Any English teacher would think this was some kind of exercise in superlatives! It‘s the “maddest” and the “merriest” and the “funniest” comedians and the “world’s most beautiful” girls. The woman with the sombrero? I don’t know, but I would think that a name like “Gay Dawn” would make stardom a bit of an uphill battle these days. Sounds like a Village people B- side song to me.
Bristol Palin, the 18-year old daughter of Alaska governor, Sarah Palin is making news, it seems. She has been appointed as a teen ambassador for the Candle Foundation because " because she believes she could be a living example of the consequences of teen pregnancy, which is foundation's mission." http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7510385&page=1
This kind of mild hypocrisy is part of the problem. Abstinence is the solution that married couples, celibate popes, asexual Neo-cons, the hyper-religious and, as in this case, the repentant love to promote. Abstinence is always a fine solution for other people. And abstinence is always a fine solution in hind-sight. I mean, really, it is pretty easy to be a negative role model. Just about anybody can do that. I already have about 3 subjects covered myself.
A drunk warning about the dangers of alcohol and a drug addict confessing about all the terrible things he/she did to get a fix never impressed me much. It sounded too much like bragging and not even in an honest way.
Bristol is probably a good kid and I wish all the best. However, reducing this argument to merely a debate over choices will never solve anything. At the end of the day, youth wants to experience life and as far as experiences go, sex is on my personal top ten. Also, not a bad activity when you are on budget or rather an allowance. All around the young people of today, in films, in music, in advertising, they see that life is a sexual thing. The message says that A sexual being is a complete person. It is a sad fact that a virgin, according to the society we live in, is a pathetic thing, an outsider, somebody inexperienced and therefore lacking in a key aspect of life. It is regrettable that we should be led to think this way. But that’s the message young people get -are getting like a timpani drum in their adolescent ears morning, noon and night.
Tackle the flood of mixed messages and you might go a long way in addressing the problem. At the very least, parents might try teaching their children self-control, self-discipline and the consequences of your actions at the very earliest age. Lord, I sound so old-fashioned but is there any other way? Sometime in the 1970s, (I don’t know the exact date) parents simply stopped saying no. They walked off the job and never came back.
"It's a 24-hour job and that's a huge responsibility," she said. "Your priorities completely change once you have a baby."
But wait a second. That would be true in any case, whether you are a teenager or a middle aged woman with a new baby. So isn't this statement anti-family? Why isn't she talking about how having a baby at a very young age may cause you to lose a lot of opportunities in life? Probably this would limit-by about 90%- her mother's voter pool. Unless your parents are rich and generous, or governor, even, you’d better curtail that dreaming about a wonderful future if you have a baby in tow. On the other hand, perhaps Bristol never saw first-hand her mother change any priorities with a new baby. Even before she became pregnant, I had trouble understanding whose baby poor Bristol had to tote from rally to rally during the campaign.
"I don't see myself as a celebrity; I don't want to be one," she said. "But I think using this experience in my life to help others, I think it's a blessing."
I get it. This is the lemons from lemonade part of the interview. No. You are not a celebrity, Bristol and this is merely an attempt to solve a political problem for your mother.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrot-Cake-III/Detail.aspx
Carrot cake is one of my favorite types of cakes because you can reduce the sugar without losing too much flavor and besides. when you make a desert with a vegetable you can pretend it is healthier than, say, chocolate. I started the night before by grating the carrots. It started out fun but quickly lost its appeal as the carrots ground down to nubbins. If you have ever sheared off the corner of a knuckle on a grater, you tend to pop the last bits of a carrot in your mouth or in the garbage rather than risking a painful bloody mess. Well, 3 cups of grated carrot takes a hell of a lot longer than I had imagined.
I marinated the grated carrots in sugar-water and vanilla all in night, thinking it might make them "juicer." I stole my recipe at random from the internet but carrot cake recipes are pretty straightforward and the only thing I saw different was the spoon of baking soda. Next time, I think I will add pistachios or blanched/ground almonds and some brandy.
