Beauty Is In The Ear Of The Beholder

Music is in the air in more ways than one. The birds are starting to sing outside because of the warm weather. The kids are still being forced to sit in front of the piano 30 minutes a day to practice. And Number One Son's recorder arrived in the mail. I'm not talking about a tape recorder. I think some antique shops may still have one of those left. Otherwise, the ones that haven't made it to the landfill are at the museum.The recorder I'm talking about is the black flute we all tried playing in grade school music class. Apparently, the school offers recorders for purchase complete with music book and CD. So now we can enjoy all of the squawky, whistley, ear piercery beauty of the recorder in the comfort of our own homes.We get to hear Hot Cross Buns, Merrily We Roll Along, March of the Recorders and many more timeless (outdated) classics. If I can find a recorder book of Green Day songs, I'm buying it at any cost.N1S has a certain advantage in that he has taken piano lessons for a few years and can read music. But even with this talent, his playing has prompted this plea from his little sister.Everyone's a critic. I don't know where 'You are my king' came from.N1S 'rockin' out on the recorder. I told him, "Chicks dig a guy in a band."

Tempeh

Only this past month or so have we been eating more tempeh. We have found that it is a good ingredient for veggie burgers, "meat" patties, pastas, and sandwiches. It's also better in nutrition than tofu, because it is made of fermented soybeans and is not as processed as tofu. (Although tofu is still nutritious and we love it!) Tempeh is a good source of protein, riboflavin, magnesium, and other nutrients.We made tempeh meatlessballs from happyveganface, and they turned out delicious. Kind of like Veganomicon's bean balls. We think this would be a great recipe to make many times and change up the herbs and spices. These balls were delicious with spaghetti - organic tomato sauce, onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, herbs, and olive oil. Another tasty way to eat the meatlessballs - in a wrap!At the health food store/cafe in Salem, we enjoyed a tempeh-salad sandwich. This would be nice to recreate at home - a little herbs, mustard sauce, bell pepper, shredded carrots, and celery served on rye bread with lettuce and tomatoes!More tempeh delicacies - tempeh "sausage" patties for breakfast! We adapted the recipe from Vegan Chef, and while it was a great idea and tasty, it was EXTREMELY salty (and we even cut down the Bragg's/salt). Next time we will make this with less salt and enjoy it with hashbrowns and biscuits for a real "Southern" breakfast.For future cooking, we have eye-balled these tempeh recipes:Tempeh Sloppy JoesWhite Bean Tempeh Sausage GravyTempeh Miso Breakfast PattiesWhat are all your favorite ways to enjoy tempeh?Enjoy your evening!

