Buddhist Thought for the Day

[Some people] have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.

-A.H. Maslow

The Candy Equivalent of "Crack"

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Oh man, are these good. And just in time for the new Indiana Jones movie.

Mint Crisp M&Ms (Indiana Jones)

Mars has a series of candies coming out with a marketing tie-in to the new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie. (Which is set to premiere in the US on May 22nd.) This is rather similar to the stunt last year with Shrek the Third and the Pirates of the Caribbean movie the year before.

The standard Milk Chocolate & Peanut M&Ms got a new skin: a fun shift in their colors and little Indiana Jones inspired icons on some of them. Then, of course, to really excite candy fans they’ve done something completely new, the Limited Edition Mint Crisp M&Ms.

It’s not like they’re completely new though, there were once Crispy M&Ms in the United States (go to Australia if you miss them) and the seasonal Mint M&Ms.

The package is one of the busiest known, rivaled perhaps only Pirate Pearls. There are lots of leaves all over the front, which at first I thought were mint, but turned out to be various palm and jungle-y things (I haven’t the foggiest what’s going on with Indy’s arm and that big palm leaf though). We’re encouraged to “Dig New Mint Crisp M&Ms” in the top left of the package and down in the lower right we’re told to “Get M before they’re Lost”.

The Green M&M wearing a pith helmet is looking admiringly at Indy saying, “Treasure is a girl’s best friend.” At first I thought it was a little creepy that Green has the hots for Indy, then I realized that the Green M&M is actually a year older than Harrison Ford. (M&Ms were introduced in 1941, Harrison Ford in 1942.)

There’s only 1.4 ounces in the bag, but that little bit of air inside each center does wonders to bulk them up.

I was really looking forward to these, though it’s interesting to note that George Lucas has cautioned fans of the Indiana Jones movies not to build up their hopes to unreasonable levels. (And I think I know a bit about how much Lucas can let fans of a franchise down.)

They don’t look so great, some are horribly bumpy and the size variations are pretty extreme, from rather sphere-like ones smaller than a regular M&M all the way up to large ones that could be mistaken for Almond M&Ms.

The little icons are themed shapes that include the letter M. There are pyramids, masks, a compass ordinal and even a hat like Indiana Jones wears. They’re rather irregular as well, but more obvious on the themed Milk Chocolate M&Ms:

But shape and color aside, it’s what’s inside that counts, right?

The crispy shell gives one kind of crunch, then a layer of mostly semisweet chocolate strongly flavored with mint and then a bland crispy center that has a light kick of salt to it.

They’re really easy to keep crunching away at ... a little chocolate, a little mint, a little crisped rice. Kind of like a Girl Scout Thin Mint.

New Candy Claims "No One Will Know You've Been Drinking"

From an Idaho Falls news website

A new candy promising to clear your breath of any sign of alcohol is catching the attention of law enforcement.

It's called Antipoleez and some of the candy's claims are raising eyebrows.

The candy's package has a sexy looking police officer and promises to eliminate alcohol and tobacco breath. On the Antipoleez website, it says no one will know you've been drinking.

Captain Randy Lewis, Rexburg Police Dept.: "If their motive is to try to beat the system, then shame on them."

Police officers deal with underage drinkers and drunk drivers a lot. They see people try all sorts of things to get out of being arrested but will someone who's been drinking be able to trick an officer with this little candy?

Sergeant Chuck Kunsaitis says no.

Sergeant Chuck Kunsaitis, Rexburg Police Dept.: "All it's gonna do is give them fresh breath. The visible signs that we see and the audible signs that we hear will still lead us down that road of someone being under the influence.

To see if the candy actually gets rid of alcohol, Channel 3 reporter Nate Eaton swished Listerine around in him mouth then spit it out and did a breathalyzer test.

The machine instantly detected alcohol.

Eaton then did the same thing but with a piece of Antipoleez in his mouth.

Kunsaitis: "It's still detecting a presence. It didn't change much at all."

Bottom line...the candy may change the smell of your breath but it's not going to do much else.

Kunsaitis: "The only thing that's going to make the alcohol go away in your system is time."

On the company's website it says bar and restaurant owners are making $100 more a day after they started to sell the product.

The website also has written in big letters to never drink and drive. It's also printed on every package of Antipoleez

http://www.antipoleez.com/
http://www.kidk.com/

Victoria's Secret Sued by Juicy Couture Over `Candy'

Victoria's Secret, the lingerie chain owned by Limited Brands Inc., was sued by women's clothing retailer Juicy Couture for allegedly copying packaging shaped like lollipops, bonbons and ice-cream cones.

Juicy Couture, a unit of New York-based Liz Claiborne Inc., developed its ``Sweet Shoppe'' line in 2005, two years before Victoria's Secret began wrapping bras and panties in nearly identical packaging, according to the trademark-infringement suit filed yesterday in federal court in Manhattan.

Juicy Couture singled out Victoria's Secret's Pink brand, saying the copied packaging is part of a series of marketing imitations for the line of intimate apparel that resulted in similar clothing designs and store interiors.

``Pink has applied slogans across the seat of pants which famously originated with Juicy Couture and identifies its brand,'' the company said in the complaint. ``Pink stores incorporate many elements of Juicy Couture's stores including oriental rugs and Victorian-style furniture.''

Robin Olshavsky, a spokeswoman for Columbus, Ohio-based Limited Brands, declined to comment when reached today by phone.

Juicy Couture's ``original and innovative'' packaging is an important element of the company's image, Liz Claiborne said in an e-mailed statement. ``These and other brand elements create the unique consumer experience that allows Juicy to stand apart from its competitors in the fashion markets in which it competes.''

Damages, Order

Juicy Couture is seeking money damages and profit from the alleged copying, as well as a court order barring Victoria's Secret from using the candy packaging.

Earlier this month, Victoria's Secret was sued by Katerina Plew for allegedly infringing a patent with its 100-Way Strapless Convertible product. The suit is pending in federal court in New York.

Limited Brands rose 13 cents to $19.30 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Liz Claiborne climbed 23 cents to $18.28.

The case is Juicy Couture Inc. v. Victoria's Secret Stores Brand Management Inc., 08-cv-3985, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

Source: Bloomberg.com

Mars, Buffett buying Wrigley for $23 billion

Above: A package of Wrigley's Doublemint gum and M&M's Peanut candies are pictured in this photo illustration in Beverly Hills, California April 28, 2008.

REUTERS/Fred Prouser


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M&M's candy maker Mars Inc has teamed up with billionaire Warren Buffett to buy the No. 1 chewing gum manufacturer Wm Wrigley Jr Co (WWY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) for $23 billion, creating the world's largest confectionery company.

The deal, announced on Monday, will give Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N: Quote, Profile, Research) a stake of more than 10 percent in Wrigley, which will become a separate Mars subsidiary. Buffett's other food holdings include a stake in Kraft Foods Inc (KFT.N: Quote, Profile, Research).

