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7.28.13 … summer and popsicles … ahhh …

Tags: healthy popsicle recipes, King of Pops popsicles, popsicles, Zoku | Quick Pop Maker

popsicles, healthy popsicle recipes:  i am a big fan of King of Pops popsicles but they are $2.50 at the hand truck and $3.00 at Whole Foods, so I think I will get my Zoku | Quick Pop Maker out again and try some of these recipes! Strawberry Shortcake Greek Yogurt Popsicles

In the sweltering summer heat, ain’t nothing like a popsicle to cool you down.

via 6 Healthy Popsicle Recipes That Put Your Neighborhood Ice Cream Truck To Shame (PHOTOS).


7.28.13 … “Suburban” – an attempt “to create a moving statement around Western ideas of home and turning them into symbols you can react against.” …

Tags: "Suburban", Ian Strange, National Gallery of Victoria, Suburban Street Art

Suburban Street Art,  Ian Strange,  “Suburban” , National Gallery of Victoria:  Glad it’s not my neighborhood … But maybe that’s the point.  Do you think the artist’s name is really Ian Strange? Bold street art projects are usually reserved for the confines of a sprawling urban center such as New York City or Los Angeles. But thanks to Australian artist Ian Strange, the suburbs are getting their own taste of public interventions.

For an upcoming exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria, Strange is presenting a combination of film and photography that documents seven site specific artworks, all taking place in suburban neighborhoods. The series — simply titled “Suburban” — explores how radical aesthetic adjustments can bring the vigor of city street art to the comfortable setting of middle America.

To create his jarring artworks, Strange and a crew of volunteers traveled to Alabama, Ohio, Detroit, New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire, painting– and sometimes burning– houses in an attempt “to create a moving statement around Western ideas of home and turning them into symbols you can react against.” Watch the video above and let us know what you think of “Suburban” in the comments.

via Suburban Street Art Like You’ve Never Seen It Before, Courtesy Of Ian Strange (PHOTOS).


7.28.13 … somethings are not “better than nothing” …

Tags: better than nothing, Dead Man Down, movies, Red Box

You’ve heard the phrase, “it’s better than nothing.”  Well, somethings are not.  Last night, John went to the Red Box and brought back “Dead Man Down.”  He said there was just nothing in the Red Box. He was right.

This movie was a gangster shoot to kill movie with a romantic twist that was inevitable.

Read a book.  That is always better than nothing.

Such is “Dead Man Down,” a thriller that piles on its absurdities so fast and with such apparent obliviousness that you hope (pray) you’ll soon be watching either a diverting art-film intervention, like Werner Herzog’s remake of “Bad Lieutenant,” or joy riding with one of those rarest of screen delights: the demented howler. “Dead Man Down,” unfortunately, turns out to be too innocuous to qualify as either actually good or delectably bad. Yet while Colin Farrell and his sensitive, hardworking eyebrows help keep it from becoming a full-bore lampoon, the gangland clichés, nutty plot and seemingly random casting choices (F. Murray Abraham, Armand Assante, Isabelle Huppert) stoke your hopes that true movie madness may rise out of the darkening shadows and pessimism.

via ‘Dead Man Down,’ Starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace – NYTimes.com.


7.27.13 … George Alexander Louis: history of a name …

Tags: CNN.com, FYI, George Alexander Louis, history, Royal baby name

Royal baby name, history, George Alexander Louis , CNN.com, fyi:

The world finally knows how to address the latest addition to the British royal family: HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.

The baby boy is third in line to the throne, after grandfather Prince Charles and father Prince William. Here’s some of the history behind the young prince’s three names:

Royal Baby: What’s next?


“George” — the front-runner before the announcement, according to many UK bookmakers — was the name of Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, who reigned from 1936 until his death in 1952. He assumed the throne on the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. His life was depicted in the Oscar-winning movie “The King’s Speech.”

Baby’s name is steeped in royal history The royal aunt and uncle Excited crowds welcome royal baby boy

Photos: Other famous Georges

George I, born in Germany, became king in 1714. He was followed by a line of kings with the same name, including George III, who was known for his bouts of insanity.

The name is also a patriotic choice for many in the UK: Saint George, patron saint of England, is known for his legendary defeat of a dragon in the third century. His feast day is celebrated on April 23, (the date also associated with the birth of William Shakespeare, England’s most revered writer).

Despite its royal connections, George has humble origins, derived as it is from the Greek name “georgios” meaning “earth worker” or “farmer.”

Other historical Georges: composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), first president of the United States George Washington (1732-1799), and the Pacific explorer George Vancouver (1757-1798). Authors Mary Anne Evans and Eric Arthur Blair also chose George as their pen names: George Eliot (1819-1880) and George Orwell (1903-1950) respectively.


