What is the Nobel Jury thinking?

AP Newsbreak: Nobel jury defends Obama decision
By IAN MacDOUGALL and KARL RITTER Associated Press Writers
The Associated Press

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 10:12 AM EDT

OSLO (AP) — Members of the Norwegian committee that gave Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize are strongly defending their choice against a storm of criticism that the award was premature and a potential liability for the U.S. president.

Asked to comment on the uproar following Friday's announcement, four members of the five-seat panel told The Associated Press that they had expected the decision to generate both surprise and criticism. Three of them rejected the notion that Obama hadn't accomplished anything to deserve the award, while the fourth declined to answer that question. A fifth member didn't answer calls seeking comment."We simply disagree that he has done nothing," committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told the AP on Tuesday. "He got the prize for what he has done."

Jagland singled out Obama's efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world and scale down a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe."All these things have contributed to — I wouldn't say a safer world — but a world with less tension," Jagland said by phone from the French city of Strasbourg, where he was attending meetings in his other role as secretary-general of the Council of Europe. He said most world leaders were positive about the award and that most of the criticism was coming from the media and from Obama's political rivals. "I take note of it. My response is only the judgment of the committee, which was unanimous," he said, adding that the award to Obama followed the guidelines set forth by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite, who established the Nobel Prizes in his 1895 will."Alfred Nobel wrote that the prize should go to the person who has contributed most to the development of peace in the previous year," Jagland said. "Who has done more for that than Barack Obama?"

Aagot Valle, a left-wing Norwegian politician who joined the Nobel panel this year, also dismissed suggestions that the decision to award Obama was without merit."Don't you think that comments like that patronize Obama? Where do these people come from?" Valle said by phone from the western coastal city of Bergen. "Well, of course, all arguments have to be considered seriously. I'm not afraid of a debate on the peace prize decision. That's fine. "In Friday's announcement, the committee said giving Obama the peace prize could be seen as an early vote of confidence intended to build global support for the policies of his young administration.

The left-leaning committee whose members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation, and praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease U.S. conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen the U.S. role in combating climate change. However, the decision stunned even the most seasoned Nobel watchers. They hadn't expected Obama, who took office barely two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline, to be seriously considered until at least next year.

The award drew heated derision from Obama's political opponents in the Republican party, and was even questioned by some members of Obama's own Democratic party, who wondered what the president had done to merit the $1.4 million honor.

Michael S. Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said naming Obama showed "how meaningless a once honorable and respected award has become."In a fundraising letter, Steele wrote that "the Democrats and their international leftist allies want America made subservient to the agenda of global redistribution and control. And truly patriotic Americans like you and our Republican Party are the only thing standing in their way.

"Columnist Thomas Friedman wrote in the New York Times that Obama "has not done anything yet on the scale that would normally merit such an award. "Even in Europe, where Obama is hugely popular, many editorials and pundits questioned what he had done to deserve the award.

"Scrap the Nobel Peace Prize," foreign affairs commentator Bronwen Maddox wrote in The Times of London. "It's an embarrassment and even an impediment to peace. President Obama, in letting the committee award it to him, has made himself look vain, a fool and dangerously lost in his own mystique."

Yet Obama was humble in acknowledging the prize. "Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations," Obama said Friday in the White House Rose Garden. "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize.

"Nobel Committee member Inger-Marie Ytterhorn noted that the president didn't greet the news with joy. "I looked at his face when he was on TV and confirmed that he would receive the prize and would come to Norway, and he didn't look particularly happy," she told AP.

Some of the most celebrated peace prize laureates include Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. The award has occasionally honored more controversial figures, like the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat or former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Sometimes it raises the profile of peace workers or activists, such as Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala in 1992 or Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai in 2004. "Whenever we award the peace prize, there is normally a big debate about it," said Ytterhorn, a nine-year veteran of the award committee.

Asked whether there was a risk that the prize could backfire on Obama by raising expectations even higher and give ammunition to his critics, Ytterhorn said "it might hamper him," because it could distract from domestic issues such as health care reform. Jagland said he didn't think the Nobel Peace Prize would hurt Obama domestically but added the committee did not take U.S. politics into consideration when making their decision. "I'm not so familiar with American politics, and I don't want to interfere with it, because this is a totally independent committee," he said.

