I’m not usually moved by words, but this really got me…

“Ever since China was awarded the Olympic Games and pursued them as a national prestige project, the flame no longer stands for fairness and peace. It now also symbolizes a repressive regime which battles ambitions for autonomy like in Tibet, which hurts human rights and suppresses dissenting opinions.

“That is why demonstrators in London and Paris hurled themselves at the runners bearing the torch around the globe. They want to extinguish it. Beijing is seething with anger and talking of ’sabotage.’ It wanted to use the Olympic Games as a stage to present itself in the best light. Now it must look on dumbfounded as it loses control over the organization of the spectacle outside its own borders. The party officials are helplessly watching the protests in Paris and London that are likely to be repeated in San Francisco and Delhi. The torch relay is turning into a political symbol, the damage to the image is increasing with every kilometer.”

“The pressure on China is mounting. But so far it appears incapable of finding a way to deal with this challenge.”

Der Spiegel has a few more choice quotes here.

Thank you, sir. I wish there were more leaders with the courage to do what you’re doing.

So, I was listening to Munchcast, the excellent junk food podcast hosted by Leo Laporte and Cammy Blackstone. The episode was for Easter, and on it Cammy mentioned an Easter Bunny cake she had been making forever and ever, so I decided to give it a go since it sounded like such a cool idea.

First step, make two 8″ yellow cakes (I did it from a mix).

When they’re done cooling (and do make sure they’ve completely cooled, or you’re likely to make a massive mess), cut one of the cakes as demonstrated below:

After you’ve done the necessary cutting, assemble the pieces as shown below:

Next, slather on a healthy dose of frosting appropriately colored for an Easter Bunny. I chose pink…

Then, since my frosting came with some sprinkles, I decided to decorate his tie appropriately.

Finally, just touch up the bunny with some eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and so on. For the nose, I stuck in one of my Cadbury Creme Eggs, my favorite part of Easter…

Voila. Instant Easter Bunny.

A piece of fair warning, though. I did use almost two cans of frosting for the two cakes. You could probably do this with two smaller pans and only use one mix and one can of frosting. At least I know for next time

Thanks to Cammy and Leo for the inspiration. I never would’ve tried this if they hadn’t given me the idea!

It’s funny because I was watching a page with a demo of YouTube’s new higher quality videos, and I saw this little gem nestled in it. Great stuff…

via

Well, I’m sold.

How about you?

Yep. We got her.

And I did it a little Cloverfield-y.

Hillary Clinton is having none of Saint Barack and the love-fest that’s following him from city to city…

“You know, today Senator Obama used President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to criticize me. He basically compared himself to our greatest heroes because they gave great speeches.

“President Kennedy was in Congress for 14 years. He was a war hero. He was a man of great accomplishments and readiness to be president. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a movement. He was gassed. He was beaten. He was jailed. And he gave a speech that was one of the most beautifully, profoundly important speeches ever written in America, the “I have a dream” speech.

“And then he worked with President Johnson to get the civil rights laws passed, because the dream couldn’t be realized until finally it was legally permissible for people of all colors and backgrounds and races and ethnicities to be accepted as citizens.

“I’m running for president because I believe that there is not a contradiction between experience and change.”

And just like that, she proves how empty Mr. Obama really is.

Well-put.

Angie Naron on Flickr uploaded this insanely cute pic:

I know it’s been making its way around the interwebs lately, but it just makes me smile every time I see it.

I always get all choked up when I see two happy people doing their first wedding dance as a couple… Reminds me of my own wedding…

via Trish

My first ever cooking video, and to demonstrate my n00bishness, I nearly burnt down the kitchen. Okay, not exactly, but I did start a fire…

My dad sent me the story, and then a few hours later I found this video online. This is absolutely brainbending.

One thing concerning me, though, is his willingness to sell to a big company. Some oil company will undoubtedly hear this and buy it and bury it. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.

Technorati Tags: water, salt water, fuel

Mika Brzezinski, news anchor on Joe Scarborough’s Morning Joe show refused (no matter how insistent the producer was) to lead a news break with a story about Paris Hilton.

Good. Kudos to her.

Frankly, the media amuses me. Most of them fein surprise that she’s popular and they act like they can’t “figure it out,” and yet at the same time every time the girl farts, they’re there to analyze the content of it.

Can you tell I hate the media?

Anyway, kudos. She understands that any news story going on that day was probably more important.