The deal could force Mars rival Hershey Co (HSY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Britain's Cadbury Schweppes Plc (CBRY.L: Quote, Profile, Research) into a deal of their own as they will be faced by a competitor with a stronger geographic base and portfolio of products, analysts said. Cadbury and Hershey are reported to have held talks in the past.

Aside from Berkshire, financing for the Wrigley deal is being provided by Goldman Sachs Group (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Mars said in a press statement.

At $80 a share, the deal represents a 28 percent premium over Wrigley's closing stock price of $62.45 on Friday. Wrigley closed up 23 percent on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.

While Wrigley said it was not seeking a takeover, the price was likely too high to ignore, Edward Jones analyst Matt Arnold said.

"I have a hard time explaining it any other way, really," Arnold said. "There was no outstanding reason for them to sell it today except for the price."

Wrigley already traded at 23 times estimated 2009 earnings, the second-highest multiple in the Standard & Poor's U.S. packaged foods index .

The combined companies would have a major presence in the global chocolate, gum and candy businesses.

"If you combine these two, really, it creates just a true confectionery powerhouse with global scale and a strong presence in emerging markets," Morningstar analyst Mitch Corwin said.

The acquisition, an unusual move in the confectionery business for Mars, will help the company expand its business into places where Wrigley has been strong, including Eastern Europe, while Wrigley has been making efforts in recent years to expand outside its core chewing gum business, said Irina Kazanchuk, an analyst at Euromonitor International.

While Wrigley is the No. 1 gum maker in the world, it has faced increasing competition from Cadbury's gum business, which includes Dentyne and Trident.

Berkshire Hathaway, meanwhile, gets a stake that can help it expand its overseas exposure.

"Wrigley and Mars have dominant global franchises, and it's consistent with Berkshire's interest in having more exposure abroad, with streams of cash flow from both developing and emerging markets," said Thomas Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Gardner, which invests in Berkshire.

Asked if Buffett's funding was needed to make up a shortfall in the financing of the deal, Bill Wrigley said, "There's no question that financial markets are very challenging right now, and coming up with the capital basically to make this deal was a challenge.

Bringing Buffett in was a perfect choice for Mars, a private company, said Kenneth Harris, principal at consulting firm Cannondale Associates.

"Who would you rather have in that?" Harris said. "He understands discretion. He understands privately held things."

PRESSURE ON HERSHEY

Analysts said the Mars/Wrigley deal could push Cadbury, the current No. 1 in the confectionery business, to look again at a tie-up with Hershey.

But the Hershey Trust, which controls about 78 percent of Hershey's voting shares, has said Pennsylvania law requires it to maintain control of Hershey.

"It comes down to control," Arnold said. "Obviously, the Hershey Trust doesn't want to cede it."

Hershey shares were up 4 percent to $36.17 on the NYSE, while Cadbury shares rose 2.75 percent in London.

Wrigley has brands such as Extra and Eclipse, while privately held Mars is known for its M&M's, Snickers, Starburst and Twix.

Combined, Wrigley and Mars controlled 14.4 percent of the global confectionery market in 2006, compared with 10.1 percent for Cadbury, according to the most recent market share data from Euromonitor International.

While publicly traded, a large portion of Wrigley's shares are controlled by the Wrigley family, a Chicago presence whose name is on the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium and a well-known Michigan Avenue landmark building.

The Mars family approached Wrigley with the deal on April 11, said Bill Wrigley, who would be executive chairman of the stand-alone Wrigley unit after the deal closes.

The deal is designed to help build Wrigley's sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure, Bill Wrigley said, adding that Mars' non-chocolate candy brands like Starburst and Skittles would be moved to the Wrigley candy portfolio, which includes Altoids and Life Savers.

The deal is subject to Wrigley shareholder and U.S. government approval and is expected to close within six to 12 months, Bill Wrigley said.

One antitrust attorney said despite the size of the combined company, their products are diverse enough for the deal to be approved.

"If the price of cocoa or chocolate goes up, will people say, 'hell I'll just buy gum?'" said Steven Axinn of Axinn, Veltrop and Harkrider LLP. "I don't see them as good substitutes for one another."






Source: Reuters

Sweet reviews for Madonna's "Hard Candy"

Above: The cover of Madonna's new album Hard Candy
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As parting gifts go, Madonna's 11th studio album -- and her last before she exits long-term record label Warner Bros. -- is unusually generous, if early reviews are to be believed.

Released internationally this week, and hitting U.S. stores on Tuesday, "Hard Candy" scored solidly among rock critics, although much of the credit, or blame, they said, should go to the established hit-makers with whom she collaborated.

The dance sounds, with hip-hop influence, see Madonna return to her roots and shed the weighty issues for which she regularly campaigns. And by working with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, she puts safety first.

"It's surprising that her 11th studio album ... is an act of submission," wrote Caryn Ganz of the Rolling Stone music magazine, giving "Hard Candy" four stars out of a possible five. "For 'Hard Candy,' Madonna's midlife meditation on her own relevance, she lets top-shelf producers make her their plaything."

The Independent newspaper's Andy Gill, in a three-star review, argues that Madonna, who turns 50 this year, aims to satisfy "the sweet tooth of functional dance-pop.

"Why else would she turn to off-the-peg hit-machines The Neptunes, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, after such success with more adventurous producers like Mirwais, William Orbit and Stuart Price?"

TIMBERLAKE, 'MIXED BLESSING'

Alexis Petridis, in a three-star rating for the Guardian, calls Timberlake's involvement in "Hard Candy" a "mixed blessing," with the familiar sounds from his last album "FutureSex/LoveSounds" "less startling (the) second time around."

He also slammed Madonna's lyrics, including a line from "Dance 2night": "You don't have to be rich and famous to be good."

But Petridis argued that production duo The Neptunes, including Williams, "ride to 'Hard Candy's' rescue," highlighting songs such as "Incredible," "Give It 2 Me" and "She's Not Me."

Jon Pareles of the New York Times believed Warner, with which Madonna has worked for 25 years, would be more than happy with the record.

"It doesn't burn bridges with her major label -- just the opposite," he wrote. "It's the kind of album a record company longs for in the current embattled market: a set of catchy, easily digestible, mass-appeal songs by a star who's not taking chances."

Madonna, one of the world's biggest-selling artists, ditched Warner Bros. last year and signed a 10-year deal, including a three-album commitment, with concert touring company Live Nation believed to be worth $120 million.

The agreement was an example of the so-called "360-degree deal" that has become increasingly popular in a music business struggling to make money just from selling records.

The "360-degree" deals typically involve publishing, touring, merchandising and digital rights, as well as recording.

The first single from Madonna's album, "4 Minutes" (featuring Justin Timberlake), went to No. 1 in the British singles charts and peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 listing.