"We should not look at internal politics."Kaci Kullman Five, a former Conservative Party parliamentarian and longtime Nobel committee member, said "we all expected that there would be a discussion" about awarding Obama. She declined further comment, deferring to the Nobel Peace Prize tradition of only having the committee chairman discuss prize selections publicly. Valle, who left her seat in Parliament last week because of her Nobel panel appointment, said the criticism shouldn't overshadow important issues raised by the prize."Of course I expected disagreement and debate on the prize, on giving him the prize," she said. "But what I want now is that we seriously raise a discussion regarding nuclear disarmament."
———
Ritter reported from Stockholm.Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Original Article can be found at: http://home.suddenlink.net/news/read.php?id=17398036&ps=1018&cat=&cps=0&lang=en

David Carradine found dead in Bangkok

I can't beleive this legend is dead and under these circumstances!

© Retna/Sara De Boer

Actor David Carradine found dead in Bangkok

June 4, 2009, 9:10 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) -- Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" who also had a wide-ranging career in the movies, has been found dead in the Thai capital, Bangkok. A news report said he was found hanged in his hotel room and was believed to have committed suicide.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Michael Turner, confirmed the death of the 72-year-old actor. He said Carradine died either late Wednesday or early Thursday, but he could not provide further details out of consideration for his family.
The Web site of the Thai newspaper The Nation cited unidentified police sources as saying Carradine was found Thursday hanged in his luxury hotel room and is believed to have committed suicide.
Carradine was a leading member of a venerable Hollywood acting family that included his father, character actor John Carradine, and brother Keith.
In all, he appeared in more than 100 feature films with such directors as Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Hal Ashby.
But he was best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest traveling the 1800s American frontier West in the TV series "Kung Fu," which aired in 1972-75.
He reprised the role in a mid-1980s TV movie and played Caine's grandson in the 1990s syndicated series "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues."
He returned to the top in recent years as the title character in Quentin Tarantino's two-part saga "Kill Bill."

Memorial Day

I watched Taking Chance. It stars Kevin Bacon as a Marine Lt. Col. who escorts the body of a fallen marine home to his family.

This brings home to me the reality of the wars our country is currently participating in.

Memorial day, a day of memory. Remembering the service members who serve, have served and those who sacraficed. A day to remember.

I am thankful for those who haved served and are serving our great country.

What does the president of the United States say to the world when he bows to other leaders?

It is a shame that our leader personally assumes a subservient attitude to another leader instead of equal or lesser standing (not bowing). What is next?

Walk On

Makes you kind of re-evaluate things!

Perfect moments

I was thinking about one of the many perfect moments in my life. I am blessed, so there have been many!

When my son Pike was small, in kindergarten, I took him to a concert. It was a live performance by the Steve Miller Band. It was night at the zoo amphitheater. We were sitting on a blanket.

I call it a perfect moment because at some point in the performance, Pike got up and was dancing while singing the song (he had the greatest hits album memorized).

He was totally unselfconscious, totally in the moment, no cares, no worries. Only him and the music. Combined as one for a brief spectacular moment that I will never forget.

It was Perfect.

I was there to witness it.

I want to have more of these moments of perfection. Of equal importance, I want to recognize the moment as perfect.

Brother

I was just thinking about my brother, Troy Gene Pennington.

He wrote me only one letter in his life, but one was enough.

You see, when I was in the middle east, during Desert Storm, I received his letter. I will never forget that moment.

My battalion was in a desolete area of sand and small gravel. There was constantina wire strung around the the individual gp mediums. Attempts had been made at foxholes, but ended up being shallow scraps into the hardpan.

I was walking back to the hooch. Troy's writing was so distinctive to me. He was left handed.

I stopped and opened it, there was a picnic style table near by that I sat down on. No one was moving about. It was cold. The wind was blowing lightly.

In his letter he wrote.

It is not fair that you are there and I am here. You have so much to live for, your wife and son.

If I could I would trade places with you.

I am going to die anyway, and you have so much to live for.

You see, Troy was HIV positive. He had AIDS.

