A gift

30 posts / 0 new

Sat, 2011-10-15 22:46

liljim

A gift

I have a reality check for some of you lefties..

STEVEN HARPER & THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY WON A MAJORITY GOVERNMENT AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT.

VOTERS REJECTED SOCIALISM! NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING/UNIONS/HIGHER TAXES.. THAT ALL SOUNDS GREAT, BUT SORRY! WE CAN'T AFFORD IT. GET OVER IT. IF THE NDP WON, WE WOULD BE IN A RECESSION. REMEMBER BOB RAE?

"Socialism works great until you run out of rich people's money" - A true woman

Have you ever heard of something called economics? Learn it.

Let me guess, I'm going to be banned? Wow you socialists really do have alot in common with fascists.. Just hate freedom of speech. No wonder you align yourselves with the extremists.

Oh and how's that occupy protest coming along? I heard roughly 2000 young hipsters attended, how cute! You're movement is growing, congrats.

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:01

youngsocialist

So this is what conservatives do on their spare time..

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:03

Maysie

Oh. My. God.

I have the most amazing recipe for ginger snap cookies.

Maysie's Extra Spicy Ginger Cookies

Pre heat oven to 375.

Mix (wet):
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Mix (dry):
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp ginger
2 tsp cloves

(please note I triple the cinnamon and ginger and double the cloves)

Add dry to wet. Form dough into balls with your hands, and flatten. It will be crumbly.

For that cute visual effect, sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar on the top of each before baking.

Bake for 10-12 mins on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Smells amazing when baking and when eating. :)

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:04

6079_Smith_W

Wow. That's certainly something I have never heard before.

I'm spending Saturday night at home looking after the kids. What's your excuse?

(edit)

Ah, I see a couple of people were quicker on the draw than I was.

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:06

youngsocialist

Maysie wrote:

Oh. My. God.

I have the most amazing recipe for ginger snap cookies.

Maysie's Extra Spicy Ginger Cookies

Pre heat oven to 375.

Mix (wet):
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Mix (dry):
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp ginger
2 tsp cloves

(please note I triple the cinnamon and ginger and double the cloves)

Add dry to wet. Form dough into balls with your hands, and flatten. It will be crumbly.

For that cute visual effect, sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar on the top of each before baking.

Bake for 10-12 mins on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Smells amazing when baking and when eating. :)

Sounds yummy.. but I'm out of eggs, any good alternative that is decent?

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:09

Maysie

Um, I don't know. Maybe a bit more oil?

Where are you? I can send you some.

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:12

6079_Smith_W

@ youngsocialist.

I have heard cream of tartar is a substitute. I'd be more inclined to use tapioca or something like that.

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:28

6079_Smith_W

Of course, if we're talking about acts of desparate boredom and attention-getting, this is my favourite "gift":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qkM7Tp3IvY

Too bad the lyrics are a bit muddy. If you're not familiar they are worth it, and so appropriate.

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:34

dacckon

Hey liljim guess what?

The NDP has the best record of balancing budgets throughout the provinces. Scandinavia which was impacted by socio-democratic parties has competitive economies and higher rates of equality. Lula in Brazil has lifted millions out of poverty under his policies. Economics? like that one time conservatives declared healthcare impossible? How about the time Grant Devine destroyed Saskatchewan due to his debt? Flaherty once said that he wanted Canada to be more like Ireland, until the recession hit and it became evident that you need to regulate banks?
Society? like the one time conservatives declared that gay marriage would end civilization as we know it?

Of course you're going to get banned, this is a discussion site for people who are left. It says it in the rules, if you want to go to another site to debate people there, do so. Oh and its hilarious that you justify you're inability to read the rules by claiming people to be fascists, why don't you meet Otto Wels(pay attention to his words and not the idiotic video clips), the social democratic leader who stood up to Hitler. If it wasn't for the NDP's influence in politics, you would not have public healthcare as we do today. I've lived in the US, i've seen people die because they couldn't afford treatment, their loved ones begging others for donations to pay for someone's chance at life.

But what am I kidding, its time for a reality check. Brownies!

