Zukay Live Foods review

Yesterday I arrived home from work to find that Scott, Cathy and Jacob Grzybek, from Zukay Live Foods, had sent me a complimentary shipment of six jars of their raw, naturally fermented salsas and relishes. These are fresh, whole foods that have been fermented with friendly lactobacillis bacteria, preserving the food and giving it the same healthful benefits as yogurt. I received mild and hot salsa, garlic relish and horseradish relish. These products are supposed to be good for digestion and general health, literally bursting, as they are, with life. Scott, Cathy and Jacob use no chemicals or preservatives—just a small bit of raw apple cider vinegar in the relishes. The jars came with a warning that because the contents are a live food, they may exhibit activity as the jar is opened. We experienced this with the hot salsa as it became a mini-volcano and rose up an inch out of the jar and over the edge! I was prepared with a spoon and bowl to quickly corral the runaway salsa. My son assisted me with tasting these products, drawing on his vast experience with chips and salsa. He thinks chips and salsa are the main ingredients of a healthy diet, so I was eager to get his opinion.



I don't think you can fairly compare these products to the more commonly available salsas and relishes on the market. They are kind of different. They have a slight fizz, for one thing, and they are lacking the strong vinegary and salty taste of commercial products. When you sample these foods, you can absolutely taste the fresh veggies and herbs that went into them. The relish tastes clearly of fresh cucumber and the other ingredients in the mix. It's like a little burst of summer.



I'd have to agree with other reviewers that the hot salsa is lacking the heat you might expect from a hot salsa. Both the mild and hot varieties tasted very mild to me. They were pleasing, but not at all spicy, so if you are looking for heat, this may not be your best choice. The flavor grew on me as I sampled it, and I particularly enjoyed the "hot" salsa. It was more textural and interesting than the mild. The two relishes (garlic and horseradish) were yummy, with all of the flavors in good balance. I had garlic relish on my tempeh at dinner tonight and it really added sparkle. My son loves hot and spicy foods and these were a bit too subdued for his taste.

Thanks to Scott, Cathy and Jacob Grzybek for including me in their sampling program.

GOP's Man is Steele

In the 2nd most important political moment of the month, the Republican National Committee yesterday elected former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele as our party Chairman. The 50-year old Steele, elected on the 6th ballot after a spirited 3-man battle, thus becomes the first-ever black American to hold the top position within the Republican Party national governing body. Steele, who has been charged within the party by some of his rivals as being a closet social liberal immediately set the tone by stating unequivocally that "Conservative principles have made us the strong and proud party we are." Only the most ideologically far-right wing members of the party would try to make a case for him being anything other than conservative, as Steele has always espoused solid conservative principles even as he has occasionally taken more moderate positions on particular issues. His election shows that the majority of the party wishes to retain those conservative values while also being unafraid to show moderation when situations warrant, not for political expediency, but out of common sense. "It's time for something completely different and we're going to bring it to them," Steele said in referring to the Republican Party and its relationship to all Americans. "We're going to bring this party to every corner, every boardroom, every neighborhood, every community." Michael Steele is a family man, he and wife Andrea have two sons, Michael and Drew. Steele was born in 1958 at Andrews Air Force base and grew up near Washington, D.C., and interestingly enough has a sister who was once married to former boxing champ Mike Tyson. Always studious and a leader from an early age, Steele was named to the National Honor Society in high school and elected his class president. He won a scholarship to the prestigious Johns Hopkins University and was elected as the freshman class president there. He received his degree in International Relations in 1981, and then his life took a very interesting turn. He entered the seminary and for three years studied for a life in the Catholic priesthood at Villanova University, serving for a short time as a teacher at Malvern Prep. Ultimately this was not his calling. Steele entered the Georgetown University Law Center and obtained his law degree there, and as he entered into private practice he also began to become involved in Republican political activities. In 1995, he was selected as the Maryland Republican Man of the Year, and he went on to serve in delegate positions with the RNC at both the 1996 and 2000 national conventions. In 2000, he was elected as Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, and in 2002 as the Maryland Lieutenant Governor under Governor Robert Ehrlich, becoming the first African-American to hold these positions. Steele then ran for a Maryland U.S. Senate seat in 2006, only to be wiped out in a 55-44 margin by Democrat Ben Cardin as opposition built against the policies of President George W. Bush. He recovered in February of 2007 when he was elected to be the chairman of GOPAC, the Republican Party's largest political action committee. Steele is considered to be a likely candidate for either the Maryland Governor position, or a Senate seat in the 2010 elections. As the head of the RNC, Steele will have tremendous influence in the direction that the Party takes in moving forward. On the Iraq War his position has been that we need to withdraw and allow the Iraqis to control their own destiny, but that we should set no firm timetable for this withdrawal, and instead allow circumstances and conditions on the battle fields determine how and when this should happen. On energy policy he has called for rescinding the gas tax, and for greatly increasing research into alternative fuels. On taxation he has called for further tax cuts, making those now in place permanent, repealing of the death tax, and adherence to "sane spending guidelines." He has not been in favor of socializing health care, but instead has favored increased access to quality health care through Health Savings Accounts and other methods. Not unlike the original 'Man of Steel' (Superman), the GOP's new leader faces a daunting assignment against a difficult foe as he tries to lead our Republican Party back to power at both the state and federal levels. Steele has shown himself to be a strong, intelligent, articulate, principled leader during his lifetime. Michael Steele has all of the tools and talent to lead the Party back to prominence, but it will take the combined efforts and cooperation of all Republicans and conservative thinkers to make it happen.

