Genuine White Pearls and Green Jade Necklace

Here is an elegant, pretty and affordable genuine pearl necklace. The freshwater pearls are white to slightly off-white, and between 6 and 7 mm around. The necklace is adorned with green jade beads towards the base of the necklace. The largest green jade bead at the base is about 8 mm around. This freshwater pearl necklace is about 16 inches long. As the name suggests, freshwater pearls are grown and harvested in freshwater bodies such as rivers, lakes, and lagoons.

Superb 3-Strand White Pearl and Green Jade Necklace

This is a gorgeous white pearl necklace. The necklace has three strands of pearls, and are highlighted by green jade beads at the base. The pearls are genuine, of course. The freshwater pearls are about 6 mm around and quite round and smooth. The pearls are slightly flat. Overall, the necklace is between 16 and 17 inches long. The pearls are white to slightly off-white. This is a superb necklace that is sure to brighten formal and informal outfits. Take simple precautions to care for your pearl jewelry and you will enjoy your necklaces and bracelets for a long time!

Classy Pearl Necklace

Here is a classy white pearl necklace. This necklace has a single strand of genuine white freshwater pearls. The pearls are round and slightly flat, and about 6 mm around. The necklace is about 16 inches in length. Prior to the 19th century, only royalty and the wealthy could afford to own pearls. However, with the introduction and rapid spread of periculture, beautiful pearl jewelry is now an important element in the world of affordable fashion jewelry.

Superb White Pearl Necklace

This listing is for a fabulous genuine pearl necklace. As you see in the picture, there are four strands of white freshwater pearls held together by a standard clasp. The pearls are round, white, and smooth and about 7 mm around. This necklace is about 16 inches long.

Coconut Chutney 2

This is a second version of coconut chutney that works really well with dosas, but would probably work well with other Indian snacks like idlis as well. This recipe calls for peanuts, so if you are allergic, STAY AWAY!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - Roasted, unsalted peanuts
½-Cup - Grated Coconut – fresh or frozen (thawed), NOT dry
3 or 4 - Green chilies
2 Tbl Spoons - Peanut or vegetable oil
1 Tsp Spoon - Urad Dal
1 Tsp Spoon - Mustard seeds
¼-Tps Spoon - Asofoetida or Heeng/Hing
1-inch Ball - Tamarind
5 or 6 - Curry leaves (optional)
Salt to taste


METHOD

Place the tamarind in about 1 cup of water and nuke in the microwave on high for about 1 minute. Remove and allow to soak. When the water is sufficiently cool, use your fingers to gently knead the tamarind in the water. Remove and discard the solids, and retain the “tamarind liquid”.

Slightly roast the peanuts until they release their flavor. Make sure that they are not burnt.
Place the coconut, green chilies, and peanuts in a blender or food processor. Add half the tamarind extract. Add just enough water to get the mass moving, and process to a medium smooth paste.

Remove from the blender. Add salt to taste, and add more tamarind extract if you want it a bit more sour.

In a small fry pan, heat the peanut or vegetable oil on medium high. Add the urad dal and mustard seeds. Heat until the urad dal turns golden and the mustard seeds start to sputter. Add the asofoetida, and immediately add the curry leaves. CAUTION: The hot oil will splash when you add the curry leaves.

Add the oil mixture to the peanut coconut paste. Mix thoroughly. Allow to stand for an hour before serving.


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From the phonograph to the MP3 player - a history of audio recordings

Inexpensive MP3 players are quite popular today. Everyone on a plane or in the gym seems to be plugged into one of these digital music players. Try as we may, it is impossible to get away from audio recordings in our daily lives. It starts perhaps with your alarm waking you up in the morning, all the voice mails that you receive and leave during your work day, or till you fall asleep listening to some soothing sounds of nature on the CD player on your nightstand. This is a brief history of the audio recording – from the phonograh to today’s MP3 music.

In 1877, the phonograph was invented by Thomas Alva Edison. He did this a result of his work on two other projects – the telegraph and the telephone. The first phonograph had a tin foil wrapped around a rapidly rotating cylinder. When Edison spoke, his words were converted into indentations on the tin foil. Later, when the actual prototype was built, Edison famously recorded and played back the nursery rhyme “Mary had a little lamb”, which became the first audio recording in the history of man!

In 1878, Oberlin Smith, an American mechanical engineer found a way to convert the electrical signals from a microphone to indentations on a flat disc, and the first version of the “record” was born! Jules Levy’s recording of Yankee Doodle is widely believed to be the first music recording in history.

In 1888, Emile Berliner, a German-born American came up with a way to record sounds on a flat disc. Later, in 1995, he managed to collect $25,000 in investments and set up the Berliner Gramophone Company. In 1898, he put out the first recordings on shellac discs.

In 1925, Bell Labs developed the first system with a moving armature to cut flat record discs. The armature was an electromagnetic device that controlled the movement of the cutting stylus. Joseph Maxfield and Henry Harrison lead the team that developed the armature. The first discs were designed to be played at 78 rotations per minute (rpm).

In 1935, BASF developed the first plastic-tape based magnetic tapes. The tape consisted of a foil of cellulose acetate as carrier material, coated with a lacquer of iron oxide as magnetic pigment and cellulose acetate as binder.
In 1949, the first microgroove 33-1/3 rpm long-play vinyl record (LP) records were introduced by Columbia Records. Acetate-based tapes are introduced.
In 1954, Sony produced the first pocket transistor radios, and Ampex produced its portable tape recorder. The first commercial 2-track stereo tapes are released.
In 1963, Philips introduced the Compact Cassette tape format. Mass production of cassette tapes started in Hanover, Germany in 1964, and music cassettes were first manufactured and distributed in 1965. The popularity of cassettes grew tremendously in the 1970s and 1980s, especially after portable cassette players such as the Walkman were introduced to the market.
In 1980, EMT introduced the first hard-disk digital recorder, and Sony introduced a palm-sized stereo cassette tape player called a "Walkman."
In 1981, Philips demonstrated the Compact Disc (CD), and in 1982, Sony released the first CD player
In 1993, the first MP3 Players appear on the market. The big breakthrough in MP3 technology was a result of psychoacoustics, and the ability to compress a typical audio file from a 50 MB size, to a typical MP3 file of 3 to 5 MB. More on this compression process in a different article.
This is by no means a complete history of audio. Several other important milestones in the field of audio production, transmission, and recording could not be included here, but can be readily found on the world wide web using any of the standard search engines.


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Tomato Base Curry Gravy

This is a recipe for a tomato-based curry gravy. What’s unusual about this recipe is that it contains typical Southeast Asian ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce, and lemongrass, but not the ubiquitous coconut milk.

INGREDIENTS
1-inch ball - Tamarind
2 tblspns - Tomato paste
3 stalks - Lemongrass, white part, chopped fine
1 large or 2 medium - Red or yellow onions, diced medium
3 to 6 red chilies - Fresh or dry ok. If using dry, soak in warm water for 1 hr
4 cloves - Fresh garlic, chopped medium
1 inch piece - Fresh ginger, copped medium
1 tspn - Cumin Powder
6 to 8 - Curry leaves
2 inch piece - Turmeric root chopped fine, or ¼-tspn turmeric powder
2 tblspns - Peanut or vegetable oil
Salt to taste

2 cups - Water
1 tspn - Light soy sauce
1 tspn - Fish sauce or ½-tspn shrimp paste
2 tblspns - Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine



PREPARATION

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water and microwave for 30 secs. Remove and allow to soak and cool for an hour. Use fingers to knead and break down the tamarind. Strain and collect tamarind liquid (extract). Discard solids.

Grind to fine paste: Onions, chopped lemongrass, red chilies, garlic, ginger, turmeric or turmeric root, cumin powder.

Add oil to a pan and heat over medium high. Add curry leaves (CAREFUL – the hot oil will sputter and splash!). Immediately add the finely-ground spice paste from above. Stir constantly and continue to cook till paste reduces in volume to nearly half. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure not to burn the paste.

Add half the tamarind extract and continue to cook for about 60 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add soy sauce and fish sauce (or shrimp paste) and continue to stir and cook for 60 seconds.

Add tomato paste. Stir well to mix and cook until the raw flavor disappears. This should take 5 to 10 minutes. Again, make sure not to burn the mixture.

