ans de prison; le journaliste, Shi Tao, a lui été condamné à dix ans. Le jugement indique que Yahoo ! a transmis à la police des informations compromettantes à l'encontre de ces deux hommes qui utilisaient la version chinoise du service d'e-mail du géant américain.

C'est donc muni de ces deux vidéos — à visionner sur Liberation.fr — qu'une équipe de Reporters sans frontières s'est présentée, le 7 avril 2006, au siège californien de l'entreprise. Objectif de cette opération coup de poing façon Michael Moore: que la question de la liberté d'expression soit abordée par les officiels américains et l'espoir que cette rencontre diplomatique soit marquée par la libération de journalistes et de cyberdissidents. Mais il faudra pour cela que l'opinion publique américaine soit plus réceptive que les boss de Yahoo!. Après avoir envoyé des vigiles bloquer l'accès aux représentant de RSF, un rendez-vous avec des responsables de l'entreprise fixé trois jours plus tard n'a débouché sur rien de concret.

Pire, les dirigeants de Yahoo! expliquent que désormais, c'est sa filière chinoise Alibaba qui traitera avec Pékin. «Un argument de voyou», réplique RSF qui demande à l'un des premiers sites mondiaux de ne plus opérer de service de courrier électronique sur le territoire chinois et par conséquent de rapatrier ses serveurs sur le sol américain. Objectif: que toute demande d'information émise par la police chinoise concernant l'un de ses clients soit approuvée par la justice américaine.

cafe nervosa

2006-04-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

so today i want to open a new coffeeshop

night's coffee, too far way
basse-terre coffee, too hip n young
heinous brothers , no comfy. bad cafe du jour.

ahab's. why is my corporate money going to the northwest?

so my new enterprise...cafe nervosa. i promise higher belgitude and a square of ghirardelli chocolate with every espresso beverage.

yummy, pue caffe lavazza, no BS local roasting stuff, i want venerable delightful italian coffee.

imagine nation

2006-04-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

growth of instability
in turn humanity

oh the humanity!

whichever is left. kindness without glory.

jesus washing his apostles feet

or pope benedict doing likewise tonight in San Giovanni Laterano

who is the truly noble one?

oh the humanities, legalities, trivialities, burdens of proof on the believer.
You speak blind caution into my eyes
Consider the love fulfilled in distance

the places, the ones whom you know you haven't fucked up by your actions.
still pure in your eyes.
Fiji of the heart.

to save what is not ours. to reckon our own troubled soul.

Glory fleeting, travesty of the way our fingers decide to graze the page. this is the page of deceit.

we are governed by our vulnerability
It is the shadow of the night that concludes every moment

sands of uncertainty cast themselves
and i walk beside them through this world i love

Frittata

2006-04-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Always on picnics at my Italian grandparents farm, my nona would bring a huge frittata served cold with pepsi or seven up and thinck Pugliese bread from Margherita Pizza. It is sublime in is delectable simplicity.

For two people

Ingredients:
4-5 jumbo eggs
1-2 Dry Italian cacciatore sausage in oil (optional)
8 mushrooms
a large onion, sliced
a large green pepper julienned
a medium zucchini sliced into thin discs
EVOO
S&P, dried chillies
Romano cheese grated

Tools:
Very large wide shallow skillet (non stick)
Spatula
A plate for flipping
Bowl for beating eggs.

First beat your eggs well, don’t add any water or milk please. Do put salt and pepper.

Heat you pan to medium high, cover the bottom with a good bit of olive oil and fry the sausage and vegetables (chilies optional) until all has browned. Now add the eggs. Spread the ingredients in the pan until all of the runny eggs are cooked. Check the bottom of the omelet, when it is vvery browned, flip over by sliding onto a plate. Add more oil if the pan is dry. and then using gravity to dump it back into the pan. Top with a delicious amount of fresh Romano cheese and cook until the bottom is browned well. Check the doneness by cutting inside with a fork.

This dish is best served cold with some pinot grigio or seven-up and tons of bread.

Ringbo deZwanseur encourages literacy

2006-04-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

Oranges

2006-04-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

can anybody describe the flavour of oranges in one word? i meditate by peeling one most days, just to totally enjoy the fragrance, as it lingers on my fingers.

i know mangoes taste like heaven, passionfruit tastes like the tropics. but what of oranges?

chocolate also is the mystery of deliciousness.
a far greater one.

Montreal Submarines

2006-04-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is a total local specialty, which i've only seen in quebec and eastern Ontario , I guess it is our local variety of the cheese steak sandwich, hawked by the dozens of greek/italian-owned pizzerias and several of the (also mainly greek-owned) hot dog restaurants of montreal; it is a delicacy which my father got me into. In town the quintessential sub chains are Vincents (especially on Rue Laurier Est) and the now famous Mikes restaurant. I suggest you go to the oldest most venerable locales to get this monster sandwich, personally I am Intensely partial to a little place calle the Jadrin Grec in the Cartierville (rue de salaberry near O'brien) neighbourhood or to Momesso’s in NDG.