Source: Reuters

China to meet Dalai Lama aides amid Tibet tension

Above: Tibetan monks pray during a protest in New Delhi, held to commemerate the 19th anniversary of The Panchen Lama -- Tibetan Buddhism's second most important spiritual leader. China said Friday it would soon open fresh talks with aides to the Dalai Lama in response to fierce pressure from world leaders less than four months before Beijing hosts the Olympic Games.
(AFP/Raveendran)
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China is to hold talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism whom it blames for a wave of unrest, state media reported on Friday, as the Olympic flame arrived in Japan.

The move comes after concerted pressure from the West on China to talk to the Dalai Lama.

It also marks a sharp change in tack for Beijing, which has stepped up its vilification of the Dalai Lama since anti-government protests hit Tibet and rippled across ethnic Tibetan parts of China in the past weeks.

"In view of the requests repeatedly made by the Dalai side for resuming talks, the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with the Dalai's private representative in the coming days," the official Xinhua news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying.

A spokesman for the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, said he had not received any communication from China about a meeting and China's Foreign Ministry said it had no details.

China denounces the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Communist rule, as a traitor and has accused him of orchestrating the unrest, a charge the 72-year-old Nobel laureate denies.

But Tibet has become a flashpoint for anti-China protests that have disrupted the Olympic torch relay around the world and has led to calls for state leaders to boycott the Beijing Games, which open on Aug. 8.

"It is hoped that through contact and consultation, the Dalai side will take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games so as to create conditions for talks," the official was quoted as saying.

OFFICIAL DENUNCIATIONS

Recent official denunciations of the Dalai Lama had usually referred to the Dalai "clique", rather than Dalai "side".

The United States and France have urged Beijing to hold talks with the Dalai Lama, while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he would meet the Tibetan leader when he visits Britain in May.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte urged the Chinese government on Wednesday to meet the Dalai Lama.

"Public vilification of the Dalai Lama will not help defuse the the situation," he told a U.S. Senate hearing.

Reporters were allowed into Tibet on Friday and there was a heavy troop presence lining the road between the capital Lhasa and Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet.

Japan called for calm but braced for trouble with tight security on Friday, as low-key protests began ahead of its leg of the torch relay, following emotional scenes at other venues.

The flame is meant to transmit a message of peace and friendship, but its journey has been largely turned into a political event and the torch has been granted the sort of security usually reserved for state leaders.

The flame's arrival in Nagano was greeted by right-wing activists in trucks roaming the streets, displaying huge Japanese flags and blaring "go away".

In Hanoi, Vietnam state-run radio reported that a U.S. citizen of Vietnamese origin had been expelled on accusations of planning anti-Chinese protests at next week's Olympics torch relay in Ho Chi Minh City.

Reclusive North Korea, for its part, vowed to "astonish the world" with pomp, ceremony and safety during its stage of the relay on Monday, Chinese state media reported.

The Olympic torch is supposed to enter Tibet in early May to ascend Mt Everest and is to travel to its capital Lhasa on June 19, legs China has vowed to see through, despite the tensions.

But Beijing has also been under pressure from abroad to resume dialogue with envoys of the Dalai Lama as a way of achieving stability in Tibet, a remote, mountain region which Communist troops entered in 1950.

MEANINGFUL AUTONOMY

The Dalai Lama says he is seeking meaningful autonomy for the strategic border region, but China denounces that as a sham and says he is bent on splitting the country.

The United States welcomed the announcement of talks.

"If the Chinese are now planning to resume such dialogue, we would see this as a very positive development," the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in a statement.

The Communist Party boss in Tibet has called the Dalai Lama "a jackal in Buddhist monk's robes, an evil spirit with a human face and the heart of a beast".

But before the protests soured relations, China and envoys of the Dalai Lama had been engaged in a tentative dialogue process, though several rounds since 2002 had yielded little progress.

Source: Reuters

Buddhist Thought for the Day

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.

--Buddha

Jane Austen: A serial flirt with a hangover

Jane Austen fans who think the novelist was a country mouse may be shocked by a new British TV drama that depicts her flirting, suffering from hangovers and reneging on the acceptance of a marriage proposal.

But the screenwriter behind "Miss Austen Regrets" believes anybody who has read her books will recognize Austen as a woman of brilliant wit who knew her way around society.

"I am not dishing the dirt," Gwyneth Hughes said. "Some people might not like to see Austen with a hangover, but I am not out to shock."

Helen Lefroy, a distant relative of Tom Lefroy, a friend of Austen's, said the novelist may have been a live wire "but she wasn't wild."

"We know so little of her, but I do not think she was looking for marriage. She was looking to understand the relationship between men and women, which she used in her novels so well," Lefroy said.

The script for the BBC production, to air on Sunday, is based on the 100-plus surviving letters by Austen to her devoted sister, Cassandra, and to her young niece, Fanny.

Austen, who wrote the classics "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility," never found her own Mr. Darcy.

But the drama features a number of romances as well as a proposal of marriage, which the 27-year-old Austen initially accepted and then turned down after a night's reflection.

"It would have been seen as incredibly rude and ill-brought up," Hughes said. "Fast, scandalous and wrong."

Later, a middle-aged Austen developed a crush on a doctor 10 years her junior, who was treating her brother.

"My judgment is she fancied him like mad," Hughes said.

Austen had been a tremendous flirt, and enjoyed partying, the screenwriter added.

"She was a normal woman," Hughes said. "If she went to a party, she would have had some wine and woken up with a hangover."

Hughes believes many letters may have been destroyed by Cassandra to spare the feelings of friends, family and neighbors, and to protect her sister's privacy.

"She was lively and ferocious. Some of the comments about her neighbors make your eyes water."

But there was enough in the letters to hint at "what might have been" in terms of romance, Hughes believes.

"We are very condescending nowadays, thinking they had buttoned-up and boring lives. But they were no more boring than ours, and some were more interesting.

"I am looking for Jane as she was, who we can relate to and understand in a modern world."

Source: Reuters

Champagne Grapefruit Sorbet

Champagne Grapefruit Sorbet

3 cups good quality Champagne
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup pink or ruby red grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Pop cork from champagne bottle 1 to 2 hours before using. Gradually pour champagne, allowing for foaming, into a 2-quart container; set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Stir until mixture comes to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand approximately 10 minutes or until cool.

To champagne, add sugar syrup, grapefruit juice, and lemon juice (do not strain pulp from juices); stir until thoroughly blended.


Ice Cream Maker - Transfer mixture to ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Freezer Method - Pour into container, cover, and place mixture in the freezer. When it is semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time.

NOTE: Can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep frozen.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.


Variation: Skip the Champagne or keep it if you choose and substitute Blood Orange Juice or one of the POM Pomegranate Juices for the grapefruit juice to make Blood Orange or Pomegranate Sorbet. Use your imagination and experiment with different fruit juices and wines. Enjoy!!

What's for Brunch Tomorrow?

