They've Got Stones, Man

I'm not a huge fan of Greenpeace - they're frequently reckless, dangerous, and frankly, violent. And I stand by what I've said before, that I brook no extremists of any stripe, even when I agree with the cause. So you won't find any links to their website here.

This time, well... They managed to get our attention without hurting themselves, or others, or even damaging this American icon. This stunt was clever. And cerebral. And pretty goddamn funny, whether humor was part of the intent, or not. And, well, Awesome.

Greenpeace Activists Arrested After Draping Banner on Mount Rushmore

By David A. Fahrenthold

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 8, 2009; 4:32 PM

Greenpeace activists draped an enormous banner next to the carved stone faces of Mount Rushmore today, calling for more-aggressive action to fight climate change.

The banner showed President Obama's face -- Greenpeace said it was an unfinished portrait, implying that Obama's legacy was in question -- and the words "America honors leaders not politicians: Stop Global Warming."

A trio of climbers unfurled it about 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, over a rock face next to the image of Abraham Lincoln on the far right side of the South Dakota landmark.

Less than two hours later, a Greenpeace spokesman said, all three, plus eight other Greenpeace activists at the site, had been taken into custody by park authorities.

Patty Rooney, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service, confirmed that there had been arrests. Rooney said prosecutors had not yet decided what charges the activists would face.

Rooney said that Park Service workers had not been able to take down the banner or assess any damage to the 67-year-old monument because high winds were making those tasks difficult. She said that the first task for park workers would be "getting our people safely up there and getting them [the Greenpeace activists] safely down."

The demonstration at Mount Rushmore was one of several staged today by Greenpeace seeking to influence world leaders at the Group of Eight summit in L'Aquila, Italy.

That meeting, along with another tomorrow that will include a wider circle of economic powerhouse nations, is supposed to help create a global strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But disagreements over how deeply to cut -- and how many cuts there should be -- have held up progress.

Also today, Greenpeace said its activists were holding demonstrations in Italy at four coal-fired power plants, a kind that produces particularly high emissions. Images on Greenpeace's web site showed a demonstrator apparently using rock-climbing gear to hang off machinery at a plant near Venice, with a banner reading "Green Jobs."

At Mount Rushmore, Greenpeace spokesman Michael Crocker said the activists had hiked to a ridge just above the six-story-tall heads. Then, he said, three of them rappelled over the side with the banner, two of them spending time suspended on Lincoln's forehead.

He said the climbers were careful not to damage the monument, using anchors installed by the Park Service for use in cleaning.

A video showed strong winds billowing the banner like a sail, forcing the climbers to spend several minutes getting it in place.

"There are times when you have to break the law to do what's right," Crocker said. He said Greenpeace believes that a House-approved bill to cut greenhouse gases 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 was not ambitious enough, and that the group wants Obama to push for something stronger.

No Tea, No Sympathy

Some conversations I prefer to have in public - like on the train going to and from work - because I'd really rather not have them at all:

"I don't have time to talk right now. Some of the girls are picking me up to go to the Hard Rock Casino."

"That's okay, Mom. I won't keep you long."

"What made you remember to call? I made up my mind that I wasn't going to call you until you called."

"Well, honestly? I didn't want to call you. I had a really lousy week. I didn't want to tell you that my house was robbed, last week."

"What? Did you leave a door open? Did you leave the windows open? You like to leave the windows open when it's cold outside. You always tell me it's a safe neighborhood. So, it's not so safe?"

"No, I didn't leave anything open. It's freaking 90 degrees outside - why would I open a window?!?"

"Well, you like to leave everything open. It's safe, you said."

"They broke a window to get in, Mom."

"They took everything, didn't they? The jewelry? Mike's grandma's jewelry? Your diamond necklace? The bracelet I gave you?"

"Almost everything, Mom."

"MJ wanted to put in an alarm and you said it's safe, so you didn't need it, you said."

"That was seven years ago."

"What about the insurance?"

"They want proof of value on those things that I can't give them, because most of it was gifts, and what wasn't a gift, well, who keeps receipts from 15 and 20 years ago. We're screwed."

"It's like when they broke into my car. I wanted to have the locks on the car changed, but didn't. The insurance sent me a letter that they closed the file, but I went to the dealer to get another key with a clicker, and do you know how much they wanted? $430.00! So I gave it to your brother and he said he would try to get the insurance to cover it."

"No, it's not like that, at all."

"So. Are you on the train, yet? I have to go. Have a nice day."

"Thanks. You, too. Bye."

Click.

Recipe Monday Delayed...

