Deja Vu Horizon

This clip is 7:54 long, but watch it anyway.



So, basically the deep-water oil drilling companies are currently using 30-year-old technology to contain the Deepwater Horizon spill.

I'm sick of seeing BP's Tony Hayward being held up as the single face of villainre in all of this. Sure, BP's involvement is egregiously negligent. But let's see Steven Newman and David J. Lesar put through the ringer. In my point of view, they're all involved, so they're ALL deserving of the same excoriation.

In 1979, it took them nine months to stop the spill coming from a well 200 feet underwater. We're now three months and 3 days into Deepwater Horizon oil spill. How long will it take them to stop this well that's 5,000 feet underwater?

Alvin Greene, GOP Plant?

U.S. politics is a clusterfrench. Case in point: South Carolina Democratic primary winner, Alvin Greene. From The New York Times:

Just when it seemed political events in South Carolina couldn’t turn more bizarre, calls are mounting for investigations and for the withdrawal from the Senate race of Alvin Greene, who has become known as the “stealth candidate” after mysteriously becoming the state’s Democratic nominee on Tuesday.

On Thursday, not only did more officials urge Mr. Greene to quit the contest against Senator Jim DeMint, the Republican incumbent, but top lawmakers — like Representative James Clyburn — began suggesting that Mr. Greene was a “plant.” Mr. Clyburn, the House Democratic majority whip, also called for a federal investigation because of reports that Mr. Greene, who is on unemployment, paid more than $10,000 of his own money to enter the race.

“There were some real shenanigans going on in the South Carolina primary,” Mr. Clyburn said on a radio show. “I don’t know if he was a Republican plant; he was someone’s plant.”

What the hell? Just watch. If this guy's for real, he desperately needs media training. Among other things. Like a substantive platform. And if he is a plant, I feel sorry for this man. He's obviously too dumb enough to know that he's being used by the GOP.

Some background here.

SBUX provides free Wi-Fi

To be sure, offering free wi-fi is pretty cool. But damn, is it really THAT newsworthy? Seems like all the SBUX PR folks have to do is burp out a press release and it gets picked up everywhere.

Sugartit Kitchens: You know you want some.

Hey everyone!

I'm so happy and proud of my homegirls at Sugartit Kitchens, who recently scored a spot at Forage SF's Underground Farmer's Market. And what, you may be wondering, is the Underground Farmer's Market? From the Forage SF web site:

The SF Underground Market was conceived of by Iso Rabins in early December 2009. Frustrated by his inability to get a booth at legit farmers markets (to be in most farmers markets in SF you need to be certified as the primary producer of the food you sell, and since wild foraged food grows on its own, there is technically no producer), as well as amazed by the wealth of delicious professional quality food being made in Bay Area home kitchens.

The first market was held in a private home in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, with 8 vendors, and about 200 attendees. Now at number three (at the time of this post) , It has grown to 47 vendors and over 1,200 people attending.

The SF Underground Market is an incubator. A place where budding businesses can get a leg up on their road to legitimacy.

Sugartit Kitchens will be offering the following items this Friday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to midnight:

• Whoopie Pies
• Cupcakes
• Brown Sugar Bread & Butter Pickles
• Pickled Green Beans
• Apricot/Vanilla/Almond Confiture
• Strawberry/Black Pepper/Mint Jam
• Rhubarb/Rosemary Confiture
• White Cherry/Raspberry/Absinthe Jelly
• Tipsy Date Cake
• Cocoa Nib Cookies

Seriously, if you can, go check out the market, and look for Sugartit Kitchens. They're two of the most fantastic, creative, charming, and talented women I know. You won't be disappointed!

SF Underground Farmer's Market

SOMArts

934 Brannan Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-4906

Sugartit Kitchens will be representing to the fullest from 6 p.m. - midnight.

Pimpin' Ain't Easy

Hey, look. Another congressman caught in an extramarital affair:

Mark Souder (R-Ind.)

The punchline --- and I use that term loosely since it seems to happen so frequently now that the joke's not funny anymore --- is that Souder is known as a "conservative enforcer" in Congress.

Throughout his time in Congress, Souder made his evangelical Christianity a centerpiece of his public persona. He was known for his outspoken views on religion and his uncompromising conservative positions on social issues such as abortion.

He said after a 2008 hearing on abstinence-only education that the only fully reliable way young people can protect themselves from pregnancy and STDs is by "abstaining from sex until in a committed, faithful relationship."

He and his alleged mistress, Tracy Jackson, made a video (easy tiger, not that kind) together on abstinence education. Oh, the irony.



I just want to state for the record that I don't care what you do in your personal life, except when your entire career is based on espousing a certain way of life that is in direct contrast with the way you live your own. And I find it especially offensive when you have a hand in the legislative process through which you see fit to dictate how the rest of us should live our lives.