It's Easy to Root for Kurt Warner

He is 37 years old now, which is getting pretty long in the tooth for an NFL starting quarterback. He is also a decade removed from his first trip to the Super Bowl, when he led Dick Vermiel's Saint Louis Rams to victory and was named the MVP of the Super Bowl. He also won the first of two NFL MVP awards that season. The midwest boy, born and raised in the Iowa corn fields, grew into one of the most accurate passers in the history of the National Football League. But perhaps more importantly, Kurt Warner grew into a leader of men, and a strong, positive example for mankind. That's a mouthful to say about a football player, but the Arizona Cardinals quarterback is far from being your normal high-profile athlete. First, that football career. Kurt Warner stayed home and played college ball at Northern Iowa. He was not able to win the starting job there until his senior year when he was named the Gateway Conference Player of the Year. Still, the NFL did not come calling. Warner went undrafted in 1994, and so he went to work at a grocery store. In 1995 the local Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League offered him a contract, and over the next three seasons he played well enough that he was considered the best quarterback in the AFL. The officials with the Saint Louis Rams noticed, gave him a tryout, and signed him to a contract for the 1998 season. Warner spent that 1998 season riding the bench and went into 1999 expecting to again be a backup. But an injury to starting quarterback Mark Bulger gave Warner an opportunity, and just as he had at Northern Iowa and with the Barnstormers, he made the most of it. Warner went on to an MVP season with the Rams, passing for more than 4,300 yards with 41 touchdown passes. He was named the NFL MVP, led the Rams to victory in only their 2nd franchise Super Bowl (their first in St. Louis), and was named the Super Bowl MVP as well. In both 2000 and 2001 Warner was again one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, and he won his 2nd NFL MVP award after that 2001 season. Then the career wheels fell off. Nagging injuries drove Warner to the trainer's room and to backup status. He left the Rams for the Giants, and then moved on to Arizona, all the while becoming more and more viewed as an aging, injury-risk, backup-type quarterback who was now just a shell of his former greatness. Coming in to the 2008 season, Warner was expected to be backup to young phenom Matt Leinert. But it was Warner who was healthy and shined in the pre-season, and it was Warner who was named the starter by coach Ken Whisenhunt. He was phenomenal, passing for over 4,500 yards and 30 TD passes. He led the Cardinals to their first NFC West championship, and now will lead the Cards franchise into it's first-ever Super Bowl on Sunday. Warner has thus gained a trip to the Super Bowl for both the city of Saint Louis and their former longtime Cardinals team. He may very well win his 3rd NFL MVP award. With this season and his latest trip to the NFL's biggest stage he has likely cemented his place in the Hall of Fame. But all of that only tells a part of the story, for it is Kurt Warner's personal life that has so endeared him to teammates and fans alike. Let's go back to those days when Warner was undrafted and stocking groceries for a year, prior to the AFL giving him his first shot at pro football. The story is told like this. Kurt was a stockboy at the supermarket when one day a new voice came over the loudspeaker asking for a 'carry out' at register four. Kurt was almost finished, wanted some fresh air, and decided to go answer the call. As he approached the checkout he noticed a new girl working there. As the girl smiled at him he thought how beautiful she was, but also that she was older. Turns out she was 26, while Kurt was only 22 at the time. He found out that her name was Brenda, and after work he offered her a ride home, which she accepted. When he dropped her off Kurt asked if he could see her again outside of work. She said that it wouldn't be possible, but he pressed her and she responded that she had two small children. Kurt was unfazed and volunteered to pay for a babysitter and so Brenda agreed to a Saturday night first date. However, when Kurt arrived she told him that she wouldn't be able to go because the babysitter had called and cancelled at the last minute. Kurt was again unfazed and told her that they could take the kids out with them. She again said that it wasn't possible, and again Kurt pressed her for a reason. As Brenda called out, her cute-as-a-button daughter came running, and Brenda went to get her other child. She came back with him: a wheel-chair bound son who was born with Downs Syndrome. "I still don't get it, why can't they come out with us?" Warner asked. Brenda was amazed, believing that most men would have seen this as their opportunity to bow out gracefully but quickly. After all, her husband had left when he found out about the disability and it's responsibilities. But Warner wasn't like most guys. They went out together that night, and any time that the son needed help, Kurt was there to provide it. Brenda and Kurt fell in love, were married a year later, and Kurt adopted her kids. Where did Kurt Warner get this fortitude, this maturity? It turns out that Kurt Warner is an open, out of the closet, wear it on his sleeves Christian. Kurt Warner, you see, has been touched by the Holy Spirit and has never been ashamed to talk to anyone about his love of Jesus Christ. His teammates on the Arizona Cardinals, as with anywhere else that he has played, have always been both moved and inspired by the depth and openness of his faith. Many of them have come to the Lord and been saved by his direct example and his willingness to share his beliefs with them. So as you can see, there are many more reasons to be a fan of Kurt Warner than simply because he is a great football player. Despite the fact that he beat my Philadelphia Eagles to get here, on Sunday evening I will be rooting for Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals to win the Super Bowl over the Pittsburgh Steelers. When you know the whole story, it's easy to root for a guy like that.