Add 2 cups of water and simmer over low heat. Add salt to suit your taste. Taste, and add more tamarind extract to suit your taste. The curry gravy is ready.

NOTE 1
You can use this gravy with veggies, chicken, beef, or hard boiled eggs. The spices are too mild for lamb, and lamb is therefore not recommended. To add vegetables, boil the veggies in lightly salted water until they are about 80 percent cooked; then add to curry gravy and simmer till fully cooked. If using chicken or beef, cut into bite size pieces and cook in broth. I use plan water with a couple of cubes of bullion, or add a couple of tablespoons of old curry powder that has lost its flavor and will likely be tossed! Boil till fully cooked. Then add to the gravy and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. If using hard boiled eggs, shell the eggs and cut in half length-wise. Add to gravy and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. In all cases, garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

NOTE 2
You can find tamarind in Asian or Indian grocery store. I prefer the Thai or Indian brands which come in the form of a 4 in by 5 in by 1 in slab, wrapped in plastic. I do not recommend the tamarind paste that you can buy in a little plastic can/tub. If you cannot find tamarind, replace with 3 medium sized ripe tomatoes. Boil in water for a couple of minutes and immediately dunk into iced water. Remove skin and puree. Add the tomato puree immediately after the tomato paste step described above. Cook till the raw flavor disappears. Add 1 cup of water instead of 2, and simmer.

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Onyx in Fashion Jewelry

I recently came across some fashion jewlery made from sterling silver and onyx. This particular piece of jewlery was a copper pendant, and I was quite impressed with the quality of the copper pendants. So I started to do some research on onyx. Onyx is a naturally-occurring cryptocrystalline form of quartz. A cryptocrystalline rock texture is one where the crystals are so tiny that they cannot generally be seen with the naked eye, and can only be seen under a microscope using thin sheet specimens. Most onyx is banded, and the bands are a result of various secondary minerals. The bands can be of almost any color except blues and purples (I have no idea why!). Black onyx, such as the one used in the copper pendant I referred to, is quite common. However, the banded form of onyx is the most common variety of onyx. Onyx can be shaped as required, and then polished to a high shine, making it a perfect gemstone for fashion jewlery. Onyx is believed to remove negativity and negative energy. Onyx is the birthstone for February, and the 10 anniversary gemstone.
In the particular jewlery piece that I came across, black onyx was used as the focal bead in the pendant. The setting itself was superbly crafted from pure copper. The copper design was quite intricate, and overall the pendant was nearly 3 inches in length. With gold currently selling at around $800 an ounce, and copper priced at about $2 per pound, it’s not hard to understand the popularity of copper for fashion jewelry!



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Lentil Soup

Here is an easy recipe for making tomato daal, and Indian lentil soup. This recipe uses yellow mung/moong beans. Best served hot with rice or Indian breads.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup – yellow mung lentils, rinsed, and soaked for a couple of hours
3 medium tomatoes – diced to 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion – diced roughly
¼-tsp – turmeric
1 tbsp – peanut of vegetable oil
¼-tsp – asofoetida
1 tsp – urad daal
1 tsp – fenugreek seeds
1 tsp – mustard seeds
1 tsp – cumin seeds
2 dried red chilies
6 to 8 curry leaves (optional)
Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the soaked lentils, diced tomatoes, and 3 cups of water in a deep sauce pan. Add a drop of oil, and cook over medium high heat.
When the lentils are about half-done, add the roughly diced onion and continue to cook till the lentils are fully done. Add ¼-tsp turmeric and stir well. Continue to cook on low.
In a separate fry pan, add 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil. Add 1 tsp urad dal and 1 tsp fenugreek seeds. Heat over medium high heat till the grains are light brown.
Add 1-tsp mustard seeds and the dried red chilies.
When the mustard seeds start to sputter, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, and continue to cook for about 60 seconds.
Add ¼-tsp asofoetida, and immediately add the curry leaves (Careful – the hot oil will sputter and splash!).
Add this mixture to the lentils-tomato-onions mixture, and stir well.
Add salt to taste. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot.

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The Final Elections Blog

I had crow for breakfast this morning. It was too late and past dinner time when the election was called last night. I was skeptical that the electorate would choose an African American to the White House. I was convinced that the “Bradley Effect” would rob the Democrats of a victory. I was convinced that the Democrats would find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I was convinced that we would wake up this morning and have another white male in the White House.

I had crow for breakfast this morning, and I’m glad I did!!!

I watched the election coverage on the CNN and FOX and passed up on Stewart and Colbert on the Comedy Channel. Hopefully, Stewart/Colbert do a re-run and I get to watch it sometime later this week. FOX’s coverage actually appeared to be fair and balanced, for a change. The highlight of their coverage was Fred Barnes’ rant about early voters. Turns out that Barnes himself voted early! The other panel members called him out on it and made him look like an idiot….not that he needed much help! CNN used a hologram of some of their reporters. It was cheesy….a throwback to Princess Lea in the first Start Wars…..but I still thought it was cool.

McCain looked like a beaten man last night, but his concession speech was class and dignity personified:
“In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.”

Obama was equally gracious in his acceptance speech:
“Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.”

It’s the dawn of a new era in America.



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With supporters like these.......

Through out this election cycle, the Right has questioned the Obama’s “friends” including Wright, Ayers, etc. etc. Those asking the questions included Right wing moderates like McCain (yeah – I think he is a moderate!), Right Wing nutbags like Hannity, and Right Wing Loons like Palin, and Dick Morris. As I watched coverage on Election Day, I watched an ad on TV sponsored by a group calling themselves Our Country Deserves Better. On their website, OCDB says “Join us for one of our 35 rallies supporting the McCain/Palin campaign and opposing the Obama/Biden ticket. Come out and join us in declaring in one loud voce: Our Country Deserves Better than Barack Obama and Joe Biden!” The chairman of this group is Howard Kaloogian. I Googled Howard Kaloogian and here’s what came up in wikiPedia:

• In February 2006, Kaloogian placed an ad in a Washington, D.C. newspaper that falsely claimed the California Pro-Life Council endorsed Kaloogian. They did not endorse any candidate for the race.
• Another claim for endorsement by the conservative Center for Reclaiming America also proved false — the organization stated they don't endorse candidates.
• In March, campaign literature and Kaloogian's website suggested State Senator Tom McClintock endorsed Kaloogian with the two-year old quote "Howard Kaloogian has distinguished himself as one of the most principled, courageous and steadfast conservative leaders in California." In a statement McClinctock stated "It has come to my attention that a campaign mailing on behalf of Howard Kaloogian includes a picture and quote from me that suggests that I have endorsed his candidacy for U. S. Congress. I have not."
• State Senator Bill Morrow, who was running against Kaloogian, challenged an implied endorsement by him of Kaloogian on the same webpage.
• Endorsements from social conservatives such as James Dobson who was appointed to the Commission on Pornography, 1985-86 during the Reagan administration and Concerned Women for America, a religious conservative women’s political organization, are at odds with an endorsement from Gabrielle Reilly - an adult website model and who also appeared on Kaloogian's web site. The Reilly endorsement on Kaloogian's web site was later removed.
• On March 28, 2006, Howard Kaloogian's campaign website displayed a street-level photograph which was claimed to have been recently taken in downtown Baghdad. It was later established that the picture was of a street corner in suburban Istanbul, Turkey!
• In addition to the false Baghdad photo, the Kaloogian website also posted a photo of Kaloogian with president George W. Bush, which was altered in such a way that the height discrepancy between the two men was reduced.
• In one photo which appeared on the campaign website home page, as well as in the photo gallery section of the web site, the location of where the photo was taken was misrepresented. The campaign website claimed the photo was taken in Iraq, whereas the same photo appeared on the Move America Forward blog with the caption that it was taken at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
  
  So if you can tell a lot about the friends a person keeps, then what does it say about John McCain????
  
  
  
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Calsilica in Fashion Jewelry

Calsilica is a brightly colored “stones” that first appeared in the world of fashion jewelry just over 10 years ago. With its bright, vivid, and varied colors, it is not hard to understand why calsilica captured the imagination of jewelry designer as well as jewelry wearers alike. It made quite a splash and gem and jewelry stores when it first showed up. Calsilica earrings, silver pendants, rings, and other items were often the stars at gem and jewelry shows.

