mobileCategory: politics
02/10/06 12:20 - 24ºF - ID#24936
Politicians at Work
Late last year, someone I am very close to had to have emergency surgery after a complication from a routine medical procedure. Though it was a known risk of the procedure, we still have questions on how the doctor handled the situation. I sent out an email to this person's NYS Senate and NYS Assembly representative, and to the NYS Department of Health, asking to whom we should direct a formal complaint. I wasn't expecting a response - it was more an intellectual exercise to see how responsive state officials are.
To my total surprise, the Senate Member, John DeFrancisco
(or someone from his office) sent the address for the Office of Professional Discipline within 24 hours. 24 hours. This is outstanding, totally great, and is one small step towards a restoration ofmy faith in state government.
The Assembly Member, Joan Christensen , had an even quicker response, but didn't answer the question. Instead they asked for my family member's postal address so (her office) could respond by mail. Ho hum.
So, Joan's office - wait, I'm sorry, the New York State taxpayers - will spend 39 cents to respond to this simple question, in addition to paper, ink and other ancillary costs. John's office gave me the answer I needed over email - with no appreciable cost.
Of course I've had no response from the Health Department. I won't hold my breath.
[updated to add: I stand corrected. They just sent me detailed instructions on how to download a complaint form and how to proceed. Mad props to the NYS Health Department]
Thank you, Senator DeFrancisco. You done good. May you and your staff have many more happy years in office.
I've previously sent emails to local (Buffalo) politicians with basic, legitimate questions about city and regional issues. I don't know whether to attribute their lack of response to a) arrogance, b) an inability to do their jobs, or c) an inability to form complete sentences. Why choose? I should go with all three.
To my total surprise, the Senate Member, John DeFrancisco
(or someone from his office) sent the address for the Office of Professional Discipline within 24 hours. 24 hours. This is outstanding, totally great, and is one small step towards a restoration ofmy faith in state government.The Assembly Member, Joan Christensen
, had an even quicker response, but didn't answer the question. Instead they asked for my family member's postal address so (her office) could respond by mail. Ho hum.So, Joan's office - wait, I'm sorry, the New York State taxpayers - will spend 39 cents to respond to this simple question, in addition to paper, ink and other ancillary costs. John's office gave me the answer I needed over email - with no appreciable cost.
Of course I've had no response from the Health Department. I won't hold my breath.
[updated to add: I stand corrected. They just sent me detailed instructions on how to download a complaint form and how to proceed. Mad props to the NYS Health Department]
Thank you, Senator DeFrancisco. You done good. May you and your staff have many more happy years in office.
I've previously sent emails to local (Buffalo) politicians with basic, legitimate questions about city and regional issues. I don't know whether to attribute their lack of response to a) arrogance, b) an inability to do their jobs, or c) an inability to form complete sentences. Why choose? I should go with all three.
Permalink: Politicians_at_Work.html
Words: 341
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
02/09/06 12:39 - 22ºF - ID#24935
Stunning Food Photography
This link (seen on Metafilter ) was just a joy to look at. So artful! So full of food!
(seen on Metafilter ) was just a joy to look at. So artful! So full of food!
Permalink: Stunning_Food_Photography.html
Words: 27
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
02/08/06 10:06 - 18ºF - ID#24934
Focaccia
Perfect, elastic dough; delicious, slightly salty taste.
Ingredients
1 cup lukewarm water
3 cups bread flour
2 tbsp. dry milk
3 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
handful of chopped sundried tomatoes
(topping: 1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary; 3/4 tsp. garlic salt or garlic powder; 2 tbsp. romano or parmesean cheese)
Tools
Breadmaker
Big Bowl
Pizza stone
Steps
Add the water, flour, dry milk, sugar, salt, OO and tomatoes to the breadmaker. Mix it at the dough setting. On my breadmaker, it's about 90 minutes.
Remove the dough and knead on a well floured surface for at least a minute. The dough should be elastic and slightly sticky (the floured surface will help).
Put the dough into an oiled bowl - fli it around a few times so that the entire surface is coated.
Place a damp towel over the bowl and let sit for 15-30 minutes. It should get much bigger.
Lightly sprinkle corn meal on the pizza stone. Roll out the dough to the edges of the stone. Spray olive oil over the dough, and lightly poke the dough with the handle part of a wooden spoon or the handle part of the rolling pin. "Dot" it well! otherwise you'll get gigantic pockets in the final baked bread.
Cover again with a damp towl and let sit for at least 30 minutes. I set mine on top of the stove, and preheat the oven for the final 10 minutes.