Here’s how I make it at home, it ought to drip a bit if done correctly.

Ingredients:
2 pieces of sandwich steak
1 small onion or half a Spanish onion
half a green pepper
4-5 mushrooms
10 pieces of montreal pepperoni or kosher beef salami (no exceptions)
4 pieces of spicy capicollo
4 pieces of sweet ham (prosciutto cotto or Parisian ham please)
2 big pieces of provolone or a half cup grated mozzarella cheese
garlic
S&P, cayenne pepper
Oregano
Iceberg lettuce
Tomatoes
Thousand Island dressing or italian dressing

Tools:
Griddle or Electric dutch oven or very large wide skillet
Several plates
A nice long metal spatula

Heat up the Electric dutch oven to med/high heat

I take either baguette or long crusty rolls, cut into 7 inch sections in Montreal tradition. Preferably warm toasted in the oven.

Each section requires 1 small onion (a Spanish white for 2 sandwiches is best) as well as half of a green pepper, and a few mushrooms fried to death in the griddle (do not add salt until all is browned) with chili pepper. Salt lightly afterwards.
Put aside

Then you take some thin sandwich steak, fry it until it is brown on one side with tabasco, lea and perrins and garlic as well as salt and pepper. When you flip the steak, start frying the pepperoni, capicollo and ham until they become brown.

Now for the assembly: put the fried meat on top of your steak, then the cold cuts by the fried vegetables. Top it with 2 pieces of provolone (or some grated mozzarella) and let it cook until it melts. At this point squeeze the open bread onto the stack and carefully flip with a very long metal spatula (you could use two smaller ones, but who will hold your plate then? Who? I don’t know.) I like to put sliced pickled red peppers and Sicilian olives on this as well

Top this all with some shredded iceberg lettuce and a few pieces of tomato. Top with oregano and thousand island dressing (or Italian if you don’t like delcious orange glowing things). Serve with homecut fries and you have a montreal delicacy

Variation
You may also put Italian sausage on this sub, split down the middle and fried fully, just stack it in the place of the cold cuts in the assembly process

Goin for a dip with my toobers

2006-04-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Oui, mais moi je ne sais pas

2006-04-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Dumas-Je ne sais pas

Tes yeux ravivent le jour
Au coeur
Au coeur des mes nuits
J'ai gardÃ© secret mon dÃ©sir
Et pourtant comme l'aurore
T'arrives sans avertir

Je sais que les jours sont parfois
Longs parmi les hommes
Mais tu dois t'y faire pour t'y plaire
Je sais tu trouveras

Oui mais moi, je ne sais pas(x2)

Ne perds pas ton independance
Elle justifie tes absences
T'arrives sans avertir
Et jusqu'a l'aurore
Tu restes sans rien dire

Je sais que les jours sont parfois
Longs parmi les hommes
Mais tu dois t'y faire pour t'y plaire
Je sais tu trouveras
(x2)

Oui mais moi, je ne sais pas(x2)

J'ai comme l'envie de te dire
J'ai plus envie de fuir
Tu n'as plus envie de fuir
Mais jusqu'a l'aurore
On restes sans rien dire

Je sais que les jours sont parfois
Longs parmi les hommes
Mais tu dois t'y faire pour t'y plaire
Je sais tu trouveras
(x2)

Oui mais moi, je ne sais pas(x2)

c'est inncroyable, mais les accents francais (ainsi que la cedille et le tremas, et tous les symboles non-anglophones) n'existent pas sur ce mac.

dommage. on ne peut meme pas utiliser les codes alt+130 etc.

Englebert

2006-04-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

a belgian auto magazine from 1924

acquired at Ma maison en papier, mont des arts, bruxelles, BE.

the proprietor is Marie Laurence-Bernard

Promotional Film About Belgium

2006-04-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

the heart of europe

http://video.belgium.be/en/belgium.en.small.wmv

urville

2006-04-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.urville.com

c'est tout a fait incredule, il y a quelqu'un en france qui cree des villes imaginaires immenses

j'aimerais aussi avoir une documentaire sur ARTE TV.

meanwhile, everyone should try Cafe Trung Nguyen Coffee...mindblowing rich perfect french roast flavour (very close second to lou mitchells gold medal coffee i had in chicago).

with that crack caffeine feeling. the red bull of coffees.

this explains why vietnamese men are the heaviest smokers on earth.

Kashmir

2006-04-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

this is not a post about soft wool or a great Led Zep song.

watching a nbc video clip, i noticed that the map of india used to show the state of Punjab was missing entirely the state of Kashmir.

what is this? is it pakistani favoritism? is it tacit recognition of anm independent state of Kashmir?

is it a move to appease china, and its claim for askai chin (Ladakh in india, a primarily tibetan region, unlike the sunni muslim kashmir).

kashmir is part of india, and the borders have not yet been formerly recignized, the people of indian kashmir live in a true democracy, unlike the islamic dictatorship of pakistan (and its azad kashmir region).

