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29 January 2010

LEAR: No, no, no, no! Come, let's away to prison: / We two alone will sing like birds i' the cage:

Federal Bureau of Investigation
New Orleans [Louisiana USA]

Department of Justice Press Release

For Immediate Release

January 26, 2010
United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Louisiana
Contact: (504) 680-3000

Four Men Arrested for Entering Government Property Under False Pretenses for the Purpose of Committing a Felony

NEW ORLEANS -- JOSEPH BASEL, age 24; ROBERT FLANAGAN, age 24; JAMES O’KEEFE, age 25; and STAN DAI, age 24, were charged in a criminal complaint with entering federal property under false pretenses for the purpose of committing a felony, announced the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

According to the complaint, which was unsealed earlier today, the arrest of FLANAGAN, BASEL, O’KEEFE, and DAI took place after BASEL and O’KEEFE attempted to gain access to the New Orleans office of United States Senator Mary Landrieu on January 25, 2010, while posing as telephone repairmen. According to the complaint, FLANAGAN and BASEL were each dressed in blue denim pants, blue work shirts, light green fluorescent vests, tool belts, and construction-style hard hats when they entered the Hale Boggs Federal Building, located at 500 Poydras Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. Once in the building, FLANAGAN and BASEL sought access to the offices of Senator Landrieu. O’KEEFE was already present in the office, holding a cellular phone so as to record FLANAGAN and BASEL. Once inside Senator Landrieu’s reception area, FLANAGAN and BASEL told a member of Senator Landrieu’s staff that they were telephone repairmen, and they requested access to the main telephone at the reception desk. FLANAGAN and BASEL then manipulated the telephone system. FLANAGAN and BASEL next requested access to the telephone closet because they needed to perform work on the main telephone system. They were directed to the main office of the United States General Services Administration, also inside the Hale Boggs Federal Building, where they again represented themselves to be employees of the telephone company and stated that they needed to perform repair work in the telephone closet. Both FLANAGAN and BASEL stated that they had left their credentials in their vehicle. In addition, the complaint alleges that O’KEEFE and DAI assisted FLANAGAN and BASEL in the planning, coordination, and preparation of the operation. The men were apprehended by the United States Marshal’s Service soon thereafter.

If convicted, FLANAGAN, BASEL, O’KEEFE, and DAI each face a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

The United States Attorney’s Office reiterated that the complaint is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation is being conducted by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Deputy Marshals with the United States Marshal’s Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg.

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27 January 2010

wtf moment du jour, all guesses and comments welcome

Hi Gyesik and Matthieu,

Consider the following proof for your goal:

Theorem le_Pfact: forall x:nat, exists y, Pfact x y.
Proof.
fix circ 1.
intro.
destruct x.
exists 1.
constructor.
destruct x.
exists 1.
constructor.
pose proof (circ x) as H.
destruct H. (* existential var becomes x0 *)
exists (x * x0).
constructor.
assumption.
Save.

I find the above style of inductive proof much easier. Of course, the hypothesis "circ" must be applied in a well-founded way. However, there's no need to have an adequate induction principle readily available (or even bother to know what that induction principle should be).