This gallant title means “defender of men,” from the Latin form of the Greek name “Alexandros.” Alexander III of Macedon (356-323 B.C.), better known as Alexander the Great, courageously ruled and conquered many parts of the world before his untimely death at age 32.

The name “Alexander” is a feature of the Dutch royal family: Willem-Alexander ascended to the throne after the abdication of his mother Queen Beatrix earlier this year.

Other historical Alexanders: English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744), American statesman Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), Scottish-Canadian explorer Alexander MacKenzie (1764-1820), Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) and Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-born inventor of the telephone.


The name “Louis” originates from the English and French interpretations of the German name Ludwig, which can be interpreted as “renowned warrior.”

Louis was the first name of Lord Mountbatten, uncle of George’s great-grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mentor to Prince Charles. He was killed by the IRA while holidaying in Ireland in 1979.

No British monarch has been named Louis, but it is very popular across the English Channel in France, where 18 kings have taken the name from 814 onward. Louis XIV, the Sun King, reigned from 1643 until 1715 and was hailed by many as the greatest monarch of his age because of the growth in French power and the opulence of his court, which included the Palace of Versailles.

Louis XVI was the king of France from 1774 until 1792, when he was found guilty of treason after the revolution and executed in 1793.

Other historical figures named Louis: French scientist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895); Métis leader Louis Riel (1844-1885), who led a rebellion against Canada; and Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), who wrote “Treasure Island” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

via Royal baby name: The history behind George Alexander Louis – CNN.com.


7.27.13 …The North Pole: scary … heirloom tomatoes: so ugly, but so good … “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in, and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” John Muir (1838-1914) … Abraham Lincoln on grief: I must die or be better, it appears to me.” … bacon, cashews, and nut butter energy bar …

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, best energy bar ever, canada.com, cashew-and-bacon rice cake, Clay Macaulay, condolences, food - wine, Grief Relief, heirloom tomatoes, homemade whole-food bars, John Muir, nutrition, OutsideOnline.com, quotes, recipe, The Feed Zone Cookbook: Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes, The North Pole, times of grief

The North Pole, canada.com:  This is scary. The north pole, that great bastion of eternal cold and barren ice, is a lake.

It’s a shallow lake. It’s a cold lake. But it is, actually, a lake.

According to the North Pole Environmental Observatory, the summer ice is melting away at unprecedented rates. The sea of snow is now meltwater.

via The North Pole has a lake on top of it today | canada.com.

heirloom tomatoes, Food & Wine: heirloom tomatoes … so ugly, but so good. Tomatoes These incredible recipes highlight juicy summer tomatoes and include superstar chef Mario Batali’s brilliant solution for redeeming out-of-season tomatoes.CLOSE

via Tomatoes | Food & Wine.

Clay Macaulay, John Muir, quotes:  Loved this quote from Davidson friend Clay …

As Pam and I return to the home we love, after the most meaningful of journeys…the wisdom of John Muir speaks to me. He said:

John Muir (1838-1914).

Abraham Lincoln, condolences, times of grief, Grief Relief:  Man has a way with words.

Lincoln felt the full depths of grief. He wrote, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I can not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me.” (He wrote this in his grief at the end of his relationship with Mary, whom he later married.)

via Abraham Lincoln’s Condolences in Times of Grief – Grief Relief.

recipe, best energy bar ever, nutrition, OutsideOnline.com, homemade whole-food bars, cashew-and-bacon rice cake,  The Feed Zone Cookbook: Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes:  bacon, cashews, and nut butter energy bar … Hmmm … So Lim created homemade whole-food bars instead. He’s published his favorite recipes—including these cashew-and-bacon rice cakes—in his new book The Feed Zone Cookbook: Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes. Lim says the savory combination of bacon, cashews, and nut butter is a counterbalance to all the sugary options on the market, and the extra protein is optimal for long training sessions. “If you’re looking for convenience, this isn’t it,” Lim says. “It’s about a better way to fuel.”

via Recipe for Best Energy Bar Ever | Nutrition | OutsideOnline.com.


7.27.13 … doing research on Bruce Feiler’s Walking the Bible …

Tags: Bruce Feiler’s Walking the Bible

Bruce Feiler’s Walking the Bible: I am doing research on Bruce Feiler’s Walking the Bible.  Anyone read it?  What impressed you?

“How would you like to take a trip where supposedly where some great biblical personalities voyaged?”

Although WALKING THE BIBLE: A JOURNEY BY LAND THROUGH THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES authored by Bruce Feiler certainly does not qualify as a scholarly treatise, it nonetheless merits reading. For many of us it will initiate a new appreciation of the Old Testament as well as man’s relation to God.