Jai Hind!

Beyond the Circle

2006-04-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

May 7, 2001
Mark Sabourin

Beyond the Circle

The circle is a place and a state of mind.
Every 4 minutes, a routemaster bus goes the half-mile around the park. Poor civic planning caused this anomaly.
Beside the mailbox lives a poor soul. He has spent his entire life at 22b Victoria Circle.
The ladder came down. Winston Jones went up, dragging his tall thin body, rung by rung, this middle aged man was in very sorry shape. A clump of thin hair on his head, wearing his father’s old suit, shoes and ties.
His attic was full of interesting objects, rare antiques, jewels and momentos.
The transients came to the circle in search of peace, stability and escape. Most left after a few days, Winston’s parents were quite jet set. They were so worn out and stressed that they became trapped in the doldrums of life here. In this surreal hamlet, they bore their sole child, they schooled him at home and told him tales of deceit and sorrow. Winston learned only of the evils outside, never of the beauties. He has never left the roundabout.
Winton was feverishly looking for the most important thing in the attic, his sole living companion, Fluffy the cat. He was dismayed to not find the cat (who was given to Winston as a kitten) in his box. He searched through cardboard boxes, only to find albums of photos of his parents long ago. When they were younger, they skied in the “Alps”, where Winston senior broke his leg.
He lost his parents 5 years ago. They had been on the way to a doctor “A terrible person, who heals your wounds by hurting your pocketbook” as his parents had called them. His father’s heart was going and his mom was having dizzy spells. No one knows what happened to them. No one told Winston what happened outside the circle. They never returned. It devastated him incredibly.
After meticulously searching under the carpet, Winston concluded that his 7-room flat did not contain a cat. He could not call for help. There were no means of communications anywhere in the flat (no corrupt media in this house).
Time was measured in passing busses. It had little meaning to Mr. Jones. There were endless days without significant events.
Passing the front window brought back torrential memories.
As a child, Winston gazed out upon the frontier. He saw hordes of people. They were all terrible, hateful people. He saw a tower, it was dark and ominous. Was it the castle of a witch? He was afraid to find out. After that moment, he vowed never to step out of his surreal comforting dome.
The people and the spire were still there. In the distance, he could see a tail, it was the cat leaving the park, and heading right for the road.
It was a cold November day, 4 years ago. Winston was taking Fluffy out for his daily walk. It was quite an ordinary day, wet and foggy. Thankfully there wasn’t a typhoon (it has never before happened within the circle, but is quite common, he knew, in the tropical regions outside of it). There was a young woman sitting on the bench in the center of the park. She was sketching birds and trees in these peaceful surroundings.
Sandra came to visit the circle every day for several weeks. She was the first Winston ever met that gave him hope. She spoke not of terror and pain, as did the other transients, but rather of the joy and wonder to be seen outside and within this round prison.
Fluffy crossed the road; he snaked by a lorry. He was luckier than Sandra.
A royal mail truck hit Sandra while she was leaving the circle to buy some canvas. She was taken to a hospital, and was never to return.
Winston’s cat was the last thing on earth that he could trust. Winston lived on the only green patch of this dark planet, he knew this to be true from past experiences. He went to the attic, grabbed skis, jewels, a bathing suit, and a change of undergarments. He put on his parka (in case of a blizzard), a life jacket (in case a monsoon washed out the road) and plenty of disinfectant (fearing disease and pestilence). He went down the stairs, and began walking around Victoria Circle.
At a fast gait, he passed the antique shop, where he sold shiny objects for large sums of money, the small market, where he bought nearly everything, and finally the bus stop. He hopped on the double-decker, skis under his armpit, paid his fare and rode around the park. It was lush with trees and shrubs, covered in paths and it had but one bench.
In the park, three years ago, Winston gazed into the trees. How, he asked, could the birds that have flown in from outside be so cheerful? Their world was one of misery, yet they chirped continuously.
He met a great variety of people on that lone bench, all seeking tranquility. Some didn’t talk, yet others aroused his suspicion. They spoke of terrible things: robberies and murders, abuse and drunkenness, politics and insanity. That was why so many people came to the circle.
He never wanted to experience such things; he became locked into his hole, doomed to stay.
That day, for the first time, Winston did not ride around in a circle, he gathered the courage to get off at the unknown road. He had to cross 4 lined lanes, on a yellow path, he hoped to be as lucky as the cat. He walked slowly and stopped in the middle of the third lane, a red car running towards him. Courteously, it stopped and waited for the pedestrian. Winston traversed the street. He had fallen out of orbit and entered reality.
The birds were chirpier on this grand avenue, the clouds rolled away, the people were cheerful and friendly. “Fluffy”, he cried out, as he searched for his misplaced feline. In a corner, beside someone’s picket fence, Fluffy had found a partner, a stray, collarless cat. The world wasn’t all bad. He continued down the street, at the end of the block, he paused and stared into the vast, vibrant expanse.
Beyond the Circle lay a Square.

