Damn the torpedos/happy holidays!

Yes, the world is falling apart and things are decidedly worse economically. Yes , Ponzi schemes and greedy bribe-taking politicians abound right here in the USA. Yes, Robert Mugabe is still in power in Zimbabwe. Yes things are still awful,awful awful in Iraq and Afghanistan. None of this is good news, but all of it adds up needing to commit to change in 2009 and being wildly resourceful as we have never done before- and hoping, and laughing and enjoying each other too.

Now is the time....

Put a lump in your stocking (& your throat and lungs too!)

Ah, the good old days here in America, when life was simple and we worked our land for energy instead of wriggling under the thumb of oil-rich Arab nations...

NOT.

We must never, never go back.

Some things really are backwards- the move to coal as a viable source of energy is one of them.

Say no in innovative and informed ways:

Check out this project the Sierra Club has set up to counteract the "Clean Coal" lobby:

they are putting slogans that we the people come up with and post them on their "Truth Truck" which will drive around Washington D.C.

We may not have as much money as those lobbyists, but the creative capital is ALL on our side- let's show it.

Now, I think personally, that they should have come up with a cleaner, greener billboard solution, one that doesn't involve fossil fuels, but there is no denying the flexibility and visibility their trucks will offer.

Who knows, maybe they are electric?

http://www.coalisnottheanswer.org/

The site is good looking and some of the slogans are really, really clever.

They have come up with something that really is both informative and fun.

You can post your own, watch a slide show of the cache of submissions so far, or scroll down the list and vote or comment on your favorites.

So, get busy y'all- we have another dirty little war to fight!

www.coalisnottheanswer.org

YES WE CAN!

We did it!

We let the right one in...

Let the right one in, redux

"African-American Flag" by David Hammons

The end is nigh- we are almost there- No more George Bush!!!

OK, so there will be, in all likelihood, lots of squawking from the Republicans about alleged "voter fraud" and lots of attempts to get people's votes not to count.Let's make things as fair, transparent and clear as we can from the get-go, so that this ploy won't work.

Remember: "you can fool me once...."

NPR-bless them- had a story this morning about the National Campaign for Fair Elections, which has set up "Welcome to Our Vote Live", the official site documenting the groundbreaking voter assistance work of the Election Protection Coalition.

They offer an easy to use system for reporting irregularities, asking questions or seeking help with issues surrounding voting. The organization will offer a national hot line to answer voter questions and respond to problems, they also will use high-tech doohickeys like twitter to instantly connect you with help.

The official website is here- by all means go on it before you vote tomorrow!

http://www.866ourvote.org/

At the very least:

PUT THIS NUMBER IN YOUR CELL PHONE!

1-866-OUR-VOTE

to alert them directly and instantly about intimidation, irregularities and problems when voting. I am done with mysterious voting screw-ups and botched ballots. This allows us, the voters, to take control, to cleanly and accurately put a stop to irregularities as they happen- let's make it as hard as possible for them to to throw away our choices!

If you need more reasons/motivation to get up and out into the voting booth, check these fab photos of gov. Sarah Palin out. My fav. is the first one, with dead bear and stuffed crab, but frankly, they are all gems:

http://www.adn.com/photos/v-gallery/story/509850.html?/1521/gallery/509852-a509968-t3.html

Listen & Learn

JUST SAY "NO" on NOV 4th!

Like many, I have been surviving the elections and economic crisis with heavy doses of reality-based humour. The Daily show, The Colbert Report, SNL and The Onion have all been preventing me from crying/or having a nervous breakdown on a daily basis. I Really, Really hope Obama wins, and have a glimmer of hope that while he is around that we may just all get through this...

But what, exactly, is "this" ?

I listen to NPR, I read the papers, I listen gladly to the "Liberal Media Elite", but a financial genius, I am (sadly) not. The Election, I get. The economic crisis, not so much. The numbers are just too big, the wheeling and dealing too dizzyingly complex.

"This American Life" put out two broadcasts explaining in an understandable, and actually, downright palatable way what caused the economic collapse, and just what the banks, brokers, lenders, etc were doing all this time. I am still no expert, but I am clearer about what happened. They give an excellent sense of the MAGNITUDE of this crisis, as well: something hard to see as the effects of it are happening Now. I HIGHLY recommend giving these two broadcasts a listen.

They are available online at:
Episode 1 – The Giant Pool of Money (May 08) on the financial debacle - episode 1 , runs about 35 mins. http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=355
Episode 2 – Another Show About the Economy (October 08) - a full, amazing hour!
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1263

Thank you Ira Glass & Co.!
If you did not make a contribution to keep NPR going before, you will after hearing this!
Don't get me wrong, things are still dreadful, but I prefer knowing what the dread is about, rather than that free-floating, anxious not-understanding kind.

Knowledge is Power, kids.
End of message: let's get out there and VOTE and try to make things better.

If we can keep laughing while doing it, so much the better!

succor

Economic crisis is an emotional thing. People behave very differently and suddenly needs become very primal. It's not just the cooling fall weather this year: suddenly food becomes very important indeed. The news reports say that the stock of Campbell's soup rising, and that people are buying more inexpensive comfort foods, such as soup and mashed potatoes. We've been eating meatloaf, and when I spoke to my father the other day he was busy preparing a Hungarian Goulash.

I, too crave succor, though it takes it's incarnation a bit unusually in the form of TOFU.

Not just any tofu, though mind you. Not the horrid tofu casseroles of my childhood- made for health without any real culinary consideration.
No.
The tofu I crave is at En Brasserie on Hudson st in the village, NYC.
This is not the tofu of the 70's. En is a vast but inviting place, dark, with softly spot-lit wood tables. Whomever designed it clearly took "In Praise of Shadows"' advice to heart. It feels cocooning and snug, while being able to accommodate a surprising number of diners at the tables, sushi bar and front bar. While not technically an inexpensive joint- the sake prices are steep indeed- the dishes I like best are relatively cheap- the tofu clocks in at $8.- for a two-person sized bowl, not a bad deal at all.

It comes "served warm or chilled with wari-joyu , made regularly at 6:00, 7:30, 9:00, & 10:30", announces the menu proudly. And, indeed, it bears no resemblance to those industrial white bricks sheathed in plastic one gets at the super market. A bit like fresh Buffalla mozzarella, the tofu is rounded and soft , with a more solid part and an accompanying liquid cream part.
It is CUSTARDY!
One friend, L, described it as being :"Like creme brulee!" . She is right. Creamy, warm and fresh, it comes to your table in a lovely square wood lacquer bowl with a delicate wooden serving ladle. the eating bowls are of uneven, mottled pottery and come with dark wood soup spoons.
I like it warm, with cool sake to drink.
Sitting there, and my warmly spotlit table in the womb of the restaurant, I can momentarily escape the events of the day and the events yet-to-come.
Obviously, one needs to face the light of day and deal with things in a clear-headed way, but there are moments when a time out is needed...

visit them at : http://www.enjb.com/

212 647 9196

EN Japanese Brasserie
435 Hudson Street
(at Leroy)
New York NY 10014