Many Things

Traditional Southern Mac and Cheese Casserole

2014-02-13T15:35:00.000-05:00

(15 minutes preparation; 45 minutes cooking)

2 cups dry macaroni cooked al dente
2 cups milk
2 eggs
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup coarsely crushed saltine crackers
2 T unsalted butter
Dash of salt
Cooking oil spray

Pre-heat oven to 400. Generously coat casserole dish with cooking oil spray.

Cook macaroni. I use a Fasta Pasta cooker (http://www.fastapastacooker.com/). If so, cook in the microwave on high for 10 minutes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes more. Drain promptly. Do not cool pasta for casserole.

While macaroni is cooking, beat two eggs. Add milk and salt and mix well.

Add 1/3 layer of macaroni to casserole dish. Spread 1 cup cheese on top. Continue with two more layers of each. Do not stir. Pour egg and milk mixture over the dish. You should see just a bit of liquid at the top when you are done.

Add crushed crackers on top and dot with the butter.

Bake uncovered in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes.

Crusty Fluffy Bread

2014-01-05T13:46:00.000-05:00

I've been trying out new bread recipes for sometime and finally hit on a winner. This is crusty white bread that is light and fluffy.

I make mine in a bread machine to make it super easy. Please note that I weigh instead of measure many ingredients for best results.

The lecithin is the real secret to the lightness of this bread. You can find it in some health food stores or on Amazon. I can't find it at Kroger, Publix, or Aldi. Maybe Walmart has it, but I wouldn't count on it, but look where the baking soda/powder or wheat gluten are sold.

1 1/4 cups water at 105-110 degrees (use a kitchen thermometer for accuracy)
1 package of dry yeast (dissolved in the water)
45 grams of butter softened at room temperature (about 3 tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon soy lecithin
420 grams bread flour (this is a bit over three cups unsifted if you don't have a scale)

Add all ingredients at once to a bread machine and set to French bread cycle (for the crusty result). Please let me know if you try this and like it.

Chris Kluwe: Here’s what’s wrong with Ayn Rand, libertarians

2013-06-23T15:27:00.001-04:00

Good article. I may have to read the book too.

Chris Kluwe: Here’s what’s wrong with Ayn Rand, libertarians

Excerpted from "Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies"
So I forced myself to read “Atlas Shrugged.” Apparently I harbor masochistic tendencies; it was a long, hard slog, and by the end I felt as if Ayn Rand had violently beaten me about the head and shoulders with words. I feel I would be doing all of you a disservice (especially those who think Rand is really super-duper awesome) if i didn’t share some thoughts on this weighty tome.
Who is John Galt?

Closing Multiple Chrome EXE Processes

2013-06-05T21:17:00.000-04:00

If you use Chrome and close the browser, Chrome may still be running in the background and really slow down your computer. Until Chrome fixes this issue, here is what to do.

Close Chrome browser normally in Windows.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to display the Windows Task Manager.
Scroll to the Chrome instance that is using the most memory.
Right-click that instance and then select End Process Tree.
That will close all instances of Chrome at once. Would be nice if this were built into Chrome, huh?

Google Chrome: Removing Predictive URLs (The Real Solution)

2013-03-23T15:14:00.000-04:00

I see this question posted to a lot of Google Groups. Since I have not figured out how to answer a question on a group page (maybe I have to be a Google employee, who knows? No really, who knows?), I thought I would post the answer here.

Problem

When typing in the URL bar in Google Chrome, Chrome offers all sorts of suggestions. You want to prevent this from happening or at least remove some of the suggestions.

Solution

In Chrome, press Ctrl+H.to display your browsing history. Delete the items you want or delete all of them.
On the Chrome Settings page, click Show advanced settings (at the bottom of the page).
Uncheck Use a prediction service to help complete searches and URLs typed in the address bar if it is checked.
Delete any bookmarks that you do not want to appear. (This is the part that many answers miss.)
Close Chrome and restart it.
Press Ctrl+Shift+N each time you start Chrome so that Chrome will not track your Internet history.
If you use other computers when signed into Chrome with the same account, you may have to repeat these steps on your other computers if your settings a synced.