Epilogue

Winston loves to explore the world that he no longer fears. He continues to live at 22b Victoria circle, St. Peter’s church in the distance. He is no longer imprisoned. His space is shared with his parent’s old furniture, his 2 cats, 3 kittens and lovely wife (all healthy).
He enjoys spending days watching people on the terrace of an Oxford Square café. Winston sits and writes poems about the interesting folk, and Sandra makes sketches of them.

Belgian Lullaby

2006-04-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Goodnight my darling
May you dream of chocolate
And beer and eating mayonaise with frites
On the Grand place

Think of delicious mitraillettes
And succultent boulettes
And rolling rustic belgian hills
Where koalas and smurfs roam

Strangely Delicious

2006-04-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

yummm-o capicollo and cabbage on a jewish onion roll. brilliant!

Giulia

2006-04-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

Giulia - Gianni Togni

Genre/Lang. : Italian

Giulia oh mia cara
ti prego salvami tu
tu che sei l'unica
mio amore
non lasciarmi da solo in questa
notte gelida per favore
non vedi dentro ai miei occhi
la tristezza che mi fulmina
non scherzare
sto in mare aperto e mi perdo e tu
sei la mia ancora
ti prego sali in macchina
come faccio a respirare
cosa faccio di me senza te

Giulia oh mia cara
non riesco a mangiare
non dormo ormai da un secolo
non mi credi
senti la mia voce e' con questa
che ti supplico
tu che sei il mio angelo
non lasciarmi in mano agli avvoltoi
fai quel che vuoi
ma dammi il tuo amore

most fat laden fries

2006-04-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

where: double pizza. de maisonneuve and guy streets.

reason: they make these fries (mccain invisicoat im certain) in the same oil as their fried chicken and wings. marvelous, doesn't even need mayo!

from wikipedia:
"McCain foods has 20,000 employees and 55 production facilities in 12 countries spanning six continents. It processes 1 million pounds of potato products each hour and sells one-third of the world's frozen French fries products, in over 110 countries."

mccain also owns the american ORE-IDA frozen french fry line.

yes canada has cornered the world potato market!

This is my life

2006-04-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

from: Life magazine. Dec 28, 1936.

acquired in the Hawthorne District of Portland OR.

VITACIG

2006-04-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

holy shit. for the first time ever, ive seen japanese style cigarettes for sale in montreal.

"odorless" and "vitamin enriched", i didnt buy them, but they are most definitely blog worthy, as you know that smoking is harmful to your health, and this beautiful vita-pack (king size) comes with 50% full colour health warning!

A Sight for Sore Eyes

2006-04-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Twenty open boxes
In the world of infinite coffee and RAM
Screened reality
Epic Solitude
In the name of interaction
Four track mind
In an 8-track body

Our human consciousness must rise to the level of our technology

read ye everyone, thee blog of nicole

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

http://nekole.livejournal.com/

i certainly like it.

Advert

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

Sending the right message?

2006-04-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Israeli missiles hit PA compound
from: www.bbcnews.com

Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the strike on his Gaza offices
Israeli aircraft have fired missiles into the Palestinian Authority's Gaza City compound, near the offices of President Mahmoud Abbas.
The two missile attacks wounded two Palestinians and left deep craters near the Palestinian Authority offices.

Mr Abbas, who was reportedly at his offices in the West Bank at the time, has condemned the attacks.

Israel said it hit Mr Abbas' office and another site in north Gaza in response to Palestinian missile attacks.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said they wanted to "send a message" to the Palestinians that such attacks would not be tolerated, the AFP news agency reported.

Mr Abbas' spokesman condemned the attacks and called on the US and the West to intervene.

"This escalation will lead the area to more violence and instability," Nabil Abu Rdeneh said.

Gaza strike

Israeli military said they also struck an open area of northern Gaza used by militants to fire crude rockets into Israel.

Palestinian security sources said a man standing in a field in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza had been killed by Israeli fire.

Seven people in a nearby house were injured in the same attack, Palestinian sources said.

One of the injured was reportedly a six-month-old baby.

It is not clear if the Israelis and Palestinians were referring to the same incident.

An Israeli military spokeswoman told the Reuters news agency: "There was no intent to hit any homes and we have no knowledge that we struck any."

The true north strong and free!

2006-04-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

these are things which are legal in canada, but illegal in the United States

*absinthe, real absinthe
*drinking at 18
*downloading music (but not sharing it), theres a levy on every CD-R and DVD-R to repay the industry.
*cuban cigars: there is no way you will smoke another kind after (even cohibas dominican or davidoff seem sickly compared to the havana leaf, but thats my taste)
*pornography on late night television
*bawdy houses, orgies, live sex shows, lap dances.
*OTC codeine
*imported spirits are cheaper than they are in the US.

things that are legal in the states but not in canada
*betel nut (grey area in canada)
*handguns
*cigarettes in pharmacies, yay, they are cheap and no huge warning!
*OTC sleeping pills
*widespread ritelyn abuse in college.
*there is almost nil duty on domestic spirits. so get fucked up.
* you can buy a litre of coffee in one cup.

both countries are lotsa fun, just pick your poison.