Lost Opportunity to Teach Charity

Two small private schools that were little-known outside of the Dallas, Texas area were thrust into the spotlight last week. The Covenant School girls basketball team put a whuppin' on the girls from Dallas Academy, a whuppin' to the tune of 100-0. You read that right, Covenant scored 100 points in a high school girls game. That might be worth talking about under some circumstances. Most girls basketball contests end with the winner scoring in the 40's or 50's, so scoring 100 points shows that you either have an outstanding club, or the other team was really bad (at least in comparison), or some other freakish thing occurred such as a multiple overtime game. In this game, we can blame all of the above. Covenant is a Texas state-championship contender, Dallas Academy is not very good, and there was indeed something freakish afoot here. But that freakish event was not some multiple overtime thriller in which one team scored those 100 points and the other scored in the 90's. No, Dallas Academy scored zero points. None, nadda, zilch. They came up empty. They put up a donut. Nothing on the board, no balls through the hoop. Think about how hard this 100-0 thing is to have happen. There are 48 playing minutes in a regulation girls high school basketball game. Each basket is worth two points. To score 100 points, Covenant was scoring at better than a basket per minute throughout the game. Meanwhile, Dallas Academy did absolutely nothing. I overheard someone commenting on this game, that it would likely never happen in a boys game. Their reasoning was that at some point boys simply wouldn't have taken it any more, and there would have been a physical penalty inflicted on the leading team by the losers that would have slowed down the pace, or ended the game. Yep, he was talking about fighting. It isn't right either, but his point was that at some point the losing boys team would have taken matters into their own hands and let the winners know that the embarrassment had gone too far. At 10-0 you are off to a good start. At 20-0 you have taken complete control of the game. At 30-0 you have almost no chance to lose, especially at the high school level. At that point, and arguably far earlier, you have shown that your talent level is no match for the other squad. You probably have already gone to your 'bench', meaning you have put in your backup or substitute-level players and they have continued the dominance. At some point around this time, any further building of your lead has a simple phrase in the sporting world that describes what is happening: piling on. This is where Micah Grimes got it all wrong. He is the Covenant girls basketball coach, and his response was that "it just happened." Pardon me, Mr. Grimes, but something like a 100-0 sporting event between young girls can never 'just happen'. Rather as the coach you allowed it to happen. This was a teaching moment that someone in charge of our kids is supposed to take advantage of and use to better their lives. Long after the embarrassment of being on the winning side of a 100-0 game subsides, the lessons of a 50-0 victory could have been felt, perhaps for the rest of the lives of some of the girls involved. This was a moment to teach the virtue of charity, the generosity and helpfulness for the needy or suffering, the gift for a public benevolent purpose, the idea of benevolent good will. Grimes was in control. He controlled what was said to the girls on the sidelines. He controlled their playing time, both in this game and in future games. He had the ability to put on the brakes. What could he have done? He could have told his girls to walk the ball up the floor on every possession. He could have told them to play soft defense and allow the Dallas Academy girls to setup plays and take shots. He could have pulled a couple of his key on-court leaders aside and made sure that the girls stayed with this program on the floor. There are ways to handle this type of situation without making it look like a joke or a Harlem Globetrotters game. The fact is that the result was already settled, all that remained at a certain point was to determine the final score, and to determine how this level of a blowout would be remembered. Grimes should have taken this opportunity to speak to his girls about these very ideas of charity, generosity, good will, benevolence, and sportsmanship. He could have built his halftime speach around it. He could have reinforced it at every stoppage of play. He easily could have made the girls understand that they were in a unique situation, one that they may never be in again in their playing careers. He could have let them know that this was a one night reduction in their playing level intensity. There was obviously no real competition available to them here. He was wrong to say that it just happened. He allowed it to happen. In fact, he directed it to happen. He had his team keep up full pressure until the 100-0 mark had been achieved. From attendee accounts it was very obvious that the score was something that was seen as a goal as the game unfolded. Afterwards, coach Grimes felt no guilt or shame. The school, on the other hand, got it right. They fired Grimes in the immediate aftermath, the same day as the game, and issued a public apology. For his part, Grimes remained steadfast in disagreeing with the apology and saying that "Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy." He got the first part right about a lack of compassion. But his team lost it's honor and integrity as they continued to effectively kick a person lying on the ground. How they showed any respect at all to Dallas Academy is beyond me. This was not a professional game where players are paid and must accept the consequences of any game. This is a high school where athletics are supposed to be only one part of a learning process for the kids involved, from players and cheerleaders to spectators and even disinterested students. Micah Grimes may have been just a coach at Covenant and not have had the official title of teacher, but he failed in that a big part of the job of every high school athletic coach is exactly that - teacher. He missed a huge opportunity to teach his girls, and his school, about charity. For the resulting magnitude of that failure, Grimes deserved to lose his job, and no high school should consider hiring him until he admits his mistake, shows that he truly understands its ramifications, apologizes to all involved, and takes steps to prove that he is ready to move forward with an adjusted mindset. There is never a need to sacrifice charity and compassion simply for winning a sporting event.

Obama-Dem Mistake #2

It's bad enough that the United States supports by law the murder of our most innocent citizens, the helpless babies aborted by the millions each year simply to make their parents lives a bit easier. As we discussed last week during the 'March for Life' recognition, with the 'Roe vs. Wade' decision by the SCOTUS in 1973 the U.S. began officially supporting the legality of most forms of abortion. But now we are no longer happy with actively supporting this policy creating a culture of death in our own country. Now we are actively supporting the policy worldwide, not just with ideals, but with taxpayer dollars. During the administration of perhaps the greatest President of the last century, Ronald Reagan, the 'Great Communicator' instituted what became known as the 'Mexico City Policy'. In this policy, Reagan made it clear that any recipient of U.S. foreign aid would not be permitted to promote abortion as a method of family planning. According to ABC News, the American "government under Reagan would not provide funding for family planning services to clinics or groups that offered abortion-related services overseas." When Bill Clinton was elected the policy was overturned, but it was reinstated under President George W. Bush and has been in place for the past eight years. In renewing the policy, President Bush stated "It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad." This past week, on the January 22nd anniversary of the 'Roe' decision, new U.S. President Barack Obama again reversed the policy. In announcing his decision, Obama once again made the classic liberal Democrat philosophical and moral mistake. He only recognized one party in this process when he said that the decision "protects women's health and reproductive freedom", ignoring the rights and the very life of the unborn child who it is his sworn duty to protect to the best of his ability. The closing of Guantanamo Bay highlighted in last week's 'Obama-Dem Mistake #1' article is likely to result in American deaths. This decision on allowing taxpayer funding of overseas abortions will absolutely result in the deaths of Americans and foreigners. It is hard to believe that any self-respecting Catholic could possibly support Obama or any congressional Democrat who would actively and outwardly support the murder of innocents as a key part of their agenda. It is another clear difference in liberal and conservative positions in American politics. It is a moral stain on the American way of life. And it is clearly the 'Obama-Dem Mistake #2'. As each one is highlighted and explained you can click on the below label of that name to see the full listing of the accumulated mistakes of the Obama administration and the Democratic congress that is supporting them.