Please let me know if this works or not for you. I appreciate the input.

it's all one thing: percent of US households with incomes within 50% o...

2012-01-31T17:10:00.000-05:00

This is so sad to realize what is happening to the middle class.

it's all one thing: percent of US households with incomes within 50% o...

Frank Schaeffer: Christian Terror in Norway: I Predicted Terror from the Religious Right in My New Book "Sex, Mom and God"

2011-07-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

Frank Schaeffer: Christian Terror in Norway: I Predicted Terror from the Religious Right in My New Book "Sex, Mom and God"

Four Charged In Alleged $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage Racket

2011-07-11T15:14:00.000-04:00

These scammers are scum.

Four Charged In Alleged $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage Racket:

For their victims, the phone call sounded like salvation. Seniors, living on a fixed income and having trouble with the bills, they were glad to hear someone offering them a reverse mortgage that would allow them to turn the equity in their house into cash. But the four mortgage professionals charged with perpetrating a $2.5 million reverse mortgage fraud scheme are anything but angels. Their aftermath has left those who signed up with them impoverished and close to foreclosure.

The Miami Herald reports that the way it allegedly worked is that the mortgage professionals would call up the seniors - they only called seniors - and pitch them a reverse mortgage insured as an FHA loan. After they agreed and filled out the paperwork, the four conspired to have the homes appraised at many multiples of their value. In one case, a $31,000 condo got a value of $275,000. They then got the inflated reverse mortgage approved and staged a fictitious short sale, diverting the difference between the reverse mortgage amount and the short sale into their personal accounts, without ever paying off the existing mortgage. Falsified documents were used to hide the scheme from the lender and from the government.

If convicted, the quartet faces a max sentence of 30 years each and fines up to $1 million.

'These are seniors who are on Medicare, limited incomes, desperate for help,' Tony West, U.S. assistant attorney general for the Civil Division told the Miami Herald. 'Money that should've gone to help seniors with modest incomes instead went to line the pockets of fraudsters.'

One of the signs of a scam is that they contacted you. Always be wary when someone calls up with a great 'opportunity.'

Reverse mortgage scam targeted seniors [Miami Herald] (Thanks to Shawna!)

Rand(y) Paul Exposes His Moral and Intellectual Hypocrisy

2010-06-19T14:06:00.000-04:00

Why is it that people who are born with silver spoons in their mouths are so eager to tell working people how they should live? Go home, Rand(y), and tend to your patients. We don't need and and don't want you.

Read this excellent post: Rand Paul Exposes His Moral and Intellectual Hypocrisy | The Seminal

The Limits of Political Correctness

2010-06-08T10:09:00.002-04:00

"Political correctness" is one of those terms we bandy around a lot, but the term probably means different things to different people. Right-wingers sometimes accuse us lefties of it when we try to be respectful of minority groups by calling them what they call themselves. To wit, we would probably use "Native Americans" instead of "Indians."

While watching Real Time with Bill Maher a week or two ago, Bill was using his usual "tea-bagger" term to describe those people who describe themselves as part of the "Tea Party" movement. A right-wing guest chastised Bill for using the "tea-bagger" term, saying he preferred to call them what they wanted to call themselves. I was angry that Bill did not use the moment to accuse his guest of "political correctness," since that was the behavior he was advocating. Nevertheless, Bill continues to use the "tea-bagger" term. My feeling is that since the "tea-baggers" are not a minority group, I'll call them what I please.

Political correctness in language is one thing, but it is working against us in politics. Few Republicans would describe themselves as moderate or liberal today. The far right has forced these folks to become either independents or moderate Democrats. Republicans tout the "conservative" label and criticize more moderate party members such as Charlie Crist in Florida, and ultimately force them from the party. My own Democratic Party is starting to do the same thing by forcing out more moderate Democrats who don't agree to push liberal issues.

I am probably to the left of most Democratic politicians, however, I am not an ideologue. I don't like ideologues, whether they are libertarian, conservative, liberal, or progressives like me. Above all, I am a pragmatist. I believe if something works and works well, their is little reason to change it, even if what works well is a Republican idea. I am alarmed at the liberals in the party who are going after Blanche Lincoln and others. What happens when we purge moderates from our party, as the Republicans have done? I think we'll force a third moderate party to be formed, which will ultimately attract most Americans. I prefer the Democrats remain the "big tent" party that some Republicans had once wanted for their party. Only then will our party be successful. Political correctness will result in failure.

