I was wondering about this today, so I looked it up. Just what is tartar sauce and where did that word, "tartar" come from? I liked the explanation I found so much that I'm reposting it here:
"Okay, let's talk tartar. Or tartare. Or both. Steak tartare, as it is known today in its French appellation, was not always the, uh, gourmet meal of raw minced beefsteak mixed with egg and seasoning that it is now. As we can see in "Panetti's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things," this dish has its origin as a culinary practice popular in medieval times among warring Mongolian and Turkic tribes known as Tartars.
These violent fellows derived their name from the infernal abyss of Greek mythology, Tartarus. Their meal was low-quality, tough meat from Asian cattle grazing on the Russian steppe, shredded to make it more palatable and digestible. It was introduced into Germany sometime around the dawn of the 14th century, where it was prepared either raw or cooked. In fact, you get bonus points of you can guess what folks in the seaport town of Hamburg started calling it.
Tartar sauce, or as the French refer to it, sauce tartare, consists of mayonnaise, mustard, chives, chopped gherkins, and tarragon, according to C. Owen's "Choice Cooking," circa 1889. In French, it is loosely translated as 'rough,' as the Tartars were considered rough, violent, and savage. It is commonly served with fish. Yum yum.
Taken from the Straight Dope web site: "Staff Reports are written by the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, Cecil's online auxiliary. Though the SDSAB does its best, these columns are edited by Ed Zotti, not Cecil, so accuracywise you'd better keep your fingers crossed. "
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Richard Bach quotes
This morning, a friend posted this on Facebook, she was quoting Richard Bach who wrote, among other books, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a great story and fun movie and very good audio story told by the late British actor, Richard Harris:
"Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't." - Richard Bach
Great quote. He always has great quotes. But, I had to respond:
You're quoting a seagull?
You didn't think Bach wrote that story did you? The one about the bird?
He got that from a seagull that landed on his window sill one morning. Ripped the poor bird off completely, he did. In point of fact, the birds name was Jack, not Jonathan.
Dick told me all this, during one of his drunken debaucheries. He's very good at debauchering, you know. One of his favorite sayings, he'll call up on a Friday night and say,
"Hey, want to go do some smokin', drinkin' and debauchin' tonight?"
Do NOT go to a dance club with the man. Though he does look good for his age.
But, he always has a Flock of Seagulls following him around looking vindictive; and oh, the hair!
"Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't." - Richard Bach
Great quote. He always has great quotes. But, I had to respond:
You're quoting a seagull?
You didn't think Bach wrote that story did you? The one about the bird?
He got that from a seagull that landed on his window sill one morning. Ripped the poor bird off completely, he did. In point of fact, the birds name was Jack, not Jonathan.
Dick told me all this, during one of his drunken debaucheries. He's very good at debauchering, you know. One of his favorite sayings, he'll call up on a Friday night and say,
"Hey, want to go do some smokin', drinkin' and debauchin' tonight?"
Do NOT go to a dance club with the man. Though he does look good for his age.
But, he always has a Flock of Seagulls following him around looking vindictive; and oh, the hair!
Monday, September 27, 2010
William James
In many ways, this is one of my most important Blog articles. If more people were to read this particular blog item, their lives and those of most of the world, would suddenly take a leap through time of enhanced living. At very least, if authors paid attention to this, especially, religious authors, their writing would do more good to more people than any religious tome preceding them.
William James, distrusted systems. One action, is a system, a simple system. Once it joins with another action/system, it triples in its complications; or more, but it doesn't just double in implications. Once it joins with a third system....
Trusting systems is all of useful, productive... and yet dangerous.
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a medical doctor. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism. He was the brother of novelist Henry James and of diarist Alice James.
"James interacted with a wide array of writers and scholars throughout his life, including his godfather Ralph Waldo Emerson, his godson William James Sidis, as well as Charles Sanders Peirce, Bertrand Russell, Josiah Royce, Ernst Mach, John Dewey, Walter Lippmann, Mark Twain, Horatio Alger, Jr., Henri Bergson and Sigmund Freud.
"During his Harvard years, James joined in philosophical discussions with Charles Peirce, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Chauncey Wright that evolved into a lively group known as The Metaphysical Club in 1872. Louis Menand speculates that the Club provided a foundation for American intellectual thought for decades to come." [Wikipedia]
Below I have included some quotes of James, that I think are particularly interesting and useful, particularly in the endeavor of writing, not to mention, in scientific thought. They are in no particular order, as I will allow you that gracious and humbling activity within your own mind.
"Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results."
"A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain."
"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."
"A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him."
"Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune."
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
"Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action."
"The 'I think' which Kant said must be able to accompany all my objects, is the 'I breathe' which actually does accompany them."
"The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one."
"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."
"The essence of genius is to know what to overlook."
"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it."
"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought
over another."
"The world is all the richer for having a devil in it, so long as we keep our foot upon his neck."
"The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds."
"There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man's lack of faith in his true Self."
"There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision."
"These then are my last words to you. Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact."
"We don't laugh because we're happy - we're happy because we laugh."
"Those thoughts are truth which guide us to beneficial interaction with sensible particulars as they occur, whether they copy these in advance or not."
