Saturday, February 10, 2007

Picture of the Week

Wheel of the combine.




Weekend Update

Here's a quick recap:

On Friday evening we ate burritos with Liz and chatted. On Saturday we ate brunch at the Birchwood, camped out on the fourth floor of the Minneapolis central library, and watched Inspector Morse. On Sunday we watched the Super Bowl at our house, joined by Meghan & Dylan, Eric & Chanda, and Paul & Mary. Paul and Mary brought pulled pork and coleslaw. Nice. On Monday, we joined Liz at the Kitty Cat Klub and listened to JoAnna James and Chris Koza.

The average temperature so far in February is -2.7 degrees. This limits one's resolve to leave the house and partake in any activities that require exposure to the cold. Once the temperature reaches 15, I will be wearing short sleeves.

Related to the cold, Paul informed me of a story he heard on the radio. There is a Minnesota family who commemorates the occasion of the Super Bowl by running around the block while wearing only boxers and a t-shirt. This year, the reasonable members of the family concluded it would not be in the best interest of their bodies to participate in this tradition. However, the member of the family having 17 years of age and little regard for his feet decided to uphold the hoary rite. He returned to the house with gloriously severe frostbite on his bare feet.

Economist Picks

Climate change
The greening of America

Green America
Waking up and catching up

Health care
The right medicine

India's special economic zones
A peasant surprise

Iraq
May the government at last curb Shia militias?

Mobile phones in Africa
Roaming wide

Electricity in South Africa
Power struggle

Pharmaceuticals
Billion dallar pills

Friday, February 02, 2007

Picture of the Week

Enforcement must feel a little neglected. Sorry enforcement.


Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.

Good article from the NY Times magazine by Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Easy Chickpea Curry

I added a new recipe to our website.
It's called Easy Chickpea Curry.

By the way, I'm not at work today.

Economist Picks

AIDS in China
Blood debts

Afghanistan and Pakistan
They walk the line

The Palestinians
It’s the little things that make an occupation

Special report: Executive pay

Global terrorism
On the march, not on the run

Microsoft
Peaks, valleys and vistas

Vista and Office
An end to that blue screen of death?

University endowments
The ivory trade

The Minnesota We Know

We are in the midst of the coldest days of winter right now. Cold is a week where the high temperature will not reach 10 degrees. Cold is a week where the low temperature will reach at least 14 below. Cold is a week where I look at the weather in Yakutsk. Here's the warmest day in Yakutsk over the next ten days: high -32 / low -41. Yeah baby. It's hot in Minnesota.

In related news, I used the thermometer I acquired when I purchased my brewing equipment to measure the temperature of the tap water. Any guesses? 35 degrees. That is refreshing tap water from the mighty Mississippi.

Humanity

At times I think humanity can be explained by this headline:
Bear Determined to Defacate in Woods.