Ushering in the end...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev holds up a 'worldwide coin' as he discusses the concept of an international currency during the Group of Eight (G8) summit in L'Aquila, central Italy. (Photo: Alexander Nemenov/AFP)

Medvedev sees single currency dream in G8 coin gift

Even if Russia's call for a global currency failed to gain much traction at a G8 summit, President Dmitry Medvedev took home a coin meant to symbolize that the dream may one day come true.

The Russian leader proudly displayed the coin, which bears the English words "United Future World Currency", to journalists after the summit wrapped up in the quake-hit Italian town of L'Aquila.

Medvedev said that although the coin, which resembled a euro and featured the image of five leaves, was just a gift given to leaders it showed that people were beginning to think seriously about a new global currency.

Hmm, I think I read about this in the Bible in the Book of Revelation... *slight sarcasm* Do you want to know more or at least WHERE in the Bible, go here: Revelation 13 (more specifically verses 16 & 17, but the whole chapter is worth reading).

WHOA!

mavericks:Cheryl Hayashi

Cheryl Hayashi
Professor
University of California—Riverside

Shirts as tough as Kevlar but as soft and slim as cotton? Bodysuits that can shrink-wrap for aerodynamics? Ropes stronger than steel cables? If Cheryl Hayashi has her way, that’s just the beginning. A professor at UC Riverside, Hayashi is reinventing textiles using an unlikely source: spider silk. By weight, gossamer, as it’s called, can be five times stronger than steel and woven into a completely biodegradable fabric. Working in a lab chock-full of tarantulas, black widows, and eight other varieties of arachnid, Hayashi is genetically altering crop plants like tomato and tobacco to grow mounts of spider silk proteins. “Once you’ve got a bucket of these proteins, you get an engineer to spin it [into fibers] for mass production,” she says. Hayashi has already grown plant-generated silk proteins in the lab, and she’s possibly five years away from success on an industrial scale. “[The material] could be used for medical applications and, I imagine, for high-performance athletic gear,” she says. “And because every spider species produces a different kind of silk, it’s not hard to imagine heat-tolerant clothing made from Mojave Desert spider silk or mold-free canvas made from rainforest varieties,” she says. “One woman even asked me if it’s possible to put it in girdles.”

Know & Tell

Numbers, nomenclature, and news for the conspicuously clued-in...

I’d do it again if I had to. It wasn’t torture. Seeing Rosie O’Donnell naked would be torture.
= Allen West, a former U.S. Army officer who’s running for Congress in Florida, to a reporter, on the 2003 interrogation during which he pushed an Iraqi policeman’s head into the sand and fired a gun next to his face.

$36,099 = Amount for which a 100-year-old pair of Levi’s that were found buried in the Mojave Desert sold for on eBay in July (above).

1,800 = Number of volunteers it took to demolish and rebuild the home of a family in Lake City, Georgia, for a 2005 episode of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION. The new home went into foreclosure in July (news link).

$157,700 = Amount an Italian court ordered the government to pay in July (2008) to a man who was forced by transportation officials to retake a driving test because he was gay.

cakeWRECKS.blogspot.com = A site featuring photographs of ill-conceived and/or poorly executed professionally made cakes – like dessert in the shape of a pregnant woman wearing a string bikini or icing declaring: WRITE WELCOME ON IT. (Above: Loco Larry the Mentally Unstable Locomotive which has a similar likeness to Thomas the Train Engine.)

1,015,559 = Estimated number of votes OPRAH Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack OBAMA generated for the senator during the primaries, according to a study by two University of Maryland economics students.

17,189,709 = TOTAL number of votes Barack Obama received during the primaries.

$63,800,000 = Estimated tax revenue California state and local governments will take in over the next three years as a result of spending on weddings, tourism, and licenses – related to same-sex marriages, according to a study published by the UCLA School of Law in June. [WOW! Look at what Nebraska could be earning if this was legal here – not that I’m saying I’m for this – but I might consider voting for it if Nebraska would repeal the depreciation tax on vehicles as a result <- now THAT’S a stupid tax!]

(slang) kindergarchy = n. A power dynamic in which a child’s preferences take precedence over those of parents or other adults // Provenance: Childless adults tired of 5pm dinner dates // Usage: “My sister’s house is a kindergarchy – changing the channel when Sponge-Bob is on is treated as a war crime.”

$50 = Value of gas voucher that clients of the Shady Lady Ranch received last summer for purchasing an hour of the Nevada brothel’s services.