Remove the towel and sprinkle the rosemary, garlic and cheese over the top. Other combinations of spices would work - use your imagination.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until browned. Slice into squares or strips for serving; use a selection of toppings (tapenade? ), spiced olive oil for dipping, or melted cheese for snacky goodness. This also goes well with soup .
Ingredients
1 cup lukewarm water
3 cups bread flour
2 tbsp. dry milk
3 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
handful of chopped sundried tomatoes
(topping: 1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary; 3/4 tsp. garlic salt or garlic powder; 2 tbsp. romano or parmesean cheese)
Tools
Breadmaker
Big Bowl
Pizza stone
Steps
Add the water, flour, dry milk, sugar, salt, OO and tomatoes to the breadmaker. Mix it at the dough setting. On my breadmaker, it's about 90 minutes.
Remove the dough and knead on a well floured surface for at least a minute. The dough should be elastic and slightly sticky (the floured surface will help).
Put the dough into an oiled bowl - fli it around a few times so that the entire surface is coated.
Place a damp towel over the bowl and let sit for 15-30 minutes. It should get much bigger.
Lightly sprinkle corn meal on the pizza stone. Roll out the dough to the edges of the stone. Spray olive oil over the dough, and lightly poke the dough with the handle part of a wooden spoon or the handle part of the rolling pin. "Dot" it well! otherwise you'll get gigantic pockets in the final baked bread.
Cover again with a damp towl and let sit for at least 30 minutes. I set mine on top of the stove, and preheat the oven for the final 10 minutes.
Remove the towel and sprinkle the rosemary, garlic and cheese over the top. Other combinations of spices would work - use your imagination.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until browned. Slice into squares or strips for serving; use a selection of toppings (tapenade?
), spiced olive oil for dipping, or melted cheese for snacky goodness. This also goes well with soup .
Permalink: Focaccia.html
Words: 309
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: music
02/07/06 08:54 - 26ºF - ID#24933
Playing by ear
I just took this test from the University of Newcastle - a music test -
The test asks you to listen to 30 pairs of short melodies; some match exactly, the rest are slightly different. I correctly identified 24 out of 30, which is well short of perfect, but much better than pure guessing. If I didn't have American Idol on in the background, I might have scored better.
This brings me to my newest weekend hobby: piano playin'. J's parents have a piano, and I've brought the few piano/sheet music books I have down there to start practicing. I never took formal piano lessons, but with 8 years of flute playing, and a few years of piccolo and oboe for good measure, I know about notes and phrasing and stuff. Being able to hear when a note is wrong helps a bunch. I find it entertaining to keep asking "give me a song!" and then picking out the notes. As I told a friend today - once I learn my chords, and how to keep my left hand moving, I'll be dangerous.
Anyway, I can noodle through a few Tori Amos songs if I drop out occasional chords and the really tricky parts. J's mom has a large collection of sheet music, ranging from the best of the 70s to 50's standards. I do best with the songs that I know by heart, so the score for Les Miserables and the 80s commercial tunes are also good to practice on.
Does anyone know of any good online sources for sheet music that people have already transposed?
The test asks you to listen to 30 pairs of short melodies; some match exactly, the rest are slightly different. I correctly identified 24 out of 30, which is well short of perfect, but much better than pure guessing. If I didn't have American Idol on in the background, I might have scored better.
This brings me to my newest weekend hobby: piano playin'. J's parents have a piano, and I've brought the few piano/sheet music books I have down there to start practicing. I never took formal piano lessons, but with 8 years of flute playing, and a few years of piccolo and oboe for good measure, I know about notes and phrasing and stuff. Being able to hear when a note is wrong helps a bunch. I find it entertaining to keep asking "give me a song!" and then picking out the notes. As I told a friend today - once I learn my chords, and how to keep my left hand moving, I'll be dangerous.
Anyway, I can noodle through a few Tori Amos songs if I drop out occasional chords and the really tricky parts. J's mom has a large collection of sheet music, ranging from the best of the 70s to 50's standards. I do best with the songs that I know by heart, so the score for Les Miserables and the 80s commercial tunes are also good to practice on.
Does anyone know of any good online sources for sheet music that people have already transposed?
Permalink: Playing_by_ear.html
Words: 271
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
02/03/06 03:07 - 37ºF - ID#24932
Original Peeps
Easter's just a few months away.
I give you links related to original peeps
- Peep Research , with a new special of Peep Surgery
- An American Peep in Paris
and of course,
- Lord of the Peeps
Purple peeps are my favorite, though it hurts my stomach and teeth to eat more than one at a time.
I give you links related to original peeps
- Peep Research
, with a new special of Peep Surgery - An American Peep in Paris
and of course,
- Lord of the Peeps
Purple peeps are my favorite, though it hurts my stomach and teeth to eat more than one at a time.