Technorati Tags: msnbc, mika brzezinski, joe scarborough, paris hilton

Oh man… Just… Oh man… Penelope Cruz and Shakira…

(runs to another room to grab a bucket to catch the drool)

via X17

Technorati Tags: shakira, penelope cruz

Christine Quinn continues to prove to me why she’s the perfect person for the job of City Council Speaker. I really do hope she runs for Mayor one day. I’d vote for her in a heartbeat as long as she isn’t running against Michael Bloomberg…

Council Speaker Christine Quinn is looking into whether she can fire Councilman Charles Barron’s chief-of-staff for threatening to “assassinate” another lawmaker.

“We’re researching what our legal options are as a speaker and as an institution to take action,” Quinn said yesterday. “For the vast history of the City Council, we have never had an employee who has acted in such an outrageous, unacceptable way.”

Quinn was referring to Viola Plummer, Barron’s top aide, who threatened to derail Queens Councilman Leroy Comrie’s political ambitions “if it takes an assassination of his ass” after Comrie abstained from a contentious vote on whether to name a street after the late black radical Sonny Carson.

And lest you think Barron’s aide was the only one who caught shit from Quinn:

Quinn also condemned as “equally outrageous” statements recently posted on the pro-cop Web site NYPD Rant saying “someone needs to put a bullet” in Barron’s head.

Good, although you’d be hard-pressed to find a New Yorker who doesn’t agree with that to be honest.

Christine Quinn has made a name for herself by doing the one thing that no City Council Speaker has ever done.

Stand up for common sense.

I think I’m in love.

We hear a lot about what “good” customer care is, and how companies value their customers, but the truth is that’s often vague lip service from a company that in the end doesn’t give a damn one way or the other (think AOL, as an example).

Check out the help that Eric Stoller got when he forgot his Mini-DVI adapter for his MacBook Pro.

Upon arrival at PDX I switched on my laptop and hopped onto the web courtesy of the free wi-fi at the Portland Airport. I looked up the JW Marriott Hotel Pennsylvania Avenue’s web site and called their general information number. The operator was very patient with me as I quickly summarized my situation. She connected me with HD at the Marriott’s Audio/Visual Department. I spoke with HD regarding my rookie Mac mistake. HD informed me that one of their staff would go out and purchase the cable for me. I was extremely grateful and relieved. The JW Marriott’s AV staff is very customer service oriented and I appreciate their assistance. When I arrived at the hotel, the cable was waiting for me at the front desk.

The wind-up is that the staff bought the adapter and let him use it while he was there, then kept it in case someone else needs one in the future. I think this is the kind of thing that should make other companies who pay lip service to the value of their customers stand up and take notice.

I can say I’ve had a similar experience at the Sheraton in Santa Monica. The first time I stayed there, I could not get my iBook to connect to the hotel’s internet connection to save my life. In the end, they realized it was most likely a problem with the wiring in my room and offered to move me to another room. I didn’t take them up on it because I figured it was a blessing in disguise and I didn’t have anything critical that needed to get done, but just the idea that they would move me to help me out kept me going back there for years.

via Consumerist

Technorati Tags: marriott, hotel, customer service

via Cute Overload

As of May 15 at 3:30pm EST, we pulled our advertising spots from XM Radio. We pulled our spots from both Radio Disney (Channel 115) and The Virus (Channel 202). We have done this in response to XM Radio’s censoring of the Opie and Anthony Show by suspending them for 30 days. It is apparent that XM Radio is beholden to crybaby special interest groups who cannot separate humor from reality. It is also unfortunate that XM Radio executives don’t have the guts to stand up for their on air talent.

I have contacted other XM Radio advertisers and have asked them to pull their adverting spots. It appears that many of them already are. Please be advised that spots cannot be pulled overnight. Some are already in the “hopper” and may air for the remainder of the week. Some other sponsors are doing the right thing and are pulling their spots. Please give them time to finish the cycle this week before you actively boycott their products. Thanks for your time.

NashvilleCoffee.com. Coffee the way it should be, fresh.

Lou Galli
General Manager
Nashville Coffee Company, Inc
manager@nashvillecoffee.com
NashvilleCoffee.com

Good enough for me… Anyone need some coffee? Buy it here.

I love Photoshop…

via Dvorak

via tumbléo

Technorati Tags: jennifer aniston, matthew perry, windows 95