Roasted Ratatouille with Eggs and Cheese

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
4 large eggs
4 ounces part-skim mozzarella, thinly sliced and cut into 1/4-inch strips
4 1/2-inch-thick slices Italian bread, preferably whole-wheat
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
Combine eggplant, onion, zucchini, bell pepper and garlic in a large bowl; drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; toss to coat. Spread the vegetables on the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast the vegetables, uncovered, turning often, until lightly browned and tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cut tomatoes into chunks. Stir the tomatoes (and their juices), basil and parsley into the vegetables. Cover with foil.
Bake until the ratatouille is hot and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
With a large spoon, make four evenly spaced indentations in the hot ratatouille. Carefully break an egg into each indentation. Sprinkle cheese over the vegetables and eggs. Bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.
While the eggs are baking, toast bread and drizzle each slice with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Divide bread slices among 4 plates or shallow soup bowls.
To serve, lift an egg and ratatouille from the baking dish and place on top of a slice of toasted bread. Spoon the remaining vegetables and juices around the edges, distributing evenly. Garnish with more basil, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Vegetables

Ingredients

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large red bell peppers, diced
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound raw shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, asparagus, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl; cover to keep warm.

2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and add to the pan along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the vegetables.


I usually serve this over linguine but rice or couscous would work really well too.

Source: eatingwell.com

It better be good: the $7,450 cocktail

Next time you’re feeling flush and find yourself in Dubai, head over to the Skyview Bar in the Burj Al Arab (you know—that crazy-surreal hotel that looks like a colossal sailboat) for sunset cocktails. Be sure to order the 27.321, which is named for its price in the local currency, UAE dirham. Don’t worry about the exchange rate—it’ll only cost you $7,450, or roughly $400 a sip. Oh, and don’t forget the 20% tip for the barkeep, which would be around $1500. Hmm…ever get the feeling you’re in the wrong line of work?

So the 27.321 is not actually liquid gold, but it sounds pretty tasty if you’re a scotch connoisseur—combining a 55-year-old Macallan single-malt natural-color whisky with homemade passion fruit sugar and then served over ice cubes made of water from the Macallan distillery in Scotland. For good measure, they throw in a complimentary oak stirrer made from a Macallan cask and a Baccarat 18-karat gold glass, which (kind of) reminds me of the time I got a free back-scratcher with a pina colada I ordered at an airport bar in Hawaii. Don’t ya just love “free” stuff?

The 27.321 will only be available to the first 10 billionaires who order it, so book your flight now! And cheers to you, or rather “shucram,” as they say in the UAE.

Rice prices hit record highs

Rice risks becoming a luxury in the face of soaring prices - threatening pinched budgets in the West but starvation in developing countries.

Riots have flared like a trail of gunpowder through West Africa as some of the world's poorest people struggle to cope with soaring inflation that's seen the prices of basic foods more than double in a year. The U.S. benchmark rice price -- at the Chicago Board of Trade -- has risen to over $24 per 100 pounds of rough rice, while the world benchmark for Thai rice has surged to more than a $1,000 per tonne of milled rice.





Source: Reuters

U.S. presents intelligence on North Korea-Syria link

Above: These satellite images, taken August 5, 2007 (Top) and October 24, 2007 (Bottom), show a suspected nuclear facility in Syria.

REUTERS/DigitalGlobe/Handout
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The Bush administration presented intelligence to U.S. lawmakers on Thursday that it believes shows North Korea helped Syria to build a suspected nuclear facility destroyed by Israel last year.

The closed-door briefings conducted by CIA Director Michael Hayden and other intelligence officials breaks U.S. official silence on the matter and could complicate American diplomacy with North Korea and in the Middle East.

While some lawmakers last year got classified information about the September 6 Israeli air strike, they voiced bitterness that the administration had only shared the intelligence more widely nearly eight months after the incident.

A U.S. official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to discuss classified matters, said that among the intelligence the United States has was an image of what appeared to be people of Korean descent at the facility.

However, the official stressed that this image was only part of a wider array of information gathered from multiple sources on the suspected cooperation between Syria and North Korea.

Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Ja'afari told reporters on Wednesday that "there was no Syria-North Korea cooperation whatsoever in Syria. We deny these rumors."

Israeli officials have feared that broad disclosure of the air strike and information that prompted it could trigger a backlash from Syria.

It is also possible that the briefings could make it harder for Washington to make progress in a multilateral effort to get North Korea to make a "complete and correct" declaration of all its nuclear programs as a step toward abandoning them.

Pyongyang missed a December 31 deadline to make the declaration and some lawmakers are skeptical that a tentative agreement on how it may address concerns about any uranium enrichment program and nuclear proliferation will yield full disclosure.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House of Representatives intelligence committee, bluntly told the reporters after a briefing on the issue that the administration had lost the trust of many lawmakers.

"A trusting environment between the administration and Congress does not exist," said the Michigan congressman, one of a handful of lawmakers briefed on the intelligence last year.

He also said the administration's decision not to brief a wider array of lawmakers until Thursday would make it much harder for Bush to win congressional support for any agreements he may strike with North Korea through the six-party negotiations on ending Pyongyang's nuclear programs.

"By waiting so long to brief the intelligence committee and other committees on the Hill, the administration has made it much more difficult ... for them to go through the Congress and get these agreements approved because they have really damaged the relationship between Congress and the administration," he said.

Source: Reuters

Keith Richards: my life in fashion

At 64, Keith Richards hasn't mellowed. With Shine A Light, Martin Scorsese's documentary on the Rolling Stones, recently released, he could focus on the autobiography he is co-writing with James Fox, the author of White Mischief. Or he could begin cataloguing his 3,000 guitars. Either way, he won't worry much about the planet, despite starring in the recent Louis Vuitton ad, for which service Vuitton donated a fee to Al Gore's Foundation.

I've been invented by the media. I'm just a minstrel. I didn't want to be a rock star, just play music. I realised that to do that, you had to be famous. It has nothing to do with wanting to be a star.

The Stones weren't competitive about what they wore. The tailor Andrew Oldham had worked with the Beatles - he gave them those suits with no collars. We got uniforms to begin with. We threw them out in a week.

Bill Wyman is the biggest dandy. But Charlie Watts is the most stylish member. He spends his time on the beauty and the cut of clothing. There he is on Savile Row, and I'm the fashion icon? When I got older I wore my old lady's clothes. If you notice, all the buttons are the other side.

I wore whatever my mother put me in when I was little. Boring shorts and wee T-shirts. I wore school uniforms. I hated brown shoes. I started dressing up when I had to find what fitted. Fashion thinks more about me than what I think about it. I just wore what I wore and people noticed. The sexiest thing a woman could wear? Being stark f***ing naked.

Show me a woman who is faithful, and I won't believe you.

I don't do underwear. I never do the washing. How would I know whether my clothes stink? I throw them away.

I love books ... a well-dressed mind! Patrick O'Brian, Milton and Shakespeare are my favourite writers. And then the Bible. King Lear is my favourite character who isn't insane. It's only people who are insane who think they're not.

How did I discover the blues? When I first heard Robert Johnson.

Skulls remind us that underneath it all, we are all the same. Beauty is only skin-deep.

