I know that right now, for many of us, every penny counts, but Haiti really needs our help–your help, my help, every bit of help they can get. Without aide from the international community, the immediate devastation wreaked by the earthquake that hit earlier this week will be dwarfed by the havoc caused by the nightmarish conditions facing those those who are still alive. Currently, there are no hospitals and far too few medical workers, there is no potable water, and the country’s roads, ports, and airport are either crippled or simply wiped out. Estimates place the cost of reconstruction in the “low billions,” or at least 15% of Haiti’s gross domestic product.
I might not be able to pay my phone bill this month, but since I still have clean water to drink and a working hospital down the road, I donated. The wonderful PANK magazine made it a little easier to part with the cost of a week’s worth of beans and rice by offering to split all proceeds from direct sales of PANK 4 and Aaron Burch’s new chapbook HOW TO TAKE YOURSELF APART, HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF ANEW between the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders from now until February 13th.
If you can find a way to muster a few bucks, give.
Tags: Haiti, PANK, give
Remanants of the Biosphere is a stunning photodocument of Biosphere 2, the “largest sealed environment ever created.” The photos presented are one part abandoned lot, one part Silent Running, and totally captivating.
For a juxtapositional thrill, after you’ve finished perusing Noah Sheldon’s strangely Kubrickian images, take a gander at the Epcot-meets-Valhalla glory of the official Biosphere 2 web site.
Tags: Biosphere 2, Noah Sheldon, hyperbolicecogeophotorealistic
After spending the past few months eschewing the blog world in favor of the micro-punditry of Twitter, I am hereby announcing my return to (comparatively) long-form exposition. Or at least complete sentences.
More to come. Soon. Really.
Tags: tweet, blog, blurgh
My (somewhat zany) review of Mary Robison’s excellent One D.O.A., One on the Way is up (now!) at Identity Theory.
This is my first review for the venerable ID; keep an eye out for more in the future.
Tags: Identity Theory, Mary Robison, gigs
When I was a kid, I used to love the infomercial series Amazing Discoveries. My best friend and I even used to stage our own reenactments (I know I should be embarrassed, but I’m pretty sure our production values were awesome).
Somehow, capping off a long week of era-ending celebrity death with the untimely demise of the Mike Levey of the 21st century, Mr. Billy Mays, is just too much.
I guess some summers they really do drop like flies.
Tags: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, Dirty Three Eulogy
I have a new essay on the RealTouch, a futuristic male masturbation device, over at Doublethink Online.
(I really wanted this title of this post to be the title of the article, but DTO, apparently, did not.)
Tags: essays, RealTouch, futuresex
For the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to flip the script on some of my favorite grains. Trials are ongoing–savory oats are proving to be particularly intractable–but this sweet approach to couscous is ready for the big time. It’s mildly adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe, and think I might be addicted. It’s one of those best-of-all-worlds desserts: ultra quick, relatively cheap, and packed with fruity-nutty-wholegrain-y deliciousness.
It’s perfect after an Indian/Middle Eastern-ish meal and especially balances things out well if you have something low on starch for the main course. I can’t believe how tasty it is–kind of a couscous version of rice pudding, but not as creamy/wet, and much fancier-feeling. Any leftovers work fabulously as a wholesome, hearty breakfast. Almond milk rocks, too; if you make this once and don’t like it enough to make it again, you can use the rest of the carton in cereal or smoothies (I’ve also made a super-simple (and super-yum) version of classic chocolate cornstarch pudding using almond milk as the base). This recipe serves 2 generously.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups almond milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup whole wheat couscous (you can use regular, but there goes your whole grain goodness)
- 1 teaspoons grated or minced lemon or orange zest (I’ve done it with 1/2 tsp. of each, with tangerine zest, and once with a dash of orange oil when I didn’t have any citrus fruit around)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (you could use cinnamon instead, but you’d lose some of the exotic/fragrant magnificence that cardamom brings; using half cinnamon/half cardamom comes out well, too…)
- 1/2 cup sliced or chopped or slivered almonds (sliced look prettier, chopped have more presence)
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (or you could use raisins, currents, dates, or even dried cherries or prunes; if you’re feeling mix-y, 1/4 cup apricots and 1/4 cup sultanas is a particularly complementary combo)
- 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) shelled whole pistachios (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon rosewater (Bittman says the rosewater makes it “exotic beyond belief,” but I haven’t tried it, so I guess I don’t know what I’m missing)
(Absurdly simple) methodology:
Bring almond milk, sugar and salt to boil in a pot; add couscous, zest, cardamom, and chopped dried fruit; cover and cook for 1 minute, then turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Fluff couscous with a fork and sprinkle on the rosewater if using. Add nuts and gently combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Optional delightful finish:
Mix a few tablespoons of plain (preferably greek-style) yogurt with a decent squeeze/spoonful of honey and dollop it on top, then sprinkle a few extra chopped/slivered almonds on top for visual pizzazz.
I would definitely encourage experimentation with different flavors/seasonings; the base of couscous and almond milk is pretty much a blank canvas that you can decorate per taste/mood/pantry contents. I could see various combinations of coconut, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, pine nuts, candied fruit bits, liquors, and even basil or rosemary or mint coming out pretty tasty.
Tags: couscous pudding, Mark Bittman, easy ways to impress your friends
“…I’m always sorry when I hear of your reading anything of mine, and always hope you won’t — you seem to me so constitutionally unable to ‘enjoy’ it, and so condemned to look at it from a point of view remotely alien to mine in writing it…”
Henry James is not my usual cup of tea, but this letter to his brother,, posted over at the The Second Pass, is a riot. If you’ve ever had a relative gently (or not-so-gently) prod you regarding your insistence on writing things that are too depressing/long/short/open-ended/serious/confusing/pointless/etc. (my own mother, bless her heart, can’t wait until I smell the coffee and pick up where Erma Bombeck left off), James’ genteel takedown of his brother’s taste in fiction will give you a kick.
(via Maud)
Tags: Henry James, The Second Pass, sibling rivalry
The Diagram Prize is back! Established in 1978 (the first winner was Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice), the prize honors one new book annually for the dubious achievement of having the strangest title of the publication year.
The voting for the weirdest book name of 2008 is currently underway at www.thebookseller.com. Here’s the official shortlist:
- Baboon Metaphysics
- Curbside Consultation of the Colon
- The Large Sieve and its Applications
- Strip and Knit with Style
- Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring
- The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais
But which of these oddballs will finally claim victory? You’ll have to wait ’til March 27 to find out…
*Cheese Problems Solved, one of last year’s frontrunners, ultimately lost out to If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs.
Tags: odd titles, Diagram Prize, dubious distinctions
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