Octuplets? That's How Many?

There is nothing like a new life being welcomed into a family to bring up the spirits of everyone involved. My niece Cheri Clegg, my wife Deb's sister's daughter, was admitted to a hospital over in New Jersey today in order to have her 3rd child. She was overdue and has been in our thoughts and prayers, and we are very much looking forward to meeting the new entry into the family. It was just six months ago that my eldest daughter, Christine, brought my grandson Reznor Lloyd into the world. It is blessed events like these that grow and sustain a family, and we look forward to even more grandchildren, nieces, and nephews in the future. Just yesterday, at the Bellflower medical center in California, a woman gave birth and her family also grew. Why the interest in a California family welcoming a new birth? Well, that birth involved the family welcoming not one child, but multiples. No, not twins, not even triplets. Nope, not quadruplets, quintuplets, or sextuplets. That would be six, by the way. Do you even know what they call a 7-baby birth? I didn't, I had to look it up. That would be septuplets. But no, the California woman had even more. She gave birth to what might end up as an American first should they all survive. They are only the 2nd set of octuplets to be born alive in this country's history. The first set was born to the Nigerian-born American citizen Chukwu family in December of 1998 in Houston, Texas. In that birth, one of the babies, the tiniest, died of heart and lung failure at one week old. The other 7 survived despite being born three months premature, and are all healthy, happy 10-year olds now. Can you imagine what that family went through, and still goes through, in raising ten children of the same age all at once? I had two little girls when I was 19 years old, and I thought that I had it tough. This octuplet thing is beyond anything that most any of us could ever fathom. In this latest octuplet birth out in California, the 8th baby was a complete surprise even to doctors and hospital staff, who had been preparing for weeks for the arrival of what they all believed would be septuplets. The 8th baby was not discovered until well into the birth process, which was by Cesarean section. Dr. Richard Paulson is the director of the fertility program at USC and stated "When you hear about someone having octuplets, it's almost always the case that they took fertility medications". In many cases of fertility drug-induced multiple births, couples make a life or death decision involving their children and opt for what is known as 'selective reduction' of the unborn babies, reducing their number to a level of what they and their doctors determine to be manageable risk. The other babies are effectively aborted. So despite the obvious challenges and risks, to hear of a couple taking all of their babies through to the birthing process is both encouraging and inspiring. Both over the next few days and on into the future, this family is going to take on many challenges and is going to need as many prayers as possible from the wider human community, so take the time to say a little prayer for them. Octuplets? That's eight babies, in case you didn't catch the idea yet. God bless them all.
NOTE: As always, the title of this post is a link for further information. In this case to a BBC article titled "How Do You Raise Octuplets?" pertaining to the practical steps necessary to care for this many babies at once.

Freestyler

Our boy Greg Terzian sent us some photo's of his Freestyler. It's an amazing ride that pays a little respect to the early days of Haro. It's not an exact replica, but it's close enough to bring back the good memories....and that's what it's all about. Good times.

Greek-style cannellini beans and veggies with orzo

I've been spending a lot of time looking through my recipe collection, and it's bringing back old memories of food and cooking. Back in my early days of vegan cooking, when cookbooks were very limited and nut-roasts and lentil-walnut casseroles were the latest, I was thrilled to find a recipe in my Country Life cookbook for a loaf with unlimited variations. As long as one followed the basic proportions of grains, beans, veggies, herbs, crumbs and liquid, an infinite number of combinations were possible, and countless delicious dinners awaited. To celebrate this momentous discovery, we invited friends for dinner, and I couldn't wait to show off scrumptious loaf variation #1. My friend Deborah and I were each preparing food for the meal when her husband looked at the loaf and declared, "everything you two make is brown." He had a grin on his face and I don't think he meant any harm, but I felt like I'd just been hit over the head with a 20 pound mushroom. Everything...I...make...is...brown? Could this be true? Brown? Brown? Brown? Why yes, I believe he may be correct. Everything is brown TONIGHT, but was everything brown yesterday? Will everything be brown tomorrow? I was stunned, deflated, sad.

It reminded me of when I was in high school and was following an upbeat directive from Seventeen Magazine to discover my favorite color. "Just look in your closet," the magazine cheerfully encouraged, "your favorite color will be there." Will it be ruby? pumpkin? cerulean blue? I looked in my closet and there it was - my favorite color - brown! Even then, I was a nut loaf covered in mushroom sauce.

By the time the Moosewood Collective published "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home" in 1994, vegetarian cooking had become much more original. My friends Alan and Claire have been rediscovering recipes in their copy of Moosewood and I decided to take another look at mine in search of colorful and tasty food. I asked my husband to pick out something interesting and here's what he came up with. Is it brown? My husband says emphatically, "NO." I say maybe just a little beige, but in a very colorful way. It's a homey, comforting everyday dish that we really enjoyed.