Political correctness, when applied to "justice" issues, has its place. Their is nothing wrong with using the African American term to describe black Americans. I prefer that people call me gay instead of homosexual. That is about justice for minority groups. But imposing a litmus test on political issues by either party goes too far and will mean a further polarizing of our great nation. It's a shame.

Death at a Funeral

2010-04-24T21:01:00.002-04:00

I saw this movie last weekend and loved it. I rarely enjoy mainstream comedies anymore, but this one gave me lots of laughs.

Hate or Civility?

2010-03-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or do the tea baggers sound like the same folks spreading all the lies about candidate Obama in 2008? I heard the same racism, sexism, homophobia, and fear-mongering over a year ago. Most voters heard it too, and that's one of the reasons the Republicans lost so significantly in 2008. The old hatreds, fears, and ignorance still grip a large minority of Americans, but most voters rose above it in 2008.

The tea baggers and far right have sure tried to turn the tide against health insurance reform. They did about everything except to set themselves on fire in the city streets. Every lie, distortion, and dirty trick was used. And to think that THEY are the ones who want to talk about a "back room" deal. The Republicans in the Senate are the ones that forced health care reform into any such deals by refusing to partner in reform. They were more interested in short-term political gains than in helping to solve one of the nation's most serious problems. Any "back room" deals fall on them. Perhaps it is their Waterloo.

These purveyors of ignorance, lies, and hate temporarily swayed some public opinion to their side. Extremists like to use the idea of the "big lie": a lie that you tell often enough that people start to believe it. However, people are getting more savvy about the facts. Maybe it's the Internet and hundreds of channels of television to chose from. Now that the details of the final health care legislation are getting news coverage, people are seeing how they will benefit. Opinion is moving back into the support column, according to opinion polls. As I see it, here's actual proof that education can overcome ignorance.

The so-called public debate was a shame really. There are many legitimate points of disagreement over this legislation. There could have been a real debate and intelligent discussion about real issues. Instead, we heard the rabble of ignorant voices, with the right wing talk jockeys fanning the flames of discontent.

There are many "true believers" who will never be persuaded on health care, who will never give an inch on civil rights, women's equality, gay rights, and...well, will never believe the truth about President Obama's birth, or anything written by so-called experts, as witnessed by the Texas textbook controversy. Calling someone an "Einstein" used to be a compliment. Have you noticed how people use it as a pejorative term these days: "What? Are you some kind of Einstein or something?" Ignorance is in fashion for some. And demagogues know how to use that ignorance to their advantage.

I expect that the Democrats will lose seats in both houses of Congress this November. Some of the losses may be because of health insurance reform, but I think that most will be lost because of continued high unemployment (if the numbers don't improve by then) and by the cyclical loss by the party in power in off-year elections. I would be greatly surprised to see huge swings that would cause the Republicans to win both houses of Congress. You see, I still have faith that many Americans do see through the crap and get down to the facts and what is true. I don't know if most of those Americans will actually vote this year, but I hope so. And to be fair, there are many people on the other side of issues who are intelligent and thoughtful. They just get drowned out by the crazies.

What bothers me most about these tea baggers is I think their political speech has reached a fever pitch. The level of diatribe teeters on the cusp of incitement to violence, and actual violence as we've seen lately. I am a staunch defender of free speech. I realize that the speech that needs the most protection is unpopular speech. However, we have also learned that shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, to use an old metaphor, is incitement and not free speech. So, where do we draw the line? It's not easy, but there is a limit. I hope no one gets hurt in the process.

We all need to step back and take a personal inventory. How tolerant are we to others who hold different beliefs? I like to think that I can talk with most anyone. I don't drop friends who have different political or religious beliefs, although I've had friends drop me for those very reasons. I will defend my beliefs with others, but I try to do it in a tone of discussion and not yelling. In most cases, we have to agree to disagree. Politics alone should not be the determiner of who your friends are. There are other things such as a person's sense of humor, how people care about others, someone's honesty and loyalty, the similar pastimes we enjoy, etc. that should guide our friendships more than politics should.