Hope this helps,

Razvan

Matthieu Sozeau wrote:
{
{ Le 27 janv. 10 à 10:57, Gyesik Lee a écrit :
{
{{ Hi,
{}
} Hi Gyesik,
}
{{ as in the following case, an induction principle provided by Coq is sometimes not strong enough:
}}
{{ (A modified version of the example in Section 8.4.1.1 of CoqArt book.)
{{ ===================
{{ Open Scope nat_scope.
}}
{{ Inductive Pfact : nat -> nat -> Prop :=
{{ | Pfact0 : Pfact 0 1
{{ | Pfact1 : Pfact 1 1
{{ | Pfact2 : forall n v : nat, Pfact n v -> Pfact (S (S n)) (n * v).
}}
{{ Axiom lt_wf : well_founded lt.
}}
{{ Theorem le_Pfact : forall x : nat, exists y, Pfact x y.
{{ induction x.
{{ (* then the induction hypothesis is not strong enough*)
{{ Abort.
}}
{{ induction x using lt_wf.
{{ (* then the claim can be easily proved. *)
}}
{{ ===================
}}
{{ I am wondering if Coq provides a kind of mechanism producing the induction principle reflecting the well-foundedness of the canonically definable structural orderings on inductive types.
}
} My soon-to-be-released Equations [1] plugin has ML code to generate this order on any non-impredicative, computational inductive family (ie. most datatypes). You can derive both the subterm relation (actually the transitive closure of the direct subterm relation) and its wellfoundedness proof and a [Below] predicate that can be used to recurse and get a tuple
} of all the possible recursive calls in the context. You don't need to worry about guardness checks anymore if you use any of these, but you have to provide proofs that recursive arguments decrease in the first case or find your way in a tuple in the second case. This is partially automatable though.
}
} }}
}
} Require Import Equations.
}
} Open Scope nat_scope.
}
} Inductive Pfact : nat -> nat -> Prop :=
} | Pfact0 : Pfact 0 1
} | Pfact1 : Pfact 1 1
} | Pfact2 : forall n v : nat, Pfact n v -> Pfact (S (S n)) (n * v).
}
} Derive Subterm for nat.
}
} Theorem le_Pfact : forall x : nat, exists y, Pfact x y.
} apply FixWf; intros.
} destruct x. econstructor; constructor.
} destruct x. econstructor. constructor.
} destruct (H x). solve_rec.
} exists (x * x0). constructor; auto.
} Qed.
}
} Derive Below for nat.
}
} Definition rec_nat (P : nat -> Type) (step : Π n, Below_nat P n -> P
} n) n : P n :=
} step n (below_nat P step n).
}
} Theorem le_Pfact' : forall x : nat, exists y, Pfact x y.
} induction x using rec_nat.
} destruct x. econstructor; constructor.
} destruct x. econstructor. constructor.
} simpl in X. destruct_conjs.
} exists (x * e0). constructor; auto.
} Qed.
}
} }}
}
} [1] http://mattam.org/research/coq/equations.en.html
}
} -- Matthieu

PizzaQ for X-treme Cineastes / Amanda Plummer! / down on the floor motherfuckers / Christopher Plummer / Tammy Grimes / what's in the box?

Click image, nothing happens.

At high noon in a packed pancake house in Los Angeles, California, the dainty, petite gamine neuresthenic Amanda Plummer whips out a huge-caliber revolver, leaps to a tabletop,
squeezes off a few attention-getting rounds into the ceiling, and screams to 50 patrons something like

GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR MOTHERFUCKERS OR I WILL BLAST YOUR MOTHERFUCKING BRAINS ALL OVER THE FLOOR RIGHT NOW

in a startlingly sincere and convincing tone. I certainly would have licked bubble gum off the linoleum.

This public peepants moment takes place in the Neo-Noir masterpiece of psychopathia cinematica, "Pulp Fiction," by the Auteur Quentin Tarantino.

The quarterly periodical "Cahiers du Vleeptron" frequently discusses and attempts to diagnose Tarantino. Lately we are leaning towards some sort of glandular disorder, for which there is probably effective oral medication. Within six months, he could regularly experience the mental activity of an adult for the first time in his life.

On the other hand, I usually don't ask for my money back after seeing his stuff.

While you are pouring synthetic blueberry syrup on your waffles, the last thing you expect to see is Amanda Plummer going all Smith & Wesson in your face and shieking motherfucker.

PIZZAQ1 for Cineasts: What actor portrays her boyfriend or twin brother or fellow methamphetamine addict who is waving the other loaded revolver around, just as enthusiastically and happily as Amanda? 2 slices, imported Italian mozzerella.

PIZZAQ2 for X-Treme Cineastes:


What was in the attache case?

1 medium pizza, choice of 3 toppings.

PIZZAQ3 for X-Treme Cineastes:

What was in the metal ice-skates case in "Ronin" (by John Frankenheimer, co-scripted by David Mamet)?

1 large pizza, choice of 4 toppings, and 1 large Fanta-and-beer if it's summer.

**********
e-mail to f_minor, the community that worships the late Canadian pianist Glenn Gould

Gould said F Minor was his favorite key.
***********

The 2010 schedule of live theater and musicals at the Stratford (Ontario) Shakespeare Festival looks to be ... well, thrilling and magnificent, and Gouldheads who haven't had the pleasure and experience of attending this festival couldn't pick a better season to make its acquaintance, and touch an important dimension of Gould's legacy.

My wife and I have been dividing our getaway time for many years between the Stratford and the Shaw Festival (in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario). They're a half-day's drive apart, so you can fill a holiday with shows at both.