But my brother would have traded his life for mine. Regardless of the circumstance, he would have done this thing for me.

As it happens, I eventually came home. In 1994, Troy died.

I misss my brother. I miss all that made him what he was and is to me.

Freedom

I am thinking back over this years football season. We supported our local Lindale High School, they are the Eagles.

Every Friday night, the lights come on at the stadium. There is always a moment of silence and prayer. Then the national anthem is played by the band as everyone turns towards the flag.

I can't help, at this moment, standing at attention. My chest puffs up in pride and I look intensely at the flag. I am not looking at the flag, but at what it represents. Everyone sings the anthem and as the last words roll out, I can't help but shout out

Freedom

It is what it is all about.

Cutting Christmas Tree Outing

Click on to see full picture.

Now matter how you cut it, the Sooners have provided an entertaining football season. The big 12 South is just good, one and all.

Umami

Umami is one of the five basic tastes sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human
tongue.



Umami is a Japanese word meaning savory, a "deliciousness" factor deriving specifically from detection of the natural amino acid, glutamic acid, or glutamates common in meats, cheese, broth, stock, and other protein-heavy foods. The action of umami receptors explains why foods treated with monosodium glutamate (MSG) often taste "heartier".

Glutamate has a long history in cooking: it appears in Asian foods such as soy sauce and fish sauce, and in Italian food in parmesan cheese and anchovies. It also is directly available in monosodium glutamate (MSG).

from wikipedia


Unmami is known as the fifth flavor.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University was thinking about the taste of food: "There is a taste which is common to asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat but which is not one of the four well-known tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and salty."

It was in 1907 that Professor Ikeda started his experiments to identify what the source of this distinctive taste was. He knew that it was present in the "broth" made from kombu (a type of seaweed) found in traditional Japanese cuisine. Starting with a tremendous quantity of kombu broth, he succeeded in extracting crystals of glutamic acid (or glutamate). Glutamate is an amino acid, and is a building block of protein. Professor Ikeda found that glutamate had a distinctive taste, different from sweet, sour, bitter and salty, and he named it "umami". 100 grams of dried kombu contain about 1 gram of glutamate.

Professor Ikeda decided to make a seasoning using his newly-isolated glutamate. To be used as seasoning, glutamate had to have some of the same physical characteristics which are found, for example, in sugar and salt: it had to be easily soluble in water but neither absorb humidity nor solidify. Professor Ikeda found that monosodium glutamate had good storage properties and a strong umami or savoury taste. It turned out to be an ideal seasoning. Because monosodium glutamate has no smell or specific texture of its own, it can be used in many different dishes where it naturally enhances the original flavor of the food.

Paying for Groceries

Around 1966, my father came home to my mother and me, an infant. I was crying. My father asked my mother why I was crying. She said “We don’t have food to feed him”.

My father was a carpenter and in between jobs at the time.

He immediately went to the grocery store. He filled the basket with necessary items. He then found the manager of the store. He asked the manager to let him get home before he called the police. So I could eat.

The manager took him to the front and checked out his groceries. He asked my father to come back after he got the job. They would settle up then.

My father got the job. He went back to settle up with the manager. The manager asked him if he had the money. My father said “yes”, as he was getting it out to pay.

The manager stopped him saying “I don’t want your money, what I want is for you to help someone as I have helped you”.

A while back, my father told me this story. He said “Son, I have been paying for those groceries for a long time”.

I try to take his story and words to heart. I believe in paying it forward.

You never know when it may be you who is in need.

What color is family?

White, black, other. Pick all that apply.

Race, it can be quite confusing. Ethnic sociologist believe there no longer are any pure races. It is speculated, that if enough time passes, that all races will be homogenized. The color?... a very light tan.

Sounds healthy to me!

So what is a person to do if they are of mixed ancestry? Black father, white mother; oriental mother, black father; native american with mixed breed

caucasian. It is any ones guess! How do you classify yourself? What culture do you assimilate with? Do you risk acceptance or rejection?

Dewayne Johnson- african canadian samoan

If you label yourself, are you limiting yourself?

Is it that important?