I can't say I'm bothered about the fate of the planet. I got a guitar case out of Louis Vuitton. They paid me a lot of money and it's all going to charity. I'm going to charity.

Source London Times Online

Gold Mickey Mouse

Above: Much Cheaper Alternative - Golden Anniversary Golden Mickey Mouse Ears available at www.laughingplace.com for the discounted price of $24.53
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Top Japanese jewellery maker, Ginza Tanka, unveils his latest creation - a statue of Mickey Mouse made of pure gold.

The one kilogram gold Mickey is worth about $31,000 US dollars.

However, the statue will not go on sale, but instead be presented to one lucky purchaser of Disney's latest DVD in a lucky-draw in May.




Source: Reuters

No more underdog in Democrat race, U.S. voters say

Above: A combination image showing Democratic presidential candidates (L) Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama.

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (L)/John Gress
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After yet another shift in momentum in the Democratic race for the U.S. presidential nomination, Americans said on Wednesday there was no longer a front-runner or underdog -- just a lot of weary voters.

"Part of me wishes someone would just pull ahead definitively," said Kentucky teaching assistant Karen Sherman, 41, of the protracted battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to clinch the Democratic nomination for president.

"I don't know that either one is an underdog -- they just go back and forth."

Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, won on Tuesday in Pennsylvania's primary, the latest state-by-state contest to choose the Democratic presidential nominee.

But the victory did little to settle the question of who will represent the party in November's presidential election, with Illinois Sen. Obama still holding a slight lead in both the popular vote and number of delegates who select the party's nominee at its August convention.

"If I was betting with my heart, I'd say Obama, but if I was betting with my wallet, I'd say Clinton (will win)," said Cincinnati Democrat Ken Corbus, 65. The self-employed businessman said he's pulling for Obama but believes the race is too close to call.

While Clinton started out more than a year ago as the Democrats' presumptive nominee, Obama surged ahead in recent months on the strength of rousing speeches and promises of change in Washington. Obama, 46, would be the first black president.

Now, after weeks of increasingly negative campaigning between the two, Democratic voters have begun to worry that the prolonged battle and no certain front-runner could put the party at a disadvantage against Republican John McCain in November.

"The way they are going they are both the underdog to McCain," said Corbus, over coffee at a Cincinnati Starbucks.

NECK-AND-NECK

Even with recent victories in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Clinton still trails Obama in most categories including states won.

"I don't see her as the underdog. If she had lost in Pennsylvania it would have made a difference. But they're still neck-and-neck and she's not going to let go until it's over," said 65-year-old Elizabeth McKell, of Overland Park, Kansas.

Al Aston, 63, a Texas retiree who tends to vote Republican, said Clinton's win in Pennsylvania changed nothing.

"She's still an underdog. She's still down quite a lot and this win in Pennsylvania was expected. And a lot of people really don't like her," he told Reuters in the driveway of his home in Euless, a suburb of Dallas.

Jackie Waits, a downtown Chicago office worker, disagreed.

"She's the underdog? No. She's doing pretty good though she's going bankrupt in the process. One of them needs to drop out. It's hurting both of them," said Waits.

While Clinton started the race with more money, Obama surged ahead in fundraising after winning key victories in early voting states. Clinton has recently been strapped for cash, but her campaign said she took in $3 million in the hours after her Pennsylvania victory.

"I still think she's a contender," said Vernell Hackett, a writer who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

While Obama and Clinton have turned their attention to the next round of contests on May 6 in North Carolina and Indiana, Democratic voters have begun to wonder if the race will go all the way to the August convention.

Kentucky teaching assistant Sherman said she can't really blame fellow Democrats for their indecision over two very good candidates. She's in the same boat -- still undecided who to support in Kentucky's May 20 vote.

"I like different things about each of them," said Sherman. "And I hate to say it, but it would be very interesting if it all came down to the convention."




Source: Reuters

Eastwood and Allen showing films at Cannes

Above: Director and actor Clint Eastwood arrives for the American Film Institute's 40th anniversary event featuring screenings of classic films in Hollywood, California October 3, 2007. Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen will be among American directors showing their work at this year's Cannes film festival, where the latest Indiana Jones adventure will also premiere, organisers said on Wednesday.

REUTERS/Fred Prouser
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Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen will be among high-profile U.S. directors at this year's Cannes film festival, where Hollywood will also be on show with the world premiere of the latest Indiana Jones adventure.

Unveiling the line-up for the 61st edition of the world's biggest film festival, which runs from May 14-25, organizers said there was a feeling that "a new cycle was beginning" after the widely hailed success of last year's event.

"It won't have escaped you that the selection process was long, complicated and quite difficult," Thierry Fremaux, the festival's head, told a news conference that was delayed from an originally scheduled date last week.

He said the presence of Steven Spielberg and the stars of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", which will premiere outside the main competition, would ensure "a magnificent red carpet".

Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and George Lucas are expected to join Spielberg on the steps outside the Palais des Festivals, guaranteeing the kinds of flashing cameras that add essential glamour to the festival's arthouse fare.

Fans crowding the Croisette will also be hoping for glimpses of Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem who star in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona".

But there should be plenty of familiar names in the main competition, as well.

SODERBERGH WINS RACE AGAINST TIME

Eastwood's film "The Changeling", starring Angelina Jolie as a woman searching for her missing son in 1920s Los Angeles, joins a competition list that also includes works by previous Palme d'Or winners Steven Soderbergh and Wim Wenders.

Soderbergh, who took the top Cannes award in 1989 for "Sex, Lies and Videotape", won a race against time to complete his four-hour epic "Che", on the life of the revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara in time for the festival.

Wenders, who won in 1984 with "Paris Texas", returns with "The Palermo Shooting", a love story starring Dennis Hopper and Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno.

Two films also add a flavor of Italy's tangled political scene, "Gomorra", Matteo Garrone's depiction of the Camorra, the Naples version of the mafia, and Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo", on the great survivor of Italian politics, Giulio Andreotti.

From Asia, Jia Zhangke, one of the leading figures in the new generation of Chinese cinema, will be showing "24 City", his latest examination of the upheavals caused by China's rapid economic expansion.

Outside the main competition, two of sport's most charismatic but troubled champions feature in James Toback's "Tyson", about heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson and Emir Kusturica's treatment of soccer legend Diego Maradona in "Maradona".

The competition jury is headed by Sean Penn and includes actors Natalie Portman, Sergio Castellitto and Alexandra Maria Lara and directors Rachid Bouchareb, Alfonso Cuaron and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

Source: Reuters

Carter says Secretary Rice "not telling truth"

Above: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter pauses during a speech in Jerusalem April 21, 2008, after talks in Syria and Egypt with Hamas leaders.

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
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Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of not telling the truth about warnings she said her department gave Carter not to speak to Hamas before a Middle East trip.

The State Department has said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, issued the warning before Carter, a veteran of Middle East diplomacy, went on his trip last week.