Over the years, there has been a fair bit of speculation on the origin and nature of calsilica. The most persistent rumors were that calsilica was a natural material that was being mined in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and that calsilica was essentially a form of calcite with minerals that caused the brightly-colored layers so characteristic of the “stone”. The mine would send you pictures of the mining process, and “experts” issued letters of authentication stating that the “stones” showed no evidence of being manmade. Gemologists in Europe debunked that theory in 2002. Gemologists at the Swiss Gemological Institute examined two specimens of calsilica purchased at a gem fair in France. They found that the particles were held together by a material that was very similar to paraffin. They even found traces of man-made coloring agents within the specimens. So the general consensus today is that calsilica is a man-made amalgamation of various minerals and stone fragments that are held together with resin. Often, the powder and fragments are deposited under water and compressed to form cake. The cake is dried and infused with resin. Once the resin hardens, varies pieces are cut from the block, and then polished to achieve the desired sheen.

There is little evidence to suggest that calsilica is a naturally occurring material. Nonetheless, good calsilica specimens are pretty, and can be used to make attractive, inexpensive fashion jewelry.

Laska Curry

This is my take of the famous Laska of Southeast Asia. The difference is that I turn this into a curry that is eaten with rice, as opposed to a soup. And I use chicken instead of sea food.

INGREDIENTS

Grind to a fine paste either in a blender or mortar and pestle.
3 to 6
Green chilies. Use either serranos or Thai green chilies, depending on your tolerance to heat. Chop fine.
3 stalks
Lemon grass. Cut off and dispose the bottom inch. Use the next six inches. Toss the top portion of each stalk. Chop fine.
15 leaves
Kaffir lime leaves. Chop fine.
2-inch piece
Fresh ginger, chopped fine
4 Cloves
Fresh garlic, chopped fine
1 tsp
Shrimp paste
1
Juice of 1 lime
½-tsp
Turmeric powder
2
Shallots, chopped fine
2 tblspns
Vegetable or peanut oil
2 tblspns
Water (keep to a minimum, only use to facilitate grinding)


Other ingredients
8 oz can
Coconut milk
8 oz can
Low sodium chicken stock
1 lb
Chicken breast cut to bite size pieces, or chicken tenders
1 tblspn
Vegetable or peanut oil
Salt to taste








METHOD

Heat a frying pan or wok over medium high heat. Add oil.
Add the ground spice paste and stir fry till fragrant. Make sure that it does not burn!
Add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to boil over high heat.
Add chicken. Cover with lid. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
OPTIONAL: Add diced Thai eggplant, carrots, and green beans.
Remove lid and continue to simmer over medium heat for another 10 minutes.
Taste and add salt if needed.
Serve hot with jasmine rice.

NOTE: You can adjust the “richness” of the curry by adjusting the proportions of the coconut milk and chicken stock. For rich curry, use all coconut milk and no stock.


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Ginger Chutney

This is a simple recipe for tasty and spicy ginger chutney.

INGREDIENTS

1½-inch ball
Seedless raw tamarind (Indian/Asian grocery store)
3-inch piece
Fresh ginger, chopped fine.
3 Nos
Dried red chilies
1 tspn
Mustard seeds
1 tspn
Urad dal (Indian/Asian grocery store)
1½-inch cube
Jaggery (raw sugar, Indian/Asian grocery store)
¼-tspn
Asofoetida
1 tblspn
Peanut oil
1 tspn
Fenugreek seeds
½-tspn
Turmeric powder
Salt to taste


METHOD

Place 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and heat over medium high heat. Add the tamarind ball, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a fork or spoon to carefully break down the tamarind ball. Cool, and strain to remove the solids, retaining liquid extract. Discard the solids.
Clean the sauce pan and wipe dry.
Place the sauce pan on medium-high heat. Add peanut oil.
Add urad dal, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and dried red chilies. Fry till the dal turns light brown/golden. Make sure not to burn!
Add asofoetida, and then immediately add the tamarind liquid extract.
Add fresh ginger, turmeric and half the jaggery. Boil over low to medium heat for 15 minutes. Taste and add more jaggery if needed.
Turn off heat and allow to cool. Grind to a medium to fine paste in a blender or food processor.
Add salt to taste. Mix well and serve with dosas or other Indian snacks.



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More on the Health Plans

The Los Angeles Times (LA Times) has an article comparing the Obama and McCain healthcare plans. This article uses plainer English than the WSJ article did! So I think I have a better idea of what the candidates have to offer.

“McCain would rely on market forces to expand coverage. Obama would widen public safety-net programs, subsidize coverage for the poor and make public insurance similar to that offered to federal employees (including members of Congress) available to all.”

The McCain plan relies on deregulation of the healthcare industry to stimulate these “market forces” to expand and improve healthcare coverage. Seeing how well deregulation has served the banking industry, I am not sure I feel comfortable with less regulation!!

The second major difference between the two plans is that the McCain plan will remove the tax exclusion for healthcare costs paid by employers. For example – if it costs your employer $12,000 for health insurance for your family, under the McCain plan, that amount would no longer be a tax exclusion for the employer. If the employer continues to provide you with health insurance, presumably your employer would make you pay the additional tax – say $3000. McCain’s plan would turn around and give you $5000. So your family would come out ahead, provided your employer continues to provide you with health insurance. If the $5000 in McCain’s plan is indexed to the rising costs of healthcare, then your family will continue to benefit under the McCain plan. On the other hand, if the $5000 is kept constant, or even indexed to inflation, your advantage under the McCain plan will erode with time, because increase in healthcare costs outpaces inflation.

If your employer chooses to eliminate your healthcare insurance, then your family is in big trouble under McCain’s plan!! An average health insurance policy for your family costs about $12,000 to $15,000. So the $5000 that you get under McCain’s plan will not come close to offsetting your new insurance cost! Under Obama’s plan, if you like your current health insurance, and if your employer continues to provide you with coverage, then you can keep your existing coverage, and nothing changes for you or for your employer. On the other hand, if your employer drops your coverage, then you fall back upon government-sponsored coverage, and your employer pays a tax that helps offset the cost of the government-sponsored coverage. Obama’s plan will mandate minimum insurance coverage standards, and insurance companies will not be allowed to deny coverage based on pre-existing or other conditions.

In keeping with McCain’s commitment to deregulation, his healthcare plan places no constraints or minimum requirements on healthcare insurance providers. Under this plan, healthy, young individuals can buy policies with high deductibles and minimal coverage, and save money. High risk individuals, especially those with pre-existing conditions will likely have to pay exorbitant premiums, if they can get coverage at all! McCain plans to address this by developing insurance for “high risk pools” and providing assistance to States to cover healthcare costs for these high risk pools.
The LA times concludes:

“The Tax Policy Center projected that by 2018 the uninsured would number 66.8 million without any reform. The McCain plan would reduce that figure by 2 million, while Obama's would cut the number by nearly 34 million, the center said.The analysis concluded that the costs of both plans over 10 years were similar: $1.6 trillion for Obama's and $1.3 trillion for McCain's. But the benefits were distributed differently. The center found that Obama's plan would provide relatively greater benefits to low- and middle-income families, while McCain's would deliver larger financial incentives to high-income families, at least in its early years.”

If what the LA Times writes, and my interpretation of the two plans is incorrect, then the McCain campaign better get on the stick and explain their plan with greater clarity and detail, because right now their plan does not look particularly enticing!


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McCain's Healthcare Plan

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article on the McCain health care proposal. I must confess that I do not fully understand the implications to the tax code, and how that would affect me. However, there are several aspects that raise serious doubts in my mind:

“He would replace the current income tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance with a refundable tax credit -- $5,000 for those who purchase family coverage and $2,500 for individual coverage.”

I am single, and I pay about $30 a paycheck for health insurance through my employer. This amounts to about $780 per year. Supposedly, it costs my employer about $3120 to pay the rest of my health insurance premiums. So that total cost is about $3900. Under McCain’s plan, my employer would no longer get a tax exclusion on the premium paid by the employer. Because of this loss of tax incentive it is likely that employers would stop providing health insurance. In return, according to the McCain plan, I would receive a tax break of $2500. For me to get the same coverage that I currently have, I would have to pay an additional $1400! How is this good for me??

“Mr. McCain would also reform insurance markets to stem the growth in health insurance premiums.”

This I believe is the key to the problem. Yet the article says nothing more about reforming the insurance markets. If a politician – any politician – thinks they can actually take on the powerful healthcare lobby, why not do this first with the current system in place? If and when you are able to implement meaningful reforms, then take the next step and encourage individuals to buy individual insurance.