Both towns are beautiful and delightful to visit. Stratford in particular has scores of superb, duelling restaurants. During theater season you need a guide to find a bad meal.

(Keep well away from the swans; they're as nasty and dangerous as they are beautiful.)

The centerpiece of the 2010 Stratford season will be Christopher Plummer as Prospero in "The Tempest."

We saw him as King Lear a few years ago, certainly one of the
thrills of my theater life. In our generation, Shakespeare doesn't get better than Plummer, and we also had the fantastic pleasure of seeing his daughter Amanda (her mom is Tammy Grimes) as Joan of Arc in Anouilh's "The Lark / L'Alouette."

Other but by no means all the 2010 treats at Stratford:

* As You Like It
* Dangerous Liasons
* Evita
* Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
* Peter Pan (Barrie's original)
* Kiss Me, Kate
* The Two Gentlemen of Verona
* The Winter's Tale

Just click around
and you're certain to find stuff that seduces and sings to you.

Bob the Culture Vulture


18 January 2010

the Massachusetts election tomorrow for US Senator -- a plague on both their houses

Hiya C*****, my thoughts on Tuesday as threatened ...
Clearly you'll vote ... and maybe more ... so you'll have fully participated in an important civic moment, and good on ya for urging all to do the same.
Well, I'll vote too ... but I can't remember when I voted with less enthusiasm or more disgust.
Obviously Scott Brown should not be our Senator. That part is screamingly obvious and simple.
But Martha Coakley is a candidate of spectacularly low and unworthy character and anti-achievements, a toxin in the body politic.
I don't mind getting e-mails that scream that we must retain a Democratic majority for Obama at all costs.
But I mind when they hallucinate that Martha Coakley is a fine and worthy successor to Ted Kennedy's senatorial record. She simply is nothing of the sort, and no amount of campaign screaming and deception can begin to make her resemble Kennedy's vision or record.
In general, I don't believe criminal prosecutors should rise higher in elected office. They inevitably bring a philosophy of governing far too heavy and reliant on punishment, cruelty, suffering.
But I've seen Coakley at work close-up. She is all those things: punitive, cruel, and worse. She is a happy cog in the machine that keeps Massachusetts near the top of the national list in racially disproportionate felony imprisonment. She promises voters she's tough on crime. It's always been easy-to-decode code: She promises white voters she'll imprison blacks and Hispanics.
And boy, did she deliver, term after term.
I suppose criminal prosecutors are a necessary evil of civilization. But Coakley is the worst of the old-time racist and lynch-mob-style DAs -- well, in perfect lockstep with Northwestern DA Scheibel ... who at least finally showed the grace of bowing out and ceasing her toxic activities.
But Coakley now threatens to represent and reflect my state, and that will be a minimum of six very unpleasant and unhappy years for me. I shall take little comfort that her vote assists Obama's initiatives.
But I am most dismayed at the vile stench of this campaign. I am deeply tempted not to reward the two-party system with a vote for either of these two degenerate, visionless candidates.
The United States, by percentage of adults and by raw numbers, is the world's largest prison. Martha Coakley has been a willing and enthusiastic reason why. I don't want to vote for either of these bums.
I shall vote for one of them -- or against one of them -- but it will be the most unhappy election day of my voting life. Both parties should have done so much better; at least one party should have given us someone distinguished, classy. A plague on both these candidates and the parties that have thought so little of us to have put them before us and subjected us to their vile, desparate attack ads.
Bob

15 January 2010

Is this the face that launched a thousand ships? And sent Northern Ireland back to internecine religious violence?

Iris Robinson

il Smutto
(Italian-language tabloid published by
Agence-Vleeptron Presse, Ciudad Vleeptron)
Lunedì 11 Gennaio 2010


Il sexy-scandalo affonda Robinson
Si dimette il premier nordirlandese


La moglie lo tradiva con un 19enne.
«Ha coperto un prestito al ragazzo»

LONDRA -- Il primo ministro dell’Ulster, Peter Robinson, si è autosospeso dall’incarico per sei settimane, in seguito alle controversie sulla relazione di sua moglie Iris con un diciannovenne, al quale fece avere anche un prestito non dichiarato.