Cooking with alcohol is always a lot of fun but one time I nearly burned up my kitchen when I tried some kind of flambé thing. Scenario: guests in the living room, lively laughing conversation, me in the kitchen trying to suppress a panicky scream as the apartment ignites. You see, I had managed to spill some of the brandy and it went from "Wow" to "Whoops" to "OH, MY GOD!" in about thirty seconds. Beautiful blue flames were coming out of open drawers and everything I tried to use to put it out just started burning too. Flames really do leave a lasting impression. It is like a Hallmark card of disaster.
Anyway, the cooking of the carrot cake. I used one of the doughnut shaped pans, thinking that it would ensure that the cake would be fully cooked in its interior. Nothing is more discouraging than for a cook to discover his/her creation is sludge at its heart. Dr. Frankenstein must have had that feeling a couple of weeks after his experiment.
Initially the cake started to cook too fast on the top burner so I had to more it down one rung. As the baking soda or powder worked its magic, the whole thing began to rise and spill over the edge of the pan. It could have been a mess if I had not put another larger pan beneath it. In about 30 minutes, the cake was ready. The sugar- I think I might have added way too much- caramelized and created a crispy exterior. The vanilla smell went to my head like whiskey. I let the whole thing cool but I tend to get impatient at this point and usually risk disaster. So when I tried to remove it from the pan, it tore off the top a bit but no great harm was done because it still looked fantastic. A little less oil and a little less sugar, more almonds and brandy was my verdict. I will try another one next week, God knows I have enough neighbors! I have enclosed the recipe if you want to try it out yourself. As long as you keep some sugar and baking powder/salt (and carrot of course) it can be easily tweaked and tinkered with.
This strange photo comes from a cool website I found. It is a collection of lost (or rather found) photographs. There are no known details and you are invited to speculate. Check it out at: http://www.moderna.org/lookatme/
These photos were either lost, forgotten, or thrown away. The images now are nameless, without connection to the people they show, or the photographer who took them.
Now last time, you told us that a local tax official came to your office and fined you for working illegally. Despite the fact that you actually owned a percentage of the company.
Correct. Then the foreigner's office called me and ordered me to report to the police station at nine on a Friday morning.
I imagine you were pretty shaken up. Did you have any idea what they wanted?
I had a very bad feeling. But I kept saying to myself. Maybe it is a formality or something. I kept thinking that if it was really bad news, wouldn't they come to the office and take me there?
So you went there.
When I got there, they asked for my passport and my ikhamet izin. That is a little blue book they give you to show you are in the country legally. The woman told me that, since I had been found to be working illegally, I had broken the terms of my permission and that I would have to leave the country within 5 days. And I would not be able to return for a year. Actually, they were not too sure. It was possible that I would not be able to return for 5 years. They were, like, very uncompromising and that was their final answer. They didn't care about the details.
What? Did you tell them the circumstances?
It was a simple case for them. I had worked illegally. My permission to live in Turkey was being taken away.
How did you feel at that moment?
I nearly fainted. I mean, I really nearly fainted. Some of the secretaries started looking at me, like they were frightened I was about to fall in the floor. I was about to.
Five days? How long had you been living in Turkey before that?
Over ten years.
And that didn't mean anything to them?
Nada.
Your next step was to...?
Well I found a new lawyer. He was recommended to me by a long time friend. I mean, that afternoon. He told me that my case was unusual. He would open a legal action in order for a judge to look over my case. But he added something else. He said that during the time that my case was awaiting a judge's review, the police could force me to leave the country. So I had to be careful and change my address immediately.
Is that legal? Can they kick you out of a country with a review pending?
According to the European Human Rights Agreements, No. The lawyer said, that it was technically illegal for them to deport me before a judge looks over the case and makes a decision. However, it happens every day in Turkey. When it comes down to it, whether it is the USA or Turkey or wherever, they can find a way to work around the international law quite easily.
I see. Go on.
So I tried to stay away. I was staying with a friend waiting for the judge's decision. But then my luck ran out one day. Some plain clothes police came up to me on the street and asked to see my passport. He was very very serious. He told me that I had to come with him, no questions. He said he had been watching my apartment for a week.
The sixth part of the interview is scheduled next week. If you wish to view the complete interview, click on the Nomadic View magazine No.1 and No.2 on the sidebar.
http://nomadicjoe.blogspot.com/2009/05/interview-with-vincent-shaw-part-6.html