[IMG]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/dacckon/1256136876177.jpg[/IMG]

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:40

#10

6079_Smith_W

Hey, I think this might be little jim flaherty, AKA the recently-departed socialdemocracynow

http://rabble.ca/babble/activism/occupy-movement-champagne-socialist-only

Anyway, I found a clearer live version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxbMZxX89wQ&feature=related

"And the thing was, they didn't understand how she really was.

"He Waldo alone understood this. He had intuitively grasped every nook and cranny of her psyche. She needed him, and he wasn't there. Awwwwwww... "

Great song. THanks for the inspiration, Jim.

Sat, 2011-10-15 23:45

#11

Maysie

Yum, those look great, dakkon! I bet they're delish even without the pot.

I like the small quantity too.

Sun, 2011-10-16 00:12

#12

ottawaobserver

OO loves Maysie.

Sun, 2011-10-16 00:22

#13

Boom Boom

I love fudge brownies.

Sun, 2011-10-16 00:50

#14

Maysie

ottawaobserver wrote:

OO loves Maysie.

You're welcome.

Sun, 2011-10-16 00:57

#15

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

liljim wrote:

I have a reality check for some of you lefties..

Thanks for the reality check, Jim!

Stephen Harper doing a Nazi salute? Yep, that's quite the wake-up call.

Sun, 2011-10-16 01:09

#16

Catchfire

No kidding. The first thing I thought was: "zombie doing the Heil Hitler." I'm not sure I needed the reality check, but the technicolor analogy is quite useful. Anyway, liljim2 has been set on his bike.

Sun, 2011-10-16 20:46

#17

Slumberjack

liljim wrote:
No wonder you align yourselves with the extremists.

This is a gag thread, isn't it? Would that it were true.

Mon, 2011-10-17 09:08

#18

Uncle John

Yes the extended and upraised right arm (German: Hitlergruß, literally Hitler Greeting or Deutscher Gruß, German Greeting), of the Alpha Dog of the Conservative Anglosphere (as a Daily Torygraph christened Herr Harper in May) is enough to warm the hearts of Conservatives everywhere. Adolf Hitler was, first and foremost, a good Catholic Conservative! And a snappy dresser too (unlike Herr Harper I am afraid to say, who should stop buying his suits at Good Will - I think Preston Manning taught him that - and start checking out Harry Rosen!)

Unfortunately for Social Darwinists (who think that ending welfare can be mitigated by ending child labor laws) and Libertarians (who also think we should outlaw minimum wage and public education and privatize unemployment insurance) and Kevin O'Leary (who thinks we should outlaw unions), Jim Flahery actually bragged that Canada's tax system was "redistributive"! Say it ain't so, Jim! There is actually more than intellectual rock matter to the left of you! Don't you know that wealth distibution is WRONG, and a Communist Plot? Don't you know that giving money to the poor is the express road to the Gulag Archipelago? Why should I pay for your healthcare? Oh Woe is Me! Can't we bring Rick Perry up here? Or even Michelle Bachman?

Or please please please please my favorite American of All, Shirley Phelps-Roper?

Mon, 2011-10-17 14:12

#19

Sean in Ottawa

I am working with a youth music group and some are talking about a recipe book as a fund raiser-- as I understand it some are saying --not another one and others think it is always fun to see your friends recipes.

I'm not big on recipe books for fundraisers and am kinda pessimistic but anyone have any ideas about whether this can work? Do you buy them when offered by organizations you know?

Mon, 2011-10-17 14:24

#20

6079_Smith_W

Is it just me, or does that photo look like Harper has been done up with eyeliner, foundation, and has had his brows worked on a bit?

No slur intended. I am serious in the he doesn't look like himself. I think the haircut is part of it.

And @ Sean. All depends on the cookbook, and your production quality and costs. I think a question that is more important than your recipes is who is going to do the layout and design. Publishing ain't simple or cheap.

I will say it is hard to get ahead of the pack when you can get pretty much any recipe you want with the click of a mouse.

Mon, 2011-10-17 14:47

#21

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

Sean in Ottawa wrote:

I am working with a youth music group and some are talking about a recipe book as a fund raiser-- as I understand it some are saying --not another one and others think it is always fun to see your friends recipes.