North London Hasidic Blog

2006-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

here is an intersting blogger from stamford hill, north london. his verbal humour is quite amusing, his articles are quite substantial.

Constantly Striving for Higher Belgitude

2006-03-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

katelet

2006-03-31T18:38:00.000-08:00

dear american express,

how much is it for the katewinslet shown in your ad?

priceless?

she does look mighty comfy; can't see how an american express card has anything to do with her life of reading spiral-bound texts barefoot.

all-dressed bagel

2006-03-31T13:07:00.000-08:00

foodunit of the day: alldressed bagel (sesame, poppyseed and dried onion), very very delicious.

in new york they call it an everything bagel.
not quite everything though!

perfect with alwazah tea and a cocktail blend of Pampa Pineapple juice and Mazaa Mango.

umm fruit juice post cycling, cant get much better!

Familiprix

2006-03-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

familiprix, a quebec pharmacy chain has some of the funniest ads ive ever seen.

watch it here

thank you baron Haussmann

2006-03-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

!En Color!

2006-03-30T16:43:00.000-08:00

now with trams

2006-03-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

The Butteriest

2006-03-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

cookie recipe time:

this will scare the american heart association members.

preheat your oven to 300F (followed by metric equivalent, but in canada we have american stoves)

1/2 cup of cold cultured butter (lactancia/parmalat my country prefered)
cut into 1/2 cup of flour with 1/4 cup of sugar

add a teaspoon of salt (iodized please, i dont want you to have a goiter)
and a half teaspoon of baking soda

make sure the butter is well incorporated, then add one egg yolk and blend in well. adjust the flour content so that the dough has a consistency of marzipan

if you dont know what marzipan feels like, buy a tube at Lotsa Pasta, its about 5 bucks. and squeeze it through your fingers till you know how it feels.

finally, take an eigth cup of butter, cubed finely, and knead it into the dough. this butter will remain chunky and cold.

form the dough into cookies. about 2 inches across.

saupoudrez de sucre.

and then bake (it took me roughly 30 minutes, the edges will be brown and teh inside should be dry before serving)

and you will have the crispest flakiest butter cookies ever. the exploding butter chunks create such fine crisp layers. halfway between a farfale and a baklava.

serve with my butterscotch caramel.

progress

2006-03-28T22:22:00.000-08:00

working

2006-03-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

Peter Mansbrige

2006-03-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

In his interview with a high ranking hamas official:

What do you want from Canada?
Canada is not an insignificant nation!

lmaoooooooo!what?

is our backwards national inferiority complex everywhere?

Do You Like The Fish

2006-03-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

blasting the speakers

2006-03-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

when you see a friend's souped up honda/VW/mitsubishi/Nissan cruising down the main drag downtown, or along a suburbaqn thoroughfare, what do you expect more than Some heavy bass techno or sean paul music.

my choice for this ancient male ritual is "Party out of Bounds" by the B52s, this came about after a consensus with my friend Jason (skunch at gmail.com). other contenders aqua-lollipop candyman. toto- africa. haddaway-what is love.

whats your suggestion?

possibly the longest name for a chocolate bar ever

2006-03-26T21:23:00.000-08:00

Cémoi Chocolattier
Evasions

de chocolat au LAIT

Fin croquant de Nougat relevé d'une pointe de Gingembre et d'une Note de Citron

Escape

with fine milk choclate

crunching with nougat enhanced perfectly by ginger and a note of Lemon

this chocolate sounds amazing. i hope its good.

trip report:
12:35 pm
i just tasted it, its almost if you can imagine, a chocolate pizelle of such delicate proportions, its truly frightening. same enhanced sensory feeling as when tasting single malt scotch. incredible. this is more than chocolate.

this is only after one square.

imagine that you can't eat this quickly because the delight is paralyzing. such a rare and unique pleasure. wow, never before have i been so inspired by a chocolate (perhaps wawel milk, the first time. its so good)this chocolate truly would feed a poets spirit, awaken joy and pour laughter from the hearts. it is supremely satisfying. a complete form of chocolate

two squares

this chocolate deserves an epic poem, not such a tiny log, i love it. who doesn't enjoy a piece of chocolate.

Facing death in Sri Lanka and Thailand: Bollywood POV

2006-03-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

In her latest column for the BBC News website, Bollywood star Preity Zinta describes escaping two brushes with death.

'It feels good to be alive'

They say there are some moments in our lives which change us forever. These moments change the way we think, behave and view life and death.

They have just come and gone for me. And I am lucky to have come out alive and able to tell my tale. They are far removed from the glitter and glamour of my film life.