If you live in a country, does that make you or label you. If your skin is light or dark, honey or olive, yellow or red, does it make a difference or change you????
Shelly Morningsong- dutch cheyenne

I pose these questions, because I don't know the answers.

Rosario Dawson- puerto rican afro cuban irish native american













My children are white, black and native american. In the end, they are my children and I see family not labels or colors.

The Young Martyr

Paul Delaroche 1855


This stunning piece speaks on many levels.

Olympic

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS

The olympic motto meaning, "Faster, Higher, Stronger".

Baron Pierre de Coubertin borrowed the motto from Father Henri Martin Didon, the headmaster of Arcueil College in Paris. Father Didon used the motto to descrie the great achievements of the athletes at his school.

I think it is perfect to describe the modern olympics.

THE OLYMPIC CREED

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

Fearless

Dara Torres

Dara Torres made headlines last week at the Olympic swimming trials, and she's hot in Web search — especially with results like this photo of her in a swimsuit. But our fascination with Torres doesn't stop there.

At 41, Torres will make history in Beijing. She'll be the oldest female swimmer in the history of the Games and the first U.S. swimmer to compete in five Olympics. She's a mom of a 2-year-old girl and has come out of retirement several times over the course of her long career. Yet she always ends up back on the medal podium.

Popular searches for Torres turn up even more. We search for information on her record-breaking swim times— the first when she was 14 — and her battle with bulimia in college. Then there's her stint as a swimsuit model, her work as a motivational speaker and her devotion to resistance stretching, which helps keep her in amazing shape.

Torres has proven herself a keen competitor both in the pool and out. She once appeared on the game show "Pyramid." She also won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach … as a race car driver.

From msn a-list
http://a-list.msn.com/default.aspx?cp-searchtext=Dara%20Torres

This gives inspiration to me that mature humans can compete on a world class level!

Road Trip: Savannah

Road Trip Savannah:

Wednesday- left Lindale, Texas at around 1830. Traveled I-20 to 330 miles to the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi.
I'm the fat guy on the right.

Thursday- rise and shine. Departed around 0730. Only 625 miles to go! Having left Texas yesterday, traveling across Louisiana and 1/3 of the way across Mississippi, we are off to a good start. Just have 2/3 of Mississippi, Alabama and all the way across Georgia to the coast.

This made for a long ride, but hey it is a road trip. We lost an hour when moving to Eastern time zone, but we made it by 1930 ET. We arrived at our destination the Whitaker Huntingdon Inn.

Having taken the advice of the young lady Rebbecca running the place, we dined on River street at the Oyster bar. You can see pictures of the place and more here:

//http://www.savannahmenu.net/info_pages.php?pages_id=475&osCAdminID=ac8e32d5c7cab044d286f9c071706d35&osCAdminID=ac8e32d5c7cab044d286f9c071706d35
Of course I ate a dozen oysters. Djuana had a couple as well. As we walked on River street we couldn't help but notice a lot of people were carrying plastic cups full of a flavorful drink. We decided to partake ourselves.

http://www.wetwillies.com/bar.cfm?wizard=1&CFID=2169863&CFTOKEN=cfc2c77469e891d1-0E3D0EF4-E575-8A37-682FECA77E7FF74F

The place was called Wet Willies. It is cash and carry. Like their website says, they support global cooling, with their extensive selection of frozen drinks. We had one each. They were tasty.

Friday- 4 JUL 08- Up early to get in line to get a reservation at Lady and Sons, Paula Deens Restaurant. We stopped in a quaint part of town to get coffee and a muffin.

The line to get on the list for supper.

Finally getting on the list!

The timing had to be perfect as far as getting the reservation and making the Paula Deen Tour at 1000. The magic happened and we made both! Reservation for 1900 and off to Savannah Tours.
http://www.savannahtours.us/

Of course, it wasn't as simple at that. I had already made arrangements by booking our spots on the tour. When we get there, they had no record of us. So I go through the whole process again and pay up. We hop on the air conditioned bus when my phone starts ringing. I don't recognize the number, so I let it ring. They leave a message, then the same number calls again. This time I answer. Mr. Pennington, yes, we see you haven't arrived for your tour yet. What, I am on the bus even as we speak. Mr. Pennington can you look out to see what color bus you are on? White. Mr. Pennington you are with the other company.

