Signal Boost: Help Save Dave's House

http://community.livejournal.com/save_dave/283.html (via shareaholic)

 "Dave - like someone I am sure nearly every American knows at this point - is one of those people who was driving along doing the speed limit when the people driving the economy started turning up the radio and getting... drunk at the wheel. It took a year of working himself nearly to death, but the business is back on track. It's doing well enough that Dave can again afford to hire another person coming up soon."

Unfortunately, Dave has gotten behind on the mortgage of his house while saving his business. He only needs $7000, and over $2000 has already been collected. There's an auction going on over at community.livejournal.com/save_dave/  and if you click on the link below, you can find out how to donate directly.

I'm only gonna say this part once: Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who comments here that people need to manage their money better and nobody should have to donate to save someone else's house will be defriended (possibly after being bitterly a possibly colorfully reviled, depending on my mood at the time.)

Review: New Vegetarian, by Robin Asbell

There are a lot of "vegetarians" out there these days. Some are vegan, which means they eat no animal products at all, including things like honey. Some are lacto-ovo vegetarians, meaning that they will eat dairy products, but no meat of any sort. Some vegetarians eat fish, and some people who call themselves vegetarian actually do eat meat occasionally. Most people are flexitarians which is really just another way of saying that they're omnivores, but trying to eat less meat. Mostly that's the camp I find myself in, and that's why I value good vegetarian cookbooks, which offer a variety of vegan and lacto-ovo choices so that I don't find myself thinking wistfully of a hunk of moo while choking down some rice and bean concoction studded with rubbery tofu.

I like "New Vegetarian" because there is a variety of recipes here. Many are vegan, and in fact all the desserts are since those who eat dairy products are unlikely to have to pass on any dessert. I have yet to see a pork truffle or chicken torte served as the final course of a meal (Though bacon is finding itself into chocolates. I remain skeptical.) Many of the recipes Asbell includes here are Asian-inspired, though that's hardly a surprise since most Asian cultures view meat as a condiment rather than a central focus of a meal. But inspiration comes from all over. The asparagus wrapped in phyllo and baked looks heavenly, as do the spinach empanadas. However I will also remain skeptical about the substitution of tofu for fresh mozzarella in a caprese salad. However as I still eat cheese, it's not an issue for me. And it's good to know that someone has thought of a vegan option. There are appetizers, soups, salads and main courses as well as the aforementioned desserts, giving the vegetarian user a wide variety of dishes to choose from.

Also included is a short primer on how to get protein on a vegetarian diet. (You need a lot less than you think you do.) and where your vitamins will come from. There's also a page of resources, just in case you can't find certain ingredients in your town.

It's not a dazzling but, but a good, solid resource for anyone who wants a bit more variety in their vegan/lacto-ovo diets. And frankly, it couldn't hurt some of you carnivores out there to give some of these recipes a try. You might even find you like eating less meat. Maybe.

Review: Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues, by Loren Rhoads

I have to confess that I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it made me feel profoundly, deeply normal. I can't tell you if that's because some of the stories made my peculiarities seem really benign, or if it was recognizing that other people are just as strange in the same ways as I am. No matter, it's a comforting volume, or was for me.

What surprised me, though, was how incredibly human and even humane these stories are. This isn't shock journalism, these are stories about people who find themselves doing things most people can't even imagine doing. They do them, not for the hell of it, not because it seems cool or perverse or wicked, but because they need the money, or because they find that there is something compelling them, some need to understand a thing which remains so incomprehensible to most people that they avoid thinking about it at all. The visit to the Holocaust Museum at Auschwitz is a fine example of the latter, and it's a well-written and thoughtful examination of one man's confrontation with a past that remains so painful, so horrific that some people refuse to believe it could have happened.

Honestly, if you're looking for some kind of perverse sexual thrill here, don't bother. These pieces will provoke you to use a wholly different organ. If you want to give some serious thought to the human condition, this is a wonderful resource.