Permalink: Original_Peeps.html
Words: 78
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: hope
02/01/06 10:24 - 35ºF - ID#24931
Ronald McDonald House
I have been privileged to work with the Ronald McDonald House for the past few months on a Web site redesign. After being invited to join their marketing committee by someone with whom I work (and president of their board), I took over the responsibility of updating their site, and introduced a plan to recreate their site using weblog software .
Implementing it took on a sense of urgency in the past few days, as they are announcing the new site in their next newsletter. So, aside from a few behind-the-scenes tweaks, it is set to go.
The Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo gives children and their families a welcoming, supportive "home away from home" while being treated at local hospitals. People come from around the world to receive medical care in our region, and staying in a hotel for days - or weeks - at a time isn't always an option. The RMH provides so much more - the chance to connect with other families in similar situations, a real kitchen, and dozens of other amenities make an otherwise traumatic time a little less burdensome.
The Ronald McDonald House is there for those families who live out of town and who are depending on Buffalo hospitals to keep them alive. Imagine that a child in your family is injured in a car crash and requires months of intensive care. Or is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and needs weeks of chemotherapy injections. Could your family afford that hotel bill? Could they travel from their hometown to the hospital every day? Would they have any type of support system in another city? My guess is no.
I feel honored to have been part of this, and look forward to adding new features and content. If it means that one family sees information on that site and it helps them, it has been worth it.
For those of you who eat at McDonalds, the Help with all your Heart campaign will continue through February 14. Pitch in a buck or three when you place your order; these funds stay in the area to make this House possible.
for the past few months on a Web site redesign. After being invited to join their marketing committee by someone with whom I work (and president of their board), I took over the responsibility of updating their site, and introduced a plan to recreate their site using weblog software .Implementing it took on a sense of urgency in the past few days, as they are announcing the new site in their next newsletter. So, aside from a few behind-the-scenes tweaks, it is set to go.
The Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo gives children and their families a welcoming, supportive "home away from home" while being treated at local hospitals. People come from around the world to receive medical care in our region, and staying in a hotel for days - or weeks - at a time isn't always an option. The RMH provides so much more - the chance to connect with other families in similar situations, a real kitchen, and dozens of other amenities make an otherwise traumatic time a little less burdensome.
The Ronald McDonald House is there for those families who live out of town and who are depending on Buffalo hospitals to keep them alive. Imagine that a child in your family is injured in a car crash and requires months of intensive care. Or is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and needs weeks of chemotherapy injections. Could your family afford that hotel bill? Could they travel from their hometown to the hospital every day? Would they have any type of support system in another city? My guess is no.
I feel honored to have been part of this, and look forward to adding new features and content. If it means that one family sees information on that site
and it helps them, it has been worth it.For those of you who eat at McDonalds, the Help with all your Heart campaign will continue through February 14. Pitch in a buck or three when you place your order; these funds stay in the area to make this House possible.
Permalink: Ronald_McDonald_House.html
Words: 368
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
02/01/06 07:47 - 36ºF - ID#24930
Kara's Corn Bread
Goes good with chili or meatballs, the recipes for which I will post soon. For the meatballs, it works particularly well, since those also have to be in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I modified this from the directions on the back of the (Quaker) corn meal package.
Ingredients
1 cup ap flour
1 cup corn meal
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. honey
1 egg
splash of veg. oil
Tools
Big bowl
Spoon
8 x 8 pan
olive oil spray
Steps
Combine all ingredients, mix well
Pour into greased 8 x8 pan
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup ap flour
1 cup corn meal
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. honey
1 egg
splash of veg. oil
Tools
Big bowl
Spoon
8 x 8 pan
olive oil spray
Steps
Combine all ingredients, mix well
Pour into greased 8 x8 pan
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Permalink: Kara_s_Corn_Bread.html
Words: 101
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
01/26/06 07:16 - 20ºF - ID#24929
Kara's Bread Pudding
The only other time I've had bread pudding (besides tonight) was at a Kahunaville in Syracuse at least 4 years ago, so I"m not sure what the final result was supposed to look like. This turned out to be less like a pudding, and more like a banana crisp. Tasty, nonetheless. Bread pudding is also the perfect recipe for using up that food in the kitchen that everyone has laying around in a "good, but not good enough to eat" stage - like day-old bread, very ripe bananas and almost-funky milk.
Ingredients
Bread, ripped into small pieces or sliced into cubes.