Greek-style cannellini beans and vegetables

• 2 quarts water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 carrots, chopped, chopped
• 1 red or green pepper, chopped
• 1 cup orzo
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint (1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill (1 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh marjoram (sprinkle dried)
• 5 artichoke hearts, drained and sliced (14 oz. can)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked cannellini beans (15 oz. can, drained and rinsed)
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups stewed tomatoes or fire roasted canned tomatoes
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• red wine vinegar

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the orzo to al dente. Drain and stir in 1 tablespoon of oil.
2. While the orzo is cooking, saute the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil. When the onion softens a bit, add the carrots and pepper. Cook for several minutes and add the zucchini. Add the herbs and artichoke hearts. Gently stir in the the beans and tomatoes. Simmer for several minutes. When the veggies are hot and cooked, stir in the orzo and season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of red wine vinegar (or serve at the table in a cruet).
3. Serve with olives, bread and a green salad with toasted walnuts and dates.

This may not be a Greek addition, but I think that dried crushed hot red pepper adds a nice flavor to this dish.

Neighborhood BMX

So lately I've been hanging out with some of the neighborhood kids, just riding and watching them shred their skateboards, bmx, and scooters all over the neighborhood. They had built some awesome ramps, and were constructing makeshift box jumps everyday after school and on the weekends. I was talking with one of their dads, Dan, and he suggested that we build some sturdy ramps for them to shred. So this past weekend we got together and built the launch for what will be a box jump. At first the guys were content with just using it as a quarter pipe, but today I looked out the window and they had found a way to construct a jump out of it. Pretty creative. I took some photos of the action, so enjoy some grass roots BMX!
Ryan

Islamism Series: Fort Dix and Beyond

Two headlines blared across the tops of the front pages of Philadelphia's two major newspapers within the past four days. The Bulletin was first when last Thursday their front page headline read "Islamic Terrorists Forming Cells in US", and the Inquirer followed suit on Sunday when in reference to the Fort Dix case the headline read "They were going to do it".

Here are the cold, hard facts for everyone who has not yet caught on to what this 'Islamism Series' is all about: organized Islamic forces with the full backing of some Arab nations and with the tacit support of others are at war with the West. They see the United States, Great Britain, and Israel as their main enemies in this war.

The war did not end with the election of Barack Obama, just as it did not begin with the election of George W. Bush. It will not end with the closing of Guantanamo Bay. It will not end with the withdrawal of American troops from the Middle East. It will not end with the death or capture of Osama bin Laden.

The leadership and forces of Islam have made it abundantly clear how this will end: with the end of our civilization, or theirs. Their dream is to reestablish what they call the Islamic Caliphate under Sharia Law, that Islamic rule by Muslim religious, legal, and cultural laws.

To begin this process they want to destroy Israel and take control of the entire Middle East. Then, united under a leader they will call the Caliph, they wish to spread their influence and ultimately their control to the surrounding regions of Europe and Asia, spread down into Africa, and ultimately the world over, including here in America. They have vowed to see the Islamic flag flying over the White House.

The Inquirer story spoke in reference to the Fort Dix case wherein "five foreign-born Muslims...had intended to carry out an attack on the Army base" (at Ft. Dix, New Jersey.) Jurors interviewed by the Inquirer stated that "the defendants had taken serious steps toward an armed attack on the Burlington County base."

The details of the plots made by these men to attack an American military installation here on American soil are frightening enough. But what perhaps is more frightening is the scene inside the courtroom each day, when jurors stated that "large extended families" of the men were regularly present. One must wonder as to the feelings regarding the United States and the West of these family members and friends, now living here in America and raising families with these same beliefs.

The Bulletin article of Thursday, January 22nd spoke to intelligence sources who claim that the terrorist group Hezbollah is expected to be a major threat here in the United States by 2014. If the idea that this is five years away gives you any comfort, consider this: do any of you plan on not being alive five years from now? Didn't think so.

The article states that an official government report has concluded that the Iranian-backed Islamic terror group "has been forming sleeper cells throughout the United States" that could become operational at any time, and that this threat should be much more potent within those next five years.

For those unfamiliar, a 'sleeper cell' is a group of people who live and blend in with our culture, right in our own neighborhoods and work places. But these individuals, despite their outward appearances and actions, are prepared to join together and attack America whenever they are called upon to be activated to such a purpose.

They basically lay low in the weeds waiting for orders. Those orders might not come for months, years, even decades. When they finally come, the attack could be anything from a major nuclear, biological, radiological, or chemical one against a large target such as a sporting event or a downtown area, to one by more conventional methods such as the use of guns, knives, and grenades at a shopping mall or at a school.

The one thing that these recent articles at the front of Philadelphia's own major newspapers highlights is that Americans of all parties, affiliations, and ideologies need to understand exactly what is going on in this war.

The Philadelphia police department and all police officers within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania received training in 2008 that introduced them to the ideas, practices, and plans of these groups in a course titled 'Radical Islam', so law enforcement is very much aware of the dangers. From the Fort Dix case and prior, and that Hezbollah 2014 threat and beyond, this blog will continue with important and timely articles of interest.

NOTE: Simply click on to the 'Islamism Series' label below to read all entries in the series.

We've got a new plastic pedal on the way. Derek named it the Recycle pedal and unlike other companies doing the generic WellGo rip-off's, we've actually come up with our own mold. With super fine knurling and 15 molded pins per side, these things grip well. Hucke is currently running them and Chris and Derek have been testing them for awhile too.

Here's the lowdown:

• Colors will be Black, White and Clear.


• Retail is $12.95


• Available in 90 days.


• Weight is 13oz (pair). 6.5oz each.

Old School.

Who is the guy in the old school Haro uniform on the left? Looks to me like none other than Haro's BMX Brand Manager, Anthony Juan Carlos Degollado.