Change starts with each of us. We can't control what the talk jockeys say on the radio or television, but we can refuse to listen to them. We should also evaluate those forces in our lives that are negative and get rid of them. If enough people did this, perhaps the harsh atmosphere of current public discourse could cool off a few degrees. Then we could once again be able to have national conversations instead of mud wrestling matches or fist fights. What future do you want for America? Hate or civility? The choice is yours to make. It starts with you and me.

Mocking Man with Parkinsons Over Health Care

2010-03-20T12:41:00.002-04:00

This is a sad commentary of the times in which we live.

Using Formatting and Editing Restrictions in Micrsoft Word 2007

2010-03-19T22:38:00.169-04:00

Although a variety of Web sites, including the Microsoft Office site, describe various aspects of using formatting and editing restrictions in Word 2007, I've been unable to discover a discussion of the precise task I was trying to accomplish.

Task:

Create a Word document that restricts users to edit only a portion of the document and to use only restricted styles.

What I wanted to do:

I wanted a document so simple that users without a lot of Word experience could work with it.
I wanted to create a Word 2007 document that another group would use as a template to create training guides.
I didn't want them using or creating their own styles.
I did not want them to manually edit the document's title page or headers and footers.
I wanted them to be able to change the document title and subtitle.

What I wanted to avoid:

I wanted to avoid use of section breaks, although it wasn't a requirement.
I did not want to create a template file because most of the users would not have that degree of understanding of Word.

Here's how I did it:

Start with a blank document.
Set the margins and save it as a Word 2007 DOCX file.
Create the various styles for use in the document. Optionally, you can use Word's style organizer to copy styles from an existing document.
Add the template components, such as title page, copyright info., and copy and paste items such as special table formats, etc. that you want available to users.
On the title page, click where you want the document title to go.
From the Insert ribbon, click Quick Parts and Document Property Title to set the title.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the subtitle, which uses the Subject field.
Note: You can access Document Properties via Office button>Prepare>Properties, where you can include initial vales, as shown below.

From the Developer tab, click Protect Document and then Restrict Formatting and Editing.
From the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane, click Settings.
The Formatting Restrictions dialog box appears.

Click to insert a check mark beside Limit formatting to a selection of styles.
Select the styles to be allowed, and click OK.
Turn on the display of paragraphs marks in the document.
Select the region of the document you want users to be able to edit. Be sure to select the first and last paragraph marks you want users to edit.
Select the settings in the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane as shown.

Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
The Start Enforcing Protection dialog box appears.

Enter and reenter an optional password and click OK.
Save the document.

When users open the document, they will see the following options in the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane. Highlighting the regions they can edit is optional but may be helpful the first few times users are exposed to the document. If you open the Word Styles pane, you will see only the styles you selected for use. You will notice that most formatting functions on the Home ribbon are disabled as are the formatting keyboard shortcuts also.

Working with Conditional Text

2010-01-23T13:28:00.000-05:00

Let’s say that you have a single document that you want to use to generate a PDF document for print and to create online Help. Although several software products claim this ability, only MadCap Flare 5 currently makes good on its claim, without rework.

Using conditional text allows you to create some information for the PDF document and for the online Help without having to have two versions of the starting document.

The concept of how to use conditional text sometimes confuses even the smartest of people. Here is a very simple explanation to help you. Think of conditional text (or graphics) as being a two-step process. Using this example of creating a PDF file and online Help, your first step would be to create two conditions: Print and Online. In Flare, you would simply label the parts of your original document that you wanted to be used in just Print or Online with these conditions. The parts that would be used in both the Print and Online versions would not have any conditions.

When you were ready to create the PDF and Help files, your second step would be to tell Flare what to do with the text or graphics labeled with these conditions. For example, you would tell Flare to exclude text marked with the Print condition from the online Help it will generate. Likewise, you would tell Flare to exclude text marked as Online from the PDF file it will generate.

That’s it. Creating your information once and using it in different ways is a much more efficient way to work. Have fun using conditional text.