[exactly what the Hell does this mean?]
"To be conscious means not simply to be, but to be reported, known, to have awareness of one's being added to that being."
"To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal."
"Truth is what works."
[I believe by this, he means not simply that anything that works, is Truth. Rather that between two concepts, where one is faulty but supported by organized thought, and one is not faulty, then the one that is not faulty, the one that actually, "works", between those two, is the more reasonable choice, and thereby, Truth. As example, in the endeavor between religious or magical thought and scientific thought, when one points out what works, where it is "real" and verifiable, then it simply makes a better systemic choice than one that doesn't work as well (or at all), although it is based upon "faith", emotion, mythic beliefs, popular thought, or determined egoistic interpretation.]
"If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system."
[I believe that many of our modern society today, are living on another planet than the one I currently reside upon.]
"An act has no ethical quality whatever unless it be chosen out of several all equally possible."
"Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not."
[I wish I had read this years ago]
"We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood."
"We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be."
"When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice."
"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude."
"Why should we think upon things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment. Environment modifies life but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings."
Quotes from Brainy Quotes
William James, distrusted systems. One action, is a system, a simple system. Once it joins with another action/system, it triples in its complications; or more, but it doesn't just double in implications. Once it joins with a third system....
Trusting systems is all of useful, productive... and yet dangerous.
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a medical doctor. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism. He was the brother of novelist Henry James and of diarist Alice James.
"James interacted with a wide array of writers and scholars throughout his life, including his godfather Ralph Waldo Emerson, his godson William James Sidis, as well as Charles Sanders Peirce, Bertrand Russell, Josiah Royce, Ernst Mach, John Dewey, Walter Lippmann, Mark Twain, Horatio Alger, Jr., Henri Bergson and Sigmund Freud.
"During his Harvard years, James joined in philosophical discussions with Charles Peirce, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Chauncey Wright that evolved into a lively group known as The Metaphysical Club in 1872. Louis Menand speculates that the Club provided a foundation for American intellectual thought for decades to come." [Wikipedia]
Below I have included some quotes of James, that I think are particularly interesting and useful, particularly in the endeavor of writing, not to mention, in scientific thought. They are in no particular order, as I will allow you that gracious and humbling activity within your own mind.
"Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results."
"A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain."
"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."
"A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him."
"Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune."
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
"Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action."
"The 'I think' which Kant said must be able to accompany all my objects, is the 'I breathe' which actually does accompany them."
"The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one."
"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."
"The essence of genius is to know what to overlook."
"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it."
"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought
over another."
"The world is all the richer for having a devil in it, so long as we keep our foot upon his neck."
"The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds."
"There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man's lack of faith in his true Self."
"There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision."
"These then are my last words to you. Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact."
"We don't laugh because we're happy - we're happy because we laugh."
"Those thoughts are truth which guide us to beneficial interaction with sensible particulars as they occur, whether they copy these in advance or not."
[exactly what the Hell does this mean?]
"To be conscious means not simply to be, but to be reported, known, to have awareness of one's being added to that being."
"To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal."
"Truth is what works."
[I believe by this, he means not simply that anything that works, is Truth. Rather that between two concepts, where one is faulty but supported by organized thought, and one is not faulty, then the one that is not faulty, the one that actually, "works", between those two, is the more reasonable choice, and thereby, Truth. As example, in the endeavor between religious or magical thought and scientific thought, when one points out what works, where it is "real" and verifiable, then it simply makes a better systemic choice than one that doesn't work as well (or at all), although it is based upon "faith", emotion, mythic beliefs, popular thought, or determined egoistic interpretation.]
"If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system."
[I believe that many of our modern society today, are living on another planet than the one I currently reside upon.]
"An act has no ethical quality whatever unless it be chosen out of several all equally possible."
"Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not."
[I wish I had read this years ago]
"We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood."
"We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be."
"When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice."
"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude."
"Why should we think upon things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment. Environment modifies life but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings."
Quotes from Brainy Quotes
Should I follow my head? Or my heart?
I've often considered, should one follow one's head or one's heart?
I've been saying for decades that I follow my heart but use my head as a guide. I always thought that was so clever, and useful.
But honestly, it hasn't worked out that well in many ways.
On the other hand, I'd only know if I could compare how things would have been otherwise, maybe they'd have been worse? Perhaps if I had followed my head, and used my heart as the guide, things would be better.
But again, perhaps, they'd be worse?
On the third hand, perhaps you can see from this posting, what the problem is. :)
On the fourth hand, I could just be making this all up. Maybe the problem is I need someone with two extra hands.
Perhaps, THAT is the problem.
Or, maybe there IS no problem.
Maybe this is just one of my psycho characters talking here....
I've been saying for decades that I follow my heart but use my head as a guide. I always thought that was so clever, and useful.
But honestly, it hasn't worked out that well in many ways.
On the other hand, I'd only know if I could compare how things would have been otherwise, maybe they'd have been worse? Perhaps if I had followed my head, and used my heart as the guide, things would be better.
But again, perhaps, they'd be worse?