“This [the current tax exclusion for employers] creates an incentive for people to purchase policies with low deductibles, or which cover routine spending. These policies look a lot less like insurance and more like prefunded spending accounts purchased through employers and managed by insurance companies. Consider homeowners and auto insurance policies. Do these cover routine spending on cleaning the gutters or tuning up a car?”

Here is the big difference that I see between car insurance and maintenance, and health insurance. On average, I have the oil in my car changed about 4 times a year at $25 each. I get a minor tune up done once a year for about $100. Every 3 years, I have a moderate tune up for about $400. Every 6 years (roughly 60k miles) I have a major tune up at about $1000. Throw in a set of new tires every 3 years ($400) and other maintenance of $1000 every 6 years. So considering a six year period, my average annual cost is about $800. Contrast this $800 with “routine” medical costs – annual physical = $1200. Monthly prescription medication cost without insurance = $100 or an annual cost of $1200. Two routine dental appointments a year = $400. Total = $2500. Bottom line – routine maintenance on your car costs much less than “routine” health care, and that’s why people need health insurance that covers routine issues, while you pay for routine maintenance on your car.

“The Lewin Group, a respected private health-care research outfit, recently estimated that the McCain credit would increase the number of insured by as much as 21 million. It is true that many may no longer get their insurance through their employer, but they will be given the resources to purchase insurance on their own.”

Here is where I get lost! The article uses an example of a family of four, and a health insurance policy that costs $14,000. If this family loses employer-paid insurance, then they go out and purchase a plan for $14,000. Assuming that they are in a 30% tax bracket, the policy would effectively cost them about $9800. McCain gives then $5000. The family is still out $4800, are they not?

The article concludes that McCain’s plan will reduce the national spending on healthcare. I agree with that comment. However, it appears to me that the burden of the healthcare cost is then passed on to the individual. More importantly, the article fails to discuss the implications of McCain’s healthcare plan on people with pre-existing health conditions, if employers stop providing healthcare coverage. Today, insurance companies refuse to cover pre-existing conditions, or charge exorbitant premiums for these individuals. The number of Americans with pre-existing health conditions is high. Here are a few numbers: People with diabetes = 21 Million. People with some form of heart disease = 85 Million. Americans with cancer = 10 million. Americans who are HIV Positive = 1 Million. No doubt, there probably are patients with multiple existing conditions, so simply adding up these estimates is not correct. Nonetheless, the numbers do illustrate that there are a very large number of Americans – in the tens of millions – who have existing medical conditions. McCain’s plan, and the Wall Street Journal article really do not address them.




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Another Recipe

This is a recipe for “pesaratte” or “pesarattu”, a typical breakfast fare from South-Central India.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup
Whole mung/moong bean, with the green husk/cover on.
¼-cup
White rice
1-inch piece
Fresh ginger, finely minced
2 nos.
Green chilies. Remove seeds if you are concerned about the heat.
1 tblspn
Cumin seed
Few tspns
Vegetable or peanut oil
1 no.
Medium onion, finely sliced
Salt to taste


METHOD

Soak the mung beans and rice overnight.
In the morning, grind the mung and rice along with the chilies, minced ginger, the green chilies, and salt to taste.
Add water while grinding in order to make a pancake-like batter.
Heat a crepe pan (or any other flat fry pan) over medium high heat.
Grease the pan with about ½-tspn of oil. Place about ½-cup of the batter in the center, and using a circular motion, use a spoon to quickly spread the dough into a circular crepe.
Add about ½-tspn of oil around the edge of the crepe.
Place a few sliced onions on top of the crepe, cover with a lid, and cook for about 2 minutes. (If you prefer, you can lightly sauté the onions before placing on the crepe)
Remove the lid and cook for another minute. Cook longer to desired crispiness.
Fold in half, remove from the pan, and serve hot.


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McCain tried to get Rumsfeld fired.....oh really?!?!?!?

One of John McCain’s claim to fame is that he is a “maverick”. He has claimed that he has gone against his own party, and that he has the scars to prove it. Recently, one of McCain’s aide claimed that McCain urged Bush to fire Rumsfeld.

Oh really!??!!??

Take a look at this clip from YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyxTjNvqQEM

Is the McCain campaign losing its collective short-term memory????? And how come the press allows him to get away with this??????



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McCain on FOX News Sunday....

John McCain was on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace this past weekend. And of course, as usual, Fox News is a free forum for the Right to express their views. However, I was surprised to see Wallace push McCain on the issue of “robo calls”. Apparently, the guy that ran “robo calls” against McCain in 2000 is now running the “robo call” campaign for McCain against Obama!! Here is a clip from Fox:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-crONNOrjMs

Here is what McCain had to say about “robo Calls” in 2000:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id_LCq9aUDA

Here again I miss the presence of Tim Russert in the Sunday morning talk shows. Russert would have teed up this clip and then asked McCain this question!



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On Negative Ads

The Obama and McCain campaigns have accused each other of running a negative campaign. A recent article by CNN states that both campaigns are spending roughly the same amount on negative. However, since Obama has much greater cash reserves than McCain, Obama can afford to run positive ads about himself, along with the negative ads about McCain. Thus, about a third of Obama’s ads were negative, while nearly 100 percent of McCain’s ads are negative.

In 2000, McCain claimed that the negative campaign by Bush showed that Bush had no vision. Here is the YouTube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsX2Gx9jl_o

Here is what else he had to say about negative ads in 2000:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6CkVoYEoTs

You do anything when you are trailing and want to win, I guess!



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Palin's Fashion Statement.....

Politico.com is reporting that the GOP spent about $150,000 of campaign contributions on clothing, fashion accessories, and cosmetics and hair styles for Sarah Palin. Here’s an excerpt from the Politico.com article:

“According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September. The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.”

Here’s how the McCain campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt responded:

"With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses."

In these difficult times, shouldn’t the question really by “Why did you need to spend $150,000 on makeup and clothes?”




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Quick Potato Recipe

This is a recipe for a very simple potato and onion vegetable dish. It can be eaten with Indian breads, or particularly as the filling in a masala dosa.

INGREDIENTS

6 Nos – large potatoes, boiled, peeled, and coarsely mashed
1 Nos – Large yellow or red onion, cut in half and then sliced medium thin
2 Nos – Green chilies, sliced fine
2 Nos – Dried red chilies
12 Nos – Curry Leaves
1-in piece – fresh ginger, finely minced
4 tbs – peanut oil
2 tsp – channa dal
1 tsp – urad dal
1 tsp – mustard seeds
1tsp – cumin seeds
½-tsp – methi or fenugreek seeds
¼-tsp – asofoetida
½-tsp – turmeric powder
Salt to taste

PREPARATION

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the peanut oil
Add the urad dal, channa dal, fenugreek seeds, and the dried red chilies. Fry till the dals are golden brown. DO NOT BURN!!
Add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds just begin to sputter, add the asofoetida, and then immediately add the curry leaves.
Add the sliced onions and cook over low-medium heat till the onion just start to turn brown.
Add the minced ginger and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
Add the boiled and mashed potatoes, turmeric, and salt to taste.
Add ½-cup water, stir well, cover with a lid, and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Mix occasional to make sure that the potatoes do not burn.
Serve hot with chappatis or use as filling in masala dosa.





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The Powell Endorsement....

Gen. Colin Powell was on Meet the Press this morning with Tom Brokaw, and he “endorsed” Obama for President. I use the “” marks, because he made it clear that he would be voting for Obama, but he did not endorse him the traditional sense that he wasn’t planning to campaigning for him during these final few weeks of the campaign. This, I believe, is a huge endorsement for Obama. Powell is probably the only member – past or present – of the Bush cabinet for whom I have any respect at all. Of course, his presentation at the United Nations in support of the Iraq war, certainly tarnished his image, but I think he still stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the Bushies!