Say Goodbye

2010-01-01T10:46:00.000-05:00

In our celebrations of a new year and in the minds of many, a new decade, it is time to take stock of all the things that we said goodbye to over the past ten years or so. Some of these things haven't disappeared entirely, but they will soon enough. So, say goodbye to:

Mouse pads
Road maps
VCRs, videotape cameras, and videotapes
Film cameras and film
Cassette players and tapes
Manual car windows
Manual car locks
Correct spelling
Personal letters
Desktop computers
Wired Internet connections
Dial-up Internet connection
AOL
Wired telephones
CRT televisions
Movie rental late fees
Low-interest credit cards
Paper checks
Receptionists
Newspapers

I do bemoan losing a few of these things. Most of us hate calling companies and being answered by a machine instead of a receptionist. I hate losing real paper newspapers, although I admit I haven't often subscribed in the past few years. I don't miss low-interest credit cards because high-interest ones have forced me to budget my money better and pay off the entire balance each month. Mostly, I hate that we are losing correct spelling as text messages have made a mockery out of our language. Can we really laugh anymore when just an LOL will do?

Please add things to this list. I know my own list is far from complete. Oh, and happy new year!

Epic Georgia Floods

2009-09-27T20:39:00.000-04:00

I was considering the recent floods in Georgia this week and the AJC article that claimed this was a 500-year flood. I'm wondering if the world's temperature continues to rise, with a 6.3 degree increase forecast by the end of the century, will this flood be considered a 10-year flood. Something to mull over and consider how we live our lives today.

Family Health Premiums: $13,375 a Year

2009-09-17T01:04:00.002-04:00

According to this story in the South Florida Business Journal, employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums are $13,375 per year, with employees paying $3,515 and employers paying $9,860, on average. This is just one cost of the status quo health care system in the US. God, no wonder the insurance execs are making salaries in the tens of millions a year. This is obscene and morally wrong.

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Obama's Invisible Achievement

2009-08-26T00:02:00.001-04:00

I found an interesting article over at Truthdig about perhaps the most notable achievement of President Obama's administration...one that perhaps will remain virtually invisible for generations until some historical perspective can be achieved. I agree that had Obama not acted aggressively on the economy, things would now be much, much worse. Here is an excerpt:

The hardest slogan to sell in politics is: “Things could have been a whole lot worse.” No wonder President Barack Obama is having trouble defending his stimulus plan.

If governments around the world, including our own, had not acted aggressively—and had not spent piles of money—a very bad economic situation would have become a cataclysm.

But because the cataclysm was avoided, this is an invisible achievement. Many whose bacon was saved, particularly in the banking and corporate sectors, do not want to admit how important the actions of government were. Anti-government ideologues try to pretend that no serious intervention was required.

So everyone goes back to complaining about high deficits and the shortcomings of government as if nothing had happened. This is now creating problems for Obama on health care.

Obama could never win with the right wingnuts, who would have criticized him for doing too little had he not acted aggressively. Now they just tell lies and call names. Reminds me of grade school bullies.

Facebook and Other Social Media

2009-08-25T00:19:00.002-04:00

I had told friends that I would not join them on Facebook, but about three months ago, I did anyway. It's been a blast, plus I found a short temp job via Facebook Marketplace.

I also joined Twitter, but I almost never use it. I guess I need someone to teach me its finer points, as I see little virtue in it.

On the other hand, now I am addicted to Facebook, especially one of its many games, Mafia Wars. When I first started playing it, little did I know it could become addicting. I've been addicted to games in the past, such as Hearts on Yahoo Games, so I'm sure in time that this addiction will pass away as the others did. I know it will when I find a job and get busy with "life" again.

However, in the meantime, join my mafia, damn it.

What Has Been Going On

2009-08-24T13:04:00.005-04:00

Contrary to any rumors, I have not been kidnapped or ran away to some far away place. Nothing much has been happening with me except getting poorer financially. I have worked a couple of very short jobs: one six-day contract and another that was under 40 hours. I've had no luck finding work in or out of my field of technical writing.