Recipe Monday will be delayed this week, until the delivery of the replacement download cable for my digital camera. Yes, the rat-bastards who robbed my house last week, also took the download cable for my camera. I guess it was white, and therefore looked like it might belong to my laptop, so they took it. Idiots.

In the meantime, please check out this post on this week's edition of Of Cats. It's all about an awesome no-kill rescue sanctuary for wildcats (and wild cats) in Minnesota, called (what else?) The Wildcat Sanctuary. They're doing great work out there, and I'm thrilled to bring them to your attention.

But before you go check that out, I've gotta ask: So, what do you think of my new blog template? I finally found a three-column template - and in my existing style! Thanks to Dobeweb for giving these out for free, and even the instructions on how to install them!

So, really - what do you think? Too busy? Too something else? Gimme some feedback, people! Then you can go read.

I Wuz Robbed!

Literally. MJ called me at work at noon yesterday to tell me that our house was robbed. Shit! He was gone for 2 hours, and when he returned, a back window had been broken out.

The SOB's got our flat screen TV, my freakin' brand new laptop, my iPod, and most of my jewelry - including MJ's grandmother's wedding set (that I only wear for special occasions), his great-aunt's deco diamond ring, and I think the old gold Star of David that my father gave my mother before they got married. engraved with her maiden name initials. That's just the short list.

I think we're going to live with the hurricane shutters closed until we can figure out what to do. Probably replace all the windows on the back half of the house with hurricane/impact glass, like we did on the front half, several years ago. And mow the lawn. Again.

The detectives pointed to the bag of dried herbage sitting out on the counter and told us that under the circumstances, they would ignore it, since it was obviously for personal use and we could probably use it right about then. "It's catnip." "Uh huh." "No, really." "Ha ha ha!"

JJ is fine and never left the house. I'd seriously like to know what she was doing during this little episode. Considering the scars she's left on us, our friends and family, I'll bet the assholes left without a scratch. She only hurts the ones she loves.

**P.S. Yes, we have insurance. Ironically, it is State Farm, who will be dropping us in a few months anyway, because we live in Florida and therefore might have to make a hurricane claim, someday. But that's not the point. For one thing, my mother's gonna kill me - just on general principle.

Oh, What? You Were Expecting...

Cake Waffles?

Before MJ, JJ and I made it to Sarasota last Monday, Miz Shoes and her Sister-Girlfriend-Girl (who I shall refer to from here on out as "The Divine Miz M") went thrift store hopping. And scored a waffle iron. Yes, a waffle iron. Ever since she discovered the "recipe" on Ravelry (an online knitting & crocheting community) Miz Shoes has been dying to make Cake Waffles. It's all I heard about for weeks. Except that she didn't own a waffle iron. Until now. God help us all.

It was my turn to cook for our little group of rabble-rousers (let's see, that would be Miz Shoes, her husband - The RLA, The Divine Miz M, her partner - Little Miss M, Star, me, and my hubs - MJ) on Wednesday night. I made my "famous" Roasted Garlic & Spinach Pasta, and MJ lubed us all up with a vat of his famous Citrus Cosmos. Here was the result:

That would be Miz Shoes pointing up at the night sky on the beach. "Is that a satellite? It's moving! See it?" Yes, dear. A satellite.

And in this condition, all and sundry thought it would be a fine idea to break in the waffle iron and make Cake Waffles. Apparently, you mix up a boxed cake mix according to package directions and cook it in portions in a waffle iron. Layered with Miz Shoes' Springfels and my Nam Doc Mai mangoes, and a touch of whipped cream, this is what they looked like (feel free to click on the image to get the full effect):

And then Star took over, as usual - though I can't say I blame her, since she was the most sober among us (I think) - and they actually started coming out looking like waffles. I'd like to show you what happened next - I really would - but it would go against my policy of not showing recognizable faces. Of my family and friends, anyway. Let's just say that it wasn't pretty. Delicious and hilarious as hell, but not pretty.

Okay, fine. It's not my recipe, and I didn't make them. But I did get to clean up the table full of dried cake batter and errant cooking spray the next morning. Does that count?

Go ahead and try it yourself. Sober. Or not. Your choice.

The real Recipe Monday post is below this. In case you care.

Recipe Monday: American Chicken Curry Masala

I haven't been grocery shopping since we got back from vacation, and the only protein on hand in my freezer was a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Hmmph. But, do you know when it's really fun to cook? When you stop thinking about that room as the kitchen, and start thinking of it as a playground.