(enough to fill an 8x8 pan)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup oatmeal
3-4 ripe bananas, sliced
1/4 c. (half stick) softened butter
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
Tools
superlarge bowl
spoon
8x8 baking pan
Steps
Combine the bread, milk and oatmeal in a large bowl. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Use this time to put away all your dishes and clean off the counters - you know you've been putting that off for days.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix very well. The butter can disguise itself as bananas, and you don't want to bite into a chunk of butter. Or do you?
Pat the mixture into the 8x8 pan.
Bake for at least 30 minutes, or until it's mildly crispy on top. Do not burn. The original recipe said to cool before serving, but I couldn't wait.
If anyone has a better suggestion for making it more puddinglike, please tell me!
Note: I softened the butter by microwaving it on a defrost setting for 15 second. Your microwave may require more or less time.
Ingredients
Bread, ripped into small pieces or sliced into cubes.
(enough to fill an 8x8 pan)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup oatmeal
3-4 ripe bananas, sliced
1/4 c. (half stick) softened butter
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
Tools
superlarge bowl
spoon
8x8 baking pan
Steps
Combine the bread, milk and oatmeal in a large bowl. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Use this time to put away all your dishes and clean off the counters - you know you've been putting that off for days.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix very well. The butter can disguise itself as bananas, and you don't want to bite into a chunk of butter. Or do you?
Pat the mixture into the 8x8 pan.
Bake for at least 30 minutes, or until it's mildly crispy on top. Do not burn. The original recipe said to cool before serving, but I couldn't wait.
If anyone has a better suggestion for making it more puddinglike, please tell me!
Note: I softened the butter by microwaving it on a defrost setting for 15 second. Your microwave may require more or less time.
Permalink: Kara_s_Bread_Pudding.html
Words: 283
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: celebrity
01/25/06 09:09 - 24ºF - ID#24928
the Hasselhoff
I give you ... the Hasselhoff :
first, an astonishing video
then, a haunting visual image
Anyone else have a favorite Hasselhoff link?
:first, an astonishing video
then, a haunting visual image
Anyone else have a favorite Hasselhoff link?
Permalink: the_Hasselhoff.html
Words: 48
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
01/23/06 08:47 - 34ºF - ID#24927
Kara's Tortilla Soup
Mmm mmm good.
Ingredients
3-4 large pieces of chicken, cooked and shredded
4-5 cups of chicken broth (or use bouillion)
1 regular can of diced tomatoes
1/2 small can of diced green chiles
1 medium onion, chopped/diced
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cilantro
4 tortillas
olive oil
Tools
1 large stock pot
1 saute pan
spoons
Steps
Saute onion and celery (or any other veggies that tickle your fancy); set aside.
Start to heat the chicken stock.
Saute chicken in olive oil (you can use the same pan as the veggies - just don't do the chicken before the veggies).
Add the diced tomatoes and chiles to the broth.
Bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer.
Once the chicken has cooled a bit, shred or chop into little bits.
Add the veggies and chicken to the broth.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the spices, simmer for about 10-15 more minutes.
This will give you time to make the crunchy tortillas.
Slice the tortillas into strips - about 1/2 inch by 2 inches.
Rinse out the saute pan and pat dry. Add about a 1/4 c. of olive oil.
Put on medium heat - watch for splattering!
Add the sliced tortillas and cook until crispy. Be careful, or they scorch and get too brittle.
Serve the soup with some tortillas on top. Grated cheese can be used too, but this meal was hearty enough without it!
Ingredients
3-4 large pieces of chicken, cooked and shredded
4-5 cups of chicken broth (or use bouillion)
1 regular can of diced tomatoes
1/2 small can of diced green chiles
1 medium onion, chopped/diced
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cilantro
4 tortillas
olive oil
Tools
1 large stock pot
1 saute pan
spoons
Steps
Saute onion and celery (or any other veggies that tickle your fancy); set aside.
Start to heat the chicken stock.
Saute chicken in olive oil (you can use the same pan as the veggies - just don't do the chicken before the veggies).
Add the diced tomatoes and chiles to the broth.
Bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer.
Once the chicken has cooled a bit, shred or chop into little bits.
Add the veggies and chicken to the broth.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the spices, simmer for about 10-15 more minutes.
This will give you time to make the crunchy tortillas.
Slice the tortillas into strips - about 1/2 inch by 2 inches.
Rinse out the saute pan and pat dry. Add about a 1/4 c. of olive oil.
Put on medium heat - watch for splattering!
Add the sliced tortillas and cook until crispy. Be careful, or they scorch and get too brittle.
Serve the soup with some tortillas on top. Grated cheese can be used too, but this meal was hearty enough without it!
Permalink: Kara_s_Tortilla_Soup.html
Words: 236
Location: Buffalo, NY
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