TonyD has been repping since the 80's. Know Your History.

Last Bloom of Camellias

Typically, we get the last flowers from our Camellia shrubs, here in Southern Califiornia, towards the end of January. Here are two photos showing the last blooms taken with my favorite lens - the 31mm Limited. Photos shot RAW at f/6.7 and ISO 400 with the K20D. Images processed by CS3 with no post processing. The 31mm is one of my "must-have" lenses due to it's very accurate and well behaved handling of colors. The flowers are sharp with great color and not overly saturated. Just as the blooms appeared to my eye when taking the photograph.

ABA Oklahoma.

Khalen Young and Steven Cisar just finshed up with a cold weekend of racing in Guthrie Oklahoma.

For a video clip of 1 lap, click here.

Khalen (2008 #1 Pro) placed 3rd and 4th for the weekend while Steven placed 7th on Sunday. It's rough out there!!!

Thanks for tuning in.

Winner of the juicer giveaway

The juicer giveaway has ended and the random number generator chose Caragonza as the winner. I've sent her an e-mail asking her to claim the prize and send me a mailing address by Tuesday. I hope I hear from her, but if I don't, I'll notify the next person on the random number list and so on until I find a winner. Congratulations, Caragonza, and thanks to everyone who left a comment!

note: The winner has claimed her prize! The contest has officially ended.

The Temple of You

We've all done it from time to time, taken a good, hard, long look in the mirror. That isn't meant to be rhetorical. I mean actually looked at our visage as it is reflected back to us, our physical appearance. The reactions to that visage spread out across a wide spectrum from "yeah, baby, I got it goin' on" to a panicked scream. People who don't like what they see have sometimes taken extreme measures to change their bodies, but this does not always change the reflection. Some of these include turning to an eating disorder such as anorexia and bulimia, even plastic surgeries that are not for some medical necessity. Some decide they just want to forget or push away the image. They turn to the bottle or to drugs. Some need constant reinforcement of their worth, and in doing so turn to numerous sexual partners in an effort to constantly stroke their egos. This isn't going to turn into one of those 'hell fire and brimstone' speeches against the evils of the flesh. God knows that I have fallen victim many a time in my own life. Taking control of some of these reactions to the reflection has taken me most of the 47 years that I have looked in the mirror. But maybe it would have all clicked in a bit sooner, and maybe I would have control of my weight and its related concerns, if I had the experience that I had a few days ago at an earlier point. In the past few days I have been re-exposed to an old, famous quotation, and had it more clearly expressed and explained, and I hope that this renewal finally changes my approach to this problem. We have all likely heard the old saying "Your body is your temple", but how many of us have really ever thought much about the meaning behind that saying? The saying comes directly from the Bible. From Saint Paul's first letter to the Corinthians comes this exhortation: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." For each of the more than two billion Christians on the planet, the message should be clear, but it's amazing how little emphasis we place on these simple but vitally important ideas. We all know that the Holy Spirit of God Himself dwells inside of us. That our bodies have been "bought at a price" refers explicitly to Christ's selfless, sacrificial death on the cross so that our bodies and souls might be saved from death itself and eternal damnation. When we abuse or misuse our bodies with drugs, drink, food, mutilation, sex and other measures we are taking that gift of redemption, throwing it to the ground, and stomping on it. We are supposed to "honor God" with our bodies but we do just the opposite. This idea also goes directly to our treatment of the most innocent, those who depend entirely on us for both their perception of their bodies and the direct treatment of them. It goes to the children to whom we are responsible, from the unborn in the womb to the infants, toddlers, pre-teens and teenagers under our daily care. All of this responsibility goes directly to the struggle that takes place every single day in every single human life everywhere in the world. It is the struggle between good and evil that has taken place since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, and since the snake known as Satan was set against our heels. Satan finds that weakness in each of us and tempts, distracts, suppresses, and amuses us all. For the vast majority of us the instrument that he uses against us is our very own body. Pope John Paul II, perhaps the greatest spiritual leader of our time, spoke directly to many of these issues in his 'Theology of Life' talks and his most famous encyclical 'Humanae Vitae', which is a must-read for every Catholic. There are many avenues we can take to begin overcoming our own personal demons, those things that cause us to turn our temple into a slum. But our efforts will be far more effective if they come within the context of a knowledge that when you fight for your body you are fighting a war against evil. It will not be an easy fight, and it will definitely be a life long fight. You will win some battles and lose some. The harder you fight against evil, the harder it will fight back. But ultimately you will always win, because God is on your side. You just have to be willing to believe in Him, receive Him into your life actively, and He will fight alongside of you. He will help you to put out that final cigarette, lose those fifty pounds, put down that bottle, end that affair, escape that sexual hedonism, accept a healthy body image. And as you win, He will help you to tear down the slum that your body has become. He will help you to work from the base that is already there and is always solid to finally build up the 'Temple of You'.

Tempest in a Teapot?

I recognized that by posting my purchase and comments on the Leica D-Lux 4 might stir the simmering juices of the cauldrons (dictionary definition: "a large vessel used for boiling") which we affectionately refer to as web forums today. Of the various comments I've read so far, Richard Day's reaction is the sanest and most level-headed, to which I owe him a thank you.

Obviously this is my personal post, but I recognize I have to carefully navigate between my personal observations and what might be construed as representative of the thoughts or views of the company. To this end, and not because I was told to do this, I thought I'd share some comments about my D-Lux post and respond to some of your reactions.

To those that say it's incredible (or stupid or worse) that I would acknowledge buying another brand camera, please refer to the camera market chart above. As you can see, the D-Lux falls into a category that we do not participate in. Of course when I'm surfing or near the water, I carry and thoroughly enjoy my W60. Like wise, as you all know from my posts here, I'm very active testing and shooting with our SLR's.