Vile. Just vile.

(link)

So THAT'S what the sun looks like.

I wouldn't know. The weather's been very weird 'round these here parts.

Not to mention the ginormous migraine that I like to call the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Clusterfrench is giving me high blood pressure.

So I need calm down and focus on something beautiful and awe-inspiring. Like this:

The big yellow thing is the Sun. But look at the upper right section. See those two dark blips? The one on the left is the Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis and on the right is the International Space Station! Incredibly, Thierry caught them as they passed directly in front of the Sun! To give you an idea of how talented Thierry is, the entire transit lasted just over half a second.

... Mind you, Atlantis had just started its pitch maneuver, designed to show its belly to the crew on the ISS so they can inspect it for heat tile damage. That means this image was taken shortly before the Orbiter docked with the station, on May 16th. Thierry was in Madrid specifically to get this shot.

Get a good look. This is the last mission of Atlantis (unless it’s needed as a rescue mission later this year), so we won’t get too many more views like this.

Aaaah. I feel better now.

(link)

Remembering: Ian Curtis

Thirty years ago today, Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis hung himself in his kitchen. A troubled soul, struggling with severe epilepsy, an estranged wife, a mistress and burgeoning success, his is a tragic story of yet another great talent who left this world too soon.

(Photo credit: Bernard Pierre Wolff, Appiani family tomb, Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno, Genoa, Italy)

Red wine-fueled lament

Oh, blog. How I've neglected you. I'm sorry. I have big, grandiose plans to resurrect you to your G-list status in 2010. I blame Facebook for taking all of my time and energy. And yes, while I admit the attention I received on said social networking site provided me with the short-term validation I needed at the time, I feel like there's nothing that compares with the just-as-superficial-yet-somehow-moreso-deserved validation that comes with all the effort that goes into one blog post.

I find myself at a crossroads with social media. On the one hand, keeping up to speed with the ever-changing world that is social networking and other things of its ilk is crucial, not only to the work that I do, but to my own interests as a semi-(and I use that prefix loosely) savviness with the Internets and all that, but quite frankly, I miss writing. The practice of writing something (no matter how horrible it ends up to be) on a daily basis.

Must figure out how to work this blog back into my regular day-to-day. Be patient with me, oh blog-o-mine.

Not to mention the fact that I just got out of a relationship and could use the mental, cathartic release that comes with putting words to virtual paper.

Bear with me, I promise I'll be back soon.

In Memoriam: My Grandfather

One of my favorite photos of my grandparents. Minalin, Pampanga, Philippines, 1975

My grandfather passed away on Nov. 27 at the age of 89 years old.

I've always felt disconnected from my extended family back in the Philippines; not because of any family drama or anything, but really only because the geographical distance makes it very difficult to build and maintain relationships. (Let's face it; the flight to Manila makes a five-hour flight to New York seem like a nanosecond, not to mention the fact that a plane ticket can cost about a month's salary for some.) In any case; my grandparents helped raise my cousins; my memories of my grandparents consisted of stories my dad would tell me about them and the three times I've visited. But despite the distance (both literally and figuratively), I've always held a fondness in my heart for my family back there.

Thankfully, the Internet and social networking have enabled the kinds of connections I've wanted to make with my cousins. My cousin, Jon, wrote this tribute to our grandfather the other day, and after reading it, I realized that my dad --- the oldest of all the siblings --- is SO like my grandfather. I may not have had the pleasure or privilege of living with my grandparents, but my grandfather's teachings, personality, values and beliefs were mirrored in the teachings, personality, values and beliefs I've seen in my own father.

And I never felt so connected to my family than at that moment.

Heathers: The Musical

Yeah, you heard me.



Ugh:

The influential 1988 teen dark comedy, which launched the careers of Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and scribe Dan Waters, is stagebound in a production being developed by Andy Fickman, director of "Race to Witch Mountain," who is making a return to his musical roots.

Fickman, who helmed the musical "Reefer Madness," is working with "Reefer" partner Kevin Murphy, who is writing the "Heathers" lyrics and the book, and composer Larry O'Keefe, who earned a Tony nomination for best score for the Broadway version of "Legally Blonde."

The trio has worked on the production under the radar for some time, even doing readings this week in Endeavor's screening room. The readings saw "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell playing the lead and Christian Campbell as J.D., with Jenna Leigh Green ("Wicked"), BrokeDown Cadillac lead singer Corri English and Christine Lakin (the CW's "Valentine") as the three Heathers.

[...]

The project has the blessing of [Heathers Writer Dan] Waters, who controls the underlying rights to the material. [Andy] Fickman said he sat down with Waters early on "to make sure we were on the same page" and that Waters has seen the readings.

"He understood that our goals were to be creatively attuned to his original work," said Fickman, who is repped by Endeavor and Evolution.