$60,642 = Campaign contributions Barack Obama received from U.S. troops deployed abroad; reported June 30, 2008, according to finance filings released in August 2008.

$45,512 = Campaign contributions Ron Paul received from U.S. troops abroad reported in June 2008.

$10,665 = Campaign contributions John McCain received from U.S. troops abroad reported in June 2008.

Garlic Italian Herb Focaccia Pizza Crust

Tonight I had a bit of a pizza-fest in my apt. It all started with the margarita pizza you see above. Pizza crust is relatively easy to make, especially a basic white crust; but the crust you see above is not basic and it’s not white; it’s actually whole wheat and a lot like focaccia (click for more info).  The crust is super garlic-y with an explosion of flavor from tons of Italian herbs.  The basil on this pizza was grown in my potted porch garden, and the tomatoes are vine-ripened. The mozzarella is store-bought (I can make 30-min mozz, but didn’t feel like taking the time).

Here’s the recipe for the crust:

1 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for kneading (or 1 1/2 cups all-purpose + 1/4 cup wheat bran)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder, if you use garlic salt, omit salt above)

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, yeast and warm water. Let sit for about 3 minutes to fully dissolve and activate the yeast. Add the olive oil to yeast mixture, you don’t have to mix it in, just let it float on top; it’ll eventually get mixed into the flour mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic.

With a rubber spatula, gradually mix the yeast mixture into the flour until just combined and dough barely holds together. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter surface dusted with flour.

Knead the dough with flour-dusted hands until the dough has become smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.  You’ll need to continue to dust with flour as you knead if the dough is sticking to your hands or the countertop. The surface of the dough should be tight and silky and bounce back slightly when pressed.

Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. (The yeast I use is strong; my dough rose in 40 mins; keep an eye on it – don’t just leave it for 2 hours.)

Once doubled, punch the dough down and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Knead each 1 slightly to form a uniform ball. Set aside and cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to rest for 30 minutes.

Yield: 2 dough balls (two medium or one large pizza)

When you make your pizza(s) using this crust, my rule of thumb is bake at 450'F for about 10-13 minutes (on a metal pizza pan).  It’s best to watch your pizza as it cooks, and when the cheese is completely melted, then the pizza is done … Unless you like burnt cheese, then by all means cook it longer!

Here’s the other pizzas I made tonight:

9” margarita pizza on basic white garlic-herb crust

9” pineapple & onion (I didn’t have any Canadian bacon) on the same crust as above

Sony Bravia's 300K Super Bouncy Balls

OH MY STARS! ..err.. OH MY COLORFUL BOUNCING BALLS!!?

SONY, my absolute favorite electronics company, shot a commercial for their BRAVIA flat screen LCD television(s) in which they released 300,000 colored super bouncy balls on the streets of San Francisco and shot HD video of the bouncing antics.

The first thought that I had when I watched this video was, simply amazing! brilliant actually... Then those warm fuzzy feelings turned to, wait a minute, those cars are about to receive a hail-storm of bouncy dents! This isn't good! Is this for real?! At these balls REALLY bouncing off of these cars ... and THAT PERSON?!! Then I started thinking about the epic amounts of insurance claims, and how exactly do you claim that 300,000 colored super bouncy balls just PWN'd your car? Funny, yet tragic.

Here's the commercial I am talking about:

Weeeeeeeee!


SIDE-THOUGHT: What would 300,000 super bouncy balls bouncing wildly sound like? ... And where did that frog come from?!

I also have those of you covered who think that commercial was shot in CGI. It wasn't. Below you'll find the Making Of video which shows them releasing 300,000 super bouncy balls down the streets of San Francisco; and the answer to "What does that sound like?" is also answered. It sounds like bouncy terror! HA!

Making of: Sony BRAVIA Ad - Colour.Like.No.Other

The Breakup Video

Do you need a simple (and clever) way to break-up with that used-to-be-special-but-not-so-special someone? If so, Brigitte Dale has created this clever breakup video which features numbers and corresponding reasons why he or she is breaking up with you. I really hope I never receive this video ... but I guess I have to be dating someone and not be celabit, eh?

Raaarrrk! Hawwwwk! HAWK!

HOLY S-BALZ! I don't have cable or satellite anymore, and I really really want to see this new show on Animal Planet called Untamed & Uncut.

Here's a preview:

I want to know more about that trainer with the cockatoo and if that hawk was from the zoo or from out in the wild? That's crazy! And the great white that breaks into the shark cage... OMGOOSH?!