Obama full of jabs at reporters' annual dinner

WASHINGTON - President Obama joked about celebrating the "10-day anniversary of my first 100 days in office" at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday."In the next 100 days, I will be so successful, I will be able to do them in 72," joked the president. "I will learn to go off the prompter, Joe Biden will learn to stay on the prompter."Obama called his first 100 days a "whirlwind of activity. We enacted a major economic recovery package, we passed a budget, we forged a new path in Iraq. And no president in history has ever named three commerce secretaries this quickly."The annual event, which draws a mix of journalists, celebrities and political figures, took over the Washington Hilton, where just months earlier Obama and wife Michelle danced to At Last at the Youth Inaugual Ball."Now that I'm here, I think I'm going to try something different," Obama said. "Tonight I want to speak from the heart," he said, as a teleprompter conspicuously rose to surround him. It wasn't the first time at the event for Jon Bon Jovi, who attended during the Clinton administration. "I think that the president gets to let his hair down for the night," said the rocker, who also performed at Obama's inauguration. "In a weird way, he worked for two and a half years getting elected, getting the transition team, getting change into effect...now, for one night only, let him make fun, be made fun of," said Bon Jovi.That job went to the Wanda Sykes, the evening's entertainment, who made certain the president took some ribbing."It's hard to poke fun at the president. He's so likeable," said Sykes. "Even the media...It's funny to me, they've never caught you smokin' but they somehow always catch you with your shirt off."Sykes hailed the president's efforts to maintain a normal routine. He's "taking the first lady out on dates...I wouldn't be surprised if I walked by the White House and saw you mowing the lawn," she cracked during her roughly 10-minute comedy routine. The commedienne, who drew a standing ovation from the crowd, didn't pull any punches: "The first black president. That's unless you screw up. Then it's going to be 'What's up with the half-white guy?'""I thought that when you got into office you would put a swift end to your pickup basketball games. I mean, the first black president playing basketball. That's one step forward, two steps back!"Even the former president wasn't spared. "President Bush, man, he knows how to leave town. We haven't heard anything from him! He left like that houseguest who breaks something in your house and gets out of there before you find out."For members of the media, the dinner offers a chance to mix and mingle with Hollywood elite. "It's like D.C. prom, for adults," said Elizabeth Banks. But the actress, who recently wrote a column for The Huffington Post, isn't calling herself a reporter anytime soon. "I'm a blogger really, that's all. I'm probably the problem, I'm one of the reasons traditional news media is going to die. It's all going to be my fault."Ashton Kutcher and wife Demi Moore attended as guests of CNN, who Kutcher beat last month in a race to have one million Twitter followers. Was he Twittering the event? "There's no Wi-Fi in here," said a disappointed-looking Kutcher from inside the ballroom. It was a family affair for Kyra Sedgwick, who came with husband Kevin Bacon and daughter Sosie. "It's kind of a mob scene but I'm really enjoying my table. Unfortunately my husband is at the People magazine table but not unfortunately because he says he gets the award for the strangest name table: Ludacris, Sting, (Jon) Hamm and Bacon," said Sedgwick. "But I have a nice table. I'm enjoying talking to everybody. I'm thrilled to be here. It's a lot of fun."For James Franco, who hasn't been to "D.C. for years," a pre-dinner cocktail party provided him with an opportunity to meet the President and a chance to pick up a few pointers. "I guess he's supposed to give the commencement speech at Notre Dame and there's been some protests, and I'm supposed to give the commencement speech at UCLA, my alma mater. There's been some protests from my former fellow students, so he gave me some advice about the speech." As for the presidential tips, Franco isn't sharing. "I'm saving it for my speech!""The craziness is positive," said Tyra Banks amidst the throngs of people. Banks spoke highly of the first lady: "She's my new role model." After the dinner ended, the partying continued. Christian Slater, Eva Longoria Parker, Owen Wilson, Matthew Settle, Forest Whitaker and Ludacris stopped by the Capitol File after party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Bloomberg and Vanity Fair, who typically hold seperate fetes, combined forces this year and held a reception at the home of French Ambassador Pierre Vimont. The smaller, intimate affair drew A-listers including Bon Jovi, Kate Walsh, Jason Wu, Amy Poehler, Hamm and Rashida Jones.

Howdy Strangers

Oh dear, time seems to have been flying by, I hardly know where to start! The last month has been a roller coaster ride of travels, elections, exhibitions, hardcore political discussions on facebook, and very excitingly, planning a trip to Turkey and Bulgaria!So, in no paticular order, here are some images from the last month..... A trip to the Addo elephant park on Easter Sunday was a delightful outing....strangely enough, for us, although we loved the elephants, the highlight for us was the meerkat family, their synchronised antics had us in stitches!Of course, the big news of the month was the election on 22nd April, and it was preceeded by the usual hoopla and promises. Cope came to the party late, due to lack of funds, so while the election posters of the other parties faded on the lamp poles, Cope was noticeably absent, but went big near the end and wrapped whole buildings!Also on Easter weekend, there was a family day rally to celebrate family values.We had more encounters of the wild kind this weekend, when we took our grandson to meet the big cats at the Seaview Lion Park. I am not crazy about caged wild animals (I will never own a bird in a cage for the same reason) but these are well looked after, and the cages are huge, so it wasn't too bad or depressing to see them there. One interesting aspect of the place is their program for breeding the extremely rare white lions. They are not albinos, but have a recessive gene for the blonde colouring. Some of the tawny lions in the park carry the gene, so that they sometimes produce white cubs in their litters.there were also three Bengal Tigers, which must be the most magnificent of all the cats, although this chap was hardly putting on much of a show for his species, he was totally blissed out after lunch! Meanwhile this lioness was waiting for her lunch with great anticipation. And this guy was having a bad hair day!Another adventure during the month was to go with my friend Julie and her daughter Nana, who had decided to conquer her fear of heights in dramatic fashion, by doing the world's highest bridge bungy jump. It was actually a lot of fun, they had disco music pumping under the bridge which created a great atmosphere in combination with the adrenilin of the jumpers, well done Nana! This guy went twice! Don't look down! The Bloukrantz Bridge, about 2 hours to the West of Port Elizabeth.I also had a trip down to East London (about 3 hours the other side of Port Elizabeth, to the East) In fact to the East in more ways than one... because one of the arty events was the opening of a wonderful exhibition by 4 leading Chinese artists, I just adored their work.I also attended the AGM of our National arts body SANAVA and got to meet the heads of several other galleries and art bodies around the country, and even a delegation from the Portuguese Art School in Mocambique. It was a very inspiring weekend. Another exhibition opening I attended during the month was that of Lizo Pemba (on the right)at the Red Location Museum. He is the grandson of the legendary Eastern Cape artist, George Pemba. I had previously met his father Titus (third from the left) who is a character of note, so it was an entertaining evening!So I'll end this update with one of the lovely sunrises we have seen lately, and the bonus is, since winter is almost here, we don't have to get up obscenely early to enjoy them!Thanks for the visit. Please note that all photos are clickable if you want to see them full size.