Powell said that he knew, liked, and respected both candidates, and he provided a few reasons for his decision:

During this economic crisis, Obama provided calm and steady leadership while McCain seemed disorganized, and seemed to come up with a new fix each day. McCain did not seem to have a good grasp of the crisis.
Powell was not happy with the direction in which the Republican party was headed – which is too far to the Right. I was particularly impressed when Powell said that two more Conservative appointees to the Supreme Court would not be acceptable to him.
He felt that Palin was not ready for the job. That really needs no explanation. Click on this link to see for yourself how ready Palin is for this job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokTjEdaUGg

Powell was critical about McCain’s handling of the Bill Ayers issue. He felt that in times such as this, McCain was overplaying the Bill Ayers issue.
Although the Powell endorsement was a big deal, here’s something that Powell said that has much greater significance:

"I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say, and it is permitted to be said. Such things as 'Well you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.' Well the correct answer is 'He is not a Muslim, he's a Christian, he's always been a Christian.' But the really right answer is 'What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?' The answer is 'No. That's not America.' Is there something wrong with some 7-year old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she can be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion he's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
"I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo-essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in you can see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American, he was born in New Jersey, he was 14 at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he can go serve his country and he gave his life."

Overall, this is a big endorsement for Obama. It’s too bad that Powell will not be out on the campaign trail for him.



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Simple Tomato Chutney

Here is a recipe for a really simple, but very tasty tomato chutney, courtesy of my sis.

INGREDIENTS

6 Nos – Medium-sized, moderately ripe, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 to 4 Nos. – Fresh green chilies diced, depending on your tolerance to heat
¼-cup – Cilantro/Corriander Leaves
1 tsp – mustard seeds
1 tsp – fenugreek seeds
1tsp – urad dal
2 nos – dried red chilies
2 tsps – peanut oil
2 tsps – toasted sesame seeds
¼-tsp - asofoetida
Salt to taste

METHOD

Add the 2 tsps of peanut oil to a pan over medium heat

Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad dal, and dried red chilies. Fry till golden brown, and the mustard seeds start to sputter. DO NOT BURN!

Add the asofoetida, immediately followed by the cut tomatoes and the diced green chilies. Cover the pan and let tomatoes cook over low to medium heat.

When the tomatoes are almost fully cooked, add the cilantro leaves and the toasted sesame seed. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Grind to medium coarse consistency in a food processor or blender

Add salt to taste.

Ready to serve!

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Joe the Plumber

While campaigning in Ohio last week, Barack Obama ran into the now famous/infamous Joe the Plumber. Just in case you missed it, you can catch the clip on youtube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFC9jv9jfoA
Obama could not think on his feet, and kinda messed up his response. He tried to explain his concept of “spreading the wealth around” which was promptly picked up by the Right as a sure sign of Socialism. I think Joe the Plumber was mentioned about 26 times in Debate 3, and McCain continues to mention Joe the Plumber in the stump speeches 5 days later.
The point that Obama missed was that when Joe the Plumber said that he was looking to buy a $250,000 business, he was probably referring to gross income, as opposed to taxable income. So when looking at taxable income, Joe the Plumber would probably get a tax break under the Obama Plan. Had Obama said that, Joe the Plumber would be back to his unlicensed, non-tax paying life!
And then Joe Biden had an opportunity to fix this issue, and instead he said something to the effect that they were not worried about Joe the Plumber. So McCain and the Right had yet another opportunity to keep Joe the Plumber in the lime light, and keep the press cycle going.
Is this election going to turn on Joe the Plumber? Who knows!?!?!?

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More Cooking - Coconut Chutney

This is my version of coconut chutney that works really well with dosas, but would probably work well with other Indian snacks like idlis as well. So here goes:

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbl Spoons - Channa Dal
2 Tbl Spoons - Toor Dal
1 Tbl Spoon - Urad Dal
1 Cup - Grated Coconut – fresh or frozen (thawed), NOT dry
¼-Tps Spoon - Asofoetida or Heeng/Hing
1-inch Ball - Tamarind
3 to 6 - Dried red chilies

METHOD

Place the tamarind in about 1 cup of water and nuke in the microwave on high for about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and allow to soak. When the water is sufficiently cool, use your fingers to gently knead the tamarind in the water. Remove and discard the solids, and retain the “tamarind liquid”.

Roast the channa dal, toor dal, and urad dal to golden brown. I prefer to roast them individually, but you can probably roast them all together too. Make sure not to burn them.
Roast the red chilies without burning. Use between 3 and 6, based on the hotness of chilies and your tolerance for fire.

Grind the three dals and the roasted chilies in a small spice grinder, along with ¼-teaspoon of heeng. Grind to a find powder.

Add the ground mixture, the grated coconut and half the “tamarind liquid” to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add a little of water if needed.

Taste periodically and add salt and more tamarind liquid if needed.
Remove from the blender and serve.

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Presidential Debate No. 3

Well, we’re finally done with the 3 Presidential and one Vice-Presidential debates. The first debate was probably a tie between Obama and McCain. Obama clearly won the second debate, and the third debate….well, the third debate was interesting. McCain certainly came out swinging and landed a few solid body blows, but I don’t think he managed to clinch the deal!

Take, for example, McCain’s statement about not being Bush. Obama’s response was about McCain voting in lock-step with Bush was smooth. My first reaction after Obama’s response was that he had probably been expecting the McCain statement for a while and had already prepared a response. McCain’s statement would probably have had better effect if he had used it in the first debate. Instead, it was McCain who appeared to have this surprised look on his face when Obama responded.

I thought McCain had Obama on the ropes on the abortion issue. Obama seemed hesitant, and appeared to be groping for words. However, McCain could not finish the job, and eventually they moved on to other topics. It appeared that McCain’s handlers hadn’t prepared him to go past this point.

Turns out that Joe the Plumber, the star of Debate No. 3 is…..well, not much of a star in real life. When speaking with Obama, he forgot to mention that he owed back taxes. Hhmmmm…..should Joe the Plumber be concerned that Obama would raise taxes on him? Well, if you don’t pay your taxes in the first place, then why do taxes really matter to you???? Also, it is likely that the $250,000 that Joe the Plumber said his business would bring in, is the gross income, not taxable or net income. His net income would likely be less than $100,000. And under Obama’s plan, Joe the Plumber would actually get a tax break.

Overall, I thought it was a good debate. McCain needed to come out swinging, and he did. He stayed on the offensive for the first 30 minutes or so, but he appeared to be running out of gas towards the end of the debate. Obama needed to remain calm, composed, and appear Presidential. I thought he did that. So I don’t think many minds were changed as a result of Debate No. 3. But how much do these debates really matter? In the end, an individual goes into the privacy of the polling booth, and makes his or her decision. Will it matter that one candidate is White and the other is Black? Who the heck knows!!!!


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Race and the elections....part 2

Well, soon after I posted my thoughts on racism in the elections, I came across this article in the NY Times. While I did not fact-check the numbers presented in the NY Times article, I found the findings reported here very interesting. Thought I’d share some of the key findings with you.

The article talks about “racism without racists” and about “aversive racists”. A small percent of the electorate – about 5 to 10 percent – will openly not vote for an African American. This group is generally conservative, votes Republican, and would not vote for a Democrat, no matter who the Democratic candidate is.

The interesting group is the so-called “aversive racists” who are white Americans who overtly do not consider themselves to be racially-biased, and may even support affirmative action. But they sub-consciously have a racial bias against African Americans. And this racial bias manifests itself in interesting ways! Take a look:

When presented with black and white candidates with identical qualifications and experience (same folder of credentials, sometime presented as white and sometimes as black candidate), whites recommended hiring the white candidate more often than the black candidate.
The above issue becomes more prominent when the candidates are borderline qualified for the post. When dealing with borderline candidates with identical credentials, whites recommended white candidates 76 percent of the time, and recommended black candidates only 45 percent of the time.
When witnessing a black person in distress (say a seizure of some kind) in public, whites did not discriminate in calling for help when there are no other witnesses. However, if there are other bystanders – a situation where individual responsibility is not front-and-center – whites would call for help 75 percent of the time if the victim was white, but would call for help only 38 percent of the time if the victim was black!
So it’s going to be interesting to watch TV election night! News networks call the various states based on exit polling. How are voters going to deal with this “aversive racism”????


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Role of Race in the Elections

I just got done watching one of the zillion shows on the upcoming Presidential elections. This particular one was on CNN and was moderated by John King. King was discussing how close the electoral college math was, and in one – albeit remote possibility – scenario, both candidates had 269 electoral votes, and Congress would be called up on to choose the President.