I lost my qualification for unemployment back in March after having quit a contract job I wasn't qualified for. The only way to be reinstated in unemployment is to get a permanent job that lasts for at least six months and then be laid off again. Consequently, I've been borrowing from my home equity loan to make house payments, pay for groceries and utilities, and to pay all the deductibles and co-pays from my gall bladder surgery. I've almost maxed out the loan.

Luckily, I will be 62 in mid-September, so I qualify for early Social Security, with a lifetime reduction of about 25-30% because I am not at the full retirement age of 66. My payments start in mid-November, as I have finished all the application process. This income will pay a little more than my mortgage payment each month.

I'll also have a tiny pension starting in early October that should cover a few of my utilities. However, I will still need to work at least part-time to pay other bills and to have any money for recreation or travel. The problem is finding such a job or jobs.

I still have a roommate who pays his rent each month. That helps too.

I have some money in a retirement account, which I am holding off on touching since the bad economy has really caused it to take a huge hit. I may have to take a little near the end of the year. I will be in such a low-income bracket for the year that my tax hit on that money shouldn't be much. Plus, Georgia doesn't really tax retirement income. Only federal tax should be owed.

After I turn 62, I'll also be eligible to take courses for free at Georgia state colleges. I haven't inquired yet about the process. I'll wait until I am 62 in less than a month so that when I find out, I can make the application at the same time. I expect to take courses in Adobe Photoshop and in web design to enhance my technical writing skills. Getting another degree would probably only make me even less attractive to employers in this job market. I think the courses should help though.

I write all of this not to complain or for pity. I'm just recording this for myself and any friends who read my blog. This is how things are financially and career-wise right now in my life.

I have to admit to fighting depression. I take an anti-depressant, at the urging of my medical doctor. It has helped some. I think once I have my Social Security income coming in, I may feel a little bit better. Not having much money really sucks, but I'm getting used to NOT being a consumer. It seems that many folks are doing the same in this great recession.

Some of my friends have been very good to me these past few months. I'll remember them when I'm back on my feet. I've been treated to various things that otherwise I would have not done. I am thankful to each and every one of you who have been so kind. That is what friendship is all about...loving and helping your friends in good times and bad. I love you guys.

There is more that I could write in this post, but now that I've started writing again, I think it won't be so long until my next post. Until then....

Science Flies You to the Moon

2009-07-19T17:23:00.005-04:00

Sometimes you stumble across something on the Web that makes you laugh and also makes you think. This photo was one of those times for me. Since we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, how more appropriate could the sign be.

Fox Theater

2009-07-18T18:57:00.010-04:00

I went with some friends from one of my Meetup.com groups to go on a tour of the Fox Theater. I've been here many times for events, but this tour showed me things I've never seen. Here is one of the photos I took. The rest of them are on my profile in Facebook.

This chair was one of a set of two in the women's "powder room" and the guide told everyone not to sit in them. I thought they are very pretty. (Yes we toured two of the "tea rooms" because of ornate features.)

The tour is inexpensive and I highly recommend it for a nice Saturday morning outing in Atlanta.

Review: Burno is Brilliant

2009-07-15T17:18:00.007-04:00

There is not a dull moment in Sacha Baron Cohen's brilliant comedy, Bruno. Cohen's style of comedy is not appealing to everyone, and some people "just plain don't get it." I love off-beat humor, especially humor that pushes the envelope. Bruno does more than push the envelope. It licks it all over, stamps, and mails it.

I am aware that some gay folks don't like this movie for some reason or other. I haven't read their criticisms because I don't care. The character of Bruno is an extreme caricature that makes fun of stereotypes. He uses outrageous situations and dialog to make fun of homophobes, "ex-gay" charlatans, and rednecks. Whatever anyone else wants to read into this movie, go for it. That's my take. Two fists up.

Here's the restricted trailer.

In Poll, Wide Support for Government-Run Health

2009-06-20T22:43:00.002-04:00

I am very pleased that the public is behind Obama on this. Many in both parties in Congress (who owe lots of money to the insurance and pharma lobbyists) want to scuttle the public option. I hope this poll will push the public option over the finish line in Congress. Call your Representatives and Senators...please.

In Poll, Wide Support for Government-Run Health - NYTimes.com