In China's quake zone, pain and anger

ANREN, China - From the famous pig that survived under rubble for 36 days, to a water bottle used by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he toured devastated buildings and schools, the Wenchuan Earthquake Museum seems to have it all.There are crushed cars, battered toys and discarded school backpacks legacies of the magnitude-7.9 earthquake that, a year ago today, killed as many as 90,000 people in southwestern China. Yet the museum, which opened Monday, contains no mention of what continues to be the quake's biggest controversy: how schools collapsed in disproportionately high numbers, killing thousands of children and infuriating parents who still blame shoddy government construction practices.The omission is intentional, says Fan Jianchuan, the museum's founder. He backs the Communist Party's version of events: that the quake was a tragedy but the government responded effectively, and a probe into possible abuses would only upset the nation's prized stability."We must leave problems like this for history to resolve," Fan says.Across Sichuan and other hard-hit provinces, entire towns and villages are being rebuilt in one of the most ambitious disaster-relief projects ever undertaken. Many who lost children or loved ones are trying to move on. Yet it is clear that despite initial hopes that the earthquake would lead to greater transparency in government and maybe even justice for the dead China's culture of political secrecy and total social control has emerged from the tragedy as strong as ever.Zhou Siqiang, who lost his 15-year-old daughter at the Juyuan Middle School, says he tried in vain for months to get an explanation from local officials for why the building collapsed when many nearby did not. He says police then began watching his movements, and that they stopped him and other parents from visiting the school site in April for China's traditional "tomb-sweeping" festival, when the dead are honored.Zhou says he fears the police might try to keep parents away from the school again today, when the government plans to commemorate the anniversary of the quake with events that are almost uniformly forward-looking and positive such as breaking ground on construction of a middle school for residents of Beichuan, the city that was hit hardest by the tremor, losing an estimated half of its 20,000 population.In a report released last week, human rights group Amnesty International documented several cases of illegal detention of parents and harassment of the activists and lawyers who have tried to help them. Among them was Wang Xiaodong, 37, a businessman turned activist who says he had to flee the area after police began tracking him in April for investigating construction standards at schools.The authorities "worry the (truth) will be exposed, so they waste money and manpower watching me and my parents," says Wang, who has relocated to Shanghai. He says he wants to avoid the fate of Tan Zuoren, a local writer who called for volunteers to compile a list of dead students and has been detained since March 28.A rapid reconstruction Since the BeijingOlympics last August, the world has become accustomed to China executing mammoth construction projects in almost unthinkably short periods. The post-quake rebuilding effort has been no exception.The government has spent about $52 billion on new buildings, highways and other infrastructure, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. Another $100 billion is planned on projects that include the reconstruction of Beichuan on a site 20 miles away.Ramsey Rayyis, head of the American Red Cross in China, says he is "overwhelmed" by the speed of reconstruction. "I've never seen a response like that in anyplace I've been," says the 20-year Red Cross veteran. He says he was most impressed by the disease prevention teams that were set up on the sides of roads after the quake, and the pride of citizens who were helping their country.Generous help also has flowed in from abroad, including the United States. Cash and relief materials from domestic and foreign donors has totaled $11.2 billion, the Chinese government said Monday."The American public should feel pleased about how their money was used," Rayyis says.The speed of home reconstruction is "amazingly fast," agrees Canadian Steve Ross, deputy director of training and quality services for Canada Wood, an industry group. Ross has worked in the quake zone since January, helping rebuild wooden homes in the village of Gaoba. "It's pretty phenomenal that they have built so many houses in such a short time," Ross says more than 1 million of them, the Chinese government says, to help shelter an estimated 5 million people left homeless by the quake. "In North America, we have all those