Robinson, che è leader del partito unionista Dup, ha chiesto alla collega Arlene Foster, attualmente ministro locale per le imprese, di prendere il suo posto. La notizia, data all’Assemblea nazionale dell’Ulster dallo speaker William Hay, è giunta poco dopo che Robinson aveva ricevuto una conferma di massimo sostegno dal suo partito. La sospensione, afferma la BBC, dovrebbe durare quanto una possibile inchiesta sul suo operato sul prestito ottenuto dalla moglie, del quale sapeva ma che non dichiarò, come invece impone di fare la legge.

Lo scandalo, da affare familiare - la signora Robinson, 60 anni, deputata al parlamento dell’Ulster, aveva ammesso l’infedeltà e il marito l’aveva pubblicamente perdonata - si è presto trasformato in un caso politico. Un programma della Bbc aveva rivelato che Mrs. Robinson (tutti ormai la chiamano così evocando la matura seduttrice de Il Laureato) aveva ottenuto un prestito di 50.000 sterline per aiutare il giovane Kirk McCambley ad aprirè un caffè.

Mrs. Robinson si sottopone attualmente a cure psichiatriche: dopo la fine della relazione ha detto di aver pensato al suicidio. Peter Robinson dovrebbe rispondere questo pomeriggio al parlamento di Stormont, a Belfast, alle interrogazioni di vari esponenti sulla vicenda.

- 30 -

12 January 2010

Hot Dog, Lobster Tonight!

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI).
J.EDGAR HOOVER FBI BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE ,
NW WASHINGTON , DC 20535.

Foreign Remittance/Cyber Division
Attention: Fund Beneficiary

This is an official advisory notice from the FBI Foreign Remittance/Cyber Division.

It has come to our notice by the Bank of England which in secrecy has released all winning sums from casino,inheritance, contract sums, lottery winnings e.t.c amounting to 29 billion GBP

£29,000,000,000

about to be distributed among its beneficiaries.

These information(s) among your email contacts was provided by the Bank of England to investigate as this monetary distribution continues.

You are to contact the Qualisteam Banking And Finance Plc as you are to follow all its statutory claims requirements.

Qualisteam Banking And Finance Plc®
International On-line Transfer Unit
#287 High Holborn, Chancery Lane,
England WC1V 7HZ
Phone:- + 44 (0) 70-2403-9881
Fax:- +44 (0) 70-0608-5242
Email:- qualistaem.intl.plc@live.co.uk

Note No secret transfers because all funds are in bond and insured.

N.B: Endeavour to send Your Full Names, Address, Telephone Number and means of identification (international passport, drivers license or work I'D card) to Chief Claims Officer, via email or fax, to process the immediate payment of your prize. The FBI cyber division has access to Federal, State, and local databases to verify reported information. All claims are subject to audit. Any person knowingly submitting a fraudulent claim without getting an email of fax notice will be subject to ALL LEGAL PENALTIES.

For immediate disclaimer(to wave all legal rights in future),Please clink this link http://safelyremovename.com

Assistant Director
Robert Millier
Cyber Division

05 January 2010

Don't piss Him off, you'll be real sorry

Click image to enlarge.

Wikipedia:

Deuteronomy (Greek: Deuteronomion, "second law") or Devarim (Hebrew: דְּבָרִים‎, literally "things" or "words") is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fifth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch.

=============

(Jews don't call this "the Old Testament," because that would imply there has been a subsequent Testament -- a new contract between God and humankind -- and Jews don't recognize such a new arrangement.)

Numbers and Deuteronomy are the Books of Laws God expects His followers to obey scrupulously. Moses received the laws from God personally, and explained them to the Jews.

This section follows a long section describing the joys, health and prosperity God promises to bring to those who obey His laws.

So much for the Carrot.

Now the Stick. Here's what God has in store for those who disobey His commandments and stray from his laws.

Emerods are hemmorhoids.

I don't know what the Blotch of Egypt is, but it doesn't sound good. I don't think they sell anything at the pharmacy for it. None of this sounds good.

I would interpret all this as a cautionary: Don't piss off This God. Don't even think about it. You'll be sorry.

This is my favorite English-language translation of this stuff, the King James Bible. Jews in English-language places don't use this, but use their own translation, entirely from the Hebrew original.