I'm not big on recipe books for fundraisers and am kinda pessimistic but anyone have any ideas about whether this can work? Do you buy them when offered by organizations you know?

Nobody cooks any more. You'd probably get more interest from a book of restaurant reviews.

Mon, 2011-10-17 14:59

#22

WillC

6079_Smith_W wrote:

Is it just me, or does that photo look like Harper has been done up with eyeliner, foundation, and has had his brows worked on a bit? No slur intended. I am serious in the he doesn't look like himself. I think the haircut is part of it....

In earlier pictures of Harper that I saw his eyes always had that extremely odd, dear-in-the headlights, there's nobody home inside this soul look. As PM he seems to have found a good cosmetician, or whatever to hide that.

I couldn't find an exact copy of what I mean online, but in looking, I came across this assertion that there actually were some facist links in the past.

Quote:
When Stephen Harper was a member of the ultra-right-wing Northern Foundation in 1989, Mr. Harrison documents that this was a group that had numerous Neo-Nazi skinheads as organizers, as well as a leadership that included a well-known white supremacist and anti-feminist crusader as a prominent leader that sought to take over the mass-media to enable the fulfillment of a right wing agenda

http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2011/04/19/03610.html

Mon, 2011-10-17 15:10

#23

Maysie

What? Did someone ask for a photo of Harper looking nice*?

Okie dokie.

* Well it's a step up from the Nazi salute you have to admit.

Mon, 2011-10-17 15:35

#24

6079_Smith_W

M. Spector wrote:

Nobody cooks any more. You'd probably get more interest from a book of restaurant reviews.

Oh humbug.

It is part of what makes life worth living. You need to spend less time online, my dear.

and @ Maysie

I'm not so sure. THanks for the trip through memory lane, but the set of his jaw looks like he is doing everything in his power to resist ripping the heart out of that poor defenseless kitten.

(and I'm not a big fan of kittens, but god, would I love to have been a fly on the wall of that photo shoot)

Mon, 2011-10-17 16:31

#25

Maysie

Smith, the look on the kitten's face says it all.

Mon, 2011-10-17 16:36

#26

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

6079_Smith_W wrote:

M. Spector wrote:

Nobody cooks any more. You'd probably get more interest from a book of restaurant reviews.

Oh humbug.

It is part of what makes life worth living. You need to spend less time online, my dear.

I'm a big fan of cooking. My statements were factual, not judgmental.

Mon, 2011-10-17 16:44

#27

Sean in Ottawa

6079_Smith_W wrote:

Is it just me, or does that photo look like Harper has been done up with eyeliner, foundation, and has had his brows worked on a bit?

No slur intended. I am serious in the he doesn't look like himself. I think the haircut is part of it.

And @ Sean. All depends on the cookbook, and your production quality and costs. I think a question that is more important than your recipes is who is going to do the layout and design. Publishing ain't simple or cheap.

I will say it is hard to get ahead of the pack when you can get pretty much any recipe you want with the click of a mouse.

Actually layout and design is something I do at a professional level-- that won't be a problem.

I guess as a Communications person I don't like over-used ideas and recipe books I think are. Do people really want another? Anyway, this one may have some unique things but...

Mon, 2011-10-17 17:09

#28

vermonster

Sean in Ottawa wrote:

I am working with a youth music group and some are talking about a recipe book as a fund raiser-- as I understand it some are saying --not another one and others think it is always fun to see your friends recipes.

I'm not big on recipe books for fundraisers and am kinda pessimistic but anyone have any ideas about whether this can work? Do you buy them when offered by organizations you know?

I've had mixed experiences with doing these. (I've been involved in publishing several, have edited a couple of them, and have also worked in the professional non-fundraising cookbook publishing biz in the past ...)

The things I've found that are key to success are

1. Remember that the books don't sell themselves. Part of the success relates to having an enthusiastic volunteer base that is capable and willing to sell them -- most people will manage to unload four or five of them to relatives who feel oblgated to buy one for junior. But once Grandma and Uncle Pierre have purchased their's, the kids (and their parents and the organisation's volunteers) have to be able and willing to branch out -- going door to door, setting up tables at community events, getting them places on consignment in local shops, etc. That is a lot of hard work, and most organisations have trouble producing that degree of follow-through to make it truly profitable.