Rice said in Kuwait on Tuesday: "We counseled President Carter against going to the region and particularly against having contact with Hamas."

"President Carter has the greatest respect for ... Rice and believes her to be a truthful person. However, perhaps inadvertently, she is continuing to make a statement that is not true," a statement issued by the Carter center in Atlanta said on Wednesday.

"No one in the State Department or any other department of the U.S. government ever asked him (Carter) to refrain from his recent visit to the Middle East or even suggested that he not meet with Syrian President (Bashar) Assad or leaders of Hamas," it said.

It said Carter attempted to call Rice before making the trip and a deputy returned his call since Rice was in Europe.

"They had a very pleasant discussion for about 15 minutes, during which he never made any of the negative or cautionary comments described above. He never talked to anyone else," the statement said.

Carter had already on Monday, in an interview with national Public Radio, described as "absolutely false" any suggestion he had been warned not to meet Hamas.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, is viewed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.

"The United States is not going to deal with Hamas and we certainly told President Carter that we did not think that meeting with Hamas was going to help the Palestinians," Rice said Tuesday while attending a conference in Kuwait.

Carter, who met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Syria over the weekend, is trying to draw the Islamist group into peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

But Rice and other senior U.S. officials are concerned that Carter's meeting could confuse U.S.-brokered peace talks already moving at a slow pace between Abbas and Olmert.

Hamas won a 2006 election and briefly formed a unity government with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It seized control of Gaza from Abbas' secular Fatah faction in fighting in June.

Source: Reuters

Buddhist Thought for the Day

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

--Buddha

Earth Day goes political and corporate

Above: A painted globe sits near the stage at the Green Apple Festival concert for Earth Day on the National Mall in Washington, April 20, 2008.

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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Google went green and so did dozens of comic strips while President George W. Bush planted a tree on Tuesday to mark Earth Day, an environmental event that has become increasingly political and corporate.

Thirty-eight years after Earth Day began as a series of grass-roots "teach-ins" about environmental conservation and pollution, April 22 has become an occasion to focus attention on human-generated climate change and the policies around it -- a topic not on the public mind in 1970.

The method for getting the message across has certainly evolved. Google.com's online search site featured a lush logo with letters made of moss-covered boulders, a tree sprouting from the "L" and a waterfall flowing beneath it. Clicking on the image led to a list of Earth Day-related sites.

The comics pages in many U.S. newspapers featured strips with environmental themes. "Zippy The Pinhead" was typical: the short-sighted residents of Dingburg save the Earth by packing dirt into suitcases and keeping them in a storage locker.

Bush was in New Orleans for the so-called "Three Amigos" summit with leaders from Canada and Mexico, where the U.S. president planted an oak tree in Lafayette Square -- a symbolic replanting of the some 250,000 trees stripped away from the city by 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

PLAN TO RAISE FUEL EFFICIENCY

The Bush administration, which has weathered criticism for its stand on environmental issues, offered a plan on Tuesday to boost fuel economy for cars and trucks to cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The plan would require the U.S. and international fleet to average 32 miles per gallon (13.6 km per litre) by 2015. The energy bill Bush signed in December requires that autos average 35 miles per gallon (14.9 km per litre) by 2020, a 40 percent increase over the current standard.

On the presidential campaign trail, Democrats Sen. Barack Obama and Sen Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain offered statements urging a focused U.S. environmental and energy policy.

"Our leaders in Washington have to put what's right for our planet ahead of what's good for their friends in the energy industry," Obama, an Illinois senator, said in a statement on the day of the presidential primary in Pennsylvania, where he is in a tight race with Clinton of New York.

"I will end the Bush administration's assault on environmental protections and standards," Clinton said. "...It will be a new day."

"We must have the courage to realistically confront the spectre of climate change," McCain said in his statement. "This is one of the greatest challenges confronting the next president."

LAWS AND LIGHTBULBS

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, joined by fellow members of Congress and religious leaders, marked the day by helping plant an elm tree outside the U.S. Capitol.

"We can make a difference," said Pelosi, a California Democrat who has taken a lead in addressing global warming. "It is a national security issue, it is an economic issue, it is an environmental and therefore a health issue, and it is a moral issue."

In a separate move, Democratic Reps. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Henry Waxman of California and Jay Inslee of Washington state said any effective climate-change law must reduce emissions to avoid dangerous global warming, shift the United States to clean energy, minimize the law's economic impacts and aid communities and ecosystems at risk from global warming.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under fire from critics who contend the agency has failed to curb the greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuelled vehicles that spur climate change, launched a national campaign aimed at cutting emissions in U.S. homes.

Participants in the program include Amazon.com, Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard, Lowe's, Menards, Sears, and Subway, the agency said in a statement.

The Washington Post, noting the change in the celebration from previous years, wrote a tongue-in-cheek essay declaring Earth Day dead: "What killed it? A long but admirable struggle with celebrity piety and corporate baloney, mainly."

Source: Reuters

Yoko Ono in feud over Lennon footage

Above: File photo shows Yoko Ono posing for photographers during a news conference at Saitama Super Arena, north of Tokyo October 2, 2003.

REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
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Footage of John Lennon smoking pot, writing songs and discussing putting the hallucinogenic drug LSD in President Richard Nixon's tea is the focus of a court case starting in Boston over whether the video should be made public.

The case pits Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, against Lawrence, Massachusetts-based World Wide Video, which claims ownership of nine hours of raw footage of the former Beatle and Ono that was filmed just weeks before the "Fab Four" broke up in 1970.

World Wide, a New England consortium of Beatles collectors, wants to release the black-and-white footage as a two-hour film titled "3 days in the life" about Lennon during a pivotal and turbulent time for the most celebrated band of the 1960s.

Rolling Stone magazine dubs it "awesome John Lennon footage you might never see."

The company, which paid more than $1 million (500,000 pounds) for the footage after legal costs and other expenses, nearly premiered it last year at the private Berwick Academy in Maine but abruptly scrapped the screening after the school received a stop order from Ono's lawyers, who assert copyright ownership of the videotapes.

World Wide has filed a suit in U.S. District Court in Boston against Ono for copyright infringement. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 30.

According to court documents, World Wide said it bought 24 original videotapes and their copyrights in 2000 from Anthony Cox, Ono's husband before her marriage to Lennon in 1969.

Cox shot the footage at Lennon's estate in England for a documentary he planned titled "Portrait."

The footage, recorded from February 8 to 11, 1970, shows Lennon composing two hits, "Remember" and "Mind Games," along with a candid discussion of his drug use and scenes that World Wide describes as "intimate and no-holds-barred."

World Wide asserts that shortly after purchasing the videotapes, along with 10 copies, they were stolen in 2000. The company filed a separate civil suit a year later against a New Hampshire man who agreed to return the copies and locate the originals, court documents show.

The original videotapes are now held by Ono, whose lawyers claim in a countersuit that she purchased them legally from World Wide through a Florida man, who has been named as a defendant in the Massachusetts company's suit.