It's no secret that we love Indian food - so much so, that I like to infuse some Indian flavors into my everyday cooking from time to time, too. Don't be afraid! Indian cuisine doesn't have to be searingly hot, is generally very healthy, and it's incredibly flavorful. It's really easy to do, if you keep a few basic spice mixtures in the pantry and play.

This is a one-pan dish that's done in under an hour and is both low-fat and big on flavor - without the heat many people associate with Indian food.

American Chicken Curry Masala


4 Tbs. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced crosswise into thin half circles
1 medium green bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced thinly
2 large cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 Tbs. Meat Curry Masala Powder (see Notes)
Salt to taste
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup baby carrots
1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, and lay in the chicken breasts, top side down. Brown for 5 minutes. While browning, sprinkle the raw side of each piece with a pinch of salt and half of the meat curry masala powder. Turn the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the onions, garlic and bell peppers, stir, and saute until the onions and peppers soften, approximately 5-6 minutes, then the rice and remaining masala powder, and stir. Now add the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Notes:

Meat Curry Masala Powder is a blend of Coriander, Cumin, Chili, Turmeric, Black Pepper, Cloves, Fenugreek Leaves, Salt, Nutmeg, Dry Ginger, Cardamom Seeds, Cinnamon, Bay Leaf, Ground Lentil, Fennel, Caraway, Mustard, Garlic Flakes, Onion Flakes, Mace, Green Cardamom, and Asafoetida. It is commercially available in any Indian/East Asian market or online.

Vacay

Part of my vacation, color-coordinated, beach-y persona. Don't get used to it.

Actually, I had to go to the complex next door to get an internet connection, and while I'm waiting for the barbecue to begin (shout out to Miz Shoes, her Sister-Girlfriend-Girl, the May Queen, and Star! among others who I don't think have alternate names, but are equally fabulous!), I thought I'd drop you all a line.

Sarasota replenished its beach, this year, and while the shelling has been magnificent, the Gulf is angry and wants its sand back. I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time, but the usually placid and agreeable Gulf of Mexico is now rough and inhospitable. Sucks. Tossed me on my ass, and all I was doing was just standing there. I swear!

Anyway, no more posts till I get home, next weekend... Well I might do a quickie Nature Notes for Thursday, but otherwise, see ya later!

Recipe Monday: Turkey Taco Salad

Remember that 22 lb. turkey I got stuck with cooking a couple of weeks ago? Well, here's one way I've been using it up. Healthy, low-fat, filling, and still a lighter alternative for dinner.

Yes, I know, I probably should have saved this for Thanksgiving, but I need to use the damn thing up!

Turkey Taco Salad

(Serves 4)

1-1/2 cups cooked turkey, shredded or cut into small
pieces (about 1/2 inch)
1 medium onion, roughly diced
1 medium bell pepper (your choice of color),
roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 Tbs. Olive oil
1/2 – 3/4 tsp. ground Chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp. ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. Bijol (a Cuban spice powder) - optional
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Mixed Salad Greens, or Romaine Lettuce (1 head, chopped, per person)

Baked Tortilla Chips, crushed, Sour Cream (optional) and shredded Cheddar Cheese to garnish

In a large, non-stick pan, heat the oil and sautee the onion, bell pepper and garlic over medium heat, until the onion is translucent. Add the chopped turkey and the seasonings, stir to combine and heat for an additional minute or two.


Add the diced tomatoes and kidney beans, stir well, cover and simmer on medium low for about 10 –15 minutes.


Assembly:

For each serving, pile the greens on a large dinner plate or flat soup bowl. Top with a quarter of the turkey mixture. Sprinkle cheese, a handful of crushed tortilla chips, then top with a tablespoon of the sour cream.

*Notes:

What is Bijol? It's a Cuban spice powder made of corn starch, cumin, annatto, and some food coloring. I know it's like getting a double-dose of cumin, so if you can't find it at your grocery, substitute an extra 1/4 teaspoon of cumin. You don't really need the color, but it does make it prettier!

To reduce the fat, you may use low fat or non-fat products. You won’t see sour cream in the photos, because I didn’t have any on-hand when I made this. But! If you want to make this even healthier, I just found Tofutti brand non-dairy, soy-based sour cream replacement at my Whole Foods market! I love their frozen desserts, and thought I’d try this. It is super! It doesn’t taste exactly like sour cream, but it is really close. No, no one paid me to recommend it. ->Sigh<-

I swear to you that I do this: Use baked tortilla chips. Look on the bag and see how many constitute a serving, count out half of that for each portion, and crush over the salad with your hands.

Any questions?