The film offered many over-top-moments as well as choice lines, something Fickman is eager to bring out musically.

" 'I love my dead gay son," Fickman quoted. "If you can get that into a song, then that is just perfect."

Drunken Negro Faces

Ted Kefalinos, proprietor of Lafayette French Pastry in NYC's Greenwich Village, says there's nothing offensive about his Drunken Negro Face cookies. You be the judge:



Courtesy of Gothamist.

Congratulations, Mr. President

(Photo credit: Damon Winter/The New York Times)

And now, the hard work begins. Let's do this. But first:

Adios, douchebag! (Photo: Saul Loeb)

Faux Foie Gras?

Yeah. Good luck with that:

Worldwide Challenge to Find the Perfect Humane Alternative to a Cruel
Dish

For Immediate Release:January 5, 2009
Contact:Nicole Matthews
757-622-7382

Norfolk, Va. -- Sir Roger Moore has condemned it--and this month, top
French chef Albert Roux of London restaurant La Gavroche expressed his disgust over the force-feeding involved in its production--but foie gras lives on in gastronomy. So, PETA has a solution: Let top chefs vie to create the best faux foie gras (fatty duck or goose liver) in the world, with a prize and naming rights going to the winner.

A $10,000 prize and much publicity will go to the winning chef in
PETA's international Fine Faux Foie Gras Challenge, announced today. The winner must produce an original, purely vegetarian faux foie gras comparable in taste and texture to the real glob of prized bird fat, and it must beat out all other entries. First and second runners-up will each receive $1,000 worth of top-drawer kitchen equipment.

The winning chef--who may choose the name of his or her creation--must also agree to offer the dish on a fine-dining menu and allow PETA to distribute the recipe to chefs and media around the world. Only the recipe should be submitted; already-prepared recipes will not be accepted. (Click here for the complete list of rules.)

Foie gras is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese until they fall
ill with hepatic steatosis, which causes the liver to become painfully engorged. Investigations at foie gras farms have documented sick, dead, and dying animals. Some had holes in their necks from feeding-pipe injuries, and most were unable to walk, dragging themselves by their wings--if they moved at all. Most such birds retreat into a state of shock and fear of future feedings. Foie gras production is so cruel that it has been banned in 16 nations, including the U.K. and Israel as well as in the state of California.

"The goal of our Fine Faux Foie Gras Challenge is to give fine diners a
compassionate alternative to eating the diseased liver of a tormented bird," says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. "It's a marvelous opportunity for a chef to create a culinary first that is delicious and won't ruffle any feathers."

For more information and the complete list of rules for the challenge,
please visit PETA.org/FauxFoieGrasChallenge.

Spam cracks me up.

I've been out of the office for the last two weeks, and today is my first day back.

Our company e-mail system does this thing where they filter out all your junk e-mails and sends you a daily list of junk e-mail that it's intercepted for you. You can then review the list and unjunk any legit e-mails.

Sometimes, spam still manages to hit my inbox. What's more disturbing, though, is that the sender appears to be my own work e-mail address.

Over the last two weeks, I've received quite a few e-mails with somewhat interesting subject lines. Here's a sample:

• "Stiff, long and hard rod"
• "I'm so thick now she says it hurts"
• "Never be flaccid again"
• "Don't wait to be huge"
• "Proven to work in male subjects"
• "Re: Scarlett [Johansen?] did it for cash"
• "Fit perfectly between her jugs"
• "Women will flock like bees to honey"

And my personal favorite, "With 9 inches everything is possible."

Indeed.

Bring on 2009

We (and by "we," I mean "I") here at You Forgot Poland! wish you the best in the coming year.

Happy Holidays!

Everyone here at You Forgot Poland! wishes you a very merry holiday season. To those of you who still come by my humble corner of the blogosphere---including those of you who still come by for that bikini wax video---thank you very much for your presence.

I turn 36 today. It's not really hitting me yet; I have tons of stuff on my mind, both on a personal and professional level, and it's making me feel a little overwhelmed.

Needless to say, I'll have plenty of time during the the coming year to revel in the joys of being 36.

There are joys to being 36 ... right?

Aretha Does Mariah

Here's a clip (from my long-lost blog love, Crunk and Disorderly) of Aretha Franklin doing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body."



And here's another clip (courtesy of FourFour) in which the Queen of Soul offers a little commentary on the subject:

Last-Minute Holiday Shopping

Looking for a unique gift to give that extra-special someone on your Xmas list?

How about meat perfume?

The Whopper sandwich is America's favorite burger. FLAME (TM) by BK(r) captures the essence of that love and gives it to you. Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat.

Props to the fine folks at EaterSF for the heads up.

Home Alone: The Otter Edition

From my new favorite blog.

Props to Tony for the heads up.

If I ever get married ...

... we MUST play this game at my bridal shower:



I'm just saying.


Props to Alisa for the link!