2. Quality matters. Most fundraiser cookbooks tend to be pretty disappointing - we're all familiar with those spiral bound church ladies cookbooks full of recipes for gelatin salads, tuna surprise, turkey tettrazini, and a basic chocolate chip cookie. These are the books that don't have any appeal beyond the folks directly most associated with the organisation.

For a cookbook to be a fundraising success beyond that, it needs a hook that makes people want to buy it for the contents, not just the cause. I don't know that there is a magic formula for this, but think of things that would make it unique and worthwhile. Are you in a multi-ethnic part of town where you could get lots of unique contributions from around the world and package it as some kind of "Taste of the World in Ottawa"? (I'm assuming you are in Ottawa from your ecran name). Could you get prominent local chefs and restaurants to contribute recipes and (combined with some contributions from group members) present it as some kind of "Best of Ottawa" production that would appeal to folks beyond the relatives of kids in the group? Is there some other kind of unique hook you can develop to make the product stand out and be appealng to a wide audience?

The higher the production values, the better the product will end up looking - as opposed to the cookie cutter template type of thing that the companies that market these tend to slap together. If you have access to a professional food photographer or stylist, a talented artist who can create unique illustrations, and a professional book designer who can help with layout and graphic design decisions, you can create a product that people will want to buy.

3. Beware of many of the companies that specialise in doing cookbooks for not for profit fundraising. While most aren't scam artists, they also are in it for their business. They tend to look at their products as very interchangeable and not care much about content, set up the deal for the profit margin to be rather small for the group, and often encourage/require the group to order a larger initial printing than they need (it really isn't a successful fundraiser if you're stuck with boxes of books sitting in the office for 3 years). But, for all of those faults, they've got the system set up to do it by rote, and it is a lot less work to partner with them than to try to make all the arrangements yourself.

I have heard recently that some organisations are expermenting with use of the print book on demand as a way to do this kind of fundraiser. It is the system you that places like Amazon (and Costco and Apple etc) have where you can print out a book with high quality colour pictures, a hardcover, etc. I haven't investigated exactly how it would work in a fundraising context, but it certainly would allow a higher quality product, a smaller investment in the initial printing, and potentially expand the market to those who might buy it on line. It is probably the next wave in these fundraisers, but I don't know how ready for prime time it is as a strategy - but it might be worth exploring.

I don't want to discourage you, but I'd add that it tends to be a much more time consuming process than most people realise to collect and sift through recipes, editing the product, selling, etc... and it often makes less money than people hope for. But, done right, it can be a great project. If you're going to do it, talk to other non-profits groups that have done it and see what their experience has been.

Mon, 2011-10-17 21:56

#29

Sean in Ottawa

Thanks for this.

I have done many books design and publishing etc. Still the recipe book is a slightly different thing.

While I am a professional at design -- it is more than the skill of the designer involved -- the images themselves have a cost and I see you have noted that. This is a concern of mine.

I am no fan of the companies that sell the packaged service-- the cost is really not in proportion to the project.

I don't yet know how the recipes will come-- if they are to come from the group well then we will be limited somewhat in terms of ethnicity-- well represented in Chinese and not so much others I suspect.

Print on demand is an idea whose time has not yet arrived in my view. Yes you can do it in theory but all the technology out there so far has the unit cost too high to compete with a run of books even when they are done digitally. The set-up and human element makes that unavoidable. Even digital cannot compete with the unit costs you get at even a few hundred. There are several hundred people in this group so we are likely looking at a standard printing...

Anyway, I can't say much more as I don't want to identify the group here.

Thanks for the input-- I hope nobody minds-- it was a thread with recipes in it already so figured this was a place to ask.

Mon, 2011-10-17 22:18

#30

6079_Smith_W

Frankly, if you want to do someting different, I'd lean toward the practical design of old-style cook books.

Rather than going for the food porn effect of most modern cook books, use heavy paper that will stand up to water and oil and put it on a coil binder so you can open it flat on your kitchen table.

After all, it won't be the four colour bleed that sells it anyways. It will be your marketing, and how much people actually want to use it.