On the third hand, perhaps you can see from this posting, what the problem is. :)
On the fourth hand, I could just be making this all up. Maybe the problem is I need someone with two extra hands.
Perhaps, THAT is the problem.
Or, maybe there IS no problem.
Maybe this is just one of my psycho characters talking here....
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Weekend Wise Words
"Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I may not forget you."
--William Arthur Ward
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I may not forget you."
--William Arthur Ward
Friday, September 24, 2010
Learning the craft - writing, film, etc.
Lately, I've been watching YouTube videos.
I started out of people sending me the most hilarious stuff. The humor lead to music, the music to individual players, that to how to videos, mostly blues guitar work. That lead to running into some documentary type footage, mostly raw footage of famous people from my past. That lead to actual documentary footage. Mostly in this case, of one shots of famous people being interviewed. Like the AFI documents.
This started with my watching all the videos I could find on speculative fiction writer, Harlan Ellison. He was a hero of mind as a child, reading his works, seeing things he'd worked on in TV shows.
That lead more recently to my discovering a set of Rod Serling videos, his talking to students. ROD SERLING!
This week, I discovered the AFI videos of Mike Douglas, Jerry Lewis, Dick Van Dyke, William Shatner. I watched these because they were immediately available. But I plan to look into others now.
Just go to YouTube and type whomever you like, in the search field, then search through the available videos on them. Look for those that have parts, 1, 2, 3, etc.
This are fascinating video documents. They give a history of Hollywood, or writing, or whatever you are interested in basically.
We need to learn constantly. If you want to be a writer, a filmmaker, whatever, you need to learn on your own. School is good, its great; on the job work, is greater; but you always have to take it upon yourself to continue your studies, where ever you can find them. On the internet, in a book, on TV, in a coffeeshop. Anywhere. Everywhere.
My grandmother once told me to always surround yourself with intelligent, notable people and you will become notable yourself, in one away or another, depending on what it is you want out of life. This has always been good advice to me, and I pass it on to you. Whatever you want to be, find those people, and "Be" with them, as much as is reasonable (don't be a stalker).
So if you find yourself watching silly, or entertaining videos on YouTube, try educating yourself a little. Track down some videos of your own heroes. You might learn something useful.
I started out of people sending me the most hilarious stuff. The humor lead to music, the music to individual players, that to how to videos, mostly blues guitar work. That lead to running into some documentary type footage, mostly raw footage of famous people from my past. That lead to actual documentary footage. Mostly in this case, of one shots of famous people being interviewed. Like the AFI documents.
This started with my watching all the videos I could find on speculative fiction writer, Harlan Ellison. He was a hero of mind as a child, reading his works, seeing things he'd worked on in TV shows.
That lead more recently to my discovering a set of Rod Serling videos, his talking to students. ROD SERLING!
This week, I discovered the AFI videos of Mike Douglas, Jerry Lewis, Dick Van Dyke, William Shatner. I watched these because they were immediately available. But I plan to look into others now.
Just go to YouTube and type whomever you like, in the search field, then search through the available videos on them. Look for those that have parts, 1, 2, 3, etc.
This are fascinating video documents. They give a history of Hollywood, or writing, or whatever you are interested in basically.
We need to learn constantly. If you want to be a writer, a filmmaker, whatever, you need to learn on your own. School is good, its great; on the job work, is greater; but you always have to take it upon yourself to continue your studies, where ever you can find them. On the internet, in a book, on TV, in a coffeeshop. Anywhere. Everywhere.
My grandmother once told me to always surround yourself with intelligent, notable people and you will become notable yourself, in one away or another, depending on what it is you want out of life. This has always been good advice to me, and I pass it on to you. Whatever you want to be, find those people, and "Be" with them, as much as is reasonable (don't be a stalker).
So if you find yourself watching silly, or entertaining videos on YouTube, try educating yourself a little. Track down some videos of your own heroes. You might learn something useful.
Seattle Benefits From Growth In Global Health
With all the Health Care issues floating around the country, and the world, its nice to hear something positive. I worked at a large health insurance company for years. Hearing all this the past few years has been uplifting and depressing. Uplifting because, we need health care reform in the US. Depressing because I've seen many people lose their jobs to cost cutting efforts. But I've been lucky that all my life, I have had, or chosen to have, jobs that allowed me to remain after most people have been let go.
Still its nice to hear something going well, locally.
"The latest growth industry and job-machine in Seattle is the field of global health. Non-profit groups are fueling a mini building-boom downtown, and they're hiring. The Gates Foundation presence is a major reason. But some locals are hand-wringing that it's unseemly to even call it an industry when local jobs are based on Third World despair." -- NPR
Listen to the article (below). As for the statement above, I think regardless, if there are people benefiting health-wise, is there really downside here?
NPR article
Still its nice to hear something going well, locally.
"The latest growth industry and job-machine in Seattle is the field of global health. Non-profit groups are fueling a mini building-boom downtown, and they're hiring. The Gates Foundation presence is a major reason. But some locals are hand-wringing that it's unseemly to even call it an industry when local jobs are based on Third World despair." -- NPR
Listen to the article (below). As for the statement above, I think regardless, if there are people benefiting health-wise, is there really downside here?
NPR article
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