"The decision that should be made in the case is who in fact does have the copyright," Joseph Doyle, World Wide's lawyer, said in a telephone interview. "We're saying that we legitimately own the copyright to this film."

Jonathan Albano, Ono's lawyer in Boston, declined to comment on the case.

Source: Reuters

NY Tribeca Film Festival finds a voice and gets picky

Above: Robert De Niro sits with co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, Jane Rosenthal, before the start of a media day regarding this year's festival in New York April 13, 2008.

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
------------------------------
It opens with a comedy, Tina Fey's "Baby Mama," but when the seventh annual Tribeca Film Festival unspools later this week, organizers promise many of this year's movies will be no laughing matter.

Founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal told Reuters that Tribeca, started in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, has now found its own unique voice, borne from years of screening films that highlight difficult global issues and create conversation among audiences.

The 2008 festival opening on Wednesday can now afford to be "more picky," said Rosenthal, and as a result, organizers reduced the number of feature-length films to be shown this year to 120, which is about 25 percent fewer than 2007.

"Tribeca and Sarajevo are the only two film festivals that started because of an act of war, and I think that we very much look to program difficult subject matters at times and have conversations that ask global questions -- questions mainstream media doesn't necessarily delve into," Rosenthal said.

This year several films from and about Iraq will screen including "Baghdad High," made by four classmates who were given cameras to videotape their last year at school, and "War, Love God and Madness," a documentary about a filmmaker trying to make a movie in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Nearly 5,000 submissions were received for this year's event. Of the 120 feature films being screened, 24 are competing in the narrative and documentary categories, and 79 short films were submitted from some 40 countries.

TRIBECA'S GLOBAL REACH

"For an American film festival we're pretty global in reach," Rosenthal, who founded the event with De Niro and her husband Craig Hatkoff to economically and culturally rejuvenate lower Manhattan after September 11. Tribeca is a neighborhood near the site of the September 11 attacks.

The festival has easily achieved that goal since its inception in 2002, attracting more than 2 million visitors and more than $425 million in economic activity for New York City.

Tribeca 2008 debuts with the premiere of "Baby Mama," starring Tina Fey, creator and star of hit TV comedy "30 Rock," playing a woman who hires a surrogate to have her baby. The closing film is May 3's premiere of "Speed Racer," an effects-filled movie based on a cartoon about a race car driver starring Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci.

Madonna will premiere her documentary "I Am Because We Are" about children in Malawi orphaned by AIDS, singer Mariah Carey will grace the big screen in the premiere of "Tennessee," and John Cusack will premiere his film "War, Inc," which he wrote and starred in alongside Hilary Duff and Marisa Tomei.

But beyond star appeal and the media attention celebrities draw, festival organizers will screen more than 50 other world premieres and feature films from 64 first-time directors.

The festival has developed a mentoring program for up-and-coming filmmakers where they can take part in workshops and meet potential investors, agents, producers and directors.

"As a filmmaker to get a movie done, get the financing -- no matter what the budget -- it's a lot of perseverance," De Niro said. "This is all sort of corny cliched stuff, but you got to keep plugging away, there's no easy way."

Like other festivals, a market has sprung up at Tribeca where distributors acquire movies to release later this year and next, and the growth of that market has helped boost Tribeca's clout. Rosenthal said 42 of last year's movies found distribution deals.

Grilled Chicken Artichoke Fettucine Alfredo

1/2 lb fettucine, uncooked
3 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
7 oz. water packed artichoke hearts, drained
6 strips bacon, diced
1/4 cup light cream
1/2 cup milk
1 egg yolk
small can petit pois (baby peas)
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
sea salt and cracked pepper
paprika
Strips of Grilled Chicken Breast

Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water.
Melt the butter in a dutch oven. Saute the garlic for 1 minute.
Stir in the artichokes,drain baby peas and add, cover, and simmer 5 minutes.
Beat the egg with the cream and milk.
Add the fettucine to the artichokes and then pour in the egg sauce. Sprinkle in the cheese and bacon. Mix well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in some paprika.

Slice strips of Grilled Chicken Breast and serve on top of Fettuccine dish.

Moustache madness sweeps Germany

German beard and moustache championship draws more than 100 men from various countries to compete for most extravagant look.

Organised by the Eastern Bavarian Beard and Moustache Club, the event drew competitors from many countries including Britain, Germany and Switzerland.




I smell another Christopher Guest movie.

Source Reuters

Dalai Lama meets U.S. envoy; asks for help

Above: The Dalai Lama (L) meets with Paula Dobriansky, the U.S. under secretary of the State Department for Global Affairs and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan April 21, 2008.

REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
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The Dalai Lama told the U.S. special envoy for Tibet on Monday he appreciated U.S. concern with China's handling of the political unrest in Tibet and said "we need your help."

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Paula Dobriansky, the envoy, met in private on the University of Michigan campus, but addressed reporters briefly beforehand.

The two entered the room holding hands and Dobriansky said the administration "has expressed its concern about the situation in Tibet and has urged restraint."

She said President George W. Bush "has been a steadfast supporter of the need for dialogue between his holiness and Chinese leaders ... we see a dialogue as an important means and way to go forward."

The 72-year-old Dalai Lama said he was surprised Dobriansky came to Michigan to see him during his U.S. tour.

"I want to express my deep appreciation to your government your president and State Department and secretary of state and yourself always showing genuine concern," he said.

The Dalai Lama concluded with, "At this moment we need your help." He did not elaborate.

Beijing has accused him of being behind the March 14 riots in Lhasa and unrest that followed in other ethnic Tibetan areas, as part of a bid for independence and to ruin the coming summer Olympic Games in China.

He has denied a role in the unrest, and says he only wants autonomy for Tibet. China says 19 were killed in the unrest but exiled Tibetans give a far higher total.

Dobriansky said the two would discuss the situation in Tibet and whether the Dalai Lama can pursue a dialogue with China.

The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against communist rule in 1959, eight years after the Chinese military marched in to annex Tibet.

Source: Reuters

Paris makes Dalai Lama a "citizen of honor"

Paris city hall made Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama an honorary citizen on Monday, exacerbating tensions between France and China in the build up to the Beijing Olympics.

The motion to honor the Dalai Lama was backed by the city's Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe and his environmentalist allies but was not supported by President Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right party or Communist councilors.

Relations between France and China have suffered badly in the wake of big pro-Tibetan protests that disrupted the passage of the Olympic flame through Paris earlier this month.

Angered by the Chinese reaction to the demonstrations, mayor Delanoe pushed to make the Dalai Lama an honorary citizen.

"The Dalai Lama is a man of dialogue and peace," Delanoe told reporters on Monday. "It is the duty of Paris, in the name of universal values, to support him."

Although pro-Tibetan supporters have targeted the Olympic relay around the world, the Paris demonstration caused particular anger in China after images showed a Chinese athlete in a wheelchair having to shield the flame from protesters.

