Ah, almost as good as being there... Miami Book Fair International is on CSPAN2. (BookTV) right now. Wow, I *really* wish I could be there. So wonderful... the second largest Book fair in the world, just a few miles away. I really have to go next year, if possible. I'd have to commit myself to a certain dollar amount before going, though... I could see myself blowing a *huge* chunk of change if allowed to run unchecked. I've been glued to the channel since landing on it about 1pm today. some great speakers, and I really want to buy a number of the books the authors have been speaking about now.
Two in particular stand out and are going on my wish list -
Donovan Webster, "The Burma Road: The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II"
Eric Schlosser, "Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market" (same guy that wrote Fast Food Nation)
Both authors are also wonderful speakers, and really draw you into the topics at hand.
I wonder sometimes about our modern, automated society. When did pre-made clothing become the norm? 19th century? Before that, for the entire history of man wearing clothes, clothes were all tailor made if the funds were available, or put together at home, if you weren't. Just amazing to me, the little things, sometimes. I take sounds for granted, too. Imagine someone from three hundred years ago.. a time of mostly silence save for sounds that animals and humans made right then (maybe wind chimes?) . Now we've got cars, and radio, all sorts of machinery making noise. One has to consider if it'd be deafening to the visitor, given what he was used to.
sartjee: the hottentot venus "Abducted and brought to London in 1810, this young South African girl was put on display at pubs, fairs, museums and universities because of her 'unusual' physical appearance. A debate ensued between abolitionists and those who wanted to study her from a scientific point of view. She died at the age of 25, and her skeleton remains in a Paris museum."
maggot art "Children get hands-on experience with insects that most people find truly disgusting -- maggots -- while creating a beautiful piece of artwork to share with others."
Looking at my
Clustermap, and I'm a little tickled at how small the world is. Of course, North America is heavily represented, especially in the Northeast and California given how LJ is skewed in that direction.
Just out of interest, I set up the
with a map, too. Without even introducing the meme to the community, the globe is really peppered with members. I don't know if I'll mention it to the community, because it seems rather off-topic, but I'd love to see the whole community represented there.
Of course, for humility, I checked out the paidmembers map, too. That's an impressive number of strikes.
Random Scotto Factoid - If you toss candy corn into the time honored mix of salted peanuts and chocolate chips (pseudo trail mix) you get a taste almost exactly lake a Baby Ruth candy bar. Warning, wickedly fattening. First discovered this mixture after Halloween / before Thanksgiving in 1984.
I also like ketchup on eggs.
Arab culture and civilization new encyclopedic site.
Did the cartoon network wait until the lunar eclipse to show the "Eclipso" episode of Justice League, or is it just a remarkable coincidence? All and all, a mighty fine episode. (and I'm glad that Cartoon network is showing the full-hour shows, rather than "part 1-part 2" format. As for the Eclipse, it was pretty neat, what I could see of it.
The Clone Wars 'toon wasn't bad, but it was weirdly short. I wasn't expecting it to be 3 minutes, 30 sec, but it may've been just as well.. I don't know if it could hold up for a half hour. The animation style struck me as rather like the old Clerks cartoon.
DMB was good on SNL last night, though the skit comedy was sort of blah. I'm not really up on famous tennis players.
More and more bad Matrix 3 reviews are rolling in from trusted sources... I may wait until it's out on video. That's a pity, because I liked the first one, and the second had some fine moments. (I do want to see the All-girl Bazooka crew, though.)
Something positive on the Screen... A good Movie seen lately- The Lady From Shanghai (1947) by Orson Welles, starring Welles and Rita Hayworth. Superb. If you like noir, you can't go wrong here. I may pick it up on DVD to keep. I give it a 9/10.
I was in a deep torpor last night...don't recall my dreams that well, but I woke up with another ten hours of sleep under my belt. The fact that the body can shut down so completely amazes me.
I plan to try this out soon... maybe tote it to thanksgiving dinner?
WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP (via Joy of Soup)
2 cups chopped onions
1 Tbsp oil (I use olive)
1/2 tsp cayenne or other ground dried chilies (or to taste)
1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups chopped sweet potatoes
4 cups vegetable stock or water
2 cups tomato juice (use V8)
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar (or equiv sweetener. I'll use splenda)
1 cup chopped scallions or chives
Saute the onions in the oil until just translucent. Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger. Add the carrots and saute a couple more minutes. Mix in the potatoes and stock or water, bring the soup to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
In a blender or food processor (or with one of those cool hand-held soupifyer beater stick things), puree the vegetables with the cooking liquid and the tomato juice. Return the puree to a soup pot. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Taste the soup. Its sweetness will depend on the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If it's not there naturally, add just a little sugar to enhance the other flavors.
Reheat the soup gently, to prevent scorching. Add more water, stock or tomato juice for a thinner soup. Serve topped with plenty of chopped scallions or chives - Important.
Mirror Universe version on my journal. (Mirror any site you like)
Freeware Film / Literary Fonts (Especially note Harry Potter, Godzilla, Clockwork Orange (orange clock), and Willy Wonka)
Man creates Tomacco Plant...
"Baur grafted a tomato plant onto tobacco roots, and voilą, he had a real, live tomacco plant. The two plants can successfully become one because they come from the same plant family, which also includes eggplant and the deadly nightshade. The tomacco even bore fruit, although Baur said he believes it's poisonous because it likely contains a lethal amount of nicotine. "