bureaucratic channels. Here, if they want to build something, then they do it, without jumping through all the hoops we have to," Ross says.Progress on the political front has been much slower. The government initially tried to appease grass-roots anger by promising a thorough investigation of the collapsed schools. In March, though, the deputy governor of Sichuan, Wei Hong, declared that the "most direct" reason for the collapses was the sheer strength of the quake that no building codes, however stringent, could have prevented the tragedy.That view was echoed by Zhang Pengcheng, a civil engineer from Xiamen University in southeastern China, who spent almost a month last May in Sichuan as part of a government team assessing which buildings were safe to inhabit. He says schools are inherently weak structures. "Each classroom requires a large space with few columns and big windows, which reduces their resistance to earthquakes," Zhang says.Liu Zuoming, head of Sichuan's justice department, recently was quoted in the Shanghai-based magazine Oriental Outlook as saying he did not support further investigations into who was responsible for the building collapses. Local and national officials have preferred to focus on the improved safety standards of new schools being built."They will be used as emergency shelters in any future earthquake," Zhang predicted proudly.The psychological damage That look-to-the-future message doesn't always appear to work, even for government workers: Three Sichuan officials who lost relatives in the quake have committed suicide during the past year. Volunteer psychiatrist Liu Meng has spent the past year helping survivors in one of thousands of temporary housing units that still dot the affected region, which is about 1,200 miles west of Beijing. Liu says he tries to avoid the issue of school collapses, focusing instead on expectant and new mothers many of whom lost their only child under China's strict family-planning policies, and are now trying to rebuild their families."Many women miscarry because of mental problems," says Liu, who was so affected by the disaster that he left behind a practice in Beijing, where he was earning $145 per hour for consultations, to help give free help to quake victims while he lives off of his savings."I don't try to make them forget the disaster, but I want my patients to know their role," he says. "They still feel, 'I am a mother who lost a child,' but I tell them, 'You are a pregnant woman who cannot let excessive sadness harm your child's health.' ""Some mothers feel their child has returned, but I tell them each child has their own life and identity. They cannot be replacement babies," Liu says.At night, Liu's cellphone still buzzes with anxious callers, often suicidal.Last October, Jiang Ling called and talked with Liu for hours. "I wanted to end my life; I have no relatives left, it's just me," says Jiang, 23, who lost 13 relatives, including her mother and 2-month-old son. Her mother had taken the infant out for a stroll moments before the quake hit. "I needed to talk to somebody."Jiang, who says her life was spared when her third-floor apartment collapsed on top of the ones below it, says she is still haunted by what might have been. "If I had spoken to my mother and baby for just one more minute, if I had cared for them for one more minute, maybe they would be alive, too," she says.The bodies of Jiang's mother and baby have not been found.'It isn't over yet' Jiang was among those who visited Beichuan on Sunday, as the government opened the sealed ruins for four days of mourning. Amid thousands of grieving people, some of whom set off firecrackers and burned imitation paper money for their dead relatives, Jiang wept as she placed flowers and a cake near her old home.Dai Guohong, 19, who lost his legs when his middle school collapsed and killed half of his classmates, has relied on his sense of humor to get through the pain. Pointing to his prosthetic limbs, he says that in the past he shied away from Beichuan's annual fire-walking festival. "Now I can walk barefoot on the flames," he jokes from his hospital bed. Psychiatric consultant Liu Meng predicts a long road to recovery. "The whole of Chinese society must keep on caring about this disaster. It isn't over yet," he says. "We can clear up the rubbish and the ruins, but the ruins in people's hearts need 20 years to rebuild."Zhou Siqiang, the parent who lost his 15-year-old daughter, says it will be difficult to move on until there is justice for the school victims.He's not hopeful."I never get a reply from the government," he says. "I don't care about the compensation. I just want someone to take responsibility."Contributing: Sunny Yang

The LLVLC Show #230: T.S. Wiley Discusses Her Book 'Lights Out'