The first incident happened on a balmy night in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, on 11 December.

We are five minutes away from closing a mega Bollywood song-and-dance revue at the local cricket stadium.

There are kinetic stars on the stage, with 10,000 happy people in the stands enjoying the carnival atmosphere.

Dancers disappear

Bollywood hero Shah Rukh Khan is doing his gig with dancers.

I am waiting in the left wing for my finale. The music is pulsing through the audience, and the pyrotechnics are lighting up the inky black night.

They say there are some moments in our lives which change us forever

Readers' views on this column

Suddenly I see a man in the front row flying to his left. Then I see Shah Rukh looking to his right and left. Then I see the dancers disappear.

What is happening?

I stepped on the stage and leaned over. I saw a pool of blood in the front rows. The security men grab us from behind and ask us to leave.

A bomb has exploded in the front rows - two people are dead, more than a dozen injured. The concert has come to a bloody end.

The next few minutes are surreal.

As I am coming down the backstage stairway, all hell is breaking lose.

I see a woman with her arm blown off, bleeding and screaming "Someone, help me please". I see panicky people running in from all sides, and in the middle of this confusion, someone gropes me.

I am running for my life now in my red sequined cat suit with a silver belt saying 'disco' and glitter on my face. I am running for the car which will take us straight to the airport, where the flight to Mumbai (Bombay) has been held up for us.

'Vulnerable and fragile'

I reach Mumbai late at night, rattled and numbed. I am thinking how even as I was creating showbiz fantasy for the thousands of fans, somebody blew up a bomb in the stands and brought us back to cruel real life.

I do not know who let off the bomb or why they did it. All I knew it just made me feel very vulnerable and fragile. From the airport, I drove to a friend's place - still with glitter on my face - and talked into the morning about what a close shave it had been.

I thought the performers were very lucky to have escaped unhurt that night.

The blast in December ripped through VIP seats

But within two weeks, my busy life kicked off again.

This was the second moment - and the setting is the pretty Thai resort of Phuket.

I arrive in Thailand's largest island nestling in the Indian Ocean on 25 December. I have planned it as a perfect Christmas break, and am determined to make the most of it.

I decide to give myself all the sleep and rest I need after a frenetic year of films, commercials and shows - I have travelled to 50 cities around the world in the past year on work.

So I rented a lovely villa on stilts on the Bang Thao beach.

'Loud banging'

It is an apt setting for a quiet holiday: a crescent shaped bay, white sand, casuarina trees and a lovely breeze blowing into the bay.

On Christmas evening, I meet some friends, have dinner. I return to my villa at two in the morning, switch off my hand-phone and crash out.

I remember hearing a din in my sleep sometime later. I toss and turn in my bed, covering my ears and cursing whoever was making all that noise outside.

Then suddenly, there is someone banging on the door. Loudly.

Preity - 'I contacted my hysterical mother and told her I was safe'

I open the door sleepily to see my friend panting outside. "There's been a tidal wave. We must run!", he shouts.

I pick up my handbag and run along with him. I step outside the villa and there's water all around.

What is happening?

I have slept through the tsunami that has killed nearly 6,000 people on Thailand's coast, mostly in Phuket.

I have slept as two killer waves forced the hotel to evacuate guests from the island.

On the road to my friend's place, I see the havoc wreaked by the killer waves.

Phuket resembles a war zone. The road is full of debris. There are bodies lying everywhere.

People in surgical masks are looking for bodies. At a flooded supermarket I search for some candles to light up my friend's home - the electricity has gone off.

After the devastation, it is a beautiful quiet full moon night in Phuket.

But it is the peace of the graveyard: all the parties are off, and the dead are being counted.

'Dreaded water'

I made contact with my hysterical mother and told her I was safe. I said that as soon as I get a seat on a flight, I will be back home.

I decided to stay on.

I ended up spending eight more days on the devastated island, and saw survivors picking up the pieces.

I saw rescue work picking up speed. I find a German kick boxer in the neighbourhood, and I begin taking lessons.

The beauty of the sea restored Preity's zest for life

Then I do the unthinkable - for me, at least.

I go out into the deep sea off the Thai coast and spend four nights in a yacht near Similan island close to Burma.

All my life I have dreaded water.

I almost drowned twice when I was younger. I tried to take swimming lessons, but I barely swim now.

The tsunami should have made me stay away from the water forever. But I have I decided to try and overcome this fear.

The voyage is a reaffirmation of life.

I dived into the ocean with my life vest and swam. The sea is calm and blue. I am humbler, smaller and feel as vulnerable after two near escapes from death.

It feels good to be alive.

To read Preity Zinta's future columns, bookmark bbcnews.com/southasia

2006-03-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

more maps

2006-03-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

de Geograaf

Conceptual British Garden City

Waterfront City

nota bene

2006-03-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

The creativity fairy tried to escape my mind last night, she crashed into the window and now ive got fairy-goo everywhere.