For those of you that are old enough to remember film, my fascination with the D-Lux 4 is very analagous to those days when many working photographers, regardless of whether they shot with Canon, Nikon or Pentax SLR's, also owned a Contax T2 or T3 for those times they wanted to travel light yet still have a camera that gave them very high-quality results.

As I have been active with this blog for several years, I would assume most of you recognize that being an active photographer, I also view it my responsibility to be the "voice of the customer" and really try to understand what drives our passion for photography, as well as truly understand our wants and needs. With this in mind, it's incredibly important for me to understand and evaluate what other companies are doing in the photography market. By acknowledging that I am now shooting with the D-Lux should actually be viewed as a positive. Would you rather have me cloistered in a dark room oblivious to the trends in the market and the direction that our competitors are heading? By comparison, I heard that when Honda starting shipping the Accord, General Motors forbid any of the senior management to drive or own this car. In hindsight, it's clear someone in Detroit should have had their eyes wide-open.

I also realized that my desire for a high-quality compact camera that offered near-SLR quality was probably shared by a few other Pentaxians. After posting this blog entry on the Leica forum of dpreview, it was interesting that several folks have already bought the D-Lux 4 or the Panasonic equivalent LX3. If there was any method to my madness in publishing this post, could it be that I was just throwing a lure out on the calm waters of lake pentax to see if anyone took the bait, or what your interest in this type of product would be?

In closing, I hope that a few of you now recognize the "intent" of my post about the D-Lux 4. At the very least, give me credit for being a "photographer first" and recognize that this passion and knowledge is not necessarily a bad thing if you are in the business of making cameras :-)

All That Junk

You know, we can't always write and talk about the big things like religion, politics and culture. Sometimes you just have to get something that is relatively small and insignificant out on to the table and off your chest. I was going through my mail today. Perhaps you see where this is going. Is it not incredible the amount of junk mail we receive at our homes? Junk mail alone probably keeps tens of thousands of U.S. Postal employees in their jobs. Unless there is something of obvious interest or importance, during the week I will let most of our mail pile up and then go through it on Saturday mornings. This morning's haul included items from the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Verizon, Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, and Comcast. These were just the mailings that you could tell from the outer envelope were from particular businesses or organizations. There were a number more that were important looking, but that had no identification on the outside letting me know where they were coming from. Of course by experience in opening them in the past, the odds were that most of these would be credit card or bank loan offers. Let's open them and take a look. Capital One loan offer, American Express gold card offer, BJ's member value program, Mealey's mattress 'overstock blitz' sale, and finally a notice that my property might be involved in some class action law suit involving PGW and mercury poisoning. Nice. And this is all before today's mail delivery has even arrived. The St. Jude's mailing involved address labels. We probably receive that kind of thing 3-4 times a year. All unsolicited, of course. So what are you supposed to do with them, toss them away? Perfectly good return address labels that someone made up with your infomation on them. As for me and mine, we are keeping the labels and using them. No one told you to make them up. We did not place an order for these items. There is no legal or even moral obligation for me to send you even a small donation in return. So thanks for the free return address labels that more likely than not will end up on my Christmas cards in December. There are any number of websites and organizations out there that will help you reduce the amount of junk mail that you receive, and they work. Just 'Google' the term 'junk mail' for their information and advice. I know that it is effective, because a few years back I followed some advice and sure enough found less in my mailbox. For awhile. What happens is that as time goes along, I found that I was back on mailing lists. Almost every time that you order anything at all, or become a member of any organization, your information is back out there in mailers files. Order books from Amazon or B.Dalton online, clothing or paraphernalia from the NFL or MLB, make a charitable donation to a large organization, take a poll, sign up for a website affiliation, subscribe to a newspaper or magazine, order flowers or other gifts. Any of these activities leave you open to having your information back out there again in the solicitors hands. And there goes your mailbox, bulging again from all the junk mail. Funny thing is, I can't remember ever actually ordering anything that came in to my home as junk mail. I don't recall ever taking out a loan, or obtaining a credit card, or ordering merchandise in this way. It makes me curious as to what the overall results are for those who do the mailings. Are the costs in sending these mass mailings out to our homes really recouped by sales or donations or applications? I honestly find that hard to believe. But if not, you would expect that this practice would have died out a long time ago. And with all this talk of junk mail, I am not even including the flyers that are hand-delivered for pizza parlors, chinese food joints, sandwich shops, real estate offices, and political campaigns. It all adds up to what seems to be a mountain of wasted paper and ink. In any event, despite the claims that some will make to you, there really is no way to ultimately kill the junk mail from coming to your home. Perhaps if you got yourself a 'P.O.' box address, that would alleviate some, if you instruct the post office to deliver all of your mail there. Before ending this little rant against junk mail, an important security reminder. Much of this stuff has your personal, private information. Your name and address are included on most of it, and sometimes even more private information is included on the items. If you don't already do it as a practice, you need to begin to make 'shredding' a part of your regular routine. Any junk mail that comes into your home should be shredded. You can either shred the entire envelope and contents, or open the mail, discard the envelopes and any inserts into the trash, and then shred the applications or other items that actually show your information. Making this a regular habit will greatly reduce your risk of having your identity stolen and misused. If you are someone who saves pay stubs, financial statements, and medical records, make sure that you establish a regular pattern of shredding these items as well, perhaps once a year, or every 3-5 years or so. I thought that it might be an interesting project to get a box and just toss all the junk mail for a year into it, and then at the end of the year get that box weighed. Multiply the weight of all that junk by all the homes in the country, and the shear volume of waste would have to be staggering. But then I found out that folks have already done this. Some have even turned their voluminous junk mail piles into artistic sculptures. Talk about too much time on your hands. Oh well, here comes the mailman...