Imagine my embarrassment. Oh well, we are moving now.

The tour was exciting because I felt the tour guide/driver was either inebriated or under the influence of drugs. Sometimes it is hard to discern with her heavy southern drawl. We nearly wrecked twice. She had her eleven year old son on board to keep track of the tour members.

We stopped at Polks produce. http://www.thefoodscoop.com/polks.html , I had a Bing cherry cider (delicious) and the proprietor carved off pieces of fresh succulent cantaloupe for us to eat. Mucho Deliciosioso!

Next up on the tour, the Paula Deen Store. Souvenirs and such.

Next stop, Bethesda boys home. http://www.bethesdahomeforboys.net/

Paula Deen supports this cause. She was married at the chapel on the grounds.

Chapel. Djuana inside chapel.

Next stop Bubba's, Paula Deen's brothers place.

http://www.unclebubbas.com/

We were served a buffet meal here. One thing to say CharGrilled Oysters Mucho Deliciouoso!

We were given one with the meal. I ordered another half dozen. I was stuffed.

Chargrilled Oysters

The ride back was uneventful. I convinced Djuana to left me take a nap. I needed it to digest. She wanted to go to Tybee island before our diner at Lady and Sons at 7:00pm. After a to short nap at the bed and no breakfast, we headed off. We used the gps to head us in the right direction.

One thing we didn't anticipate, until we heard it on a local radio station while driving, was how crowded it would be. All the locals as well as tourist go there for the fireworks later that night. We got caught in traffic going out to the island. Because we were pressed for time now, it was a drive by only. We didn't get out to check out the beach. Passing on the way out of town we stopped at a tourist shop to get some t-shirts for the kids.

By the time we made it back to the bed and no breakfast, it was a mad rush to clean up and dress for dinner.

I drove us down to the place (we had scouted that morning) and managed to find a close parking spot for the mini cooper. We were ushered right in. Up to the third floor and seated. We checked the nightly buffet on the way in. Djuana decided on the buffet. I ordered off the menu.

http://www.ladyandsons.com/index.php

We had the fried green tomatoes as the appetizer. We both enjoyed that. They brought a garlic biscuit and a ho-cake to the table. Both were wonderful, but I had one bite only (Uncle Bubba's was still weighing on me). I had

Steak and Pie $26.99
Beef Tenderloin and mushroom ragout surrounding our famous tomato pie.

It was wonderful. Djuana had

Southern Buffet $17.99
All you care to eat.

She chose fried chicken, greens, macaroni and cheese and short ribs. We had a piece of pecan pie to finish it out. Djuana, the foodie, was critical of each item, giving her take on it and weather or not she enjoyed it prepared the Paula Deen way or HER way better! She gave Paula high marks with the exception of the mac and cheese.

After dinner we drove back to the bed and no breakfast so Djuana could change shoes, as we were headed down to the river to watch fireworks at 9:30pm. Of course our parking spot was taken. Several thousands of people were doing the exact same thing as us! We did find a spot right beside Paula's restaurant.

Off we walked to river street to find a place to view the fireworks.

Dancing Matt

Matthew Harding spent the last 14 months going to 42 countries, and dancing with everyone!

Everyone has heros, Matt is one of mine. He does what others dream.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

The Devils in the Details

Take one look at the picture below. The artist has perfectly captured the hands pressing into the flesh. This is only a small aspect of the whole sculpture.

As seen here in its entirety. Bernini was a genius! What his hands could fashion with hammer and chisel. Somehow he was able to find the soul or figure buried inside that cold stone.

The Rape of Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo BERNINI

Happy Juneteenth!

Juneteenth, What is It?

I looked at it again this year. From the Texas State Library and Archives, it states that it is an annual celebration of the emancipation of slaves in the State of Texas.

This occurred on June 19th, 1865. It was announced by Union Gen. Gordon Granger at Galveston, Texas.

Unfortunately, is was after the final Emancipation Proclamation that was issued on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.

It is a day to celebrate. The chains of bondage broken. It is days like this that make you proud to be American. We have our faults, but we can change for the better!