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of some Chinese cities in recent days to denounce France and call for a boycott of French goods.

Sarkozy has launched a charm offensive to try to repair the damage, writing to the paralympic athlete, Jin Jing, praising her "outstanding courage" and inviting her to visit France again as his "personal guest".

The president's allies in Paris city hall said Delanoe's initiative would be seen as provocative in Beijing.

"I don't think that by making the Dalai Lama an honorary citizen you are going to ease relations between China and France", said former centre-right sports minister, Jean-Francois Lamour.


Souarce: Reuters

Spring Awakening: Eating Moules Marinieres Outside @Petite Abeille

Petite Abeille
466 Hudson Street
212/741.6479

With four locations in the city, my favorite is the one on Hudson Street in the West Village. Petite Abeille is known for their mussels. On Wednesday nights, you can eat all the mussels you want for about $20 with a Stella. But I really like their waffles with fresh strawberries, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with confectionary sugar. I order it whenever I visit one of their locations no matter what time of the day it is.

When it’s warm out, it’s nice to sit by the sidewalk and watch the West Village crowd walk by. For lunch, there are several salads and sandwiches to choose from, but skip the spicy tuna sandwich and stick with the pot of mussels. Dip the crusty bread in the broth and you’re set. Make sure you order a Leffe with it.

----------------------------------------



love making this mussels dish because it only takes a splash of white wine and some herbs I usually have handy anyway.


Ingredients:
1 bag of mussels, about 2 pounds, beard and barnacles cleaned and scraped off
1 cup dry white wine
2 shallots, chopped
2 tbsps unsalted butter
a handful of flat parsley, chopped

1. Put the shallots and white wine into a large stainless steel pot. Add the mussels and cover. Steam them over high heat until the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Shake the pot to be sure that all the mussels are cooked.
2. Drain the mussels into a large bowl, saving the liquid. Discard unopened mussels. Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the butter and chopped parsley. Pour this sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.

Spice Market

Spice Market
403 W. 13th St.
New York City
212-675-2322.



If you've ever tried to get a Saturday night reservation at Spice Market in Manhattan, you know how maddeningly popular this ode to Southeast Asian street food is. The restaurant certainly looks stunning: Jacques Garcia designed the soaring, Buddhist temple–inspired space, and Alpana Bawa created the backless outfits the servers wear. Add to that Jean-Georges Vongerichten's delicious twists on everything from fish cakes to samosas, and it's no wonder Spice Market is still packed more than two years after opening—attracting up to 1,200 people a night.

Spice Market's fun, sexy, irreverent approach fits perfectly in New York City's hip Meatpacking District. But how might Vongerichten's reimagined Southeast Asian food play in Asia? Very well, Vongerichten hopes. He's planning to take Spice Market worldwide later this year or early next, eventually opening in Asian cities like Bangkok and Tokyo, as well as in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Vongerichten has been amazed to find how much Asians visiting New York City like Spice Market. He believes it will be just as enthralling in Singapore as it is in Manhattan.

In order to go global, Vongerichten has been codifying the Spice Market recipes, down to the gram. "Consistency is the most important thing," he says. Gregory Brainin, Vongerichten's research and development chef, spent two months fine-tuning 45 recipes. "If you're prepping 80 spring rolls a night, having a recipe that calls for one chile and two cloves of garlic is not exact enough," Vongerichten explains, describing one of his best dishes—spring rolls stuffed with lemongrass-spiked duxelles (a buttery French blend of mushrooms and shallots). Seasoning is just as important. Vongerichten's cooks are used to working with salt. "But nam pla to taste?" he asks. "How much is that?"

Which dishes is Vongerichten likely to take around the world with him? In addition to the mushroom spring rolls, he'll definitely offer his crunchy fried shrimp cakes, studded with green beans, as well as crab balls, rolled in crisp panko crumbs and sesame seeds and served with a refreshing ginger-scented grapefruit salad.

Vongerichten is astonishingly confident about spinning off Spice Market, even though the contract for his empire hasn't been signed yet. "Anytime we put a recipe from Spice Market on the menu at one of my other restaurants, anywhere in the world," he says, "that's the dish people always want to order."

E Street Band member Danny Federici dies at 58

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from Hungry Heart through The Rising, died Thursday. He was 58.
Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. News of his death was posted late Thursday on Springsteen's official website.


HIS MUSICAL LEGACY: Hear his organ solo from 'Hungry Heart'

According to published reports, Federici last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.

Springsteen concerts scheduled for Friday in Fort Lauderdale, and Saturday in Orlando were postponed after news of Federici's death.

He was born in Flemington, N.J., a long car ride from the Jersey shore haunts where he first met kindred musical spirit Springsteen in the late 1960s. The pair often jammed at the Upstage Club in Asbury Park, N.J., a now-defunct after-hours club that hosted the best musicians in the state.

It was Federici, along with original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez, who first invited Springsteen to join their band.

By 1969, the self-effacing Federici — often introduced in concert by Springsteen as Phantom Dan— was playing with the Boss in a band called Child. Over the years, Federici joined his friend in acclaimed shore bands Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.


original E street band l to r Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, top Garry Tallent, bottom bruce springsteen, Clarence Clemons, David Sancious

Federici became a stalwart in the E Street Band as Springsteen rocketed from the boardwalk to international stardom. Springsteen split from the E Streeters in the late '80s, but they reunited for a hugely successful tour in 1999.

"Bruce has been supportive throughout my life," Federici said in a recent interview with Backstreets magazine. "I've had my ups and downs, and I've certainly given him a run for his money, and he's always been there for me."

Federici played accordion on the wistful 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) from Springsteen's second album, and his organ solo was a highlight of Springsteen's first top 10 hit, Hungry Heart. His organ coda on the 9/11-inspired Springsteen song You're Missing provided one of the more heart-wrenching moments on The Rising in 2002.

In a band with larger-than-life characters such as saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bandana-wrapped guitarist "Little" Steven Van Zandt, Federici was content to play in his familiar position to the side of the stage. But his playing was as vital to Springsteen's live show as any instrument in the band.

Federici released a pair of solo albums that veered from the E Street sound and into soft jazz. Bandmates Nils Lofgren on guitar and Garry Tallent on bass joined Federici on his 1997 debut, Flemington. In 2005, Federici released its follow-up, Out of a Dream.

Federici had taken a leave of absence during the band's tour in November 2007 to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano.

At the time, Springsteen described Federici as "one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."

Besides his work with Springsteen, Federici played on albums by an impressive roster of other artists: Van Zandt, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker, Gary U.S. Bonds and Garland Jeffreys.

Source: USA Today

Buddhist Thought for the Day

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

--Buddha

10 Minute Cooking School with director Robert Rodriguez

Director Robert Rodriguez, unbeknownst to me does a cooking segment called 10 Minute Cooking School with each of his movies on DVD.

"Because not knowing how to cook...is like not knowing how to f***" --Robert Rodriguez



Sin City Breakfast Tacos