When Roman Catholics reach for an English-language Bible, they use the Douay translation, which is a translation from Saint Jerome's Latin Vulgate. The King James Version uses the original Hebrew and the Greek translation made from it in Alexandria, Egypt, called the Septuagint, as sources. Almost nobody in the ancient Mediterranean was familiar with Hebrew or the religion of the Jews, but Greek was the universal Lingua Franca understood everywhere (Alexander the Great had seen to that), so the Septuagint launched the ideas of Judaism, and thus the ideological and theological environment of Christianity, into the Big World.

* * *

Deuteronomy 28

[15] But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

[16] Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

[17] Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

[18] Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

[19] Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

[20] The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

[21] The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

[22] The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

[23] And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

[24] The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

[25] The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

[26] And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

[27] The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

[28] The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

[29] And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

[30] Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.

[31] Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.

[32] Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.

[33] The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

[34] So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

[35] The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

[36] The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

[37] And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

[38] Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

[39] Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

[40] Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.

[41] Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

[42] All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

[43] The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

[44] He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

[45] Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

[46] And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

[47] Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

[48] Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

[49] The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

[50] A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:

[51] And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

[52] And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

[53] And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

[54] So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:

[55] So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.

[56] The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,

[57] And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

[58] If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;

[59] Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

[60] Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.

[61] Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

[62] And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.

[63] And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

[64] And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

[65] And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

[66] And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

[67] In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

[68] And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

04 January 2010

PIZZAQ: Line Segment AC

Click image, gets bigger I guess.

To be precise, this is not The PizzaQ Thing Itself.

This is just a picture of the unique Shape of The PizzaQ Thing.

But the PizzaQ asks questions about The Thing Itself. The Real Thing. The Genuine Article. The McCoy.

1 Large Pizza with shitake mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and meat topping of your choice if desired.

* What is it? (Specifically, what is Line Segment AC ?)

* What is Point A?

* What is Point B?

* What is Point C?

* The Red Zone and the Green Zone are Different. How? (Not their colors; there's something very different in the Red Zone from what's in the Green Zone.)

* What up with that Shape? Is it Natural? Or Un-Natural?

BONUS:

* Have you ever been to Line Segment AC ? Please tell Vleeptron all about it. Including whom you went with, and how the food was. Would you go again?

03 January 2010

First Day Issue / Postalo Vleeptron: Carpeting the staircase.

Click image to enlarge.

First Day Issue / Postalo Vleeptron: Carpeting the staircase.

Homage to Mr. Brumbacher (wood shop) and Mr. Showacker (metal shop).

01 January 2010

First Day Issue: Postalo Vleeptron / Indian Pudding

Click image to enlarge.

First Day Issue: Postalo Vleeptron

Indian Pudding

It's quite likely that this rich, dark, sweet, thick, bubbling-hot dish -- a perfect tummy-warming dessert for a cold winter meal -- was originally an American Indian recipe taught to European settlers in New England. The mollasses was added after the rise of the Atlantic/Caribbean trade in African slaves and sugar/molasses.

When prepared traditionally, the very long cooking time makes it a dish rarely seen in restaurants. (It hogs up the oven for half the day.) Cooked right, it's a pure gift of midwinter love for family and friends. We've had perfect results adapting the recipe from a slow oven to the crockpot, which can safely be left to cook unattended for hours.

Here ya go in English/metric/Fahrenheit/Celsius:

6 cups (1.42 liters) milk
.......(whole, not low-fat)
1 cup (237 ml) yellow corn (maize) meal
......(coarsely ground is best)
1/2 cup (118 ml) molasses
......(Grandma's or Brer Rabbit)
1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh ginger
.......or grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon (1.3 ml) baking soda
......(bicarbonate of soda)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 stick (113.4 grams) butter
......(margarine will do)

Watch the milk carefully for the instant when it starts to boil and scald, then remove from heat. Pour scalded milk slowly on the corn meal, then cook in double boiler 20 minutes.

============

A double boiler is a special-purpose two-pot gimmick with boiling water in the lower pot, so the ingredients in the upper pot are gently heated in a bath of boiling water.

You can improvise with a big soup pot of boiling water on the burner, and immerse a smaller pot in the boiling water. Forks or spoons in the bottom pot will keep the top pot raised.

============

Add the other ingredients.

Pour into buttered baking dish. Bake 3 hours in a very slow (250°F = 120°C) oven.

OR

Pour into electric Slow Cooker = Crockpot, set on lowest temperature for 4 - 6 hours (the longer it cooks, the better).

Serve with cream, fresh-made whipped cream (not hard to make) or vanilla ice cream.