What surprised me most was that there was no discussion on the role of race in the election! Here are some recent polls that provide insight on the role of racism:

From a Aug 2008 Gallup Poll – 56 percent of the national adults polled said that racism was widespread against blacks in America.
A Yahoo-AP poll suggests that 2.5 percent of White Democrats may not vote for Obama, only because Obama is African American. A third of the White American Democrats polled also showed negative feelings/emotions towards African Americans, and only 58% of them said that they would vote for Obama.
Another Gallup Poll from June 2008 indicates that 12% of White Americans and 22% of African Americans believe that race will be a factor when they go to the polls. And this is just the people who are willing to admit to the poll-taker that they have a racial bias.
In a Washington Post – ABC News from June 2008 Poll, 3 in 10 Americans were willing to admit to some racial bias.

In most recent polls, the edge that Obama has over McCain is much smaller than the racial bias within the electorate. Yet, most pundits seem unwilling to discuss the race issue, and its role in the upcoming elections. Early in the campaign, Obama said that he did not want this election to be about race. He had to say that, as a politician. But I am surprised that news organizations so studiously avoid the elephant in the room!!




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Bailout Fails

Well, so today was the big day when the House voted on the proposed bailout. And the House failed to support the bailout. Personally, I don’t know if this is good or bad. The market lost about 780 points, the largest single-day point drop in history, but not even in the top 10 drops in terms of percentage drops. If you look at the DJI chart for the past 30 years, its is essentially a straight line up, and I bet most of us would not be able to point out the top 10 drops in the history of the market! So maybe we don’t give Wall Street $700 Billion, and let the market work it self out.

The politics of the failed bailout will be interesting to watch. McCain essentially pulled a political stunt by announcing that he was suspending his campaign and returning to Washington to help push this deal through. So he may see some fallout from this failure of the bailout attempt. The Republicans came out right away and pinned the blame on Pelosi’s apparently partisan speech. The Democrats were a step behind (well, as usual!) and I think they messed things up. Now that they were a step late, the Democrats should have taken the high road, and focused on bipartisanship rather than try to play the blame game. Instead, they came out late, and they started to point fingers, and they looked small.

I just Jon Kyle (R-AZ) speak with Neil Cavuto on Fox. Kyle, in my opinion, took the right tone, and his approach was “what’s happened has happened, now lets work together”. Cavuto asked Kyle what he thought about the partisan speeches by Pelosi, Frank, and the other Democrats. Cavuto failed to mention the partisan speeches by the Republicans a few minutes ago. I realize that complaining about Fox’s blatant right-wing bias is like complaining that water is wet. But it must be nice to have your own full-fledged propaganda TV channel. I can’t wait to see O’Riley and Hannity later today!


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Palin with Katie Couric....

This past week, Sarah Palin was finally allowed to speak to the national press. And boy! Did she speak!!! Katie Couric of CBS was the interviewer, and she did a much better job than Charlie Gibson and Sean Hannity. Gibson came across as being condescending, while Hannity was….well, he was Hannity!

Couric asked Palin about the $700B financial bailout, and Palin kinda wandered around a bit. Take a look at this Youtube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2kjFn4s4sU

And if you thought that what you just saw was a bit awkward, this was perhaps Palin’s best response! Trust me!!

Here was Palin’s complete meltdown on the issues of Russia and Palin’s foreign affairs experience

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv6CRObROV0

Now take a look at another beauty queen answering a question during an interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

Gawd, that’s a Vice-President in the making if I ever saw one!!!!

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The first presidential debate....

Well, after all the drama, the first Presidential debate finally happened last night. I watched the whole debate, albeit with one eye and ear on my laptop!

Overall, I thought both candidates did quite well. McCain appeared poised and decisive, and Obama’s answers were succinct and to-the-point. Other than partisan supporters on both sides, I don’t think anyone in the middle would pick a winner, and I don’t think this debate changed any minds.

I did think that Obama missed several opportunities to make McCain squirm:

Take a page out of Kerry’s speech and the convention and point out the differences between “Senator” McCain and “Candidate” McCain (pro-choice vs. overturn Roe v. Wade; oppose the Bush tax cuts then support the Bush tax cuts, etc. etc.)
Press McCain on the fact that McCain and Bush were wrong when it came to the initial reasons for the war in Iraq. When McCain states that he wants to look forward and not back, push the notion that McCain will be as impulsive as Bush in taking the nation to war, without heeding US intelligence and world view and intelligence
Press that idea that McCain believes that the middle class starts at $5 Million, and that according to McCain, 95% of the country is below middle class.

Will be interesting to see how both camps and their surrogates in the media spin the debate on the Sunday shows.


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Back to more cooking.......

Dosas are the Indian version of crepes made from ground rice and lentils. If you do it the traditional way, you will probably end up burning up your blender! So here is my easier way to make them.

Ingredients

2 cups
Rice flour (Indian grocery store)
1 cup
Urad flour (ground black lentils ground, Indian grocery store)
½-teaspoon
Salt (to taste)
2 cups
Slightly warm water (not hot!!)
2 tablespoons
Idli Rava (Indian grocery store)
6 tablespoons
Vegetable or Peanut oil
2 tablespoons
Yogurt
1 tablespoon
All-purpose flour
4 cups
Iced water

How to Do It

Add the warm water to the blender jar
Add the rice flour and the urad flour. Turn the blender on to “aerate”
With the blender running, add the yogurt and salt
Remove batter from the blender and place in a large bowl
Add the idli rava, and allow to ferment overnight
Next morning, add the all-purpose flour. Mix thoroughly and make sure that there are no lumps.
Place a large, flat, NON-STICK frying pan on medium to high heat.
Dip clean cloth in the iced water, and wipe down the frying pan. Immediately thereafter, place about ¾-cup of batter in the center of the frying pan. I use a flat-bottom metal measuring for this.
Spread the batter into a thin crepe by moving the cup in an outward spiral.
Pour about 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil along the perimeter of crepe
Allow to cook to desired degree of crispiness
Using a flat spatula, gently remove the crepe from the frying pan.
Immediately before placing batter for the next dosa on the frying pan, wipe down the surface with the cloth dipped in iced water.
Serve hot.

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Even more on the financial mess.....

This financial bailout to the tune of $700 Billion continues to make me queasy. But I do take some comfort in the fact that there are members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who are at least asking important questions. And then there are others who simply believe that Congress ought to bury its collective head up their collective asses and simply give the President whatever he asks for. Here’s a quote from the online edition of the NY times:

“When there’s a fire in your kitchen threatening to burn down your home, you don’t want someone stopping the firefighters on the way and demanding they hand out smoke detectors first or lecturing you about the hazards of keeping paint in the basement,” Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said in a speech on the Senate floor. “You want them to put out the fire before it burns down your home and everything you’ve saved for your whole life.”

So continuing in the “fire fighting” vein, Mr. McConnell of Kentucky, let me point out:

1) Before you send fire fighters to put out a house fire, you need to make sure that you understand the risks associated with the going into that burning house. You don’t want to send fire fighters into a burning house and have the roof cave in on them, and kill six of them, do you?? Take a look at Paulson’s interview with Brokaw on Meet the Press this past Sunday. Paulson has no idea how much bad debit, or the quality of the bad debt that he is asking the American tax payer to underwrite. In other words, he has no idea of the risk associated with sending taxpayers into this burning house.
2) You risk the lives of fire fighters by sending them into a burning house only if there are lives to save – i.e. if the rewards justify the risk. Paulson is asking the taxpayer to take on this risky bad debt, but resists allowing the taxpayer to enjoy the rewards if the $700 Billion bailout does work, and the financial industry is back to making money.

The President and his cohorts are asking the taxpayer to give them $700 billion – no strings attached, no questions asked, no oversight, - just a warm kiss on the cheek and a paternal pat on the head!! And some Democrats are saying that they simply do not trust the President, and drew a parallel to Mr. Bush’s request for authority to wage war in Iraq. No kidding! Read Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency by Barton Gellman. In order to get Dick Armey to vote for the war in Iraq, Cheney told Armey that Saddam Hussein and his family had direct ties to Al Qaida (a bold-faced lie!) and that Saddam Hussein had miniaturized nuclear bombs so that they could fit into a suitcase, and was planning to hand them over to his terrorist friends (another lie!). So not trusting this Administration is a wise move.

And then, who are the geniuses that are going to be entrusted with this unfettered access to $700 billion??? Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chair Bernanke. Here’s what they say in prepared remarks on September 23, 2008:

"If financial conditions fail to improve for a protracted period, the implications for the broader economy could be quite adverse" – Ben Bernanke.