TRAVEL

2006-03-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

central market bangalore

lazy afternoon in madurai

the tea hills near Munnar, Kerala

Raleigh Durham Post from City Skip

2006-03-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

mark alexander
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Posted: Mar 12, 2006 9:30 AM

i have been to a very scary city in North Carolina. It's Raleigh Durham.as you drive for miles along I-40, there is no realization that youre in a city. only massive congestion over 8 lanes. it is very difficult to drive even towards I-85, the web of roads is as confusing as london.the roads tend to be extremely narrow. new developments in RTP and Cary ahve shown extremely limited foresight. also, town centres are located 5-10 miles from the interstate along what i saw were generic and identical roadways. In terms of segregation, this city is one of the worst ive ever visited. wealthy areas, prosperous areas due to high tech and education have no communication or connection to urban slums i saw in Durham. ironically, public transit is free in chapel-hill, perhaps the wealthiest area i visited. why not over the incredible distances that people are willing to travel to procure goods or complete daily activities. everything involves a pretty long drive.I realize that this problem exists in nearly every american urban area.but is anyone afraid specifically of development in raleigh Durham. it scared me enough not to want to go anywhere further south in the country.
Nikko
F/31NEW YORK,New YorkInstant Message Send Message

Posted: Mar 13, 2006 9:18 AM

I've never been to Raleigh Durham, but I have heard about what you are describing. In the south (and in many areas of the west) most development occurred after World War II, after the car had become the dominant mode of transportation in the US. Ironically though, a lot of transit-centered/town center development prototypes have been pursued in these areas in more recent years (probably because the New Urbanism movement started in Florida and there is relatively cheap, available land in these areas, unlike the northeast).What do you mean by narrow roads? I would image that there would be a lot of suburban-style two-lane highways with a left turn lane in the middle. Although I have seen areas where developments went up along old farm roads that were never widened.
mark alexander
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Posted: Mar 13, 2006 10:02 AM

in cary, most thoroughfares are simply agricultural roads where older homes can still be seen with large clearing over the distance. the main access road from cary to the airport is 2 lanes, becoming 4 lanes near the interstate junction (congestion here is heavy when the interstate is jammed), people seem to wait in never ending traffic. the RTP development is most surprising, the only thoroughfare is a two lane agricultural road leading to I-40 with gradual improvements, especially near the campuses of major companies, you dont see building, only forest and signs indicating driveways. road development is occurring right now, the shoulder remains unpaved and rough. and there is no bicycle access.otherwise major roads are identical 4 lane divided and undivided roads leading through miles of forests withe the occasional service station or waffle house. highway junctions do not often have amenities liek macdonalds and other restaurants near the highway, it usually involves a few miles drive. why hasnt any planning really taken lewis mumford's the highways and the city into context?
Nikko
F/31NEW YORK,New YorkInstant Message Send Message

Posted: Mar 13, 2006 10:57 AM

I used to work as a planner in western New Jersey, where this kind of haphazard development has occurred. New Jersey is a home-rule state, meaning that land use is regulated on a local level, so as county planners all we could do is advise local officials on effective planning practices.As for the reason this kind of development occurs, in Jersey it’s very complex. First, it happens this way because it’s a simple way to develop land. You have a farm or meadow that a developer can go in and plop down some houses or some kind on non-residential use; they don’t have to worry about relating to the context beyond connecting to the closest road. And they don’t have to worry about the complexities of a mixed-use development (which, if you know what you’re doing, shouldn’t be that complex). Furthermore, this kind of development only requires simple land subdivision ordinances and a bare bones master plan to go with it – many rural municipalities don’t even have a full-time planner to attempt something more ambitious.Second, municipalities are hesitant to embark on more ambitious ordinances because of a fear of lawsuits by conventional, suburban-style developers who have an interest in maintaining the status quo.Third, property ownership rights drive the discussion on all levels. In order to create denser development in one area and preserve open space in another (i.e. create a town), you need to affect the land values of each area. The development potential (thus value) of the former area (the town) in most cases increases, while the development potential and value of the latter area (the open space) in most cases decreases. In New Jersey a new Transfer of Development Rights law was enacted to allow the development potential of one area be transferred to another, allowing land owners in both areas to be compensated equally (or as equally as possible). This requires a very long, expensive and often tedious planning process.Fourth, because of the top three issues, municipalities turn to environmentalism as a means to control development. They enact new ordinances that regulate the preservation of natural features (i.e. steep slopes, trees and woodlands, streams and rivers) to decrease the “impact” of development. In the end, this is a short-sighted, safe solution, since any kind of sprawling development affects a municipality’s infrastructure in the same way. On top of that, natural resource protection ordinances can be viewed as exclusive zoning, since they can increase the cost of development as well as the desirability of new development. In other words, these ordinances tend to produce luxury housing.Lastly, it is hard to get people to take the leap and change the way things are done. There are local officials who only know the status quo and want to stay in their comfort zone, as well as other community leaders, such as developers, realtors and bankers.They use the excuse of “this is the kind of development that people want because people are buying these properties” to justify keeping things as is. Views within the planning community have definitely changed, but it takes a lot to get bureaucracies to readjust themselves to a new paradigm.Damn.. guess this post got a little long..
mark alexander
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Posted: Mar 13, 2006 12:51 PM