The author, guided by the Israeli renowned archaeologist, Avner Goren, attempt to retrace the Bible through Africa and the Middle East. Their travels are not only geographical in character, but also spiritual, that invariably piques our curiosity. Using the FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES, also called the Pentateuch (from the Greek word meaning five-book work), as a kind of road map or compass, we voyage to Turkey, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Sinai and finally to Mount Nebo in Jordan where supposedly Moses dies.

From the very onset we are informed that there is no archaeological evidence to relate any of the events in the Five Books to specific places. In other words, if we use the Bible as a map we would be facing often-contradictory claims of history, myth, legend, archaebiology, paleozoology, and faith. For example, there are many theories as to where exactly Mount Sinai is located. Moreover, the exact path the Israelites pursued through the Sinai has never been determined.

However, even with all of these shortcomings, the author and his guide undertake a “topographical midrash, a geographical exegesis of the Bible.” As pointed out, “in Judaism, the traditional process of analyzing scripture is called midrash, from the Hebrew meaning search out to investigate; in Christianity, this process is referred to as exegesis.”

The voyage kicks off in Turkey, and from the very onset the author perceives the land of the Bible as reaching up to him and touching him, “elbowing aside my preconceived views of the Bible as a sterile collection of stores set in places I couldn’t see, involving characters I couldn’t relate to, experiencing desires I didn’t have. What emerged was a vibrant view of the Bible as a collection of living tableux, set in actual places, involving genuine people, experiencing the most basic human desires: the longing to live in a place, with their own beliefs and their own aspirations.” The author arrives at the realization that he actually is part of the story and he casts aside the notion of the Bible as something of a metaphor. The actual experiencing of the scenery of the dessert, the mountains and the Sea, as well as the interrelation with the peoples inhabiting the various countries visited serves as a reinforcement of this insight. The viewing of ancient sites such as the Pyramids and coming into contact with the Bedouins, definitely can invoke powerful emotions.

One of the shortcomings of the book is that from time to time I found the author wandering in his thoughts in the same manner the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years! In all probability the book could have been shortened with less of the author’s introspection and self-questioning that at times I found irritable and monotonous. There was also a tendency to resort to trite descriptions of landscape features that should have been avoided. However, notwithstanding these deficiencies, the book is informative as it briefly touches on many disciplines including geography, history, religious study, sociology, anthropology and archaeology. If you are planning a trip to this part of the world or if you are an armchair traveler, the book will prove worthwhile and enlightening.

Reviewed by Norman Goldman

Posted July 14, 2002

via The Best Reviews: Bruce Feiler, Walking The Bible Review.


Walking the Bible Timeline

via Walking the Bible . Timeline | PBS.


7.27.13 … another MegaBus fan … Zombie Marie Curie … re Paula Deen: “It points to the fact that race is at the heart of Southern food and you can’t avoid it.”

Tags: history, MegaBus, Mrs. Charles, NYTimes.com, Paula Deen, Southern Cooking, Southern culture, Zombie Marie Curie

MegaBus: So somebody else is a MegaBus fan! The Megabus describes itself as a “safe, convenient, low cost, daily express bus service that offers city-to-city travel … in luxury single and double-decker buses.” Not only are the buses comfortable, but Megabus provides free wi-fi and an electrical socket while you are traveling down the highway. Did I mention they have a bathroom on board, too? This means no pit stops like you waste time doing when traveling by car.

The bus departs from Charlotte Transportation Center at three different times each day and arrives at Union Station in the middle of DC in about seven and a half hours, including pick-up spots in Raleigh and Richmond, and a 30-minute food pit-stop.

My round trip ticket to Washington, DC cost $70. I chose the 10pm bus and arrived in Union Station at 5:30 the next morning. I had two seats, so after checking my email, I laid down on the extra seat, curled up in my blanket, and slept the whole way. No security lines at the airport, no swearing at other cars in traffic jams, and no baggage claim.

via No car? No problem! | DavidsonNews.net Guide.

Paula Deen, Mrs. Charles, history, Southern Culture, Southern Cooking, NYTimes.com:  This is not looking good … but is this broad statement, “It points to the fact that race is at the heart of Southern food and you can’t avoid it,” true?  I think this  limits the Southern cook.

Mrs. Charles realizes that her time with Paula Deen is over, and that she will soon leave her kitchen. But the relationship will always be there.

“I still have to be her friend if I’m God’s child,” she said. “I might feed her with a long-handled spoon, but, yeah, I’m still her friend.”

via Paula Deen’s Cook Tells of Slights, Steeped in History – NYTimes.com.

Zombie Marie Curie:  “Zombie Marie Curie” — a fun and thoughtful look at women and science from cartoonist Randall Munroe of xkcd.