"We must do so in order to avoid a continuing series of financial institution failures and frozen credit markets that threaten the well-being of American families' financial well-being, the viability of businesses both small and large and the very health of our economy" – Paulson.

This problem did not develop overnight. How come Paulson and Bernanke were not in front of this crisis, instead of trying to play catch-up?? Here is an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal on February 19, 2008:

Following the U.K.’s surprise move to nationalize mortgage lender Northern Rock, will the U.S. need to make similar moves? “Absolutely not,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told CNBC, dismissing talk that the Bush administration needs to initiate a widespread bailout program to assist the financial industry and restore investor confidence.

Here’s another Paulson gem from the Wall Street Journal February 28, 2008:

In an interview yesterday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson branded many of the aid proposals circulating in Washington as "bailouts" for reckless lenders, investors and speculators, rather than measures that would provide meaningful relief to deserving, but cash-strapped, mortgage borrowers.

More pearls of wisdom from the esteemed Secretary, this time from CNBC on line, July 21, 2008:

The U.S. economy needs months to recover from its slowdown, but the banking system remains sound despite a home mortgage crisis that could cause more problems, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said.

"Our banking system is a safe and a sound one," Paulson insisted on CNN's "Late Edition."

"this is a very manageable situation ... our regulators are focused on it."

But now Paulson feels that the world will come to an end if we don’t give him $700 Billion! Paulson does not want to limit compensation and bonuses for top executives of companies that get bailed out by the taxpayer. Of course he doesn’t!! In a few months, Paulson will be back on Wall Street, and he does not want to be held accountable for the millions that he hopes that one of the Wall Street firms will pay him to peddle influence in the corridors of Washington.

And what does the taxpayer, who is paying this $700 Billion, think of this bailout? A CNN/Opinion Research poll, 79% of 1,020 respondents said they were worried that the economy could get worse if the government takes no action. However, 77% also said they believed that a government bail-out would benefit those responsible for the economic downturn in the first place.

And the fun continues…….


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Yet more on the financial mess.....

I am reading and learning more about the financial bailout that the Administration wants, and it scares me even more!! In a nutshell….

Give us $700B (that’s a B, not an M)
Give us power to use it in any way we see fit
We’ll buy up bad loans without having any knowledge of the risk and rewards associated with the expenditure
Don’t ask us any questions
Don’t provide any oversight
And if we screw up or embezzle money, make sure that no one and no court has the authority to review what we’ve done

Where can I sign up for this job!?!?!?!? Hopefully the Democrats show a bit of spine and hold tight to their demands!!!


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On the financial mess.....

I just got done watching Hank Paulson (Treasury Secretary) on Meet the Press. I really like Tom Brokaw in charge of the evening News Desk, but boy – I miss Tim Russert!!! Tom’s good, but he lacks the depth of knowledge, the pre-show preparation, and the ability to think on his feet like Russert did. Oh well….I guess Tim’s not coming back, so you play the hand you’re dealt!

Paulson says that excesses have been building up for a long time. There were irresponsible lending and borrowing practices, and ultimately this lead to the mess. My Questions: If this was building up for a long time, why didn’t Paulson warn the administration and the public? Why did Bush keep saying that there wasn’t a big problem with the financial system?? Paulson called the financial system “fragile” and “critical”. How did we go from being the strongest economy in the world to “fragile” and “critical”??

From what I understand, the problem is that banks and financial institutions have unknown and unidentified connections with bad mortgage loans. So banks didn’t know if the other banks that they were lending money to would collapse overnight, leading to a freeze of the credit markets. So in order to unfreeze the credit markets, the Feds are using our money to buy up these bad loans. Paulson does not know how bad these loans are, how much they are really worth, or how much risk is associated with mortgages. Brokaw did ask is the Goldman Sachs board would allow Paulson to spend $85B to acquire AIG with all these unknowns and risk. Paulson beat around the bush, and again – I miss Russert!!! Brokaw was not able to think on his feet to press further, or was just not willing to push this further!

Brokaw asked if it was a good time to start working on new regulations and policies to strengthen practices and improve the financial framework. Paulson says NO!!! He says that we should fix the current problems, and that we do not have time to work on regulations. I agree that we need to fix the current problems, but not wanting to start working on regulations is just plain DUMB!!! I am left with the impression that the Bush administration wants to do just enough to make sure that this does not turn into a complete disaster so that the Republicans get creamed in November, and then leave the really big tasks to the next President and administration.
Paulson just does not inspire confidence!!! He was part of the problem at Goldman Sachs until Bush appointed him the Treasury Secretary. Now we are supposed to trust him with tax payer money to essentially discipline his cohorts on Wall Street!! Isn’t that the fox guarding the hen house??????


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More Politics.....

Palin has done much to help McCain’s chances come November. She’s energized the base, improved fundraising, drawn white women to McCain, strengthened his position with the Right wing of the part, and for the first time, helped him gain a slim lead over Obama in the polls.

What really amazes me is not so much what Palin has done for the Republican ticket, but how she has completely thrown the Democrats off their game! The Dems are so concerned about being attacked as sexists by the Right that they seem to be frozen in their tracks. This deer-in-headlights look on the face of the Democratic leadership is eerily similar to that of the Kerry campaign in 2004 when the Swift Boaters methodically demolished the Kerry campaign over a 3-week period, while Kerry and the Democrats stood by and went surfing and hunting instead!!

The sad part of this whole issue is that the Dems have the perfect weapons to counter the Palin effect – Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro. Ferraro is a has-been I guess, and most people under 40 probably have no idea who she is. But Clinton certainly has the clout and to call out the Republicans on adding Palin was pandering to the base. But the Clintons are already looking to 2012, I guess. I just have this really queasy feeling in my gut!


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Global Warming

I’ve been reading up on this global warming thing in recent weeks. There are environmental lunatics on the Left who see the world coming to and end and want us all to give up our cars, and ride bicycles, and go live in caves so that we don’t cause the planet to warm up any more. And there are Right wing nutbags who bury their heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge the melting glaciers, disappearing ice on Kilimanjaro, etc etc. Leaving aside the lunatic fringe on both sides, there appears to be a general consensus on both sides that the planet is indeed going through a period of warming, and that the consequences of global warming can be quite severe. The difference of opinion is really in what is causing this global warming – is it manmade, or is it some natural cyclical phenomenon.

I really don’t know the answer. I do believe that the consequences of global warming will be severe, and so if there are things that we can do without throwing our lives completely out of whack, well, that’s worth doing. I don’t intend to go live in a cave somewhere, and reduce my carbon footprint to zero (actually I have no idea what my carbon footprint really is!). But I am making small changes that hopefully help. Here’s what I am doing, and what I plan to do:

I stocked up on CFL bulbs when my local Home Depot had them on sale. Now each time an incandescent bulb burns out, I replace it with a CFL. The CFLs I use put out the same amount of light as a 40W incandescent lamp, yet consume only 9W of power! CFLs also last longer than conventional bulbs.

I live in Arizona, where on average, we have 90 days a year of 100+ degree days. This summer I kept my house at 80 degrees. I have ceiling fans in every room, and I use the ceiling fans to make the room comfortable. My electric bill is down by over 15 percent, even though the electric company raised rates by over 10 percent compared to last year.

I really should get a more efficient AC unit. But I am not sure if I want to put out $6,000 for a new unit right now! So we’ll see how that goes.

I’ve switched both toilets to low flow type models.

I’ve switched the showerheads in both baths to the low-flow type. Cost me less than 10 bucks each!

Part of my house has a flat roof. So I am trying to see if it makes sense (financially) for me to install solar panels. The initial expense is quite high, but with tax rebates, and incentives from the electric company, I may be able to afford it. I’ll let you know!

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Spicy Indian Garbanzo Beans - Channa Masala

This is my take on a classic Indian dish – channa masala or garbanzo beans in a curry sauce. I use a Jamaican Curry Power (Blue Mountain) along with traditional Indian spices. The West Indian curry powder is a bit more mellow and has a different flavor compared to Indian curry powder, and gives the dish a different dimension. I found the Jamaican Curry Powder in one of the ethnic grocery stores in Phoenix. If you cannot find the Jamaican Curry Powder, use regular curry powder.

