top bonität oder ansteckungsgefahr

The bullying, nannying antics of the credit-rating agencies have threatened to downgrade (toppling the Top Bonität, rating, of some 15 euro zone members) en masse the core countries of the shared-currency, not that Greece and others are peripheral but the financial machinery has already dismissed them. I kept belabouring these rather predictable developments, in hopes, that the insanity of it all is just a bit more apparent or, if already manifest, at least not taken as custom or as inescapable. The machinations of the confidence tricksters and assessors of gullibility, however, are forcing one's hand, perhaps too hastily down one strait, which removes serious deliberation to the speculators that would gamble on the failure of the whole enterprise. Collectively, we are leaning on France and Germany for leadership but the characteristics of good and effective governance did not suddenly become important commodities only when the monetary wherewithal of Europe was thrown into question.   It is extortion and it seems as if the credit-rating agencies and the markets have already made up their minds.  There's no honour in kow-towing to the bullies and taking their remedies without question, but maybe the menace of higher interest-rates, usury for past borrowing, might change the way people owe and how they owe--after all, too much easy credit and thoughtless debt helped create this mess to begin with--and that discipline, not austerity, might not be such a welcome shift for the lenders.

vindaloo

This picture was not properly setup, but I wanted to capture the latest chef-surprise in case it turned out good and my camera has a setting specifically to capture images of food, "Saturation is higher to make food look more appetizing," which is an under-utilized feature. I tried making a broccoli curry and improvised a little and voila:

Broccoli Curry with Garbanzo Beans and Cranberries

• One small bunch of broccoli chopped into small pieces (about 2 cups)
• 2 tea-spoons Hot Madras Curry Powder (or less to taste)
• 1 can of Garbanzo Beans
• A few handfuls of dried cranberries or raisins
• 1 ⅔ cups of couscous

For four servings, cook the broccoli in a large sauce pan (big enough for all the ingredients) over medium heat in olive oil for approximately five minutes, tossing and then add curry powder. After mixing, combine the garbanzo beans and the cranberries. Continue stirring when adding 2 cups of water or vegetable broth and about a teaspoon of salt. Cover but stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil. Then pour in the couscous and stir until the dish just reaches boiling again, then cover and remove from heat. Wait five minutes for the couscous to absorb the water, then fluff with a fork and serve.

• für 4 Personen, Etwa 500 gram Brokkoli, fein geschnittenen
• mit 2 Teelöffel scharfes Currypulver abschmecken
• 1 Dose Kichererbsen
• einige Handvolle getrockneten Preiselbeeren oder Rosinen
• 400 mL Kuskus (und 500 mL Wasser oder Gemüsebrühe dafür)

Der Brokkoli kochen in Öl in der Pfanne für etwa 5 Minuten und mit Currypulver würzen. Alles erhitzen und zum Schluss die Kichererbsen und die Preiselbeeren dazugeben. Anschließend die Wasser oder Brühe mite in bissen Salz hineingeben. Die Pfanne zudecken und einmal aufkochen lassen. Nun den Kuskus hinzugeben und vom Feuer nehmen. Das Kuskus kocht (unter dem Deckel) für etwa 5 Minuten. Wenn das Essen fertig ist, vorsichtig mit einer Gabel durchziehen, servieren und genießen.

sopapilla oder net neutralität

Though SOPA, the bill in the US Congress that would outlaw parody, sampling and originality has nothing to do with anti-piracy measures and the opponents of the bill certainly are not endorsing common-sense copyright infringement and respect intellectual property and artistic integrity, a Swiss government commissioned study (auf Deutsch, en français, in Italiano, ed tar la rumantscha but with the story and analysis on the excellent and astonishing Boing Boing) is providing a refreshing counterpoint to the dishonest hysterics and censorship budding up elsewhere. Our friends in Switzerland discovered that casual downloading was not harming the industry and actually spurred sales for movie and concert tickets and well as media in many cases. The results of this study actually are helping to enforce the framework of laws safe-guarding individual privacy in the Confederation, including limiting internet service providers' ability to keep logs on users' activity and other questionable forms of tattling.

x-mas pageant

I am such a miser with my change (coins)--which belong in Piggy Bank and are not to be spent even if it means breaking large bills over a few cents--sometimes that it makes the coins (and their chain of custody) that I do spend and the circumstances particularly memorable. This use of specie is nearly exclusively in the form of giving, to the accordion-playing busker, the church poor box or like the euro I donated to some kid, dressed as an elf, who surprised me by rattling a can right behind me and asked if I would help starving children in Africa. I knew precisely what change I had on me, returned earlier in the day (coins never, ever go undeposited in my pockets longer than a day) by a stately little old lady at a flea-market for a medallion I got from the Film and Theatre Trade Association of Hessen (Wirtschaftsverband Filmtheater Hessen), awarded to a member for over twenty years of faithful service, as indicated on the obverse.

All of a sudden, when I gave away one coin, which I was glad to do, I was a little sad about the other one I had got. I didn't think about it at the time, but the guild medallion had probably been awarded to the stately little old lady. "Hi, I’m Gertie and I do hair and makeup." As I was imagining her life story—and she did look like a theatre-type, I was wandering through a crowded Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) and admiring the decorations, under more unusual circumstances. The visitors were already voluntarily kettled amongst the stands of ornaments, candles and Glühwein (Wassail, mulled-wine) but this gathering was also audience to a troupe, a parade of protestors, demonstrating against fascism and capitalism, who were accompanied by hundreds of affable Polizei in riot gear that guarded their route, restricting the Christmas shoppers to one street block by block. The security (though there was no violence behind the message and rage) made the evening a strange game of chess, finding one's path again against the demonstrators. Maybe Gertie was glad for the exchange as well, and though I guess I won’t ever know the exact provenance, I'll continue to treasure that little token and trade.