I have always thought that the purpose of religion is to regulate societal interaction; to make the society work better. In my opinion, it is more important to treat people well than to pray. Through changes in religious belief from a regular joe to fundamentalist (the pacifist kind) to agnostic and finally to my current… Continue reading What is Religion for?
Month: August 2003
Nouveaux Napoleons
I forgot to post the dessert recipe yesterday. Did you know that you could eat Napoleon? Is nothing sacred any more? This is one of the easier recipes in my Simple French Desserts (yes, the book’s title is misleading, but the recipes in there are good). The end result was good and I was especially… Continue reading Nouveaux Napoleons
Braciole di Maiale al Latte
Since it is my turn to cook today, I thought I could share the recipes I am cooking. This recipe is for pork chops cooked in milk. I usually substitute goat chops. It is very simple and the result is very tasty. Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil) 4… Continue reading Braciole di Maiale al Latte
Entertaining Movies
We watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl this week. It is an entertaining movie and was fun to watch. Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley were both difficult to recognize. We didn’t realize Keira was the same actress as the tom-boyish soccer player Jules in Bend It Like Beckham. We also… Continue reading Entertaining Movies
Personality Test
Via Brian Ulrich, I took a personality test which gives the explanation for my results here and here. Here are the results: Your Type is ISTJ Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging Strength of the preferences % 89 1 89 11 You are: very expressed introvert slightly expressed sensing personality very expressed thinking personality slightly expressed judging… Continue reading Personality Test
World War II and Me
I forgot that yesterday was August 6: the day that the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Ampersand links to a couple of articles which seem to show that dropping nuclear bombs on Japan was not necessary to end the war. I don’t have an opinion on the matter since I don’t know enough to form… Continue reading World War II and Me
Do Democrats Need the South?
There has been speculation in the Blogosphere recently about whether a Democratic candidate for President needs to win the South and whether it is necessary for him to be from the South. It is true that the South has generally voted as a block, but it has happened less often after the Civil Rights era… Continue reading Do Democrats Need the South?
BCIS Sucks Big Time
Repeat after me, BCIS people are fucking assholes. Now, it seems they have lost information from their system of the approval of my application from 1.5 years ago. I think I need to contact my Congressman or Senator. POSTSCRIPT: That missing data has to do with my status in the US. So I am mighty… Continue reading BCIS Sucks Big Time
Arrival Day
The Head Heeb (who I had nice dinner and great conversation with yesterday; thanks, Jonathan) plans to celebrate 349th anniversary of the arrival of Jews in America this September 7 with a blogburst and an offline celebration. Arrival Day commemorates the landing of the first Jewish settlers in New Amsterdam on September 7, 1654. This… Continue reading Arrival Day
Islamic Finance
Pedantry has an interesting post on Islamic finance. It’s difficult to excerpt, so you should go there to read it in full.