English muffin casserole bread / chocolate cake

I've been digging around in the old recipe box again looking for forgotten favorites that I haven't made in years. I found one that surprised me the first time I made it, 100 years ago, because it tasted exactly like its name — English muffin bread. When I made it last night I decided to convert it to whole grain and see if the taste would still hold up. It's still got the open texture and slight tang of an English muffin, and when you toast and slather a slice with margarine, well, yes, it's very muffiny. I think the unbleached version is closer to a true English muffin, but the whole grain is so much healthier, and really good. It's got that chewy, slightly spongy texture and vaguely sour flavor that English muffins are known for.

The original recipe was made in an electric mixer, but my mixer gave up its spot on the kitchen counter to the bread machine, and now resides in the basement. I was making the bread after a long day at work and didn't feel like hauling the mixer up to the kitchen so I beat it by hand with a wooden spoon. Honestly, its been so long since I've used this recipe, I couldn't say if not using the mixer made any difference in taste or texture. I'll give the original directions and let you choose whether to follow them or not. The recipe was cut from a magazine that I no longer recall, and was attributed to Lavonne Willard. If the author happens to see this, I apologize for stealing her recipe!

English muffin casserole bread

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (I use instant yeast)
• 2-1/2 to 3 cups white whole wheat or unbleached white flour, stirred well or sifted
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon sucanot (evaporated cane juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• cornmeal

1. Combine yeast, 1 cup flour, salt, sugar in mixing bowl.
2. Heat water until just warm.
3. Add water to dry ingredients. Beat with electric mixer (see story above) at low speed for 1/2 minute, scraping bowl. Beat 3 minutes at high speed.
4. By hand, add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
5. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease surface.
6. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour. Punch down. Let rest 10 minutes.
7. Grease a 1 quart casserole and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place dough in casserole and sprinkle top with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45–60 minutes.
8. Bake in hot 400˚F oven for 40–45 minutes, or until done.
9. Remove from dish to cool. (You may have to loosen the sides with a knife.)

Chocolate marshmallow cake from eat'n veg'n

Since I'm on the subject of baking, might as well tell you about this cake. It's a recipe I got from this post. Considering that I have an underdeveloped sweet tooth, am not a chocolate addict and have never missed marshmallows, I can't explain my immediate fixation on this cake. From the moment I first laid eyes on its picture, I knew I had to have it. So the task of finding the ingredients became my mission. The challenge was Ricemellow, and no one in town carried it. I knew I could get it from Vegan Essentials* in Waukesha, but that's an hour away and I wasn't inclined to make the trip. My husband found a package of Sweet and Sara's vegan marshmallows at our local food coop and that's what I sliced and used.

With my apologies to Diann and my huge respect for her cooking, here's what I changed. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of AP flour. I used 1/4 cup of oil plus 1/4 cup of vanilla soy yogurt for the fat, and I reduced the sugar (sucanot) slightly to 3/4 cup. As noted above, instead of Ricemellow, I sliced several vegan marshmallows, and for the chocolate frosting I used about 1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips, sprinkled over the hot marshmallow topping and swirled with a knife after they melted.

Even with my changes, this cake was seriously addictive, and it didn't last long at our house. Much to my dismay and relief, my son gobbled it up before I had a chance to eat (a lot) more than I should. Bake the original version or this one for a delicious chocolatey indulgence. Thank you Diann!

side note: Our food coop decided to carry Ricemellow and I now have a tub of it sitting in my pantry. As soon as I have a chance to try it, I'll post a review.

*We visited their warehouse once. Whoa!

Leica D-Lux 4

My 42 year old Leica M4 has a new companion to keep it company in my original Domke bag!

I travel often on business and prefer to carry a minimum of gear. The last few months I've obsessed about having a compact camera with SLR-like image quality and sharp optics.

A week ago, I finally decided to buy the Leica D-Lux 4. Thanks to the great service at B&H, I ordered the camera on Wednesday night, had it in my hands Friday and then promptly flew off to Japan last Sunday. I didn't have much time to play with my new camera, but was able to spend an hour and half walking around with the camera Friday morning near the Ikebukuro station, in Tokyo. By coincidence, they were having some type of disaster readiness drill, so it gave me an interesting event to photograph with the D-Lux 4. While I always shoot in RAW, I don't believe CS3 supports the camera yet, so I had no choice but to test out the camera's JPEG setting.

Overall, I'm really impressed with this little gem. It's truly pocketable, the interface and controls are well thought out. I really like the focus option allowing you to move the point to any part of the scene, thus eliminating the need to focus and recompose. The lens is very sharp and distortion seems to be very well controlled. And, I was pleasantly surprised with the JPEGs from this first outing. Colors are spot on, with a pleasing and natural saturation.

While there are a few things about the D-Lux 4 (like the easily turned Mode dial) that could be better, this camera comes very close to satisfying my desire for a compact camera featuring high quality optics and manual controls that I can slip into my briefcase and take with me anywhere.

Note 1: All photos shot in Standard JPEG setting. I kept ISO at 200 or 400. Aperture varied between f/4.0 and f/5.6. Exposures ranged from 1/20 to 1/200. Except for minor cropping on three photos, and setting the black and white points (levels) using CS3, I didn't do any post processing to these JPEGs.
Note 2: The last photo is not part of the disaster readiness exercise, but I thought it was a nice example of the sharpness of the D-Lux 4 lens. This is a store display for an opticians shop near my hotel.
Note 3: Click on any of these thumbnails to see a larger file.