Ingredients

1½ cups: Dried Garbanzo Beans, soaked overnight. If you do not have a pressure cooker to cook the beans, use 2, 16-oz cans of Garbanzo beans instead
2 tablespoons: Peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon: Cumin seed
6: Cloves
¼-teaspoon or 4 whole pods Cardamom
1, 2-in piece: Cinnamon
2: Bay leaves
1-inch piece: Ginger, finely minced. I prefer fresh ginger minced on a cutting board, but you can use store-bought ginger paste too.
3 : Garlic cloves, finely minced. I prefer fresh garlic minced on a cutting board, but you can use store-bought garlic paste too.
2 : Medium sized onions, finely chopped or ground
3 tablespoons: Jamaican curry powder. Use 2 tablespoons if using regular curry powder.
1 teaspoon: Coriander powder
1 teaspoon: Garam Masala
½-teaspoon: Hot red chili powder (this is ground red peppers, not the mix of spices that you use to cook up a pot of chilli). Add more if you like.
½-teaspoon :Amchur. This is powdered, dried mango and it adds a slightly sour taste. You can find this in most Indian grocery stores.
½-cup: Pureed tomato. I use canned diced tomatoes, and puree them using a hand-held electric blender.
2 tablespoons: Chopped fresh cilantro

Process the beans:

Soak the beans overnight

Drain the beans and add them to the pressure cooker

Add 4 cups of water and salt to taste

Add bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Or you can tie these spices in a piece of cheese cloth (bouquet garni) and then add to the pressure cooker.

Put the lid on the pressure cooker and cook until soft. This should be about 6 whistles of the pressure cooker, and about 30 mins.

Drain the beans and retain the liquid. Toss the bouquet garni.

Separate out about ½-cup of the cooked beans and mash them to a paste.

Pull it all together

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large cooking pot. I use a dutch oven or a deep fry pan.

Once the oil is hot, had 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. Allow to heat up so that they turn brown, but do not allow them to burn.

Add the chopped or ground onions. Add the minced ginger and garlic. Sauté until the onions turn soft and translucent.

Add 3 tablespoons of curry powder, one teaspoon of garam masala, one teaspoon of coriander powder, and ½-teaspoon of amchur. Sautee until the spices release their fragrance, but do not allow them to burn.

Add the pureed tomato and the mashed beans, and cook over low heat for about 7 minutes. Stir frequently so that the mix does not burn.

Add the garbanzo beans along with 2 cups of liquid left over from cooking the beans in the pressure cooker.

Put a lid on the pan and cook on low for about 30 minutes. Stir every 5 or 6 minutes. Add more liquid if like the curry to be more runny, or cook with lid off to thicken the curry.

Adjust salt to your taste, and garnish with the chopped cilantro.


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More political rants and raves......

Palin has neither the knowledge nor the experience to step in as President in case something unfortunate happens to McCain. I disagree completely with her philosophies on life, religion, and women’s rights. Having said that, I believe that she is turning out to be the perfect candidate for the Republican ticket with McCain.

1) She has energized the base like no one else on the VP shortlist could
2) She has helped improve McCain’s fundraising. Last month McCain had his best month ever.
3) She has helped solidify McCain’s credibility with the Right wing of the party. Before her addition to the ticket, the Right’s response to McCain was tepid, at best!
4) White women have broken for McCain in a big way
5) By adding her to the ticket, McCain has once again claimed the title of “maverick”

I sincerely hope that the Democrats do not underestimate her impact on the outcome of the Presidential race. If not, we’re going to have yet another white male in the White House for at least another four years.


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Ethnic Cooking and Groceries

ETHNIC INGREDIENTS AND SPICES IN THE US

Ever since I started experimenting with ethnic recipes, I have been on the look out for good sources of spices, spice mixes, and other ingredients – both online, as well as in brick-and-mortar stores. I live in Phoenix, and I’ve always felt that there was a lack of ethnic grocery stores in the Valley. So I combed the web and came up with a few good sources. But after much research, I have also identified a few really good ethnic grocery stores in the Phoenix area. So here’s what I know thus far:

ONLINE SOURCES

www.ZamouriSpices.com: Excellent source for primarily Middle Eastern spices. Some common curry powders are also available. The quality of the spices here is very good. The hot harrissa paste is one of my favorites!

www.WorldSpice.com: This is actually a brick-and-mortar store in Seattle, WA, but they also have a presence on the web for people like me who live hundreds of miles away. They grind their spices fresh when you order them (or you can order them whole and grind them yourself!). I know when my package has been delivered in the mail – I can smell the spices as I walk to the mailbox! The berbere, harrissa, Cape Town Masala, Chai Masala are my favorites. Interesting Note – they do business the old-fashioned way: No credit cards! You order, they send you the spices along with the invoice, and you mail them a check!

www.eFoodDepot.com: This is perhaps the largest online ethnic grocery store that I have come across. The store carries a large variety of groceries from a whole bunch of groceries.

As I noted above, there are also several good ethnic grocery stores in the Phoenix area. Here are some of my favorites:

Central Phoenix

Middle Eastern Bakery & Deli (west side of 16th St, between Osborne and Thomas): Small grocery store with a decent amount of supplies. Has a great little restaurant attached. I eat there all the time, but have not shopped for groceries there yet.

Tan Phat (Northwest corner of 17th Ave and Camelback): Vietnamese grocery store that also carries stuff from other Asian countries. Has a full aisle of Indian groceries, and about one aisle of Thai items. Good selection of fresh ethnic produce. They get fresh stock each Wed morning.

Biaz (Eastside of 20th St, between Roosevelt and Van Buren): One of the largest Middle Eastern grocery stores that I have seen! Aisles and aisles of things I’ve never heard of….and some that I’ve heard of! If you are a fan of the Middle Eastern yogurt drink (doogh, dugh, depending on the part of the world!), you can buy it in one-gallon jugs! They bake their own bread on site, and it's great. Has a little restaurant attached. The food is ok and the prices are low. I shop here often.

North Phoenix

Indo Euro Foods (Southeast corner of Bell Road and 16th St): Pretty decent Indian grocery store. You can find all the Indian staples here, along with some British groceries. Small selection of fresh produce, restocked each Wed. I come here about once a month.

West Valley

Manila Supermarket (Southwest corner of 35th Ave and Dunlap): Very good store for Asian groceries. Good supply of items from countries in South, South East, and East Asia. Fresh produce stocked each Wed or Thurs. I shop there often. Small attached restaurant. I eat there sometimes, but not the best good in the world.

East Valley

Lee Lee’s Supermarket (Northeast corner of Warner and Dobson): By far, THE best ethnic grocery store in the Phoenix area. Groceries from all over Asia and the Middle East. Large selection of fresh produce. I’d like to shop here often, but it is a long drive from me, and so I end up going here only a few times a year.

These are some of sources that I’ve been able to dig up, and like. I’m sure that there are others. Please post and add to the list!

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Politics

I've decided that I am going to go off track a bit and post on politics....

Why are the Democrats not running ads on TV to show the contradictions between “Senator” McCain and “Presidential Candidate” McCain?????????? I’d love to see an ad that contrasts McCain’s differing positions on

Immigration
Offshore Drilling
Bush Tax cuts
Etc., Etc.

More than half of Hollywood supports the Dems. I am sure that there is someone on the West Coast that can come up with an effective ad campaign!!! What exactly is the Obama camp doing with the $40M+ that they seem to raise each month?????

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Interesting Fashion Jewelry - Copper Bracelets

In my earlier post, I wrote about these cool copper pendants that I had picked up in Southern Arizona, and I had several listed on www.AzJewelryStore.com. I am now posting about several designer copper bracelets that I picked up. These hand crafted copper bracelets are really pretty and are available both in the cuff-style as well as bangle bracelets. The bangle bracelets of course have a fixed size while the size for the cuff-style bracelets can be adjusted (within reason!!). This is really good jewelry, and is a good alternative if cash is tight and silver jewelry is out of reach. Pretty, inexpensive, jewlery.

I read some about the copper bracelet arthritis link, that magnetic copper bracelets have been used to control pain. Since copper is non-magnetic, I have no idea how a copper magnetic bracelet is made, and the copper bracelets on www.AzJewelryStore.com are make no claims to the copper bracelet arthritis connection. But if you are just looking for some cool, cheap jewelry, stop by and take a look at some of the pieces of fashion jewelry at www.AzJewelryStore.com.