T.S. Wiley is an expert on some unorthodox hindrances to weight lossIs it possible that the technological advances we have seen over the past 100 years may be causing us to get fatter, sicker, and more tired than ever before? Think about that concept for just a moment. Over the past century, we have seen the invention of electricity, the light bulb, computers, and modern-day conveniences while obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome have reached astronomical levels like we've never seen before. Are the two indelibly related? My podcast interview guest today certainly thinks so.In Episode 230 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," we are pleased to welcome T.S. Wiley to the podcast to discuss the concepts in her book Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival and her Wiley Protocol web site which focuses on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. T.S. is a strong supporter of low-carb living, but she takes it a step further. For many people, they are using lights that are much too bright for their living needs and it keeps them awake much longer than they need to be. She encourages turning the lights down low (no overhead lights that would mimic the sun), lighting candles, eating dinner early, going to bed within two hours of sunset, and take melatonin supplements to help them create more ketone bodies and lose weight--just by sleeping when it's dark and waking up when the sun rises in the morning. Plus, hear why you might need hormone replacement therapy whether you are a man or a woman.There are FOUR ways you can listen to Episode 230:1. Listen and comment about the show at iTunes:2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site:3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 230 [37:10m]:4. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via PodlinezSubscribe to the RSS feed or you can click on the "Subscribe" button at iTunes. If you are having trouble, then watch this video tutorial from my producer Kevin Kennedy-Spaien. How about the concepts shared by T.S. Wiley? Are you convinced obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome is connected to light? It's a compelling argument she makes and I'd love to hear what you think in the show notes section of Episode 230. You'll want to get your own copy of her book Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival and bookmark her Wiley Protocol web site to get even more from this dynamic woman who is helping people improve their health naturally.On Thursday, Tanya Attebery will be here to talk about her book entitled Fat-Haters' Club. If you've ever been overweight or obese, especially as a kid, then you'll connect with what Tanya has to say during this interview. I look forward to sharing it with you!PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF THIS PODCAST! If you have not already done so, please go to the iTunes page for my podcast, click on "Write a Review" and share what my podcast means to you. THANK YOU for sharing your comments about the show and how much it has enriched your low-carb lifestyle. We'll keep doing what we're doing as long as you keep listening!One last thing: We've added a "Donate" button to my various "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" projects by special request from quite a few readers and listeners who would like to support the work I am doing to spread the positive message of low-carb. If you like what you have seen and heard on my sites, then we'd appreciate any financial support you could give us. Click on the button below to make your donation now:THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Tempur-Pedic Mattress

Seven of the best sites about Tempur-Pedic mattresses. Know of another site that should be listed here? Leave your suggestion at the bottom of this page. (Related searches: Tempur-Pedic BellaSonna, Memory Foam Mattresses, Allura Bed) 1. Tempur-Pedic Sleep Systems - Official Tempur-Pedic site shows you all the mattress styles you can buy online, including the Grand Bed, the BellaSonna, the Allura Bed, the Celebrity Bed, the Rhapsody Bed, the BellaFina Bed, the Prima Bed, the Deluxe Bed, the Classic Bed and of course the Original Bed. Get an overview of each mattress as well as prices and whether the mattress is available in King, Queen, Twin and other sizes. Some mattresses also offer an adjustable base. Elsewhere at this site is information on the Tempur-Pedic mattress overlay / topper that you can use on an existing bed or for travel, and Tempurpedic pillow, cushion and other products. You can try a Tempur-Pedic mattress in your home free for three months. (www.tempurpedic.com) 2. Tempur-Pedic Bliss - April, 2009 blog post from the Fort Worth Weekly says of the Tempur-Pedic mattress: after three nights of sleeping on it, I’m pretty well convinced it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. (www.fwweekly.com) 3. More on the Tempurpedic Mattress and Box Spring - May 9, 2009 blog post discusses a problem with a Tempurpedic mattress split foundation  it squeaks at every movement by the sleeper. And getting a whole new foundation didnt correct the problem for long. (newyorkrenovator.com) 4. Advanced Performance Mattress Protector by Tempur-Pedic - Also known as a mattress pad, made by Tempur-Pedic to fit their mattresses. (www.tempurpedic.com) 5. Tempurpedic Mattress Reviews at Viewpoints - See what others who have bought and slept on the Tempur-Pedic mattress you are considering have to say about their purchase. Write your own review if you own a Tempurpedic mattress. (www.viewpoints.com) 6. Tempur-Pedic Mattresses at Relax the Back - You can order a Tempurpedic mattress online here, including the Solution Bed, the Celebrity Bed, the Rhapsody Bed and more. You can also buy just the Tempurpedic foundation piece if need be, and youll find related products such as a memory foam topper. In addition to online, you can use the store locator to find real-world stores where you can try out the mattresses before you buy. (www.relaxtheback.com) 7. Find Local Tempurpedic Dealers - If you want to try out a Tempurpedic mattress before you buy, go to this page to find a dealer / retailer near you. (www.tempurpedic.com) More related searches: Select Comfort other tags: Temperpedic, matress