the fact that raleigh durham is a series of seperate municipalities, with seperate plans, creates a serious consideration. with the development of the RTP, a subsiduary development occured in the city of cary, its development being to house affluent software staff. If planning regulations are difficult in existing municiplaities, maverick new areas suddenly race to the bottom, consistently lowering standards and giving developers an easy ride to build whatever houses the market will bear.the social consequences are great, simply put, every software campus requires a huge amouint of staff for maintenance, gardening of the immense grounds and cooking for example. these people continue to live in less accesible affordable areas, with zero effective transit to work. this class is kept down by the need to drive.also, its funny to note that the corporate buzzwords of tehse companies often include terms such as (working with our local and environmental partners-cisco systems), yet theyve delocalized themselves entirely from the neighbourhoods as well as creating their own microcosm of nature.

sirapomponisity

2006-03-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

be like the vapour
swallow my eyes
mystify
I can't see when im spinning into embrace

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

2006-03-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

superannuity! a big city is not a collection of smaller towns, but its own entire organism.

A book by Jane Jacobs, first published in 1961. whose ideas remain pertinent and critical of the entire society which has been created by the organization and planning of american cities. I will discuss only american cities which i have experienced.

"But look what we have built with the first several billions: Low-income projects that become worse center for delinquency, vandalism and general hopelessness than the slums they were supposed to replace. Middle-income housing projects which are truly marvels of dullness and regimentation [cf. agrestic], sealed against any buoyancy or vitality of city life. Luxury housing projects that mitigate their inanity, or try to, with a vapid vulgarity. Cultural centers that are unable to support a good bookstore. Civic centers avoided by everyone but bums [unfortunately too true of Louisville's library], who have fewer choices of loitering places than others [since when is loitering negative, streets should be condusive to hanging around]. Commercial centers that are lackluster imitations of standardized suburban chain store shopping [she said this in 1961, and they still put a panera bread and starbucks in every similar development]. Promenades that go nowhere and have no promenaders [the classic empty waterfront situation, sealed from downtown behind the expressway]. Expressways that eviscerate great cities. This is not the rebuilding of cities. this is the sacking of cities."

riposte

2006-03-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

And I scream above the noise
On my soapbox in the sky
And nobody need listen
Need hear a cry
Chastise the heartless vagabond
Who dwells only to be heard
Whose space is a messy garage
Whose blog is a desk covered in endless projects
Misrepresented
Cyber-lust, benchmark of toneless democracy

heard around montreal

2006-03-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

today's woord is schmeeze

it means "to smoke"

this word originates in the west island of montreal, it seems to be morrocan-jewish.

example in context: "yo, bro, let's go schmeeze that half joint in your pocket."

appartment

2006-03-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

here are some pics of my appartment on durocher street in montreal

Cafe Kafka

nearly

la course d'indianapolis

ringbo and friends present a guide to italian groceries

wager

on Babel

Trail, British Columbia

my life in four foods

As seen on SEXTV

yay, clueless is on

Common Canadian Energy Sin

Publicité

Antiques Roadshow

Klimt Record

this came out of my brain last night

that's not a knife

that's not a knife

Coronation Street Moment

grubby

Ukraine tea

skyline

a world of difference in two images

imagine

Lissitsky

blue period gallery

treatise on fatty meats I

surprise incense

city-w=Westgate/Aurora district

henry beck motorway map

Hassan Massoudy

KRAS NOVO super milk- eastern europe chocolate tour

the homeless are everywhere

saucy wednesdays

Sweet Europe

breakfast fear-eal

emilio sabourin

Do I look like my great grandfather?

bugles churros

bluggage reading club log

a human hand-like radish

island

I do love a nice steamin demi-tasse in the morning

Lipstick Expressionism

a letter of protest to the C-J

thunder over louisville-or ultimately why war is wrong

the USA in good company

La maree

the irony

Deux videos pour denoncer Yahoo!

cafe nervosa

imagine nation

Frittata

Ringbo deZwanseur encourages literacy

Oranges

Montreal Submarines

Goin for a dip with my toobers

Oui, mais moi je ne sais pas

Englebert

Promotional Film About Belgium

urville

Kashmir

Beyond the Circle

Belgian Lullaby

Strangely Delicious

Giulia

most fat laden fries

This is my life

VITACIG

A Sight for Sore Eyes

read ye everyone, thee blog of nicole

Advert

Sending the right message?

The true north strong and free!

North London Hasidic Blog

Constantly Striving for Higher Belgitude

katelet

all-dressed bagel

Familiprix

thank you baron Haussmann

!En Color!